September 19th E-Blast

From: Mary C. Gormley
To: Parents/Guardians and Staff
Re: E-blast Update
Date:  Tuesday, September 19th, 2017

After the devastating hurricanes Harvey and Irma struck Texas and Florida, and with the approaching Hurricanes Jose and Maria showing potential for additional damage, members of the Milton Public School community have been brainstorming ways to help our fellow Americans. One initiative I am proud to announce is a K-12 benefit concert, to be held at Milton High School on October 17th. We will announce more details as the event draws closer. Please contact Dawn Sykes if you would like to volunteer to help with the concert (ticket sales, etc.) at dsykes@miltonps.org

FROM THE DESK OF THE SUPERINTENDENT

Great news! Milton Public Schools are joining forces with eight other school districts to tackle issues like substance abuse, trauma, anxiety, depression, and bullying by addressing students’ social and emotional needs. As part of the Excellence through Social-Emotional Learning (exSEL) Network, Milton will design new initiatives to help students develop skills like grit, persistence, empathy, and healthy decision-making.

This has been a priority of mine for some time. Research shows that districts who implement this will increase their schools’ performance and enhance the life prospects of their students. I’m thrilled that we will be getting support from experts, through this exSEL grant, to help us implement this program.

Participating districts will build overall knowledge of social-emotional learning practices, use actionable data to drive improvement, and share lessons learned with each other. Each district will develop a unique plan to address the specific social-emotional needs of its students.

“While Massachusetts is a national leader in academics, we have work to do when it comes to addressing the non-cognitive learning needs of our students,” said Tom Scott, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Association for School Superintendents. “Social and emotional skills are the foundation for success both in school and after graduation. Today’s employers expect workers to have technical and academic knowledge as well as a broad range of interpersonal skills.”

The development of social and emotional skills is tied to better academic performance, higher college graduation rates, increased employment and wages, lower risk of substance abuse and criminal activity, and better overall health and well-being.

Other participating district include Brockton, Canton, Fitchburg, Mendon-Upton, Millbury, Monomoy (Chatham and Harwich), Tri-Town (Boxford, Middleton, and Topsfield), and Whitman-Hanson— and serve more than 40,000 students. The group was selected to represent a cross-section of districts in Massachusetts after a competitive application process highlighting each districts’ social-emotional needs.

The project is led by the exSEL Coalition, whose members include the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, Massachusetts Organization of Educational Collaboratives, and Massachusetts School Administrators Association. The exSEL Coalition’s non-profit partners—the Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy, Transforming Education, and Teachers 21—will provide expertise, support, and training for the network.

“The Milton Public Schools are on the road to creating great things around the promotion of Social Emotional Learning. This opportunity will put us on a fast track,” said Laurie Stillman, the District’s Social Emotional Learning Facilitator, who wrote the grant.

I am grateful to the following members of our exSEL Committee:

Shelagh Breathnach
Karen Cahill
James Jette
Mary Bianca Mattocks
Karen McDavitt
Dr. Elaine McNeil Girmai
Asst. Superintendent Janet Sheehan
Dr. Karen Spaulding
Laurie Stillman
Lisa Veldran
Noel Vigue

 For those of you who have not heard, we have a new Director of Instructional Technology, AJ Melanson. Mr. Melanson wrote the following item to announce some good news:

Milton Public Schools is excited to announce the implementation of the PlusPortals by Rediker, our new and improved way to provide online, real time communication, and to access class information.  The PlusPortals will replace Edline. Rediker’s Parent/Guardian and Student PlusPortals are powerful, user-friendly systems that give parents, students, and educators easy access to information about class information.

Through PlusPortals, schools will be able to share the following information with you.

  • Attendance records, giving parents the ability to submit tardy and absent letters.
  • Schedules with detailed class information.
  • Alerts and announcements to help you stay informed about upcoming events and happenings.
  • School directory of parents (optional) and staff.
  • Communication platform among teachers, students and parents.
  • Automatic email notifications when new data is posted to PlusPortals.

Please keep in mind that the full implementation of PlusPortals will take several weeks to complete.  Edline and the Portals will be running simultaneously until the full implementation is complete. In addition, a new MPS website is in the works!  Once the new website is live, Edline will no longer be available, and the new website and Portals will be the only way to access information for the district, school, and teachers.  The target date for full implementation is October 1st.  Teachers are currently working hard on their class pages, and administrators and staff are transferring resources and documents to the Portals and the forthcoming, upgraded district website.

Last week MHS and Pierce Middle School sent Parent Portal login information.  If you have a student in grades six through twelve and have not received Portal login instructions, please contact your school’s administrative assistant.  Elementary parents will receive their Portal login information before their school’s Open House.  Students will receive a hard copy of their Portal login information during the school day.

Tutorials are located on their Portal home page, in the bottom right corner in the section titled “School Links & Files”.  Click on the drop down box to the right of the title and select “PlusPortal Tutorials”.  To view a tutorial, click on the blue icon to the right.

For more information regarding the Parent Portal in PlusPortal please follow the follwing link: http://www.redikersupport.com/documentation/parentplus.htm

Would you like to have the Portal on your handheld device?  Please follow the links below to add the ParentPlus or StudentPlus app to your device.

For Apple Devices
ParentPlus
StudentPlus

For Andriod Devices
ParentPlus
StudentPlus

SCHOOL COMMITTEE UPDATE

There has been one School Committee meeting since my last E-blast, held on September 6th. That meeting is summarized below.

Sept 6th: This meeting began with a Social Emotional Learning Presentation by SEL Facilitator Laurie Stillman. Click here to view the presentation. Next, the committee voted to approve the appointment of School Physician Dr. Patricia Guglietta. As part of the Chair’s Report, the committee approved an edited 2017-18 calendar of meetings. The Finance Subcommittee gave a report before approving vendor warrants. The Policy Subcommittee had first readings of Policy BBA, School Committee Powers and Duties, as well as Policy BBB, School Committee Membership and Term of Office. The Strategic Planning Committee and Transportation Subcommittees also presented updates before the meeting adjourned.

The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 27th at 7 pm in the Milton TV Access studio, Room 245, Milton High School.

CURRICULUM NEWS

 The following item was submitted by Elementary Curriculum Coordinators, Bernadette Butler (Cunningham), Catherine DesRoche (Tucker), Amy Gale (Collicot), and Sara MacNeil (Glover):

 We are pleased to announce that this year, students at the elementary level will be participating in a new literacy program, National Geographic’s Reach for Reading Program.

Milton’s Literacy Leadership Committee collaborated over the past year, with outside consultants, to review programs and recommended practices relating to literacy. It was determined that National Geographic’s Reach for Reading Program would provide a comprehensive research-based approach for literacy success for the students attending the Milton Public Schools.

This core curriculum provides the opportunity for students to develop important foundational skills while at the same time developing a love for reading, stamina and fluency through the accompanying authentic literature. The original National Geographic content helps students to engage in meaningful reading and writing experiences that build vocabulary and language, allows for the rich analysis of texts and the opportunity to employ higher order thinking skills in questioning and responding.  The curriculum is fully aligned with the Common Core standards and will allow for us to continually monitor the progress our students are making and provide the necessary interventions to support and challenge their learning.

Due to the vast resources this curriculum provides, Reach for Reading trainers have been available to teachers to provide support on early release and full professional development days. Principals, assistant principals/coordinators, reading specialists, and members of the Literacy Leadership Team have also been available to support teachers with any needs that arise.   Both teachers and students are very excited about Reach for Reading and are adopting this new curriculum with great interest and enthusiasm!

We are hoping that our families will partner with us as we strive to support each and every one of our students to develop strong literacy skills that can be used across all content areas.  As we begin our work within the program, we are assessing all students to ensure that our teaching meets their needs, but also immersing students in engaging thematic study. Below is an overview of the themes that students are exploring by grade level these first weeks of school. Please ask your child about these themes, what they are reading in school and as always encourage library visits and nightly reading at home.

Kindergarten- Step Into School
Grade 1- My Family
Grade 2- Hello Neighbors
Grade 3- Happy to Help
Grade 4- Living Traditions
Grade 5- Crossing Between Cultures

In addition, this week teachers have begun exploring the student online component of Reach for Reading (MyNGConnect) in their classrooms. Once the children are comfortable with utilizing this resource in school, we will send usernames and passwords home for parents to allow for extra practice, games and assignments on this user friendly platform. This link will allow you to preview the student site’s homepage. On this site you will find access to parent resources, the student anthology and a plethora of other games and activities.

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 The following item was submitted by Alysa Buchanan, ELE Coordinator:

The English Language Education Department supports linguistically and culturally diverse students in their acquisition of reading, writing, speaking and listening skills in English. Support services are provided in all of the six Milton Public Schools and the ELE teachers are especially trained and licensed to teach English as a Second Language. Additionally, content area and classroom teachers across Milton hold, or are in the process of obtaining, the Sheltered English Immersion Endorsement which is specific training to support students of varying English proficiency levels to obtain educational success in our schools.

The ELE team is currently in the process of notifying parents of their child’s eligibility in the program or graduation from our program and this notification happens on an annual basis. We have many ways in which we communicate with families by using interpreters, translations, family member liaisons, an on demand phone interpreting service, communication apps as well as a diverse ELE staff who speak multiple languages themselves. We are very excited that this year, along with support from the School Committee and override, we have increased staffing to meet the instructional needs of our growing population of English Learners. The additional staffing ensures that can continue to support the students and families in our schools.

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The following item was submitted by Milton School Committee member and Early-Childhood Advocate Ada Rosmarin:

We should all be proud to see where Milton stands in the Massachusetts trends for Full Day Kindergarten.  It is so wonderful that FDK is now available to 100% of our students at no cost.  As noted in this piece, “Kindergarten is a critical point in the birth-third grade trajectory of early learning, so it is important that the kindergarten year be as high-quality an experience as possible, for children, families, and teachers.”

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The following information was submitted by Karen Cahill, Director of Guidance:

Advanced Placement News: We are very proud to announce the recipients of AP Scholar awards. This year, Milton High School had 61 AP Scholars; 29 AP Scholars with Honors; 36 AP Scholars with Distinction; and three National AP Scholars.

In addition to the outstanding achievements by the AP Scholars listed below, the most recent results show that more students achieved qualifying scores of 3, 4 and 5 than in past years. Detailed information on district-wide AP scores will be released in October.

Please see both the recipients and the criteria required for each level of recognition. This is an amazing achievement.

AP SCHOLARS — Granted to students who receive scores of 3 or higher on three or more AP Exams.

Graduates – Class of 2017: Maia Adley, Ruby Poveromo-Baker, Sara Cavanaugh, Liam Chase, Bailey Cook, Devin Coulter, Carmen Cushing, Amy Dai, Daniel deBenedictis, Alexander Dustin, Patrick Egan, Max Fitzgerald, Omar Fraser, Kevin Huang, Madison Jrolf, Olivia Kelly, James Long, William Macmillan, Steve Matin, Samuel McGrath, Felicia Nguyen, Hannah O’Toole, Paige Purcell, Owen Regan, Thomas Reilly, Ishan Shukla, Stephen Tan, Lilly Tennyson.

Seniors: Ryan Au, Brendan Baker, Shoilee Banerjee, Christopher Caputo, David Casaz, Claire Casey, Eva Chow, Genevieve Connelly, Zachary Cormier, Josephine Cousineau, John Cullen, Ornella Ebongue, Xavier Fischer, Patrick Fitzgerald, Mercedes Harvell, Gigi Jiang, Helene Juzyca, Nora Kelly, James Le, Finley Link Nethania Marc, Caroline McGillivray, Meagan McMahon, Emma Newell, Caitlin O’Sullivan, Edward Pelletier, Taylor Snellen, Ashley Thermidor-Payne, James Tran, Grace Varela, Andrew Viveiros.

AP SCHOLAR WITH HONOR: Granted to students who receive an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams.

Graduates – Class of 2017: Julia Biagiotti, Allison Carey, Matthew DiCarlo, Liam Donelan, Lauren Griswold, Cameron Keliher, Sarah Lam, Olivia Medeiros, Elena Milwood, Destiny Perkins, Shane Savage, Andrew Steele, Katherine Steele, Clara Tennyson, Christina Tougias.

Seniors: Khalil Darouichi, James Eder, Sean Erlich, Alyssa Foster, Gillian Handy, William Jrolf, Joshua Kackley, Jasper Malcolm, Griffin McLaughlin, Mary Kate Murtagh, Hue-Ninh Nguyen, Isaac Pilavin, Isaac Savona, Benjamin Scott.

AP SCHOLAR WITH DISTINCTION: Granted to students who receive an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams.

Graduates – Class of 2017: Andrew Arcieri, Julia Butler, Morgan Chandler, Mariah Conway, Ben Corson, Camille Coutant, Kyle Dempsey, Nailah Dore-Tyrell, Aidan Duggan, Michael Eberhardt, Lucia Hainline, Anthony Hancock, Gregory Hebard, Cormac Howley, Delphine Jrolf, Nolan Mandel, Sydney Nguen, Aislinn O’Brien, Claire O’Neill, Emily Possi, Margaux Rose, Elizabeth Sbarra, Morgan Smith, Rachael Tomaszewski, Ethan Walko, Maya Watanabe, Liezel Werner, Samson Yuan.

Seniors: Shane Berry, Peyton Carvalho, Nuasheen Chowdhury, Sawyer Flanagan, Tanvir Islam, Domenic Jancaterino, Timothy Karoff, Abigail Lang.

NATIONAL AP SCHOLAR: Granted to students in the United States who receive an average score of at least 4 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 4 or higher on eight or more of these exams.

Graduates – Class of 2017: Michael Eberhardt and Aislinn O’Brien.

Senior: Domenic Jancaterino

Please also note the following information about Advanced Placement courses at Milton High School:

  • MHS offered a total of 21 AP courses this past year.
  • 5 courses have a qualifying rate of 95 to 100%. This means almost all students in these courses achieved a score of 3, 4, or 5 to qualify for college credit.
  • Music Theory, Studio Art, Statistics, French Language, Latin Lit,
  • Spanish Language is on the cusp at 94%
  • 18 of 21 courses have a qualifying rate of 75% or above. – The 3 courses that fall below this threshold are Calculus AB at 74%, European History at 71%, and Psychology at 67%. – Last year, 7 courses fall below this threshold.
  • 13 of 21 courses saw an improvement in the qualifying rate from the previous year.
  • Computer Science Principles is a new test for MHS this year, and the qualifying rate is 91% (21/23 students). The existing Computer Science A test garnered a qualifying rate of 75% (6/8 students) – an improvement over last year’s rate of 36% (5/14 students).

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The following item was sent to us by Pierce Principal Dr. Karen Spaulding:

The ADL’s A World of Difference Peer Leader Training Program Pierce Middle School is implementing the Anti-Defamation League’s, A World of Difference Peer Training program this year. This program will provide our students and staff the opportunity to promote our school community’s core values of respect, civility, and pride. A selected group of 7th and 8th grade students will be trained by the institute to develop their leadership potential and facilitate workshops for the current sixth grade students this spring. The goals of the Peer Training Program are to: Explore the meaning of community; Examine ways in which people knowingly or unknowingly might make others feel like they don’t belong; and Identify what members of the school community can do to actively promote an inclusive learning environment. We take pride in promoting a supportive school community where people of diverse backgrounds can come together, contribute to our core values, and fulfill their responsibilities as caring members of our society. Applications were offered to interested 7th and 8th grade students and are due Thursday, September 28th. The link to the application can be found on the login page of PlusPortals: https://www.plusportals.com/PierceMiddleSchool

UPCOMING MPS EVENTS

Please join us on October 11th at Milton High @ 6:30pm for a presentation on College Funding 101.

Todd Weaver, Strategies for College, Inc., will be discussing what forms you need to fill out, how to fill them out,  who should fill them out (everyone) and when you should be doing this.

Parents of college-bound Seniors and Juniors, should attend this event to learn how to get the most out of their student’s financial aid package. Yes, EVERYONE should file the forms, regardless of income. Do NOT assume you are not eligible! Learn the answers to these questions and more. We hope to see you there!!

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The following was submitted by Bernadette Butler and Cat DesRoche, Elementary Assistant Principals/Curriculum Coordinators who also serve as Volunteers for Joanna’s Place Circle-S:

The Milton Public Schools is proud to host Joanna’s Place Circle-S Support Group!  The Circle-S program serves children (ages 6-18) whose siblings have a disability, and also supports their parents.

This is a free program that allows children and parents to enjoy a pizza dinner and join other “typical siblings” who face similar joys and challenges of living with a sibling with special needs.  This has proven to be a very beneficial program for families that have participated.

The group will run for 8 consecutive Mondays from 6:00-8:00 starting October 16 and ending on December 4.  It will be held in the Cunningham/Collicot School Library (80 Edgehill Road, Milton MA 02186).

If you are interested in this program or would to register (please note, registration is required), email the Circle-S Facilitator Lauren Bartolotti at Lauren.Bartolotti@bmc.org or call 781-266-6776.

circle snip

 

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SAVE THE DATE. On Oct 19th, Maria Trozzi, M.Ed, will speak from 7-9pm in the Milton High School auditorium as part of our new PARENT Speaker Series. Ms. Trozzi will present on “Finding Resilience — Strategies To Produce Competent And Confident Children Able To Successfully Navigate A Complicated World.”  Ms. Trozzi is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, emeritus, at Boston University School of Medicine.  This free presentation is appropriate for K-12 parents/guardians, teachers and community members.

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It’s time to register for the 2017 Milton Boosters Swing for Sports Golf Tournament. The tournament will be held Tuesday, October 10th at Wollaston Golf Club. Entry fee is $175 per golfer, or $700 per team. Registration begins at 9:30am with a shotgun start at 11am. A reception will be held at 5pm with live and silent auctions. All proceeds will benefit Milton High School athletes.  Hurry! Spots sold out last year! Check the Boosters website at www.miltonboosters.com for more information.

ADULT ED NEWS

Registration for Milton’s fall Adult Education session is still open, and most classes begin in 2 weeks!  Some of our offerings include Yoga, Zumba, French, Microsoft Word and Excel, Intro to iPads, Knitting, Needlepoint, Foundations of Investing, and new food and wine courses through our partnership with VINOvations.  Please take a look at ALL of our offerings at www.miltonadulted.org!  Questions?  Please contact Sara Warner: adulted@miltonps.org.

SEL NEWS

The following item was submitted by Health/Physical Education teacher Noel Vigue:

On Wednesday evening, we had over 220 parents/guardians and educators attend our premiere event in our PARENT Speaker Series. Ms. Sarah Ward’s presentation regarding “How to Help Your Student Plan, Organize and Manage Tasks” was very well-received.  She provided practical advice and tips for parents and educators to support their students and assist in their executive functioning.  We’d like to acknowledge the following groups for their support: Beth-Israel Deaconess Hospital – Milton, the Milton Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition, Milton Times, Isabel Joyce Piliavin Charitable Trust, and the Milton PTOs. We look forward to our next event on October 19th when we welcome Maria Trozzi, presenting “Finding Resilience -Strategies To Produce Competent And Confident Children, Able To Successfully Navigate A Complicated World” to be held at MHS auditorium from 7-9pm.  Please contact Director of Health/Physical Education, Mr. Noel Vigue with your ideas or contributions to the series at nvigue@miltonps.org or 617-696-4470 x5547.

PARENT photo

From left: MPS Health/PE Director Noel Vigue, Superintendent Mary Gormley, Speaker Sarah Ward, Stephanie Truesdell, VP of Philanthropy at BID Milton Hospital and SEL Facilitator and MSAPC member Laurie Stillman.

GUIDANCE NEWS

The following item was submitted by MHS Guidance Director Karen Cahill:

Please note the following important dates:

  • Friday, Sept. 22nd -PSAT Pre Administration for all 10th and 11th graders during Advisory
  • Thursday, October 5th-8th Grade Step Up Day from about 9-10:45 in the Field House and tour of building for all incoming 8th graders
  • Wednesday, October 11th –PSAT for all 10th and 11th graders; late start for grades 9 and 12
  • Thursday, October 12th-Fall College Fair

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Share Our College Knowledge (SOCK) is a volunteer group of parents who work with the Guidance Department of Milton High School to provide first generation students with one-on-one support and assistance in their college application and selection process. All MHS juniors and seniors who are the first in their family (including parents) to attend college will be invited to after-school college workshops and will be paired with a college coach who will support the student throughout the process.

SOCK volunteers will work with students over three semesters: second semester junior year (will cover what juniors should do over the summer to prepare for the college application season); first semester senior year (will cover the importance of a well-rounded college prospect list and key deadlines); second semester senior year (will review financial aid packages and selecting the best fit both academically and financially).

If you would like to participate in this exciting program, please see your guidance counselor! If you would like to contribute or volunteer for SOCK, please email anne.comber@comcast.net.  For more information, visit www.sockmilton.weebly.com.

FOOD SERVICE NEWS

The following item was submitted by Jackie Morgan, Food Service Director:

 Breakfast Provides Benefits… Make it a Priority! Did you know that Milton Schools serves hot breakfasts everyday school is in session?

Your child can get a healthy, balanced meal with whole grains, fresh fruit, skim or 1% milk and 100% fruit juice at school. They can choose from whole grain muffins, cereals, WG pancakes and WG breakfast sandwiches.

They will also have more energy and get important nutrients like calcium,Vitamin D, protein and fiber.

Higher Test Scores-Research has proven that children who eat breakfast have higher math and reading scores. Students who eat school breakfast score 17.5% higher on standardized math tests. Source: Share Our Strength

Improved Attendance- Studies show that students who eat breakfast are absent and tardy less often. Students who eat school breakfast attend on average 1.5 more days of school per year. Source: “Share our Strength”

Fewer Trips to the School Nurse- When students eat breakfast, nurses report fewer hunger related office visits.

Improved Classroom Behavior- Principals confirm that they see fewer discipline problems when students have eaten breakfast. Students who participate in school breakfast show improved attendance, behavior, standardized achievement test scores as well as decreased tardiness. Source: Food Research & Action Council

Better Learning-Students are better able to pay attention in class when they have eaten.

More Time on Learning- When students have eaten, they are better able to concentrate and behave in the classroom. This allows teachers to spend more time on teaching and less time on discipline.

Wake Up to School Breakfast” is the theme of the National School Breakfast Program this March 2018. “Eating Breakfast gives each student in the Milton Schools a chance to be their best”-       Source: Superintendent Mary Gormley

Save yourself time in the morning and get your child out the door faster knowing she/he will have a nutritious meal when they get to school!

Breakfast is $1.25 for a complete meal!!!

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Job Opportunities in the Milton Public Schools Food Service Program

Are you interested in a part-time job? If so, Milton Public Schools Food Service Program is looking for you.  If you are an adult who loves to work with children, having fun and challenges, we have a job opening for you.

We are looking for energetic, dependable people who have time and talent to share.  No college degree is required. You would be working in the kitchen and serving meals to our students with the Milton Schools Food Service Program.

Our substitute pay is $12.95 and starting pay for a permanent position is $14.75 an hour. If you are interested in joining our staff, please send an email of interest to me at jmorgan@miltonps.org

PAC/SPECIAL ED NEWS

 The following was submitted by Bernadette Butler and Cat DesRoche, Elementary Assistant Principals/Curriculum Coordinators who also serve as Volunteers for Joannna’s Place Circle-S:

The Milton Public Schools is proud to host Joanna’s Place Circle-S Support Group!  The Circle-S program serves children (ages 6-18) whose siblings have a disability, and also supports their parents.

This is a free program that allows children and parents to enjoy a pizza dinner and join other “typical siblings” who face similar joys and challenges of living with a sibling with special needs.  This has proven to be a very beneficial program for families that have participated.

The group will run for 8 consecutive Mondays from 6:00-8:00 starting October 16 and ending on December 4.  It will be held in the Cunningham/Collicot School Library (80 Edgehill Road, Milton MA 02186).

If you are interested in this program or would to register (please note, registration is required), email the Circle-S Facilitator Lauren Bartolotti at Lauren.Bartolotti@bmc.org or call 781-266-6776.  Please also see the attached flyer for more information.

FROM THE READERS

One of our parents sent me this info about a new Spanish-language television show:

TSTF and Univision Partner on New Miniseries Airing Sunday, 9/3 — We’re excited to share that we’re continuing our partnership with Univision to raise awareness about the importance of early brain development with the broadcast of a new miniseries, “La Fuerza de Creer” (The Power of Believing). The first episode will air on Univision at 7 p.m. ET/PT (6 p.m. CT) this Sunday, September 3rd.

Meet Dr. Laura, a pediatrician who in addition to providing medical care, gives her patients with tips and tools on early education topics including ways to boost early brain and language development, the benefits of bilingualism, the importance of fathers and other caregivers, and healthy social-emotional development.

This new miniseries marks the first time that Univision is utilizing dramatic storytelling to empower its audience and promote a social impact message. Our mini-telenovela includes two hour-long television episodes, three webisodes, as well as digital content. Check out the trailer here and the full suite of resources here. You can also text the word “VALIOSOS” to 26262 to receive tips and videos from Dr. Laura!

About Pequeños y Valiosos: “La Fuerza de Creer” is part of Pequeños y Valiosos, our partnership with Univision to emphasize the importance of engaging young children ages 0-5 in activities that contribute to their early brain development and support parents with tools to talk, read, and sing with their children from the moment they’re born.

 NEWS AROUND TOWN

 The following item was submitted by Caroline Kinsella, Chair of MSAPC:

The Steering Committee of the Milton Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition is pleased to inform you that we have hired Laurie R. Stillman as the Coalition’s first Director.  We created the position with our limited funds because we believe it is prudent to have someone who is charged with managing the coalition’s day to day operations, programs and budget, and who can help secure its future and guide the implementation of its strategic plan.  Ms. Stillman has the skills and commitment to do so.   The position is only funded for two days per week.  In addition to fundraising, Ms. Stillman will be a senior advisor to our community partners as we seek to implement programs, policies and practices that support the Coalition’s goals.    Ms. Stillman is a Milton resident and holds a Master’s Degree from Brandeis University’s Heller Graduate School for Social Policy and Management.  She has held senior leadership positions in public health over the past thirty years, including as Executive Director of the Somerville Mental Health Center, the Massachusetts Public Health Association and the New England Asthma Regional Council.  Over the past two years, she has had a private consulting practice serving philanthropic, governmental, academic and non-profit organizations across New England.  Her consulting includes working with the Milton Board of Health to help build the Milton Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition as well as with the Milton Public School Department as the district’s Social Emotional Learning Facilitator.   Ms. Deborah Milbauer will continue to support the coalition as a subject matter expert and oversee the Community Activities Committee.   The Director position was widely advertised, and the Steering Committee interviewed three finalists.  Ms. Stillman was the candidate who possessed the greatest range of the skills we were seeking including grant writing and management, substance abuse prevention expertise, and community health programming.  She will transition from her role as Consultant to Director over the coming weeks.  Please join me and the Steering Committee in congratulating Laurie!

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Save the Date! Celebrate Milton will be held on Sunday, October 1 at Pierce Middle School. We will provide more detail in the next E-Blast.

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The Milton Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition (MSAPC), comprised of nearly 400 town residents committed to reducing youth substance abuse and later addiction, is looking for town-wide support- including students and adults—to keep their efforts going. Here’s a fun opportunity!

A 5K (3 mile) Walk/Run is planned for Saturday morning October 21st, and MSAPC would appreciate if you, your children and your neighbors joined the event!  It’s only $30 to register, and it’s easy!  You can sign up as an individual or as part of an existing Milton team!  Here is the link.  

The 5k Walk/Run will leave from Cunningham School. It’s called “Mike’s 5K to Crush Substance Abuse” in honor of Mike Mulcahy, a Milton resident who recently passed away after a heroic battle with addiction.

Already over 200 people have registered, and there are many community sponsors as well. Please choose to be part of the effort and show your support for this worthwhile cause!  Half of the proceeds will benefit the Milton Coalition.

To find out more about MSAPC, or to join for free as a member, visit their website at www.milton-coalition.org 

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The following item was sent to us by Diane DiTullio Agostino, Chair of the Milton Commission on Disability:

We need a few good Milton residents aged 18 or older! Please see the following Commission on Disabilities 1986 Town Meeting Adoption Article, which may assist potential candidates better understand the powers and duties of the Commissioners. Please note: Commissioners are allowed to call in to the meetings which run from 1 1/2 to a maximum of two hours. Some work of the Commission:

  • Businesses requesting variances from accessibility requirements to restaurants, stores etc.
  • Educating Milton employees and residents on the requirements of the American with Disabilities Act (ADA)
  • Social Media presence, including website design, Facebook, Twitter etc, in order to reach residents, employees and visitors who need assistance
  • Registration of every household on www.SMART911.com to improve emergency responses. We are especially looking for people with a technology background and someone with strong writing skills. Many residents have disabilities and we need everyone to be aware of anything from car crashes that are disabling to reminding residents not to park in Handicapped Spaces unless they are handicapped. While we are required to meet ten (10) times a year, we have fallen short in recent years due to lack of commissioners.

More information can be found at www.townofmilton.org under Commission on Disability or contact Diane DiTullio Agostino directly at DianeDiTullioAgostino@gmail.com or 617-698-8232.

FAMILY LIAISON NEWS

 This article was submitted by Marti O’Keefe McKenna, MPS Family Outreach Liaison:

Summer Reading Challenge Update: Summer vacation may feel like a faint memory but at all the MPS elementary schools we are still busy celebrating all the amazing minutes students read and logged in over their summer break.

We are very proud to announce that 1550 children town-wide logged in minutes as part of our summer reading challenge. Milton Public School students in grade K through 5 logged in a total of 519,322 minutes.  During library classes, Mrs. Henry has been acknowledging the hard work of those students; all students who logged in minutes have been receiving a special bookmark.  Over the next few weeks those students who logged in minutes will have an opportunity to participate in a raffle to win a $25.00 Barnes and Noble gift certificate to purchase more fantastic books to add to their home libraries.  Raffles will be held by grade level in each school.

The Summer Reading Challenge is a partnership initiative between the Milton Public Schools and the Milton Public Library. A special thank you to, Assistant Director, Sara Truog and her dedicated team of librarians for their hard work and commitment to this program.  We would also like to thank the following PTOs: Cunnningham, Collicot, Tucker and Glover for their generous support of the Summer Reading Challenge.

Please feel free to reach out with any questions you might have or if you are in need of a resource. My contact information is: Marti O’Keefe McKenna, Family Outreach Liaison, 617-980-7343 or mmckenna@miltonps.org .

MILTON PUBLIC LIBRARY

 The following item was submitted by Jennifer Struzziero, Children’s Librarian:

We hope everyone is off to a terrific start to the new school year! During the new school year, there is still lots of fun to be had in the Children’s Room at the Milton Public Library! Cool family activities including books, programs, coloring, games, puppets and more are available every day for you to check out.

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 September 18th -23rd:

 Thursday, September 21st, 2017
Family Flick Ages 6-11
2:30 PM – 4:30 PM

No school today… so come to the library and watch a movie in the Keys Room!

Today we’ll be showing popular summer hit Captain Underpants: the First Epic Movie: Two overly imaginative pranksters named George and Harold hypnotize their principal into thinking he’s a ridiculously enthusiastic, incredibly dimwitted superhero named Captain Underpants. Rated PG; runtime 1 hour, 29 minutes. Popcorn will be served. No registration required.

4:00 – 4:30 pm
Storytime @ the Farmer’s Market, All Ages

Come find us for storytime at the Milton Farmers’ Market! Miss Sara, Miss Elaine, and Miss Jen, Children’s Librarians at the Milton Public Library will read stories, sing songs, and engage children at five farmers’ market sessions this fall. Rain or shine! Parents/caregivers must remain with and look after their child – these are not drop-off events. No registration is required.

Saturday, September 23, 2017
Art with Sue Ages 6-10
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM

Come make an art project with local art instructor Sue Hoy!

For ages 6-10. Registration is required and will open two weeks prior to the event. Sponsored by the Friends of the Milton Public Library.

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 Children’s Room 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.

ATHLETICS

 It’s time to register for the Milton Boosters 2017 Swing for Sports Golf Tournament. The tournament will be held Tuesday, October 10th at Wollaston Golf Club. Entry fee is $175 per golfer, or $700 per team. Registration begins at 9:30am with a shotgun start at 11am. A reception will be held at 5pm with live and silent auctions. All proceeds will benefit Milton High School athletes.  Hurry! Spots sold out last year!

The following update was submitted by Athletic Director Ryan Madden:

The Football Team won 27-12 vs. Quincy High School on Friday night 2-0 for the season. Their first league game of the season will be at Natick this Saturday night 7pm. They handled Belmont with ease last Friday.

The Boys Soccer Team struggled early on in a very good Bay State League. They are a  young team with promising freshman and a slew of sophomores playing. The Wildcats are improving each day and have played much better recently against Framingham and Norwood.  They tied Norwood on Friday, with sophomore Cooper Madigan scoring the lone Wildcats goal, assisted by freshman Miguel Varela.

The Girls Soccer Team are not having any trouble finding the net. Chae Diani continues to steal the headlines with goals in all of the Cats first five games, including a hat-trick against North Quincy. They beat the Mustangs of Norwood 6-1 on Friday.

The Field Hockey Team is improving day by day, with solid efforts against Wellesley and Notre Dame.   They won last night, 2-1 over Framingham for their second win. The Girls also beat Newton North 2-0 on the road, with goals from Megan Bernardi and Taylor Vrettas (her first Varsity goal.)

The Volleyball Team has been playing well, having won their second straight game, 3-0 over Framingham. Although the team came up short in their matches against Walpole and Wellesley, they battled Wellesley hard, taking the first set, but a very good Raiders side eventually won.

The Girls Cross Country Team  got off to a good start. They are 2-0, after beating Natick and Newton North in the first race of the new season.  An impressive win considering Natick and Newton North Girls are ranked highly in the state

The Boys Cross Country Team lost to Natick and Newton North to open their season.

The Swim Team had their first race on Tuesday, falling to Framingham.  Their 200 Free Relay and 400 Free Relay team made state cuts and besides many wins, they had many life time best times.  Looking forward to our meet tonight at 3:30 against Walpole HS at the Blue Hills Regional High School.

Golf has started strong, with a record of 3-1-1 and 2-0-1 in the league. They have had great performances from Jared Carney, Jared Carr, and Jack Boylan so far.

AMBASSADOR PAGE

 As part of our E-blast, we highlight students, teachers and members of the community whose hard work deserves recognition.  Please read about some of their outstanding accomplishments below:

Students: Congratulations to the winners of the Tucker School Family Mentoring Scavenger Hunt! Fourth-graders Nathaniel Codio and Zachary Trachtman (pictured below with their teammates and mothers Lisa Trachtman and Tangela Brinson.) The scavenger hunt was held as part of the Tucker Family Mentoring Program, which pairs current Tucker families with new families.

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Back row: Lisa Trachtmann, Tangela Brinson. Front row: Zachary Trachtmann,Nathaniel Codio.

Staff:   I wanted to pass along the exciting news that MHS Science teacher, Kara Yifru, is a finalist for the PAEMST award she was nominated for last year; recognizing math and science teachers. We are all very excited for Kara to have made it as a finalist and we are hoping she makes it all the way through!

Volunteers: I would like to recognize MPS parent Michele McCormick, who has helped organize the annual Swing for Sports fundraiser for the Milton Boosters. This event is one of the largest fundraisers for the Boosters and it takes a great deal of time and energy. Please join me in thanking Ms. McCormick for her efforts.

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 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 & Human Resources, 617-696-4812.

 

 

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