Our Grade 8 students were busy putting together Thanksgiving baskets for the Food Pantry and were dropped off on Friday. It was a wonderful way to give to the community and share time and compassion. Thank you to all who so generously donated to this event.

We are thrilled to recognize this group of our outstanding middle school students for exemplifying the core value of responsibility through their thoughtful and kind actions. Their demonstrations of caring and kindness within our school community are truly commendable, reflecting the strong sense of responsibility they hold. Each month we will continue to encourage and celebrate these remarkable displays of character among our students.

For more information on the Millis Police & Fire Holiday Assistance Program please click on the link above. Thank you!

We would like to give a special shout out to our amazing educators, Ms. Hurvitz and Ms. Taillefer!

Mrs. Hurvitz is an extraordinary team member. She is caring and supportive of students, somehow balances a tricky caseload, communicates effectively with parents and supports the team by giving valuable input, sprinkled with the best metaphors!! It's absolutely amazing how she keeps so many plates in the air!!

Mrs. Taillefer is an outstanding member of the Millis Middle School Community. Whether you are a student, teacher, or staff member, she is always there to lend a hand. Her patience, wisdom, and understanding guide us all through the tough moments of our days. We don’t know what we’d do without her. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

Mrs. Samantha Laney, our beloved Social Studies teacher was hurt in an accident earlier this fall. We are so happy to share that she has been discharged from the hospital and her rehabilitation facility. Now, moving back home she will still need a great deal of care and support. If possible, please consider a donation to help Sam and her family.

Please have your child check out our Lost and Found. We encourage all to label clothing items so that belongings can be returned. We have a lot of clothing items and also water bottles and lunch boxes. All items that are not picked up will be donated after Thanksgiving break. Thank you~

Please consider supporting the Millis HS/MS Boys Soccer Program by purchasing a Rustic Marlin "Mohawks" Block for $20. Thank you!

Millis has been approved for a Girls Ice Hockey Co-op with host Hopkinton. For interest or questions, please contact the athletic department via email @ dphinney@millisschools.org by Tuesday, 11/21/23.

Winter Athletics Registration Closes This Week Reminder that registration closes early this week to prepare for the winter season which kicks off on Monday 11/27. Offerings include basketball (boys/girls grades 7-12), indoor track & field (boys/girls grades 7-12), co-op gymnastics w/ Medway (grades 9-12), girls ice hockey co=op w/ Hopkinton (grades 8-12) and boys ice hockey co-op w/ Bellingham (grades 8-12). Please visit FamilyID to register or click on the link below. Any questions specific to one of the winter programs, please contact the varsity coach or athletic dept via e-mail @ dphinney@millisschools.org. TY! Happy Thanksgiving! Winter Registration https://students.arbitersports.com/millis-athletics/2023-2024-winter-athletics-registration-9 Winter Coaches Meeting Slide Deck https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1xocpCzfQJlW2a9S4WS1O8rUgxpbnydL0GYoqSQ4z5l4/edit?usp=sharing

If you have interest in playing baseball this spring, please attend the interest meeting with Coach Panasuk on 11/29 immediately after school in room 207 (MS - Mr. MacDonald). If you can not attend but intend to play, please email brimanda2000@msn.com and complete the google form (click here).

PowerSchool is our Learning Management System that houses essential student information such as schedules, contact information and grading information. We are moving toward a paperless reporting system so you will access your child’s progress reports and report cards via the PowerSchool Portal. Detailed instructions for navigating PowerSchool are included below!

Academic learning standards are rated 1, 2, 3, 4 and Learner and Expectations/Student Habits are rated E, N, S, C as detailed below...

** IMPORTANT: You MUST use a computer for best access to the features of the parent portal. It is not compatible with cell phone or tablet views.

The parent portal screens have been customized to better communicate learning progress and show standards that are connected to assignments.

To view your child’s midterm progress report:

• Log in with parent account access information.

• In the upper left corner select your child to view

• Click Student Reports- this will take you to a printable report of all of your child’s teachers comments and feedback at midterm. Please be sure to click the blue button on the upper left to digitally sign off that you’ve seen this information.

To find the parent PowerSchool Portal, look for PowerSchool under the “Parents” tab.

If you need help using the portal, please call the Middle School office at 508-376-7014.

To view your student’s performance on Academic Standards and Learner Expectations:

• You will see a list of courses on the "QUICK LOOKUP" tab

• Click on the "Standards Grades" tab for a different view of "Current Sections"

• This will display each of the courses your student is enrolled in. You may click each course's name for additional information or click the button “Expand All” to open all scores for Learner Expectations (E, S, NI, C) and Progress on Academic Standards (1, 2, 3, 4). On this same screen, you may click the icon which will reveal all of the personalized teacher comments as well.

• The score shown is a summary score for the trimester, which reflects the average of the three most recent scores for the standard. (Currently specific standards are listed in PowerSchool for Math, ELA, SS, Science, and Spanish courses.) The Y1 score is an average for the year. The trend column is an indication of progress.

To view individual assignments and assessments in PowerSchool

• You will see a list of courses on the "QUICK LOOKUP" tab

• Click on the [ i ] next to a course name in the appropriate trimester column. (T1, T2, T3)

• You will see a list of assignments for the course. Click on the blue box under the “FLAGS” heading to open the standards that are attached to the assignment and scored.

• Also look in the "Flags" column for icons to show assignments have been completed, or are missing, late, incomplete, exempt, or if a student was absent.

• See the "Legend" at the bottom that explains the icons in the flags column. For example, Red circle = handed in late; Orange circle = assignment missing; Green circle = collected and handed in on time.

• Look in the far right column for the word “view”, which indicates that the teacher has added a comment on that particular assignment or assessment. Click on “view” to see the comment box.

In Millis, we honor each student as an individual learner, recognizing that each student has his or her own learning styles, interests, passions, challenges to learning, strengths and skill levels. We engage, support and challenge all students through varied instructional approaches that help students take ownership of their learning. Students are afforded voice, choice and flexibility in how they learn and are allowed to demonstrate their understanding in various ways to improve student well-being and ensure that they are "future ready".

Interested in more information about our process and Standards Based Grading?

Check out the resources here on our website tab for Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment.

To request a copy of a transcript for your child, please email cmullally@millisschools.org or have your child bring the needed paperwork to the front office to the attention of Mrs. Cheri Mullally. We will be happy to help you with these requests. Please be sure to provide ample time prior to deadlines for us to ensure all materials are prepared in a timely manner. A minimum of two weeks is required. If your child needs a recommendation letter, please share that request through the provided platforms (such as Ravenna) and follow up with a personalized request to the desired author of the letter. Again, please be considerate of time and provide ample notice for these materials.

Tri-County Vocational School is having their Open House this weekend, Saturday, November 4th, 10AM-2PM, click here to register, and Tri-County applications can be accessed here.

Norfolk Agricultural School is also welcoming applications for next year which are accessible here.

Thank you Millis families for making it out to the Middle/High School auditorium for the "Navigating the Digital Jungle: Things you should know because your child already does…" presentation. If you were unable to attend, the slides are linked above, as well as a video recording that can be found here. Please take some time to review the slides or watch the video to hear a little more about how you can work with your children/our students to create a safe online space for learning and living in this digital age.

Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

All Millis Middle School families have been sent an email to update their emergency contact information. It is very important that all phone numbers and emails are up to date. This information is used for contacting you in the event of an emergency, attendance and other school related correspondence.

Unfortunately, if you have multiple students in the district you will need to update each student separately.

If you haven't done so, please update your student (s) information with the most current, accurate information in PowerSchool.

If you have any questions or log in issues, please contact cliberty@millisschools.org.

Late bus available on Wednesdays at 3:25 pm for all students to take, regardless if they take the bus regularly or not.

click on the link below for millis middle school sports and schedules

The Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security has updated information on enhanced 9-1-1 services available to citizens.

"Text to 911" allows a person who is unable to speak or hear to communicate via text with a 9-1-1 dispatcher.

The second feature is the "Silent Call Procedure," which allows a person who is unable to speak to call 9-1-1 and when the call is answered by the dispatcher to press the following digits on their phone:

1 for police

2 for fire

3 for ambulance, so the dispatcher can immediately send help.

The slides listed below provide more information on these 9-1-1 features...

BC Splash is a program where middle and high school students can take classes taught by Boston College Students. There are classes on everything from the history of the Vietnam War to Surfing 101. The program is a wonderful opportunity for students to explore their interests and have a great day on the Boston College campus. This semester, the program will take place on Sunday, November 19th, from 10 am - 3 pm, and lunch will be provided. You can register by visiting the website at https://bcsplash.learningu.org or by using the QR code in the poster below.