Superintendent McKinney releases updates for week of March 30, 2023

This week’s highlights include MFE Teacher of the Year – Nominations Due, SEPAC School Committee Candidate Forum, Incoming Supt. Burrows Pre-Entry Plan, MFE Celebration – Derby Squares Available, MPS Clothing, Food and Sneaker Drives, MPS New Audio Book Library, and more.

From The Desk Of The Superintendent

Is there an educator who has had a lasting impact on your child? One who goes above and beyond and who is deserving of recognition? The answer is yes for many of our MPS families and the Milton Foundation for Education wants to hear from you as they prepare to recognize the extraordinary contributions made by MPS educators.  The MFE is asking for nominations for Teacher of the Year in each school, so please take a moment to nominate an exceptional teacher here. Nominations close tomorrow, March 31. All details can be found at this link.

The Milton SEPAC has asked me to share information about their School Committee Candidate Forum on April 4 with the MPS community.

Please join Milton SEPAC (Special Education Parent Advisory Council) for its annual School Committee Candidate Forum. The Forum will be held on Tuesday, April 4, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. via Zoom at this link, and is an opportunity to hear the candidates’ views on a range of issues that affect all children and families in the district.

We hope you can join us for this informative evening. Please contact Jenny Sheehan or Jennie Mulqueen, SEPAC co-chairs, with any questions at [email protected] or [email protected].

As a reminder, tomorrow Friday, March 31 is a late start day for students. School will start two hours later than the usual start time.

MPS Need To Know

Important Dates

• Mar 31 Late Start for Students, PD for Staff
• April 4 5-12 Band Concert
• April 4 SEPAC Meeting
• April 6 Early Dismissal, PD for Staff
• April 7 No School, Good Friday
• April 11 MHS Jazz Night
• April 12 Milton School Committee

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.

Superintendent Burrows Pre-entry Plan

Over the course of the next few months, before he officially begins on July 1, incoming Superintendent Peter Burrows will be spending periodic days in Milton to learn more about our schools and community. His priorities on these pre-entry visit days will be to spend time inside schools and meet people, support decision-making around current and future needs in the district, and lay the groundwork for the start of the 23-24 academic year.  You can learn more about his pre-entry plan and schedule here.

Milton Summer Enrichment

Summer fun at MSE is just around the corner! MSE is for students in rising grades K-8, takes place at Milton High School and runs from July 5-28, five days a week, 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Classes include academic enrichment, arts and crafts, sports and outdoor fun, technology and much more! The MSE Brochure will be available April 12 and registration begins April 25 on Family ID. Save the date for a fantastic July at MSE!

MFE Celebration for Education

Welcome to the Milton Foundation for Education’s Charity Fundraiser! We are excited to offer Derby Squares for the upcoming Kentucky Derby. Each square costs $25, and all proceeds will go towards supporting MFE’s mission of enhancing educational opportunities for MPS students.

To participate, simply fill out the Google Form linked here with your information and choose how many boxes you would like to purchase. Each box corresponds to a specific row and column on the grid, which will be randomly assigned once all entries have been received.

The winner of the raffle will be determined by the intersection of the first and second-place horses in the Kentucky Derby. Purchase your betting square today– we appreciate your support!

Save the Date! This year’s Celebration for Education 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 will be on sale in the coming weeks, so save the date and mark your calendar for Celebration for Education 2023!

MPS Good To Know

MPS Gives Back

Clothing Drive: In conjunction with Project 351 and Cradles to Crayons, MHS sophomore Reilly Bergin is running a new and like-new clothing drive on April 2 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Milton High School.  Clothing is needed in sizes newborn through adult medium. All donations are going to Cradles to Crayons–a nonprofit organization that provides children across Massachusetts with the essentials they need at school and at play. Your help is greatly appreciated and every donation makes a difference!

Sneaker Drive: The Glover 5th Grade Class is hosting a sneaker drive to support the Gotta Have Sole foundation. Drop off your NEW kids sneakers to Glover, donate money or use this Amazon Wish List through April 6. Email [email protected] with any questions.

Gotta Have Sole founder Nicholas Lowinger will be coming to Glover on Monday, April 10 to speak to the 5th grade and students will write and package positive notes with the sneakers and socks for a local shelter.

Ramadan Food Drive: MPS supports the Ramadan Food Drive in partnership with Milton Muslim Neighbors and Milton Interfaith Clergy Association. From Thursday, March 23 to Friday, April 21, bring your donation of dry goods and hygiene items to any of our schools.  Join your Muslim neighbor in this effort, as Ramadan is a very special time of year for Muslims to do good deeds. All details can be found here.

New Audio Book Library

French teachers from all elementary schools gathered on Saturday to begin their work on creating an audio library to be used by teachers across the district. They discussed why and how this important tool can be used to increase interest in books, develop vocabulary and practice auditory comprehension. Using the books purchased through two different Milton Foundation for Education grants, teachers collaborated to create an audio library available across the district, thus significantly increasing the reach of these MFE grants. Many of the books purchased by the MFE were selected as high quality diverse literature, therefore expanding access across the district to many more classrooms and students. This is an exciting project spearheaded by our French Immersion teachers. Thank you to the MFE for your continued support!

Food Service Substitutes

MPS is always looking for energetic people to join our Food Service team as kitchen substitutes. If you want to work a part time schedule that complements your child’s school day, please call Natalia Perez at 617-898-1051. Kitchen subs earn $19.15 an hour and this is an on-call position – work when it makes sense for you. Please consider joining our team!

MPS Nice To Know

Superintendent Shoutout

Congratulations to our Future Problem Solvers Collicot Team and Individual Competitors from each school on their 3rd Place Award at last weekend’s MA State FPS Bowl!

About 150 Future Problem Solvers from all over Massachusetts met at Clark University in Worcester to compete in the MA State FPS Bowl.  MPS was proud to send ten strong competitors! Team Collicot was represented by Claire Naumes, Frida Umston, Colin Mulcahy, Eliot Levinson. Independent Competitors were  Jackson Lang (Collicot), Christabel Oppong and Asha Hallowell (Cunningham), Madeline O’Donnell and Freddy Maii (Glover), and Mayson Nguyen (Tucker).

All students sat for two hours completing the Future Problem Solving 6 Step Critical Thinking and writing requirements to address the impact of a future “throw away society” on the well being of residents in Omaha, Nebraska. Following the morning competition, our Future Problem Solvers headed to the Higgins Center Cafeteria where they enjoyed a delicious college lunch.

Team Collicot, joined by Christabel and Mayson, returned to the main hall after lunch to prepare an Action Plan Presentation. Students prepared a script, and created costumes from paper towels, construction paper, aluminum foil, magic markers, tape and a trash bag. Their challenge was to act out and present their completed Action Plan from their morning competition. While we await the results of the Independent Student Competitors to arrive at the end of the week, we congratulate the Action Plan 3rd place winners!

Tucker Basketball

As the Tucker Basketball league wraps up their season, a big congratulations to all the players who showed sportsmanship and athleticism all season long. Thank you to Coaches Silipo, Peou, Alexis, and Daley for a successful season – Tucker basketball would not be possible without you!

MHS Field Trip

MHS students in Design, Wood Tech, and Virology classes visited the Koch Institute and Broad Institute to view how science can be displayed as art. Students in Virology are working on making museum kiosks of viruses for MHS.

Pierce Debate Team

On March 18, the Pierce Middle School Debate Team participated in the March Lumos Invitational Debate Tournament. Students debated the benefits and harms of artificial intelligence. Students used the Public Forum Debate format to discuss the positive and negative consequences of this emerging technology. Students Aster Caldwell, Adam C., Tess Carroll, Jonathan Hsu, Teddy Hsu, Ellis Lim, Ben Neugebauer, and Emily Vogel competed in this tournament. Tess Carroll, Adam C., Jonathan Hsu, Teddy Hsu, and Ellis Lim received Speaker Awards for delivering speeches in a clear and eloquent manner. The Pierce Debate Team was thrilled to participate in our fourth tournament of the school year. We look forward to competing again in May!

Fame Mattress Fundraiser

The Milton FAME Mattress Sale is back! Friends and Advocates of Music Education (FAME) is excited to announce its 8th annual mattress sale on Saturday, April 1 from 10 am to 4 pm in the Milton High School auditorium. Test out more than 25 styles of brand-name mattresses, priced 30-50% below retail, along with premium pillows, luxury sheets, bean bag chairs, weighted mattresses, and more. Delivery and financing available. Proceeds support the music program in all Milton schools. For more information, contact FAME at [email protected].

Glover and Tucker Movie Night

Last weekend, the Glover and Tucker PTOs hosted Movie Nights for the two grades that read the most minutes during last month’s Read-A-Thon. 3rd graders, who collectively read 142,580 minutes over the two week period, enjoyed The One and Only Ivan at Glover while 2nd graders celebrated their 104,181 minutes of reading with The Bad Guys at Tucker. Congratulations to all Glover and Tucker students for reading a combined 595,890 minutes!

MHS Athletics

MPS Athletic Director Ryan Madden shares the following.

MHS Boosters is proud to host all Varsity athletes at our year-end Celebration Wednesday, May 31! All Varsity athletes and their immediate family are invited. We will recognize our teams, and athlete leaders and announce our scholarship recipients. Volunteers are needed for planning as well as setting up and break down that night. Please email [email protected] to assist.

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.

Cans for Cats: The MHS Boys Tennis team will be hosting Cans for Cats on Saturday, April 1 from 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!

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

The Milton Parks Summer Program Brochure is linked here. Registration opens soon for spring programs, more info can be found here. Coming this spring – Babysitting Course; Spring Junior Golf; Spring Junior Tennis; Spring Indoor Basketball.

Every three years, the Milton Coalition examines the status of Milton youth through surveys, interviews, and focus groups, with an emphasis on substance use. Join us as we share these results, compare them to our past evaluations, and discuss next steps.Masks are required. This meeting is open to the public and will be held on Thursday, April 27, 6:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m. at BID Milton.

Light the Way, Milton’s first annual vigil to remember lives lost to overdose and substance use disorder, will be held on Sunday, April 30. 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. at the Baron Hugo Gazebo in front of Town Hall, 525 Canton Ave.  A group of family members who have lost loved ones to overdose and substance use disorder have joined together with the Milton Coalition to help light the way towards healing, support, and awareness so that other families don’t have to experience similar pain.

The vigil will include speakers sharing their own personal stories, civic leaders, music, a reading of names, and a candlelight ceremony in honor of those who have died.  If you would like to participate in the vigil or would like to have a loved one honored, please visit www.milton-coalition.org and fill out the vigil participation form.  You can also email [email protected] for more information.

TONIGHT – Courageous Conversations invites you to a Courageous Conversation on Restorative Justice in Education – What it is, How is it working, a conversation with Adina Schecter and Arianna Simpson – on March 30, 7:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m., via Zoom. Register for this CCTRJ event at this link.

The Friends of the Milton Council on Aging invite you to Bring On The Spring Bling!  Come shop for nearly new, upscale jewelry, scarves and pocketbooks. All proceeds benefit COA transportation and programming.  Thursday, April 20, 4:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. and Friday, April 21, 9:00 a.m. -1:00 p.m. COA, 10 Walnut St, Milton.

Attention Wildcat Nation! Registration for the 2023 tackle football, cheer and flag football programs is now open – register here.

Join us in the Forbes House Museum library room for an evening of poetry by two lyrical female writers, as they explore the past and examine social issues, memory and motherhood. Anna V.Q. Ross will read from her latest award-winning book entitled “Flutter, Kick.” Martha Collins, an editor, translator and award-winning author out of Cambridge, will read from her book “Casualty Reports.” Anna’s and Martha’s books will be available for sale and signing at the event. Light refreshments will be served. Friday, March 31, 6:30 p.m., Suggested donation: $10. Space is limited. Learn more or reserve your spot here.

Milton Chess Club will be held at the Milton Public Library from April 25 – May 30. International Master David Vigorito has been teaching chess to Milton students for over 12 years. The spring session starts on Tuesday, April 25. There are two different levels with classes at 5:30 and 6:45. Details can be found here. Space is very limited! Questions: [email protected].

Forbes House Museum Author Talk and Book Signing with James Conroy, “Lincoln’s White House: The People’s House in Wartime” on Thursday, April 6, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. at the Forbes House Museum, 215 Adams Street. $10/person, FREE for members and High School students. Thank you to our sponsors Tom and Polly Martinson!

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 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.

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

• Celebrate April Fools Day on Saturday, April 1 with a silly craft in the Story Hour Room! Stop by anytime between 1:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. to create funny face collages. No registration required.
• 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].

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

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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.