Archived December 2023
Millis High School Small School...Big Family
Archived December 2023
Upcoming Events
12/22 - Early Release 10:55am
12/25 - 1/1 - No School Winter Break / HS Office Closed
1/2 - First Day of School in 2024
1/11 - Faculty Talent Show 7pm
1/15 - No School MLK Day
1/19 - End of Term 2
1/26 - Early Release 10:55am
Next Stop...2024!
On behalf of the faculty and staff of Millis High School, I want to wish you a happy, healthy, safe holiday season, and a winter break filled with memorable time alongside family and friends. We are very fortunate that our school and community share such an amazing partnership, and look forward to all the new experiences and adventures ahead as we enter 2024! When we return to school we'll have a newlywed on our staff (congratulations to Ms. Fillebrown on her wedding this weekend!), and a new member of the family (Mrs. Zitoli is due with her second child any day, or minute, now!).
The high school office will be closed next week, and will reopen for business when our students return to school on Tuesday, January 2. Enjoy the break!
-- Mr. Awdycki
MHS Winter Concert
Last night's Winter Concert was a great success! Congratulations to all the performers, and to Mr. Femino and Mrs. Norton for all their hard work in putting this spectacular show together!
The Power Went Out...But We Made the Most of it!
On Monday, December 18, the school was plunged into darkness. Following the severe storm, the power at Millis Middle and High Schools went out just before 11am, much like for most of the town. Everyone was safe in the building, and we continued our school day as normally as possible given the situation. Our cafeteria staff worked hard to feed the students, and make sure everyone had lunch. The teachers and staff worked hard to come up with alternative methods to ensure all students were safe and accounted for and to keep them engaged and learning. The operations staff worked to keep our generator going and hopped around the building taking care of some of the window leaks caused by the storm. Our transportation team did a fantastic job of making sure our students got home safely at the end of the day. It might sound crazy, but collectively, students and staff thought the day brought us all a little closer as a school community. Taking a bit of a tech break certainly wasn't a bad thing for any of us, either!
A quick story from the day. There was no way some of our teachers were going to let a power outage get in the way of their need to refuel with coffee! Two of them scoured the entire building during their prep periods looking for a working outlet. They finally found one in the back of Mr. Benham’s (MS science teacher) classroom, which made their day. How’s that for Millis partnership and ingenuity?! Check out some pictures from the day below, including the magical outlet that gave our staff the jolt of java they needed to get through to 2:20!
Winter Break Spirit Week!
To celebrate our last full week of 2023 together as a school community, the Student Council put together a Winter Break Spirit Week for all to enjoy! We captured some of that spirt from the week in the pictures below. We even received a visit from The Grinch!
Monday ~ 12/18 ~ Pajama Day
Wednesday ~ 12/20 ~ Winter Wonderland (dress all in white)
Thursday ~ 12/21 ~ Grinch Gear Thursday (dress all in green)
Friday ~ 12/22 ~ Festive Friday (ugly sweaters and holiday gear)
Thank You Mrs. Macomber...Welcome Mrs. Bavey
Today was the last day for Mrs. Traci Macomber, our high school Administrative Assistant, as she heads toward new adventures outside the halls of Millis High School. Mrs. Macomber joined us nearly three years ago and has been an important part of our office team and school community. The behind the scenes work Mrs. Macomber has done made a huge impact on our students, families, school, and community. She has created a number of activities that have enhanced our school culture, such as our now annual "MIllis March Madness", helped shape and organized a number of our student recognition events, and put together challenges and celebrations such as our recent "Constitutional Jeopardy", that our students and staff have come to love. She has done all of this while taking care of daily attendance, helping to put together our weekly newsletter, and a host of tasks that support our staff and students, keeping us running smoothly on a daily basis. Her creativity and positivity will certainly be missed here at MHS, but we are thankful she chose MHS as one of the stops on her journey!
As Mrs. Macomber moves on, we are very happy to welcome to our school family, Mrs. Sue Bavey, who has been training alongside Mrs. Macomber for the past couple of weeks. Mrs. Bavey will officially take over the position when we return from the break on January 2. A native of England, resident of Franklin, and mother of two teenagers, Mrs. Bavey has worked for many years in the customer service/marketing fields, most recently at Paramount Industries in neighboring Medway. She's also worked as a web producer, and is an accomplished author, having published a few of her own books, while contributing a number of short stories to different anthologies over the years. No surprise, she is an avid reader and has a blog where she writes her own book reviews. We are excited to have her as part of our Millis family!
A Message from our Partner - The KyleCares Foundation
With year-end holidays upon us, we take time to reflect on 2023 through several different lenses. Are we making a significant impact? Is KyleCares generating opportunities for young adults to feel empowered to lead a change in their school culture? Are we creating a change in students’ attitudes toward seeking help with confidence?
One thing we never question is the support we receive from our devoted followers, whose financial assistance in 2023 helped us establish new student-led Active Minds chapters at 19 high schools and deliver over 60 Minding Your Mind Young Adult Speaker presentations to thousands of students in 28 other schools. Led by courageous young adults, they share personal stories of their own mental health challenges so that others struggling today know they’re not alone, and help is available to them if they are willing to ask. Our KyleCares Conference @ Gillette Stadium last April for MA high schools, and our upcoming Teen Mental Health Summit for RI high schools in January both generate opportunities for students to engage in peer-to-peer conversations, build awareness together, and arm them with resources to help themselves with their own mental health; help their peers; and positively impact their schools as mental health advocates.
NONE of this is possible without an all-hands-on-deck approach from all of us, and all of you - students, schools, families, friends, our mental health partners, and the hundreds of generous donors and sponsors who support our mission throughout the year. From all of us at KyleCares – thank you, and happy holidays!
Peer Leaders Thrift Shop Donations Needed
Did you get gifted a sweater from your Grandma that you know you will never wear? Donate it to the Peer Leaders thrift shop! How about those clothes in your closet that you are just done with but are still in good shape? Donate them to the thrift shop! The Peer Leaders are accepting new and gently used clothing for their upcoming thrift shop (January 11). Donation boxes are set up in Mrs. Dunn’s office and Mr. Alconada’s room. Please bring in your donations when you return from break!
Crimson Post Newsletter
The second issue of the year for The Crimson Post is now out. You can find it on our website or subscribe for a hard copy.
December 15, 2023
Progress Reports for Quarter 2 are Now Available
Quarter 2 Progress Reports are now available in PowerSchool
- Parents/guardians have two ways of seeing the report
- (1) An email with the link was sent out this afternoon.
- Check your spam if you don't see it.
- If you have not updated your contact information the email may have been sent to an old email.
- (2) To view reports in the parent portal on Powerschool, please sign in to PowerSchool
- Here is the link https://millisschools.powerschool.com/public/
- Navigate to "student reports" located on the left sidebar
- You will be able to view and print all published reports - just click the report name to open
If you are unable to access your students Progress Report using these steps, please reach out to our Data/PowerSchool Specialist, Chad Liberty, at cliberty@millisschools.org
IDEAS Conference
On Friday, December 1st, six students from the Culture Club attended the IDEAS conference at Lincoln Sudbury Regional High School. IDEAS stands for “INITIATIVES for DEVELOPING EQUITY and ACHIEVEMENT for STUDENTS”. Our students worked with students from other towns and discussed what equity looks like and how they can be the change within our school. We are looking forward to a presentation from the group at our January staff meeting, inspired by their work at this important conference!
LEOs Club Collection
The Millis LEOS are collecting for their annual "Gift Cards for Millis Teens" drive. You can drop off cash or a check made out to Millis LEOS at Millis High School, c/o the LEOS, or Venmo LEOS President @Lindzey-Murillo, and the LEOS will shop for the cards. You can donate an entire gift card, too. The cards will be given to School Resource Officer, Zach Forsythe, who will work to ensure they are distributed to Millis teens in need.
If you'd rather donate a toy, you can drop off an unwrapped toy at Millis High School c/o The LEOS, or at 96 Cottage Ave, in Millis. The toys will be donated to Project Just Because in Hopkinton.
Both drives will run until Thursday, December 21st.
The Millis High School Band & Chorus invites you to a
Holiday Concert
Where: Millis High School
When: Thursday, December 21 at 7:00pm
The concert will be FREE of charge. There will be a 50/50 raffle & refreshments sold.
All proceeds will benefit the Millis Music program.
Safety Drills
On Thursday, December 14, in conjunction with Millis Middle School, we did a “Shelter in Place” drill during the school day. After the approximately 10-minute drill, the Administrative team met with Millis Police to debrief.
Next week, we will also be practicing a full “Lockdown” drill in the building, and again, the Millis Police will be on hand to assist with the drill and debrief following.
The safety of our students and school is always a top priority. While we hope to never activate any of these protocols, trainings such as these help prepare our staff and students in the event we experience an emergency situation. Thank you for your help and support as we work to ensure the safety of your children.
Environmental Action Collection
On Sunday, January 14th, the Environmental Action Club at Millis High School will be picking up any redeemable bottles and cans from residents in the Town of Millis. This money will go towards supporting the club and future donations that will be made to environmental non-profits, or other activities, to ensure climate education and awareness. Please put your name and address on the form linked to below (or scan the QR code) if you would be willing to donate. You can leave the bottles and cans out the morning of January 14th, by your front door, garage, or in the driveway. Environmental Action volunteers will come by and pick them up for you between 10AM-12PM! If you have any questions, please email: isabri25@millisschools.org. Happy New Year!
Got Talent????
We are planning a student talent show in April and want YOU to perform! Go to your Google Classroom and complete the Google Form. The grade that has the most acts participating will be rewarded with 1/4 of the night's profits.
Some ideas for potential performances:
Musical acts
Skits imitating your favorite teachers!
Dance performances
Lip-syncing
Comedy stand-up routines
Hula-hooping contest
Poetry slams
Rap battles
Magic tricks
... pretty much anything else you can think of!
Have you checked out the new, improved library web page?
Find our latest book requests on our Amazon Wish List linked from the top of the page.
The recent Scholastic Book Fair in October raised over $1,400 in Scholastic Dollars, which allowed us to purchase 40 books for the library, both replacing some of the more popular books which had become lost, and buying new ones. Thank you to everyone who supported our book fair!
Continue scrolling for previous newsletters
December 8, 2023
November 2023 Students of the Month Announced
November Student of the Month nominees and winners were announced on Friday, December 8th. Each student was presented with a Roche Bros. gift card in recognition of this achievement. A great big thank you to Roche Bros. for donating gift cards to the 2023-24 Student of the Month program!
Grade 9 Nominees: Lilya Glynn, Alexis Skerry, Lucy Fuentes and Sarah Malaquias
Grade 9 Winner: Alexis Skerry: "Alexis puts 100% into every assignment. She clearly cares about her work and grades, and takes every step she can to perform well on everything. In addition, she is a leader is class discussions, always willing to volunteer. She's insightful and friendly."
Grade 10 Nominees: Chace O’Connell, Jenna Nirenberg, Maddie Steiner, Simone Kerstens, Oliver Powers
Grade 10 Winner: Chace O'Connell: NOMINATED TWICE "He volunteered to usher for Nutcracker and then ended up doing so much more from managing Sweets for the Suite, to reindeer backstage, to recording the whole show. He did it all with a smile and he was in school on Monday buckled down and working." and "I am appreciative of Chace's daily approach. He works hard, asks good questions and is a leader in my classroom."
Grade 11 Nominees: Nick Scolponeti, Kaitlyn Richards, Addy Loer and Isabella Briones, Hedia Louati, Lauren Malaquias, Tessa Molinari
Grade 11 Winner: Lauren Malaquias: "Lauren works hard consistently. She is always polite, puts in extra time outside of class when she needs help and brings creativity and fun to class projects."
Grade 12 Nominees: Julia Works, Wilson Copice and Kristen Kelly, Ramsey Breslau, Adriana Villacis, Troy Blanchette
Grade 12 Winner: Wilson Copice and Kristen Kelly: "I am nominating a team this year because without them Nutcracker would not have been as organized as it was this year. These two have been in the show since they were little. Kristen started as Poodle and Wilson a gumdrop, and they joined Terpsichore as older folks in fifth grade. Each year they have taken on more responsibility and this year, in addition to their dancing responsibilities, they worked behind the scenes to organize costumes and manage the backstage. All the while, they kept up with their senior responsibilities outside of Terpsichore, both took classes at studios, worked part time jobs, had senior projects with a weekly time commitment, and kept their academics in order."
With which historical figure would you most like to speak?
Mr. Caulfield's Speech classes took to the stage for The Lions Club Speech Contest on Tuesday, December 5th. This year's speech topic was, "With which historical figure would you most like to speak?". The following students presented great speeches, with Genesis Figueroa receiving top honors. Genesis now moves on to the next round of the contest, and we will keep you updated as she moves along! Congratulations to all the students that participated.
Colin Burns
Keily-Lucia Cartagena
Grace Charlebois
James Duggan
Genesis Figueroa
Jason Fournier
Anthony Fraulo
Jackson Glynn
Maria Govoni
Adam Hart
Nick Scolponeti
Clementine Slowe
Eloa Souza
Genesis Presents at the Monthly Faculty Meeting
Before taking home top honors in the Lions' Club Speech contest, Genesis Figueroa presented at our monthly faculty meeting on Monday, December 4, as part of her senior project. Genesis talked to our staff about food insecurity, and the impact on students both in our school and around the country. As she continues on to the next phase of her project, Genesis is looking to put together a small food pantry at the school for those in need. More information on that part of her project will be forthcoming. Thank you, Genesis, for bringing this important information to our staff.
Student Council Assembly
The Student Council once again hosted an all school assembly on the recent half day, Wednesday, December 5. The school band gave a preview of their winter concert, which will take place on December 21 at 7:00 pm. There was also an award ceremony for the Active Minds "No Shave November" contest, which helped to raise school-wide awareness for men's mental health, and a preview of the upcoming faculty talent show which will be on January 11, 2024.
MHS Band
Emcees - Addy & Liv
Jackson Receiving his "No Shave November" Award
Mr. Caulfield Receiving his "No Shave November" Award
Mr. Saegh and his son, Mason, Previewing the Faculty Talent Show
Officer Forsythe Receiving his "No Shave November" Award
The Nutcracker
"The Nutcracker'' graced the stage at Millis High School last weekend for a 3-day run. The production featured over 160 Millis students from grades preK - 12, and nearly 1200 audience members came to the MHS auditorium over the three days to watch this fantastic show. The show was the last Nutcracker performances for our five seniors Dominic Barisano, Troy Blanchette, Wilson Copice, Kristen Kelly and Thidavanh Keomorokot. Congratulations to our Seniors and thank you for your dedication to our dance program!
Equitable Service Presentation
On Thursday, December 14, Nealy Urquhart, our Director of Student Services, will present, "Equitable Services for Children With Disabilities Enrolled by Their Parents in Private Schools". The presentation will be held on Zoom and begins at 6:30pm. Information on how to join the presentation can be found below.
Topic: Equitable Service Presentation
Time: Dec 14, 2023 06:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://millisschools-org.zoom.us/j/82113100349?pwd=UGtLdzNtRUJ1aytFNXhLbW00NUFNZz09
Meeting ID: 821 1310 0349
Passcode: 761153
December 1, 2023
It's Nutcracker Weekend at MHS
"The Nutcracker'' graces the stage at Millis High School this weekend for its 3-day run. The family friendly performance features music from the original Tchaikovsky Score, as well as some of Duke Ellington’s variations from his Three Suites. The production runs about 90 minutes including an intermission where snacks will be available to benefit the HS Newspaper The Crimson Post.
This local production features over 160 Millis students from grades preK - 12. Each performance features a different cast of very dedicated performers. The show will be the last Nutcracker performances for our five seniors Dominic Barisano, Troy Blanchette, Wilson Copice, Kristen Kelly and Thidavanh Keomorokot.
Tickets are $10.00 for adults and $8.00 for students and seniors (under 5 free but a possible lap sitter) and can be purchased at the door until they sell out. All proceeds benefit Terpsichore, the Millis MS/HS Dance Club. Performance Dates and times are as follows:
Friday, December 1, at 7:00 PM
Saturday, December 2, at 2:00 PM (done in time to attend Millis’ Santa Parade at 5:00 PM)
Sunday, December 3, at 1:00 PM
If you have questions please contact Stephanie Copice at scopice@millisschools.org
MHS Honor Roll for Quarter 1 Announced
Congratulations to the following students for making the 2023-24 Millis High School Honor Roll for Quarter One. Students earning High Honors carried all grades of A- or better, while students earning Honors carried all grades that were A's and B's.
Safety Drills are Coming
In the coming weeks, in conjunction with the Middle School, and in partnership with the Millis Police and Fire Departments, we will be holding school safety drills. These drills include "Shelter-in-Place" and Lockdown scenarios, which our students and staff are versed on and practice each year. While we hope to never activate any of these protocols, trainings such as these help prepare our staff and students in the event we experience an emergency situation.
We are appreciative of our partnership with both the MPD and MFD, and understand that this training will go a long way in supporting a safe and secure school environment. As we continue to focus on building safety, and the safety of our students and school, we appreciate your help and support with these important safety drills.
MHS DECA Becoming Difference Makers
Parents Check Your Email
The hsattendance email has sent out a student specific link to verify all contact information to those families that have not completed the annual task. Please check to see if you have received this email and submit the verification as soon as possible.
- Please note that if you have multiple students attending Millis Public Schools you will need to update for each student.
If you have any questions or log in issues please reach out to cliberty@millisschools.org
ATTENDANCE POLICIES
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Tardies
If your student is going to be late to school, a parent/guardian must contact the office, by or before 8AM. The office can be reached one of the following ways:
Attendance line: 508-906-3713
Attendance email: hsattendance@millisschools.org
or you may send your student in with a note
If we don’t hear from a parent/guardian, the tardy will be unexcused. Upon arrival at school, the student should go directly to the office and sign in.
Dismissals
If your student needs to be dismissed, a parent/guardian must send their student in with a note or email the office at hsattendance@millisschools.org, listing the dismissal time and reason. Just a reminder that driving hours should not be scheduled during the school day, and do not constitute excused time away from school.
Phone calls for dismissals are not permitted.
Students are expected to check in with the office to confirm their dismissal and receive a pass. If we do not receive a note, a parent or guardian must come into the office to sign their student out at the time of dismissal. Please make every effort to adhere to this dismissal policy to minimize disruptions to class time. Please also be mindful of how a dismissal may impact your student’s eligibility to participate in extracurricular activities.
- Activities Eligibility Dismissal: If your student is involved in extracurricular activities and needs to be dismissed during the school day, they will need to provide a note from the place of their appointment (not a parental note) so they remain eligible to play or practice.
- Medical Dismissal: Any student requesting to leave for any kind of medical reason must go through the nurse’s office.
- Emergency Dismissal: In the event of a true emergency, a parent/guardian should contact the office. Every attempt will be made to expedite the dismissal. Please note, driving hours scheduled during the school day are not considered an emergency nor excusable under any circumstance. Every effort should be made to complete these hours outside of school hours.
Absence
If your student needs to be absent from school, a parent/guardian must notify the office via the attendance line at 508-906-3713 or by emailing hsattendance@millisschools.org as close to 8:00 AM as possible. If we don’t hear from a parent/guardian, the absence is unexcused and the student will be marked as truant. Attendance at school is incredibly important, and every effort possible should be made to maintain regular attendance at the high school.
SCHOOL COUNSELING
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School Counselor Assignments
Mrs. Riley Dunn (rdunn@millisschools.org)
Grade 9 (2027): Abreu - Kitchens
Grade 10 (2026): Arian - Lauria
Grade 11 (2025): Adams - Joseph
Grade 12 (2024): Athanasi - Keomorokot
Ms. Nicole Moore (nmoore@millisschools.org)
Grade 9 (2027): Kraby - Zammarchi
Grade 10 (2026): Lebak - Young
Grade 11 (2025): Kaslosky - Zangari
Grade 12 (2024): Legere - Zarnofsky
Millis High School
Small School.. Big Family
The Millis Public Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, age, gender identity, religion, national origins, sexual orientation, disability or homelessness.
Website: https://hs.millisps.org/
Location: Millis High School, Plain Street, Millis, MA, USA
Phone: 508-376-7010
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Millis-High-School-1743691028988870/
Twitter: @millishigh