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Welcome Back to School!

BINGO

Donuts with Dudes

Morikami receives the Magnet

Schools of America School of

Excellence Award

It’s hard to believe that we are approaching the month of October. We certainly had an exciting start to the school year with Hurricane Dorian knocking at our doorstep. Sadly, our neighbors in the Bahamas suffered the devastating effects of Dorian. As a school we were able to take action and help our Bahamian neighbors by raising $3,300. PTA will adding our funds to the district-wide fundraiser, as the district has set a goal to collect $100,000 to help the Bahamas. We thank our staff, students, and families for their generosity.

Our School Improvement Plan has been completed, approved by SAC and will be posted on-line at the Florida Department of Education website once approved by the school board. Strategies to improve student achievement in both reading and math are being implemented and monitored. Our comprehensive academic plan is aligned with the district’s Strategic Plan; long term outcome #1 increase reading on grade level by 3rd grade and our second goal is to increase English Language Arts and Math learning gains. Additionally, our teachers are continuing to work hard as they focus on analyzing data and planning instruction to meet the demands of increased rigor in our classrooms. Our role in administration will be to support and lead these efforts at all levels with all the resources that are available.

As a reminder, if you are a walker in the morning or afternoon, we ask that you park at the Civic Center parking lot and walk onto campus to in the morning and afternoon to drop-off or pick up your children. It is very important that parents and children never cross along traffic but use the sidewalks at all times. We have had parents with their children darting between traffic. This creates a very dangerous situation.

More on the

next page!

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P A G E 2

Welcome - Bienvenidos -欢迎(continued )

Starting October 1st the second part of Florida’s cell phone law goes into effect. It requires phones to be used in a hands-free manner when driving in a designated school, crossing, school zone or active work zone area. That means talking while holding a phone will no longer be allowed in those areas.  Our campus is a school zone and we ask that you follow Florida law. Too many times we have seen parents talking on their phone or texting while driving through our parking lot. This has created a dangerous situation for our staff and students. It is imperative that your full attention be on driving and following the rules of the road. When driving on campus, the speed limit is 5mph even when you are running late.

Your child’s daily, on-time attendance is critical to their success in school. And while some challenges to your child’s school attendance are unavoidable, it’s important to understand the impact of each absence. A student is considered chronically absent if they miss only two days of school per month  (18 days in a year), whether the absences are excused or unexcused. This is true for children as early as elementary school, when they are at a higher risk of falling behind in reading. Even one year of chronic absences can cause a child to fall behind academically and decrease a child’s chances of graduating from high school, which can have long-term consequences on their financial independence, physical well-being and mental health. The good news?

Attending school every day increases a child’s chances of success in school and in life. Please make every effort to have your child to school every day and on time each day. When children come late to school, their day gets off to a difficult start. Students must be in their seats and ready to begin the day by 8:00 a.m.  Remember school doors open at 7:30 am and students can start their day off with a delicious free breakfast in the cafeteria. Thank you for your continued support. Working together is the best way to ensure success.

With Morikami Pride,

MRS. QUIÑONES

Important Dates to Remember!

P A G E 3

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OCT. 11

NO UNIFORM $2 Donation for Cancer Research

NOV. 8

ANNUAL MPES CARNIVAL

3-7pm

Save the Date!

SEPT. 20

BINGO 4-6pm

MPES Cafeteria

SEPT. 25

DONUTS WITH DUDES (grades K-2)

SEPT. 26

DONUTS WITH DUDES (grades 3-5)

OCT. 11

PINK NIGHT 4-6pm

MPES Cafeteria

A Message from your P TA President

P A G E 4

Hello Moonbears!

This year is off to a great start! Time is going by so fast already. Our ice cream social was great and it was so nice meeting so many new families and catching up with our old ones. Thank you to Kathleen Grosswald and Tracy Martinson for throwing such a fun event! We look forward to seeing all of our families at all of our upcoming events.

Thank you to all of our families that have joined the PTA so far. If you haven’t joined yet, there is still time. I encourage all of you to join. I would also like to thank all of our families that have sponsored their child’s teachers. The teachers really appreciate all the help they can get by adding to their class resources.

I look forward to seeing all of our Moonbears at our future events! Please be sure to join our Facebook group Morikami Park Elementary PTA.

Thank you!

JEN PERROTTI PTA President pta@morikamiparkelementarypta.org

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It has been past practice for Healthy Schools, LLC to provide free flu shots to the students in our schools. In fact, information relating to the shots has already been released.  Unfortunately, because of lower than expected parent consent and the growing cost of running the flu vaccine clinics, Healthy Schools has made the decision to discontinue the flu shot program in Florida for this school year.

What does that mean for Palm Beach County Students?  Until an alternative in-school, cost-free flu vaccination program is found, our students will need to reach out to their local health department, doctor/pediatrician in inquire about alternatives.  They may also visit the CDC flu shot finder website to locate local flu vaccine providers at https://www.cdc.gov/flu/freeresources/

Flu Shot Update

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P A G E 5

A Note from your IB C oordinatorInquiring minds want to know...

Morikami Park Elementary is one of the Choice Schools in Palm Beach County that offer the IB Program. You may be asking “What does it mean to be an IB school?”

The International Baccalaureate Organization aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable, and caring young people. The concept of a broad-based international curriculum was fully realized in 1997 with the introduction of the Primary Years Programme (PYP). The IBO offers a sequence of three programs: the PYP, the Middle Years Programme (introduced in 1994) and the Diploma Program (introduced in 1969). The aim of all IB programmes is to develop internationally minded people who help to create a better and more peaceful world. The IB Learner Profile is the IBO mission statement translated into a set of learning outcomes for the 21st century. Our students here at Morikami Park Elementary strive to be:

Inquirers, Knowledgeable, Thinkers, Communicators, Principled, Open-minded, Caring, Risk-takers, Balanced,

Reflective

The IBO promotes the education of the whole person, emphasizing intellectual, personal, emotional, and social growth through all domains of knowledge. This being said, the learning profile is a profile of a whole person as a lifelong learner. If you have any further questions about the Morikami IB Program, please contact our Magnet Coordinator Mrs. Mercier at (561) 894-7329 or amy.mercier@palmbeachschools.org.

AMY MERCIER IB Magnet Coordinator amy.mercier@palmbeachschools.org

Morikami Park Elementary School is a proud recipient of the

Magnet Schools of America School of Excellence Award!

Magnet Schools of America established the National Merit Awards program to recognize the top magnet schools in the

United States. These awards are given to magnet schools that show a commitment to high

academic standards, curriculum innovation, successful

desegregation and diversity efforts, and the consistent

delivery of high quality educational services to all

stakeholders.

P A G E 6

MORIKAMI PTA

We invite you to visit our PTA website for updated PTA and school information. While you’re there, don’t forget to sign up for the PTA-Plan It newsletter!

www.MorikamiParkElementaryPTA.org pta@morikamiparkelementarypta.org

MORIKAMI PARK IB FOUNDATION

The Morikami Park IB Foundation website offers a wealth of information for everyone! Please visit us today for the latest updates on our MPES fundraising initiatives and the 14th Annual IB Auction & Celebration!

www.MorikamiParkIBFoundation.com morikamiparkib@gmail.com

Get in Touch with Us!

FRIDAYS ARE SPIRIT DAYS AT MORIKAMI

Students may wear any Morikami shirt with jeans or jean shorts. Jeans must be school appropriate without any tears or

holes. Shirts and blouses must be tucked in; no excessive jewelry or

bracelets.

SPIRIT DAYS GET YOUR SPIRIT STICKS ON

FRIDAYS & SHOW YOUR MORIKAMI MOONBEAR

PRIDE!

Spirit Sticks are available for sale Friday mornings for $1 in front

of the school.

Spirit Days!

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MP ES Business PartnersAs we prepare for another amazing year at Morikami Park Elementary, we take a moment to reflect on the many partnerships and successes we’ve had last year. Our business partnerships are an important ingredient that helps to create opportunities for students that they wouldn’t ordinarily have to continue on the path of excellence we define as the “Morikami Way.” We have outlined a few facts that makes Morikami Park Elementary unique and cutting edge.

Morikami Park Elementary is once again an “A” rated, National Blue Ribbon Award Winning School Magnet Schools of America Merit School of Distinction Award Winner Kindergarten through Fifth Grade engages in 6 units of inquiry which explore global issues State of the art technology in the classrooms, along with 2 fully equipped computer labs Spanish and Mandarin Chinese classes offered to all students Kindergarten through Fifth Grade Hands-On Science/Math Lab available to all students to explore scientific concepts Active music and visual arts programs that encourage students creativity and exploration

We would like to take this time to again thank last year’s Business Partners for their unwavering support of our school—its programs, missions and goals. We couldn’t achieve our goals without their support and for that we are truly grateful.

We hope you will join us this year as a 2019-2020 Business Partner. Attached is an enrollment contract and Membership Level Menu for your review and consideration. Should you decide to join us, please complete the paperwork and mail or hand deliver to Amy Mercier, IB Magnet Coordinator at your earliest convenience.

With your help, we look forward to another successful year at Morikami. Again, we are so grateful for your support of Morikami Park Elementary and for your generosity maintaining foundation of our students’ success.

Fondly,

AMY MERCIER IB Magnet Coordinator amy.mercier@palmbeachschools.org

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P A G E 7

P A G E 8

Business Partners 2019-2020

GOLD South Florida Food Allergy Center

Boca Delray Pediatric Dentistry Greens First

Performance Edge School of Dance Nextgen Management

Totality Chiropractic Casa L’Italien

Park’s Taekwondo Woodmont Summer Camp

Cooper Orthodontics

SILVER Divine Dining Florida Statler Orthodontics

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