Milton Public Schools: September 30, 2021

Press release from the Milton Public Schools:

Superintendent Jette

September 30, 2021

To: Parents/Guardians and StaffFrom: James F. JetteRe: Superintendent’s Weekly UpdateDate: September 30, 2021

FROM THE DESK OF THE SUPERINTENDENT

Today was Milton Glows Gold Day in the Milton Public Schools. Milton Police Officers greeted our students at arrival today (Milton Fire Fighters were not able to attend but were there in spirit!) and Senator Walter Timilty visited MHS in honor of Milton Glows Gold Day. Tonight the town will Glow Gold with gold ribbons on doors and candles in windows. We are celebrating Milton Glows Gold in partnership with the Michael C. McHugh Foundation, and we have helped to raise funds and awareness in support of families impacted by childhood cancer. Milton Glows Gold has been a wonderful initiative that we have been proud to be a part of. You can still be involved by:

Registering to run/walk/ride through the month of October in honor of the 15,690 kids diagnosed with cancer each year. Register here. 

Registering to run/walk/ride Register here. 

Give some liquid GOLD: There are sixteen slots left to donate blood at Pierce (details here) on Saturday, October 16. (The Cunningham Hall blood drive held today was fully booked!)  Make an appointment to give at this link and please and use sponsor code: PIERCE.  

Give some liquid GOLD Pierce (details here) Make an appointment to give at this link

Bring your Gold to school! Each of our schools has a coin collection bucket in the front office. Let’s fill them in support of families impacted by childhood cancer.

Bring your Gold to school!

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We are as anxious as many of you are to get our Test and Stay protocol up and running. Test and Stay is a state run program and this DESE Webinar from 9/23/21 explains the delays in this testing program. Unfortunately, the state was delayed in both the delivery of the BinaxNOW test and securing the staffing that the state is supplying to support schools.

DESE Webinar from 9/23/21 There are three different State testing options and we will be participating in the first two (Symptomatic and Test and Stay). Details are below.  Our September 9, 2021 letter about the Test and Stay Program can be found here.  You must OPT IN to Test and Stay to participate.  The link to opt in can be found here. MPS Health Services webpage.  Quality Review can be found at this link. linked here SCHOOL COMMITTEE The link to attend this listening session can be found here.

Whether or not you are able to join this listening session, please share your feedback about how the School Committee can most effectively engage with you and our community. 

share your feedback

The regular Milton School Committee meeting on October 6 will then begin at 7pm.  All information about attending School Committee meetings can be found on the Town of Milton webpage under School Committee. You can watch School Committee meetings live on Milton Access TV online, live on Milton Access cable channels (Comcast 22, RCN 15) or watch on-demand in the days following the meeting.

Town of Milton webpage under School Committee. Milton Access TV online on-demand HEALTH AND SAFETY

Vaccination records: Having records of all vaccinated members of our community as well as understanding the number of students participating in the Optional Testing Program is essential. If your student is fully vaccinated, please submit proof of vaccination as soon as possible using one of the following three methods.

Vaccination records Optional Testing Program

• Email or fax a copy (a photo is fine) to your school nurse (MHS Nurse Andrea deManbey at ademanbey@miltonps.org or Pierce Nurse Barbara Perry at bperry@miltonps.org)
• Mail a copy to the nurses’ office.
• Drop off a copy in the main office, Monday to Friday, during regular school hours.

Earlier this week DESE announced an extension of the mask requirement through November 1, 2021 and more information about vaccination rates and mask wearing after November 1. You can read their full communication here. 

more information about vaccination rates and mask wearing after November 1 You can read their full communication here.

For the time period of Thursday, September 23 – Wednesday, September 29, MPS had 11 positive student cases, and 0 positive staff cases. All health and safety information can be found on our Health Services website. 

Health Services website EDUCATIONAL EQUITY

Senior Director of Educational Equity, Somaly Prak-Martins, shares this week’s Behaving Equitably Newsletter linked here. Ms. Prak-Martins shares information about trauma and its impact, Haitian migrants and more in this week’s newsletter. 

Somaly Prak-Martins Behaving Equitably Newsletter linked here HIGH SCHOOL HAPPENINGS

The MHS Key Club started their year sharing messages of positivity with MHS. Club members wrote their own positive messages and also chose uplifting quotes by poets, athletes, celebrities and presidents. They made colorful posters and hung them throughout the school and hope that anyone having a challenging day will notice their messages of positivity and it will lift their spirits.

PIERCE PAGES

6th grade health class created their version of Pierce Positive Community Member Poster. Students worked in groups to create a list of ten attributes/characteristics they would want to see from their peers that represent a positive community member. Students explained what each attribute/characteristics look like within the building and then individually created a poster using those words.

INSIDE OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

On September 17 Mme. Bonner and Mme. Brown’s Glover students celebrated  Constitution Day. Mrs. McDavitt visited the class and read the book America Is by Louise Borden about the Constitution and the importance of Freedom and Justice. Students then colored various symbols of the Constitution and did an activity at home.

America Is

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Ms. Good’s Glover 5th graders  were busy exploring their shadows and investigating how and why their shadows change throughout the day. To start their exploration, students traced their shadows in the morning then again in the afternoon. The students compared their tracings/shadows and used this information to determine the position of the Sun as it appears to move throughout the daytime sky. They found that not only does their shadow move, but the size and shape changes as well. Students will go on to continue to investigate the sun’s orientation and its relationship to earth.

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Monster Dash Art Contest! Do you want to see your original, Halloween-themed art on over a thousand T-shirts at the Monster Dash? Well, then get out your black sharpies, an 8.5×11 white paper and your creativity! No tracings or printed material, bring your submission and permission form to your school office by October 8th.  All details can be found at this link.  We can’t wait to see your spooky designs!

Monster Dash Art Contest! All details can be found at this link.  FOOD SERVICE

Jackie Morgan, Director of Food Services, shares the following.

Jackie Morgan, Director of Food Services,

The Milton Food and Nutrition Department is asking for your patience and support as we navigate new challenges. As you may be aware, we are currently faced with unprecedented shortages of food and packaging materials, massive delays or cancellations of deliveries, and some department labor shortages. Nationwide shortages and delays have affected availability of certain food items, leading to substitutions of menu items we’ve been able to offer regularly in the past. These supply issues are occurring throughout the country and are especially challenging for school systems, due to the quantity of meals we serve and the nutrition standards we follow.

All of this means that we may need to make quick substitutions to our menu(s) based upon what we are able to acquire. We know that this affects students, and we are doing our best to provide updates about menu changes when possible as soon as we identify an issue. Families with students who have food allergies are encouraged to check our online menus daily to make sure you are aware of any substitutions.

Please know that our number one priority continues to be providing healthy, nutritious, and appetizing meals for your children. We love seeing them every day and appreciate your support and patience as we continue to offer meals at no charge for all students. The good news is that free breakfast and lunch will continue throughout the school year, so please stick with us while we face yet another challenge. Your participation helps our program stay strong, and we look forward to serving you!

FAMILY RESOURCES 

Quincy Family Resource Center and Joanna’s Place have published their October happenings.  At Joanna’s Place, registration for Circle G, a support group specifically tailored to caregivers and their children, ages 8-18, who have experienced the death of a spouse/parent or child/sibling, is underway.  Quincy Greater Resource Center offers a variety of groups, some remote and some in person.  Their October calendar is jam packed with information about support groups and activities.  In an effort to support and foster a strong home-school connection MPS knows that families may sometimes need resources for their children and family beyond the classroom.  In addition to the Milton Public School Resource Guide we will be highlighting local community resources families may find beneficial in our Family Resource Newsletter.  If you need additional assistance please don’t hesitate to reach out to Marti O’Keefe McKenna, MPS Family Outreach Liaison at 617-980-7343 or by email at mmckenna@miltonps.org. All calls and emails are confidential.

Milton Public School Resource Guide Family Resource Newsletter mmckenna@miltonps.org ATHLETICS Caroline Gannon hit a hole-in-one Milton High Golf Twitter Account (@MiltonHSGolf) The Swim Team The Volleyball Team Football The Girls Soccer Team Registration for Swing 4 Sports is now open!   Register at this link. COMMUNITY NEWS Sophia’s Annual Sock Drive! Register now!  October calendar can be found here please visit the MPL website.  All details can be found here.  The Milton Early Childhood Alliance Fall Newsletter Story Walk at The Trailside Museum – Story Walk at Brookwood Community Farm – Story Walk at Milton Cemetery – Stories and Friends Meet Up and Scavenger Hunt – Advance registration is required. BLOG SUBSCRIPTION:  please enter your email here to subscribe

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 a 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 and Human Resources Janet Sheehan, (617) 696- 4808/4809.

This press release was produced by the Milton Public Schools. The views expressed here are the author’s own.