Superintendent Sheehan releases updates for week of September 29, 2022
This week’s highlights include Milton Glows Gold Day – Friday, 9/30, MPS Security Information, Elementary Hispanic Heritage Month, MPS Professional Development, Pierce NFL Play 60, Superintendent Shoutout, and more.
From The Desk Of The Superintendent
Last week we reconvened our MPS Security Committee for the 22-23 School Year. This committee is composed of MPS administrators and department heads, and representatives from the Town of Milton, Milton Police, and Milton Fire. After a debrief of the August lockdown training for staff, the group reviewed current safety protocols, communication procedures and plans for lockdown and fire drills at each school. With our youngest students, teachers use social stories to preview what lockdown and fire drills sound like and what the class will do during the drill. MPS staff review evacuation procedures, as well as behavioral expectations, with students throughout the school year. Each of our schools has held its first fire drill of the school year and will hold lockdown drills this fall.
One of our discussion points was communication with staff and families during an emergency situation. In an emergency, the primary goal is always the safety of those involved. Prompt and accurate communication is vital but is secondary to our primary responsibility. In the age of cell phones, it is virtually impossible that either Milton Police or the Milton Public Schools will be able to accurately communicate with families prior to news of an emergency situation spreading through texts and social media. That is a reality that we all need to be aware of and accept. We have communication protocols in place for emergencies and will work to continuously improve those protocols within the parameters above.
We performed a communication test on Wednesday, September 21 at 4:00 p.m., and all parent/guardian and staff emails, cell phone numbers, and home numbers in our system should have received a test message from MPS. If you did not receive the test message, it’s imperative that you inform us at this link.
Thank you as always to the Milton Police and Fire Departments, our partners in keeping our school community safe.
There are two weeks 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, bring your change to school, and celebrate Milton Glows Gold day tomorrow, Friday, September 30 by wearing your gold to school!
Please read below for information about MPS Professional Development, SEPAC Open House, Hispanic Heritage Month in our schools, MHS Homecoming, and two big MPS congratulations to MHS junior Grecia Manrique and MHS Varsity Football Coach Steve Dembowski.
MPS Need To Know
Important Dates
- Sept 29 Glover Open House
- Oct 1 MHS Homecoming Dance
- Oct 2 Celebrate Milton
- Oct 5 No School Yom Kippur
- 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
MPS Calendars: 2022-23 One Page School Year Calendar and Link to MPS Monthly Calendar.
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.
The Milton School Committee will hold four public forums for the Milton community during the 2022-23 school year. These forums will provide brief presentations on each of the three pillars of the MPS Strategic Plan and a fourth on the school district budget proposal for FY24. Community members will be invited to ask questions and share comments about the stated topic. School Committee members will respond to questions and comments and share their perspectives on the issues.
The schedule and topics for the School Committee Public Forums are as follows: November 9, 2022 – Personalized Learning; November 30, 2022 – Safe and Supportive Schools; January 11, 2023 – Equity; February 8, 2023 – MPS FY24 Budget
Health And Safety
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.
- Age 4 and older
- Please enter through the front doors
- Seasonal flu vaccines are available in injection form only
- Must pre-register, no walk-ins available
- Use the registration link here to pre-register
- For ease of vaccination, please wear a short sleeve shirt.
- Please call the Board of Health at 617-898-4886 with any questions.
There is a free, after school vaping session program offered by Caron open to all middle and high schoolers aged 13-18 starting on October 3. Each session meets 6 times, and all details can be found here.
MPS Good To Know
Professional Development
On Friday, September 23, MPS had the first Late Start PD Day of the 2022-2023 school year. These four late start days (9/23, 10/28, 1/17, 3/31) will be dedicated to professional development on key elements of our Strategic Plan, including Personalized Learning, Safe & Supportive Schools, Equity in Learning, and Data Analysis. At the elementary level, K-5 classroom teachers and special educators engaged in continued professional development on our new mathematics curriculum. Pierce faculty attended a presentation on Universal Design for Learning (UDL) from Novak Education Consulting, which is a key component of personalized learning. MHS teachers received an overview of Trauma Sensitive Schools before engaging in data analysis to further support our students. Lastly, small cohorts of critical departments such as English Learner Educators, Nurses, and Elementary Reading Specialists engaged in topic specific professional development.
Overall, the feedback from educators and administrators was positive for our first late start PD day. We continue to work diligently to enhance these valuable days of professional development. We know changes in the school day schedule can be a challenge for families and we thank students, parents, and the community for this opportunity and your continued support.
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.
Educate: Thursday, October 5th from 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. – Transition to Adult Disability Fair at the Cardinal Cushing Centers Cafe @ 120 Columbia Rd, Hanover, MA. Please visit our Milton SEPAC events page for all upcoming events.
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.
Milton Foundation For Education
The MFE’s Monster Dash is on Sunday, October 30, at Cunningham Park! Register now and save the date for this fantastic family event. In the meantime, elementary artists are invited to submit their artwork for the Monster Dash t-shirt! All submissions are due by October 7, details and submission information can be found here. The winning student will be surprised at school!
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.
FORE! Register today for MHS Boosters annual “Swing Fore Sports” fundraiser on Monday, October 17 at Granite Links! Details can be found here.
MPS Nice To Know
Milton High School
The MHS Homecoming Dance is Saturday night! While the weather has not cooperated for an outside event, we are happy to share that the event has been moved to the Copeland Field House at Milton High School. MHS teachers are chaperoning, thank you to the many MHS parents and guardians who are helping to set up and have donated items or funds. We are looking forward to a fantastic HOCO ’22 for our junior and senior classes!
Pierce Pages
Mrs. McEvoy’s health classes are taking part in the NFL Play 60’s Fitness Breaks. The NFL and the American Heart Association are partnering to promote 60 minutes of exercise each day with fun live broadcasts for students in the classroom. It was the perfect activity for our late start day classes on Friday.
Inside Our Elementary Schools
Hispanic Heritage Month is unique as it doesn’t start and end within the same month. Instead, it starts on September 15 to honor the independence days of several Latin American countries and ends on October 15. September 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September 18, respectively. Our elementary schools have been celebrating through morning announcements, weekly trivia, and classroom lessons.
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, Mme Theobald’s fourth grade Collicot students have been reading about the contributions of many different well known Hispanic Americans. Mme Theobald and Mrs Doherty partnered together to use the Flip platform (formerly Flipgrid) and students wrote and recorded videos in French to present their famous person to their classmates.
Athletics
Congratulations to MHS Varsity Football Coach Steve Dembowski, who was named New England Patriots High School Coach of the Week! Coach Dembowski, currently in his eighth year as head coach of the Wildcat football team, led the team to their third-straight win on Friday night to improve to a perfect 3-0 on the season. It’s the fourth time the team has started a season 3-0 under Coach Dembowski.
Patriots, College, and Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Andre Tippett, now the team’s Executive Director of Community Affairs, met with our captains and coaching staff Tuesday morning to present the football program with a $1,000 donation on behalf of the Patriots Foundation in honor of Coach Dembowski. “Coach Dembowski’s Wildcats sustained their offensive excellence this week as they beat the Panthers to keep their undefeated record,” said Tippett. “They benefited from great quarterback play, and the rest of the team fed off that energy. We wish them luck ahead of entering league play.”
The team looks to continue to ride their hot streak into their Bay State Conference slate of games starting Friday night at 7:00 p.m. at Brooks Field against Walpole, who has also started 3-0. Roll ‘Cats!
The MHS Softball team will be hosting Cans for Cats on Saturday, October 1st 9-noon at Milton High School.
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!
The Milton Public Library’s calendar of October programs for kids can be found here.
- Wednesday, October 5 at 2:30 p.m. – Calling all builders ages 6-12! Join Ms. Tory at LEGO Club to construct a themed LEGO scene or a creation of your choice. Find your finished builds on display in the Children’s Room all month long!
- Saturday, October 8 at 2:30 p.m. – Register today for our Historic New England: All about Herbs program! Kids ages 5-12 are invited to explore how the land and use of herbs has changed through the centuries. Participants will have the opportunity to decorate a pot, plant an herb seed and make an herbal sachet to take home.
- To learn more and to register for these programs, as well as others for kids, teens, and adults, please visit the MPL website.
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.
Milton Art Center: Art classes for creative kids starting the last week of September at the Milton Art Center, visit the website to sign up. Tickets are also available for comedian Paul D’Angelo, Friday, Oct. 7, at 8:00 p.m., with host Erin Lynch.
The Wildcat Den is Open! This is a teen designated space for Milton Teens grades 6th. to 8th to come hang out after your school day. Play some games with your friends or get some homework out of the way. Check out the October calendar here. To Register Click Here.
Superintendent Shoutout
We have recently been notified that MHS Junior Grecia Manrique earned a perfect score on a college-level Advanced Placement Exam in spring 2022. Director of World Languages Zeina Hamada was so proud to share that Grecia was one of only sixty three (yes, only sixty three!) students in the world to earn every point possible on the AP Spanish Exam.
Principal Karen Cahil said that in her fifteen years at Milton High School, this is the first time she has seen a perfect score on an AP exam. Mr. Canty, one of Grecia’s teachers, said, “Grecia is relentless in her determination to put in her best effort every day, and her best effort is spectacular!”
MHS teacher Jeny Gonzalez also wanted to share some thoughts about Grecia. “Grecia is one of the most conscientious and hard working students I ever had. Throughout the year, she demonstrated determination and passion to excel. She was always well prepared and ready to present her viewpoints and findings on the different topics we discussed in AP Spanish Language and Culture class. I am thrilled but not surprised that Grecia obtained the highest grade in the AP exam, as the quality of her work was beyond my expectations. Me siento muy orgullosa de tan importante logro, felicidades Grecia!
AP courses and exams are college-level, requiring great focus and persistence among participating students. Students who succeed in AP are not only more likely to succeed in college but have the chance to save a significant amount of time and money by earning college credit or placement.
We are incredibly proud of Grecia and know you join us in celebrating her success!
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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.
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