When I was a new teacher, a colleague told me that, in my partnership with parents, my job was to challenge, yours to love your child. Certainly our roles are neither so clear-cut nor so simple. We care deeply about the children we teach and you want to ensure your sons and daughters are making the most of their opportunities. Still, the underlying idea here is that your support and encouragement are crucial to your children, especially in a demanding environment such as Milton’s. The opportunity for parents to understand what a day of classes feels like to the children is one of the reasons I value Parents’ Days. Although classrooms are crowded and students behave differently in the presence of a parent, the format and material of classes stay true to form. As you travel from class to class and see the vitality of the teaching and the demands placed upon our students, you will appreciate what it requires to be successful here. And you don’t even have to carry a huge book-bag up all those stairs. You will be reminded how hard it is to focus through five period-long classes without letting your attention wander, even when the material is compelling; you will remember how uncomfortable it can be to refine your ideas even as you try to articulate them. Being a student here requires stamina and courage.
[Read More]

Parents get the insiders' view

On Friday, October 26, and Saturday, October 27, Milton invites you to share in your child’s academic life by attending classes, meeting with teachers, talking with advisors, cheering on their team, and learning about Milton programs. The schedule of events includes group meetings with Milton’s college counselors, Parents' Association receptions, performances and presentations, and much more. Interim Head of School Rick Hardy will talk about “Milton Today” and trustee co-chair of the head of school search committee, Jack Reardon, will explain the search process and solicit your opinions about Milton's next head of school. Click on the link below to download a printable schedule (PDF) of Parents' Weekend activities. For more information, please contact the Upper School office at (617) 898-2145.
[Download Schedule]

You mean we have to take tests?
Milton parents are planners, it seems. Advisors say that parents frequently ask questions about standardized tests: What’s the sequence? When do we need to start planning for tests? Which tests should my son or daughter take?

The Milton Academy College Office has anticipated your questions and is ready with an online guide that answers these and other questions.
Click here and select the "Standardized Testing for College" link to find a PDF of this testing guide written by the college office, which you can print if that is convenient. In addition, the college office sends weekly newsletter updates to members of Classes I and II (separate messages for each group), which parents can access through the college office Web pages.
[Read More]

Grades and comments on myMilton
Grades and comments are posted online throughout the year on the secure Web portal, myMilton, and Milton will email you whenever grades and comments become available.  The first set of comments – first semester interim comments – will be available online on Thursday, October 25.  Subsequent reports will appear online as follows:

• First semester interim grades in early November
• First semester advisor reports in late November
• First semester grades and comments in early February
• First semester advisor reports in late February
• Second semester interim grades and comments in mid-April
• Second semester and year-end grades, comments, and advisor reports in mid-June

A message from Ellie Griffin, Director of the Health Center
Due to a recently enacted state statute, we are required to notify all parents that the Milton Academy Health Services does not perform the health examinations that the state of Massachusetts requires for all public school students. We recommend that you consult with your health care provider, your local school committee or your local board of health for information about these examinations and to ensure that these exams are carried out for your children.

Donuts!!!!
The Parents' Association held the first Donut Day of the year on the second day of school to welcome everyone back to Milton. Sixty dozen glazed and chocolate-frosted Dunkin' Donuts were enjoyed by an enthusiastic student body during recess. The students sipped apple cider and lemonade with the treats. Many faculty members also shared in the fun. Seeing the smiles that something so simple brings to the students' faces makes it a real joy to be a part of this community. Parents, thank you, it is your dues that pay for these donut days, and upcoming exam treats.

Parents' Weekend
As you know, an exciting Parents' Weekend is being planned for the weekend beginning Friday, October 26. All are urged to attend because this is your opportunity to shadow your child through his or her school day. It is always impressive to glimpse first-hand the experiences and accomplishments of your Milton Academy student during a typical day of classes, activities and athletics. It is also wonderful to watch our inspirational faculty in action teaching each amazing class your child is taking. The day is truly extraordinary, even though a bit exhausting for most parents. At the end of the day, we would be delighted if you can share a bit of your time with other parents by attending your designated Class Parent Reception. All of the receptions are hosted close to campus at the locations listed below. Directions will be provided at Parents' Weekend Registration, and in a forthcoming newsletter. It is a nice opportunity to unwind after a hectic day. You can still go out to dinner with your child afterwards – just drop by the party for a brief visit. We’d love to see everyone there – especially our many parents who have traveled from out of town. On the Saturday of Parents' Weekend, the Parents' Association will sponsor hot cocoa and cookies at the athletic fields for all to enjoy while watching our daughters and sons play sports. We look forward to meeting new and old friends that weekend.

Class Parent Reception Locations

Class I
Lucinda and Richard Larson, 40 Churchills Lane, Milton
RSVP: Claudie Jean-Baptiste
cjeanbaptiste@comcast.net

Class II
Laurie and Paul Konowitz, 99 Green Street, Canton
RSVP: Marianne MacNamara
mcnamarall@aol.com

Class III
Nancy Reed and Sam Perkins, 54 Bradlee Road, Milton
RSVP: Mindy D’Arbeloff
mindy@lyonsgroup.com

Class IV
Cricket and Jonathan Seidman, 1350 Canton Ave, Milton
RSVP: Andrea Peabody
andreapeabody@earthlink.net

SAVE THE DATE: Class IV Dinner
The Parents' Association is hosting a separate evening for Class IV parents, providing another opportunity to come to campus to meet with other parents and to hear speakers from the school administration. We also hope to provide entertainment by Milton students. Please save the date for this event that is planned for the evening of Friday, November 9. Further details will follow.

Milton Mix-Up Dinners
The Parents' Association organizes a night of dinners for small groups of parents in the intimacy of parents’ homes. These dinners give people an opportunity to gather on an informal basis for an evening of food and conversation. This year, we would like to plan dinners not only in Milton and Boston, but in other cities and towns as well. Please contact Jackie Bechek, Mix-Up Chair, at jbbechek@aol.com if you would like to host a dinner. The dinners are scheduled for February 2, 2008; please give some consideration to whether you might like to host such an evening.

Parents' Association Dues
Details about paying your dues for this current school year will be sent out soon.

Meet Bridget Johnson
Bridget Johnson, Milton’s new dean of students, claims to have fallen into the education sector “by accident.” In 1999, Bridget was working in finance and did not enjoy her job. By a stroke of fate, Bridget’s company was having financial difficulties and she found herself looking for work. At the time, Bridget was also a professional track athlete, and her coach mentioned to her that a local boarding school—Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia—was looking for a part-time track coach; Bridget jumped at the chance. She soon found that her part-time work at Episcopal became her full-time calling.
[Read More]

When does the fun start?
Outside of class, on the weekends, what brings out the crowds? 
 
Trolling the Web site calendar for students’ weekend activities brings up a collection of events, large and small, on campus and off, simple (like dodge ball) and complex (like viewing the BBC’s Planet Earth on an outdoor movie screen, in the middle of the quad).  During her six years at Milton, activities director Hope Rupley has learned from teenagers themselves that creating fun that attracts participants is both more complex and more simple than you would think.  Hope works closely with students, and their feedback determines what stays, how it might be tweaked, and what goes.
[Read More]

Photos of the month 
 
Since the beginning of the school year, members of Milton's community have shared their photos of campus events, weekend trips, classroom activities and athletic contests. In case you missed these photos that were posted on Milton's homepage as "photo of the day," we have pulled them from the electronic archives and created a slideshow for your enjoyment.
[View slideshow]

Generation Text 
 On the train, in the streets, and certainly in the Schwarz Student Center, there’s no escaping it. Everywhere you turn, people young and old are using their cell phones, BlackBerries and Sidekicks not to talk, but to “text.” Text messaging has quickly become the communication mode of choice for people everywhere. There are countless commercials that poke fun of the craze; it has become the popular method of voting for a favorite American Idol contestant; in combination with AOL Instant Messenger, it has even developed its own language. What is so great—and not so great—about texting? A group of Class IV students answered the question. 
[Read More]

Get your tickets now
(while they're still available) 
 
Students and faculty of the performing arts department have been hard at work preparing for the opening of Milton's three fall plays, The Diary of Anne Frank, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead and Proof. The Diary of Anne Frank opens November 1, 2 and 3 in King Theatre; Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead runs from November 15-17 in King; and students perform Proof in Wigg Hall on November 29, November 30 and December 1.  For tickets, email Dar Anasatas at Darlene_Anasatas@milton.edu.
Click here to learn more about the plays.

Milton Academy’s Parent Giving program plays a crucial role in making Milton a remarkable learning environment. Parent Giving at Milton includes the Parents’ Annual Fund and the Class I Gift Fund. The Parents’ Fund supports Milton Academy’s Annual Fund and, last year, parents gave over $975,000 of the $3.3 million Annual Fund total with more than 60 percent parent participation. The Class I Gift is a special tradition at Milton in which Class I parents celebrate their children’s Milton experience with a significant gift to the School. Seventy three percent of Class I 2007 parents contributed over $1 million to honor their graduating children.

For more information, please contact Shannon Ollerhead at 617-898-2374 or Shannon_Ollerhead@milton.edu or click here to visit Milton’s Parent Giving Web site.

Become a Parent Volunteer
More than 50 parents with children in grades K–12 volunteer for Milton Academy’s Parents’ Fund or Class I Gift Fund. Parent connections through phone calls, emails and letters are crucial to the success of both gift efforts. You can be a volunteer from anywhere. We currently have parent volunteers from Maryland and New York to all over Massachusetts, so please consider this great opportunity to become involved in Milton’s parent community.

If you are interested in becoming a parent volunteer or would like to learn more, please contact Shannon Ollerhead, assistant director of annual giving, at 617-898-2374 or Shannon_Ollerhead@milton.edu.

Upcoming Events

Parents’ Fund Volunteer Kick-Off
Please join Parents’ Fund volunteers to kick-off the Parent Giving program for the 2007–2008 academic year.

Monday, October 22
at 6:30 p.m.

Milton Academy Development Office, Caroline Saltonstall Building, 2nd Floor

Please contact Shannon Ollerhead at 617-898-2374 or Shannon_Ollerhead@milton.edu for more information or to RSVP.

Parent Giving Phonathons
Phonathons are great opportunities to meet fellow Milton parents and encourage support of the School.

Tuesday, November 13
Monday, December 3

Dinner begins at 6:30 p.m.,
Calling begins at 7 p.m.

Milton Academy Development Office, Caroline Saltonstall Building, 2nd Floor

Please contact Shannon Ollerhead at 617-898-2374 or Shannon_ollerhead@milton.edu for more information or to RSVP.