Happy Lunar New Year! We wish you good health and prosperity for the year. We hope you celebrate the year of the tiger with your family by eating well and receiving lots of li xi.

All report cards have been posted to PlusPortals. You can access them by logging in to your PlusPortal account, selecting "E-Locker" and then choosing "E-Portfolio". Click on the download icon to see the Term 2 Report Card.

At last week’s School Committee meeting, Superintendent Jette shared that the district has applied for a mask waiver for both Milton High School and Pierce, our two schools that have met the 80% vaccination threshold. In addition, the DESE mask mandate is due to be reviewed on February 28. This week we began our new testing program through DESE with 300 staff members and 1400 students participating. This new at-home testing will run through April 22, 2022 and as part of this shift in testing programs, we will be discontinuing the Test and Stay program and will no longer be contact tracing for in-school close contacts. If you would like to opt in to at home testing, all details are here.

In January, due to a significant surge in positive Covid cases, we adhered to a stricter mask policy and attempted to limit time indoors without masks (i.e., when eating and drinking). As we had a large number of students who were back in school on Day 6 of positivity, this was the safest way to prevent transmission. Since then, our community has done a great job of limiting community spread and keeping our numbers down. While our students and staff (per DESE guidelines), still wear masks inside, much of our school day looks like it normally does, with lunch, recess, specialist classes, small and large group work, sporting events with spectators, art and cultural events, parent volunteers, etc. We all look forward to a time when all Covid protocols are eliminated and we will continue to update you at School Committee meetings, the blog, the MPS website and via email.

If you signed your child up for the AT HOME testing option please be sure to have communicated it with your child. At Milton High School students will be called down every other Wednesday during Advisory to pick up their test kits in the Field House. Thank you for your help and support with this program.

Even a looming snowstorm could not stop the nearly 200 people who came to the Asian Culture Club’s Culture Fair on Friday, January 28. Milton High School’s library was alive with culture and diversity! The community came together to enjoy games and activities such as table tennis, origami and hacky sack. Visitors had the option to enrich their minds with artifacts of the Hispanic Culture Club, or take a dive into French culture through games presented by French Club. Presentations by GSA, as well as individual students, also enriched the Fair. The highlight of the night came at 7 o’clock with an incredible lion dance by performers from Kwong Kow Chinese School. The evening was a huge success and the Asian Culture Club would like to thank everyone who helped out and visited. Thank you, and we hope to see you next year or in the foreseeable future!

A Shout Out to Ms. Johnson's American Literature classes!

Students created artistic representations of the defining literary features of texts they were currently reading using physical books as their canvas. They depicted a central element, such as setting, symbol, theme, or motif by visually altering and enhancing the appearance of a book with textiles, paints, glue, and other arts & crafts media. Impressive works of art!

Students in Ms. Lee’s 2D Studio Art class have been learning about the human figure through movement and proportion. They made gesture drawings and added volume around the line of action on different types of paper to create a figurative collage communicating a story, emotion or expression with the human body.

The Milton Food Pantry is currently experiencing a soup shortage, and we are here to help. The food pantry is in need specifically of soup donations: Progresso, Dinty Moore, and Campbells are preferred brands. The drive will run from Monday, February 7 to Friday, February 11.

Donation bins are located in the MHS Cafeteria and students should place your donations in the bin that has the team that you think will win the Super Bowl. Thanks to MHS Freshman Reilly Bergin for coordinating and thank you to all for coming together to help others in our community!

Please help support a National Honor Society Service Project run by Senior Caroline Gannon:

From now until February 16, please donate new and lightly worn coats! Coats will be donated to the Gilmore Elementary School in Brockton. A donation box will be set up in the foyer. All sizes are accepted, many of the older students fit into adult sizes. Thank you for your donations!

Seniors! Mr. Devlin sent an email out earlier this week with an update on scholarships. It is posted below in case you missed it.

Dear Class of 2022 -

I write with an update on senior scholarships. First, the MHS Senior Scholarship Application 2022 is now available. By taking five to ten minutes (that’s all!) to complete this brief survey on Naviance, you will automatically qualify for almost a hundred scholarships sponsored by local families and organizations. Also make sure that your Senior Portfolio is thoroughly completed, as we occasionally send that to scholarship donors who want to find out more about you, and review it ourselves. To find the scholarship application, log onto your Naviance account, go to About Me, My Stuff, My Surveys, and "MHS Senior Scholarship Application 2022" will appear. Complete this survey by midnight on the Friday before February break (the 18th) to qualify!

Secondly, there are a handful of scholarships with separate applications available for your consideration. They can also be found in Naviance (highlight the Colleges tab, see Scholarships and Money on the right, and select Scholarship Search). There are currently (7) scholarships posted, with more being added in the next few weeks. Copies of the scholarships can also be found in Guidance.

The Scholarship Selection Process:

1. The process varies according to the stipulations of each individual award.

2. Actual selection is performed in several different ways: representatives from some organizations select their recipients from the application forms; some are selected by a high school faculty ballot; some groups prefer the scholarship co-chairs to screen appropriate candidates.

3. There are scholarships that are chosen independently, such as those voted by the faculty, department and club awards, and organizations that simply inform us of their recipients.

4. This process is complex, yet is carried out in a professional, fair, and unbiased way.

The culmination of this effort is Senior Awards Night, which we will hold on Tuesday, May 31st. This is the occasion when town organizations, service clubs, scholarship donors, and the faculty at the high school recognize seniors receiving awards for scholarship, service, and participation at Milton High School and the community.

Long live the Class of 2022! Please send any questions our way, and good luck!

Sincerely,

Senior Scholarship Co-Chairs

Scott Devlin

Jennie Beliveau

Graduation is around the corner. This means we need to order your caps & gowns. Cap & Gown is $25. Please make payment out to Milton Public Schools and turn it in ASAP please. Payments are due by February 15th. This letter was sent to all seniors and their families in early January listing all upcoming events and deadlines.

If payment for caps & gowns come in after February 15th it will be considered late which means you owe $30. DON'T BE LATE!

If you need assistance with payment please email Patty at ppauris@miltonps.org.

Any questions please reach out to Patty Pauris, Senior Class Advisor, ppauris@miltonps.org

Spring Sports are right around the corner! Tryouts begin March 21st. Be sure to register if you haven’t already. If you have already registered for a Fall and Winter Sport, all you need to do is add a Spring Sport to the existing registration, or email Ryan Madden, Director of Athletics, rmadden@miltonps.org asking to add a Spring Sport.

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!

Over the coming months, MHS may receive information on summer employment or internship opportunities. Please refer to this document for updates as they are given to us.

If you missed last week’s MPS/SEPAC presentation about Tourette’s, don’t despair! The recording is now available at this link. The talk by Susan Connor, a nationally-recognized expert on Tourette’s Syndrome, was eye-opening, thought-provoking, inspiring and funny, and provided concrete strategies to help students and their families, both inside and outside of the classroom.

We are always so happy to hear about accomplishments of former MHS students. Ethan Walko, MHS class of 2017, a mechanical engineering graduate student at UMass Amherst, is part of a team selected to participate in VentureWell’s Propel workshop this week at the Cambridge Innovation Center. Congratulations Ethan!

Last week the district posted the Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion position (renamed from Senior Director of Education Equity). The Director will work collaboratively with the Superintendent as a strategic planner in order to ensure an inclusive, anti-racist, anti-bias, academically rigorous and dynamic school culture across Milton Public Schools. The full position description can be found here and the timeline can be found here. Two weeks ago, we posted the Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources and Curriculum position and all details on that search timeline can be found here.

If you have not yet given feedback to the Equity Steering Committee on a shared definition of equity, please do so in a short 2 question survey linked here.

During the week of March 7th, MPS will be participating in the DESE Targeted Review. You can read all details in the letter sent to all MPS families and staff on Monday, January 31 and linked here. The DESE review, which MPS was randomly selected for was also discussed at the School Committee meeting on February 2. All School Committee meetings can be watched on Milton Access TV.

Save the date! Milton Public Schools considers the health and well-being of our students a priority. With that in mind, we are partnering with the Department of Public Health to host school vaccination clinics for your eligible children ages 5 and up. These clinics will offer the Pfizer vaccine as an initial vaccine, second dose or booster. Clinics will be held on Saturday, March 5 at Milton High School and Saturday, March 26 at Pierce Middle School. More information including links to register will be available next week.

There are ongoing employment opportunities within the Milton Public Schools. All details can always be found on the main page of the MPS website and on our Employment Page. There are currently positions posted for Substitute Teachers, Food Service Subs, Paraprofessional Educational Assistant, Speech Language Pathologist, Adjustment Counselor Elementary, the Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Human Resources and more. Please visit our Employment Page for more information.

This Resource Guide contains contact information to link families and youth to mental health, substance use and trauma hotlines as well as to emergency and outpatient therapy, family and group support programs, substance use disorder treatment, culturally competent care, and social services.

The Milton Community Food Pantry wants families to know that in addition to the regular monthly free vouchers for milk and eggs from the Milton Food Mart, and bags of groceries, they have also recently approved the distribution of $25 grocery gift cards each month to help families to buy additional fresh fruits and vegetables. Please help spread the word to any individual or family that needs assistance stretching their budget. The Milton Community Food Pantry located in the Parkway Methodist Church, 158 Blue Hills Parkway is open every other Saturday from 9:15 – 11:15am. Please visit their website for all details.

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.

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.