PIERCE MIDDLE SCHOOL

• December 16th-December 20 – Spirit Week

• December 21st-January 1st – Winter break

• January 2nd –School Resumes
  
• January 9th – PTO Summer Programming Night (6:00 p.m. @ Pierce cafeteria)

• Happy Holidays!
• Families Helping Families
• MHS Info Night Follow Up
• Spirit Week
• STEAM Field Trip
  
• Pierce Debate Team
• Save the Date - January 9, 2025
  
• Private School Application Process
  
• Attendance Matters
  
• A Night of Music in Celebration of Andrew Bober
  

• MFE Movie Night
  

• MFE Annual Appeal - Win Patriots Tickets!
  
• Milton Sports for All - Candlepin Bowling
  

• A Note From the Nurse - Head Lice

• Support the Marching Band
  

Forms and Contacts

• Student Absence Reporting Form
• Helpful Contacts
• Schedule and Calendar Links
• Important Links

We wish our families all the best for a peaceful and restorative holiday season, and a happy new year!

Each year our school counselors identify Pierce families in need and collect gift cards to be distributed to them for the holidays. This program, Families Helping Families, provides an opportunity for your family to bring a little bit of holiday spirit to another family at Pierce Middle School in the most anonymous and quiet way.

If you are interested in supporting this initiative, please bring your gift card donation to the main office at the Pierce Middle School by Monday, December 16th, and deposit it in the sealed box located outside of the front office. We recommend gift cards to stores such as Star Market, Shaw's, Stop & Shop, Target, and Old Navy. Of course we will accept gift cards from all stores. Our school counseling staff will make sure that these gift cards find their way to needy Pierce families this holiday season. Please know that we truly appreciate your generosity.

Thank you to all who attended Milton High School Information Night this month! We were thrilled to see so many of our future students and families excited about the next four years at MHS. If you missed MHS Info Night or just want to review what we discussed, please take a look at the presentation linked below, as well as the Bell Schedule, info on Clubs and Activities, the MHS Webpage, our Athletics site and our Program of Studies. We look forward to welcoming the Class of 2029 to MHS next year!

As 2024 winds down and we move toward the winter break, Pierce will host a “spirit week” during the week of December 16th. We hope that this will be a chance for our students and staff to have some fun and continue to foster a sense of community. All of our students and staff are invited to dress up for each day's theme and we'll have prizes for our most spirited students. The schedule for spirit week is below.

• Monday (12/16): Color Wars

• Tuesday (12/17): Twin Day

• Wednesday (12/18): Neon Day

• Thursday (12/19): Throwback/Decade Day

• Friday (12/20): Pajama Day

Thirty-one 8th grade students who take Explorations in STEAM recently went on a field trip to tour Design Communications Limited in Avon. This was made possible through the generosity of the School to Careers Program. The students toured the facility to see how they design, build, and install everything from signage for hospitals and malls to interactive displays for museums and stadiums. Do you recognize the reproduction of the Eiffel Tower which they created for the Netflix series Emily in Paris? Chances are if you have been to TD Garden, Gillette Stadium, Disney, or watched Netflix, you have seen some of their work!

On December 14th, the Pierce Debate Team participated in the Lumos December Debate Tournament. Students debated whether or not the United States should reduce military support of Taiwan. Students used the Public Forum debate format to discuss the positive and negative consequences of military support for Taiwan. Students Otto Bertolina, Aster Caldwell, Alexander Chan, Alicia Chan, Henry Hasha, Tommy Hooper, Matthew Howard, Jimmy Huang, Koji-Love Kerr, Selassie-Love Kerr, Anamarie Landry, Eliot Levinson, Julia Litvak, Jack Murray, Ivy Muzquiz, Ben Rosenbaum, Giac Tran, Alisa Villar, and Andrew Zheng competed in this tournament. Alicia Chan, Tommy Hooper, Anamarie Landry, Julia Litvak, Ivy Muzquiz, and Alisa Villar received awards for delivering speeches in a clear, eloquent, and convincing manner. The Pierce Debate Team looks forward to competing again in February.

Pierce PTO is hosting a Summer Program Night from 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. in the cafeteria. Several businesses will be available to communicate summer programs for your children of all ages K through 12. Anything from summer camps to memberships to internships, etc. If you have a business and would like to learn how to participate, please reach out to piercemiddlepto@gmail.com.

If your child is considering applying to a private/parochial school, please follow the guidelines listed below:

• When you have made the decision that your child is going to apply to a private/parochial school, contact your child’s grade level school counselor (Mrs. Benjamin for grade 6, Mrs. Jaquette for grade 7 or Mrs. Veldran for grade 8). This must be done at least 3 weeks prior to the application deadline date, via email or phone. Please do not send a recommendation request through the private/parochial school's portal if you have not personally contacted a school counselor. Recommendations/records will not be submitted unless you have made direct contact with the school counselor.

• Ask your child to complete the student information sheet. Counselors need this form to complete the recommendations. Students must make a copy of the form before completing it and submitting it electronically to their School Counselor (lveldran@miltonps.org, ebenjamin@miltonps.org or ejaquette@miltonps.org).

• School counselors are responsible for completing the school report form and the principal/guidance recommendation.

• If other teacher recommendation letters are required, please make every effort to have your student ask their teachers for recommendations in person before sending any links or requests via email.
  

• Please give both School Counselors and teachers at least 3 weeks to complete the application/recommendation process. If you do not request the recommendation three weeks in advance, school materials may arrive at private schools after the deadline.

• In the spring, please let your child’s school counselor know if they will be attending a private school for the 2025-2026 school year.

• If you are having technical difficulties with the websites, please contact Ravena/Gateway or the private school directly.

Each day that students are in school counts. While we understand that there are extenuating circumstances and illnesses that occasionally prevent children from attending school, it is extremely important that we build a partnership with our families that encourages regular and consistent school attendance. Please take a moment to review this important excerpt from the Student Handbook regarding student absences and excusals.

Please note: absences are excused only for the following reasons-

1. Illness or quarantine;

2. Bereavement or serious illness in family;

3. Weather so inclement as to endanger the health of the child; or

4. For observance of major religious holidays.

Absences for travel, sports commitments, and appointments that could otherwise be scheduled outside of the school day are not excused absences. The state tracks chronic absenteeism (missing 10% or more of the school year) and this year, families can expect to receive regular communication and requests for meetings with families if children demonstrate a pattern of absenteeism. We are here to partner with families in any way possible to ensure students regularly attend school.

Glover School is excited to share an invitation to BoberFest: A Night of Music in Celebration of Andrew Bober. All proceeds will benefit Charlotte (Grade 4), Bennett (Grade 6), and Danielle Bober to help provide security for their future. The event is on January 25, 2025 at 7:00 PM at the Venezia and will feature live performances by Chad Stokes of Dispatch, The DMB Cover Band, and more! Tickets are limited! Buy yours today! You can use this link to purchase tickets. We hope you’re able to join us! If you are not able to make it to the event and would like to donate, please find us at our Venmo: TheBoberFest-25

The MFE is kicking off their annual appeal with a first ever holiday movie night! Parents and guardians - take a night off and drop the kids off for some holiday movie fun. All donations are used to fund teacher grants. Sign up here!

As the MFE Annual Appeal kicks off, they are offering a special incentive for your generosity. For every $100 you donate, you will be entered to win 4 tickets on the 50 yard line to the Patriots versus LA Chargers game in Foxboro on December 29th. The more you donate, the more chances you have to win. The drawing will be held on Sunday, December 22, and the winner will be notified by email and/or text. Your $100 donation could not only support our cause but also give you a chance to enjoy a thrilling Patriots game!

Why donate to the MFE? An education from the Milton Public Schools is the foundation for excellence for all our students. With your support over the past 30 years, the Milton Foundation for Education (MFE) has helped spark innovation and invigorate the learning experience for our students. Last year, generous supporters like you funded over $100,000 for teacher grants, district-wide initiatives, and student scholarships, which adds to the over $4,000,000 that MFE has distributed to date. These funds have already impacted over 55,000 students in all six Milton Public Schools, and your contributions are instrumental in this success! Thank you for considering a donation this year, we are grateful for your support.

Milton Sports for All, a recreational, inclusive sports program, is returning with candlepin bowling this winter at Cunningham Hall. Candlepin bowling uses smaller balls which are easier for kids to bowl.

Head lice are common in school-aged children and we wanted to share that the health offices get increased reports throughout all MPS schools of students with lice during the holiday season. Head lice have nothing to do with cleanliness or parenting skills. They are spread mostly by direct head-to-head contact that occurs when students cluster together. Best practice for prevention is regular surveillance checks by parents/ guardians at home. The hair and scalp around the back of the neck and behind the ears are likely places to find them. For your child’s well-being and to prevent further spread, you should take steps to eliminate lice from your child’s head. For further information and treatment options click on this link Head Lice: What Parents Need to Know

Families are asked to complete this form to communicate information about their student’s attendance. The form can be used to report student absences, tardies and dismissals.

Ms. Janice Mazzola, Assistant Principal, jmazzola@miltonps.org

Dr. Matthew Maré, Assistant Principal, mmare@miltonps.org

Mrs. Erica Benjamin, Grade 6 School Counselor, ebenjamin@miltonps.org

Mrs. Erin Jaquette, Grade 7 School Counselor, ejaquette@miltonps.org

Mrs. Lisa Veldran, Grade 8 School Counselor, lveldran@miltonps.org

Mrs. Lynne Henry, School Adjustment Counselor, lhenry@miltonps.org

Mrs. Kara Sheridan, School Adjustment Counselor, ksheridan@miltonps.org

Ms. Amanda Gray, Special Education Team Chair, agray@miltonps.org

Dr. Seth Harmon, Special Education Team Chair, sharmon@miltonps.org

Mrs. Brittany Williams, 504 Coordinator, bwilliams@miltonps.org

Mrs. Sandra Wyse, Administrative Assistant, swyse@miltonps.org

Mrs. Kristen Lesser, Administrative Assistant, klesser@miltonps.org

Email: wfish@miltonps.org
Website: https://www.miltonps.org/pierce/
Location: 451 Central Avenue, Milton, MA, USA
Phone: (617)696-4568