Question 1

What's our mission?

Accepted Answer

The Morgan Oliver School empowers every child to thrive and to create a more just, equitable world.

Question 2

What are our core community practices?

Accepted Answer

Center the Margins:
When marginalized kids and families thrive, we all thrive. Our decisions, practices, and policies foster an environment where everyone can flourish.
Does the way I'm showing up day to day create more space for marginalized voices, ways of being, and needs to come forward? Or… Am I coming forward to share my voice, ways of being, and needs?

Be Anti-Racist:
We acknowledge and address our own biases. Through our curriculum, policies, and interactions with each other, we dismantle oppressive structures.  
Am I actively working to become more aware of my biases and how they may show up in my interactions with the school and community?

Choose Trust Over Suspicion:
When expectations are not met, we believe in giving each other the benefit of the doubt and working collaboratively to address and resolve issues.
Am I showing up with trust and expressing my concerns constructively?

Civic Engagement:
We encourage students to engage meaningfully in community transformation through action research and engagement with diverse perspectives. 
Am I living into my unique contribution to social justice?

Empowered Learning:
Along with teaching the standards- kids need to be successful wherever they go next- we decolonize education by focusing on happiness and well-being and centering people of color’s stories which are often left out of history. 
Am I showing up as a partner with the school academically?

Question 3

How do I send communications to parents?

Accepted Answer

Class Email List: Handle and regularly update the shared class email list.
WhatsApp Group: Create and moderate a WhatsApp group for real-time communication among class families.

Question 4

How do I reinforce school culture?

Accepted Answer

Teacher Support and Appreciation: Organize and coordinate collection and distribution of funds for class gifts on occasions such as teacher birthdays and the end of the year.
Commit to a Unified Communications Plan: Your school communications director will give you social media posts and emails to share. Help disseminate the news to parents and encourage participation with school-wide events... but please make sure your info is compatible with central school communications.

Question 5

Students & Outside Items

Accepted Answer

We believe in equity and sharing of resources within our school community. If a young one brings a toy that only they can play with, this creates unhealthy power dynamics and is a barrier to connection.  It tends to create in clubs and out clubs of people who are allowed to play and those who are not.  It creates a dynamic of the haves and the have nots which is the opposite of what we hope to create at MOS.

If there is an item that you are interested in the school purchasing for community use, please send us an email!  We will be happy to consider if it would be a good match for the school environment and within our budget.

Outside items that are approved
Books or sketch books 
Tools to help the kids regulate (like a fidget)

If there is a different tool that your young one uses to help them regulate throughout the day, please contact your teacher to ask if it can be added to the approved list.

Question 6

Parent Concerns

Accepted Answer

This vision of liberatory education will not come to fruition without all of our valuable input. This is a lab school that is being constructed layer by layer, year by year, by hand by the community. It's incredible to see what has already been built because of everyone's dedication and hard work. We recognize that we have many dreams and visions and it takes time, sweat, collaboration and patience to bring them to fruition.

Parents should email their specific concerns to jared@morganoliverschool.org

Parent Portal

Frequently asked questions