Cunningham Connection
March 26, 2023
Principal Message
Dear Cunningham Families,
I hope everyone had a great weekend. It is the last week of March and we have MCAS starting this week in 5th grade. Here is the link to the revised MCAS schedule.
Big congratulations to Christabel who represented Cunningham on the Future Problem Solving team. The group of Milton 5th grade students took 3rd Place in the Action Plan Presentation!
We had a great visit from Incoming Superintendent Dr. Peter Burrows on Friday. Thank you to all the families who showed up to welcome Dr. Burrows during morming coffee. Many staff and students also were able to engage with Dr. Burrows throughout the day, as he visited classrooms, hosted drop in time for staff and had lunch with some 5th graders. He is excited to begin his Superintendency on July 1st and we are excited to have him start! Over the course of the next few months, Dr. Burrows will be spending periodic days in Milton to learn more about our schools and community. His priorities on these pre-entry visit days will be to spend time inside schools and meet people, support decision making around current and future needs in the district, and lay the groundwork for the start of the 23-24 academic year. You can learn more about his pre-entry plan and schedule here.
Teacher of the Year: It is time to nominate an exceptional member of the Cunningham Staff for the Milton Foundation for Education Teacher of the Year. More information is below.
Late Start Friday March 31st: This Friday we will have a late start. There will be no AM preschool program on Friday. Doors will open at 10:05 am for students in K - 5.
Looking forward to a great week!
All the Best,
Dr. Jon Redden, Principal
In This Issue
- Upcoming Dates
- Elementary PTO Coffee - New School Building Info Session
- Teacher of the Year
- Intellispark Spring Screener
- Milton Summer Enrichment
- Upcoming SEPAC Meetings
- Ramadan Food Drive
- Lincoln Essay Contest
- Save the Date - MFE Celebration
- FAME Mattress Fundraiser
- Cunningham Birthday Books
- Cunningham Forms
Upcoming Dates
Mar 27th and 29th - 5th Grade ELA MCAS
Mar 31st New School Building Info Coffee
Mar 31st Late Start
April 3rd and 5th 4th Grade ELA MCAS
April 6th - Early Release Day
April 7th - No School (Good Friday)
May 4th - Science Fair
May 11th - Art Show (6 pm - 7 pm)
The 2022-23 One Page School Year Calendar is linked here. The Cunningham Calendar is linked on our website.
The School Committee has approved a draft of the 23-24 SY calendar. This calendar is intended as a guide ONLY. It may be necessary to change this schedule to better serve instructional purposes.
Teacher of the Year Nominations - Last Call!
It’s the time of year when the Milton Foundation for Education recognizes the extraordinary contributions made by MPS educators! The MFE is asking for nominations for Teacher of the Year in each school. Please take a moment to nominate an exceptional teacher here. All details can be found at this link.
Intellispark Spring Screener
In the coming weeks, we are administering our spring round of Intellispark screeners. If you opted your child out in the fall, your child will not participate this spring. You can read the fall Intellispark communication here. The grades 6-12 screener is linked here and the grades K-5 screener is linked here. Elementary students will take the screener with their homeroom teachers.
We hope all students will participate in the universal SEL screener as part of the SEL curriculum in the district. If any family feels their student would be better served without taking part in it, please contact your child’s principal with your child’s name, grade, and homeroom teacher to opt out.
Milton Summer Enrichment
Summer fun at MSE is just around the corner! MSE is for students in rising grades K-8, takes place at Milton High School and runs from July 5-28, five days a week, 8 am-12 pm. Classes include academic enrichment, arts and crafts, sports and outdoor fun, technology and much more! The MSE Brochure will be available April 12 and registration begins April 25 on Family ID. Save the date for a fantastic July at MSE!
Milton SEPAC Updates (Special Education Parent Advisory Council)
Participate: We will soon be saying goodbye to the leaders of our Pupil and Personnel Services, Mark Harrison (March 31) and Susan Maselli (June 30) This is a significant leadership transition for our community, and it is happening in conjunction with central leadership transition. Please stay tuned and engaged – this is an important time for us!
Advocate: Know your school rep: Find Your School Rep Here
Educate: Attend the next SEPAC sponsored Federation for Children with Special Needs workshop: Evaluation and Eligibility Monday, March 27th 6:30pm, followed by Parent Speak. This workshop is on Zoom and will be presented in the Tucker School Library, followed by a Parent Speak meeting from 7:30-8:30pm.
Ramadan Food Drive
In partnership with Milton Muslim Neighbors and Milton Interfaith Clergy Association, MPS supports the Ramadan Food Drive.
From Thursday, March 22 to Friday, April 21, bring your donation of dry goods and hygiene items to any of our schools. Join your Muslim neighbor in this effort, as Ramadan is a very special time of year for Muslims to do good deeds. All details can be found here.
Forbes House Lincoln Essay and Drawing Contest
The Forbes House Museum 2023 Lincoln Essay and Drawing Contest is open. Mary Bowditch Forbes’s extensive Lincoln Collection is the inspiration behind the museum’s annual essay and drawing contest, which offers students different prompts each year through which to reflect on the life and times of President Lincoln. This year the drawing contest is open to students in grades 5-8 and the essay contest is open to students in grades 6-8.
The deadline is April 14, with the awards ceremony on May 13. Essay winners will be asked to read their entries, and the drawing winners will have their work displayed in the museum. The contest is generously sponsored by BR Alexander & Co. If your child would like to participate, all details can be found here.
Milton Foundations for Education - Save the Date!
The MFE supports all six MPS schools in ways big and small, day in and day out, throughout the school year. MFE grants range from $500 worth of books to $25,000 worth of technology and everything in between! The MFE has funded larger projects like the Wildcat Wellness Center and MPS broadband expansion and smaller initiatives that support classrooms or grades. You can see the spring 2022 grant list here. They have been an incredible partner to MPS over the last two decades and we are grateful to the parents and guardians who volunteer their time in support of the MFE and our schools.
How can you support the good work that the MFE does for our schools? Join the fun on May 6 at this year’s Celebration for Education! Celebration is a guaranteed good time and will take place at The Beat, 135 Morrissey Blvd. on May 6 at 5 pm. May 6 is Derby Day, so come for the early start, watch the Kentucky Derby, enjoy good food and drink and the company of hundreds of your MPS neighbors. Tickets and squares will be on sale in the coming weeks, so save the date and mark your calendar for Celebration for Education 2023!
FAME Mattress Fundraiser
The Milton FAME Mattress Sale is back! Friends and Advocates of Music Education (FAME) is excited to announce its 8th annual mattress on Saturday, April 1 from 10 am to 4 pm in the Milton High School auditorium. Test out more than 25 styles of brand-name mattresses, priced 30-50% below retail, along with premium pillows, luxury sheets, bean bag chairs, weighted mattresses, and more. Delivery and financing available. Proceeds support the music program in all Milton schools. For more information, contact FAME at miltonfame@gmail.com
Cunningham Birthday Books
Birthday Books are a fun and memorable way for Cunningham kids to celebrate their birthday (or half birthday for summer kids) at school! During your child’s birthday month, they will pick a book from a wide, librarian-curated selection. A commemorative book plate with your child’s name and birthday will be added to the book and it will be donated to the school library. After being given a certificate thanking them for their donation, your child will be the first student to check that book out of the library. For years to come every student who reads that book will know it was a Birthday Book from your child! Please click here to learn more about Cunningham's Birthday Books program!
Cunningham Forms
Please make sure you continue to use the forms on the Cunningham Website if students will have a change in dismissal or will be absent or tardy. This process is for all preschool - 5th grade families as both Mrs. Butler (Preschool) and Mrs. McGettrick (K-5) will receive the alert.
District Contacts
- Interim Superintendent Garth McKinney, gmckinney@miltonps.org
- Asst. Superintendent of Business, Glenn Pavlicek – 617 -696-5041, gpavlicek@miltonps.org
- Special Education Director, Susan Maselli – 617-696-5040 ext 5572, smaselli@miltonps.org
- Transportation Coordinator – 617-696-5040 ext 5510, bus@miltonps.org
- Milton Community Schools Director, Martha Sandoval – 617-696-5040 ext 5544, mcs@miltonps.org
- Interim Food Service Director, Natalia Perez, 617-696-4470 ext 5514, nperez@miltonps.org
- Director of Nursing, Kim Coughlin – 617-696-4470 ext 5517, kacoughlin@miltonps.org
- Athletic Director, Ryan Madden – 617-696-4470 ext 5515, rmadden@miltonps.org
- Student Registrar, Sarina Burke – 617 696-5040 ext 5516, registration@miltonps.org
- Family Outreach Liaison, Marti O’Keefe McKenna – 617-980-7343, mmckenna@miltonps.org