Our Seniors last day is Friday, May 27th! Seniors, please look for an email from me this weekend with some reminders as you head into your last week of high school!

At the Milton Public Schools, we understand the importance of communication, transparency, and ease of access to information. Please help us learn about our strengths and areas which need improvement by taking this short survey.

These questions target communications at the district and school level only. Please take just a few minutes to give us feedback on our communication practices. Thank you for your responses.

Bus registration for the 2022-23 school year is now open. Please visit our Transportation Page for all details and links.

Are you looking for community service opportunities? Throughout the year you will be able to access any community service opportunities here. There are already several opportunities available for students to volunteer. Get involved now!

The Milton Parks and Recreation Department is holding community service sign ups for grades 9-11 in the MHS cafe on Wednesday, June 1 st from 2:20 – 3pm for all 2022 summer programs. If your child is unable to attend this meeting, please email bdevore@townofmilton.org after June 1 to see if there are any available weeks left for community service. Space is limited so please make every attempt to attend this meeting.

Per current CDC guidelines, after testing positive for COVID, students and staff are returning to school on Day 6. (Day 0 is the date of positive COVID test or start of symptoms). As a reminder, returning students and staff must continue to wear a well-fitting mask at school through day 10.

We continue to practice mitigating strategies, including promoting ventilation with open windows and doors and running rooftop units to increase the number of fresh air exchanges. With the upcoming spring weather, we will also take advantage of outdoor space when possible.

We are excited to share with you that Milton High School will continue with our one-to-one Chromebook initiative (1:1) for all ninth and tenth grade students next year. In adopting this model, all ninth and tenth grade students will receive a school-issued Chromebook that they will take to and from school on a daily basis. Ninth and tenth grade students will not be allowed to bring their own device to school.

All current eighth-grade students will be asked to return their loaned Chromebook and charger to Pierce Middle School the last week of school. Students attending MHS this fall will receive their Chromebook in advisory on the first day of school. All 9th grade students will keep their school issued Chromebook throughout the summer and 10th grade year.

Optional Chromebook insurance will be offered to all students loaning a Chromebook. It is highly encouraged to purchase insurance for their school-issued Chromebook. If insurance is declined, students are held responsible for damage beyond reasonable wear and tear as outlined in the Loan Agreement. Information on how to purchase Chromebook Insurance and 1:1 Chromebook initiative for the 2022-23 school year will be shared in the coming weeks.

Our Chorus, Band and String Ensembles put on a beautiful concert on Tuesday.

If you weren't able to make it here is a recording of the evening.

Congratulations to Elizabeth Aguilar for being selected to the The Academies by Harvard Student Agencies. The Academies are Harvard-quality, pre-professional programs for high achieving high school students. Alongside an elite curriculum and hands-on experience, The Academies are uniquely positioned to provide mentorship from a Harvard undergraduate. Elizabeth has the opportunity to study on Harvard’s campus this summer and study the field of Business. Elizabeth’s Business teacher, Ms. Maura O’Brien had this to say about Elizabeth, “Elizabeth’s acceptance is an amazing accomplishment and I am thrilled for her to be receiving the recognition that she deserves! Elizabeth’s dedication, positive attitude, and work ethic does not go unnoticed and is demonstrated in everything that she does both in and out of the classroom. I am proud to have Elizabeth representing Milton High School at The Academies this Summer and I look forward to hearing about her experience upon her return”. Congratulations, Elizabeth and good luck with this summer at Harvard!

Congratulations to the school newspaper, Elephant in the Room, for being awarded "Superior Achievement in Scholastic Editing and Publishing" by the New England Scholastic Press Association.
In addition, congratulations to junior Mia Gilmore for receiving a "Special Achievement Journalism Award" under the "news story" category. Mia's article "How Americans don't know America" wowed the judges.

The Department of Fine Arts would like to give a shout out to Mr Merkle's support, collegiality and his student's work in the Wood Workshop.

A shout out to Gavin Connor, Gorjaun Tarawallie, Owen Faherty and Michael Higgins who worked under Mr Merkle's guidance to make this happen!

We are grateful for the few weeks of work that went into building a custom table for our upcoming Artist in Residence, Venerable Tenzin YignYen. The table was built to specifications and painted a custom blue. It will be used for a Tibetan Sand Painting at Tucker Elementary and Milton High School.

THANK YOU!

We always like to hear about the amazing accomplishments our graduates make once they leave Milton High. This week I would like to recognize Declan Driscoll. Declan Driscoll has been named Regimental Operations Officer at Massachusetts Maritime Academy for the coming academic year. It's one of the highest-ranking positions in the Regiment. He's an International Maritime Business major at Mass Maritime! Congratulations Declan!!

Looking to save on the cost of college? Consider a nontraditional path to a Bachelor's degree with the Mass Transfer program. Read about it in this article from the Boston Globe.

Parents of Seniors concerned about paying the first college bill this July: Attend next week's free webinar:

"How to Borrow Correctly for College and Why Everyone Should!

a webinar from College Aid Pro

Join the experts at College Aid Pro to learn everything you need to know about the last stage in college planning:

PAYING THE BILL & CHOOSING THE RIGHT LOAN
You will learn the following:
1. Pros & Cons of all options: federal, state, private, alternative (home equity, etc.)
2. Rates & Repayment terms
3. Why EVERYONE should borrow
4. When to use what resources; 529 vs cash-flow
5. How much should we borrow?
6. Timing & Execution
7. Live Q & A

Time

May 24, 2022 08:00 PM This is the link to register for the 5/24 webinar

Please see below from MPS Athletic Director Ryan Madden. It’s been another great week for Milton High School Athletics!

For those wondering about Fall Sports, see below for information.

• Football tryouts start Friday, August 19th.
• All other Sports tryouts start Monday, August 22nd.
• All students must have a valid physical on file in order to try out. Physicals are valid for 13 months.
• Registration will open in June, with payment due before tryouts start in August.
• Tryout dates and times will be posted on August 1st.
• An email with more information about coaching staff will be sent to families soon.

The 2022-23 One Page School Year Calendar (Draft) linked here has been approved by the School Committee. Please note that this calendar is intended as a guide ONLY. It may be necessary to change this schedule to better serve instructional purposes.

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.

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.

All MHS students and families are required to read our MHS Student and Family Handbook and required to digitally sign a verification form acknowledging reading and understanding the rules and policies for Milton High School. If you have not signed and submitted the verification form that was sent to you by No-Reply@miltonps.org, please do so as soon as possible. Feel free to reach out to the Main Office with any questions.

As discussed at a recent School Committee meeting, the Milton Public Schools has updated our school incident reporting forms so people can specify incidents on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, religion and more. The Milton High School incident form can be found here and each school has a form linked on the front of their school’s website and they are also linked on the front of the MPS website, the MPS Education Equity page and MPS Anti-Bullying page.

Milton Coalition shares the following resources for our Milton Community:

How to access mental health care: tips and resources. https://www.milton-coalition.org/accessing-mental-health-tips-and-resources

New national helpline for anyone playing a supportive role in the life of a young person struggling with substance use. Drugfree.org also has parent support on-line and parent coaching. Helpline is bilingual (English/Spanish) and is available M-F 10-10, Sat & Sun. 12-5. To connect with helpline: Text CONNECT to 55753 to contact a specialist. To provide you with support specific to your needs, you will receive a link to a brief, confidential survey in response. A specialist will reply directly to your message within 24 hours. For more information, see https://drugfree.org/get-support/

Please visit our Family Resource Newsletter to find valuable family support resources including Therapy Matcher, Compass Helpline, Quincy Family Resource Center (including Milton), Aspire Health Alliance and New Directions Counseling Center.

In addition to the Family Resource Newsletter please visit Milton Public School Resource Guide. 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.

If you have trouble securing an appointment for a physical this summer, MinuteClinic will be offering a $25 off discount for Sports Physicals between June 17 and September 14 this year. Patients can go online here to make an appointment or just scan the QR code below. Find a local clinic at this link.