From: Mary C. Gormley
To: Parents/Guardians and Staff
Re: E-blast Update
Date: Thursday, May 28, 2015
FROM THE DESK OF THE SUPERINTENDENT
I would like to share with you an important update regarding state funding for Full Day Kindergarten, which remains in jeopardy.
The State Senate, in its FY16 Budget, only provides $1 million for the Quality Full Day Kindergarten Line Item (7030-1002). This represents a 95% reduction in funding and could have a dramatic and negative impact on Full Day Kindergarten across the Commonwealth. Here in Milton, the impact could be a tuition increase of $600 per family.
The state budget now goes to the Conference Committee, a small group of both House and Senate members who will settle the differences between their respective budgets.
Here is what you can do: Contact our Milton legislative delegation and the conference committee members (listed below) and tell them to please restore funding for the quality full day kindergarten program, line item #7030-1002. Your calls and emails really do make a big difference. So, please act now!
Milton Legislative Delegation
Senator Brian Joyce – brian.joyce@masenate.gov 617-722-1643
Representative Walter Timilty – walter.timilty@mahouse.gov 617-722-2230
Representative Daniel Cullinane – daniel.cullinane@mahouse.gov 617-722-2006
Conference Committee Members
Senator Karen Spilka – karen.spilka@masenate.gov 617-722-1640
Senator Sal DiDomenico – sal.didomenico@masenate.gov 617-722-1650
Senator Patricia Jehlen – patricia.jehlen@masenate.gov 617-722-1578
Senator Bruce Tarr – bruce.tarr@masenate.gov 617-722-1600
Representative Brian Dempsey – brian.dempsey@mahouse.gov 617-722-2990
Representative Stephen Kulik – stephen.kulik@mahouse.gov 617-722-2380
Representative Benjamin Swan – benjamin.swan@mahouse.gov 617-722-2380
Representative Bradley Jones – bradley.jones@mahouse.gov 617-722-2100
SCHOOL COMMITTEE UPDATE
There has been one School Committee meeting since my last E-blast, which was held on May 20th. Below is a summary of that meeting:
May 20, 2015: The meeting began with the introduction of the Elementary and Middle School Future Problem Solvers, along with the Program Advisors/Coaches Elementary School Librarian Lori Henry and Pierce Middle School Science Teacher Nicole Hoyceanyls, who described their recent success at the State Bowl. Next, three Pierce students were honored for their success at the Massachusetts Regional Science and Engineering Fair, along with Pierce Principal Dr. Karen Spaulding and Science Curriculum Coordinator Christie Chiappetta. Milton Public School Elementary Librarian Lori Henry and Milton Public Library Librarian Sara Truog came to talk about the Milton Public Schools/Milton Public Library Initiative/Partnership.
There was an FY16 Budget Update and a Full Day Kindergarten Update as well as a Strategic Plan Update/Discussion. Members voted to approve two vendor warrants and two sets of minutes before adjourning to executive session.
CURRICULUM
To all our Milton Public School families who are also US Military families, I would first like to say thank you. With the Memorial Day weekend only recently behind us, this is a good time to acknowledge the sacrifices made by those who serve our country. I would also like to encourage all MPS military families to fill out the questionnaire on our MPS website in order to help us provide any benefits or services for which you may be eligible. Please access this survey by visiting the Milton Public School website, then fill out the form and return to our registrar, Jane Barrett at
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Please read the following item regarding PARCC testing, submitted to us by the PARCC Governing Board:
Today we are announcing news about test design changes voted by the PARCC state chiefs yesterday that will reduce testing time, consolidate the testing windows, and greatly streamline the test administration process for schools and districts. Please share with others in your organizations, as appropriate.
The PARCC governing board, made up of state education commissioners and superintendents, asked states, districts and teachers for their feedback on how to improve the PARCC assessment. The governing board listened and agreed to make important changes to the assessment that will be implemented in the 2015-16 school year. On May 20, 2015 the PARCC governing board voted to:
- Reduce the testing time for students by about 90 minutes overall (60 minutes in mathematics; 30 minutes in English language arts) and create more uniformity of test unit times.
- Consolidate the two windows in English language arts/literacy (including reading and writing) and mathematics into one.
- The single testing window will simplify administration of the test for states and schools that experienced challenges with scheduling two testing windows.
- The testing window will be up to 30 days and will extend from roughly the 75% mark to the 90% mark of the school year. Most schools will complete testing in one to two weeks during that window.
- Reduce the number of test units by two for most students.
Importantly, these changes preserve the quality of the assessment, which will continue to test the full range of standards, and the reliability of the results. The assessment will continue to allow all students enough time to show what they can do and produce the kind of information our districts and teachers need to support our students. With this change, the plan is to return results to schools, teachers and parents as close to the end of the school year as possible.
The press release and a more detailed explainer are online at: http://parcconline.org/parcc-states-vote-shorten-test-time.
The development of PARCC is a collaborative process among participating states with significant input from local educators, school leaders and higher education faculty. The decisions made by the governing board validate this thoughtful process and the leading role of states as they work to refine the assessment to best serve their students.
In the next few weeks, we will support our state education partners with their work to inform schools of the design changes and to share information about the score reports and the timing of score releases this fall. We will also begin the performance level setting process over the summer and the state chiefs will set the performance levels as students begin to return to school in the fall.
We will need your help to celebrate the states’ decision, to underscore the message that educator voices are indeed valued in this program, and to share supplementary information with parents and policy makers in your states and nationally about the value of the new standards and the PARCC assessments. We will also need your help to set expectations around the release of scores in the fall and the change in scores as we set a new baseline and support our students on their path to college and career readiness by graduation.
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The following item was submitted by Michael Young, the advisor for the Milton High School Newspaper:
We are proud to announce that the New England Scholastic Press Association recently awarded the Milton High School newspaper The Elephant in the Room, two journalism awards.
The paper received a “Meritorious Achievement” award in scholastic editing and publishing; and a personal achievement award given to Anne Marie Grudem for her illustration “Senioritis.” The newspaper staff has worked hard this year to legitimize and professionalize the school news source. The two papers that the students submitted, along with the many individual pieces, resulted from hours of writing, investigating, and editing. The editors involved in the laying-out and revising of the two submitted papers include the following: Katrina Kourtelidis, Amy Savino, and Joshua Kery. The other contributors (writers, artists, and photographers) include Colman Lydon, Taylor Avery, Anne Marie Grudem, Aman Negassi, Meredith McGroarty, Matt McAuliffe, Liam Connolly, Javana Samuels, Delens Ducheine, Nathan Liberty, Margaux Rose, and Katrina Ramkissoon.
The students who attended the BU ceremony and symposium took classes to better their understanding of editing, leadership, publishing print and online news, advertising, and photo editing, just to name a few topics. They also heard a Pulitzer Prize winning photojournalist from South Africa discuss his book The Bang Bang Club, about South Africa’s rise to democracy.
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The following item was submitted by Pierce Middle School Guidance Counselor Lisa Veldran:
Patti Snell, a presenter from Boston vs. Bullies came to give presentations to all 5th grade students on April 17th and May 1st. Boston vs. Bullies is an anti-bullying initiative presented by the Sports Museum and Boston sports community. The students participated in a facilitated discussion and were shown a video featuring current athletes from Boston’s professional sports teams sharing their stories and providing activities to get students involved in developing and practicing the skills they need to effectively prevent and stop bullying.
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Albert Enyedy, a Milton High School senior, was recently awarded a $500 scholarship from the Association of Teachers of Mathematics in Massachusetts. The award was determined on the basis of outstanding achievement or service in the field of mathematics. Mr. Enyedy was nominated by his math teacher, Jessica Parsons.
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A group of MHS art students will be heading to Rep. Walter Timilty’s office on Wednesday, June 10th for a tour of the State House. An artist’s reception for the students has been arranged at Doric Hall on Wednesday, June 10 at 9:30AM.
Students attending the field trip: Maeve Doyle, Allegra Giddings, Amy Matondo, Destiny Moreta, Hope Huban, Mary Cronin, Mairead Dambruch, Mikalia Jackson, Hope McDonald, Kristen Mills, Kalyani Twyman, Imani Walker and Josh Kery.
Other students who are participating in the Milton Water Matters Project are: Ellese Crawford, Caroline Faherty, Alexa Onishuk, Molly Concannon, Darren Lopez, Julia MacDougall, Alex MacIsaac, Jessica Martin, Rafael Ramos, Elizabeth Stentson, Maddy Hoy, Meredith Clarke, Olivia Erickson, Nico Gilmore, Ben Johnson, Johance Lierpool, Mohoniqua Pierre-Louise, Julia Sullivan and Olivia Jensen.
Through our newly formed partnership with the Neponset Water Shed Association and Nancy Fyler coordinator of the education outreach program, Milton High School Art Students from Ms. Karen Hughes’ classrooms joined forces and created a dynamic Art Exhibit.
MHS Art students started their journey with a visit from Nancy and were given loads of information. Students learned how they are able to maintain and conserve the current water situation in their own community and how they have the ability to educate their peers, teachers and the surrounding Milton community. Students created illustrations educating Milton on the issues concerning: main drains, water pollution, pouring toxic chemicals down the drain, and the current crisis pertaining to the water bottle industry and the use of plastics in their environment.
The Milton DPW stepped in and funded the program providing the students with illustration Boards and with the support of their peers they created dynamic illustrations inspired by contemporary artists Shepard Fairey and Bansky. With their new found knowledge and experience, students are now planning to obtain any and all donations towards providing Milton High School with a Bottle filling Station and Drinking Fountain in the Copeland Field House.
UPCOMING MPS EVENTS
Please “save the date” for an upcoming Katie Greer presentation at Milton High School:
How do we keep our kids safe in this technology driven world? Want to learn more…? Please attend our PTO sponsored Parent/Guardian Workshop which will be held on Monday, June 8th at 7:00pm at Milton High School. **Nobody under 18 years of age will be admitted**
We have invited Katie Greer to speak to us about internet safety. In the past 7 years, Katie has presented at hundreds of schools, organizations, and conferences (law enforcement and otherwise). Additionally, Katie has contracted with a variety of government and private organizations lending her expertise, providing educational content on issues surrounding digital/Internet safety and social networking. She has been featured in: Time, Vanity Fair, CNN, and USA Today. For more information: http://www.klgreer.com/
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The following item was sent to us by Deanna Terranova, a Milton High School Parent:
Volunteers are needed for the MHS All Night Graduation Party (22nd Year) to be held on Sunday June 7th. Don’t let your teenager become a graduation night statistic.
Why an all night Party?
Graduation is a time of celebration. Energy and excitement runs high and students feel invincible. Drinking and drugs are often a part of the rite of passage and the results can be tragic. The All Night Party has become part of the MHS culture with close to 100% participation. It is a community supported way for all seniors, and only seniors, to get together one last time in a safe, alcohol free, drug free environment to party until dawn with rocking music, plenty of food and great entertainment.
Parents of Graduates
Please encourage your student to attend. This party is for every graduating senior. Grads have been given brochures, information has been emailed home and information is always available at www.mhsanp.blogspot.com Keep your child safe.
This is event is run by parents and we want your help. Why should you help?
If you don’t do it, who will? As parents of high school students, we have the most vested interests in making sure these students have a place to celebrate the smart and safe way this year and for years to come. Take this opportunity to show your son or daughter that you support their choice for a drug free, alcohol free, yet outrageously fun all night party.
What will I do?
There are jobs for everyone. Light lifting, lots of sitting, interacting with the kids, never seeing the kids, moving fast, never moving at all, staying out late, getting up early. Give us a reason why you can’t help and we’ll find a way that you can. We need you!
What will the kids do?
The kids will arrive at 10:30PM. The doors are locked at 11:00PM and do not open again until 5:00AM. The night is jam packed with activities including music, dancing, games, plenty of food, a hypnotist show, airbrush tattoo artists, tarot card readers and enough memories to last a lifetime.
I don’t have a graduating senior.
Maybe not this year, but someday you will. And when they graduate, you will want them safely locked down at the all night party. Help now to ensure this party continues.
My senior does not want me there.
Sign up for the PACK UP shift at 5:00AM (Monday), the SET UP shift at 5:30PM Sunday or a shift in the foyer (vs. the main party room). FYI, these same seniors that do not want you there are usually running around looking for Mom or Dad.
I can’t do it. It’s too late for me.
It’s too late for all of us. Remind yourself that you would not be getting a good night’s sleep if your senior was out on graduation night going from party to party. And you certainly would not get a good night’s sleep if you were awakened by a phone call from the Milton Police, Milton Hospital, or a crying neighbor.
I have to work the next day.
Like many of us, you might consider taking Monday off. Let your student know that you support their commitment to a drug free, alcohol free graduation.
Still not convinced?
When was the last time you partied until dawn? Enjoy the food, music and energy of 250 teenagers. This is a great night for the kids and a fun night for volunteer parents. We’ve raised good kids. You’ve known some of them since grade school. You will be proud of them. Come on out and help give them a good send off. We can’t do it without you.
Okay, Okay, I am signing up!
Email info to: MiltonANP@gmail.com
Volunteer Name:
Student:
Grade:
Your email:
Your phone: Home/ work/ cell/
CHOOSE YOUR SHIFTS
June 7, 2015 (Sunday):
- Shift ONE 5:30PM – 7:30PM set up
- Shift TWO 10:00PM – 2:00AM doors open at 10:30
- Shift THREE 2:00AM – 5:00AM hypnotist show
June 8, (Monday):
- Shift Four 5:00AM – 6:00AM pack up
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Milton High School’s Future Business Leaders of America will be hosting a “Name Your Price” car wash Saturday, May 30th from 8 am to 12 pm at Cunningham Elementary School. Please come help support Milton’s Future Business Leaders as we raise funds for our trip to Nationals in Chicago, Illinois!
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Pierce Players will be presenting “Bye Bye Birdie” — one of the most captivating musical shows of our time. Performances will be held in the Pierce Auditorium on Thursday, June 4th and Friday, June 5th at 7pm and Saturday June 6th at 2pm. Tickets are available at the door, or in advance by calling 617-696-4568. Bye Bye Birdie is a satire crafted with the fondest affection telling the story of a rock and roll singer who is about to be inducted into the army. An English Teacher, What Did I Ever See in Him?, Put on a Happy Face, One Boy, A Lot of Livin’ to Do, Kids, and Rosie are musical theatre classics. This is the tops in imagination and good old-fashioned fun.
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In an effort to raise funds for their library, Milton High School is working together with Barnes & Noble Booksellers to host a book fair at the Barnes & Noble Braintree store. On Thursday, June 11th, Barnes & Noble will contribute a percentage of every sale, made with a special book fair voucher, to the Milton High School Library. Vouchers will be available online at the Milton High School Library’s website and at Barnes and Noble the night of the event. You can also support the MHS Library by shopping online at www.bn.com/bookfairs from Thursday, June 11th, through Tuesday, June 16th, by including the book fair voucher ID #11597762 on the payment page during checkout. Please help support the Milton High School Library by shopping at Barnes & Noble, 150 Granite Street, Braintree throughout the day on Thursday, June 11th, with a book fair voucher or shopping online at www.bn.com/bookfairs. For more information, contact Milton High School librarian, Jen Troy via email at jtroy@miltonps.org.
MFE NEWS
Your chances of winning this Jeep are so good, it’s scary.
But you have to buy your ticket soon. Tickets are going fast. Get yours today!
Available in every school’s office, through any MFE Trustee or by emailing JeepRaffle2015@gmail.com.
With only one month left to go, Jeep Raffle tickets are flying out the door.
ONLY 500 TICKETS WILL BE SOLD! With your chances of winning this Jeep so high, our lawyers advised us to offer a warning list of reasons you might NOT want to win this Jeep.
The Top 8 Reasons NOT to Win this Jeep
#1. You will actually start enjoying your morning commute and will have to find something else to complain about. Who’s got time for that?
#2. You will be inundated with loads of new, super cool friends. They will want to come over and drink all your Snapple. There goes your Snapple budget.
#3. You will start going on really cool, adventurous vacations and you don’t have a selfie stick yet. STRESS!
#4. You will be overcome with a desire to surf, but last year you downloaded the Ocearch shark tracker app. Cognitive dissonance abounds.
#5. You will start driving off, over, around, on top of and through things, and that will bring up unpleasant memories about failing that preposition test in 7th grade.
#6. Your high school reunion is coming up and you don’t want to look “too cool.”
#7. You promised yourself that as soon as it got nice out you would start binge watching old seasons of “Hello Larry.” And now you have to drive this Jeep.
#8. You are allergic to fun. And you can’t even opt for the $20,000 cash prize instead because you are also allergic to money.
Only if you can live with all of these conditions, email JeepRaffle2015@gmail.com. Your chances of winning are THAT GOOD. The drawing is ONE MONTH FROM TODAY. Send us an email! Or visit www.miltonfoundationforeducation.org
NEWS AROUND TOWN
The following item was sent to us by Patti Dobrindt, Co-Chair of the Milton Road Race
Save the Date! The 38th Annual Milton Road Race will be held on Tuesday, June 9th at 6:30pm. This 5K/10K event is held rain or shine and is sponsored by Milton Junior Woman’s Club. As many of you know, the proceeds from this race go directly back into our community in the form of grants to local non-profits and scholarships to graduating Milton seniors. This year, we were able to give out a record amount of scholarship money based on the success of last year’s race. A great deal of that success was due to an amazing turnout of student runners. We are hoping to have even more student (and faculty!) participation this year. There is a team registration function if schools are interested in setting up teams for their student/faculty. Please register at: www.miltonroadrace.racewire.com
MILTON PUBLIC LIBRARY
The following item was submitted by Milton Public Librarian Sara Truog:
Spring is here – and so are fun things for kids to do at the Milton Public Library! In addition to our regular story times on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, we have these exciting programs for the young people in your life happening during the week of June 7 – 13:
Friday, June 12, 2015 from 10:00 – 11:00 am
Yoga Woga, Ages 3-5
Yoga Woga is back. Children ages 3-5 are invited to come to this fun time learning yoga with Jill Pokaski Azar, certified yoga instructor. Registration is required (separate sign up for each session). Sponsored by the Friends of the Milton Public Library.
Friday, June 12, 2015 from 4:00 – 5:00 pm
Lego Club, Ages 6-12
Come build with the library’s Lego collection! Each month we’ll build on a different theme. At the end of the hour, your creations will go on display for all library visitors to enjoy. Ages 6-12 welcome. Registration is required.
Saturday, June 13, 2015 from 11:00 am – 12:00 noon
Reading Dogs, Grades K-5
Last Reading Dogs session of the school year! 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.
ATHLETICS
The following item was submitted by Boosters President Jeanne Kibble:
The Milton High School Boosters Club is hosting the 37th Annual Varsity Letter Banquet held on Wednesday, June 3, 2015 at 6:00 pm in the Milton High School Copeland Field House (doors open at 5:30 pm). This banquet celebrates the accomplishments of our varsity athletes by recognizing them with a banquet dinner, awarding letters and pins to all members of the varsity teams, and awarding 17 scholarships to senior athletes that contribute positively to the MHS athletics program and the Milton community.
Parents, siblings, friends and the Milton community can purchase tickets online at www.miltonboosters.com. If you choose to buy them in person, please go to the MHS concession stand after school where they are available 2-3PM. Tickets are $20 per adult and $5 per student/child (Letter Recipients already received a free ticket in the mail). Tickets will not be available at the doors. If you have questions, please contact Jeanne Kibble (JKibble@miltonboosters.com )
The following item was submitted by Athletic Director Larry Rooney:
Rugby: Congratulations to our new State Champs! The Milton vs. Brookline game was played on Saturday May 23rd at Foley Stadium Worcester. Brookline came out of the gates hard and fast led by All American Jack Miller, scoring in the first five minutes with the wind at the their back. 7-0. Milton would settle down half way through the first half to go in front 12-7, with scores from Devon Nzeupome and Ugo Nwanekezi. Two defensive goal line stands by Milton showed some serious determination to end the half. The second half was all Milton, using the wind at their back and a hard running offense accompanied by a high kicking game, pinning the Warriors in their own territory. Every player played well, with Nzeupome and Nwanekezi scoring all the tries on the day and d Dara Kennedy adding 6 points kicking conversions. Milton ended the year with a perfect 9-0 season, it’s second D2 State final in 3 years, and an overall record of 24 wins-1 loss the past three years since being awarded Varsity status.
Boys Outdoor Track:
- Bay State League Meet: At this very competitive meet, the Milton boys’ team did very well. Derek Perkins won second place in the 100 meters. David Perkins won first place in the 200 meters. The boys’ 4×100 relay team ( Koby Osazee, David Perkins, Liou Frederique and Derek Perkins) won first place.
Girls Outdoor Track:
- South Shore Principals Association Twilight Meet: The team finished 5th out of 23 teams at this meet. The meet was highlighted by a 1-2 finish in the mile for Colette O’Leary and Bridget Mitchell and a first-place performance by Andrea Juzyca in the Javelin. The 4x400m team (Colette O’Leary, Zion Theodros, Emma Pred-Sosa and Alexis Belash) finished in second place and Zion Theodros finished second in the open 400m.
- Bay State League Meet: Colette O’Leary won first place in the 800m; the girls 4×400 relay team (Colette O’Leary, Bridget Mitchell, Zion Theodros and Emma Pred-Sosa) also won first place, as did the 4×800 relay team (Josie Cousineau, Mairead Dambruch, Alexis Belash and Greta Freking.) Andrea Juzyca won first place in the Javelin; and Abigail Jean-Baptiste won second place in the Long Jump.
Crew:
It was a great day this past Saturday, May 23rd at the MPSRA Championships in Lowell, for Boys’ Varsity Crew as they won gold in the boys 1st varsity four (4+V1) in a photo finish that had Milton winning over Mystic and Cambridge Rindge and Latin by a margin that separated first from third place by a quarter of a second! The Wildcats also captured the Overall Points Trophy for all Boys fours events for the MPSRA State Title having earned, in addition to the V1 gold, a silver in each of the V2, V3 and V4 as well as the novice 4 event. The girls put forth a strong performance as well with Bronze/third in the Girls V2, V3 and V4 plus a 4th in the girls V1 out of 16 teams!
AMBASSADOR PAGE
Students: I would like to recognize and congratulate the members of the Class of 2015, who will be graduating from Milton High School on Sunday, June 7th. Some of you have been with us since Kindergarten, while others have only recently joined us, but each and every one of you is now a member of the Milton Public Schools family. I wish all of you a safe graduation week. We will be publishing the future plans of the Class of 2015 in the next E-blast.
Staff: I would like to thank the following staff who are retiring from the Milton Public Schools: Mary Ellen Burke, Collicot 1st Grade; Nathan Randall, MHS History; Ludmila Nivoroshkin, PMS, World Language; MaryLou Bradley, Tucker Nurse; Karen Clasby, District Special Ed Director; Jeanne Roulleau, PMS World Language; Pat Kurpeski, Collicot Kindergarten; Kathy Roche, PMS Special Education Teacher. We are very grateful to these individuals for their commitment to the Milton Public Schools. I wish them well in their retirement.
Volunteers: I would like to thank in advance all the parents and guardians who volunteer to make our annual All Night Graduation Party such a success. This event could not occur without the many hours donated by our very dedicated volunteers, not only on the night of the event, but for many weeks ahead of time. This party not only offers an enjoyable evening for our graduating seniors, it also helps to keep them safe on what can be a dangerous night for teenagers. I know this group is still looking for volunteers on the night/morning of June 7 and 8th, so please visit www.mhsanp.blogspot.com to sign up.
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.