January 22nd E-blast

From: Mary C. Gormley
To:  Parents/Guardians and Staff
Re: E-blast Update
Date:  Friday, January 22st, 2016

FROM THE DESK OF THE SUPERINTENDENT

I often say that the Milton Public Schools’ arts, drama and music programs are second to none. For those who have never experienced one of these events first-hand, now is your chance. One of the highlights of the year for Pierce Middle School is currently underway. Last night’s Pierce Player’s performance of Once Upon A Mattress was a smashing success and we look forward to the rest of the scheduled performances. This musical comedy will be performed tonight, Friday, January 22nd at 7pm & Saturday, January 23rd at 2pm in the Pierce Middle School Auditorium.  Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for children. Please check www.pierceplayers.org for more information.

SCHOOL COMMITTEE UPDATE

There has been one School Committee meetings since my last E-blast. That meeting is summarized below:

January 20, 2016: This meeting began with two students from the Pierce Players, who encouraged the community to attend the upcoming production of Once Upon a Mattress. Next, members voted on the 2016-17 school year calendar and conditionally approved the Annual Report. The Finance Subcommittee submitted the FY17 Cut/Reduction List and voted to approve the FY17 fees. The Policy Subcommittee approved the Student Activities Policy and the Field Trip Policy. School Committee members voted to cancel the upcoming February 3rd meeting and instead meet on February 10, 2016, after which they adjourned to executive session.

The next meeting will be held Wednesday, February 10th at 7 pm in the Milton Access TV Studio at Milton High School.

CURRICULUM NEWS

Pre-School News: Any families wishing to enroll their child in a Milton Public School Preschool Program must pre-register by January 28th, 2016. Please note:

  • Children must be age 3 or 4 on or before August 31, 2016 in order to be eligible to attend the Edgehill or Blue Hill Half Day Programs.
  • Children must be age 4 on or before August 31, 2016 in order to be eligible to attend the Gile or Blue Hills Full Day Programs.
  • Pre-registration is required in order to determine enrollment and plan programs.
  • If there is high enrollment indicated by pre-registration, programs will hold lotteries on January 29, 2016.
  • The pre-registration form can be found at the following link:
  • http://tinyurl.com/preschoolpreregMPS
  • Waitlists will be maintained for each program.
  • Multiples (twins, triplets, etc.) will be treated as one entry into the lottery but each student will incur an individual tuition cost.
  • If you were unable to attend the Preschool Information Night the entire power point can be found at http://www.miltonps.org/documents/PreschoolInformationNight2016.pdf

 Kindergarten News: Kindergarten Info Night was held last night at Milton High School’s Charles C. Winchester Auditorium last night, with more than 400 people in attendance. If you were unable to attend and would like to view the presentation, click here: http://www.miltonps.org/documents/KInformationNight2016FFINAL_000.pdf   If you would like more information about Kindergarten registration, click here: http://www.miltonps.org/about-student-reg.php

First Grade Info Nights will be held Monday, March 7th  2016 at 6:30pm at the Charles C. Winchester Auditorium at Milton High School. Information on French Immersion, English Innovation Pathway/STEM and general curriculum information will be presented.

First Grade STEM Info Night will be held on March 11th at 6:30pm at the Cunningham/Collicot cafeteria.

MPEG NEWS

I am pleased to announce a new partnership between the Milton Public Schools and Milton Access Television. We will be collaborating to host a twice-monthly television program to discuss topics of interest to Milton Public School families and the community at large. We recently aired our first event, which was organized by our Guidance Department and was geared towards parents/guardians of college-bound students. The event, College Information Night, was a huge success, thanks to Guidance Department Head Karen Cahill and Milton Access Television executive director Mike Lynch. The show  is now available on Milton Access Television’s website. Here is the link. The program will also be rebroadcast on the education channels, which are Comcast 22 and RCN 15.  It will play all week long at 8:30pm.

* * *

The following item was sent to us by Elementary Science Coordinator Bernadette Moonan:

Did you know that you own millions of acres of national parks, historic structures, cultural artifacts, ancient forests, snow-capped mountains, and clear blue lakes? Our federal public lands and waters belong to all Americans and are waiting for you to explore them! You can get your Every Kid in a Park pass at www.everykidinapark.gov, the official website where parents, educators, and kids can learn more.

To help engage and create our next generation of park visitors, supporters and advocates, the White House, in partnership with the Federal Land Management agencies, launched the Every Kid in a Park initiative. The immediate goal is to provide an opportunity for each and every 4th grade student across the country to experience their federal public lands and waters in person throughout the 2015-2016 school year.

Beginning September 1, 2016, all kids in the fourth grade have access to their own Every Kid in a Park pass at www.everykidinapark.gov. This pass provides free access to national parks, national forests, national wildlife refuges, and more!

The Every Kid in a Park pass is good for the 2015-2016 school year, until August 31, 2016. Information on obtaining the pass is available by visiting www.everykidinapark.gov.

In support of Every Kid in a Park, the National Park Foundation, the official charity of America’s national parks, is raising funds to help connect fourth graders to America’s public lands and waters through transportation grants. As part of the Foundation’s Open OutDoors for Kids program, the Every Kid in a Park transportation grants seek to remove barriers to accessing our nation’s public lands and waters, with a special focus on underserved and urban communities. With cutbacks in school funding for field trips, this strategic funding will help provide comprehensive access to all federal sites, including national parks, forests, wildlife refuges and public lands and waters. Transportation grants were recently awarded to the federal agencies participating in the program which include the National Park Service, Forest Service, Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

* * *

               Collicot students and staff have taken on the “The Great Kindness Challenge,” part of a national campaign to recognize the importance of being kind.  Along with tracking a “kindness checklist,” which offers suggestions of good deeds, students have also created dozens of beautiful posters encouraging positive behavior and are also participating in the “Kind Coins for Kenya” initiative, which is a global service project to build a new school in a Kenyan village.

Under the direction of Collicot Principal Holly Concannon, the students have immersed themselves in the culture of kindness. During an assembly, students watched a video called the “Kindness Boomerang,” which explained how a kind act can spread and “boomerang” back to the person who started it.

One of the most visible outcomes of this challenge has been the coin drive. Principal Concannon has been keeping all the coins brought in by students in her office and she said she is impressed by her students’ generosity.

* * *

The Milton High School Debate Team is having a very successful tournament season. On Saturday, January 9th, the team travelled to Newton South High School with 20 members of the team, as well as two recent MHS graduates and debate team “alumni” who participated in the tournament as judges.

At the Newton South tournament, the following Milton High School teams achieved a 3-1 record: Tanvir Islam & Matthew Murphy;  Aislinn O’Brien & and Sindhu Banerjee; Ornella Ebongue & Jack Cullen. In addition, Lydia Horan and Domenic Jancaterino went 4-0 and made it to quarter-finals.

Kacy Dotoli, the MHS Debate Team coach, said she was very proud of the team’s performance. She also thanked the Milton High Debate Team alumni (Cormac Connors, Colman Lydon, and Olivia Erickson) who accompanied the team to Newton South and also acted as mentors to some of the novice team members during the day.

A smaller group of students were selected to compete at the Lexington Winter Invitational on January 16th and 17th at Lexington High School as part of a two-day National Tournament. The Milton High School teams of Lydia Horan & Domenic Jancaterino; Shoilee Banerjee & Ornella Ebongue; Tanvie Islam & Matthew Murphy; and Sindhu Banerjee & Aislinn O’Brien all went 3-3 at this tournament; and the remaining team of GiGi Jiang & Nuasheen Chowdhurry went 2-4 at this debate.

UPCOMING MPS EVENTS

The following item was submitted by our Guidance Director, Karen Cahill:

Please join us on Thursday, January 28th at 6:30pm when Drew Hailpern, from Summit Learning Center, will discuss the new SAT.  Students in the class of 2017 will be the first to experience the changes planned for the SAT so to help students and parents stay informed and prepared for the changes. Mr. Hailpern will be discussing everything you need to know about the changes and answer any questions you may have.  Parents/Guardians and students of any grade are welcome to attend.

* * *

A series of PTO presentations have been scheduled in the month of February to discuss the upcoming FY17 Budget Cuts/Reductions. These presentations will be given by the Milton School Committee and the MPS administration. Please make an effort to attend one of the following sessions:

  • For MHS/PMS families: February 11 @ 7pm in the Milton High School library.
  • For Collicot/Cunningham families: February 22 @ 7pm in the Cunnigham/Collicot library.
  • For Tucker/Glover families: February 23 @ 7pm in the Glover library.

* * *

The following Science Fairs will be held in February:

  • The Tucker Science fair will be held on February 4th from 4:30-6:30 at Tucker Elementary School.
  • The Collicot Science Fair will be held February 23rd and 25th at 7pm at the Cu/Co cafeteria.
  • The Cunningham Science Fair will be held on February 24th at 7pm in the Cu/Co cafeteria.

GRANTS/FUNDRAISERS

We are very grateful to the Milton Women’s Club, who recently funded a grant for the Milton Public Schools to build an Outdoor Book Swap/Library on campus at four of our MPS buildings. Once built, students and members of the community will be able to trade books outside of school hours by using a “take one/leave one” approach. The books would be housed in a weather-proof “cabinet” mounted on a pole to make the books at eye level. Other students or members of the community will be free to borrow or donate books at any hour. The beauty of this idea is that we can make literature accessible beyond the school walls and beyond the school day. We would like to build one “Outdoor Book Swap/Library” at all four elementary schools and the Pierce Middle School. We hope that this will instill a love of books and reading in our students and in the community. Again, thank you to the Milton Women’s Club.

MFE NEWS

Save the Date! The Milton Foundation for Education will be holding the 20th Annual Celebration for Education event on Saturday, April 9th at Lombardo’s in Randolph.

* * *

The MFE is delighted to award a total of $15,000 in grants to teachers for the fall grant cycle. One of the many exciting and transformative grants went to Kerri Devin, a teacher at Pierce Middle School.  Ms. Devin proposed archeological dig equipment kits for 6th grade students to use in the outdoor classroom.  Students will be able to uncover and analyze artifacts to learn, through hands-on experience, how and why we study history.

Other grants include a digitizer for the High School which will create 3D models ready to 3D print or project onto smart boards.   Fiction and nonfiction texts will enhance classroom lending libraries at Cunningham and Collicot.  Materials to support social calm down areas and opportunities at Tucker have been approved, as has a recycling center at Glover.

None of this would be possible without the support of this generous community.

NEWS AROUND TOWN

A new group in town, Milton Playground Planners, a volunteer-based non-profit organization, is seeking to revitalize the town’s community spaces. The group is holding a kickoff fundraiser at Steel & Rye on Tuesday, January 26th from 7 to 10pm. The event will feature several raffles including prizes such as a lottery basket, food baskets, and gift cards to popular retail stores. Proceeds from the event will go to renovating the town-owned playgrounds. Tickets are available for purchase online at www.eventbrite.com and cost $40 in advance or $50 at the door. For information about future events, to get involved or donate, please visit their website, www.miltonplaygroundplanners.com.

* * *

The following item was sent to us by the Neponset Rowing Club:

We Love Crew! Tickets are on sale now for our very special Valentine’s Day event.  We’re throwing a special event to introduce neighbors, community organizations and local businesses to the Neponset Rowing Club and our vision for the positive role rowing can play in our community.

The party takes place Sunday, January 31st at 88 Wharf Restaurant from 3:30 – 6:00pm. We’ll celebrate rowing, the Neponset River and love of community – just in time for Valentine’s Day!

Your $35 ticket includes delicious hors d’ouvres, one drink ticket, great door prizes and a swag bag stuffed with Valentine’s Day gift savings, coupons and more! Cash bar will continue throughout the afternoon. Click to buy tickets today, as quantities are limited!

http://www.eventbrite.com/e/we-love-crew-tickets-20280938834?aff=EFF

BID-MILTON

BID-Milton was recently named to the 2015 Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Hospital Honor Roll.  The Hospital Honor Roll names those hospitals whose performance was among the top 25 percent of those measured nationally on a set of composite quality metrics.  The metrics evaluate clinical process of care, patient experience and patient safety and are based on CMS Hospital Compare and Leapfrog data.  Further info on this program can be found under Provider Recognition Programs at www.HarvardPilgrim.org/MedDir.

MILTON PUBLIC LIBRARY

Winter is here – and so are fun things for kids to do at the Milton Public Library! In addition to our regular storytimes on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, we have these exciting programs for the young people in your life happening during the week of January 31 – February 6:

Friday, February 5, 2016 from 10:00 am – 12:00 noon
Free Play Friday, Ages 0-5

Drop by and enjoy puzzles, games and activities in the Story Hour room. The room will be open for two hours in the morning for you to enjoy with your little ones (ages 0-5). In partnership with the Milton Early Childhood Alliance.

Saturday, February 6, 2016 from 10:00 – 10:30 am
Little Linguists Storytime, Ages 2-6

Bonjour and Hola! Come enjoy stories, songs and activities with Mary Doherty, local language instructor. Elements of the French and Spanish languages will be introduced each week. For ages 2-6 with parent. No registration required.

Saturday, February 6, 2016 from 2:30 – 3:30 pm
Reading Dogs, Grades K-5

The Reading Dogs are back!  Kids currently in grades K-5 who need to practice reading aloud are invited to come meet and read to some lovable therapy dogs who are great listeners.  Each child will have the opportunity to read at least one book to one of our canine volunteers.  Bring a favorite book with you, or choose from our shelf.  Registration is required.

Don’t forget to check the library web calendar for a listing of the many programs we offer year-round. Information about and registration for all of our programs can always be found on our online calendar at www.miltonlibrary.org, or by calling the Children’s Room at 617-898-4957 during business hours. Also, like the Milton Public Library on Facebook and get updates right in your news feed! Please contact the Children’s Room if you have questions about any of our programs or services.

To see a complete listing of library events, please click here:

http://www.eventkeeper.com/code/events.cfm?curOrg=MILTONPL

ATHLETICS

Milton Girls Softball is now accepting registrations for the 2016 Spring Season. Milton Girls Softball is a recreational softball league open to girls in Kindergarten through Grade 8 who reside in or attend school in Milton. The season runs from mid-April to mid-June. New softball players of all ages are welcome as this is an instructional  program, yet competitive enough for everyone. The league offers five divisions:

  • Kindergarten Instructional Program ($80 per player)
  • Grades 1 and 2 ($95 per player)
  • Grades 3 and 4 ($135 per player)
  • Grades 5 and 6 ($135 per player)
  • Grades 7 and 8 ($135 per player)

Maximum cost of $210 per family

Free Pre-Season Clinics –We are offering FREE softball skills clinics to all registered girls in Grade 1 through Grade 8. Clinics will be held indoors at Dirt Dawgs in Stoughton on Sundays starting on January 24th until mid-­‐ April. Clinics are free, but space is limited and we need your 2016 Spring registration paid in full prior to the first clinic.Register online or visit www.miltonsoftball.com for info

* * *

The following update was submitted by Athletic Director Alex Campea:

Boys Indoor Track: Congratulations to the team, with their victory last night vs. Wellesley they captured the BSC Championship and finishing the season undefeated. The team will be competing this Saturday in the Coaches Invitational Meet at the Reggie Lewis Center.

Girls Indoor Track is also having an outstanding season and has also captured the BSC Championship and is undefeated. The Team broke six school records in their dual meet vs. Natick.

CONGRATULATION … BOYS & GIRLS BSC INDOOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONS !

The Girls Championship Cross Country Team has been invited to the State House by Representative Walter Timilty and will visit next Wednesday, January 27th. They are very excited to have this opportunity and look forward to this experience.

Girls Basketball record is now 3 wins & 6 losses. The girl’s team is improving after a slow start and plays its next game away at Needham this Friday night.

Boys Basketball record is 3 wins & 7 losses. They have won 3 of their last 5 games and are getting better each game.

Girls Hockey is doing well with 5 wins – 2 losses and 2 ties. They will be competing in the Notre Dame Academy Cougar Classic Ice Hockey Tournament over the February break on the 16th and 18th.

Boys Hockey is competing hard and continuing to improve as their record stands at 3 wins and – 5 losses & 1 tie. They are playing this Saturday vs. Needham.

Swim Team is excited to be hosting its first-ever home varsity swim event at Blue Hills Regional this Sunday vs. Newton North.

Wrestling is working hard as always and they will be traveling to Walpole this Saturday to compete in the Bay State Conference Championship Quad Meet. Milton has been selected to host the MIAA Sectional Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, February 13th. This will be an all-day event and with the support of all the parents in the wrestling community and the Booster Club this will be a great day to showcase our terrific facility.

Ski Team has been forced to be indoors working out prior to this week. They have had all previous meets cancelled due to lack of snow. They welcome the snow and are on the slopes this week and looking forward to begin competing.

Cheer Team has taken the opportunity to visit the weight room and has received instruction and direction from Ted Kackley, the weight room supervisor and Mr. Collyer. They will continue to learn the proper techniques needed to improve their strength and conditioning.

For sports team schedules, click here: http://schedules.schedulestar.com/Milton-High-School-Milton-MA/season/08-28-2015/

AMBASSADOR PAGE

Students: I would like to congratulate Pierce Middle School student Emily Dobrindt, who recently represented her school as part of Project 351. Ms. Dobrindt was one of more than 250 students chosen as an “ambassador” for this project, which seeks to bring together a diverse group of 8th gradrers from each of the state’s 351 cities and towns to perform community service in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Staff:   I would like to thank all the administrators and teachers who have worked diligently to ensure that our recent Preschool and Kindergarten information nights were such a huge success. The amount of work that goes into these presentations is staggering and this year’s events were no exception. Both the Preschool and Kindergarten Info nights were well-attended and we have received very positive feedback from families who attended. Thanks to all those who helped to make these events a success.

Volunteers: Cunningham parent Jenn Manak recently created two beautiful new websites for her school’s Reading About Diversity committee. This was a “labor of love,” to benefit not only the Cunningham students, but the community at large. Many thanks to Ms. Manak and the Cunningham PTO, who maintains and funds the domains.  Please visit the websites at

http://www.readingaboutdiversity.org

http://www.meettheartists.org

The Milton Public School system is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to the provision of quality educational programs for all students.  The Milton Public School system does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, genetic information, age or sexual orientation.

 

This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.