The Elisabeth Morrow School
435 Lydecker Street Englewood, NJ 07631 elisabethmorrow.org
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The Elisabeth Morrow School “Our school is a place where the students are known and loved, and their talents are nurtured and respected.” HANITA WALIA, BOARD PRESIDENT
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The Elisabeth Morrow School
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Who We Are
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Learning
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Innovation Alley
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Leadership Symposium
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Beyond the Classroom
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Community
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The Student Experience
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The Arts
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EMS Summers
Who We Are
Since 1930, the Elisabeth Morrow School has shown exceptional dedication to educating children to be thinkers and leaders. Our founders, Elisabeth Morrow and Connie Chilton, were trailblazers who believed that young children deserved to have a developmentally appropriate education from the earliest ages. Today, with over 85 years of inspiring young minds to embrace the joys of learning, we continue to be innovators in educating children through the entire arc of childhood. The experiences that children have at EMS form habits of mind and memories that last their whole lives. Our community embodies the 4 C’s: courtesy, consideration, cooperation, and compassion. Our day begins with a simple act of courtesy; a handshake between a student and a teacher or administrator. Our morning handshake sets the tone for the consideration displayed in our classrooms, hallways, and playgrounds. As our students grow, courtesy and consideration make possible the cooperation necessary for advanced learning. Finally, our students who truly embrace courtesy, consideration, and cooperation become
EMS
young adults prepared to live a life of compassion. The 4 C’s follow the stages of a child’s personal character development and every EMS student refines these characteristics as they engage with each other and the world. The Elisabeth Morrow School cares deeply about academic excellence, character development, community, diversity and inclusion, and a passion for learning. We believe that these core values are imperative to creating a space that encourages children to be active global citizens who value and inspire learning.
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The Elisabeth Morrow School
To provide exemplary academics and character development in a diverse and inclusive child-centered community
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The Elisabeth Morrow School
4C’s
Courtesy Consideration Cooperation Compassion
432 14 7:1 72% STUDENTS
ACRE CAMPUS
STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO
FACULTY WITH ADVANCED DEGREES
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The Elisabeth Morrow School
“Our faculty is highly invested in making this place the very best.” PAUL BALY, MIDDLE SCHOOL HEAD
Learning Lifelong learning is at the heart of the Elisabeth Morrow experience. It’s the series of ‘aha’ moments that inspire children to reach higher, wonder more, dig deeper, and celebrate their achievements. Our classrooms contain more than desks, chairs, books, or blocks; they contain a mesmerizing world of discovery. Students at The Elisabeth Morrow School investigate challenging concepts and construct meaning by engaging in experiential and integrated learning at every level. Our school environment is engineered to build confidence and self-awareness in our students so that they can become thinkers and leaders in an increasingly interconnected global community. We want our students to put what they learn to use, develop a broad sense of themselves, and discover passions that will become the underpinnings of a successful life.
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Technology Integrator Rurik Nackerud facilitates a class in Innovation Alley.
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The Elisabeth Morrow School
Work with manipulatives is a key component of our Math in Focus curriculum
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The Elisabeth Morrow School
We have designed our comprehensive curriculum to honor our students’ developmental needs and capabilities using evidencebased programs such as Math in Focus, Responsive Classroom, Handwriting Without Tears, Writers Workshop, Step Ahead, and Sounds in Motion. At Elisabeth Morrow, the learning environment is enhanced because children are known and understood by many caring adults who are invested in their academic and social-emotional well-being. Our experiential and integrated curricular projects such as the creation of a circus in kindergarten, a Lenape Village in Lower School, or the Greek Olympics in Middle School allow our students to put what they learn to use and create a deep understanding of and engagement with the subject matter. From the earliest ages, our students expand their capacity for creativity and collaboration, which will benefit them for the rest of their lives.
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Innovation Alley A PURPOSE-BUILT STEAM CENTER WITHIN THE LITTLE SCHOOL BUILDING BRINGS ALL OF THE BENEFITS OF COLLABORATION AMONG RELATED DISCIPLINES TOGETHER IN ONE AMAZING SPACE.
Innovation Alley is a hub for creating, making, and learning as students deepen their understanding of science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math. Children make connections within the STEAM disciplines and humanities, learn to work collaboratively with one another, help solve real-world problems, and actively participate in the engineering design process. Lessons and projects are aligned to connect areas of study at each Lower School grade level. Thanks to our generous community, we have created a space that meets the needs of the 21st-century student and can evolve as their needs change.
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Innovation Alley is built to facilitate collaboration between students and faculty.
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Leadership Symposium
“Secondary schools tell us that EMS students have a unique desire to contribute to their new schools that really sets them apart from other freshmen.” MICHELE BOWER, DIRECTOR OF CURRICULUM AND SECONDARY SCHOOL PLACEMENT
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At EMS, we want to help students develop the leadership skills explicitly — and before they enter secondary school. Therefore, we have created our signature seventh and eighth grade program, the Leadership Symposium, a class that will help students discover their strengths and develop the confidence, competence, and connectedness needed to become leaders in all aspects of their lives.
The Elisabeth Morrow School
protocol called Open Session that allows them to share both concerns and celebrations and seek advice from one another in a supportive and respectful environment. Woven into the curriculum for eighth grade are lessons on managing the secondary school process.
Early adolescence is a perfect time for students to begin to understand that leadership capacity exists within everyone, regardless of temperament or personality. Students use a discussion
Class of 2018
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The Elisabeth Morrow School
Beyond the Classroom Service Learning Students engage in service learning through various projects and partnerships. In past years, these have included adopting a family to support during the holiday season, creating sales and collections for donations to local organizations, and performing at events that aid the community. Students who are particularly inspired by service can choose to engage in an elective that takes frequent trips to local organizations to help with their work. Each year, the Student Council organizes the Founders Day Carnival, and collects donations that benefit a local organization whose mission includes helping children.
Adventure Week Adventure Week is scheduled for the beginning of each school year and is designed to promote bonding between students and faculty through day-long or overnight trips. Fifth grade students go on day trips to the United States Military Academy at West Point and other local educational sites, while they also spend time in in-school team-building activities as they become accustomed to Morrow House. Our sixth graders go on an overnight trip to Nature’s Classroom in Ivoryton, CT, where they experience hands-on science and history-themed learning activities. Seventh graders go to Frost Valley, NY, where they engage in outdoor adventure and group dynamics activities and eighth graders build their leadership skills in a two-day trip to Princeton Blairstown Center in New Jersey.
G Day Providing students and faculty with time to connect through shared interests within the framework of the school year is the purpose of G Day, which will be piloted in the 2018-2019 school year. Creating opportunities that allow pursuit of academic interests outside of the explicit grade-level curriculum creates pathways for students to discover new interests while developing their decisionmaking skills. Scheduled monthly, a variety of learning cohorts will encourage students to explore, create, design, and do what they think will best further their goals as learners and responsible citizens.
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Kindergarten Circus Started in 1934, the Kindergarten Circus is a culminating, developmentally appropriate rite of passage for the kindergartners as they say farewell to Chilton House. The students choose their roles, develop their acts, and collaborate on building sets. Alumni remember their roles in the Circus for years to come..
Mary Hawkins Fair Using simple ideas and materials, children in the early childhood division transform a playground into a fun-filled carnival. Named after a long-tenured EMS teacher who was a passionate advocate for the importance of play in childhood development, the Mary Hawkins Fair is a prime example of EMS’ unique approach to early childhood education.
Greek Olympics Sixth grade students write original myths, perform Greek tragedies, and participate in sports of the ancient Olympics and other activities as the culmination of their study of ancient Greece.
Medieval Day Sixth grade students dress, eat, dance, and sing as a culmination of their study of Medieval Europe. The curricular unit ends with a Medieval Feast served by families in the Gymkhana.
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Community
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The Elisabeth Morrow School “Everyone here speaks about how best can we support our children.” BETH BRENNAN, LOWER SCHOOL HEAD
Children thrive as well as they do at the Elisabeth Morrow School because of our community. All children here are known by caring adults. We bring our students together through our divisional and allschool assemblies, Buddy Days, service activities, and performances. Our families are deeply rooted in our community as well, supporting our students through the Parents Association. Our Book Fair, International Food Festival, Fall Festival, and Annual Auction Gala are just some of the opportunities that families have to enjoy each others’ company, strengthen their ties, and benefit our students. Students on Buddy Day, when older students spend time with younger ones in their classrooms.
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Our inclusive community celebrates its diversity with an International Food Festival held every other year.
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The Elisabeth Morrow School Our Book Fair and Annual Auction Gala are much-anticipated community fundraisers.
Two highly anticipated events sponsored by our Parent Association are the annual Book Fair and the biennial International Food Festival. The Book Fair is a multi-day event that features guest authors, a sing-along, workshops, performances, a raffle, and a Flashlight picnic. The fair is a major fundraiser for our Parents Association, and also allows our community to support our classroom libraries through book donations. The International Food Festival is a biennial event that celebrates EMS’ multicultural community. Families from many backgrounds share their cultural dishes and traditions. It allows our families to discover different cultures through foods and crafts.
Our Auction Gala is a major fundraiser for EMS each spring. Our community looks forward to this elegant event that includes dinner, dancing, and a live and silent auction.
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Families are welcome in our classrooms to experience their children’s learning first hand.
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The Little School and Morrow House communities meet weekly in Assembly to share successes, solidify community values, and celebrate students’ many talents. Middle School students wear business attire (Assembly Dress) in acknowledgment of the importance of the event. Periodically, the entire school meets in an All-School Assembly, an event that is eagerly anticipated by students. Every Assembly ends with the school’s “Apple Tree” song. The sound of over 400 students singing gleefully in unison as they join hands and wrap their arms around each other is a moving experience.
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The Elisabeth Morrow School
The Student Experience
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The Elisabeth Morrow School “When I think about the education that my children are receiving, I think of not only what they’ve learned academically, I think about the people that they are growing into.” DANA RANAWAT, TRUSTEE/PARENT
Each day, all students are greeted with a handshake from an administrator or teacher. The handshake signifies that each student is unique and known by adults in school, and that each day has purpose. Our students know that every day, as they enter the building with a handshake, the possibilities are limitless. The handshake is also a physical manifestation of the 4C’s — courtesy, consideration, cooperation, and compassion — the foundational values that guide all behavior in our community.
Left: Lower School student during EMS’ annual Halloween Parade. Right: Beth Brennan, Lower School Head, greeting a student with our longtime tradition: a morning handshake
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The Elisabeth Morrow School
Inspiring students to become curious scholars, ethical leaders, and global citizens
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Watermelon Picnic The Picnic is an end-of-the-year celebration for students in Chilton House. The children gather together with the entire building to celebrate their achievements and enjoy this delicious summer treat.
Cocoa Party Susan Graham, one of the first kindergarten teachers hired when the school opened its doors in 1930, began the Cocoa Party tradition. The Chilton House librarian invites small groups of students from each of the classrooms to a party in the library. The table is set with a china tea set, cloth napkins, tablecloth, special snacks, and, of course, hot cocoa. For each of their years in Chilton House, students listen to a story, have a quiet conversation, and enjoy their special time together.
Field Day Field Day is a coveted tradition for EMS Middle School students, during which they demonstrate athletic skills and sportsmanship, develop solidarity among their peers, and have fun.
Concert for the Chicks and Little School Violin Parade A tradition for more than 20 years, this concert captures the interdisciplinary nature of an EMS education. Originally started as a way for young students to combat self-consciousness by practicing the violin for chicks that are part of their science studies, it is now a performance for friends and family that alumni remember for years to come.
Founder’s Day Carnival The Middle School Student Council sponsors a fundraising carnival in honor of the school’s founder, Elisabeth Morrow.
Activity Day A tradition for more than 25 years, this on-campus event gives first through fourth graders an opportunity for fun and fitness outdoors.
Waffle House Several times per year, Middle School students display their talents to their peers in this open mic after school event in the style of a “coffeehouse” performance.
The Elisabeth Morrow School
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Above: Little School students’ spring performance.
Below: Fifth and sixth graders performance of Broadway hit, “The Lion King.”
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The Arts EMS’ COMMITMENT TO THE ARTS IS SEEN IN ITS UNPARALLELED MUSIC PROGRAM, COMPREHENSIVE VISUAL ARTS CURRICULUM, AND THEATER PERFORMANCE OPPORTUNITIES.
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MUSIC TEACHERS
The arts are an important part of student life at The Elisabeth Morrow School, and we believe artistic expression is essential to every student’s education. Our youngest students sing, play music, and explore a variety of arts activities daily. Older children learn both technical details of, and appreciation for, the arts. Our students work in our ceramics studio, perform in plays, musicals, and choral groups, and play in a variety of orchestras, concerts, and jazz bands. Virtually every Elisabeth Morrow School
CLASSES IN FINE AND PERFORMING ARTS
student plays in our orchestra by the end of their Middle School experience. It’s no wonder, since instrumental music lessons are included as part of the school day beginning in third grade. Students have multiple ensemble opportunities from the earliest ages while they continue with their study of general music. They perform in two concerts for the school community each year and have many opportunities to perform with world renowned artists at major venues. Our visual artists have won major awards, including Gold Keys in the Scholastic Art & Writing competition.
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EMS Summers Summer Explorations and Summer String Festival are two programs that keep EMS’ exciting approach to learning going beyond the school year.
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We don’t rest once the school year is done. EMS has three summer camp programs — the week-long Triple A and Summer String Festival, and Summer Explorations, a multi-week day camp. Our camps attract both current EMS students and the greater community. In fact, many students who were once campers become full-time students here. This is because the culture of the school, which permeates our camps, is a great introduction to the magic of the Elisabeth Morrow School. Campers enrolled in Summer Explorations at The Elisabeth Morrow School discover new interests, stretch their imaginations, and develop important intellectual, social, and physical skills, all under
The Elisabeth Morrow School
the guidance of certified teachers on our beautiful 14-acre campus. During our Summer String Festival, string players enjoy memorable opportunities for musicianship at the only program of its kind in the metropolitan area. The week includes daily orchestra and sectional rehearsals, repertoire and duet classes, and student recitals and performances by guest artists, and culminates with performances by students, counselors, and faculty. The Festival concludes with a gala concert that showcases all four orchestras, as well as the junior violin and harp ensembles.
Address 435 Lydecker Street Englewood, NJ 07631
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Online elisabethmorrow.org