Welcome from Principal Racheal Adriko

 I hope you have been enjoying this glorious summer. Although quiet without the children, the campus is bustling with activity that will enhance our program and the experiences of our students. We’re excited to update you on what’s been happening, and we eagerly anticipate the School year ahead!

With a little over a week until School begins, teachers are busy preparing for the year, and we’re all looking forward to welcoming you and your children back to Milton. See you on September 6!

Warmly,
Racheal

Opening of School

Tuesday, September 6, 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Parent Orientation. Kellner Performing Arts Center, Junior Building, and Greenleaf Classrooms.

Think of this as “Back to School Night” before school begins. The launching pad to an exciting school year ahead, it replaces Curriculum Night. You will leave the event invigorated and prepared with necessary tools to support your children.

Parking for this event is on Upton Field – the field to the right of the driveway that leads to the Junior Building. 

• 8 a.m. – Arrival. Refreshments served in Pieh Commons, Kellner Performing Arts Center. 
•  8:30­ a.m. – Welcome Back, Racheal Adriko, Lower School Principal, and Todd Bland, Head of School, King Theatre, Kellner Performing Arts Center. 
•  8:45 a.m. – Keynote Address, Rob Evans, Ed.D., Raising Healthy, Successful, Resilient Children in Challenging Times. King Theatre, Kellner Performing Arts Center.
•  10 a.m. – Presentation by Specialists, King Theatre, Kellner Performing Arts Center. 
•  10:30 – Break & Transition to Classrooms. 
•  10:45 a.m.-­12:30 p.m. – Classroom Presentations, Junior Building (K -Grade 2), Greenleaf Hall (Grades 3-5).
•  12:30 p.m. – Dismissal

Wednesday, September 7, 9 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. Grade 4 Orientation, Greenleaf Hall.

• 9 a.m. – Grade 4 Students who are new to Milton Academy arrive and proceed to Thacher for a welcome from Principal Racheal Adriko.
• 9:30 a.m. – Students join classroom teachers (Parents remain in Thacher for Q & A).
• 10:30­ – Snack and Milton tour.
• 11:30 – Grade 4 returning students arrive to meet and welcome new students in the Grade 4 Classrooms.
• 12:45 – Lunch in Greenleaf Circle.
• 1:30 p.m. – Closing remarks by Todd Bland, Head of School.
• 1:45 p.m. – Dismissal. 

Thursday, September 8 – Optional Open House from 9 to 11 a.m. Students and families who would like to visit classrooms are welcome. Drop in anytime from 9-11 a.m. 

Friday, September 9 – First Day of School, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Kindergarten will be dismissed at noon (or at 3 p.m. for those students who will stay for Extended Day).

• Kindergarten Parents are invited to join us for coffee in the Junior Building Multi-Purpose Room at 8:30 a.m. following drop-off. This is a great opportunity to meet and mingle with friends new and old.
• Kindergarten students who would like to stay until 3 p.m. are welcome to stay for our Extended Day Program on either a drop-in basis, or for the year. Contact Cassondra Basile (617-898-2516) to make arrangements.

New Faculty and New Initiatives

Coleman Daley will be joining our Grade 5 team. Before coming to Milton, he was the Grade 4, 5, and 6 lead teacher at Hill View Montessori Charter School in Haverhill, where he taught all subject areas (Math, Reading, History, Geography, Grammar, Science, and Conflict Resolution). Prior to Hill View, Coleman co-led the upper elementary grades at Bridgeview Montessori in Bourne. He holds both B.A. and M.Ed. degrees from Lesley University, the latter of which he completed through the Shady Hill Teacher Training Program. Before teaching, Coleman acted professionally, on both stage, and daytime television.

Carla Ko is joining us as the Interim Lower School Counselor for the Fall semester. Carla holds masters degrees in both Social Work and Education. Having worked as a special educator, a school adjustment counselor, and most recently as a clinical social worker at Westwood Lodge Hospital, Carla brings a diverse skill set to our community. She has a breadth of experience working with children and families and will be a welcome addition to our team. Carla and Sarah Spinello worked together over the summer to prepare her to welcome your children in September. Carla can be reached Monday-Thursday at carla_ko@milton.edu or 617-898-2931.

Noah Spofford is well-known among the students and parents for his work in our After School Program, in the Greenleaf Office, and in classrooms as an occasional substitute. This year, Noah will be managing our After School Program and club offerings. Before coming to Milton, Noah taught, coached, and served as a residential faculty member at Washington Academy in Maine. In the summers, Noah is program director at Camp Bishopswood, where he supervises all camp leaders, and plans and directs all camp-wide activities.

Pierre Young is joining us as our new Lower School music teacher. Prior to Milton, Pierre was the K-5 Music teacher at the Boston Renaissance Charter School in Hyde Park. A graduate of the  University of Massachusetts, Pierre also attended programs at the Berklee College of Music and held internships at the Vienna Konservatorium in Vienna, Austria where he studied classical piano. Pierre is also an experienced piano instructor and performer.

 Joshua Jordan returns to our Lower School as an in-house substitute teacher. A graduate of both Milton Academy and the Elementary Education Program at Salve Regina University, Josh is well-known to our students. Last year, he worked in our Lower and Middle School After School programs, served as a regular substitute, and provided added student support when needed. We are excited to have Josh play a larger role in our program this year.

Carol Jenkins, Ed.D. joins us for the year as our English and Language Arts consultant. The Milton Academy Strategic Plan calls for a comprehensive curriculum renewal; Dr. Jenkins will lead our Lower School English and Language Arts review. Dr. Jenkins is a published author and Professor Emeritus at Boston University, where for 23 years, she directed the School of Education’s Elementary Education program, preparing hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students to become teachers. She has worked in the field of literacy as a classroom teacher, reading specialist, and teacher educator.

Calendar Notes

A school community needs to be cultivated and tended. To bring our Lower School together throughout the year, we have planned some community events as well as a monthly Family Education program.

We hope you’ll join us for the following community events:

• Fall Fest  – Thursday, October 20 – This is family event that begins at the end of the school day and ends early in the evening is purely social. It is an opportunity for students and parents to gather for fun games, dinner, and just to catch up. Thank you to parents, Deb Scudiere and Tracey Belyea, for hosting the event again this year.
•  Culture Fest  – Tuesday, February 28 – This new event will celebrate the many cultures among us. We’ll enjoy ethnic foods and share traditions that make us both similar and unique.
•  Parent-Child Night – Thursday, May 11 – A traditional favorite in our Lower School calendar, Parent-Child Night is an opportunity for students and teachers to share their schoolwork and spring projects.

Family Education Series – This new parent/caregiver program brings speakers from the educational realm and also highlights our teachers as practitioners. We look forward to engaging you in discourse about what we’re doing here at Milton, what research tells us about education and child development, and how we continue to implement best practices in our program.

Click here for the updated 2016-17 Lower School Calendar.

Forms

Complete and submit these time-sensitive items before the start of School:

• Parent Reflection. Teachers are interested in having the fullest picture of your child that they can. Help us by completing the Parent Reflection about each of your children and his or her activities. Click here to access the form.
• Update MyMilton Contact Information – our online directory is only as up-to-date as the information you share. 
• Students entering Kindergarten and Grade 3 must have up-to-date immunizations. A physical exam after July 1, 2015, can be submitted for the 2015–2017 academic year. Please contact Diane Holland at Milton’s Faulkner Health Center with questions at 617-898-2450. Submission of these forms is critical to the start of the year.
• Special message for our Kindergarten Families:
  • Health Center – In addition to needing up-to-date immunizations, incoming Kindergarten students must have updated testing, including lead and stereopsis screening. A physical exam after July 1, 2015, can be submitted for the 2015–2017 academic year. Please contact Diane Holland at Milton’s Faulkner Health Center with questions at 617-898-2450. Submission of these forms is critical to the start of the year.
  • Extended Day Program – On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, from noon to 3 p.m., Kindergarten students are invited to stay for an afternoon of activities, staffed by the Kindergarten teachers. These afternoons are non-academic and more generally provide space and resources for structured student play. Children bring their lunches; milk is provided. Click here to register for Session 1 (September 8 – December 14). 
• After School Program and our special Early Release Fridays. Space in these programs is limited and spots are filling quickly. Register today to secure your child’s participation in our selections and to help us plan for staffing. Click here to access the registration for the After School Program, Enrichment Clubs, and Early Release Fridays.
  • Early Release Fridays. On the following Fridays, Lower School students will be dismissed at noon, prior to lunch: September 30, October 21, October 28, November 11, December 2, January 27, February 17, March 3, April 14, May 12, May 26. Our After School Program has once again created special programming for these days. This program was quite successful last year. Don’t miss out. Register today. 
  • Enrichment Clubs. Join us to learn a new skill, develop new friendships, perfect a favorite hobby, or just have fun. Taught by talented, experienced professionals, clubs provide students with an opportunity to explore things from African Drumming to Math to Chess to Ping-Pong! All clubs meet from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Note that our Milton Math Club has been changed from Wednesdays to Thursdays.
  • New this year! We are initiating an after-school drop-in rate for one hour or less at $5.00. We’ve heard that the staggered dismissal times of our Lower and Middle Schools can be a challenge to negotiate. We’re happy to help by offering coverage for your Lower School child from dismissal to 4 p.m. For year-long coverage, contact Cassondra Basile (x 2516). In a pinch or running late? Call Mallorie Reinecke (x 2551) or Cassondra Basile (x 2516) to make same day or short-term arrangements. Note that students who are not picked up by 3:15 p.m. will automatically be sent to the hour or less program.

Faculty Summer Professional Development

Literacy

• Mallorie Reinecke received training in the Orton-Gillingham approach to teaching reading. A frequent substitute, Mallorie’s training in phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, fluency, and comprehension strategies will help her both as a substitute and as a support to our teachers.

Math

• To prepare new Grade 5 teacher Coleman Daley for his entrance to Milton, Coleman attended a week-long Connected Mathematics Project 3 (CMP-3) training in Michigan. CMP-3 is the math curriculum used in Grade 5 as well as in Middle School.
• We’re excited to share that this spring, Grade 4 teacher Sandra Correia was admitted to the Mount Holyoke Master of Arts in Mathematics Teaching Program. The program, which is built around the latest research and best practices in math education today, will continue to build Sandra’s deep, conceptual understanding of mathematics while also allowing her to apply what she’s learning in her own classroom.

Diversity

• Nancy McCuen, Jerrie Moffett, Sandra Correia, and Coleman Daley attended a diversity seminar offered through Diversity Directions, a consulting group that works with independent schools. Their week-long program featured keynote speaker Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum, president of Spelman College and author of several books about race and inclusion. Sessions focused on both creating an inclusive school culture and leading the work of multicultural practice. We look forward to having Nancy, Jerrie, Sandy and Coleman help lead the work we are doing in our Lower School. 

• Art teacher Sandy Butler and librarian Joan Eisenberg have partnered with Grade 1 and 2 teachers to create a unit about hair and skin that will be central to the identity discussions we have in the Junior Building. In the early grades, children start to make meaning and shape their understanding of the world. This work around hair and skin is intended to help our children become aware, globally minded, culturally-sensitive citizens.

Science

• The Community Garden continues to be a focus as our Lower School maintains its commitment to sustainability and stewardship for the Earth. During our end-of-year meetings, the faculty took some time to work in the garden, planting potatoes as well as other vegetables. The summer heat has already created a bountiful crop. We’re excited for the children to return to harvest and eat the fruit of our community work. Our thanks to Jane McGuinness for her tireless work in keeping the garden going.

Design Thinking

• In July, Mallorie Reinecke and Jenny Sorblom attended a workshop on Design Thinking. For Jenny, the goal is to implement design thinking into the woodworking curriculum. For Mallorie, the goal is to support and lead some design thinking projects in the Grade 2 Engineering and Inventions curriculum. Design thinking has a place both during the school day and in our after school program as we delve into the maker movement.

Mindfulness

• One of the Academy-wide goals over the last year was to create a mindful environment for both students and adults. Mindfulness means maintaining an awareness of our thoughts, emotions, bodily sensations, and environment. It provides young children with the tools to calm their minds and bodies and regulate their emotion. This summer, more than 20 teachers participated in a mindfulness class to learn how to integrate mindfulness into their work with children. Over the next year, we hope that teachers will implement moments of mindfulness and reflection in their classes.

Updates

• The Greenleaf office suite has been renovated to create an ADA-approved restroom as well as to provide ample office spaces for the work of our teachers.
• We’ve added a window to the central office in Greenleaf to allow for adult oversight of the Greenleaf Lobby.
• Playground Enhancements. Over the summer we added some additional toys and equipment to our Junior Building playground.
• We look forward to beginning the work of developing the scope and sequence of our literacy curriculum with Dr. Carol Jenkins.
• El Pilar faculty will be coming to visit Milton this fall. As part of our ongoing partnership with the El Pilar School in Madrid, we will have the opportunity to share our Milton program with three faculty members who will be visiting in September.