PIERCE MIDDLE SCHOOL

Dear Pierce Families,

This week’s newsletter includes details about upcoming events in and around the school community. If you would like to view this newsletter in another language, you'll find the translate button at the top right corner of the document.

Please do not hesitate to be in touch with any questions.

Sincerely,

William Fish, Ed.D.

Principal

• February 10th – MPS Community Budget Forum
• February 12th – Early Dismissal - Staff PD
  
• February 13th – Student vs. staff basketball game (2:30 p.m. – Pierce gym)
• February 14th – Color wars
• February 17th-21st – February Break
  

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

Pierce News

• MPS Budget Update
  
• Color Wars on February 14th
• Washington, D.C. Fundraising Appeal
  
• PTO Soup & Salad Lunch
• Congratulations to Our Festival Musicians
• Project 351 Ambassador Update
• AI Presentations for Students
• Student Assemblies on February 14th
• Technology and Student's Health
  
• The Calculus Project
• MPS Family Communication Survey
  
• Winter PASS Class Registration
• Spring MCAS Dates
• Pierce PTO Hypnotist Event
• Yearbook Sales
• FAME Mattress Fundraiser
• Book Drive
• Attendance Matters
  

District News and Events

• Extended School Year (ESY) Services Summer 2025
  
• QPR Training
  

Forms and Contacts

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

Dear MPS Community,

As you read in last week’s school newsletters, MPS is facing a substantial budget shortfall for the upcoming fiscal year. MPS is also facing a projected deficit in our FY’25 (current year) budget. Our current projected shortfall and the potential of a non override budget for next year impacts all students and staff in the Milton Public Schools. I understand the anxiety and frustration that comes with this news, and I want to be as transparent as possible going forward.

We are carefully analyzing all areas of our FY’25 budget (current school year) to identify potential cost savings while minimizing the impact on our students and staff. We discussed the FY’25 budget and the structural shortfall in that budget at this week’s School Committee meeting linked here. The discussion on FY’25 begins at 1:14:30 and concludes at 1:40. The budget discussion continues until 2:14, with some further discussion about the FY’26 budget (next school year) and the potential town wide override.

On Monday, February 10 at 5pm, we will hold a Community Budget Forum at Milton High School, and all in the MPS community are invited to attend. We will discuss the budget situation in more detail and answer questions. MHS National Honor Society students have volunteered to provide free childcare (limited to 20 children), please use this form to sign up.

On Tuesday, February 11, the School Committee and Central Office will attend the Select Board meeting at 7 pm and we will have a full discussion about the FY’26 budget. That meeting can be watched on the Milton Access TV Youtube page. The meeting will take place at the Milton Council on Aging, 10 Walnut St.

After the Select Board meeting, we should have more clarity on what a town wide operating override will look like and the impact to the town and school budget. We will keep you updated as to potential staffing and program cuts within MPS for a non override budget.

I am committed to working collaboratively with all stakeholders, including teachers, administrators, support staff, parents, and the community to develop solutions that best serve our students.

Thank you for your continued commitment to the students and staff of the Milton Public Schools. I am confident that by working together, we can navigate this challenge successfully.

Best,

Peter

Peter Burrows, D.Ed.
Superintendent, Milton Public Schools

The Pierce student government has organized a color wars spirit day on February 14th to kick off the start of February vacation. The theme will be Valentine’s Day.

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

We are thrilled to announce the outstanding achievements of our student musicians from both Pierce Middle School who earned spots in the Junior SEMSBA Festivals and the MMEA Junior District Festival! These students spent the first half of the school year preparing pieces and auditioned on Saturday, February 1st, alongside students from over 30 other communities.

A huge congratulations to all of these dedicated students who have worked so hard. We are incredibly proud of their accomplishments! Please join us in celebrating the following students.

MMEA Junior District Festival: Pierce Middle School- Eugenia Mayo and Mason Pena Raines.

Junior SEMSBA Festival: Pierce Middle School- Frederick Mai and Garvin Wong

Alyssa Zullas, an eighth grade student at Pierce Middle School, is representing the town of Milton in our state’s Ambassador 351 community service project. Nominated by teachers this Fall, Alyssa gladly accepted the role of ambassador, and over the Dr. King weekend she and other ambassadors around the state celebrated this year’s Launch Day - the first day of a year-long commitment to service.

On Launch Day, ambassadors traveled from across the state to convene at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum for a celebratory morning program followed by an afternoon of service at La Colaborativa, Brighton High School, and Cradles to Crayons. Over the course of the service year members will host clothing and food drives to serve communities in need. Alyssa joined the group of ambassadors at La Colaborativa, a youth center in Chelsea, and distributed hygiene kits, blankets and food. “It was freezing that day but it didn’t bother me because it was a nice feeling to help out,” said Alyssa. “I am looking forward to seeing what a difference we can make this year.”

Project 351, a nonprofit organization named for the 351 cities and towns across the state, works with 8th grade students annually, helping communities while offering a year of leadership development and enrichment. This year, Project 351 celebrates its 15th year with a collective social impact on more than 1.4 million lives. “The young people who serve with Project 351 are great examples of what makes Massachusetts a leader in so many important ways,” said Governor Maura Healey. “These Ambassadors demonstrate what is possible when we work together to make the changes we all want to see in our own communities.”

As part of Wednesday’s (2/12/25) early release day, all students will participate in presentations about artificial intelligence, its academic capabilities, and responsible use. The sessions will be led by MPS technology educators AJ Melanson and Jessica Jarboe.

On February 14th, all students will participate in an assembly called Chainsaws, Cheeseburgers and Rock and Roll! Motivational speaker Dr. "The Machine" Jesse Green is a Master Chainsaw Sculptor who speaks "to empower audiences of all ages to reach for their highest potential...and become whatever it is that they ultimately want to be with just the right mixture of seriousness and comedy." Click HERE to read more about the show. Many thanks to the Milton Coalition for sponsoring this event for our students!

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

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.

Milton FAME (Friends and Advocates of Music Education) will hold its annual mattress fundraiser on March 15th at Milton High School from 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Dr. William Fish, Principal, wfish@miltonps.org

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

Click HERE to access the Pierce Daily Schedule.

Click HERE to access the Day 1-7 rotation for the year.

Click HERE to access the MPS 2024-2025 calendar.

School Hours: Pierce's school day is 7:57 a.m.-2:26 p.m.

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