About Morse Elementary

Mission

The mission of Morse Elementary School is to ensure a high level of literacy and maximum achievement for all students. Working with parents and community, we will provide a motivating and challenging curriculum within a safe and nurturing environment. All students will have the opportunity to achieve outstanding academic and behavior standards, build varied technological and career skills, and become productive, lifelong learners prepared to live in a diverse world.

Core Belief
All children can learn. All administrators, teachers, support staff, parents, and students are responsible for accomplishing that mission and ensuring that each child is successful.

Vision

We hold high expectations for all students through rigorous and relevant educational experiences that challenge them to become responsible, ethical, and engaged citizens.

Focus on academics and directly teaching standards in the classroom
Provide quality programs and opportunities for all students
Maximize instructional time-limit interruptions to teaching
Hold high expectations for all students in a nurturing environment
Provide support and interventions during school
Participate in staff development and professional growth opportunities
Provide a positive environment that encourages students to learn
Utilize technology resources to support instruction
Involve parents in their child’s education

Focus Areas (How We Achieve Our Mission & Vision)

Focus Area 1.0 – Academic Achievement
Student achievement is at the core of the PYLUSD mission and vision. We expect all students to demonstrate continued and improved academic achievement in order to emerge college and career ready. In addition, students are provided an array of enrichment opportunities to expand their educational experience.

Focus Area 2.0 – Effective Instruction/Leadership
A dynamic, high-quality instructional program facilitates life-long habits of intellectual inquiry. We actively engage each student in the learning process through the implementation of the core curriculum and effective instructional strategies, including the use of technology. To this end, we strive to attract, train, and retain employees as well as develop strategic leaders who embrace the vision and values of our district.

Focus Area 3.0 – Engaged Community
Stakeholders play a vital role in the educational process. We value their opinions and feedback and seek to involve them in decisions which impact the education of our students. We establish a culture which encourages positive relationships among our students, staff, and parents as well as educational, business, and community partners.

Focus Area 4.0 – Safe and Respectful Environment
A safe and respectful environment is essential to student success. We foster a culture that promotes the emotional health, safety, and well-being of students, staff, and parents.

Focus Area 5.0 – Optimized Resources
A critical measure of a school district’s performance is the effectiveness with which it utilizes and generates resources. We ensure that all fiscal and capital resources maximize educational opportunities.

School Goals

We provide a nurturing environment where students feel comfortable learning.
We view all students equally.
We motivate all students.
We provide students with tools to meet academic and social challenges in life.
We expect every student to become a productive contributor to our school and society.
We educate parents as to the expectations and standards for children.
We improve standardized test scores.
We expect every student to be learning to their highest potential.
We are a untied staff and community, working together to ensure that all students are making progress and achieving success at their ability level.

Opportunities for Parental Involvement

Communication lines between families and the school are kept open in numerous ways. Monthly newsletters are sent home which include information from the principal and the PTA as well as general school information. A calendar of upcoming events and other pertinent information is also sent home. Written communications are sent in English and/or Spanish as needed by each family. Every student takes home a STAR folder each Tuesday afternoon that includes all of the student’s work from the previous week as well as any correspondences from the school office. There is a sign-off sheet in the folder with room for comments. These folders and prepared and distributed to classrooms by a group of dedicated parent volunteers who come to weekly to assemble packets and deliver them to teachers.

The attendance clerk, food service coordinator, and many of our teachers speak Spanish and translate when necessary to ensure effective communication of school business. All meetings, such as PTA (Parent-Teacher Association), SSC (School Site Council), ELAC (English Language Advisory Committee), and other advisory committees are noted in the newsletter and are open to all who wish to attend. PTA meetings are held monthly on the second Monday of the month at 7:00 PM in the Multi-Purpose Room. School Site Council meetings are held in the Library at 2:30 PM on the days noted and there are at least four meetings per year. English Language Advisory Committee meetings are held at least four times per year. The locations of the ELAC meetings vary but are most often held at Santa Fe Park, within the neighborhood of most of the families attending. At each of the meetings the parents who attend are provided with information about school procedures, policies, budgets, and programs as well as provided with training concerning parenting skills. Parents are welcome to provide input at these meetings so that plans can be implemented to better serve the needs of all students at Morse. Parent enrichment opportunities are also offered at these times such as helping parents establish email addresses and gain basic computer skills.

You can learn more about Morse Elementary School by viewing our Parent Handbook and Accountability Report Card in English or Spanish.