This week, the MPS Leadership Team kicked off a series of Learning Walks with a visit to Cunningham. Learning Walks are one of many tools we use to ensure administrators are engaged and informed about what is happening in our classrooms throughout the district.

During a Learning Walk, Principals, Curriculum Coordinators, and Central Office staff gather and informally walk through the school in small groups. The groups visit classrooms, specialists, and small groups and observe a lesson, discussion, project or stations as they are happening. While teachers are aware that a Learning Walk is scheduled, there is no special preparation, as the goal is to observe the natural rhythm of the classrooms and school.

After visiting several spaces, the group gathers to debrief, ask questions, and share what we saw in action. We talk about what inspired us and what we might take back to our own teachers or practice. We have scheduled Learning Walks regularly over the last ten years, and while they are sometimes difficult to fit into the busy school and district calendar, they are always worthwhile. We look forward to visiting Glover next.

Personally, while I have fully enjoyed my work in Central Office over the last decade, I am always excited to get back to the classroom and be reminded of the vital work that takes place every day. Seeing our teachers and staff doing what they love, with students who are engaged and learning, is absolutely the highlight of the week. As we are now a full six weeks into the school year, I hope you are hearing and seeing highlights from both your child and the communications that come home at the classroom, school, and district level.

This week was National Custodians Day, and our schools thanked our custodial staff, who do a tremendous job in keeping our six buildings clean and running smoothly. We are grateful for their hard work and dedication to our schools!

There was no school yesterday in observance of Yom Kippur. To all in our community who observed the holiday, I hope you and your families had a meaningful fast. The MPS 2022-23 One Page School Year Calendar can be found here and the MPS Monthly Calendar is linked here.  As a reminder, on Monday, October 10, there is no school for Indigenous Peoples Day.

Please read below for information about MPS employment opportunities, School Counseling college visits, Monster Dash registration, classroom highlights, a Superintendent Shoutout to MPS staff members Jen Van Hill and AJ Melanson and more.

MPS Need To Know

Important Dates

• Oct 10 No School Indigenous Peoples Day
• Oct 11 SEPAC Open House
• Oct 11 FAME Meeting
• Oct 12 Milton School Committee
• Oct 13 Pierce Comedy Night
• Oct 17 MHS Swing FORE Sports
• Oct 19 Flu Clinic at Pierce
• Oct 23 MHS XC Trail Run for Kids
• Oct 26 Milton School Committee
• Oct 30 MFE Monster Dash

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

Milton will hold a Seasonal Flu Clinic for the General Public on Wednesday, October 19th from 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. at Pierce Middle School, 451 Central Avenue. All details are here. 

Come support the Milton High School Boys and Girls Cross Country Teams at our Kids Trail Run at Cunningham Park on Sunday, October 23. There are races for students in K-8th grades, and this is a great opportunity to experience cross country. Registration is $10/person and starts at 10am on race day. The MHS XC team hopes to see you there!

The MFE’s Monster Dash is on Sunday, October 30, at Cunningham Park! Register now and save the date for this fantastic family event. The Monster Dash supports science education in all six schools and is held in memory of Tucker Elementary School student Sam Cichello who died following a playground accident in 1999.

Elementary artists are invited to submit their artwork for the Monster Dash t-shirt – the deadline is tomorrow, October 7.  Details and submission information can be found here. The winning student will be surprised at school!

Coming in November – Beauty and the Beast! Tickets are on sale now at this link for Milton High School Theatre’s production of Beauty and the Beast!

School Committee

The next regular School Committee meeting will be on October 12, 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.

MPS Good To Know

MPS Employment Opportunities

Open MPS positions are always 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. A sampling of current openings include: Junior Custodian (Temporary Position); After School Cooking Specialist, Nurse and Adult Group Leaders; School Psychologist,  ABA Instructional Assistant, and Daily and Long Term Substitute Teachers.  Check out this link and see if there is a fit for you!

In addition, we are hiring kitchen substitutes (on call position). Substitutes earn $19.15 an hour and work part-time in a flexible schedule during the school day. Please call Natalia Perez at 617-898-1051 if interested.

School Counseling

New for 2022-23! The MHS School Counseling office is hosting in person visits from College Admissions representatives before and after school every school day through the end of November. College representatives visit MHS to share information with interested Juniors and Seniors, and many of our students have been taking advantage of this opportunity. Juniors and Seniors are invited to sign up using Naviance, and Seniors can also check their Class of 2024 Group Guidance classroom for instructions on how to register. The list of colleges and schedule can be found here.

Milton Coalition

As part of their community assessment, the Milton Coalition is asking parents/guardians of children in grades K-12 to complete this brief, anonymous survey about youth health and well-being. The Milton Coalition works to prevent substance use and to promote mental health among youth. The Coalition does this community assessment every three years.

This survey is just one part of the comprehensive community assessment. This data is used, along with other information they collect, to evaluate efforts and inform future work.  Results will be presented next spring.  Stay in touch by signing up for the Coalition newsletter on our website.

SEPAC

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 and to meet SEPAC’s board members and learn about our work in the district and goals for the coming year. Childcare will be provided. This next meeting is important as we plan our agenda for the 22-23 year. Please join us or reach out to your school rep with ideas, questions, and concerns.

FAME

Please join Friends & Advocates of Music Education (FAME), the nonprofit that supports music education in the Milton public schools, for a kickoff meeting on Tuesday, October 11 at 7:00 p.m. in the MHS auditorium. Parents from all grade levels are welcome! This year, FAME hopes to support the music programs at all six schools and expand opportunities for any student interested in music. We have volunteer roles in all shapes and sizes, from concession sales to school liaisons. Come meet us and learn more! You can also reach us at [email protected] and learn more on our website, miltonfame.org.

MPS Social Events

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

Don’t miss out – Tee times are filling up fast! Consider registering for Milton Booster’s annual ‘Swing Fore Sports’ fundraiser on October 17 at Granite Links! Details can be found in the attached flyer.  Details can be found here.

MPS Nice To Know

Milton Glows Gold

There are ten days left to support Milton Glows Gold! We are Glowing Gold in MPS to show support for families impacted by childhood cancer. Sign up to walk/run/ride for Milton Glows Gold here, and visit the website for more opportunities to be involved. We had a wonderful Milton Glows Gold day last week! Thank you to the Fruit Center, the MGG G.O.A.T. sponsor!

Milton High School

This past Saturday, we had a very successful Homecoming Dance in our Field House. Over 400 MHS Juniors and Seniors attended the event and enjoyed pizza and desserts, played games, danced, and had fun just being together. This night would not have been possible without the incredible donations from our families. Thank you so much to everyone who donated their time, money, food, water, and decorations. We are so grateful to have so much support! Thank you also to our student photographers from Mr. Lopresti’s classes for the photos below.

Students in Mr. Young’s Journalism 1 recently toured the Eustis Estate in Milton and viewed the special Exhibit “Loud, Naked, and in Three Colors: The History of Tattooing in Boston.” Students will write reviews about their visit and publish articles in the school newspaper, “The Elephant in the Room.” Pictured at right: Front Row L-R: Sam Lawrence and Lillian McLoughlin. Middle Row: Zee Fitton, Griffin Angus, and Sienna Angus. Back Row: Chris Davis, Mia Gilmore, Daniel Hipp, Natalie Mills, Maggie Mullen, Loren Johnson, and Emily Drane.

Senora Gonzalez shares that the Hispanic Culture Club and her AP and Spanish VI classes have put together a small exhibit in the MHS library. Students and staff are invited to view it at their convenience.

Pierce Pages

The Cursive Crusaders have invaded Pierce, and it’s happening after school in Mr. Manning’s PASS class. Mr. Manning is teaching the lost art of penmanship and students have already learned how to properly hold their writing tool, practice correct writing posture, and to use their arm to instead of their fingers to write. It’s not easy and students can’t believe how some letters are formed and what some letters should actually look like. Do you remember the Palmer Method of Business Writing? Well, our students are focusing on several Palmer Method drills and muscle memory exercises to master the art of penmanship.

Milton Community Schools

MCS students are enjoying the Optional Enrichment Classes that started this week – Super Soccer at Tucker, and Chess and Wonder Robotics at Cunningham & Collicot are just some of new classes.

Athletics

The swim and dive team recently had two great wins against Weymouth and Framingham. Ryan Kelly, Jackson Wagner, Colby Moskos, and Malachi Buchanan were part of the boys medley relay and 400 freestyle relay that made a state cut time. Sophomore Jackson Wagner, juniors Kaleigh Boynton and Andrew Scapicchio, and senior Liv DiSandro have all made state cuts in their individual events. We are looking forward to our meet against Newton North on Friday. Roll ‘Cats!

Community News & Events

Please use the links below or visit the MPS Community News & Events page for information on these terrific community events and opportunities!

Join the fun at the 9th Annual MHS Street Hockey Tournament, Columbus Day Weekend – Monday, October 10th at the Kelly Field Tennis Courts. All details are here. 

Milton comes together to crush substance use at Mike’s 5K on 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, October 15th.  

National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is Saturday, Oct. 29th from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at the Milton Police Station, 40 Highland St.

Stories and Friends Meet Up: Join us for stories, songs, and activities on Saturday, October 22nd at 10:30 a.m. at Houghton’s Pond. Please see this link for all information and details.

The Milton Public Library’s calendar of October programs for kids can be found here.

Comic and Graphic Novel fans! Take part in this month’s Graphic Novel Book Club for Grades 3-5 on Wednesday, October 19 at 4:30pm. This month we are reading: The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner. Pick up a reserved copy in the MPL Children’s Room. Register today!

Middle and high schoolers! Come check out the Milton Public Library’s after school Teen Program:

• Mondays: Anime Club
• Tuesdays: Dungeons & Dragons
• Wednesdays: Super Smash Bros and other Switch games
• Every other Thursday: Teen Advisory Board – a council of Milton middle and high schoolers who help plan and execute our myriad after-school program offerings.
• Fridays: Magic the Gathering / Board Game Social

No registration required, and come talk to teen librarian Tyler or email [email protected] with any questions. Volunteer opportunities are also available for high schoolers all year round.

To learn more and to register for programs for kids, teens, and adults, please visit the MPL website.