May 3rd Eblast

Teacher Appreciation Week  begins Monday, May 6th and we plan to honor and praise the men and women who have devoted their lives and their careers to educating children. I can’t think of a better way to kick off this annual celebration of teachers than our own Milton tradition of the announcement of Outstanding Teacher of the Year, which took place this morning.

Seven Milton Public School teachers were chosen by the Milton Foundation for Education as this year’s winners. The ceremony will be held Wednesday, May 22nd at 6 pm in the Charles C. Winchester Auditorium at Milton High School. I am proud to announce the following Outstanding Teachers for 2013:

Milton High School: Dan Jarboe, Math
Pierce Middle School: John O’Leary & Colleen Queally , PE/Health
Tucker Elementary School: Mary Duggan, ELL
Collicot Elementary School: Zeina Hamada, Gr 2 French Immersion
Cunningham Elementary School: Helene Olken, Gr 2 French Immersion
Glover Elementary School:  Sara Willis, Grade 5 Co-Taught
Mary Grassa O’Neill Leadership Award: Tom Shaw, Science

Students, parents/guardians, administrators, and the public have admiration, appreciation and respect for teachers and school staff. The impact a teacher can have on the life of a student is immeasurable. For a teacher, the knowledge and feeling of having taught a new concept to a student is equally amazing.

We in the Milton Public Schools have always prided ourselves on the incredible talent of our teachers and staff.  They are professionals who are experts in their content areas and skilled in their instructional skills. I could not be more proud of each and every Milton Public School faculty member.

I ask you to join me in letting our Milton Public School teachers know how much we appreciate them during this special recognition week. I asked a few students from our schools to tell me something about their favorite teacher and I would like to share their heartfelt responses.

Cunningham Elementary School:Mrs. (AnneMarie) Quinn is my favorite teacher. She is super nice and we are best friends,” said Will Kelley. “Ms. (Erin) Power is my favorite teacher because she does not yell, and she treats everyone the same. I love that our class has a Community Board with every student’s picture on it. With her, our class is a community where everyone helps everyone.” said Arjun Sohur.

Tucker Elementary School:Mrs. (Alex) Sewall was my favorite teacher because she made learning fun while filling our brains with facts. I learned how rivers and oceans help to create landforms,” said William Reason.  “Mr. Lion (Mr. Alex Leite) is my favorite teacher because he is not one of those teachers who directs us, but is more like a helping buddy,” said Nicholas Reason. “Also, he lets us go outside if we’re good. He has these strips of paper and depending on our behavior he puts a stamp of a lion on it. Each month he checks our paper. Five stamps equals  a sticker. We put the sticker in a booklet. One hundred stickers equals a surprise at the end of the year. I also love how he makes contests. Now I don’t want my other teachers to feel bad, but of all them I would have to go with Mr. Lion.”

Glover Elementary School: “Mrs. (Kim) O’Leary is the best teacher because she always makes me laugh and she makes school fun!” said Lenny Wall. He also admired another teacher: “Ms. (Lea) Campbell is also the best teacher because she always helps me and she taught me and all my friends how to read!”

Collicot Elementary School:Mrs. (Anne) McIntyre is my favorite teacher because if I don’t think I can do something like adding fractions, she tells us, ‘I know you can.’ She makes learning easy and fun. She is funny, nice, and generous,” said Molly Murtagh. “Mrs. (Anne) Kelley was my favorite teacher,” said Mary Mitchell. “She helped us through our first year of English. She got me through reading and now I love to read. She makes learning fun for little kids.”

Pierce Middle School:Mrs. (Bernadette) McEvoy was the nicest teacher I ever had.  She thoroughly explained every science unit to our class and she always had a smile for everyone,” said Maddie Jrolf.

Milton High School:  “Mrs. (Nancy) Warn is my favorite teacher because she goes above and beyond what is required of her.  She has made herself available to me as more than just a teacher, but as a trusted adult whom I seek advice from about anything.  On top of that, she is very skilled at running a dynamic class, teaching in different ways and making history more exciting than I really think it is.”  Ailsa Jeffries

SCHOOL COMMITTEE UPDATE

There have been two School Committee meetings since my last newsletter, on April 24th and May 1st. They are summarized below:

April 24th: The meeting began with a School Choice Open Public Hearing. Since no citizens came to speak at this hearing, they moved to the regular meeting. The following coaches and athletes were recognized for their successful seasons: Boys Hockey Coach Paul Noonan, MIAA Division 1 South Tournament; Girls Hockey Coach Bob Allen, MIAA Division 2 State Tournament; Wrestling Coach Ted Carroll; Ski Team Coach Paul Ajemian; Boys Indoor Track Coach Chuck Ajemian and Girls Indoor Track Coach Dale Snyder.

Next, Committee members heard from the Glover Site Council, which presented a School Improvement Plan. The most recent data was reviewed, along with many of the school’s accomplishments and programs. Students participated in the presentation by demonstrating Smartboard technology and the new “clickers” in use at Glover which work in tandem with the Smartboards. The presentation & plan are available at www.miltonps.org.

Jerry Vitti of the Milton PAC spoke about Special Education issues. He said members of the PAC are interested in resuming the program of a joint presentation with the MPS administration, which he thought were very successful. He also said they would like to add to their membership and their board. Mr. Vitti also spoke about the new Challenger Division of Milton Little League and invited the community to the new league’s first game, which was held on April 28th. There are still openings in this league for students with disabilities as young as age 5 all the way up to seniors at Milton High School. For more info, please contact  gvitti@hfihealthcare.com or plunkettjp4@gmail.com.

It was announced that Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Milton D. Chester, will visit MPS on May 10th. He plans to visit Glover Elementary school and Milton High School.

School Committee members voted unanimously to opt out of the School Choice program; voted to amend the existing contract with Wildcat Solar, a company which operates our off-site solar project; and voted to authorize the Chairman to sign a contract to replace the synthetic field surface at Brooks Field. Members also voted to approve the Policy Subcommittee Operation Procedures, which will govern how future policies are re-approved, deleted or updated.

May 1st:  This was a Re-Organizational meeting, which took place shortly after the swearing-in of newly-elected members Becky Padera and Mike Zullas. School Committee members voted to elect Lynda-Lee Sheridan as the Chair of the School Committee and Leroy Walker as Vice-Chair. No other agenda items were taken up.

The next Regular School Committee Meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 15th.

CURRICULUM NEWS

I am thrilled to share some great news from Milton High School. After winning the State title, members of our LifeSmarts team recently earned a spot to compete at the National Championships for LifeSmarts in Atlanta, Georgia. While in Atlanta, one of our students, Jack Caljouw, won First Place prize in the Environment category. This is a huge achievement and an incredible accomplishment for Milton High School, for the team and for Jack and his family. Team Captain Mona Yuan and  Nick Juzyca, each tied for Fifth Place in the Health, Safety and Consumer Rights category at the National Championship, and overall, the Milton team earned 13th place.  Great job!

LifeSmarts is a program that develops the consumer and marketplace knowledge and skills of teenagers in a fun way and rewards them for this knowledge. LifeSmarts, operated by the National Consumer’s League, is open to all 6th-12th grade students in the United States. Teams from more than 30 states met in the National Competition from April 20th to 23rd.

UPCOMING EVENTS

On Thursday, May 9th, the Pierce Middle School will hold its Juried Art Show from 5-7pm

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The Pierce Players will be presenting Hello, Dolly! on Thursday, May 30th & Friday, May 31st at 7 pm; and Saturday, June 1st at 2 pm.  Hello Dolly! is an ebullient and irresistible story of the joy of living, glittering with happy songs, shining with loving scenes, alive with the personality of one of the most fabulous characters on the musical stage…Dolly Gallagher Levi! Classic musical numbers include “Put On Your Sunday Clothes”, “Before the Parade Passes By”, “Elegance”, “It Only Takes A Moment” and of course, “Hello, Dolly!”

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Save the Date!  On Thursday, June 6th at 7 pm, there will be an Internet Safety Night in the Milton High School library. This event is for K-12 families and will cover internet, social media and cyber-bullying issues. Join Internet Safety Specialists Lynette Owens, Patricia A. Snell and other MPS families for a a night of information and discussion. This event is sponsored by Glover, Collicot, Cunningham, Tucker, Pierce and Milton High School PTOs.  View the flyer.

For those who may not be able to make the Milton event, Lynette Owens will be speaking at Natick High School as part of a “Digital Conversion to Digital Citizenship” evening on Tuesday, May 7th. The event will include national experts discussing digital citizenship. Ms. Owens has invited anyone who wishes to attend from the Milton Public Schools to this event.  More information about the Natick event, including a link to sign up, can be found here.

GRANT/FUNDRAISING NEWS

The next MHS Boosters ‘Cans for Cats’ monthly fundraiser at the high school will be held on Saturday, May 4th from 9 a.m. to noon. The golf team will be at the front entrance of the high school, 25 Gile Road, to collect your 5 cent cans and bottles to redeem for cash. All monies earned will directly support the golf program. Please stop by and drop off your cans and bottles. Go Wildcats!

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The Milton School Food Service Program was just awarded a $300 grant from the Massachusetts Action for Healthy Kids organization.  This grant will be used to plan an “Iron Chef” competition in the elementary schools next fall. School committee member Becky Padera suggested this fun-filled event to the Health and Wellness committee a few months ago as her niece recently won a similar contest in her school district.  The Milton schools are going to work together with local chefs who live or work in Milton or surrounding towns. The Whole Foods chef and the marketing department of the Whole Foods store have just signed on to help organize the event.  Plans are still in the early stages but we are hoping to have eight teams of students working together with a local chef to create healthy and delicious meals that we can feature on our monthly menu.

NEWS AROUND TOWN

The Milton Junior Wildcats Football and Cheer Club still has room for all age groups for both football and cheerleading and will be having an additional open registration soon. The Jr. Wildcats compete in the Bay State Conference against the same towns that the Milton High School Wildcats play.  The teams are set up by grade, which means that your child will compete with his/her classmates against players of the same age and ability.  Games at every level are played on a full size football field with professional referees and the same rules as high school and college.

The Jr. Wildcats Cheer program is the only youth cheer program in Milton.  Cheerleaders provide entertainment during the Sunday games and compete in conference and regional tournaments.

Sponsorships are still available for area businesses and individuals that would like to support of the Milton Jr. Wildcats! For registration or sponsorship information please visit our website at  or contact Kristen Lacasse at kristenl@miltonjrwildcats.org

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 The Town of Milton Parks and Rec department is currently accepting on-line registration for a variety of programs, including the Lamar Reddicks basketball clinics, tennis lessons, Bay State Baseball Academy and Summer Sports Clinics.  To learn more, click here:

LIBRARY NEWS

Spring fun continues in the Children’s Room at Milton Public Library.  Our Wednesday story times are taking a brief hiatus on May 15, but our Monday and Tuesday story times will be going strong!  We also have other upcoming programs for the young people in your life:

Saturday, May 18th from 2:00 – 3:00 pm
Bookbusters Book Club, Grades 3-5

The Bookbusters is a book club for boys and girls in grades 3-5.  Led by Miss Sara, group participants are asked to read a book in advance of the meeting, then come together to talk about it with their peers.  The book we are reading for May is One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street by Joanne Rocklin.  Copies are available at the Children’s Room desk, or by placing a hold at www.miltonlibrary.org.  Come join us to discuss this intriguing mystery about the inhabitants of the Orange Street neighborhood, the really old tree in the lot on their street, and the mystery man who seems to be unusually interested in that tree.  Registration is required.

Information about and registration for all of our programs can always be found on our online calendar  or by calling the Children’s Room at 617-898-4957 during business hours. Please contact the Children’s Room if you have questions about any of our programs or services.

Also, the Children’s Room at Milton Public Schools  Library is looking for donations of your gently worn or unopened Legos, in anticipation of starting a Library Lego club/program.  Please feel feel to contact the Children’s Room at 898-4957.

ATHLETICS

 The following item was submitted by Athletic Director Steve Traister:

BASEBALL: First year coach Jim Moonan’s baseball team is off to a 2-9 start. They have had a couple of nice wins against Weymouth and Dedham. They have a night game at 7PM on Friday, and are home against Natick on Monday, May 6 at 3:45.

SOFTBALL: Milton Softball team, led by seniors Bailey McDonnell  Sydney Fitzgerald and Molly Farmer, has a current record of 0-9. Coach Kelly Losi’s girls are hosting Needham Friday and are hopeful to win!

BOYS LACROSSE:  The Boy’s Lacrosse team has just passed the halfway point in their season.  Despite a record of 2-8, the team is working hard, with a couple of players emerging as quality team leaders.  The offense is led by senior midfielder Brendan Kelley and senior attackman Conor Greaney; the defense is led junior Kenny Graham and Senior Andrew Hunt, and junior goalie Seadna Scanlon has had several games where he has made double-digit totals in saves.  The team is in the middle of stretch of games that find them on the road nine of eleven games, but the team will end the regular-season with a four-game home stand. Coach Ben Midura’s team will be playing against Walpole at home on Friday night at 7:00 pm on Brooks Field.

GIRLS LACROSSE:  First year coach Ashley Parker’s team currently has a record of 0-5. The girls are being led by Senior Captain’s Erin Higgins, Grace Driscoll, Olivia Phelan and Julie Rush. Senior Capt Erin Higgins leads the team in points with 8 Goals and 4 assists. The girls will travel to Walpole on Friday.

BOYS TRACK:  Coach Chuck Ajemian’s boys outdoor track team is 2 and 1 at this point of the season. The team is led by co captains Nick Orlando, Nick Savage, Mile Holland as well as junior standout Chiviskee Milcent.  If the boys win the next 2 meets, they will be Herget Division champions.

GIRLS TRACK: Coach Dale Snyder’s girls track team has a 1-2 record. Their next meets are the Freshman/Sophomore Meet on May 4th and at Dedham on May 7th. Molly Dempsey is rank 5 in the state in the 100M hurdles and 7 in the 400M Hurdles. The next 4 meets will determine the season.

BOYS TENNIS:  Coach Paul Ajemian’s  boys’ tennis team got their 1st conference victory by defeating Dedham 3-2.The Wildcats had dominate victories by senior co-caption Dan Halloran and the 1st Doubles team of Gustavo Arnal and Peter DeLuca.  Sophomore Chriastian Jumal sealed the victory with a dramatic come-from-behind 7-5, 6-4 victory at 3rd. singles. Milton is now 1-5 on the season.

GIRLS TENNIS: Coaches Liz Mercer and Debbie Higgins are happy to report that the 2013 Girls’ Tennis Team has a 5–3 record, as of April 30.  Tri-captains, all seniors, are Ursula Beattie, Molly Devlin, and Melissa Trinh.  Freshman Grace Wamester, at #2 singles, has a 5–3 record, and senior Ursula Beattie, at #3 singles, has a 6-2 record.  The other positions are doing well also.

RUGBY: The rugby team is off to a great start with a 2-1 record so far.  Coach Joe Dolan has high expectations for his team this year. More than 50 student athletes signed up to play rugby this spring!  One highlight of the season will be the 1st Annual Bay Sate Seven- a -Side Tournament, to be held at Brooks Field on Friday, May 10th , starting at 6pm.  Come out and cheer on the Wildcat ruggers!

CREW: The crew team had the first race of the season last weekend. The boys and the girls varsity 4s raced the Thayer Academy at the Neponset River. We will be racing every weekend in May. The biggest weekend for Milton crew is the 25th and 26th of May. We will race at MPSRA (Massachusetts Public Schools Rowing Association) and NEIRA (New England Interscholastic Rowing Association) Championships. We hope to perform well at these regattas.

Milton High School’s athletic schedules can be found here:

PIERCE ATHLETICS: The Pierce Middle School’s inaugural track season is off to a great start. More than 130 students in grades 6-8 have signed up for the co-ed team, which practices after school several days a week. Students will compete in seven running events and three field events at track meets, which are scheduled for Monday, May 13th at Milton High; Thursday, May 16th in Medfield; and Monday, May 20th at Lincoln/Sudbury. Parents/guardians and fellow students are welcome to cheer on their classmates at the home meet on May 13th at 3:45 pm.

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:

Student: It’s not every day we have a nationally recognized student in the Milton Public Schools and, for that reason, I would like to be sure that Jack Caljouw is recognized for his first-place win at the National LifeSmarts Competition in Atlanta. Jack earned first place in the Environmental category. Congratulations to Jack, his teachers, teammates and his family.

Teacher: I would like to recognize Dan Jarboe, John O’Leary & Colleen Queally, Mary Duggan, Zeina Hamada, Helene Olken, Sara Willis and Tom Shaw as the 2013 Outstanding Teachers as chosen by the Milton Foundation for Education. They join an exclusive and illustrious group of educators who have been chosen for this honor and they should be very proud.

Volunteer: After serving for nine years on the Milton School Committee, Glenn Pavlicek has decided to step down. He is a thoughtful, intelligent and valued member of the Committee, a champion of every student in the Milton Public Schools and a great believer in public education. He will be greatly missed and we wish him continued success and happiness in his teaching career.

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.

 

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