I hope everyone takes time to relax this weekend and enjoy this holiday season.

If you are in need of assistance this holiday season (or at any time), please reach out to me or 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.

Each year we support several teens in need who otherwise would not receive holiday gifts. If you are looking to support a local cause, please consider some of our students here at Milton High. A gift card to Target where they can purchase food, toiletries and clothing goes a long way. Thank you for considering this worthwhile cause.

As I stated last week, we are very mindful that heading into the holidays can trigger certain behaviors and emotions for some of our students and even staff. I ask that we are all aware of our actions and treat those around us as we would want to be treated. Milton High School is a great school community and all of our students and staff have a right to feel safe and supported when they are here. We have been holding assemblies this week and will continue into next week to remind our students what our expectations are for student learning, athletics and all extracurricular activities.

This week, MHS Computer Science students organized events for CS Ed Week. Students hosted a CS Ed Week day at the library and Pierce students were able to visit 7 different stations and learn about binary, decoding, computer hardware, matrices, and algorithms. Teams of MHS students visited 5th graders and presented on Computer Science principles, gave them a chance to code and then answered lots of questions about CS. At MHS, students participated in a scavenger hunt, typing contests, viewed posters around the building and had presentations on CS in art classes. Check out the CS Ed Week @ Milton website to see more details.

#CSisEverywhere

https://www.csedweek.org/

MassEdCO is hosting several virtual FAFSA Pop-Up Saturdays to help students and families complete their applications.

Financial Aid experts will be available to provide one-on-one assistance on any of the dates available, and bilingual assistance will be offered in Spanish, Mandarin, Nepali, and Hindi.

Register here: FASFA Pop-Up Saturdays hosted by MassEdCO

Please note: You will be sent the Zoom link the day prior to your event.

FAFSA/Pop-Up Saturdays:

Saturday, December 18: Virtual Event from 10 am-3 pm

Saturday, January 15: Virtual Event from 10 am-3 pm

Saturday, February 19: Virtual Event from 10 am-3 pm

Saturday, March 19: Virtual Event from 10 am-3 pm

Some of the information you may need to complete your application:

Student and Parent (if applicable) Federal Student Aid ID (FSA ID) - (FAFSA filers)

Student and Parent (if applicable) Social Security number

If not a US citizen, your A-number (if you are an eligible noncitizen)

Parent's federal income tax return from tax year 2020

Records of untaxed income (such as child support, TANF, interest income, veterans non-education benefits, Social Security benefits)

Student's 2020 federal income tax return, or evidence of income earned (W-2 form or pay records)

Bank account records or statements

Records of stocks, bonds, or investments

Business records

We will see you there!

massedco.org

The Annual AFL-CIO Scholarship and Labor Education Program is in its 64th year. Through the program, the Massachusetts AFL-CIO and affiliated unions are proud to award financial resources to high school students pursuing trade union programs or college/university study. The Massachusetts AFL-CIO administers half a million dollars of scholarship awards on behalf of unions and labor councils throughout the state. Individual awards range from $500 to $16,000.

In order to be eligible for a scholarship, students must be a senior in high school and take the Labor History Exam. The Massachusetts AFL-CIO publishes a Labor History Study Guide, which covers a broad range of the history of working people organizing for justice in the United States. The Labor History Exam is administered once per year, and awardees are determined by the Scholarship Committee of the MA AFL-CIO. The Scholarship Committee consists of current and retired union members.

All Massachusetts high school seniors are eligible to compete for certain awards. Additionally, students with a family or personal union affiliation are eligible for awards given by their family’s specific local union or central labor council. About 2,000 students take the exam annually to compete for a scholarship.

_____________________________________________________________________________

IMPORTANT DATES

2022 Registration Open! Click Here to Register.

The deadline to register is December 17, 2021 by 5pm.

Once a student registers they must inform the Guidance Office

by emailing cmacdougall@miltonps.org that they intend to take the exam.

Click below to download the MA AFL-CIO Scholarship Exam study guide. The guide was last updated in 2020. Please click the link below to download a copy of the study materials. Please make sure to visit our website to use the virtual lessons, quizzes and more!

• Mass AFL-CIO Scholarship Exam Study Guide 2019-2020

Interactive exam website studying tool click here

This features supplemental materials and quizzes to test your knowledge.

Link for reference: Massachusetts AFL-CIO Scholarship

Key Dates for 2021-2022 Program

• December 17, 2021: Last day to register. All applications must be received by 5pm to be eligible to take the scholarship exam.

• January 31, 2022-February 4, 2022: Scholarship exam is administered at high schools across Massachusetts. Schools will administer the exam online within the timeframe provided. Students must check with their exam proctor for testing time and location.

If you have additional questions, contact Scholarship Coordinator Carla Connolly at cconnolly@massaflcio.org.

The Milton Special Education Parent Advisory Council (Milton SEPAC) shares the following information.

• PARTICIPATE Your school reps Jennie Mulqueen and Jenny Sheehan will have their monthly meeting with Principal Cahill on Monday, December 13 at which we will review routine questions around staffing, inclusion, and post secondary transition programs. Please reach out and let us know what additional ideas and concerns we might bring.

• ADVOCATE : NEXT SEPAC BOARD MEETING will be held on Thursday, December 16, 6:30 -8:30 Zoom Link at which we will be finalizing vision and goals for 2022.

• EDUCATE - REAL Transition partners through the Federation for Children with Special Needs. For children ages 14-26.

Milton Sports for All is looking for high school students interested in volunteering to help with their recreational bowling program. You can volunteer for one of the sessions or both. Ms. Facey will sign off on your hours when you provide the paperwork. In the fall, Milton Sports for All had a very fun and successful Kick Ball Program and everyone who participated had a great time. Please email Ms. Facey at pattyfacey@comcast.net if you would like to volunteer. There will be a meeting prior to the start to go over how the program will run.

Recreational Bowling: January 6th – March 31st

Milton Sports for All, a recreational, inclusive sports program, is offering candle-pin bowling this winter at Cunningham Hall.

The program is open to kids in grades 4 - 8 who reside in Milton. Bowling will happen on Thursdays from January 6th through March 31st—from 4:30 – 5:15 for grades 4 and 5 and from 5:30 – 6:15 for grades, 6, 7, and 8. No experience (or bowling shoes!) is necessary. Candle-pin bowling uses smaller balls which are easier for kids to bowl.

Milton Sports for All is organized by a volunteer group of parents and community members who believe that sports should not only be fun, but also accessible to all kids regardless of background, experience, or ability. We welcome new volunteers! Our goal is for kids across Milton to have fun playing sports together in a supportive environment where they can meet new friends.

It’s the MFE’s 25th Anniversary! Help us celebrate our anniversary by joining our Annual Appeal Campaign to give $25 for 25 years.

An education from the Milton public schools is the foundation for excellence and the Milton Foundation for Education (MFE) has been helping lay those foundations for 25 years with well over 50, 000 students. Help us celebrate the MFE's 25th year by taking part in the annual giving campaign. Donations from generous supporters like you have helped fund initiatives in all six Milton schools and every dollar donated to the MFE helps spark innovation and energizes the learning experience for students and educators in Milton. Your gift, in any amount, is welcomed and appreciated! All details and the link to donate can be found here.

Please use UniBank to pay for your AP exams. Exam fees remain at $40/exam ($20/exam if on Free/Reduced Lunch), and the Milton Public Schools will pay the remainder.

Navigate to www.miltonps.org, and select the "MPS Online Payment Center" link on the right side of the page. Select "AP Exam Fees" and follow the instructions to complete your payment. The payment window is open now through January 14, 2022.

Please contact Mr. Kelly (bkelly@miltonps.org) with any questions about Payment for AP Exams.

Yearbook info for the Class of 2022-

Yearbook ads are a great way to personalize your senior's yearbook. You can design them yourself, or simply upload images and text and let the yearbook advisor design it for you. You can include messages from family members and other loved ones, baby and family photos. It's a great way to show your senior how proud you are of this huge milestone! Yearbook ads have become extremely popular in the last few years, but space is limited! Ads are first come first serve so act fast!

The link to purchase the yearbook and/or a yearbook family ad space is below:

https://yearbookforever.com/schools/milton_high_school_buy_yearbook_820/fRKtYXJD38j86I00ek5xKlj0

Be on the lookout for an email from Mrs. Plunkett with information about senior quotes and senior superlatives.

Sophia Manning signed her Division I Letter of Intent to Temple University for Women’s Rowing on Monday! Congratulations to all four students who signed their Letters of Intent.

• Norah Affanato, Loyola University Maryland, Cross Country & Track
• Charlie Walker, Northeastern University, Baseball
• Brian Foley, UMass Lowell, Baseball
• Sophia Manning, Temple University, Crew

Winter sports are underway and we are excited to have a full complement of games this Winter Season! There are no capacity limits or social distancing requirements but ALL students, coaches and spectators MUST be masked when in the school building. Spectators must follow posted site policies for Ulin Rink or opposing venues, including rinks and gymnasiums.

The Winter sports season has begun and we are excited for a full season! Be sure to check out our Athletics page for more information!

Looking for a schedule?

CLICK HERE

• About one in four teen car crashes involves an underage drinking driver.
• Every day about 800 people are injured in a drunk-driving crash.
• Every day in America, another 29 people die as a result of drunk-driving crashes. That’s one person every 50 minutes.

Impaired driving is absolutely preventable. For tips on how to keep your young drivers, and passengers, safe, including: tips for conversations; reinforcing expectations; helping to build an exit plan, and showing them that you care, click here. https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/factsheet_ed-impaireddriving_r6f_508c.pdf For other resources, see www.milton-coalition.org

Our Milton High Library is open by 7am every morning so students can access all the amazing resources the library has to offer! Librarian J Troy is always on hand to help guide students in the right direction!

Throughout the school year, members of our MPS community celebrate and observe various religious holidays. We adjust homework expectations as needed as you can see in the document linked here. If there is a religious holiday that we have missed, please email Superintendent James Jette or Senior Director of Education Equity Somaly Prak-Martins.

MPS School Calendar

(Revised 10/27/21- due to storm closure the last day of school is now June 22nd)

For Family Technology Support click HERE

Chromebook Troubleshooting

Is your family having internet issues or need assistance to access the internet in your home? Please go here for more information.

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.

In their most recent guidance, 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.

If your student is fully vaccinated and you have not yet submitted proof of vaccination, we ask that you do so immediately!

• 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.
• If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out directly to our Director of Nursing, Kim Coughlin, at kacoughlin@miltonps.org or 617-696-4470 x5517.

Thank you for your cooperation, which will aid us in fully understanding the vaccination status of our population, especially with regard to the 80% threshold.