As we head into a long weekend just a few reminders and updates.

• Covid Guidelines January 2022

• MPS Health Prescreening Checklist
• DESE/DPH Updated Isolation Guidelines 12/30/21: MPS will follow updated isolation protocols from DESE/DPH effective immediately. If a staff member or student has tested positive, the student may return to school on day 6 after 5 days of isolation if asymptomatic or symptoms are improving. The student will be required to wear a mask at ALL times and may be given lunch accommodations to ensure proper distancing when eating. Details can be found in section two here.
• DESE/DPH Quarantine Guidelines 12/30/21. Details can be found in section two here.
• Test and Stay: Sign up for Test and Stay at this link.
• Mask Mandate Extension: On January 10, DESE Commissioner Riley announced that he is extending the mask requirement in schools through Monday, February 28. The announcement is linked here.
• Updated Covid Positive and Close Contact Flowchart: DESE released updated flowcharts (linked here) on Wednesday, January 5.

• DESE FAQ: DESE released a new FAQ (linked here) on Thursday, January 6 that addresses updated protocols, affirms that people returning from quarantine and isolation can remove their masks to eat meals, and states that “fully vaccinated” in DESE guidance is still defined as two weeks following the completion of the Pfizer or Moderna series or two weeks following a single dose of Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine.

If you have any questions please feel free to email me at kcahill@miltonps.org or Andrea deManbey, MHS nurse, at ademanbey@miltonps.org

Congratulations to the Milton High School Debate Team on their Varsity won on January 8 at the MSDL Winter Wonderland Tournament! This is a first for our Milton High School team.

Advisor Kathleen Kelley shares that MHS took first place at the Varsity level and first, second and third at the Novice level. At the Varsity level, Sam Boucher and Jonathan Waldmann took First Place and at the Novice level, Alex McEttrick and Danny Steinberg took First Place, Williams Cayo competed solo and placed Second and Ida Zoll and Sydney Burns won Third Place. In addition, Sydney Burns, Sam Boucher, Williams Cayo and Ida Zoll received Speaker Awards. Bravo MHS Debate and congratulations to all of the competitors!

Milton High School will not automatically send your first semester (mid-year) grades to colleges. IF any of your colleges are asking you to send them, you must request these from your Guidance Counselor. Send your counselor an email, asking them to send your first semester transcript, and tell them which college requires it.

Thank you!

The Milton High Guidance Counselors

Today is the deadline to pay for AP Exams!

Thank you to all of our students and families who have already completed this process. Please see the AP Exam Payment Instructions & Deadlines Letter, which was distributed to all AP students and families earlier this week, for more information.

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

Milton Minds Matter is having their January meeting on January 25th. Join them to discuss the impact this time of year has on outlook and motivation and make personal vision boards. More information on the meeting is available here.

Calling all juniors and seniors....

The prom will be held on April 29, 2022 in Foxboro at Gillette Stadium from 7-11 PM.

Cost- $75/person

Tickets will be on sale after February break.

Watch for more information to come from your class advisors.

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!

CONGRATULATIONS to Ben Kelly, who was selected as Golf Coach of the year by the MIAA.

The award seeks to recognize and honor “teacher coaches” who have had an impact on the lives of student-athletes, by encouraging them to succeed and by helping them develop self-confidence, ambition, a sound work ethic, and other skills or values necessary or helpful for success in their later lives.

Mr. Kelly's coaching philosophy: Athletics is about developing people who love the game, play the sport the right way, display respect for self and others and manage expectations while viewing the broader picture.

Wrestling beat Wellesley on Wednesday night, just a few days after finishing 2nd at the Whitman Hanson Tournament over the weekend! Alex Paxhia, Jackson Matejka and Mason Pellegri were all champions at their weight class, with Christopher Toley Pinnock finishing 2nd and a few others finishing in the top 4! They host Excel Academy, Walpole, Norwood, and Oliver Ames this weekend in a Super Quad.

Our Winter Season is officially underway. Please take a look at schedules posted on our website.

The MHS Asian Culture Club is hosting a Culture Fair for all in the Milton Public Schools! We hope to respectfully celebrate the diversity in our community. It will be on Friday, January 28, 2022 from 6:30-8:00 PM in the Milton High School Library.

The Club welcomes all faculty and MHS students to create a presentation. To sign up to create a presentation, please use this link. All students and families in the Milton Public Schools are invited to visit the fair.

• PARTICIPATE: Please join us in welcoming back MHS Team Chair Tracy Grandeau, who has served Milton families in many capacities through the years. We are thrilled to have her expertise and caring to guide us forward. Thank you and welcome home Tracy!

• ADVOCATE : MHS SEPAC reps and co-chairs Jenny Sheehan and Jennie Mulqueen (as always, please reach out for help and more info on SEPAC) had our monthly meeting with Principal Cahill on Monday, January 10. We are grateful that Principal Cahill is holding a conference time to discuss staff changes with families next week and hope you will consider joining.

• Educate - Visioning for all students with many abilities: High school is a time when visioning is important for all students. Checking out this guide for creating a vision statement that really supports your learner. This and many other resources can be found on the miltonsepac.org There are also a few more slots open for parents and educators to attend the Westfield State sessions on preparing your student for college.

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.

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.

Substitute Teaching: Several members of our community have reached out about being a substitute teacher during this school year. On call daily substitute teachers are needed for all levels and the rate is $90 per day. We welcome all qualified applicants and encourage you to apply at the Apply for a Job at MPS link found on the front of the MPS website. Substitute teachers must have experience and enjoy working with children, the minimum requirement is a Bachelors degree for substitute teachers and an Associates degree for a substitute paraprofessional. Citizenship, residency or work VISA in United States is required. If you have any questions about the requirements, and how they pertain to you, please email MPS Human Resources Specialist Laurie Dunn at ldunn@miltonps.org.

The Milton Community Food Pantry located in the Parkway Methodist Church, 158 Blue Hills Parkway, has published their hours of operation for the remainder of the 2021-2022 School Year. The pantry is open from 9:15 – 11:15am with pre-bagged food ready to go on the following dates: January 8, January 22, February 5, February 19, March 5, March 19, April 2, April 23, May 7, May 21, June 4, June 18.

The food pantry is currently not accepting food donations but monetary contributions can be made online at their website or mailed to Milton Community Food Pantry, 158 Blue Hills Parkway, Milton, MA 02186.

MPS knows that families may sometimes need resources for their children and family beyond the classroom. 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.

The William James INTERFACE Referral Service is a mental health resource and referral Helpline available Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm. It assists Milton residents and/or public school students to access outpatient mental health services. What makes INTERFACE unique is that we do not provide merely a list of providers, but rather matched referrals to mental health professionals and practices who best meet the caller’s needs, insurance or fee requirement, specialty request, location, and availability. The Helpline is staffed by mental health professionals, as well as graduate level students from William James College. For more information about INTERFACE, please visit their website.

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.