PIERCE MIDDLE SCHOOL

• February 4th – Diversity, equity, inclusion & belonging committee meeting (6:30 p.m. – virtual)

• February 7th – PTO meeting (8:00 a.m. – Pierce conference room)

• March 27th – Pierce PTO hypnotist event (7:00 p.m. – Pierce auditorium)

• Black History Month
• Washington, D.C. Fundraising Appeal
• PTO Soup & Salad Lunch
• Pierce Wrestling Team
• The Calculus Project
• Food Service - Harvest of the Month
  
• MPS Family Communication Survey
  
• Winter PASS Class Registration
• Spring MCAS Dates
• Pierce PTO Hypnotist Event
• Yearbook Sales
• Book Drive
• Attendance Matters
  

• Milton Budget Update
  
• A Note from the Nurse - When to Keep your Child Home from School
• National School Counseling Week
• Guidance on Schools’ Legal Obligations to Prevent and Address Hate and Bias Incidents
• Extended School Year (ESY) Services Summer 2025
  
• PowerSchool Data Breach
• QPR Training
  

• Cartwheel Webinar- February 5

• Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth Resources
  

• The Milton Coalition - Talk, They Hear You Week 4
  

• Lunar New Year Celebration

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

• Blackhistorymonth.gov

• National Geographic Kids

The 8th grade class trip to Washington, D.C. is back again! We have 300 students signed up to travel to DC with their classmates and Pierce staff. The cost of this trip is $1,399 per student, and we would like to give EVERY student the opportunity to go. We are in need of about $10,000 in scholarship funds and are coming to our community to ask for its support.

We are hoping you will consider making a donation to help fund a scholarship for students in need – and no amount is too small! Please click on THIS LINK to donate, or you can make a check out to the Pierce PTO and drop it off in the front office (please put "DC scholarship fund" on the check memo).

Please note that the Pierce PTO is a 501(c)(3) organization. Donations are tax deductible. In many cases, donations are eligible for corporate matching.

Many thanks to the families who have already donated!

Let's show the Pierce staff and teachers some love on Valentine's Day 2/14/25 with a Soup & Salad lunch. We are looking for volunteers to prepare (or purchase) salads and crockpots full of delicious soups. Be creative or go with your family's favorite. See SignUpGenius for specific requests.

Valentine's Soup & Salad Lunch Friday 2/14/25

Congratulations to the Pierce wrestling program! The team is off to a great start which included some winning matches against Weymouth last week.

The Calculus Project (TCP) is a free program designed to prepare students to enroll in Honors or Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus their senior year at Milton High School. The mission of The Calculus Project at the Milton Public Schools is to increase the number of Black, Hispanic, Indigenous People of Color, and low-income students who enroll and succeed in high-level mathematics courses. Each Calculus Project cohort starts in the summer before 8th grade, with the goal of preparing students to succeed in competitive higher education programs and professions. Students in The Calculus Project receive math support in two ways. The first is through a free tutoring center which is open after school during the school year. In addition to the tutoring center, TCP students attend math preview courses during the summer. This summer’s TCP Summer Academy Preview is mandatory and will run July 7th through July 24th, Monday - Thursday from 8am-12pm at Milton High School.

Any student who meets the grade and MCAS criteria described below is welcome to participate in the lottery to become a member of The Calculus Project, which begins the summer before grade 8 and continues through grade 12. Each student who meets the criteria will be encouraged to join the lottery for acceptance, with the goal of supporting underrepresented students. All students who wish to participate in the lottery are welcome to do so regardless of race or ethnicity as long as they meet the following criteria:

• Grades from terms 1 and 2 of 7th grade math class

• B- or above

• Past year’s math MCAS scores (in order of priority)

• Meeting Expectations or

• Exceeding Expectations

Lottery Registration Link

Please join us for an information night to provide more details about the program and answer any questions that you might have.

• Date: Tuesday, February 11th

• Time: 6:30pm

• Location: Milton High School Room 108

Looking back at January's Harvest of the Month: Apples! Students across the district enjoyed local McIntosh apples from Rogers Orchard in Southington, CT! At Pierce, we also featured a delicious apple-inspired dish: Apple & Cranberry Coleslaw.

We are working to streamline and strengthen our communication with MPS families and need your feedback to improve our practices! Please take just a few minutes to complete this Family Communication Survey, with questions about the MPS website, district and school communication practices, social media preferences and more. Thank you for your thoughtful feedback!

Registration for winter PASS classes is now open. The next session will start on February 3rd and run for eight weeks. The cost for each PASS class is $50. Click here for the new session’s offerings.

The spring MCAS dates are below:

• April 8 and 9 - ELA (day 1 and 2)

• May 15 and 16 - STE G8 (day 1 and 2)

• May 19 and 20 - Math (day 3 and 4)

• June 2 and 3 - Civics (day 5 and 6)

Back by popular demand!! Be amazed when you, your friends, and teachers/staff across the room become stars of the show, as Frank Santos Jr. makes them believe that they are singers, dancers and much, much more. This is a performance where the audience becomes the show. Get ready for a hilarious, energetic and unique show that you will never forget! Proceeds support the Pierce PTO! Get your tickets today before they sell out!

Tickets can be purchased through this link.

Presale code for Pierce families until February 10th: Pierce

The 2024-2025 Pierce Yearbook is now on sale. Yearbooks typically sell out, so be sure to reserve your copy now. Buy your Pierce Middle School yearbook here.

Our town’s four elementary schools are collecting gently used books for their book swaps. Book donations will be evenly divided among the schools.

DROP OFF STARTS TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4!

Collection boxes are located at the main entrance of the school. All books should be in good condition, appropriate for elementary school reading levels, and can be both fiction and non-fiction. No toddler or board books, please.

TYPE OF BOOKS NEEDED: Graphic novels and chapter books for fourth and fifth graders.

Examples: Dog Man + Cat Kid Series (Dave Pilkey), Baby-Sitters Club (Graphic Novel Series), books by Raina Telgemeier, Rick Riordan series. Also, the I Survived series and sports biographies are popular.

BOOK COLLECTION DATES: February 4- February 14, 2025

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.

As you may know, MPS (and all town departments) are in the midst of the Milton budget process for Fiscal Year ‘26. In Milton, each department develops and submits a budget to the Town Administrator, who then develops a town wide budget to submit to Town Meeting in May for final approval. MPS administrators discussed a draft of both our Level Services and Needs Based FY 26 budget (linked here) with the Milton School Committee in late November and December. The FY26 Level Services budget reflects responding to structural deficits within our budget in FY24, which required the need for the use of all of our reserve funds and additional town funding to close.

We built in additional funding in FY25, but without reserves needed to close FY24, we have been closely watching our current budget, and in our 2nd quarter report we shared with the School Committee last week, determined that we are currently projecting a roughly 2 million operating deficit. We are working to close this deficit in the current fiscal year to set ourselves on a strong foundation for FY26, and have instituted a hiring and purchase order freeze.

After receiving all of the town department budgets, the Town Administrator has indicated a potential town wide budget shortfall of approximately 9.5 million dollars (linked here). In the development of the current year budget, FY25, there was much discussion of the need of an override, but it was ultimately determined that it could wait another year, so there was no override in FY25. That deliberation again falls to the Select Board to review state aide, property taxes and local receipts, the current budget submissions, and a potential operating override as they weigh next steps to balance our FY 26 budget. The full override needs to be 9.5 million to meet level service for all town departments. An override lower than 9.5 million would require us to make cuts in our budget.

MPS has been invited to present our FY26 budget to the Select Board on February 11, where administrators will lay out the rationale for why MPS needs this level of funding to support the needs of all MPS students. We are grateful for the partnership of the Select Board and the support of the Milton community as we work together towards a workable balanced budget for the entire town.

In order to be able to control communicable diseases in school, it is important to keep your child home when sick. This not only benefits your child but also other children and staff in the classroom. Use the guidelines listed below should your child become sick, and do not hesitate to seek the advice of your healthcare provider. Thank you for your cooperation as we work together to keep our students and staff healthy this winter.

Check your child every morning before sending them to school for any of the following influenza - like symptoms. If you are unsure of any symptoms, contact your school nurse for further guidance before sending your student to school.

• Fever of 100 F or above; Headache; Sore Throat; Chills; Cough; Tiredness; Achy Body; Vomiting and/or Diarrhea

WHAT SHOULD I DO IF MY CHILD HAS ANY OF THESE SIGNS? If your child has any of these symptoms when it is time for school, it is best that they stay home. NOTE: If your child has BOTH a fever of 100° F or more AND a sore throat or cough, it may be the flu. Report these symptoms immediately to your healthcare provider.

WHEN CAN MY CHILD RETURN TO SCHOOL AFTER AN ILLNESS? Generally, your child may return to school when they are symptom free and it has been 24 hours since the last instance of fever or vomiting/ diarrhea. However, there may be times when it is necessary for your child to see your health care provider before returning to school.

WHAT IF MY CHILD HAS SOMETHING OTHER THAN THE FLU? If your child has been diagnosed with a different disease such as strep throat, bronchitis, etc., follow your health care provider's recommendation about when to return to school along with a Doctor's note.

The week of February 3rd we celebrate National School Counseling Appreciation Week. We are incredibly fortunate to have a dedicated team of counselors in Milton Public Schools who work tirelessly to support our students academic, social, and emotional well being. Our counselors provide a safe and supportive space for students to navigate challenges, develop essential life skills, process difficult emotions, make plans for their futures, and connect with resources they need to succeed and grow into their best selves. They are listeners, advocates, mentors, and champions for every student and we are so lucky to have them!

The Office of the Attorney General has shared Guidance on Schools’ Legal Obligations to
Prevent and Address Hate and Bias Incidents with districts.

Student or staff misconduct that involves hate, bias, or prejudice can have a devastating impact
on students, families, and communities and significantly disrupt the school environment. State
law requires schools to take steps both to prevent this type of misconduct and respond when it
occurs, while also protecting students’ freedom of speech. This Guidance is designed to assist
schools in their efforts to combat hate and foster a safe, supportive, and inclusive educational
environment, consistent with their legal obligations. All details can be found here, with guidance in multiple languages.

ESY 2025 will run from July 7-August 8th, 2025. For information regarding ESY services, please refer to our 2025 website! Concerns regarding your child’s eligibility should be directed to their building’s Team Chair. Any other questions or concerns regarding ESY should be emailed directly to esy@miltonps.org.

We have heard from PowerSchool that they have begun contacting individuals who have been impacted by the PowerSchool data breach. Families may receive an email directly from PowerSchool and/or Experian with information about the data involved and the resources PowerSchool is offering. Additionally, they have coordinated with Experian to set up a call center for families in case you have questions. More information from PowerSchool can be found here.

At MPS, the information compromised was basic demographics including name, address, and phone number. In almost all cases, MPS does not retain student or staff social security numbers and no financial information was included in the data breach.

The town of Milton is offering QPR training to all in the Milton community on February 25th from 7-9pm. QPR is a two-hour interactive workshop designed to teach people from all backgrounds about how to respond to teens experiencing a mental health crisis or struggling with suicidal thoughts. This class is for adults engaging with the teen population. Like CPR, QPR is designed to increase the chance of survival in the event of a crisis. This training will be offered in the future in both Haitian Creole and Mandarin. The link to register can be found here.

How to Recognize Early Signs of Disordered Eating and What to Do: Register here

Wednesday, February 5th, 7-8pm ET

Content warning: Eating disorders can affect kids and teens across all genders, races, and household income levels, though some may be at higher risk. Join Cartwheel and Dr. Amy Egbert ahead of National Eating Disorder Awareness Week to explore the complex factors behind disordered eating and how to support a loved one when you think they may have an eating disorder. This webinar will cover early signs and symptoms, practical tips for fostering supportive, non-judgmental conversations, and how to explore treatment options when you think that a loved one may have an eating disorder.

This virtual event is part of Cartwheel's free webinar series for parents, caregivers, and school staff in our community. Please reach out to Jennie Beliveau, K-12 Director of Counseling and SEL, with any questions.

The Milton AAPI Neighbors are hosting Milton’s very first Lunar New Year Celebration on Saturday, Feb 8th, 2025, from 5 to 7 pm, at the Pierce Middle School Cafeteria. Please check out their Facebook event page for more updates and details. All events are free to everyone who is interested in learning from each other. There is also a volunteer sign up QR code on the flyers.

Week 4: What You Can Do to Prevent Your Child From Using Alcohol or Other Drugs, from the Milton Coalition and SAMHSA

Parents and family members play a critical role in the prevention of alcohol and drug use among children and teens. But the role does not always come naturally. Learn about what you can do here.

Talk, They Hear You also has a podcast, mobile app, additional fact sheets, and a website full of helpful information linked here.

Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth (MPY) is pleased to announce that our free Parenting Solutions Library is now available in Spanish. MPY is offering this valuable resource in partnership with Peace at Home Parenting Solutions, a non-profit organization located in Mansfield, Connecticut. Through this partnership, MPY is providing proven resources to help students’ families thrive.

Peace At Home Parenting Solutions specializes in empowering parents with evidence-based strategies to foster nurturing connections that safeguard their children's mental well-being. The Parenting Solutions Library is easily accessed using the link on MPY’s home page. No log in or passcode is needed.

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