Superintendent McKinney releases updates for week of March 9, 2023

This week’s highlights include MFE Celebration for Education, Cunningham Book Vending Machine, MHS Culture Fair, First Grade Info Night, No School, Teacher PD Day, Superintendent Shoutout to MHS Students and more.

From The Desk Of The Superintendent

Earlier today, under the direction of the Milton Police Department, each of our schools completed their spring lockdown drill. Each drill took between fifteen and thirty minutes to complete. While initial feedback from MPD was positive, we will continue to identify areas for improvement. The Safety and Security Advisory Committee will meet to discuss any findings, make necessary adjustments and plan for the future.

It was an exciting day at Cunningham today, as their new Book Vending Machine was unveiled! The Book Vending Machine was purchased through a grant from the Milton Foundation for Education and filled with tons of new books courtesy of the Cunningham PTO. Cunningham teachers nominated students to be among the first to deposit their gold coin and vend a brand new book. Students were nominated for their love of reading, excellent citizenship, and kindness and the excitement in the lobby was palpable.

The MFE supports all six MPS schools in ways big and small, day in and day out, throughout the school year. MFE grants range from $500 worth of books to $25,000 worth of technology and everything in between! The MFE has funded larger projects like the Wildcat Wellness Center and MPS broadband expansion and smaller initiatives that support classrooms or grades. You can see the spring 2022 grant list here. They have been an incredible partner to MPS over the last two decades and we are grateful to the parents and guardians who volunteer their time in support of the MFE and our schools.

How can you support the good work that the MFE does for our schools? Join the fun on May 6 at this year’s Celebration for Education! Celebration is a guaranteed good time and will take place at The Beat, 135 Morrissey Blvd. on May 6 at 5:00 p.m. May 6 is Derby Day, so come for the early start, watch the Kentucky Derby, enjoy good food and drink and the company of hundreds of your MPS neighbors. Tickets and squares will be on sale in the coming weeks, so save the date and mark your calendar for Celebration for Education 2023!

MPS Need To Know

Important Dates

• Mar 9 MIOSM Strings Concert 6-12
• Mar 14 MIOSM Band Concert 5-12
• Mar 15 1st Grade Info Night
• Mar 16 After School P/T Conferences
• Mar 17 No School – Teacher PD Day
• Mar 20 Grade 5 Growth and Dev. Presentation

As a reminder, March 17 is a Teacher Professional Development Day, with no school for students. 

The MPS Events Calendar can be found here, and the one-page 22-23 SY calendar can be found here.

The School Committee has approved a draft of the 23-24 SY calendar. This calendar is intended as a guide ONLY. It may be necessary to change this schedule to better serve instructional purposes.

MHS Culture Fair

This Friday, March 10 from 5:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m., Milton High School’s Asian Culture Club will be holding their second annual Culture Fair in the MHS library. All are invited to join the members of the Asian Culture Club, Hispanic Culture Club and French Club for a night of fun!

Through games, activities, presentations, and performances, our club members hope to bring the Milton community together and provide an opportunity for everyone to deepen their understanding and appreciation of other cultures. Get ready for lion dancing, arts and crafts, traditional games, and more!

If you would like to support the hosting club, please consider buying a bubble tea drink or a raffle ticket while you’re there. All proceeds will be used to fund future events and go to supporting various charitable groups.

First Grade Information Night

On Wednesday, March 15 at 6:30 p.m., we will be hosting First Grade Information Night in person in the Milton High School Auditorium. Parents and guardians of current MPS kindergarten students are invited to learn about our two first grade programs: The English Innovation Pathway (with STEM & Spanish) and French Immersion. We will present information on each program as well as the assignment plan, lottery (if needed), and timeline.

Fifth Grade Growth and Development Presentation

5th Grade parents and guardians are invited to our district wide 5th Grade Growth and Development Program on Monday, March 20 at 7:00 p.m. in the MHS Auditorium. This annual presentation is a wonderful opportunity for parents/guardians to preview the videos (The Puberty Workshop and Curriculum, Human Relations Media, Inc.) that will be shown to 5th grade students this spring. After the videos, there will be time for Q&A regarding the program. This is a powerful opportunity to gain knowledge and build skills to help engage your child in conversations about puberty. This program will be presented at your child’s school on March 31.

MHS Course Registration

MHS Counselors have presented a course selection lesson to all students grades 8-11. If your student will be in grades 9-12 at MHS next year, their course selections are due by March 13 at 5:00 p.m. (note new date).

Please visit the Program of Studies website. On the first page is a link to a video explaining the process for current 8th graders, as well as a pdf of the process for students in grade 9-11.

Since we are implementing a new Student Information System, we are experiencing some growing pains.  If you tried to request courses and were told that you did not meet the prerequisite, please try again. If you already submitted your class registration and wish to make changes, you can still do so.  Log onto to Powerschool again and click “Class Registration” on the left. Students who do not submit class requests for next school year will have their courses chosen by their school counselors.

We encourage students to follow their current teachers’ course recommendations. When selecting courses for next year, it is also important to consider the rigor of the entire schedule, and attempt to keep a work/life balance. Counselors at the high school are available by email and phone if you have questions or concerns with the course selection process.

MPS Good To Know

Superintendent Shoutout

Congratulations are in order for many of our MHS students this week!

Today we celebrated a select group of MHS students who have received the Student Achievement Award from DESE. This new award recognizes students for their performance on the 2022 MCAS or MCAS-Alt. Students received a Certificate of Excellence and a gift card. Congratulations to Oliver Jones, Elias Caros, Christopher Cunningham, Owen Creamer, Jasmine Bethea, Hilda Alexis, Jacob Claudomir, Chaliss Leoutsakos-Gustave, Frank Hawker, Iyla Kushnarev, David Nguyen, Joseph Taylor and Julia Levreaut on this recognition of their hard work and success!

This week we also celebrated our music students who were inducted into Tri-M, the Music Honor Society. New inductees performed in small groups and the ceremony was led by Tri-M’s student officers. Congratulations to Lucy Asanza, Charlie Baltay, Sam Boucher, Eilie Boylan, Nate Brown, Greta Cardoza, Wyatt Changizi, Owen Creamer, Stephy Dai, Atticus D’Alessandro, Katherine Drozdick, Violet Figuerido, Malcolm Frank-McKnight, John Gillooly, Colin Glazer, Kevin Gomes, James Goodman, Niamh Guilderson, John Higgins, Elinor Johnson, Maxine Loranger-Milt, Molly Lovett, Lucie Lloyd-Farber, William Malec, Rory Martin, Rowan, McCullough, Mary Mullen, Maggie O’Connor, Louise O’Donoghue, Rogan Pater and Noel Vega on your induction into  Tri-M!

Milton Community Schools is Hiring

Milton Community Schools has immediate openings for Community Service and paid Counselor positions for high school students through the end of the school year. If you enjoy working with children, are ready to make a difference, are reliable and willing to learn, we want to hear from you! All details can be found here.

MPS Summer – Camp Cunningham

Registration for Camp Cunningham 2023 opens on Family ID at noon on Wednesday, March 15. For more information, including dates and rates, please see the Milton Community Schools website.

Forbes House Museum Essay Contest

The Forbes House Museum 2023 Lincoln Essay and Drawing Contest is open. This year the drawing contest is open to students in grades 5-8 and the essay contest is open to students in grades 6-8. The contest is generously sponsored by BR Alexander & Co. If your child would like to participate, all details can be found here.

MPS Nice To Know

Mps Professional Development

On March 2, Food Service employees engaged in PD with Project Bread. After a discussion about what makes Food Service employees vital to school nutrition and the health of a school, Chef Sam and Chef Sherry began some cooking demos with the staff.  On the menu? Arroz con Pollo, Adobe Chicken Flatbread, and Cucumber Watermelon Mint Salad  – all delicious! We hope to bring these tasty creations to our school menus soon. Thanks to Chef Sam and Chef Sherry and a note of appreciation to Milton Food Service staff for their hard work in making sure kids are not going hungry and are getting nutritious meals, setting them up for success in school!

4th Grade teachers enjoyed attending a “Project Lead the Way” workshop at WPI this week!

Pierce Stem Fair

It was great to celebrate the hard work of our students at the Pierce STEM Fair in February! Thank you to the Pierce community for attending and showing such interest in so many fantastic projects.

We would like to recognize the following winning projects individuals and teams, who have been invited to represent Pierce at the Regional Science Fair at Regis College on March 18!

• Outstanding Design Engineering Project: “Which electro-magnetic transformer is the most efficient: shell style vs. core style?” by Nina Shores – Grade 8
• Outstanding Experimental Project: “Investigating Crystals: How does light affect crystal growth?” By Eloise Martland, Grade 6
• Outstanding Solution to a Real World Problem: Going off the grid- A solar solution for energy independence” By Aidan Leschuk, AJ Murphy, Avery Squiciarino (“Squeech-a-rino”), Dan Winterberg, Grade 8
• Honorable Mention: Does color affect memory? By Sofia Nitolo, Claire Deren, Tyrese Blake, Grade 8

Good luck to all at the Regional Science Fair!

MHS French Club Movie Night

The MHS French Club hosted over 260 elementary students at MHS last weekend. Students enjoyed pizza and the movie Ratatouille, in French.  The elementary students enjoyed their time together and with the MHS students who oversaw the event. The evening was a huge success and the French Club thanks all the elementary teachers who volunteered their Saturday night to support the movie night!

Collicot Author Visit

Author Deirdre Sullivan visited Collicot this week to kick off Literacy Month. Ms. Sullivan read two of her books, Ming Goes to School and Gussie and Max, to Collicot kindergarten classes. She later met with the fourth graders to discuss the writing process, how she edits her books and the process of publishing a book. Students were able to ask questions and thoroughly enjoyed hearing firsthand how to become a published author. Thank you to Ms. Sullivan for the visit!

MHS CLASS OF 2023!

This letter was sent to all parents and guardians of the Class of 2023. Our Senior Class is excited for their spring events and is asking for family and community support. All are invited to read the Senior Class letter here and please consider supporting their senior events!

The Senior Class & Student Government also want to thank the community for coming to support us last night at the Harlem Wizards. It was an amazing turnout of over 1000 community members and families! We were able to put this together thanks to everyone who purchased tickets and our countless volunteers, with a special thank you to Elliot Physical Therapy for their sponsorship. We hope everyone had a great night and we hope to host the Harlem Wizards again in the future!

MHS Athletics

MPS Athletic Director Ryan Madden shares the following.

We are just about finished with the Winter Season! Track will participate in the New Balance Nationals this weekend, and Cheer will compete at States on Sunday at Worcester State University after taking home 3rd place at Regionals last weekend!

Good luck to our Track athletes this weekend! New Balance Nationals Schedule is below.

• Friday, March 10: Katie O’Toole, Mile, 8:51am; Mia Jilani, 400m, 9:37am; Niamh Mannion  ,HJ, 11:00am
• Saturday, March 11: 4x55m Shuttle Hurdle Relay 12:31pm; Donna Gauvin, Elana Pukel, Shakura Lynch, Claudia O’Neil, Alt. Fionnuala Queally
• Sunday, March 12: 4x400m Relay 2:07pm; Fabrice Hippolyte-Midy, Luka Juric, Shane Olsen, Aidan Crummey, Alt. Lucian McPherson; 4x400m Relay 2:37pm: Zoe Panucci, Kai Quinones, Victoria Lundeen, Lydia Turner; 4x800m Relay-Championships 3:45pm: Gretel Schewe, Katie O’Toole, Marilyn Roche, Mia Jilani, Alt: Garet Glenn

Our Girls Hockey Team won the Bay State Conference for the first time since 2010, finishing 10-1-2 in league play and 18-2-4 overall. They lost to Canton 3-1 on Saturday night but fought until the very end. With several members of the team returning next season, they will look to continue their upward trajectory!

The Boys Lacrosse Team is opening up tryouts to 8th Grade Students in an effort to sustain a JV Level this spring. 8th grade students who try out can also be cut, depending on the numbers, and they cannot play on the Varsity Team.  The sole purpose is to increase numbers on the Junior Varsity Team to keep the program afloat and to ensure safety.

Participation as an 8th grader does not affect a student’s eligibility during high school. If an 8th grader is “cut” from the JV Team, this also does not affect the student’s eligibility in high school. Students participating must be at all practices and games. Students cannot miss high school practices or games for club or AAU sports, per the MIAA Bona Fide Team Rule.

Tryouts start Monday, March 20 and the season will end Memorial Day Weekend. Games are generally on Tuesdays & Thursdays at 5:15 p.m., following the Varsity Game. For away games, there is generally a 2:45 p.m. bus from the High School Field House. Practices will vary between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. JV will generally not be required to practice on the weekends. Students are responsible for their own transportation to and from practice facilities.

For any questions, please feel free to reach out to Coach Lynch ([email protected]) or Ryan Madden ([email protected].)
Spring Sports start Monday, March 20. Please see the link here for tryout information.

There will be a Spring Sports Parent/Guardian Meeting on Wednesday, March 15 at 6:00 p.m. in the Field House. All student-athletes and parents/guardians are welcome to attend.

Winter Sports families: If you have not done so already, please take a moment and complete the Athletics Parent/Guardian Feedback Survey linked at the bottom of the Athletics newsletter. While you have the option to remain anonymous, it is extremely helpful to leave your name and contact information. You will remain anonymous, but leaving information allows the Athletic Director and Principal to follow up if necessary.

Senior MHS Athletes and Managers are encouraged to apply for a Boosters Athletic Scholarship.  Requirements include: 1) have competed (or managed) at the varsity level while at MHS; 2) be an active Booster member; 3) submit a complete application; 4) obtain a letter of reference if needed (see award instructions).  Applications (including letters of reference) are due April 14. More information and the application can be found here.

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!

Brookwood Community Farm, located at the base of the Blue Hills, on the Milton/Canton line, has CSA (community supported agriculture) shares and a farm stand.

We offer accessible 2023 shares through alternative payment options. Details can be found here.  One option for the CSA is to use SNAP benefits ($40/month) which will be fully reimbursed by HIP.  These shares are available as half-veggie shares (every other week). The form for SNAP CSA can be found here. Pickup is at the farm, but if you do not have transportation, please contact us directly at [email protected]. so we can try to work it out. If you do not have EBT, we can consider a discounted share or offer a payment plan, so please email [email protected].

There is an opportunity for families to attend a FREE classical music performance at Faneuil Hall in March and April. The Bach, Beethoven and Brahms Society Orchestra plays classical music at historic Faneuil Hall, under the direction of internationally acclaimed conductor, Steven Lipsitt. It is their mission to introduce young families to this music in an intimate setting. This offer is first come first served and is only available for a limited time.
Tickets are for unreserved side seating. Please use promo code ‘music’ at checkout for the free tickets. All details on this terrific opportunity can be found here.

Milton Sports for All has expanded its popular candle-pin bowling program to offer a high school session!  Bowling will take place at Cunningham Hall on Wednesdays from 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., starting on March 8 and running through April 5.  This program is open to Milton residents in grades 9-12. No experience (or bowling shoes) necessary! Register here.

Milton Sports for All is an inclusive recreational program that provides the opportunity for children of all abilities, experience, and backgrounds to participate in sporting activities in a fun, accessible way.

Neponset Rowing Club Spring 2023 Registration for the Competitive Juniors (HS) program is now open. Registration for the spring high school rowing season is open to MPS and all local high schools.  Please sign up here: 2023 Spring – Neponset Rowing Club: Competitive Juniors (HS) Registration.

Summer Art Camp at the Milton Art Center is open for registration. The camps will run for nine weeks from June 26-August 24. Each session has a different theme and children can sign up for half day or full day sessions. Visit the website to find out more and register.

Milton Field Hockey is open for registration for the Winter (K-8)  and Spring (K-8) 2023 season and summer camp (up to age 18)! All details can be found here.

Milton American Baseball registration is now open for players ages 4-12. With T-ball through the Majors Division, there is an opportunity for everyone to play and develop with friends. Please visit miltonamericanbaseball.org for more information.

Milton Girls Softball encourages children in Kindergarten through Grade 8 to register for the 2023 Spring Season. All details can be found at www.miltonsoftball.com.

Milton Youth Lacrosse registration is open! All details at www.miltonlacrosse.org.

The Milton Public Library’s calendar of March programs for kids can be found here.  To learn more and to register for programs for kids, teens, and adults, please visit the MPL website.

• March Book Madness is back! Vote each week for your favorite children’s book or series to see them move on to the next round on our bulletin board. Who will take home the trophy? It’s up to you to decide! If you’d like to participate, ballots are found at the Children’s Desk.
• The Milton Teen Program is always looking for high school volunteers! If you’re interested in helping our Children’s Department out with some awesome programming, and earning service hours along the way, please email Tyler Vachon at [email protected].

Learn more and register for these programs through the MPL Events Calendar.

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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.