The Navigator - August 2023

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Welcome to the 2023-24 school year! We are just days away from welcoming our newest class, the class of 2027, to Morse for their first day of school and we are excited for them to start their high school journey. A new school year offers a special opportunity for all students to have a fresh start and a chance to refocus on their goals for high school and the next steps in their life. I am always amazed at what students are able to accomplish in their four years at Morse, accomplishments that set the stage for their next stage of life; the days before school start are a great time for families to discuss these goals and what they want this school year to look like.

I am hopeful that the information in this quarter’s edition of the Navigator is useful to you and your family as we get the 2023-24 school year underway.

NEW ANNUAL UPDATE PROCESS IS NOW OPEN!

RSU 1 has a new way to update the required information that our schools ask for each year. This will replace the large packets of paper that you previously received on the first day of school. Instructions were sent to the primary email on file in Infinite Campus on Monday, August 28th. Please plan to complete this required update as soon as possible and no later than Friday, September 8th, 2023.

For existing students please check out the Annual Update Guide for instructions on how to update your information in IC.

Start Days and Schedule:

The first day of school is Tuesday, September 5th for grade 9 students only. As in previous years, we reserve the first day of school to orient our incoming ninth grade students to high school. Upon entering Morse for the first time, students will be assisted in finding their advisory room, where they will receive a fresh copy of their class schedule. Students will spend most of the day in their Advisory groups, where they will learn their class schedule, become familiar with the building, procedures, and traditions that make Morse a special place to go to school. Ninth-grade students will also attend all of their classes for about 15 minutes, where they will meet their teachers, receive a list of needed supplies, and start reviewing course expectations. The intention of this day is to give the Class of 2026 a little more knowledge and confidence before they attend school with all grades present. Students should bring something to write with and something to write on, as well as their school-issued Chromebook (if they attended an RSU1 school in previous years).

The first day of school is Wednesday, September 6th for all students, grades 9-12.

Please remember that this is a late start Wednesday; school starts at 8:40 AM. Students will report directly to their advisory, where they will receive a fresh copy of their daily schedule and other important information. Students can also access their schedule now through Infinite Campus (ic.rsu1.org). This first day of school will also include a full-school assembly and a modified schedule, where students will attend all of their classes for an abbreviated period.

Open House:

Morse and Bath Tech will host an open house on the evening of September 27th from 5:30 - 6:30 PM. The Morse Student Services Team will also host a post-secondary planning session for senior students and families in the Montgomery Theater from 6:00 - 7:00 PM. All students and family members are welcome to join us for our open house, see the school and briefly meet teachers. We hope to see you on September 27th!

Bus Transportation:

RSU 1 contracts with First Student to provide free transportation between school and home for all students residing in an RSU 1 community (Bath, Woolwich, Arrowsic, Phippsburg) who would like to take advantage of this opportunity. First Student can be reached at 207-707-4856. The communities of Georgetown and West Bath contract with Bath Bus Service to provide the same services. Bath Bus Service can be reached at 207-504-2196.

AM Bus Routes can be found here.

Daily Bell Schedule:

Morse will run the same daily class schedule as we did last year, with some slight changes surrounding our lunch times. An image of the schedule is below. This schedule will be explained in classes and Advisory on the first day of school. Students who attend a Bath Tech program will have a slightly modified schedule that will also be explained on the first day of school.

Builder Block (RTI):

Morse holds an academic intervention period in the middle of the day on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday that we call Builder Block. Teachers will request for students to attend their builder block during the period that is marked “RTI” on their schedule. This will show on students’ daily schedule on Infinite Campus. Students will have the opportunity to request to see teachers during Builder Block as well on Tuesdays. Students will be trained /reminded of how this works in their Advisory groups on 9/6 and teachers will help students request teachers for Builder Blocks on Thursday and Friday of the first week of school.

Lunch & Breakfast:

Students eat breakfast and lunch in the first-floor student commons. Lunch occurs during their 4th-period class on Monday and Tuesday. Those teachers will inform the class whether they go to lunch during the first or second lunch period. Lunch occurs opposite from builder block on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, which is listed on their schedule. This will also be reviewed in Advisory sessions on the first days of school.

We are thankful that all students can eat lunch & breakfast in the cafeteria for free again this school year. The free lunch and breakfast applies to full meals only; there will be a-la-carte items that will be for sale in the cafeteria as well. Please contact the food service director, Melissa Cole, for more information: mcole@rsu1.org.

In addition to the efforts of the Morse kitchen, we also have our very own food and supplies pantry located in the library. Students are always welcome to stop-by the food pantry for a snack, take-home meals, and personal hygiene supplies.

School Supplies:

Please make sure that your student brings their school-issued Chromebook, fully charged, to school daily, starting on the first day of school. If they have used their personal device in past years, please have them bring that device. If your student is new to RSU1 schools, we will be issuing a Chromebook to them on the first days of school. Individual teachers will give supply lists to students on the first day of school. If your family is having issues purchasing school supplies, we have a large quantity of school supplies for students in the Morse library that are free for anyone to take, no questions asked.

Stay informed on your student’s progress:

Morse will continue to distribute information through Infinite Campus, Brightspace, and our website. It is very important that we have the most updated contact information for your family in our system. Please contact Mrs. Levasseur at 443-8250 ext 1 or hlevasseur@rsu1.org if your contact information needs to be updated. Also, please make sure that you have Infinite Campus, the Morse Website, and Brightspace bookmarked on your computer and/or have downloaded the Apps on your phone. This will give you more information about your student’s attendance and grades than you ever thought you ever should know! If you do not have an active Infinite Campus Account, please contact Lynn Rouillard-Hill at 443-8250 ext 3 & 1 or lrouillard-hill@rsu1.org.

Illness:

If a student or staff member has a fever, chills, sore throat, cough, muscle or body aches, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, or new loss of taste or smell, please stay home and call Nurse Barter at 207-443-8250 ext 2, or email her at kbarter@rsu1.org, for further guidance. If a student or staff member tests positive for COVID-19, Nurse Barter will communicate the requirements around returning to school and masking on days 6-10. Mask wearing is still a personal choice for each individual who is not testing positive for COVID-19 and students and staff will honor this choice with respect.

Student Parking:

All students who would like to park in the student parking lot are required to register for a parking permit with Mrs. Levasseur, hlevasseur@rsu1.org 443-8250 - ext 1, in the main office at Morse. Students will need to show their license, return a completed parking contract signed by a parent, and pay $10 to cover the cost of the permit. Parking permits will be issued to seniors first; remaining parking spots will be given to underclassmen as available. If a student does not receive a parking permit at the school, they may park at the tennis courts parking lot at the McMann Field Complex.

Open Campus Privileges:

The open campus privileges will continue for qualified grade 12 students only this school year. Grade 12 students have already received a separate email from Mrs. Levasseur, hlevasseur@rsu1.org 443-8250 - ext 1, who is the contact person for open privileges. Students are also welcome to come see Mrs. Levasseur in the main office for the required paperwork. There are a few important reminders about senior open privileges:

Parent permission is required for an open period and/or for open lunch to occur.
Open lunch and first and second periods do not have a grade requirement, just parent permission
Seniors who have no D’s or F’s on the previous quarter’s report card may have opens during any period of the day with parent permission.
Students must sign out and back in on the clipboard near the door to the main office each time they leave for a senior open privilege.
Open privileges can be revoked at any time by administration or parents for attendance issues or other concerns.

New Faculty and Staff:

In addition to the members of the class of 2027, we are also welcoming a few new and talented faculty and staff members to Morse this school year:

Andrew Pelletier, Athletic Director
Cameron Bishop, Dean of Students
Matthew D’Angelo, Mathematics Teacher
Aurora Hodgkins, Education Technician

The Morse Faculty and Staff are so excited to welcome our students to a new school year. See you soon!

Sincerely,

Eric Varney

evarney@rsu1.org

A MESSAGE FROM THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

“A new school year means new beginnings, new adventures, new friends and new challenges. The slate is clean and anything can happen.”

-Denise Witmer

The start of school is an exciting time of year. As mentioned above, it is a fresh start for all students and an opportunity for growth and change for all. Mr. Varney and I have been working over the past few weeks to get the school ready for the new school year. While the important preparatory work of completing schedules, finalizing student handbooks and other details are necessary to start the school year off right, both Mr. Varney and I get excited when the students, the key element to our school community, start to fill our hallways.

I want to give a big welcome to our newest shipbuilders. We are so excited to welcome our newest class (Class of 2027), to Morse High School. On Tuesday, September 5, 2023 during our Freshman Orientation Day, we have an entire day focusing on helping 9th graders transition into high school. Students will meet in advisory groups (we will let them know their groups when they get to school) and spend the day meeting teachers and learning about Morse. They will go through a very shortened schedule, learn more about Morse policies, get their locker and spend time getting familiar with the school. It is a day spent helping 9th graders feel comfortable at high school. If you (or your student) is feeling nervous about high school, you are not alone, but please know that there are many people at Morse to help you with this important transition. The rest of our students (all students 10-12th) start on Wednesday September 6, 2023.

One important point I want to touch upon before the school year starts is the importance of coming to school on time. Last year we saw an increase in the number of students who were arriving at school in the morning 5, 10 or 15 minutes after the bell. While arriving 10 minutes late in the morning may not, at first seem, like a big deal, it disrupts the learning of the student who is tardy as well as the teacher and the rest of the class. It can result in a significant loss of learning. For example, if a student arrives 10 minutes late each day they are losing roughly 50 minutes of learning a week, 200 minutes (or 3 hours and 20 minutes) of learning a month, 400 minutes (6 hours 40 minutes) a quarter, 800 minutes (13 hours 40 minutes) a semester and around 2000 minutes (33 hours 20 minutes) for the school year. In order to address the impact this is having on our students we will be issuing consequences (including time after school) for students with unexcused tardies. If your student is struggling to get to school on time and you would like support or assistance please reach out to our student services department.

I will wrap this up by reminding everyone that it is up to each and every one of us (students and adults) to keep Morse wonderful. It is the job of all of us to be our best selves and work hard every day. For a school to be successful, we need to treat each other with respect, be responsible for our actions and contribute to the school community. Coming to school each day, being present and active in your classes, being kind and respectful are what will keep this school great. I can’t wait to see what the 2023-2024 year has in store for all of us!

Welcome back!

Devon Gallice

dgallice@rsu1.org

MEET THE NEW DEAN OF STUDENTS

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We are excited to welcome Cam Bishop as Morse High School's new Dean of Students. He will be working predominantly with our freshman and sophomore students and families, helping them transition successfully from middle school into high school. Cam comes to us from Wiscasset where he was the Athletic Director and Assistant Principal for the middle and high school. Prior to his administrative experience, Cam taught social studies both at Wiscasset High School and Waterville Middle School. He also has experience coaching and loves being part of a team. Cam graduated from Bowdoin College where he was part of the football team.

Cam lives in Brunswick with his wife Ashley and his two young children Claire and Caroline. Cam loves supporting local athletics and enjoys watching sporting events. Cam also enjoys reading historical fiction and biographies and spending time outdoors with his family.

Cam is excited to be a Shipbuilder! Cam is looking forward to helping freshmen and sophomores, as well as all students, find their passions and their place within the Morse High School community.

A MESSAGE FROM THE ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT

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Hello to all of our Shipbuilder athletes, family members and supporters!

My name is Andrew Pelletier and I am extremely honored to be your Athletic Director at Morse High School. The Mid-Coast is where I called home growing up. The pride and tradition that wearing the Blue and White brings to its athletes and its community is something I am excited to represent and be part of.

It has been an extremely busy yet enjoyable start to our 2023-24 athletic calendar!

Our Morse Golf team started the Shipbuilder Athletic program proudly by knocking off Winslow and Lawrence in the first match of the season! The official start date for all other MPA athletic teams is August 31st!

All schedules for athletics can be found on our website: (https://morseshipbuilders.rschoolteams.com/). We will keep all of our Shipbuilder news, results and schedules up to date - as well as posting to our social media platforms below!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShipbuildersAD/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morseshipbuilders/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShipbuildersAD

I am extremely excited to be here at Morse. We are off to a tremendous start for the Fall 2023 season and we are all optimistic that our Fall teams have a great deal of success. There are opportunities in athletics and extracurricular activities for everyone! If you are interested in learning more about what might be the best opportunity for your student - please do reach out. There are many different ways to represent the Shipbuilders.

I look forward to meeting you all over the course of the school year. I look forward to supporting our Shipbuilders together and watching our young student athletes grow on and off the fields.

Best Regards,

Andrew Pelletier

apelletier@rsu1.org

MORSE ALL-SPORTS BOOSTERS

Vist our website for details on meetings, fundraisers and general information.

Our next meeting will be on September 11th at 6:00 pm in the MHS Cafeteria. All are welcome!

NEWS FROM THE STUDENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT

Visit us online: http://bit.ly/MHSstudentservices

We are excited to welcome back current students and are pleased to extend a special welcome to the Class of 2027! We look forward to a busy and productive year with your students.

Here are a few events to be mindful of as we kick off this school year:

Add/Drop: Students will have the opportunity to change courses in their schedule with their School Counselor until September 15. After that date, students will be required to complete Add/Drop forms with teacher, parent, and administrator signatures in order to change a course.
Wednesday, September 6 from 7-8 pm: The Bath YMCA is hosting an open house for their new program: Youth and Government Program
Senior Parent Night: We welcome all seniors and their parents/guardians to join us on Wednesday, September 27th from 6-7 pm for Senior Parent Night. Your Student Services team will discuss the college admission process and answer questions as your student begins the college application and financial aid process.
October 1: The CSS Profile become available for Class of 2024 families who may need to file this form for financial aid for education after high school. Not all colleges require this form. The FAFSA will become available in December this year. This financial aid form is required by all colleges and universities.
Friday, October 13: This day will have a different schedule depending on grade. More information will be provided closer to the date.

Class of 2027 (Freshmen) will participate in a Community Service Day
Class of 2026 (Sophomores) will take the Maine Through Year Assessment
Class of 2025 (Juniors) will have a choice in how they spend the day with options including taking the PSAT or the ACT WorkKeys Assessment or attending their Bath Tech Program.
Class of 2024 (Seniors) participate in a post-secondary day they self-design - https://bit.ly/24psd

SCHOOL-BASED HEALTH CENTER

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Additional Health Services are available at Morse High School through a partnership with RSU 1 and LincolnHealth.

RSU 1 has partnered with LincolnHealth to begin offering expanded school-based health services at Morse. These services may include:

Treatment of acute, chronic, and injury-related health conditions
Well-child checks
Immunizations
Behavioral health treatment
Reproductive health
Oral health

Services are provided by an onsite Nurse Practitioner (NP) and Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) employed through LincolnHealth. Services are provided in an effort to improve access to health care for youth and staff in schools in a safe, supportive, and confidential way. All major insurances and MaineCare are accepted and sliding fee scales and other payment support are available. Students and staff do not need to be regular patients of LincolnHealth/Maine Health to be seen at the Morse School-Based Health Center. LincolnHealth will work with your primary care office for referrals as needed.

You will need to be registered with LincolnHealth to be seen at Morse School-Based Health Center. You can register online and request appointments by clicking here. If you have questions about the services being provided you can contact Tasha in the Morse Health Center by emailing nsuttmeier@rsu1.org or by calling 207-443-8250 option 2.

NEWS FROM THE MORSE MUSIC DEPARTMENT

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The Morse High School Music Department is the recipient of a Walmart Community Grant in the amount of $800. Mr. Chipman will use the grant, along with funds from the Morse Music Enrichment Fund, to bring guest artists and clinicians to work with our student musicians in the Symphonic Band this school year.

MORSE HIGH SCHOOL FOOD PANTRY

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Serving students for 16 years, the Morse High School Food Pantry is located in the Morse Library. The food pantry provides services to approximately 85 students per day.

We are in need of canned goods, snack foods (individually packaged), and personal hygiene items. If you would like to donate to the Morse High School Food Pantry, the following is a list of suggested food and personal hygiene items:

Applesauce
Canned Fruit
Canned Vegetables
Soup
Pretzels
Nutri-Grain® Bars
Granola Bars
Peanut Butter Crackers
Goldfish®
Cheez-Its®
Animal Crackers
Toothpaste
Toothbrushes
Deodorant
Dental floss
Feminine hygiene products (tampons; sanitary pads/napkins)

Questions? Please contact Dawn Lee (dlee@rsu1.org) or Brenda Fagan (bfagan@rsu1.org), Morse High School Library, 443-8250, extension 1080. Thank you!

THE CLIPPER YEARBOOK

Parents and families of Morse students,

Your annual yearbook, The Clipper, sells out every spring.

Check this off your to-do list before your student starts school, and save $5.00!

Use this link and purchase your yearbook: Morse Yearbook 2023-2024

(select "yearbook", "buy your yearbook", and enter "Morse high school" as your school name)

Thank you,

Johnna Stanton

Yearbook Adviser

A MESSAGE FROM THE BHSAA

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Greetings Morse students, families, and staff,

Have you visited the Alumni Room? We are currently working to create an electronic inventory of the many artifacts in the archives. Every class is assigned a binder and we fill them with items like class lists, photos, programs, newspaper articles and reunion publications. Items that do not fit in a protective sleeve in the notebooks are filed in special archival file boxes and oversize items such as sweaters, plaques, and posters are stored in large flat boxes.

We provide a "Memory Tote" to the senior class advisors to collect memorabilia throughout senior year. Seniors, parents and staff are encouraged to save items that mark special events like Senior Reception, Sports award nights, MoHiBa, etc. Ideally two copies, a copy for the Alumni Room archives and a copy for the class to take with them for future use for their reunions and in their downtown window displays during Alumni Weekend.

With your help we can preserve the past while looking to the future.

Our collection policy and a form for donations can be found on our website bathalumni.org

If the door is open please stop in for a walk down memory lane.

THE PATTEN FREE LIBRARY

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Upcoming Events

Teen Closet: Aug 28 - September 9

Need to refresh your wardrobe for back to school? Ready to try a new style? Raid our pop up Teen Closet and take whatever you need- absolutely free! Open to teens entering grades 7-12.

https://www.patten.lib.me.us/event/teen-closet

Buttercream 101: September 15, 29, October 13, 27 @ 3:30 pm

Learn all about American buttercream in this new 4 part series with Thayer Treats! For adults and teens grades 7-12. Registration required: https://bit.ly/pflbuttercream

BATH AREA FOOD BANK

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The Bath Area Food Bank is a great resource for all RSU 1 families.

EVERYONE IS WELCOME and there are NO financial guidelines if you need groceries for your family.

If you live in the RSU1 area, YOU ARE WELCOME!
The Food Pantry is open Tuesday 4pm-6pm and Thursday 12pm-2pm. They supply you with canned goods, dairy items, frozen meats, baked goods, and you will be able to shop for produce, more baked goods, Panara, Starbucks, toiletries, and much much more.
Meals are served ‘to go’ on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday 12:00-1:30. One meal per person. They offer a hot meal each day and a frozen meal to take home. They will be offering ‘kid’s meals’ during the summer months that will include a meal and a breakfast.
Follow them on facebook, Bath Area Food Bank, to get weekly updates on offerings. They often get regular donations of FRESH Haddock, Produce, Dairy, and lots of other items.