Monday, December 21, 2015
House C Welcomes a New Member To Our Team
House C would like to welcome Gloria Crowe, consulting teacher. Gloria has been a member of the Milton Town School District teaching team for the past ten years. She has worked in both elementary and middle levels. We are privileged to now have co-teaching in math full time. This is a great opportunity for your students and we are excited to have her join our team.
Thursday, December 17, 2015
These Pictures of Us - 12/21
photos by Anna Kaigle, Kyle Raftery & Raneen Salha
Your learners have been creating an installation that summarizes who they are and how they see themselves in the world. Learners have been exploring how to communicate through images, working with rules of photography and our visual arts teacher (Ms. Baldwin) to help set up and take some inspiring photographs. As the above examples show, the work is striking and thoughtful.
This is an exciting project that has resulted in some terrific art. We hope you can drop by and stroll through our gallery between 4:00 and 6:30 on the 21st. (This is very similar to an art exhibit in that you may come and go as you please!)
Light refreshments will be served. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
School and House News
Hi folks,
Here are a few updates for you all:
It is once again time to sell the February Calendar Raffle. It is our most successful fundraiser and the best opportunity for your student to earn money for Boston. We have over $1000 in prizes including four tickets to a UVM basketball game, a teddy bear from Vermont Teddy Bear Company, and gift certificates from local restaurants and businesses. Tickets are $10.00 and if your ticket is drawn it goes back into the raffle. For each ticket that your student sells, they will earn $9.00 in their field trip account. If your student sells 10 calendars, they will get $90 into their account. Every student in the middle school should aim to sell at least 10 calendars. If your student is in 6th or 7th grade this will ensure that you will not need to pay for the full amount of the Boston trip when your student reaches 8th grade. By the end of 6th grade, students should have at least $100 in their account, by the end of 7th grade there should be at least $200 in their account. If your student is in 8th grade, the total cost of the trip this year is $350. The eighth grader that sells the most calendars, will have a special activity afforded to them in Boston. This activity will be determined based on the student's interest.
These calendars make great holiday gifts.
These calendars will be available to your student beginning tomorrow. There will be a letter about how the raffle works and it will include how much your student has raised to date. Please check the amount and make sure it is correct.
I would like to thank April Rand for her hard work in collecting many of the prizes that are on the calendar this year.
If you have any questions, please call Joe Smith at jsmith3@mtsd-vt.org or call at 893-5529.
Here are a few updates for you all:
- The MMS Boosters have organized a school-wide food drive. Each house is gathering non-perishable items to donate to the local food shelf. There is a collection box in Ms. Fabri's room. If possible, please support your child in bringing in items for the cause. The house that collects the most goods will be awarded lots of free books.
- By this point, all trimester 1 report cards have been mailed home. Please contact us if you have any questions.
- Orders placed through the MMS Boosters Apparel Fundraiser are in and have been distributed to your child. Look for those today.
- It's the time of year for the Calendar Raffle fundraiser. See the note below from Mr. Smith:
It is once again time to sell the February Calendar Raffle. It is our most successful fundraiser and the best opportunity for your student to earn money for Boston. We have over $1000 in prizes including four tickets to a UVM basketball game, a teddy bear from Vermont Teddy Bear Company, and gift certificates from local restaurants and businesses. Tickets are $10.00 and if your ticket is drawn it goes back into the raffle. For each ticket that your student sells, they will earn $9.00 in their field trip account. If your student sells 10 calendars, they will get $90 into their account. Every student in the middle school should aim to sell at least 10 calendars. If your student is in 6th or 7th grade this will ensure that you will not need to pay for the full amount of the Boston trip when your student reaches 8th grade. By the end of 6th grade, students should have at least $100 in their account, by the end of 7th grade there should be at least $200 in their account. If your student is in 8th grade, the total cost of the trip this year is $350. The eighth grader that sells the most calendars, will have a special activity afforded to them in Boston. This activity will be determined based on the student's interest.
These calendars make great holiday gifts.
These calendars will be available to your student beginning tomorrow. There will be a letter about how the raffle works and it will include how much your student has raised to date. Please check the amount and make sure it is correct.
I would like to thank April Rand for her hard work in collecting many of the prizes that are on the calendar this year.
If you have any questions, please call Joe Smith at jsmith3@mtsd-vt.org or call at 893-5529.
Thanks,
Joe Smith
House A - Consulting Teacher
Boston Coordinator
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
A few announcements
Hi folks,
With just a few days left before the Thanksgiving break, we wanted to share some announcements with you.
With just a few days left before the Thanksgiving break, we wanted to share some announcements with you.
- 8th graders must return their Boston permission slips as soon as possible.
- Student Council is leading a Food Drive for the duration of this week. Please send your child it in with non-perishable goods that can be donated to the Milton Food Bank. In order to encourage participation, Student Council is going to reward the House that is able to bring in the most goods. Go House C!
- Orders from the fall fundraiser should be in this week.
Sunday, November 8, 2015
Portfolio Conferences This Week!
This is a reminder that our Student-Led Portfolio Conferences are happening this Monday (11/9) and Tuesday (11/10) between 4:00 and 7:00PM. The students have been working hard to prepare! We look forward to seeing you.
Personal Learning Plans
Dear Parents, Guardians and Students,
We are pleased to inform you of an exciting initiative that Milton Middle School is working on this year. Personal learning plans (PLPs) have been mandated by the state of Vermont as a key element of the Act 77: Flexible Pathways legislation. Beginning in the fall of 2015, students in grades 7 and 9 are required to have a personalized learning plan that documents their growth and learning as a student, identifies educational opportunities beyond the traditional classroom setting, supports student achievement of academic and personal goals, and demonstrates student proficiency with the Agency of Education’s Transferable Skills. Milton Middle School is embracing personal learning plans (PLPs) for all students in grades 6-8. This work will lay the foundation for the growth of their PLP as they progress through grade 12.
Using a Personal Learning Framework (see below), students explore their identity as learners, their supportive community relationships, and their academic and extracurricular goals. Additionally, students are given the opportunity to set goals, collect evidence of goal achievement, use technology to document and communicate their growth, and to explore opportunities of interest.
Each Milton Middle School student has initiated the process of developing his/her own PLP blog. This site is secure under the mymtsd-vt.org domain and the student has shared it with their House teachers and their adviser. We encourage you to ask your child about his/her blog. All students have written an About Me section and taken personality/interest/learning surveys. At our November conferences, the personal learning plan will serve as the basis for discussion with your child about his/her identity as a learner, his/her academic, extracurricular, and citizenship goals, and evidence of learning. We would also encourage you to come to the conference with your hopes and dreams for your child. From this meeting, students will continue to work on both long term and short term goals.
As we progress through the year, we will continue using the Personal Learning Framework to help guide your child toward completion of his/her goals, collection of evidence identifying his/her growth and learning, and reflection on the strengths and challenges he/she works on as a member of Milton Middle School. The work students do on their PLPs while in middle school will carryover into the work they do in high school.
In advance, thank you for supporting this important student work. Please feel free to contact us with any questions, concerns, or comments. We look forward to our November conferences and using the personal learning plan as a key instrument in your student’s educational program.
MMS Curriculum Team Leaders
Nathan Caswell
Marcel Choquette
Jana Fabri
Maria Gordon
Amy Johnson
Josh Roof
Joe Smith
Lauren Talbot
Catherine Thibault-Cote
We are pleased to inform you of an exciting initiative that Milton Middle School is working on this year. Personal learning plans (PLPs) have been mandated by the state of Vermont as a key element of the Act 77: Flexible Pathways legislation. Beginning in the fall of 2015, students in grades 7 and 9 are required to have a personalized learning plan that documents their growth and learning as a student, identifies educational opportunities beyond the traditional classroom setting, supports student achievement of academic and personal goals, and demonstrates student proficiency with the Agency of Education’s Transferable Skills. Milton Middle School is embracing personal learning plans (PLPs) for all students in grades 6-8. This work will lay the foundation for the growth of their PLP as they progress through grade 12.
Using a Personal Learning Framework (see below), students explore their identity as learners, their supportive community relationships, and their academic and extracurricular goals. Additionally, students are given the opportunity to set goals, collect evidence of goal achievement, use technology to document and communicate their growth, and to explore opportunities of interest.
Each Milton Middle School student has initiated the process of developing his/her own PLP blog. This site is secure under the mymtsd-vt.org domain and the student has shared it with their House teachers and their adviser. We encourage you to ask your child about his/her blog. All students have written an About Me section and taken personality/interest/learning surveys. At our November conferences, the personal learning plan will serve as the basis for discussion with your child about his/her identity as a learner, his/her academic, extracurricular, and citizenship goals, and evidence of learning. We would also encourage you to come to the conference with your hopes and dreams for your child. From this meeting, students will continue to work on both long term and short term goals.
As we progress through the year, we will continue using the Personal Learning Framework to help guide your child toward completion of his/her goals, collection of evidence identifying his/her growth and learning, and reflection on the strengths and challenges he/she works on as a member of Milton Middle School. The work students do on their PLPs while in middle school will carryover into the work they do in high school.
In advance, thank you for supporting this important student work. Please feel free to contact us with any questions, concerns, or comments. We look forward to our November conferences and using the personal learning plan as a key instrument in your student’s educational program.
MMS Curriculum Team Leaders
Nathan Caswell
Marcel Choquette
Jana Fabri
Maria Gordon
Amy Johnson
Josh Roof
Joe Smith
Lauren Talbot
Catherine Thibault-Cote
Friday, November 6, 2015
Wear Blue for Colin
Greetings,
Next week marks one year since our learning community lost friend and student, Colin O'Neil. Colin was a member of the MTSD learning community since preschool and made a significant impact on all those who were lucky enough to work with and alongside him. We on House C were particularly fortunate to have him on our team for over two years. Some folks here have organized a "Wear Blue for Colin" day for next Tuesday 11/10. We're asking as many folks as possible wear blue on Tuesday to honor Colin and the warm memories we have of him. Thank you in advance for your participation.
Next week marks one year since our learning community lost friend and student, Colin O'Neil. Colin was a member of the MTSD learning community since preschool and made a significant impact on all those who were lucky enough to work with and alongside him. We on House C were particularly fortunate to have him on our team for over two years. Some folks here have organized a "Wear Blue for Colin" day for next Tuesday 11/10. We're asking as many folks as possible wear blue on Tuesday to honor Colin and the warm memories we have of him. Thank you in advance for your participation.
Pie Fundraiser
Dear Families,
Take some of the stress out of Thanksgiving and let Milton Middle School bake an Apple or Pumpkin Pie for you this Thanksgiving. Pies are $15 and when you order from your child, $9.00 of it goes to his/her fundraising account. Your child can even sell more pies to friends and relatives and earn even more money for Boston. Pie order forms can be picked up from one of your child’s house teachers or in the front office.
Please note: All middle school students can sell pies and start earning money for their field trip account. Even though 8th grade may be a couple of years away, it is wise to start fundraising the $350 need for this trip now. Students should aim to raise $100 each year.
If your child is in 8th grade, they can help bake the pies and they will split the total of $4.00 times the number of pies we make. Therefore the more pies we sell, the more money your child can earn towards Boston. We will be baking pies after school on November 17th and 18th. We will need ten students for each day. Students can sign up for one of these days outside of Mr. Smith’s door beginning on Wednesday, November 4th.
If you have any questions, please contact Joe Smith at 893-5529.
Sincerely,
Joe Smith
House A - Consulting Teacher
Boston Coordinator
Milton Town School District Radio http://miltonsdr.blogspot.com/p/home.html
(802) 893-5529
Take some of the stress out of Thanksgiving and let Milton Middle School bake an Apple or Pumpkin Pie for you this Thanksgiving. Pies are $15 and when you order from your child, $9.00 of it goes to his/her fundraising account. Your child can even sell more pies to friends and relatives and earn even more money for Boston. Pie order forms can be picked up from one of your child’s house teachers or in the front office.
Please note: All middle school students can sell pies and start earning money for their field trip account. Even though 8th grade may be a couple of years away, it is wise to start fundraising the $350 need for this trip now. Students should aim to raise $100 each year.
If your child is in 8th grade, they can help bake the pies and they will split the total of $4.00 times the number of pies we make. Therefore the more pies we sell, the more money your child can earn towards Boston. We will be baking pies after school on November 17th and 18th. We will need ten students for each day. Students can sign up for one of these days outside of Mr. Smith’s door beginning on Wednesday, November 4th.
If you have any questions, please contact Joe Smith at 893-5529.
Sincerely,
Joe Smith
House A - Consulting Teacher
Boston Coordinator
Milton Town School District Radio http://miltonsdr.blogspot.com/p/home.html
(802) 893-5529
Monday, October 19, 2015
Calendar Raffle Help Needed
Dear Families,
The time has come to start collecting items for our February Calendar Raffle. Last year we were able to collect over $2,000 in prizes and we raised over $4,000. This year I would like collect over $2,500 in prizes and raise $5,000.
The way this fundraiser works is that we collect donations, usually in the form of gift cards, from area businesses and restaurants. We then assign each prize to a day of the month in February. Beginning in December, we sell raffle tickets for $10 each. If the ticket is drawn in February, they win the prize for that day AND the ticket is placed back in the drawing for the next day.
This is one of the best fundraisers that we have for students. Students who sell tickets can earn $9 for each ticket sold towards their field trip account. Also families who own a business and can donate or can secure a donation to the raffle can earn $25.
I am also looking for a couple of families to help secure donations and put together the calendar. If you are interested please contact Joe Smith at jsmith3@mtsd-vt.org or at 893-5529 by Monday, October 19th.
Thanks,
Joe Smith
House A - Consulting Teacher
Boston Coordinator
Milton Town School District Radio http://miltonsdr.blogspot.com/p/home.html
(802) 893-5529
The time has come to start collecting items for our February Calendar Raffle. Last year we were able to collect over $2,000 in prizes and we raised over $4,000. This year I would like collect over $2,500 in prizes and raise $5,000.
The way this fundraiser works is that we collect donations, usually in the form of gift cards, from area businesses and restaurants. We then assign each prize to a day of the month in February. Beginning in December, we sell raffle tickets for $10 each. If the ticket is drawn in February, they win the prize for that day AND the ticket is placed back in the drawing for the next day.
This is one of the best fundraisers that we have for students. Students who sell tickets can earn $9 for each ticket sold towards their field trip account. Also families who own a business and can donate or can secure a donation to the raffle can earn $25.
I am also looking for a couple of families to help secure donations and put together the calendar. If you are interested please contact Joe Smith at jsmith3@mtsd-vt.org or at 893-5529 by Monday, October 19th.
Thanks,
Joe Smith
House A - Consulting Teacher
Boston Coordinator
Milton Town School District Radio http://miltonsdr.blogspot.com/p/home.html
(802) 893-5529
Friday, October 16, 2015
Progress Reports and More
Hi folks,
At the end of the day today (Friday 10/16), your child was handed a packet of the following important documents:
At the end of the day today (Friday 10/16), your child was handed a packet of the following important documents:
- Three progress reports - one for math, one for science, and one for humanities.
- PowerSchool log in letter with information for accessing your child's class performance information.
- Student Profile - This is how your child's information is currently listed in our system. Please update and return to school with your child, if applicable.
- Conference Invite - As was posted earlier, it's time to sign up for conferences. You may either do this online by following the link - http://bit.ly/housecconferences8 or by returning the completed half sheet. The times are given on a first come, first served basis.
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