Milton Public Schools December update
MPS Gives Back
Thank you to all who contributed to our district and school holiday gift, gift card, clothing and food drives! The generosity of our MPS community is consistent and abundant and many families in Milton and beyond will enjoy a sweeter holiday season due to your efforts.
Retiree Luncheon
Last week we welcomed almost fifty Milton Public Schools retirees to our annual retiree luncheon. Thank you to MPS Food Service for a delicious meal, to MHS music students for providing lovely music, and to our administrators who welcomed our retirees. We are grateful to the Fruit Center, Eagle Farms, the Boosters and the PTOs who provided raffle prizes for the event. Most of all, thank you to our retirees who attended. It was wonderful to see so many of you!
Classroom Highlights
French 7 Project
Students in Mme Pons’ French 7 class recently exhibited their “French-speaking Cities around the World” project. Students chose one French-speaking city in the world, described it with fun facts and an object symbolizing the city. Each city is linked to a location on the map and visiting the exhibit is a trip through the French speaking world!
2nd Grade Lends a Hand!
Mrs. Walsh’s 2nd graders have been lending a hand this holiday season! Students baked treats for Milton Police and Boston Fire Fighters, walked dogs, baked pumpkin bread for special neighbors, left goodies for delivery drivers, made a care package for sick friend, welcomed a new neighbor and more. Thanks to our 2nd graders for all they’ve done to help out during this holiday season!
Preschool Makes Way for Ducklings
This week the full day preschool community began to work on the Make Way for Ducklings: An Integrated Engineering and Empathy Challenge. There was much discussion and collaboration as the three teams designed and discussed solutions to help the ducks feel safe as they cross the busy road.The work was insightful and they enjoyed working with their hearts and minds!
Grade 6 ELA: The Chocolate Collection
The Aztecs used it as currency, Robert Falcon Scott took it to the Antarctic and the Nazis made it into a bomb designed to kill Churchill. The 3,700-year-long history of chocolate is full of twists and turns, making it a rich and rewarding research topic. In this unit, 6th grade students explore primary documents and conduct independent research to better understand the strange and wonderful range of roles that chocolate has played in cultures around the world throughout its long history. Grade 6 ELA teachers Mrs. Martland, Mrs. Foster, Mr. Coscia, and Mr. Cole have added a new element to this year’s unit; Cacao Pods! Each English class has one or two cacao pods that they have opened and removed the cacao beans. Teachers will bring home the beans to roast and then they’ll be able to be crushed up into cacao powder. This hands on experience is a tactile and exploratory addition to this unit focused on a favorite treat of many, chocolate!
Pierce Debate
On December 16th, the Pierce Debate Team participated in the December Lumos Invitational Debate Tournament. Students debated the benefits and harms of social media for individuals under the age of sixteen. Students used the Public Forum Debate format to discuss the positive and negative consequences of social media for adolescence. Students Otto Bertolina, Aster Caldwell, Alexander Chan, Alicia Chan, Liam Coriolan, Viena Do, Henry Hasha, Tommy Hooper, Jimmy Huang, Valerie Huang, Eliot Levinson, Ivy Muzquiz, Ben Rosenbaum, Nathaniel Stanesa, Juliette Van Riet, Alisa Villar, and Andrew Zheng competed in this tournament. Otto Bertolina, Alicia Chan, Henry Hasha, Tommy Hooper, Valerie Huang, and Benjamin Rosenbaum received Speaker Awards for delivering speeches in a clear and eloquent manner. The Pierce Debate Team was thrilled to participate in our second tournament of the school year. We look forward to competing again in February!
Spanish Pen Pals
Señora Brown’s Tucker and Glover 4th graders have been exchanging videos with a school in Oaxaca, Mexico. Milton students came up with ideas for sharing information about our culture, school, and town that would be interesting for our Video Pen Pals to learn and they recorded videos talking about school life, sports, foods, weather, and hobbies to include in several exchanges with students at Escuela Primaria Rural Donaji.
Students were excited to use Google Earth to explore their video pen-pal’s school and town, which has beautiful mountain views, and interesting livestock, like burros (donkeys) living just down the road from the school! The Oaxacan students sent videos back showing off their school’s garden, teaching about traditional games and foods, and telling us about the important buildings and attractions in Oaxaca. The Mexican students explained how to use a Bolero, which is a traditional wooden stick and ball game. They also gave Milton students a tour of their school, which is made up of many small buildings, including an outdoor cafeteria and gym.
While using their Spanish in a meaningful and enjoyable way, students learned about what life is like in this rural area of Southern Mexico for students who are their same age. Señora Brown is working on having a live Google Meet with the Pen Pals in January and Señor Foy is planning for Collicot and Cunningham 4th graders to participate in a video pen pal experience in the Spring.
MHS Computer Science Visits 5th Grade
As part of computer science week the MHS AP Computer Science classes prepared lessons to teach elementary students. Student’s from Mrs. Jarboe’s computer science classes introduced 5th graders across the district to different languages of coding. 5th graders enjoyed the challenge of learning to write their names and ages using binary coding and enjoyed playing fun coding games with their high school teachers!
MHS Wildcats Superbowl Champions!
This month we celebrated the MHS Football Team, the MHS Cheer Squad and the MHS Marching Band! It was a great win for our entire community!
A Message from the Milton Foundation for Education
Please consider supporting the Milton Foundation for Education this holiday season. For nearly 30 years, the MFE has donated over $4 million to our schools, students, and educators. These fundraising efforts have brought our community wireless access in all six schools, support for STEM programs, science programs, teacher grants, student scholarships, parent speaker series, Wildcat Wellness Center, greater exposure to the arts, COVID grants, and mental health resources.
Every dollar donated to the MFE helps spark innovation and energizes the learning experience for students and educators in Milton. We now have even more opportunities to make a lasting impact. In this season of giving, for the love of education, our teachers and students, the MFE asks that you consider making a gift today at this link.
Screening Committee -DEIB
We have begun the search process for the position of Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) and the Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations. These position have been posted on various employment sites, including School Spring.
If you are interested in being on the screening committee for the DEIB position, please visit this link for details and to express interest. Information about the screening committee for the Assistant Superintendent position will be posted in January.
Who’s who at MPS
Superintendent, Dr. Peter Burrows – 617-696-4808, p[email protected]
Asst. Supt. for Curriculum & HR, Dr. Garth McKinney – 617-696-4811, [email protected]
Asst. Supt. for Finance and Operations, Dr. Glenn Pavlicek – 617-696-5041, g[email protected]
Director of Student Services, Danielle Wetmore – 617-696-5040 ext 5572, [email protected]
Transportation Coordinator 617-696-5040 ext 5510, [email protected]
Milton Community Schools Director, Martha Sandoval – 617-696-5040 ext 5544, [email protected]
Food Service Director, Natalia Perez – 617-696-4470 ext 5514, n[email protected]
Director of Nursing, Kim Coughlin – 617-696-4470 ext 5517, [email protected]
Athletic Director, Michael Bierwirth – 617-696-4470 ext 5515, [email protected]
Student Registrar, Sarina Burke – 617 696-5040 ext 5516, [email protected]
Family Outreach Liaison, Marti O’Keefe McKenna – 617-980-7343, [email protected]
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