Principal's Message
Dear Morse Street Families,
Welcome to the start of the 2025-2026 school year at Morse Street! Everyone has been working very hard over the summer to be sure we are polished, scrubbed and ready for the coming school year. We are very excited to welcome a few new faces to our team and are looking forward to a fantastic new school year. If you have any questions, please call the office and either Michelle Bosse or Beth Wunder will be more than happy to help you navigate the school year. We look forward to seeing you at our upcoming ‘Meet and Greets’ and are excited to have students back in the building.
By now you should have received information about logging into Powerschool. This is important so that you can update your child's contact information, medical information, permissions and transportation plan. You must log in to your child’s portal and review and update any necessary information by Monday September 1st, 2025. Together with this message, we have included other important information. Please take the time to read through all attachments.
School Day
Regular attendance and punctuality is important for our students to settle quickly and maximize engagement in their learning. Students are able to go to their classrooms starting at 8:25a.m. Our school day ends at 3:15p.m.
Hours of School Day:
|
Arrival |
Dismissal |
|
|
Regular School Day |
||
|
K-2 |
8:25am (8:35am learning starts) |
3:15pm |
|
PreK am session |
8:25am (8:35am learning starts) |
11:20am |
|
PreK pm session |
12:30pm |
3:15pm |
|
Early Release |
||
|
K-2 |
8:25am (8:35am learning starts) |
11:50am |
|
PreK |
No PreK |
No PreK |
Morning Drop Off and Afternoon Pickup PreK -2
If you plan on dropping your child at school instead of using the bus, please use the curbside drop-off during arrival. Say your ‘goodbyes’ inside the car and an adult will greet your child between 8:25 am and 8:35am. This system works best if parents do not get out of the car at all. Please make sure you have said all your goodbyes before you get to the front of the line. If you would like a little longer at the transitions, it is best to park in the LL Bean parking lot and walk your child to the front of the school and adults will greet your child there. Similarly, afternoon pickup works in the same way, adults will bring children to your car and put them in. Please share this information with any caregivers who are dropping off or picking up your child.
Buses
Bus routes are posted on the RSU5 website and any questions related to transportation should be directed to Director of Transportation, Jeremy Arsenault. Please note that it takes a little time for the routes to settle and you should expect that timing might be ‘off’ a little during the first two weeks. Plan on being at the bus stop early and waiting, similarly at the end of the day. They could be running late as we settle into routines. We will do our best to communicate any lengthy delays, and appreciate your patience and understanding.
Attendance
Consistent school attendance is important to your child’s success, both now and in the future. We are excited to see your child at school everyday, as the social, emotional and academic learning that occurs in the classroom and around school cannot be replicated. Research suggests that if children are not reading on grade level by 3rd grade, the likelihood of them dropping out later is high. Our data suggests that students who are deemed chronically absent, missing 10% of school, do not make the expected growth and once gaps form it is very difficult to catch up.
Please consider the school calendar (attached) as you plan family vacations. If you are taking your child out of school for any reason other than medical or emergency, you need to submit a planned absence form for approval prior to the trip. If your child is truly unwell and has a fever, is vomiting or has diarrhea, they should stay home. If you are unsure please feel free to check in with our school nurses. If your child is out for more than 3 consecutive days due to illness we require a note from your child’s physician.
Being Prepared
We encourage our children to maximize play opportunities outside and often this means getting wet or muddy! It is important for all children to be prepared for the weather. We will have recess even in light rain, and raincoats can be helpful to ensure comfort. On rainy days, students will also be outside waiting for buses and pickup. As the weather changes later in the fall, students will need to be ready with boots and other warm weather clothing. Please make sure that all children have two extra full sets of clothing in their backpack at all times. Be sure to change this with the seasons. It is essential to have a change of clothes in case of accidents, spills and creative adventures!
Getting Involved
As many of you know, family involvement is very important to our school. We have a very active Parent Teacher Club that plans events and raises funds to enrich the learning experience of our students. Our volunteer program provides opportunities for parents to work in classrooms on a regular basis or chaperone the occasional field trip. We also have projects that can be worked on at home. We will be welcoming parent volunteers into school as soon as classrooms are settled. If you think you might be interested in volunteering later in the school year, complete the volunteer application for pre-approval. (see attached) Once approved you will hear from our office for next steps. Please note the approval process can take up to a week.
Communication
Teachers send newsletters home bi-weekly. In addition, a monthly newsletter is sent from the Principal that shares whole school news and events with the Morse Street Community. Please contact the office if you are not receiving electronic communication from us. Updates and reminders are also posted on our school Instagram and Facebook pages, so don’t forget to follow us (@Morse_Street)!
School office hours are from 8:00am to 4:30pm. As classroom instruction will start promptly at 8:35a.m. please make sure to have your child at school by 8:25a.m.. This will give your child time to say hello and take care of their morning responsibilities and allow the class to start the day together. Dismissal for students who are leaving with their parents will start just before 3:15pm and students riding the buses will leave at 3:15pm. If you need to dismiss your child early for a medical appointment please make sure they are dismissed before 2:45pm or they will be dismissed with everyone else at 3:15pm. The office gets busy at this time and our focus needs to be on the safety of all students.
Non-Student Days
The school district calendar includes two Professional Compensation Days (PC) and 4 Professional Learning Days (PLD). Students will not be attending school on these days. As well as the Professional Learning days, there will be 2 early release days (dismissal on these days is at 11:50 a.m.). Please check with your childcare provider so that you know whether they provide care on these days.
We are excited to welcome you and your child back to school and look forward to the year of learning ahead of us. If you have questions, concerns, or suggestions throughout the year, please don't hesitate to contact your child’s teacher or us.
Sincerely,
Julie Nickerson Amanda Marsden
Julie Nickerson, Principal Amanda Marsden, Assistant Principal
Attached:
Morse Street School Office Frequently Asked Questions
MSS Drop off/Pick up Procedures
Volunteer Application Form and Planned Absence Form
RSU5 Calendar
FERPA Confidential Records
Safe Storage of Guns letter
MSS Drop Off and Pickup Procedures
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