As we embark on the month of February, it is the perfect time to honor and celebrate the significance of Black History Month. This annual observance, which originated in the United States, is also recognized as African-American History Month. It offers a splendid opportunity to delve deeper into the vast and remarkable heritage of Black culture, accomplishments, and contributions that have shaped history.

During this special month, we take a collective journey to acknowledge and appreciate the important achievements, resilience, and struggles of Black individuals throughout time. School-wide and classroom lessons and activities will be happening throughout the month of February.

We wanted to inform you that progress reports for this term have been emailed to you. Please take the time to review them in PowerSchool and discuss your child's progress with them. If you have any questions or need further clarification, don't hesitate to reach out to your child's teachers and our support staff. They are always available to address your concerns and collaborate with you to find solutions for the second half of this trimester.

It's amazing that we have reached the midway point of the school year! It's tremendous to see how much our students have grown and progressed since the beginning of the year. Their dedication and hard work truly shine through. We encourage you to celebrate this milestone with your child and acknowledge their efforts and achievements. Please reach out to us if you need assistance with your PowerSchool login information.

We are asking students to make sure that they fill their water bottles prior to starting their classes. We have limited refilling stations and we've noticed that a number of students are missing class time by standing around the "water coolers". We definitely value the student's hydration, and we don't want them to miss too much instructional time.

MCAS TESTING is coming up April 4 -11, 2024 and May 13-24, 2024. Please avoid scheduling family appointments and vacations during these windows of time. Thank you!

Dear Millis Middle Schoool Families,

Social-Emotional Wellness

At Millis Middle School, we prioritize the social-emotional well-being of our students. We understand that mental health plays a crucial role in their overall development. To further bolster their social and emotional skills, we have implemented various initiatives such as yoga and mindfulness exercises, counseling support (Thank you, MERIT!), and character education lessons (Second Step Anti-Bullying Curriculum in Power Learning Time). We encourage open lines of communication and are here to assist your child whenever they may need it. Each child has a School Adjustment Counselor assigned to them and is listed in PowerSchool. We also have two Team Leaders at each grade should more personalized support be needed.

Say Something Anonymous Reporting System
We believe in addressing critical issues that affect our students in order to create an inclusive and supportive environment for all. Our dedicated staff actively works to promote understanding, respect, and acceptance among students. We have a few new resources will be rolling out over the next few weeks, one of which is from The Sandy Hook Promise organization that provides an anonymous tip line called Say Something, for students to reach out to a 24/7 crisis team should they have safety concerns for themselves or a peer. There is a caregiver letter with more information about this tip line and resource below. We will be introducing this to students in the next few days February and this is a 6-12 community-wide initiative to support the mental health and safety of our whole small school, big family.

Please always feel welcome to contact me at ahurley@millisschools.org for any questions and concerns and again, should you wish to proactively opt-out of Closegap or other upcoming surveys, let me know.

Dear Millis Community Members,

As a school district, we are committed to creating and sustaining a comprehensive, coordinated effort to improve the overall safety and well-being of our students, educators, administrators, and the community at large.

To do this, we believe this must involve community-wide programs and initiatives involving parents, teachers, administrators, local law enforcement, mental health and wellness professionals, and elected officials to take meaningful action to protect our students.

I am happy to announce the upcoming district-wide launch of the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System (SS-ARS). This program teaches students, teachers, and administrators how to recognize warning signals and threats, on social media, in school, or in their community, of individuals who may be a threat to themselves or others and Say Something to a trusted adult OR use its anonymous reporting system. Specifically, the program educates students and adult participants to:

• Recognize the signs and threats of at-risk behaviors
• Take every sign and signal seriously and act quickly to get help by talking to a trusted adult, OR
• Report it anonymously to the SS-ARS 24/7/365 Crisis Center via a mobile app, website, or telephone hotline
• Respond to and manage the submitted tips using a tip management system overseen by a designated school team
• Sustain the curriculum and awareness via student clubs, in-school activities and call-to-action weeks

Our students are often aware of the problems their peers are facing, so we must empower them to recognize the danger signs and give them the tools to help each other with the assistance of trained and caring adults. As you know, most conversations are taking place on social media, therefore it is critical that we teach our students to look out for one another as these digital conversations are taking place. SS-ARS teaches them what to look for in text, video and photos while empowering them to act quickly to help a fellow student. The program also teaches students to recognize at-risk behaviors in friends and classmates at school and in their local community.

The SS-ARS program is provided by Sandy Hook Promise (SHP), a nation-wide non-profit organization. SHP’s programs are in 50 states – with 14,000+ schools and over 12 million students and adults trained. They have a track record, reputation, and knowledge of how to work effectively with kids, parents, and teachers to improve school safety and culture. The program is age-appropriate and research-based. To date, SS-ARS and other SHP prevention programs have helped stop multiple school shootings, suicides, and gun threats, The program has reduced bullying and cyberbullying, intervened upon cutting, drug use, and other violent acts. We know this program will do the same for our district.

If you have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to call, or email me directly at ahurley@millisschools.org.

Sincerely,

Ana B. Hurley

Principal

Just a reminder that we need to be very careful with nuts and other allergens when sending snacks and other products in with your student. Please do not send any snacks or body sprays that are made with nuts or have nuts in them. We have noticed an uptick in students carrying body sprays and perfumes that contain nut oils and they should not be brought to school nor used in school. We need to be careful and considerate of our friends with allergies. THANK YOU!

Here are some tips that are geared to Middle Schoolers, to help your student achieve their very best! Each week we will share a tip. We hope you can incorporate these tips into your daily routines with your child or children:

WEEKLY TIP #3 - ENCOURAGE ORGANIZATION

Remind your child to put all papers in the appropriate folder or binder -- never stuck inside books or stuffed into a backpack.

Together we can help your student be the best that they can be!

Mass Partnership for Youth (MPY) is an organization that supports schools and other youth programs in the state. They also have an extensive library of resources for parents. MPY is pleased to offer proven resources to help students' families thrive. Parents can watch or just listen to experts who get right to the point solving big and small challenges. Each Library includes 10-minute videos and handouts, The science behind child development and parenting is abundant. Peace At Home Parenting experts translate it into easy-to-use, strategies for long-lasting change. Tap into the power of the brain-body-behavior connection to gain clarity and confidence to help your family thrive.https://peaceathomeparenting.com/mpy-solution-libraries/

February

12th - Student Council's Spirit Week

15th - Talent Show

19 - 23rd - February Vacation, no school

March

1st - Aedan Wetherbee Comedy Show Fundraiser - MHS Auditorium

11th - Professional Development Day - No School

29th - Early Release Day, dismissal @ 10:55 am

April

4 - 11th - MCAS Testing

12th - Early Release Day, dismissal @ 10:55 am

15 - 19th - April Vacation - no school this week

MAY

17th - Early Release Day, dismissal @ 10:55 am

13 - 21st - MCAS Testing

27th - Memorial Day, no school

Aedan Wetherbee is a courageous 15-year-old from Millis, MA who is battling CNS primary, ALK+ Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (ALCL). ALCL is a rare form of brain cancer - rare due to Aedan’s young age and the cancer’s location in his brain. Since June 2023 Aedan has been receiving treatment at Massachusetts General Hospital’s Pediatric Oncology Department. Despite the scary and emotional rollercoaster of treatment which has included intense chemotherapy, stem cell retrieval, and cancer spreading in his body, Aedan has continued to impress his medical team, family, and friends with his positive attitude. In November Aedan received the wonderful news that he is in full remission. Thankfully doctors found a bone marrow donor match and a transplant is scheduled for February 2024. Once he receives his bone marrow transplant Aedan will spend eight to ten weeks inpatient at Boston Children’s Hospital and one year in quarantine at home.

If you have any questions please feel free to email any of the following folks.

Michelle Panciocco mpanciocco@millisschools.org

Shannon Graham sgraham@millisschools.org

Beth Morrill bmorrill@millisschools.org

Thank You for Your Support!

Mr. Kendrick, one of our PE teachers, organized a cornhole tournament to raise funds for Aedan Wetherbee, a Millis sophomore who is currently waiting for a bone marrow transplant due to a rare type of brain cancer. The Millis staff and students enjoyed the friendly competition as they helped raise money for Aedan. Please consider making a donation to Aedan's gofundme page to help relieve the stress of paying the medical bills. Aedan has continued to impress his medical team, family and friends with his unbelievably positive attitude!

Unfortunately one of our grade seven middle school students, Autumn S, and her mother were hurt in an awful car accident last weekend. They are both healing and resting, but they've been through a traumatic event. Please click here to support them as they recover from their injuries.

Would you enjoy sharing your home with our incoming Spanish Consular Classroom Assistant beginning in late August? Please see the attached letter.

Spanish Consular Classroom Assistant Host Family.pdf

Mrs. Hickey's science classes are testing their bridge projects that they have been working on. This was a tremendous engineering project including all sorts of real-life challenges including budgeting for supplies, testing capacity and making several iterations of their bridges. Great job, Grade Seven!!

In Math PLT, 7th graders practiced converting among fractions, decimals and percents while playing the game Capture the Square.

Eighth graders in Mrs. Shepardson's classes prepared homemade Play-doh today using all of their mathematical smarts!

As a crucial part of our commitment to fostering open communication and collaboration between parents, teachers, and the school community, we want to remind you about the existence and importance of our Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC).

Our SEPAC continues to be led by Mary Calo and Scott Humphries, who are both parents within the district. A SEPAC is an important part of any school district and town. A SEPAC provides direct input to school district leaders about policies, programs, practices, and services that have an impact on students with disabilities and their families. Its purpose is to advise, advocate, and offer guidance, not to decide policy. An effective SEPAC can increase the proactive, productive involvement of families by inviting their input in ways that can be used to shape local special education policy. Mary, Scott and I are dedicated to working together to create a solid bridge between the school district and families. In addition, each school has a parent liaison. If you have questions for the SEPAC members or are interested in attending meetings, please contact Mary and Scott at: millissepaccc1@gmail.com and millissepaccc2@gmail.com

Thank you,

Nealy

Nealy Koumanelis-Urquhart
Director of Student Support Services
Millis Public Schools

P: (508) 906- 3521 E: nurquhart@millischools.org

7 Park Road, Millis, MA 02054

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.

The library has new books thanks to the Scholastic book fair and an Amazon wish list to fulfill the needs that Scholastic could not. Click on the link below for more information.

Please click on the link below for Middle School sports schedules

We will be offering Boys Tennis at the JV level for grades 7 - 12 this spring again. If interested, please complete the form below.

Thank you!

https://forms.gle/c9EkSBYAg3DhetFQ7

The Millis Class of 2025 is excited to host a movie night on Friday, February 2nd! This night will be hosted by the 2025 student council in the Clyde Brown cafeteria from 6-8 PM for children in kindergarten to 5th grade. Concessions will be sold ($1-$2 each) and adult supervision will be provided. Cash and venmo will be accepted, and please email Rachel Hayden (rhayden@millisschools.org) with any questions! Use this form to sign up: https://forms.gle/vGBgwaLwa3xwUzkz6

Please help support the Millis High School Class of 2025 by eating at Chipotle on February 3rd from 5:00-9:00 PM in Medway! Show the cashier a digital or paper flyer prior to paying OR order online and pick up Chipotle by using the Promo Code LE3RGD2 on the Chipotle app or website.

Paige Zarnofsky, a senior at Millis High, is seeking donations for her senior project. She is fundraising for a service dog for the middle school. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen a significant rise in students’ mental health issues at the middle school level. We’ve seen the benefits of having our beloved Harry, the service dog, at the high school level. We would love for our middle school students to be able to have the same opportunity. I’m hoping our community can come together and make this happen for our middle school students. Any donations or sharing this senior project is greatly appreciated. If interested in donating or have any questions you can reach Paige through email at paizar24@millisschools.org. Thank you!