Superintendent Jette releases updates for week of April 13, 2022

This week’s highlights include MFE Celebration – May 7, MHS Community Service Opportunities, Unified Track Highlights, Tucker STEM Activities, Food Service Grow Racks, and more.

From The Desk Of The SuperintendentFrom The Desk Of The Superintendent

The next School Committee meeting is Wednesday, April 27, 2022 and that meeting will be a reorganizational meeting after the Town election on April 26, 2022.  As always, all information about attending School Committee meetings can be found on the Town of Milton webpage under School Committee. You can watch regular School Committee meetings live on Milton Access TV online, live on Milton Access cable channels (Comcast 22, RCN 15) or watch on-demand in the days following the meeting.

Important Upcoming Dates

• Apr 15 Good Friday – No School
• Apr 18-22 April Recess
• Apr 26 Town Elections
• Apr 26 MHS Cabaret
• Apr 27 Sullivan’s Message at MHS
• Apr 27 School Committee Reorganization Meeting
• May 2-6 Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week

Milton Summer Enrichment registration will begin on Thursday, May 5 at noon. All details and links will be sent out after April Recess.

The 2022-23 One Page School Year Calendar (Draft) linked here has been approved by the School Committee.  Please note that this calendar is intended as a guide ONLY. It may be necessary to change this schedule to better serve instructional purposes.

Please refer to the District-Wide Calendar of Events for times and details on current events.  In addition, the 21-22 one page School Year Calendar can be found here.

______

Sullivan’s Message: Milton High School and the entire Milton Community is incredibly fortunate to be welcoming Chris and Kathi Sullivan to the MHS Auditorium on Wednesday, April 27 at 6:00 p.m. The Sullivans will share the separate stories of their personal struggles with the impact of alcohol and drug abuse, underage/binge drinking, loss and recovery. Kathi lost her beloved daughter as the result of a tragic underage binge-drinking incident. She later met Chris, a former Patriots Super Bowl champion, who after battling anxiety and depression succumbed to substance abuse that ended his NFL career. Together they hope to enlist the community to embrace creating increased awareness of drug and alcohol abuse, the importance of developing coping skills and seeking help when needed and sharing that making good choices is life changing. All MHS students will have the opportunity to hear the Sullivans speak during the school day, but we would like to invite all parents and other high school aged community members to attend. You can find more information about the Sullivans at www.sullivansmessage.com.

______

Health And Safety

COVID Updates: MPS has reported 40 new student cases and 4 staff cases to DPH for the reporting period March 31- April 6, 2022 with the following breakdown per school. Cunningham -4; Collicot -5; Glover- 6; Tucker-19 Pierce-2 and MHS- 4. Local and Norfolk County data can be found here: CDC COVID data tracker  and Milton COVID 19 Dashboard.

Masks: MPS  remains mask optional and is following the most recent published guidance for quarantine guidance and COVID 19 testing.  DESE/DPH Protocols for responding to COVID 19.

Testing: MPS offers symptomatic testing in each school health office after receiving consent from a student’s parent/guardian through CIC Health.  To opt into this program please click here Symptomatic Testing- CIC Link. In lieu of contact tracing in school settings, Massachusetts DPH and DESE have offered an at home test kit distribution program.   To opt in to this program and have your student provided with free at home test kits, please download this form and have your student bring into their school nurse Student Opt-In Form  You can report positive results directly to your school here At home test kit positive results

COVID 19 Testing Initiative Extended: The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) are extending the statewide testing options currently available to districts and schools past April 22, 2022. DESE and EOHHS will continue to monitor factors related to COVID-19 and may make further adjustments to the statewide K-12 COVID testing options this school year. DESE stated that they anticipate following up later this spring with more information, including next steps for the summer and fall.

Vaccination: American Academy of Pediatrics, along with CDC and other local health organizations, encourage COVID 19 vaccination for all those eligible.  Current vaccination rates for those > 5 years old in Norfolk County is 82.9%.(COVID data tracker- vaccination rates by county)  Milton Public Schools reports a 76% vaccination rate for elementary students and over 80% vaccination rate for middle and high school students. Information on where to find vaccines or boosters near you Vaccines.gov.

Vacation Vaccine Clinics: The Massachusetts Department of Public Health is partnering with local businesses to host free COVID-19 vaccination clinics during school vacation week, April 18-22, at a variety of family friendly venues such as trampoline parks, skating rinks, zoos, bowling alleys, and even Six Flags amusement park. Anyone who gets a vaccine or a booster dose at these clinics will receive a fun giveaway, such as free admission tickets, free bowling, bounce time, or goody bags. The clinics offer a fun way for the whole family to get up to date on their COVID vaccinations. The clinics are free to everyone 5 and older, and no ID or proof of health insurance is required. See the clinic dates, times, and locations at mass.gov/kidsclinic.

______

Student Physicals: If you have trouble securing an appointment for a physical this summer, MinuteClinic will be offering a $25 off discount for Sports Physicals between June 17 and September 14  this year. Patients can go online here  to make an appointment. Find a local clinic at this link.  All students planning to play a fall sport, must have an updated physical on file.

High School Happenings

Thank you to MHS student Casie Peterson for sending in information about Project Linus.

Project Linus is a program that was made to create and donate handmade blankets for children in hospitals who are sick and in need. The goal is for all children in Boston hospitals who are going through difficult times to be comforted and warmed by one of the blankets.

The MHS fashion program collaborated with Nancy Kearns, a retired MPS teacher and one of our students’ grandmothers, to help provide blankets to the Project Linus charity. The class was involved in everything from cutting fabric, creating the blankets, packaging them, and dropping them off. Our most recent project is to make “handmade hugs” for the families affected by the unbelievable tragedies in Ukraine. Project Linus has already donated over 500 blankets to charities in Ukraine and we plan to add our blankets to their next delivery. The charity delivers blankets year-round and if students want to continue donating blankets, please email Ms.White at [email protected].

______

Is your high school student looking for community service opportunities?  Throughout the year you will be able to access any community service opportunities here. There are already several opportunities available for students to volunteer. Get involved now!

The Milton Art Center is looking for student volunteers this summer to assist art teachers for community service hours. Classes run from Monday-Thursday. You can sign up for a morning or an afternoon session. Current 8th graders looking to start on their community service for high school next year welcomed. Sign up at this link and email [email protected] with questions.

______

Milton High School Student Government is excited to be hosting a Spring Fling Dance for all freshmen and sophomores on Friday, May 13th from 7-9 in the MHS Courtyard. Please keep an eye out for further communication after break regarding details of the dance, ticket sales, and parent/guardian volunteer and donation opportunities.

Inside Our Elementary Schools

After reading The One and Only Ivan, Ms. Kelley’s Collicot 3rd graders collected coins to donate to the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF). This money will support their efforts to help gorillas in the wild. The class set a goal of $60 and in one week they were able to collect $90.66! The class was able to “adopt” a gorilla and they are anxiously awaiting for their class stuffed gorilla to be delivered.

______

Tucker students were excited to participate in a visit with graduate students and leaders from Northeastern University’s Center for STEM education on April 8. 4th graders completed both a tower building activity as well as a reverse egg drop while going through the engineering design process to solve problems.

This activity was one of several current and future opportunities between Northeastern and Tucker as part of a National Science Foundation grant and partnership that opens students up to STEM activities through the school year. Thank you to MPS parent Dr. Eno Ebong  for securing this grant and thank you to Dr. Ebong  and Science Coordinator Christie Chiappetta  for joining the fun!

______

Please click here to see the latest edition of The Glover Gazette! Thank you to student leaders Maeve Amaral, Amelie Hammel, Carys Musto, Ryan Alee, Sophie Samara, Lucas Craig, Henry Black, Ellis Lim, Zacary Jordan, Zania Jordan, Tommy Hooper, Samuel Bourque, Kasra Darvish, and Zain Barmada! These reporters have been working hard writing articles about happenings at Glover School, amazing women like Madame CJ Walker and Ketanji Brown Jackson, articles about pollution and weather, and even more!

______

It was the students over staff with a BIG win last week in Cunningham’s annual Student vs. Staff Basketball game. The teachers were no match for the quick, energetic and talented 5th graders!

Milton Community Schools

Milton Community Schools has had a busy few weeks planting surprise seeds at Cunningham, assembling fruit kabobs at Collicot ASE, making spring sugar cookies at Tucker ASE and  enjoying the nice weather at Glover. We’ve really done it all!

Food Service

This was a big harvesting week for MPS! Both the student’s in ACHIEVE at MHS, and Ms. Sweeney’s 3rd grade class at Tucker harvested lettuce this week to enjoy in salads before April vacation. 

Family Resources

The Quincy Family Resource Center is offering two upcoming parenting groups. All services and groups at the QFRC are free of charge.

• Parenting Journey— Parenting is a journey in which all parents need support and guidance. Connect with other parents during guided discussions that will help develop knowledge and skills that support you as a parent and role model. This group will be hosted and facilitated at the QFRC (1120 Hancock Street, First Floor, Quincy) and begins April 21st and runs through July 7th. Registration is required. For more information contact Robyn Dunphy at or [email protected] 617-481-7227 ext.141.
• Nurturing Your Parenting Skills Spring Session – Learn age appropriate expectations for your child, behavioral management, discipline techniques and appropriate consequences in this group . Spring Session May 2022—This group will begin May 12th and runs through June 30th, via Zoom from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Registration is required. For more information, please reach out to Kelly Heffernan at [email protected] or at 617-481-7227 x 155.

In addition to the Family Resource Newsletter  please visit Milton Public School Resource Guide.  If you need additional assistance please don’t hesitate to reach out to Marti O’Keefe McKenna, MPS Family Outreach Liaison at 617-980-7343 or by email at [email protected]. All calls and emails are confidential.

SEPAC

The April 7 School Committee Candidate Forum very much fulfilled SEPAC’s mission to advocate, educate, and participate. By way of introduction, each of the five candidates were asked to answer the following questions: Please tell us a little about your life experience and philosophy regarding special needs and special education? AND How do you define inclusion?

A final question that went to all candidates: What would you say to voters who believe special education services come at the expense of general education programs or extracurricular offerings?

If you missed the forum, you can watch the recorded version on Milton SEPAC. We hope you will participate and educate yourself by reviewing candidates’ views and advocate by VOTING APRIL 26.

MPS Gives Back

This weekend a small group of volunteers from Collicot and MHS cleaned up the woods behind Collicot as well of some of the MHS areas. Thank you to our young volunteers from Collicot: Amelia Wines, Elizabeth Wines, Lilly Young, Rami Ramadan and MHS: Myles Bedingfield, Nathan Bedingfield, Omar Ramadan.

Are you interested in beautifying some areas around Milton? See below from Sustainable Milton for your chance to be involved on April 30-May 1.

Green Up Milton: The Town of Milton and Sustainable Milton are hosting Green Up Milton Day on April 30-May 1!

In celebration of Earth Day, the Milton DPW and Sustainable Milton will be again hosting the Green up Milton this year on the weekend of April 30th! All town groups are encouraged to participate including schools, sports teams, neighborhood associations, town clubs, Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops, churches and temples, and any other small group OR even just an individual that wishes to join in on this great event! This is an opportunity to clean up areas around town to maintain Milton’s beauty.

Now is the time to start organizing your groups and choose your Green Up area! Please sign up your team or yourself using this form. You can send any additional inquiries or questions to [email protected].  All details can be found on the Sustainable Milton website

Milton DPW will provide supplies including garbage bags, recycling bags, and work gloves. The supplies can be picked up at the Town Offices the week before the event. DPW staff will complete the cleanup by collecting all garbage and recycling bags and large debris at designated pickup locations on Monday, May 2nd. We are looking forward to a fun and productive Green Up Milton Event!

Athletics

Please see below from MPS Athletic Director Ryan Madden.

All-Scholastics: The Patriot Ledger has released their 2021-22 Winter All-Scholastic winners, and there were a ton of Wildcats selected! Click here for a complete list of All-Stars and All-Scholastics from the past four years.

Congratulations to Mason Pellegri, Jimmy Fallon, Norah Affanato, Mia Jilani, Katie O’Toole, Gretel Schewe, Christina Sulivan, Owen McHugh, Lila Chamoun, Alex Paxhia, Ryan Dexter, Owen Radley and Anna Radley who were selected as Winter All-Scholastic students.

Unified Track had their first meet yesterday and it was a great day. Between Newton North and Milton, there were nearly 120 combined athletes and partners. They will travel to Walpole and Needham after April Vacation and will host Weymouth on Thursday May 12th for their final home meet. It will be the Senior Day and finale event, so we need to be sure to pack the stands!

MIAA Rule Change Proposals: Every two years, the MIAA hears Rule Change Proposals. Anyone can propose a rule change – an official, coach, students, parents, admin, etc. The proposals are voted on by sport committees and leagues. Those advisory votes are then sent to the Board of Directors and the BOD either approves or denies them.

You can propose anything under the sun. See this link for the last round of proposals for reference. Please let Ryan Madden, Director of Athletics know if you would like to propose any rule changes. They are generally more supported if the Athletic Director and Principal are on board. Deadline is June 1st, so please have any proposal ideas for me by May 1st.

Varsity Banquet: For those athletes that will receive a Varsity Letter this year, the Boosters will be holding the banquet on Saturday, May 14th at 10 am. Just as it was last year, it will be outside on the turf. Be on the lookout for invitations!

TONIGHT: Milton Boosters is hosting a meeting to discuss preliminary planning for improvements at Brooks Field – Milton High Stadium on  April 13 at 6:30 p.m. at the Milton Public Library. All are welcome – those with young children and teenagers, community members, representatives from town youth sports- we want your input and help! We are looking to make this an inclusive process for the benefit of the whole community.

Community News

Congratulations to Ryan Madden, MPS Director of Athletics, who has been recognized by the NIAAA as a Certified Athletic Administrator.

To earn this distinction, Mr. Madden has demonstrated the highest level of knowledge and expertise in the field of interscholastic athletic administration. The voluntary certification process includes a thorough evaluation of the candidate’s educational background, experience, and professional contributions, as well as a rigorous, comprehensive written examination.

Only an elite group of interscholastic athletic administrators nationwide attain this level of professionalism. Congratulations Ryan!

The Milton Public School system does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, gender identity, transgender status, gender transitioning, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its programs, activities or operations. These include, but are not limited to, admissions, equal access to programs and activities, employment, provision of and access to programs and services, as well as a selection of volunteers, vendors, and employers recruiting at the Milton Public Schools.  We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of our staff, students, volunteers, subcontractors, and vendors. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies: Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Human Resources Janet Sheehan, (617) 696- 4808/4809.