Superintendent Sheehan releases updates for week of August 22, 2022
This week’s highlights include Back to School Webpage , Communication Updates, COVID Information, Free School Meals Extended, Applied Instrumental Lesson Program , School Specific Information, and more.
From The Desk Of The Superintendent
As we look to the 22-23 School Year, and in response to your feedback in our spring communication survey, we are changing the layout of the blog to start the school year. Below you will find many of the same categories as before, but now organized into three larger “buckets”: MPS Need to Know, MPS Good to Know, and MPS Nice to Know.
MPS Need to Know will contain items that all or most MPS parents, guardians, and staff will find valuable, informative, and helpful. Please take the time each week to at least skim this first section.
MPS Nice to Know will contain items that are probably relevant to your week or month and will likely contribute to helping you stay organized and informed. If you have time or can come back to it, you will likely find value in these items.
MPS Good to Know will contain all the fun and interesting items that we love sharing with you – classroom activities, MHS athletics highlights and information, student and staff recognition, community news, and more. If you want to be inspired and witness the magic of MPS, this section is for you!
We are taking three other pieces of feedback to heart: we will work to share event dates as early as possible; we will be sure you can easily find your child’s teacher’s contact info, and we will continue to work to make our websites simpler and easier to navigate.
In addition, the district has increased the use of the Smore newsletter platform to include many classroom teachers, specialists, and department heads. You will continue to receive your school weekly Smore update, and your child’s teacher(s) may also be using Smore to communicate with you during this school year.
We are open to any suggestions and feedback, now and in the future, as to how we can improve communication with the MPS community.
MPS Need To Know
We have created a Back to School webpage with information and links to everything you need to know for a smooth transition back to school! Chromebooks, start times, health forms, lunch menus and much more can be found on the Back to School webpage. You can access the page here or on our MPS homepage.
Important Dates & Information
Opening week dates:
- Monday, August 29 – MPS Staff Returns
- Wednesday, August 31 – 1st Day of School Grades 1-12
- Friday, September 2 – No School
- Monday, September 5 – No School, Labor Day
- Tuesday, September 6 – 1st Day of School for K/PreK
- Tuesday, September 6 – State Primary Election Day
MPS Calendars
As noted in previous newsletters, this year’s calendar includes four Late Start days (9/23, 10/28, 1/17, 3/31) new to the MPS calendar. These days will be used for Staff Professional Development, similar to Early Release days. Your child’s school day will begin 2 hours later on these days, Before School Programs will be open for enrolled students at the elementary schools, and lunch and afterschool activities will continue as usual.
Residency Re-establishment
Residency re-establishment is past due. If you fail to re-establish residency for your child who is entering grades six or nine, you will not receive an MHS class schedule or a Pierce team assignment. Please submit the required documents immediately and place all documents in the lockbox outside the main entrance of Milton High School. All details can be found in the Re-establishment of Residency Letter linked here. In addition, the MPS required residency documents can be found here. Thank you for your attention to this matter, and please email [email protected] with questions.
Food Service
MPS Food Service has exciting news! Massachusetts has extended free school meals for all students through the 2022-2023 school year. This means that one breakfast and one lunch each day will continue to be served at no cost to all students!
Health And Safety
Covid-19 Information August 2022
Please see this link from MA DESE for details on COVID testing in schools. MPS will not be providing in school testing or supplying at home kits as these programs are no longer offered at no cost from the state.
Please see this link for quarantine and isolation guidelines. In regard to schools, MA DPH states, “These settings are not required to conduct contact tracing as a standard practice, but must continue to work with their Local Board of Health in the case of outbreaks.”
With many tools now available for reducing COVID-19 severity, such as availability of vaccine, boosters, and treatment, there is significantly less risk of severe illness, hospitalization and death compared to earlier in the pandemic. CDC has updated its guidance for people who know they have been exposed to COVID-19.
The joint early childhood & K-12 guidance for students and staff has also been updated to reflect the updated CDC guidance on exposure and isolation in these settings.
This guidance is further acknowledgment that, while COVID-19 is still with us, for a majority of people, COVID-19 no longer severely disrupts their daily lives.
MPS Good To Know
MPS Summer Work
It’s not too late to get that summer work done! Elementary students are logging their summer reading minutes with the Milton Public Library, Pierce readers will visit the Pierce Summer Reading 2022 website to choose, read, and respond to texts over the summer, and MHS students can find all summer work information here.
Instrumental Lessons Program
Is your student interested in learning an instrument? Come be a part of the Instrumental Lesson Program in Milton! All information for beginning students can be found here: Beginner Instrumental Lesson Information
Please fill out the form found HERE to begin the registration process. In order to ensure the best chances of getting your first choice instrument, fill out this form now! Please note that at this time, guitar registration is full. Email Lesson Program Director Rebecca Damiani at [email protected] with questions.
School Specific Information
Milton High School – 25 Gile Road -617-696-4470
Athletics
We are excited about a terrific fall athletic season! All tryout dates and times can be found here. Only the first three days are listed as all tryouts after day 3 will be communicated by the Head Coach. As a reminder, students are required to attend ALL listed sessions unless otherwise directed by the coach. Missed sessions may impact a student’s chances of making a team.
Please welcome our new Cheerleading Coach, Courtney Chester! Courtney comes to us with loads of coaching experience at the High School and College level, as well as cheering at Curry College as a captain. Her email address can be found on the link above with tryout information.
Physicals must be turned in to the Main Office before tryouts begin. Students without a valid physical on file may not participate in tryouts. A new physical must be provided each academic year. Physicals expire after 13 months. We do accept physicals from Minute Clinics or AFC Urgent Cares. The Main Office at the High School is open from 8am-3pm Monday-Friday.
Please use this link to see if your child is cleared. If your name does not appear on this list at all, it means you have not completed your registration on Family ID. Registration steps can be found on the MHS Athletics Website.
Superintendent Shoutout
We’ve had exciting sports news for some of our MPS students!
The Milton American Baseball 10U summer baseball team earned a trip to the Cal Ripken World Series in Indiana this month. It is the first time any team from Milton has gone this far, and the team was made up entirely of Collicot and Cunningham players. Congratulations to these baseball all-stars!
The Milton Wildcats Football Team won the Gold Cup for the first time at the 7v7 New England Championship. The Wildcats defeated Dedham, 19-6, in the championship game at Bishop Fenwick, earning the top spot from a field of over 100 teams. We are excited to watch the full MHS Wildcat Football Team in action at Brooks Field this fall!
Community News
COVID-19 Vaccine Clinics: Free COVID-19 vaccination clinics for everyone 6 months of age and older are available around the state. District and school leaders have been asked to share this flyer with teachers, staff, and students’ families in order to reduce the risk of serious illness from COVID-19.
Our Transportation partners at First Student have asked us to share that they are hiring bus drivers.
No experience is necessary to become a First Student bus driver – our world class training team
will bring you up to speed. Plus, you’ll receive great pay, and your work schedule will follow the
school’s calendar year. No nights or weekends. Be a part of the solution in getting kids to and from school by being a bus driver! A link to apply can be found here
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.
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