Need to know info:

• There will be an Early release Day on Friday, 10/11 for Students.
• There will be No School on Monday, 10/14.
• Health Screenings will be happening for all middle schoolers over the next few weeks. Please see below for more details from Lynn Molinari
• Scholastic Book Fair will be coming up this week, 10/7. Information below!
• The late bus and several clubs are starting on 10/9, all students may access the late bus, even if they are not usually bus riders. Bus leaves at 3:25pm from the MS entrance.
• HW Club will start on 10/9 and be in room 210 with Ms. Monaghan in room 212 each week!
• Picture Retake Day will be 11/19. More info below!
• AI in Education: A New Era of Learning presentation at CFB STEAM Lab 10/29 @ 6:30pm, more info below!
• Student Council Elections are coming up- everyone should feel welcome and encouraged to participate!
• Crocs caution: students must wear sneakers to participate in PE and while Crocs are cool, comfy and cute, they offer little ankle support and traction; slipping and falling can be common.

Nice to know info:

• Students have created some amazing door decorations to celebrate expected behaviors and how to model our core values in various parts of our school and community. Winning doors will be awarded with cookies and milk on Monday afternoon- this is a HUGE treat!
• Amazing job with the Boosters Run Back to School- that was a wonderfully successful event!
• Volleyball for a Cure was a smashing success - thank you to all who organized and participated!
• METG Drama is offering a MS Workshop Day on October 28, 2024- please see the blurb below!
• Clubs include: MS Newspaper (Tuesdays), MS Coding Club (will be Wednesdays),
• Several clubs/groups will meet during lunch: Student Council, Kindness Club, Chess & Checkers, Anime/Manga, and several others.

Picture Retake Day will be November 19th. Pictures will be taken inside on this day.

Upcoming Programming for Middle School Students:

Middle School Workshop Day

Join us on October 28th from 9:30am-2:30pm to meet fellow theatre students from around the state and participate in amazing workshops that will help you become a better and more well-rounded theatre artist.

Middle School Workshop Day will be held at the Walsh Middle School in Framingham - 301 Brook Street, Framingham, MA 01701. All students must bring a bagged lunch.

This year's workshops will include Improv, Dance & Movement, The Actor's Voice, and Tech & Design Toolbox.

Students do not need to attend with their teacher.

While the student workshops were going on, teachers had the opportunity to discover more about the benefits of METG and collaborate with other theater educators.

The Workshop Day is $10 for students from member schools and $15 for students from non-member schools. Teachers and Directors are welcome to attend! There is no charge for teachers. Once you register your student, you will receive a link to complete the METG Medical/Emergency Form - we must have this form from every student in order for them to attend.

We are excited for you to join us!

CLICK HERE to register!

The deadline to register is Monday, October 23, 2023.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to metg@metg.org.

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Andover, Attleboro, Braintree, Brockton, Cambridge, Carver, Danvers, Fall River, Framingham, Georgetown, Gloucester, Hanover, Haverhill, Lawrence, Leominster, Lynn, Mansfield, Millis, Northborough, Peabody, Southborough, Sharon, Swansea, Tyngsborough, Winthrop, and Worcester Cultural Councils, local agencies which are supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

Here is the Millis Middle School Student Handbook for 2024-2025. Please take some time to review the content included here and sign off on your understanding of the information and policies contained within by signing below. Thank you!

All students and caregivers have been provided with PowerSchool logins and passwords. PowerSchool provides realtime access to your child's academic progress, grades and comments.

Here is information regarding PowerSchool and Standards based grading and how to access the Portal details.

Dear Millis Families,

We want to ensure all students get the most out of our school technology! Millis Public Schools provides a safe and reliable network, along with Chromebooks and learning apps, to support our students' education.

To keep everyone safe online, it's important that students and parents understand our Responsible Use Policy. This policy outlines the expectations for using school technology in a responsible and appropriate way.

You can find the policy easily on our Millis Public Schools 1:1 Chromebook Program website, as well as within the Chromebook Care and Use Guide. This guide also contains important Insurance information.

Once you've reviewed the policy and guide, please take a moment to sign off on it together, both you and your child. This quick step is required for your child to access and use their Chromebook at school. Neglecting to sign may cause their device to become inactive and unavailable for use.

You can find the sign-off HERE.

Please reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns.

Take Care,

Ryan Camire

Director of Digital Learning and Technology

rcamire@millisschools.org

(508) 906-3700

Articles about students and photographs of assemblies, classroom activities, and many events that occur during the school day may be published in print, video, or on social media (website, Twitter, etc.)

**IF YOU ALLOW THESE THINGS FOR YOUR CHILD THEN NO ACTION IS REQUIRED.

OPT OUT BY CLICKING THIS LINK

Student Council elections will happen in the next few weeks- it's a great way to get involved and to be an agent of change to improve and promote our school spirit and FUN!

From Riverside Community Behavioral Health Center:

As we welcome a new school year, we want to emphasize the importance of mental health and well-being. Returning to school can bring about a mix of emotions—excitement, anxiety, anticipation, and more. We know for some students the beginning of a new school year can come with difficulties, including depression, anxiety, school avoidance and complex emotional and behavioral issues. The team at Riverside Mobile Crisis Intervention would like to remind everyone that we are here for all students no matter the level of concern; we are available to see people 24 hours a day anywhere in the community: at home, school, or our office. Please share our information with caretakers who may need help navigating these complex situations at home, and we are available to come into the school for in-the-moment assessment to help partner with you in navigating challenging events. We’re just a phone call away at 781-769-8674 or toll-free at 800-529-5077.

Thank you from the team at Mobile Crisis Intervention, a component of Riverside’s Community Behavioral Health Center.

Grade 6 & 8th:

Over the next month the nurse will begin state mandated postural screening.

Students will be screened individually.

The purpose of the postural (scoliosis) screening is to find early signs of possible spinal problems in children grades 5th-9th. If the nurse has any concerns she will notify you. If your child has already been screened by your doctor and you wish to opt out of this screening or if you have any questions please email Lynn Molinari at lmolinari@millisschools.org.

Grade 7th:

An updated physical should be provided at the start of the school year.

If your child is due for one in the fall you can just email Lynn Molinari at lmolinari@millisschools.org.

The following vaccines are also required:

• 2 doses of the MMR vaccine
• 3 doses of the Hepatitis B vaccine
• 1 dose of Tdap - required for grade 7-10(usually given at 11 or 12 year visit)
• 2 Varicella Vaccines- A reliable history of chickenpox or laboratory evidence of immunity is acceptable.
• 1 dose of MenACWY (menactra) for all students (a meningococcal conjugate vaccine)

Please send in documentation of the most recent physical exam including the immunizations to Lynn Molinari at lmolinari@millisschools.org.

See below for the most recent immunization update requirements.

https://www.mass.gov/info-details/school-immunizations

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/downloads/teen/parent-version-schedule-7-18yrs.pdf

Thank you so much,

Lynn Molinari RN, MSN

MILLIS LIBRARY FUNDRAISER

The Scholastic Book Fair is next week during school hours and for 15 minutes before and after school. Students will come down with classes or at the teacher's discretion. Parents and families are welcome on Tuesday from 2:45-4pm.

Link to our homepage

https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/millismiddleschool

Flyer in case you wanted to use it.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Tp6LygpDU33trXRl7KHMgOYwQx8h2xED2poG9RX0nJ8/edit?usp=sharing

ACADEMIC CALENDAR - 2024-2025

ROTATING SCHEDULE 2024/2025

Good morning Families,

I'll say it - What a night!!! The spirit of our community really did shine through.

Yesterday alone, we raised over $1300 for Dana Farber Cancer Institute, both in raffle/bake sales and online donations to our fundraising page. To date, we've raised over $2000 for in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. That is a fantastic accomplishment! Don't forget to that our page is live through the end of October. Continue to spread the word!

https://danafarber.jimmyfund.org/site/TR/EventPage/MyPagepg=team&fr_id=2210&team_id=30466

Thank you to all our parent volunteers who worked the bake sale/raffle tables. You were a tremendous help and it is so greatly appreciated. Thank you to our administration and school staff that were present and supportive of last night's event. Thank you to our fans that showed up, donated, and cheered loud! Thank you to our student-athletes for their spirit, their donations, and dedication. We are all so proud of you. As a coach and parent, I'm incredibly grateful to be part of it all. Thank you for all you do.

Best,

Coach Gatz

News of the mental health crisis in young people is overwhelming. How can we help our children manage anxiety without being swept up by fear and confusion ourselves? In this program, national expert Lynn Lyons will offer practical strategies to reduce anxiety and promote resilience in children from preschool through high school (as well as in their caregivers). Topics addressed will include:

• How to prevent anxiety and teach young people to connect with others and manage emotions in an effective way
• Step-by-step instruction for helping a child suffering from anxiety, or anxiety-related matters
• How to help children manage social pressures, including social media and screens
• Resources available for support
• Current topics such as school refusal and other audience concerns

This special event will include time for audience q+a, community partner info tables, and an informal reception for connecting immediately following the program.

SPARK Kindness is committed to providing events that are accessible to all community members. Live ASL Interpretation will be provided at this event. Please contact us with accommodation questions at info@sparkkindness.org. SPARK Kindness is an Autism Welcoming Organization. View our "Know Before You Go" document with location and parking details here.

Our “Raising Resilient Teens” and “Raising Resilient Kids” workshops are seven-week skills-based groups for parents that we offer throughout the year. The workshops provide education on normative child development and different ways parents can foster the parent-child relationship and support resilience-building in their kids and teens.

"Raising Resilient Kids" is designed for parents and caregivers of school-aged children (grades K-5/6), while "Raising Resilient Teens" is designed for parents and caregivers of tweens and teens. The total cost of the 7-week workshop is $160 and covers up to 2 parents/caregivers per household. If a parent/caregiver in another household would like to participate, they will need to register and pay separately; they will be mailed their own set of resources and materials.

Email NWHResilienceproject@partners.org with any questions.