The MMS Student Council is working on providing reusable water bottles for all students. To that end, they have partnered with Uno's Pizzeria and Grill on Shelburne Road for a fundraiser. This Thursday night (12/18), 20% of the proceeds that night, accompanied by a coupon, will be donated to the MMS Reusable Water Bottle Project. If you could use a night off from cooking and cleaning, head on down and enjoy a night out while helping a worthwhile cause. If you need a coupon, please contact your child's advisor.
Thanks!
Monday, December 15, 2014
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Geology Field Trip
This week, House C students will travel by bus to visit Lone Rock Point and the Perkins Geology Museum at UVM. The purpose of this field trip is to collect and interpret geologic evidence of ancient environments in the Champlain Valley. Students will also have the opportunity to tour parts of the UVM campus.
Half of our students will attend this field trip on Wednesday 11/12, and the other half will attend on 11/13. On both days, we will leave school at 8:00AM and return around 1:30PM.
For this trip, students should wear footwear suitable to to hike a short distance (~½ mile) and outdoor clothing suitable for extended time outside in cold weather. Students will need a water bottle and a bagged lunch.
There is no cost to families for this trip. Please sign and return the permission slip as soon as possible.
Half of our students will attend this field trip on Wednesday 11/12, and the other half will attend on 11/13. On both days, we will leave school at 8:00AM and return around 1:30PM.
For this trip, students should wear footwear suitable to to hike a short distance (~½ mile) and outdoor clothing suitable for extended time outside in cold weather. Students will need a water bottle and a bagged lunch.
There is no cost to families for this trip. Please sign and return the permission slip as soon as possible.
If you are interested in helping chaperone this trip, please contact Mr. Caswell.
Sunday, November 2, 2014
Pie Sale - Fundraising Opportunity
We are making and selling pies to help benefit the 8th grade trip. We are selling apple and pumpkin pies for $14 each. For each pie a student sells, $10 will go into his or her Boston account. Orders with payment are due by November 14th. Order forms are available from house teachers. Pies will be ready to be picked up on November 21st, from 2:30 - 3:30.
Students can also earn $15 towards their account by helping make pies, box pies, and distribute pies. We will be baking pies on November 18th and November 19th. On each day we will need 10 students starting at 2:30. On November 21st, we will need 5 students to help distribute pies from 2:30 - 3:30.
Eighth graders will have first opportunity to sign up to make and distribute pies. There will be a sign-up sheet outside Mr. Smith's office. Eighth graders will be able to sign up on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. After Wednesday, all other students can sign up if space is available.
We will be looking for a couple of parents to come in and help on the November 18th and 19th. Please let Mr. Smith know if you are available.
Eighth graders will have first opportunity to sign up to make and distribute pies. There will be a sign-up sheet outside Mr. Smith's office. Eighth graders will be able to sign up on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. After Wednesday, all other students can sign up if space is available.
We will be looking for a couple of parents to come in and help on the November 18th and 19th. Please let Mr. Smith know if you are available.
Monday, October 20, 2014
Progress Reports
House C students are receiving progress reports today. Your child should bring home a progress report from Math, Science, and Humanities classes. If you have any questions about your child's progress, don't hesitate to contact the classroom teacher.
Don't forget to sign up for a Portfolio Conference! http://bit.ly/housecconferences6
Don't forget to sign up for a Portfolio Conference! http://bit.ly/housecconferences6
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Portfolio Conferences November 5 and 6
Dear Families,
How time flies! We're well into autumn and it’s already time for our first round of Student Portfolio Conferences. Children benefit greatly from having meaningful conversations about their learning with important adults in their lives. To that end, we invite you to a Portfolio Conference, where your child will present to you artifacts of his or her learning - work from each class that he or she has thoughtfully selected to demonstrate learning and growth. Any caring adult is welcome - parents, adult siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, neighbors. Conferences will take place in the Middle/Elementary School Library.
These conferences are important to your child, and represent many hours of hard work. The portfolio process helps students build life-long skills including: organization skills, self-evaluative skills, and communication skills. Most importantly, the portfolio process helps your child take more ownership of his or her learning and be more accountable for his or her academic progress. Thank you for the important role you play in this process!
Please visit http://bit.ly/housecconferences6 to indicate your preferred conference time. If no adult is able to attend at one of the times offered, we will gladly make arrangements for you to conference with your child at another time.
We look forward to seeing you!
The Teachers of House C:
How time flies! We're well into autumn and it’s already time for our first round of Student Portfolio Conferences. Children benefit greatly from having meaningful conversations about their learning with important adults in their lives. To that end, we invite you to a Portfolio Conference, where your child will present to you artifacts of his or her learning - work from each class that he or she has thoughtfully selected to demonstrate learning and growth. Any caring adult is welcome - parents, adult siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, neighbors. Conferences will take place in the Middle/Elementary School Library.
These conferences are important to your child, and represent many hours of hard work. The portfolio process helps students build life-long skills including: organization skills, self-evaluative skills, and communication skills. Most importantly, the portfolio process helps your child take more ownership of his or her learning and be more accountable for his or her academic progress. Thank you for the important role you play in this process!
Please visit http://bit.ly/housecconferences6 to indicate your preferred conference time. If no adult is able to attend at one of the times offered, we will gladly make arrangements for you to conference with your child at another time.
We look forward to seeing you!
The Teachers of House C:
Nathan Caswell
Charles Dabritz
Jana Fabri-Sbardellati
Jana Fabri-Sbardellati
Maria Gordon
James Moore
James Moore
Megan Smith
Catherine Thibault-Cote
Catherine Thibault-Cote
Cassie Altreche
Sunday, October 5, 2014
October is National Bullying Prevention Month
Are you being bullied? Do you know someone who is?
Are you sometimes a bully?
Check out these excellent resources!
StompOutBullying.org
Are you sometimes a bully?
Check out these excellent resources!
StompOutBullying.org
Thursday, September 11, 2014
What Should I Read?
Picking a book - for some of us, it's easy to choose - for others, it might be more difficult. Here are some resources to help you find a book that matches your interests!
Probably the best way to get recommendations for good books is to ask a friend whose taste you like. You've talked about movies and music, now ask what they've read and loved.
Next stop - talk to our librarians. They love books, and they love helping you find books! Tell them about you and your interests, and they can help direct you to a good read!
Listed below are some other resources for you:
For books written by authors close to home, try these Vermont book suggestions from our own Secretary of State.
This is a list of some stone-cold classic book reads. Try 'em; you'll love 'em. Top 100 Books
Good Reads is another helpful resource, and here is a list of their Top 100 Middle School Must Reads.
If you're interested in non-fiction, here's a helpful list for you: Best Books for Young Adults Non-fiction.
Some great Classics can be found here: Middle School Suggested Classics
The DCF Book List for this has some great reads - feel free to ask your Humanities teachers. We have read some good ones: DCF Book Site
Lord of the Rings, Hunger Games, and Divergent fans, here is a list of GoodReads Best Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction
If you have recommendations of how to find good books, let your Humanities teachers know, and we'll update the list!
Probably the best way to get recommendations for good books is to ask a friend whose taste you like. You've talked about movies and music, now ask what they've read and loved.
Next stop - talk to our librarians. They love books, and they love helping you find books! Tell them about you and your interests, and they can help direct you to a good read!
Listed below are some other resources for you:
For books written by authors close to home, try these Vermont book suggestions from our own Secretary of State.
This is a list of some stone-cold classic book reads. Try 'em; you'll love 'em. Top 100 Books
Good Reads is another helpful resource, and here is a list of their Top 100 Middle School Must Reads.
If you're interested in non-fiction, here's a helpful list for you: Best Books for Young Adults Non-fiction.
Some great Classics can be found here: Middle School Suggested Classics
The DCF Book List for this has some great reads - feel free to ask your Humanities teachers. We have read some good ones: DCF Book Site
Lord of the Rings, Hunger Games, and Divergent fans, here is a list of GoodReads Best Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction
If you have recommendations of how to find good books, let your Humanities teachers know, and we'll update the list!
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
Hiking Mount Mansfield
Tomorrow - Thursday, September 4 - House C will be putting our Habits of Mind to the test as we endeavor to hike the Sunset Ridge trial to the highest point in Vermont: the "Chin" of Mount Mansfield! Remember to bring:
- A water bottle - 24 oz minimum
- Proper footwear - sturdy, close-toed shoes/boots, socks
- Clothing layers - t-shirt, long-sleeved shirt, light jacket, light pants, shorts
- Lunch and snacks
- Sunscreen
- Bug spray
- Backpack for carrying it all!
Middle School Fundraising
Dear Families
At the end of your student’s middle school experience, he or she will have the opportunity to participate in the 8th grade field trip to Boston. This field trip is three days and two nights and for many students it is the highlight of their middle school years. During this trip, students get to witness the culture of Boston, visit a few of Boston’s best museums, and they get to stay at Emerson College. This is a unique opportunity that every student should experience. In order to make this trip affordable for all families, we offer numerous fundraisers throughout the school year. Each student is given a field trip account. Students earn money for this account by fundraising. This money will be put towards the cost of the Boston trip and can also be used to fund other school based field trips as well. I have created these accounts so that students can earn their trip to Boston. This year the cost of the trip is $325, if your students participates in a couple of fundraisers each year, they will not have to fund raise all of the money during 8th grade. I cannot stress enough the importance of fundraising early so that your family is not stuck with a $325 bill at the end of 8th grade. Also, this account can be used for other field trips in the middle school.
I will be getting out a list of fundraisers that we will be doing shortly. I just wanted to alert you to this excellent opportunity to earn money that does not involve selling something.
Christine Vaughn has given us a fun opprotunity for parents to earn money for their students fundraising account. If you help out for the 6.5 hours you will get $65 for you students account. Here is the information:
For groups of 10-20 adult volunteers before or on event day, we will donate $10 per volunteer hour back to the field trip fund. Our day begins at 6:30, and lasts about 6.5 hours. The work is easy, either monitoring the course for fair play, working merchandise tables, or registration. We also have some opportunities for set up and tear down.
Possible donations:
10 volunteers X 6.5 hours X $10 = $650 total donation
20 volunteers X 6.5 hours X $10 = $1300 total donation
If you are interested in running in the Zombie Run, you can get $10 off runner registration - and for each time the coupon is used, we would donate $5 back to the Field Trip fund. The code for registering is MMS.
To register for the run https://zombierun.webconnex.com/register
Please contact Mr. Smith <jsmith3@mtsd-vt.org> with any questions about fundraising or the Boston trip.
At the end of your student’s middle school experience, he or she will have the opportunity to participate in the 8th grade field trip to Boston. This field trip is three days and two nights and for many students it is the highlight of their middle school years. During this trip, students get to witness the culture of Boston, visit a few of Boston’s best museums, and they get to stay at Emerson College. This is a unique opportunity that every student should experience. In order to make this trip affordable for all families, we offer numerous fundraisers throughout the school year. Each student is given a field trip account. Students earn money for this account by fundraising. This money will be put towards the cost of the Boston trip and can also be used to fund other school based field trips as well. I have created these accounts so that students can earn their trip to Boston. This year the cost of the trip is $325, if your students participates in a couple of fundraisers each year, they will not have to fund raise all of the money during 8th grade. I cannot stress enough the importance of fundraising early so that your family is not stuck with a $325 bill at the end of 8th grade. Also, this account can be used for other field trips in the middle school.
I will be getting out a list of fundraisers that we will be doing shortly. I just wanted to alert you to this excellent opportunity to earn money that does not involve selling something.
Christine Vaughn has given us a fun opprotunity for parents to earn money for their students fundraising account. If you help out for the 6.5 hours you will get $65 for you students account. Here is the information:
For groups of 10-20 adult volunteers before or on event day, we will donate $10 per volunteer hour back to the field trip fund. Our day begins at 6:30, and lasts about 6.5 hours. The work is easy, either monitoring the course for fair play, working merchandise tables, or registration. We also have some opportunities for set up and tear down.
Possible donations:
10 volunteers X 6.5 hours X $10 = $650 total donation
20 volunteers X 6.5 hours X $10 = $1300 total donation
If you are interested in running in the Zombie Run, you can get $10 off runner registration - and for each time the coupon is used, we would donate $5 back to the Field Trip fund. The code for registering is MMS.
To register for the run https://zombierun.webconnex.com/register
Please contact Mr. Smith <jsmith3@mtsd-vt.org> with any questions about fundraising or the Boston trip.
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Summer Reading Expectations
June 2014
Greetings students and families of Milton Middle School,
As one year winds down, we are already gearing up for the next, can you believe it? Without rushing things, we do want to let you know about the summer reading expectations. We are excited to announce that we’re reading the 2014 Vermont Reads selection, Wonder by R.J. Palacio. Our community joins dozens throughout the state in reading and discussing this beautiful story. Students will be able to pick up a copy at the Milton Public Library after August 1st; this copy will be theirs to keep. Students should bring in their copies, having already read them, on the first day of school.
In addition to reading Wonder and all of the other books you will read of your own choosing, we are expecting all students to read at least one additional book from this year’s Dorothy Canfield Fisher (DCF) Book Award List. We have included a list on the back of this letter of all of this year’s titles. Please visit dcfaward.org for more information about the books, including recommended ages and descriptions. Caregivers, this could be a wonderful opportunity for you to be exposed to some excellent young adult literature, while supporting your child with his/her reading expectations.
When we return in August, in addition to school-wide celebrations of the book Wonder, each house will have its own way of discussing and working with the books. Students will also learn about various ways that the houses will be enticing students to read and track DCF books throughout the year (those who get a head start with this summer will certainly be at an advantage).
So, find a nice, sunny spot, curl up, and get lost in some fabulous literature. If you have any questions, please direct them to the appropriate humanities teachers.
Happy Reading!
MMS Humanities Team
House A - Stacey Endres & John Finnegan
House B - Josh Roof & Ellen Taggart
House C - Charles Dabritz & Jana Fabri
House D - Leonard Badeau & Tony Burton
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