Superintendent Sheehan releases updates for week of September 8, 2022

This week’s highlights include Welcome to MPS Kindergarten and Preschool Students!, MPS Communications Test, Milton Glows Gold Starts 9/12, Katie Greer at MPS on 9/28, MHS Marching Band, MHS Student Leaders, and more.

From The Desk Of The Superintendent

This week we welcomed our kindergarten and preschool students to MPS! While the day was rainy (we are grateful for the much needed rain), the atmosphere was anything but gloomy, with mostly smiling faces on our youngest students. These young learners bring plenty of enthusiasm and joy to our schools, and we are so happy to see them settling into new classrooms, routines, and friendships.

Please read on below for information about next week’s Applied Music Lesson Night, an upcoming Communications System Test, Chromebook Insurance links, Milton Glows Gold, Katie Greer’s visit to MPS, a peek at the MHS Marching Band, Athletic highlights and more.

MPS Need To Know

Important Dates

• Sept 8 Pierce Open House
• Sept 12 Applied Music Lesson Reg Night
• Sept 13 Cunningham Open House
• 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
• Oct 6 Personalized Learning Forum

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

This year’s calendar includes four late start days (9/23, 10/28, 1/17, 3/31). 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, busses will run two hours later, Before School Programs will be open for enrolled students at the elementary schools, and lunch and afterschool activities will continue as usual.

Communications Test

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.

Technology

Please bookmark the MPS Family Technology Support Help Center website to troubleshoot potential issues with a device or platform, or to educate yourself about a platform or application that you are unfamiliar with.  The site provides information on PlusPortal, Google, Clever, Guardian Monitoring, Who to Contact, and more.

Chromebook Insurance: All families in grades K-10 are highly encouraged to obtain optional insurance for their school-issued Chromebook.  If you decline to purchase the insurance for the Chromebook you are responsible for damage beyond reasonable wear and tear as outlined in the Loan Agreement. The cost of insurance is $30 per year and it covers unlimited claims with no deductible for that school year. Each school issued Chromebook needs its own insurance.

Please visit the MPS Online Payment Center to purchase insurance for your student and select Chromebook Insurance from the left side menu. The MPS Online Payment Center is also found in the Quick Links on the MPS website.

School Committee

The next regular School Committee meeting will be on September 21, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. 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. The complete School Committee meeting calendar, including upcoming topic specific Public Forums, can be found here.

Instrument Registration Night

Instrument Registration Night will be held on Monday, September 12 at 7:00 p.m.. at Milton High School. For those who filled out the “Beginner Instrument Lesson Interest Form” which was open from June- September 6th:

• Once you have CONFIRMED your lesson day and time, you must attend the Instrument Registration Night on Monday, September 12 at 7:00 p.m. at MHS to complete the registration process.
• At the registration night, you and your student will: Meet your lesson teacher; Complete registration paperwork; Submit payment to your lesson teacher; Secure an instrument rental.

We have four vendors who will be present that evening. Please do NOT sign any rental contracts until you have CONFIRMED your lesson time with your teacher. The rental companies attending Registration Night on the 12th are Needham Music, Leonard’s Music, Johnson Strings, and Spencer Brook Strings.

For those who did NOT fill out the “Beginner Instrument Lesson Interest Form” you may still attend the registration night to see which instruments still have availability. There is very limited space at this point.

Please reach out to Rebecca Damiani at [email protected] with any questions.

Health And Safety

Please see the MPS Health Services page for MPS Nut and Food Allergy Guidance, current Covid guidelines, School Nurse contact information, and more.

MPS Good To Know 

Milton Glows Gold

Milton Glows Gold kicks off on Monday, September 12! 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.

There are many ways to participate in Milton Glows Gold and the 1st step is to sign up to join the Run/Walk/Ride now. Our goal is to pledge 15,590 miles walked/biked/run in October, one mile each for every child diagnosed with cancer this year.

Save your coins and look for the MGG gold bucket in your school’s main office next week, save the date for the Milton Glows Gold Varsity Football game on Friday, September 23 at Milton High School, and look for blood drive sign ups in the coming weeks. We’ll all be Glowing Gold on Friday, September 30 for Milton Glows Gold Day, both in MPS and across the Town of Milton. Watch for the State House Dome to be lit up in gold as well! Thank you in advance for your support of this important initiative.

Katie Greer At MPS

We are pleased to welcome Internet Safety Expert Katie Greer back to MPS on Wednesday, September 28 at 6:00 p.m. 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 times 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.

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.

Food Service

In preparation for the start of the year, the Food Service staff reviewed sanitation safety with our partners SFSPac Food Safety and Sanitation-K12. This company is wonderful to work with because they use a color coded system with easy to follow steps, giving food service staff the tools they need to prevent cross-contamination and cross-contact for food allergies.

All lunch menus are posted on the MPS Food Service website linked here.  As a reminder, 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!

MPS EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITES

Open MPS positions are posted on the employment page of our website.  There are school day and after-school positions available, and we are always looking to increase our substitute pool. Check out this link and see if there is a fit for you!

Athletics

Fall Sports are off to a great start! Golf won their first match of the season, beating Canton 84-64 at the Milton Hoosic Club. Girls Soccer beat Fontbonne 5-0 on Tuesday, with Sophomore Gretel Schewe scoring two goals! Field Hockey then followed up with a win over Weymouth, 4-0 to get their season underway.

Girls Soccer and Boys Soccer will be home tonight at 5:15 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., respectively. Volleyball will get their season underway as they travel to Weymouth.

The Football Team will then host Scituate in the Game of the Week on Friday Night at 7:00 p.m. There is no charge for tickets this year. Bags and backpacks are not allowed.

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!

• 21st Anniversary of 9/11: Please join the family and friends of The Massachusetts 9/11 Fund on Sunday, September 11, 2022, for a live stream of the annual commemoration honoring the memories of loved ones lost 21 years ago.
• The Milton Public Library highlights SAWA Trivia on Saturday, September 10 at 2:30 p.m. and a celebration of the Library and all it has to offer on Saturday, September 17, starting at 12:00 p.m.! Find details here and the September calendar here.
• Growing Young Minds offers fall Gym Classes at Kelly Field from 9/19-11/28.  Classes are $250/student for the 10 week course. Details and registration can be found here.
• The Inclusive Theatre Experience – Mel O’Drama Kids; Ages 10 – 14 yrs; Adult participation optional; Tue, Sep 13 – Nov 15, 2022. All details can be found here. 
• Milton Youth Advocates for Change is having an Open House on Tuesday, Sept. 13, 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. at the First Congregational Church, 495 Canton Ave. Open to 6^th – 12^th graders.
• Visit the Eustis Estate for a day of fun in celebration of the newest special exhibition for a Painted Picnic on September 11 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
• Meditation and Mindfulness Workshop, Saturday, September 24, 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m., outdoors at the Forbes House Museum, 215 Adams Street, Milton.
• South Shore Children’s Chorus rehearsals begin in September for singers in grades K-12 at our four convenient locations. No auditions are required or experience necessary, and tuition assistance is available for those who apply.
• Celebrate Milton is recruiting elementary school parents/guardians to monitor the amusements at Celebrate Milton on Sunday, Oct 2, from noon-4pm at Pierce. If you can volunteer for even one hour, please email [email protected] or call 617-313-7164.
• On Saturday, October 1, 2022, the Friends of the Milton Council on Aging (COA) are sponsoring a Fit for Life Walk to raise funds for the Milton Council on Aging. The COA provides much-needed social, outreach, and transportation services for adults age 60+ who reside in the town.

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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.