From: Mary C. Gormley
To: Parents/Guardians and Staff
Re: E-blast Update
Date: Wednesday, June 22nd, 2016
FROM THE DESK OF THE SUPERINTENDENT
As this year quickly winds to a close, I would like to take a moment to thank each of our Milton Public School parents, guardians and staff for working together on behalf of all our students. We have a committed and supportive relationship with our parents and guardians. It goes without saying that our administrators and teachers are gifted, talented, dedicated and committed to advancing the individual potential of each and every Milton Public School student. I am proud to be your Superintendent of Schools. I wish you all a restful and wonderful summer break. See you in August!
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Last spring, the Milton School Committee passed a Residency Policy that states “students who are enrolled in the Milton Public Schools shall be required to re-establish residency prior to entering grades six and nine as well as Milton Public School students who attend school out-of-town*.”
Families who have students in these categories are required to fill out the form that has been mailed to their homes or go to the following link and provide all necessary documentation.
This process, now in its second year, is one of the safeguards used by the Milton Public Schools to ensure that all students enrolled in our schools are residents of the town of Milton. Although the re-registration process may be an inconvenience for some families, we hope that residents understand that this is a valuable tool to protect taxpayers in the town of Milton. We work year-round on residency issues and this is simply one more method to assist us with ensuring residency compliance.
Ms. Patty Lesenechal, Milton Public Schools Residency Coordinator, will be working morning and evening hours all summer beginning on Tuesday, June 28th to facilitate parents/guardians work schedules. Ms. Lesenechal will be in the Milton High School main office (25 Gile Road) every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 7am to noon; and Tuesday evenings from 4-8pm. Parents/guardians must submit their Re-Establish Residency packets by Friday, August 26th to ensure their child’s uninterrupted placement in Grades 6 and 9.
Ms. Lesenechal can be reached at 617-696-4470 ext 5516 or at plesenechal@miltonps.org
*This includes all students who attend Blue Hills Regional Technical School, Norfolk County Agricultural High School and Special Education out-of-district placements for students entering Grades 6 and 9.
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Finally, on behalf of thousands of Milton Public School students, I would like to recognize, congratulate and thank the following individuals who are retiring or have retired from the Milton Public Schools this year:
Claude Bird
Dr. Noreen Diamond Burdett
Kathleen Caccamo
Teresa Cunningham
John Desmond
Margaret Fajando
Susan Homan
Elizabeth MacElhaney
Joanne Magliozzi
Helene Olken
Steven Scherer
Susan Smialek
Charles Tacey
Margaret Turner
Lisa Tutunjian
SCHOOL COMMITTEE UPDATE
There has been one School Committee meeting since my last E-blast, held on Wednesday, June 15th. The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, July 6th at 7 pm in the Milton Access Cable Studio in Room 245 at Milton High School.
CURRICULUM NEWS
Please note, elementary classroom assignments, middle school team assignments and high school home room assignments will be e-mailed out in late August. Milton High School student schedules will be handed out on the first day of school.
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All grade levels require some summer assignments. Please refer to the resources below to be sure your student/s completes their work.
Elementary Schools: Summer Reading is important for all! It fosters a lifelong love of reading and helps maintain the gains in reading comprehension that students have made during the school year. With these goals in mind, we hope students read every day over the summer and participate in the Summer Reading Challenge at the Milton Public Library. Over the last few weeks, we have enrolled students in the program during library visits. If parents or guardians have any questions over the summer regarding the Summer Reading Challenge please contact Marti O’Keefe McKenna at mmkenna@miltonps.org or Sara Truog at struog@ocln.org.
The Pierce Middle School summer reading information can be found on both the Milton Public Schools website and the Pierce Edline page. If you have any questions about the Pierce summer reading materials, please contact the Pierce ELA curriculum coordinator, Nancy Warn at nwarn@miltonps.org.
The Milton High School summer reading info can be found on both the MPS website and the MHS Edline site. Please click here.
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The following item was sent to us by Bernadette Butler, Elementary Science Coordinator, and Suzanne Moynagh, parent of Collicot and Pierce students.
For the past three years, our fifth graders have had the opportunity to participate in a dynamic classroom science experience called Science from Scientists (www.sciencefromscientists.org). This exciting science program is taught every other week throughout the entire academic year. Through this program, charismatic scientists come into our fifth grade classrooms and lead lab-style science classes (which are standards-based, hands-on, and fun) for the day. These scientists provide all necessary equipment and materials while the classroom teachers help as active participants. Not only do students benefit from having actual scientists in their classroom as science role models, the teachers grow as professionals from being afforded the opportunity to work with these real-life scientists for the duration of the school year. On average, Science, Technology and Engineering (STE) MCAS scores increase about 11% over a 5-year period when schools partner with Science from Scientists. However, after implementing this program in Milton, the STE MCAS scores improved by 8%, 11%, and 14% in three out of four Milton elementary schools just last school year alone! It is clear this program has had a profound impact on our budding scientists!
Needless to say, the Science from Scientists program has sparked excitement and inspiration in both the teachers and the students involved! Many of you, as parents and guardians, have been in the classroom to witness the power and impact of this program! We are now asking for your help in securing donations to fund this important STEM initiative. Together, the Milton Public Schools and Milton Foundation for Education have secured $25,000 in funds but we are in need of an additional $35,000 to continue the program in each of our elementary schools for the next academic year. Many of the companies Milton Public Schools parents/guardians work for may be willing to donate or may offer grants that support this type of initiative.
If you or someone you know works for a company that may be willing to help, please contact Elementary Science Coordinator Bernadette Butler at bbutler@miltonps.org. If you would like to make a private donation of any size, please visit the Milton Public Schools website (www.miltonps.org), click UniBank on the right side of the webpage, and then select “Science from Scientists Donation”. Any amount is welcomed and will truly make a difference!
If you have any questions at all about the program or donations, please contact Elementary Science Coordinator Bernadette Butler (bbutler@miltonps.org). Thanks in advance for your support of this amazing program!
FAMILY LIAISON NEWS
The following item was submitted by Marti O’Keefe McKenna, MPS Family Outreach Liaison:
The Milton Public Schools is once again partnering with the Milton Public Library and Milton Early Childhood Alliance to bring some exciting reading programs this summer.
Summertime Stories for children age birth to 6 years old along with a parent or caregiver. Miss Sara, Milton Public Library Children’s Librarian will read stories, sing songs and delight children at four sessions held around town. On July 7th and August 4th the story time will be held at the Tucker Elementary School Playground (rain location will be in the gymnasium). On July 21st and August 18th, story time will take place at the Cunningham Hall. (Please park across the street at Collicot School). If the weather is nice be sure to bring a blanket as we will be outside. All sessions begin at 10:00am. Why not bring your soon-to-be Kindergartener and have them wear their yellow “I’m going to Kindergarten” t-shirt? It’s a great way for them to meet new friends who might be in their class in September!
Summer Reading Challenge Updates: Over the past two weeks the elementary schools’ library staff and family outreach liaison have been busy registering children in Grades K-4 for the On Your Mark, Get Set… Read! Summer Reading Challenge. The Milton Public Schools’ approach to summer reading at the elementary level in both French and English is to ask that students READ EVERY DAY in any language. By registering for the Summer Reading Challenge, students can log on to their very own home page and keep track of the minutes they have read beginning June 23 through August 31st. Each student can be a part of the goal to surpass last years’ record of 484,000 minutes read.
If you have questions about your child’s username or password please contact MPS Family Outreach Liaison Marti O’Keefe McKenna at mmckenna@miltonps.org or MPL Children’s Librarian Sara Truog at struog@ocln.org. If you did not have an opportunity to complete the registration form and submit to your child’s teacher you can sign them up directly at https://miltonlibrary.beanstack.org/reader365
Preschoolers and rising 6th graders are also invited to participate!
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Want to get a head start on plans for next year including days off, parent/guardian-teacher conferences, professional development days? Visit the MPS calendar for the school year ’16-’17 here
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The office of the Family Outreach Liaison will be open during the summer months. Please feel free to reach out with any questions you might have about the upcoming school year 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.
PAC/SPECIAL ED NEWS
We are pleased to announce the results of the recent elections held by the Milton Special Education Parent Advisory Council.
Chair-Amanda Serio Vice chair -Leslie Cheverie Secretary -Jennifer Grubler Treasurer- Doug Connolly SEPAC School representatives Collicot-Adam Graham, Kelly Graham, Jessica Raider Preschool- Amy Masferrer Cunningham-Jennie Muqueen Glover- Jenny Sheehan, Jon Sheehan Tucker- Rebecca Levreault Pierce-Claire Keating, Linda Mancini MHS -seeking representative
NEWS AROUND TOWN
The Milton Police Department is advising residents to please be aware of two scams going around town by telephone:
- You get a call from a party stating they are from the IRS and you own them money. They state that there is a warrant out for your arrest if you do not pay them.
- A party calls up stating they are a lawyer and that one of your family members were in an accident and arrested. They say that they need you to get a money order and give them the serial number in order to get your family member out of jail.
Please do not give any personal information to these callers and do not give them any money. If you have any questions or doubt, please contact Milton Police right away at 617-698-3800.
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This weekend will be a very exciting one in Milton. On June 25 and 26th, the Milton Music Festival will be held at Governor Hutchinson’s Field. The bands begin playing at 3pm on Saturday, with fireworks scheduled after dusk. Celtic Sunday will begin at 11:30am on June 26th. For more info, visit www.wearemilton.org Bring a lawn chair or a blanket and join the fun. Any MHS students who are interested in getting community service hours for volunteering for this event on Saturday should contact Assistant Superintendent for Business Dr. Glenn Pavlicek at gpavlicek@miltonps.org
MILTON PUBLIC LIBRARY
Summer is here – and so are fun family activities at the Milton Public Library! Books, programs, coloring, games, puppets and more are available every day for you to check out. Have you signed up for the Library’s Summer Reading Challenge yet? This year’s Challenge, entitled On Your Mark, Get, Set… Read! kicks off on June 23. Children ages 3-11 are eligible to participate. Keep up your skills over the summer, win prizes, and have fun! Visit our website at www.miltonlibrary.org to register now.
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 June 26 – July 2:
Tuesday, June 28, 2016 from 2:30 – 3:30 pm
Mad Science: Bugs, Ages 6-11
Join us for a totally buggy workshop with Mad Science of Greater Boston! Learn about the world of creepy, crawly creatures through hands-on activities and entertaining demonstrations, and build your own model insect. For ages 6-11; registration is required. Sponsored by the Friends of the Milton Public Library.
Thursday, June 30, 2016 from 2:30 – 4:00 pm
Readers’ Theatre, Grades 2-4
Readers’ Theatre is a type of drama performed by “readers” who read from a script and do not have to memorize lines. It can be not only a great introduction to theatre for kids, but it’s also a great way to practice one’s oral reading skills, build confidence, and have fun with friends! This summer, Miss Sara is leading a Readers’ Theatre Club for students entering grades 2-4. Each week participants will play theatre games, tackle scripts based on well-known children’s books, and make crafts to supplement the stories we’re telling together. Each meeting will culminate with a performance for family and friends. While this is a drop-off program, parents/caregivers are asked to return 15 minutes before the end of each class (at 3:45) so they can see the show! Students must be fluent readers who have completed first grade. Registration is required
Friday, July 1, 2016 from 10:00 – 11:00 am
Signing with Maribeth, Ages 0-4 with caregiver
Join us for a fun, interactive American Sign Language class with Maribeth. Learn how to sign the book Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Eileen Christelow to your child. Reading and signing to your child is a fun and easy way to teach your child sign language. All materials will be provided so that you can sign the book at home. The hour program is geared toward children ages 0-4 and their parents and caregivers. Registration is required. 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 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.
VISUAL ARTS
The Milton Art Center still has openings in its five-week K-5 summer programs. Each week has a different theme from “Under the Sea,” to “Fairy Houses,” and “Everything Animal.” Click here for more info or to register.
AMBASSADOR PAGE
Students: I would like to recognize Taija-Rayne Franklyn, a Pierce Middle School student, who wrote a beautiful poem for this year’s School Committee Volunteer Reception, held earlier this month. Here is her poem:
Making a mark on a life
Can start with the smallest of gestures
A grain of sand
that slips through your fingers,
as you peer out over the ocean.
Every so often, it’s easy to forget
the impact we have on those who we encounter
along our way,
But just try to hold on to this mindset:
the smallest grain of sand we gave,
will soon become a solid pebble alongside a riverbank.
Then a beautiful, even more substantial rock,
Within the crashing waves.
Before long, a majestic mountain
rises up in the distance,
Pure validation,
that the smallest grain of sand does indeed
ripple through the lives we touch.
Staff: Although Chief Richard Wells is an employee of the Milton Police Department, we like to think of him as one of our own here in the Milton Public Schools. For 32 years, the last nine as the Chief, Richard Wells has logged countless hours inside our schools, whether responding to crises or attending security planning meetings or reading to kindergarten students. With his retirement at the end of June, we would like to wish Chief Wells all the best and thank him for all he has done for the Milton Public Schools.
Volunteers: I would like to recognize and thank Maria Trozzi, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Boston University School of Medicine. Ms. Trozzi, an author and nationally recognized grief counselor, has worked closely with the Milton Public Schools for many years in times of crisis. This includes the Boston Marathon bombing, the Newtown shooting and tragedies within our own district. Her advice has been invaluable and the resources she has provided to our staff and our parents through the years has been extremely helpful. I would like to publicly thank Ms. Trozzi for all she does for the Milton Public Schools.
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.