A Message from Racheal
I hope you’ve had a good week! The students and teachers are hitting a wonderful stride, and we’re all happily teaching and learning. Thank you to all who were able to attend our assembly and reception about the School’s partnership with El Pilar School. As you could hear from the excitement of our faculty and El Pilar’s, this partnership is a powerful component of the curriculum for both schools.
As a reminder, next Friday, September 30, is our Parent Conference day, and will be an early-release day for our students, with special activities from our After School Program. Below, you will find instructions on registering a time to meet with your child’s teacher. Also in today’s newsletter, you will find information about Photo Day on Thursday, September 29 and how to select either indoor or outdoor photos; and information on contributing to our Community Night Fall Festival.
Parent volunteers have been hard at work to plan our Community Night Fall Festival on October 20. Be sure to thank them for the tremendous gift they’re giving to our community and to contact your Class Rep about contributing to the basket if you can. In the coming days, we will be sending out order forms for “Festival Bucks,” which will work as raffle tickets during the celebration. Look for the form both in your child’s backpack and by email.
In next week’s newsletter, we will introduce our Family Education Speaker Series with Maria Trozzi, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Boston University School of Medicine, published author, and frequent contributor to both print and electronic media. Her presentation is titled “Five to Thrive.” I know you will enjoy her straight talk as much as you enjoyed that of Robert Evans.
I look forward to seeing you at next week’s Parent Conferences.
Have a good weekend,
Racheal
Items that Need Attention:
Monday is the Deadline to Register for After School Program—Our After School Program runs from dismissal to 5:45 p.m. Monday–Thursday, and until 5 p.m. Friday. Click ASP 2016-2017 to access information and registration forms for our After School Program and Enrichment Clubs. For more information, contact Noah Spofford at 617-898-2513.
Parent Conferences, Friday, September 30—Conferences are an opportunity for teachers to get to know you, your child and your family. It’s a time for information sharing, and for you and your child’s teacher to set goals for the year. Click here to make an appointment with your child’s homeroom teacher. You will be directed to the teacher’s calendar, where you can reserve a meeting time. Please provide your name and email address for confirmation. Contact Cassondra Basile with questions at 617-898-2516.
Select Indoor or Outdoor Setting for School Photo Day, Thursday, September 29—We have only heard from half our families so far! Stomping Ground Photography will be photographing Lower School students on Thursday. Click here to select either indoor or outdoor photos for your child. Photographers will take approximately 10 photographs. Traditional headshots and “creative” photos will be taken. Within 2–3 weeks, parents will receive a unique gallery login to purchase photos from Stomping Ground.
Coming Up Next Week
- Grade 1 Field Trip, Wednesday, September 28—Please pack lunch in disposable packaging.
- School Photo Day, Thursday, September 29—Click here to select either indoor or outdoor photos for your child.
- Parent Conferences, Friday, September 30—Click here to make an appointment with your child’s homeroom teacher.
Important Dates
- October 10 – No Classes, Columbus Day
- October 12 – No Classes, Yom Kippur
- October 13 – Family Education Workshop
- October 20 – Community Night Fall Festival – 3 p.m.
- October 21 – Early Release Friday
- October 24 – No Classes, Mid-Fall Weekend
- October 28 – Lower School Halloween Parade, Early Release Friday
Announcements
Patrick Broome will be covering Scott Green’s paternity leave for the next two weeks. We welcome Patrick to our Lower School Community.
Baby News! Congratulations to physical education teacher, Scott Green and his wife, Hayley on the birth of their son, Tyler yesterday. Everyone is well!
Message from the Lower School Nurses—As we enter cold and flu season, consider having your child get a flu shot. It isn’t too early! Flu shots, together with good hand-washing and safe coughing and sneezing go a long way in keeping our children healthy and happy, and our attendance up!
Halloween is only a month away and we will celebrate on Friday, October 28, with a costume parade beginning at 8:30 a.m., followed by a gathering in Thacher to sing some traditional songs. Below are some planning guidelines about how Halloween is celebrated in the Lower School:
- Students should arrive at School in costume. Please, NO: Weapons; makeup or masks; or footwear that makes walking on uneven terrain difficult.
- Costumes should be culturally sensitive to the diversity of our community.
- After our gathering, student will return to their classrooms for a regular school day. Please provide a change of clothes so that students may fully participate in all classroom and specialist activities.
- In an effort to ensure that we are meeting the needs of ALL our students, please let us know if your child wants to opt out of the parade festivities on October 28. We will provide supervision in the Junior Building, with a member of our After School staff, for students who opt out. Please contact Cassondra Basile by October 25.
- Note that we will not be collecting for UNICEF this year. Boxes are available if your child wishes to collect on his or her own. We will provide directions for the return of those boxes as Halloween draws closer.
Lower School Admissions: Accelerated Process for Kindergarten Siblings—Milton families interested in applying a younger sibling for Kindergarten may take advantage of an accelerated timeline for the application process. Grades other than Kindergarten follow the standard application timeline. While we have a strong commitment to our students’ siblings, we cannot guarantee admission. With an earlier decision, we hope to give families with children for whom Milton is not an optimal fit time to investigate other options. For more information, please call the Admission Office at 617-898-2509.
Still interested in being an Admission Tour Guide? If you missed Tuesday’s training session but are still interested in giving tours to prospective families, click here to access the sign-up sheet. For questions, contact Katie Novak at 617-898-2508.