There has been much to celebrate at MHS over the last several weeks! The Football Team, Marching Band and Cheer Squad were invited to the State House to celebrate their Super Bowl win, the talented Cast and Crew of “Nora’s Lost” represented MHS incredibly well at the The METG: Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild State Finals and two of our MHS students – Nate Brown (concert band) and Atticus D’Alessandro (chorus) – were selected for the Massachusetts Music Educators Association (MMEA) All State Festival, culminating in a performance at Boston’s Symphony Hall.

The Girls Hockey Team received the 2024 James F. Mulloy Team Sportsmanship Award, an award presented to high school hockey programs that exemplify superior sportsmanship!

Our MHS students were invited to the State House in recognition of their continued work on Computer Science Education advocacy and attended the 2024 STEMinist Convention held at Roxbury Community College (with some Pierce students in attendance as well). Music students were invited to perform at both the MMEA Eastern Junior District Festival and the Sr. SEMSBA Music Festival in March and MHS student-athletes participated in the BSC Sportsmanship Summit.

Our athletic teams wrapped up the winter season with Girls Hockey making a strong run in the playoffs and Indoor Track student-athletes competing in the 2024 Nike Indoor Nationals. We are looking forward to spring sports! Baseball, Softball, Boys Volleyball (inaugural season!), Boys and Girls Lacrosse, Outdoor Track, Unified Track, Boys and Girls Tennis, and Rugby have all begun. Follow along on X (formerly Twitter) or on the Athletics website. Let’s go, Wildcats!

Pierce Pages

Our Pierce students have had a great month of learning and fun! 6th graders visited the traveling museum Historia Antiqua and explored Roman armor, Greek artwork, Egyptian statues and a wide variety of other great artifacts. In our 6th grade curriculum students study Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, Greece and Rome before moving to the 7th grade where they will study Aztec, Inca, Mayan, African and Chinese culture and geography. Historia Antiqua is funded by the generous contributions of MPACE (Milton Partnership for Arts and Cultural Enrichment) .

Pierce Debate participated in the March Lumos Invitational Debate Tournament with students debating whether or not collegiate student-athletes should be classified as employees of their educational institutions. Pierce Model UN had their last conference in March and finished up the year with more wins! Sixth graders Thomas Basil and Peter Cichello represented Egypt and won the Best Public Speaker award, sixth graders Matthew Howard and Eliot Levinson represented France and won the Best Negotiator award, and finally eighth graders Alex DeGregorio, Kyle Klopfenstein, and Thinh Tran represented South Africa and won the Best Delegate award. Congratulations to the award winners and the other students who worked hard to participate!

8th graders on the Orion team continued their studies of the American government by conducting Supreme Court simulations. Students dissected two actual cases that centered around student issues and rotated in roles such as Supreme Court Justices and Supreme Court defense attorneys. Students loved the hands-on approach to learning and a good time was had by all participants.

Matt Noyes, Chief Meteorologist from NBC Boston/NECN, came to speak to the 8th graders who were studying weather and climate. Matt discussed his road to becoming a meteorologist, including some potholes along the way, and inspiring kids to persevere even when things get hard. He also shared how forecasting can be a challenge but is also a way to give back and serve the community.

Finally, the Pierce Staff once again beat the students in a hard fought annual Staff vs. Students Basketball Game!

Elementary Highlights

Our four elementary schools collaborated on a successful Read to Raise fundraiser with book character day, book swaps, partner reading and more! The PTOs raised money for each school’s enrichment programs and the students enjoyed the month long focus on reading. Thank you to all who supported our students during Read to Raise!

In March we celebrated World Down Syndrome Day, Women’s History Month, 5th grade vs Staff basketball games, Walk and Bike to School Day, the Glover Musical performance of “Pirates!”, elementary clubs and leadership groups, Science Fairs, Future Problem Solvers events and so much more!

MFE Celebration for Education

The Milton Foundation for Education (MFE) invites you to come celebrate our teachers and staff at our Annual Celebration for Education (CFE) on May 4th! Get ready for an evening filled with Kentucky Derby flair with betting, bourbon, and dancing! Tickets available now at this link!

• This year’s Celebration will again be at Southline, the former headquarters of the Boston Globe, just 6 miles away at 135 Morrissey Blvd, Dorchester.
• Early start at 5pm so that you can watch the race live.
• Teacher of the Year winners from each of our six schools will be honored.
• Derby betting squares are available at this link.
• All your southern food favorites are on the menu.
• Derby attire, hats and bows appreciated! There will be a best hat and tie contest.
• Save 20% on tickets if you register by April 12th.
• Tickets available now at this link!
• Sponsorship opportunities available: Milton Foundation for Education

MPS Priority Report

Please take a moment to read Dr. Burrows’ March update to the community with links to the comprehensive Priority Report (also linked here on our website and in Google drive). Please take a moment to review the report to get a sense of what the Milton community has shared this year and where we see our work starting to coalesce in the future.

Eclipse Safety

As you likely know, a total solar eclipse will be visible from many parts of the US on April 8, 2024. While no location in Massachusetts will experience totality, some parts of the state will see over 95% coverage of the sun if weather permits. The eclipse will begin shortly after 2:00 p.m. and will last about 2 and a half hours until about 4:30 p.m. While parts of New England are in the path of totality and will experience full darkness, locally we will experience a partial eclipse at approximately 3:30 p.m. The timing of the eclipse overlaps with dismissal and after school athletics. We are preparing our students for the eclipse and instructing them not to look directly at the eclipse without proper eye protection; however, the district is not providing solar eclipse glasses for students.

Elementary students who attend Milton Community Schools will be at school during the eclipse and have received this email with additional information.

We appreciate your help with reminding your student of the importance of safety regarding the solar eclipse. Please visit NASA’s website for comprehensive information about the eclipse including safety information and what to expect during the eclipse. There are many cultural stories surrounding eclipses and the Exploratorium website contains information about various cultural eclipse narratives and histories. Happy (and safe) eclipse viewing!

Footloose The Musical at MPS

Come support our amazing MHS Theatre Program as they present Footloose The Musical! Tickets are available HERE!

• Friday, April 26, 2024 – 7:00 p.m.
• Saturday, April 27, 2024 – 2:00 p.m.
• Saturday, April 27, 2024 – 7:00 p.m.
• Sunday, April 28, 2024 – 2:00 p.m.

MHS Cabaret April 9

The MHS Spring Cabaret will be held on Tuesday, April 9 at 6:30 p.m. in the MHS Auditorium. All are invited to come and see a variety of student musical acts performing songs by great artists including Stevie Wonder, The Cranberries, Billy Joel, Leon Bridges, Nora Jones, Adele and more! This event is open to the public. All donations made at the Cabaret will benefit the lesson scholarship program.

DEI community event at Pierce

The Pierce diversity, equity and inclusion committee will host a community event open to all parents and caregivers across the district on April 8th at 6:30 p.m. in the Pierce auditorium. The event will offer a series of short educational and skill building workshops for parents and caregivers that will focus on promoting and supporting the academic, social and emotional wellbeing of children and teens through the lens of diversity, equity and inclusion. The workshop sessions are as below:

• Diversity, equity and inclusion at Pierce & MPS facilitated by Zakia Jarrett, MPS interim director of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging
• Restorative practices at Pierce Middle School facilitated by Sires Rivers, MPS restorative justice coach
• Responding to bias lesson (the same lesson experienced by students) facilitated by Dr. William Fish, Dr. Matthew Maré, and Janice Mazzola

More details about the event can be found here. Parents and caregivers are asked to complete the pre-registration link in advance of the event on April 8th.

Updated COVID Guidance

MPS has updated our policy to follow COVID 19 isolation/ quarantine/ exposure guidance released this week from the Department of Public Health (DPH).

On March 25, 2024, DPH released a statement that they have reviewed recent CDC guidance regarding respiratory virus isolation strategies. DPH has updated its recommendations for the general public to prevent the spread of respiratory viruses. MPS will follow the guidance specifically highlighted in the section “Schools and Childcare settings.” You can read the guidelines here: Staying home to prevent the spread of respiratory viruses | Mass.gov.