Wow, another exciting week here at Millis Middle School! We had the pleasure of seeing a preview performance of The Nutcracker show from our Terpsichore group. It was truly amazing, everyone did a fabulous job! We captured some of the dancers in action which you can see in the pictures below.

As we journey into December let's take a moment and try and slow down to enjoy the little things and experience gratitude. We have a lot of wonderful things happening this month. Grade 7 will be attending a field trip at Mechanic's Hall in Worcester and the 8th Grade will be seeing the play "A Christmas Carol" at Trinity Theater in Providence. We look forward to our All School Assembly for December, on the 15th as well! Please take a moment later next week to check out PowerSchool for your student's Term I report card. There is guidance listed below in the newsletter how to access the reports, if you aren't familiar with that yet. You can also reach out to the office if you have any questions at any time.

Thank you all for being so supportive and involved with your students. We appreciate your partnership on this middle school journey with us!

"The Nutcracker" graces the stage at Millis High School, 245 Plain St, this weekend for its 3 day run. The family friendly performance features music from the original Tchaikovsky Score as well as some of Duke Ellington's variations from his Three Suites.

The production runs about 90 minutes including an intermission where snacks will be available to benefit the HS Newspaper, The Crimson Post.

This local production features over 160 Millis students from grades preK - 12. Each performance features a different cast of very dedicated performers. The show will be the last Nutcracker performances for our five seniors, Dominic B, Troy B, Wilson C, Kristen K and Thidavanh K.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for students and seniors (under 5 free, but a possible lap sitter) and can be purchased at the door until they sell out. All proceeds benefit Terpsichore, the Millis MS/HS Dance Club. Performance dates and times are as follows:

Friday December 1 @ 7:00 pm

Saturday December 2 @ 2:00 pm - done in time to attend Millis's Santa Parade @ 5:00 pm

Sunday December 3 @ 1:00 pm

If you have any questions, please contact Stephanie Copice at scopice@millisschools.org

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!

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 report card:

• 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. 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.

Topic: Equitable Service Presentation

Time: Dec 14, 2023 06:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://millisschools-org.zoom.us/j/82113100349?pwd=UGtLdzNtRUJ1aytFNXhLbW00NUFNZz09

Meeting ID: 821 1310 0349

Passcode: 761153

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/FMfcgzGwHpXJxgZCNnmsJsBgQpPkjhJF?projector=1&messagePartId=0.1

Congratulations to our TV Studio/Digital Media Production Teacher, Mrs. Mannion on her retirement! Mrs. Mannion has been a fixture here at Millis Middle School for nearly 30 years! We want to wish her the best of everything in her retirement. Thank you Mrs. Mannion for all you have given to our students here at Millis Middle School, you will be greatly missed!!

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

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.

Congratulations to the Millis-Medway Girls Cheer Team for qualifying for nationals in Florida! Eighth graders, Cassidy Cook and Madison Brynczka are on the 14U Level Millis/Medway youth cheer team. This past weekend they won first place in the state and moved on to Regionals (all of New England) in New Hampshire. They came in 1st at the New England Regionals Competition with the highest score of the entire day!!! The girls will be traveling to Florida to defend their 3 time National Championship in mid-December! Way to go girls!

December 2023

1 - End of Trimester I

6 - Early Release Day, dismissal @ 10:55

22 - Early Release Day, dismissal @ 10:55

25 - 29 - Winter Break

January 2024

2 - Back to School - Classes resume

15 - Martin Luther King Day - No School

26 - Early Release Day, dismissal @ 10:55

Dear Millis Parent/Guardian/Caregiver,

At Millis Public Schools, we’re committed to providing a learning experience that allows your child to grow and flourish with technology.

That’s why we’ve teamed up with a student safety and digital wellbeing platform that is protecting the devices your child uses at school, ensuring they stay safe and secure. During our "Navigating the Digital Jungle" presentation to families on 10/23/23 we briefly discussed this tool called Qustodio. You can find this discussion at the 50:34 mark in the recording.

I’m reaching out to let you know that in the next several days you will receive a series of emails from Qustodio inviting you to join us in this world of digital wellbeing and giving you access to the Qustodio Parents App. If you have already joined Qustodio you will not receive any emails.

The app will provide you with visibility on how your child is using their school devices and is provided at no cost to you.

Please accept the invitation by following the link that will be included in the Qustodio email and follow the steps to connect with your child’s account.

Let’s build a safe digital experience for our students together!

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

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.

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...