Morton Freshman Center
Morton Freshman Center
1801 South 55th Avenue
Cicero, Illinois 60804
Principal's Office:
(708) 863-2200 Ext. 3002
(708) 863-2200 x 2007 to report absences (English / Español)
The Morton Freshman Center opened in August 2004 for 1,280 Morton East Freshman. Ms. Mayra Barahona-Arroyo is the building principal and currently has 1,341 students.
Message from the Principal - Mayra Barahona-ArroyoWith great pride I announce that the freshmen/sophomore Mathletes Team competed earlier this month in the West Suburban Conference Math Contest and won 1st place! The following students represented the Freshman Center: Jasmine Gutierrez, Brian Saavedra, Angel Romo, Stacey Huynh, and Danielle Rice. Stacey Huynh is the first student at this level to compete at the State level. Great job! We are all proud of you.
Though a difficult task at hand, a small committee was responsible for choosing our top male and female student. It is my privilege to present to you the two students, who based upon the suggested criteria, epitomize the personal qualities and attributes that our community can most certainly be proud of. These students are Liliana Martinez and Ernesto Reyes. They, along with their parents, will be invited to a recognition program on Saturday, June 5, 2010.
Sincerely,
Mayra Barahona-Arroyo
Principal
Morton Freshman Center Departmental UpdatesEnglish - Robert Murphy
The English Department is planning and preparing for this summer's You Choose reading program. In the coming month, Unity Junior High School students will receive the new expanded book list and the assignment. The assignment will be due on September 7, 2010.
Math - Scott Montgomery
Greetings from the Freshman Center Math Department. Our students continue to see the wonders of Algebra. Students are currently working with quadratic functions which are second degree polynomials. The graphs are called parabolas and make the shape of a "U". Our Honors Advanced Algebra students are graphing conic sections which include parabolas, hyperbolas, circles, and ellipses.
Social Studies - Jim Conley
The past month has been especially busy for the staff and students of History. In addition to working hard on completing common assessments for the department, staff members have been busy implementing the new curriculum. As we wrap up the school year, students are busily studying the details of the World Wars and getting ready for the end-of-year testing.
Science - Niki Gamboa
Spring is in full swing and Biology students are completing Evolution and getting ready to see the true meaning of organization as they begin the final unit of the school year on Classification. We will look at live protists and get our hands dirty dissecting pigs! Physical Science students are studying the different properties of matter. Many students will experiment with solids, liquids, and gases as they learn the fascinating differences between them.
ELL, Bilingual and Modern Languages - Javier Urquiza
April has been a short yet productive month in the Freshman Center ELL and Modern Language Department. The ELL teachers did a wonderful job in March with their ice cream social, and the students and parents appreciated the recognition of their hard work. Spring Break was at the beginning of the month but that does not mean that the Spanish teachers took a break from teaching! Sr. Urquiza from the Freshman Center and Srta. Resendiz from West traveled with 15 students to Spain over the break. They visited the capital, Madrid, the aqueducts of Segovia, the medieval towns of Toledo and Burgos, the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, the Basque town of San Sebastian, the city of the running of the bulls, Pamplona, a small town in France, Biarritz, and the coast of Barcelona. The students, from Morton East, West and the Freshman Center, were able to dive into the culture and enjoy the delicious food Spain has to offer such as paellas, tapas and pinxtos. Mrs. Rodríguez, assistant principal from the FC, also participated and kept up very well! A special thanks to Mrs. Arroyo, Mr. Gunty and Mr. Zarate for their trust and support on this grand endeavor! Until next month, good-bye, arrivederci, au revoir, adios!
Physical Education/Health - Joe Hovanes
As we move to the final weeks of fourth quarter, the P.E. & Health department would like to remind our students to keep up with their work and know that they can succeed. The P.E. students are now up to running nine consecutive minutes each day and playing volleyball as the team sport. Health is wrapping up with Lifestyle and Infectious Diseases. Also, teachers and students are looking forward to the CARIS prevention speakers coming in to share their message.
Guidance - Val Zeilman
The Counseling Department is sponsoring the Ninth Annual Career Day event on May 7, 2010. All 1300 Freshman Center students will visit with three different speakers representing a variety of career areas. The speakers will talk about their job responsibilities and the journey that led them to their career. The counselors also finished a lesson with all freshman students that involved college planning and the importance of GPA, class rank and how to read a transcript. The counselors will also be hosting all of the Unity students at the end of May. The Unity students will take a tour of the Freshman Center, meet with administration, listen to a panel discussion, and have a discussion about the difference between middle school and high school.
Library - Mary Burke
The FC Library continues to provide resources to support the curriculum. Recent class research projects include famous mathematicians, media literacy, contemporary social issues, and the Holocaust.
The FC Book Club students met recently to discuss two very different survival stories: The Road by Cormac McCarthy, and Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer. Students are currently reading two different fictional accounts of slavery, Day of Tears by Julius Lester, and 47 by Walter Mosley.
Members from the FC Book Club and FC Anime Club will visit Barnes and Noble Booksellers in Oakbrook Mall on a joint field trip on Tuesday, May 4. Store staff members will present two informative booktalks for the students: one on graphic novels and another on contemporary young adult fiction. To generate excitement and encourage summer reading, students will receive a voucher to a select a book of their choice. Each student will prepare a short book review to display in the FC Library after reading their selection.
FC Literacy Team - Mary Burke
The FC Literacy Team has finalized the selection of a variety of high-interest titles for the You Choose FC Summer Reading Program. The program has been expanded for this summer and now includes three reading lists: Honors, Core and ELL/Bilingual. Parents will have the opportunity to select a free book at the incoming freshman parent event on May 10 and 11 at the Freshman Center. The FC Literacy Team continues to develop programming plans the year-long, school-wide "one book, one school, one community" literacy initiative for the 2010-2011 school year based on the book, Sun, Stone, and Shadows: 20 Great Mexican Short Stories.
PBIS/C.A.R.E. Club - Dana Elliot
C.A.R.E. is sponsoring an assembly at the Freshman Center on April 30, 2010 which will include a tug-o-war competition between the houses, a basketball shoot-out and other fun activities. Fun should be had by all! C.A.R.E. is also planning a celebration to end a great school year. "Bags and Dogs" is will take place on May 14, 2010. Many lucky winners will spend the lunch period outside playing games and eating hot dogs...hello summer!
Contacts:
Principal: Ms. Mayra Barahona-Arroyo
Assistant Principal: Ms. Angelica Rodriguez
Dean of Students: Mr. Norberto Izquierdo
Guidance Office - 863-2200 x 2010
Health Services - 863-2200 x 3007
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Freshman Center