Superintendent Sheehan releases updates for week of September 15, 2022

This week’s highlights include MPS Calendar – Student Late Start Day – 9/23, Katie Greer at MPS –  9/28, Wildcat Den Reopens, Milton Glows Gold, MPS Health Screenings, MHS Homecoming, and more.

From The Desk Of The Superintendent

I am happy to share news from Milton Parks and Rec that the Wildcat Den is reopening for all Milton middle schoolers! This is a teen-designated space for students in grades 6-8 and offers a hang-out space after the school day. If your child wants to play games with friends, get some homework done, or just relax – the space is there for them! The Wildcat Den opens September 19 and is open from  2:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m., Monday -Thursday.

The Wildcat Den is located below First Congregational Church, 495 Canton Ave, and the entrance is on the far side of the driveway. Students must be registered in advance with the Milton Parks and Recreation Middle School Events Program, and you can register here. 

A reminder that this year’s calendar includes four late start days (9/23, 10/28, 1/17, 3/31). The first late start day is Friday, September 23. These days are in addition to traditional Early Release days and 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, busses will run two hours later, Before School Programs will be open only for currently enrolled ESAP participants, and lunch and afterschool activities will continue as usual.

We are conducting a test of the MPS communication system on Wednesday, Sept 21 at 4:00 p.m. All parent/guardian and staff emails, cell phone numbers, and home numbers in our system on September 21 will receive a TEST MESSAGE from MPS at that time. If you do not receive the TEST MESSAGE through the contact information you believe we have on file, it’s imperative that you inform us. We will send a feedback form through your principal’s weekly email, this blog, and on our website in the days after the TEST MESSAGE is sent.

Please read on below for information about how to get involved in Milton Glows Gold, Health Screening information from the MPS Nursing Department, School Counseling News, Katie Greer’s visit to MPS, MHS Homecoming details, Athletic highlights, and more.

MPS Need To Know

Important Dates

• Sept 15 MHS Open House
• Sept 21 Milton School Committee
• Sept 22 Tucker Open House
• Sept 22 Collicot Open House
• Sept 23 Late Start for Students
• Sept 28 Katie Greer Presentation
• Sept 29 Glover Open House
• Oct 1 MHS Homecoming Dance
• Oct 5 No School Yom Kippur

MPS Calendars: 2022-23 One Page School Year Calendar and Link to MPS Monthly Calendar.

The Pierce PTO invites the entire community to a Comedy Night on Thursday, October 13 at 7:00 p.m.! Tickets available here. 

School Committee

The next regular School Committee meeting will be on September 21, 2022 at 7pm. All information about attending School Committee meetings can be found on the Town of Milton webpage. You can watch 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.

Health And Safety

Massachusetts General Law, chapter 71, section 57 with related regulations 105 CMR 200.000 mandates that school nurses do periodic screenings of vision, hearing, growth (height and weight), and posture. Bill H.4056, section 97 requires schools to conduct annual verbal screenings (SBIRT) for substance use. Pursuant to these regulations, MPS nurses screen students according to the following schedule:

• Vision:   Grades PK-5, 7, and 10
• Hearing: Grades K-5, 7, and 10
• Growth (Height and Weight/BMI): Grades 1, 4, 7, and 10
• Postural (Scoliosis): Grades 5-9
• SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral to Treatment, more information linked here):  Grades 8 and 10

Parents/guardians will be notified if a vision, hearing, or postural screening requires further evaluation. Included in this notification will be a request for a report from your healthcare provider of their findings so that the nurses are aware of any problems which may interfere with learning and can accommodate any needs that are identified.

Parents may choose not to have their children participate in any or all screenings. Please notify your school nurse in writing by October 1, 2022 if you wish for your student to opt-out of a screening. This must be done annually.  

If your student is receiving treatment for a vision, hearing, or postural concern, please provide your school nurse with current medical documentation of their condition. Nurse contact information can be found here: MHS: Shannon Aikey; Pierce: Barbara Perry ; Collicot: Lindsay Peterson ; Cunningham: Kiyana Spaulding ; Glover: Maureen LeBlanc; Tucker: Kerri Joyce

MPS Good To Know

School Counseling Department 

The 6-12 Guidance Department is now called the School Counseling Department. You can read about the importance of our specific name change here and some research related to the value of a name in general here.

Every student at MHS and Pierce has a School Counselor who is trained to provide support to students with academic concerns and social/emotional issues while also fostering career exploration and future planning. Counselor assignments for the high school can be found here. At Pierce, the sixth grade School Counselor is Ms. Lisa Veldran ([email protected],) seventh grade School Counselor is Ms. Erica Benjamin ([email protected]) and the eighth grade School Counselor is Ms. Erin Jaquette ([email protected]).

If needed, School Counselors can refer students for additional personal counseling with one of our MPS Adjustment Counselors.  School Adjustment Counselors are mental health specialists who are trained in clinical skills and provide support for students to help them stay in school and class while coping with difficult emotions.

All MPS Counselors look forward to supporting students in the 2022-23 school year!

Milton Glows Gold

Milton Glows Gold kicked off this week in MPS! September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month, and together with the Michael C. McHugh Foundation, the Town of Milton, and many local sponsors, we are Glowing Gold in MPS to show support for families impacted by childhood cancer.

We have already filled the scheduled blood drive at Cunningham Hall (thank you!) and are looking to schedule one more blood drive locally. In the meantime, please visit the Children’s Hospital page to donate blood on-site.

Many students and staff have signed up to join Run/Walk/Ride. Our goal is to pledge 15,590 miles walked/biked/run in October, one mile each for every child diagnosed with cancer this year. Sign up now and be sure to join your school’s team!

Katie Greer At MPS

We are pleased to welcome Internet Safety Expert Katie Greer back to MPS on Wednesday, September 28 at 6pm at Milton High School for Raising Digital Natives: What’s New? What’s Now? What’s Next? This presentation is open to all Milton parents and guardians.

Katie Greer will speak to our 3-5th graders across the district during the school day and will present to adults in the evening. Katie knows it can be daunting being a parent in this digitally driven time and will update parents on the latest tech trends, safety issues, and tips on how to help our kids have a productive and healthy relationship with technology. Come learn what’s new, what’s now, and what’s next when it comes to your kids and technology.

Art And Music 

Instrumental Lesson Slots are still available! If your student is in grade 4 and above and you were unable to register for music lessons, please reach out to program director Rebecca Damiani at [email protected] to find out which instruments still have available time slots.

SEPAC

Advocate and Participate: SEPAC invites you to our Open House on Tuesday, October 11, from 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. in the Pierce cafeteria. We welcome you to join us for refreshments and conversation, to meet SEPAC board members, and learn about our work in the district and goals for the coming year. Childcare will be provided.

Family Resources

The Milton Public Schools believes in a strong home, school, and community connection, and the Family Outreach Liaison is here to support all MPS families in making those connections.  If you have questions about MPS programs, how to connect with school staff, or need general information about community resources, please reach out to Marti O’Keefe McKenna, Family Outreach Liaison via telephone at 617-980-7343 or email at [email protected].  For information about ongoing community resources, please visit our Family Resource Newsletter.

Athletics

Football got off to a great start, beating defending D IV State Champs, Scituate,  33-26. The game was not as close as the score line seems as the Wildcats built a big lead going in at halftime. They will travel to Framingham on Friday, 6:30 p.m., in another non-league matchup.

The Girls Cross Country Team got their first win of the season, beating Walpole 21-36. They have a bye week next week and will host their first home meet on September 28th.

The Swim and Dive Team also beat Walpole 100-84 to get their first W on the board! They head to Brookline on Friday for their third meet of the season.

The Field Hockey Team dropped a close one to Wellesley 4-3, but are knocking on the door. They host Norwell High School on Friday at 7:00 p.m. in what should be a great atmosphere with Milton youth teams coming to cheer on the team!

Community News & Events

We have created a Community News & Events page on our website, which contains full details on each of the items below. Please use the links below or visit the MPS Community News & Events page for information on these terrific community events and opportunities!

Superintendent Shoutout

Congratulations to MHS junior Greta Cardoza for her performance this past week in New York City! As a Broadway Evolved scholarship recipient, Greta was invited to perform with stars Betsy Wolfe and Nikki James to help launch the non-profit Broadway Everyday, whose mission is to provide scholarships to students in need looking for exceptional musical theatre training. Next up for Greta is the MHS production of Beauty and the Beast!

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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 Dr. Garth McKinney, (617) 696- 4808/4809.