Differences Unite Us
At Milton, we continually ask ourselves what it means to educate young people, effectively, about differences. We must do this, and do it well. Not only is it part of our mission—we “embrace diversity,” our mission statement says—but also, we are close to young people during their most formative years. The messages they internalize now are the messages they will reckon with for a lifetime.

However, as we struggle from time to time to weigh our reaction to an incident—a public insult, an encounter with harassment, insensitivity in dialogue—and to seize the teaching moment, we are tempted to complain: “But we’ve already dealt with this. Why did this happen?” [More]

Dinners at Milton
This year Milton has revised the schedule for dinners in Forbes and in the house dining rooms. The School’s dining service, Flik, now serves dinner at 6:00 p.m., both for those who live on campus and those who are staying for activities or evening meetings — students and faculty. On evenings with “sit-down dinner,” that is, family-style dinners that include the students and the faculty in each house, the house heads ask that guests simply come in, speak with an adult, join in at dinner and stay for the full dinner — 6:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Sit-down dinners are Monday, Tuesday and Thursday nights. The house heads anticipate that day students staying late will naturally gravitate toward the houses where their friends or teammates live and will therefore spread out among the eight houses for dinner. Over the course of the year, we will provide separate, earlier dinners for the few boarding and day students that need to adhere to special schedules, such as rehearsals or practices that start before 6:30 p.m. [More]

See You on Campus
We hope you have made plans to join us on October 22 and 23 for Parents’ Weekend. Meet other Milton parents while you attend classes, talk with advisors and learn about Milton programs that affect your child. (Please make sure your son or daughter has made an advisor appointment for you.) The weekend is as full and interesting as Milton days are for your students. We look forward to seeing you. Click here to view the Parents' Weekend schedule or read about the weekend's events in the Parents' Associaton news section below.

Hope Rupley Makes Milton a Happening Place
Student Activities Director Hope Rupley is officially responsible for promoting fun. Hope plans dances and special entertainment throughout the year and, through her roles as advisor of Student Activities Association and overseer of all student organizations, she acts as a sounding board for students with ideas of what to do for fun. Not only do theatre productions, varsity games and jazz concerts liven up the weekends, for any moment in which you might imagine a lull, student programming kicks in: “If it’s reasonable and out budget can cover, I try to help them make an idea happen. An event could be as simple as getting a group of students together for dinner and a movie in Boston,” Hope says. [More]

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Parents’ Weekend, October 22-23
Parents’ weekend at Milton is a wonderful time to connect with your child and with fellow parents. On Friday, October 22, please plan to stay on campus for a casual supper at 5:30 p.m. in the Schwarz Student Center hosted by the Parents’ Association. After a long day of attending classes and events on campus, it’s a perfect opportunity to relax in the company of other parents and share your experiences.

After dinner, we’ll walk across the street to King Theater, settle into the comfortable chairs and watch an innovative performance by the Snappy Dance Theater Company. The Boston Globe called Snappy Dance Theater, “Eye candy and brainpower,” and “an imaginative, sculptural aesthetic with a sharp sense of humor…both poetic and very funny…the evening’s most delightful surprise.” Be sure to encourage your students to come, too. It’ll be great fun for all!

Hotel Discount: If you will be traveling to Milton for Parents’ Weekend, the Parents’ Association has acquired a special discount rate of $104.00 per night at the Holiday Inn on Route 28 in Randolph, a little more than three miles from campus. If you’d like to take advantage of this offer, kindly e-mail Susan Littlefield at slittlef03@aol.com. She will provide you with the special code you will need to receive the discount when calling the Randolph Holiday Inn directly at 781-961-1000.

Parents of Independent Schools Network (PIN)
This active organization of parents whose children attend independent schools in the greater Boston area invites all Milton parents to a special evening lecture, “Sports: The emotional, social and physical impact on our developing children. What role can parents play?” The guest speakers are specialists in sports medicine at Children’s Hospital. The event takes place on Monday, October 25 at the Dana Hall School in Wellesley from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance; $15 at the door. Click here for further information and to download the registration form.

PIN’s lecture series raises money to support public service projects at member schools. We’re pleased to announce that Milton Academy students received four awards in the 2003-04 academic year from PIN to help pay for community service projects. Award money was used to fund lunches for 150 participants at a Special Olympic Track and Field competition at Milton in the spring. It also bought supplies for a Halloween party at the Franciscan Children’s Hospital, yarn for hats knitted by students for patients undergoing chemotherapy treatments, and workbooks for Haitian and Dominican dining hall employees who are working to improve their skills in English with the help of student volunteers.

Congratulations to all the students who devote time to Milton’s Community Service program!

While you have your calendar out…
Please plan to join us on Thursday evening, November 18, as we hear from a panel addressing some of the most practical and immediate issues of balance in our kids lives: staying healthy while meeting the demands of their day.

Representatives from Milton Academy’s athletic training staff, health center and food services will speak with parents and answer questions about the care and feeding of our students. Come to Straus Library at 7:00 p.m. for coffee; the panel discussion will begin at 7:30 p.m.

Diversity Committee Update
The Parents’ Association Diversity Committee is a group of parents who work with the administration to promote diversity and multicultural education in a variety of ways. Co-Chairs Pamela Thorpe (P’06, P’08) and Ren Davidson (P’07, P’09) welcome all interested parents to join them this year.

Activities currently planned for the 2004-05 year include CultureFest on March 5, 2005, book discussions, and assisting the admissions office in outreach to potential new students and their families. The first parent outreach event took place this past weekend with members of the committee assisting Milton’s admissions staff at the AISNE (Association of Independent Schools in New England) fair at the Dorchester Boys and Girls Club.

Please e-mail or call the Parents’ Association if you are interested in joining the committee this year: 617-898-2599 or ParentsAssociation_US@milton.edu. The committee’s first 2004 meeting is coming up – keep an eye on the Milton Academy calendar.

Swap-It Donations and Sale
Milton Academy’s Lower School Parents’ Association hosts an ambitious fundraiser each fall, called Swap It, which can best be described as a giant yard sale. All Milton parents are invited to participate by donating good quality used clothing, sporting goods, and household items or by attending the sale. It’s a great way to clean out your closets and help the Lower School raise money for its students.

If you’re interested in donating items, the dates and times are as follows: Monday, October 18 through Tuesday, October 26 – including the weekend days - from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the hockey rink in the Fitzgibbons Convocation Center. There are also evening hours on Tuesday, October 19, and Thursday October 21, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

If you’re interested in purchasing items, the sale takes place on Halloween weekend. All members of the Milton Academy community – parents, students, faculty and staff – are invited to a special sale on Friday, October 29 from noon to 4 p.m. Many upper school students attend the sale that afternoon and have a wonderful time picking out clothing and accessories to attend the Swap It dance!

Public sale hours are: Friday, October 29 from 6:30 – 9 p.m.; Saturday October 30 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and again from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.; and on Sunday October 31 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Q. What resources are available online from Milton Academy's College Counseling Office?

A. The College Counseling Office provides a wealth of information online including Milton's college matriculation, listings and descriptions of scholarships available to students, and a weekly newsletter with information relevant to your child's college search.

[Click here to view matriculation]

[View college counseling newsletters and scholarship information]

Fall Performing Arts Schedule

Students and faculty are hard at work preparing for Milton Academy’s fall schedule of performances. On November 4–6, Class IV students perform Fuente Ovejuna by Lope de Vega. Also on the bill of this season’s shows is Seussical the Musical, happening in King Theatre on November 18, 19 and 20. Wrapping up the year, Milton Academy presents the December 1212 Play, An Evening of Student Directed One Act Plays. For more information regarding these performances, please contact David Peck at david_peck@milton.edu

What’s to eat?
Early or late,
Between, around and during
the day’s activities,
What’s to eat in the snack bar?

Here are the snack bar typical features:

• Yogurt and fruit combo
• Fruit cup, whole fruit, baby carrots
• Pizza, French fries, onion rings and chicken tenders
• candy bars, nuts, energy bars, cookies
• cereal
• milk
• fruit smoothies
• sodas, waters, juices, cider and milk
• ice cream birthday cakes
  
  and more…

Hathaway House Goes Green
Students Encouraged by Successful Composting
Hathaway House students operated a successful composting operation in 2003–2004, thanks to the donation of a composter by the student group LORAX. “We are poised for another year of turning food waste into soil,” says Sal Diamond, husband of house parent and science faculty member Diane Gilbert-Diamond. In 2002, Diane and Sal contacted the School’s recycling coordinator, Leslie Will, to propose the idea. In turn, Leslie worked with the student environmental issues club, LORAX, to raise $500 for the composter. And, in the spring of 2003, the facilities installed the equipment near the house entrance. [More]

Milton Academy Fall Sports Roundup
The 2004–05 school year has already provided some exciting moments on the athletic front. Milton’s girls’ varsity field hockey team has picked right up where it left off last year by rolling to a 5-2 record and is now looking to secure a post season birth for the second straight season. In wins over Choate, BBN, Tabor and Harvard’s JV squad, the girls were led by the midfield line of Lindsay McNamara (Milton, MA), Maddie Macmillan (Milton, MA) and Claire Sheldon (Milton, MA). Up front, Teresa Curtis (Hingham, MA) and Jackie Flint (Cohasset, MA) have been offensive forces while senior goalkeeper Liesl Kenney (Bethlehem, NH) has been a steady backstop. [More]

[View fall athletic schedules, rosters and team information]

Every year, Upper School students flock to the annual Swap-It sale—what some have called the “World’s Biggest-Ever Yard Sale” (okay, maybe not, but it is a bargain-hunter’s paradise and stock fills the hockey rink.) So, as we were saying, the students flock to the Swap-It sale to adorn themselves in cast-off finery, to clutch a tossed-aside beaded clutch, to steal from their foraging roommate a faux mink stole—all to dance the night away at the legendary Swap-It Dance held for Upper School students. Swap-It also sells second-hand, good quality men’s suits, children’s clothing, sporting equipment, furniture and home goods—but we don’t recommend wearing a lamp shade to the dance, which is slated for Saturday, October 30. The sale is also open to the public, and proceeds benefit the Academy’s Lower School.

[Download Swap-It poster]

Students To Launch a New Online Publication
Within the next few weeks, Milton Academy students will launch The Issue, an online publication focusing on political topics of today. In an effort to both educate and provoke conversation within the Milton community, The Issue introduces an online vehicle to stage thoughts and facts regarding current events. Check back here soon to find a link to the first edition of The Issue.

What is the Parents' Fund?
A component of the Annual Fund, the Parents’ Fund generates almost 25 percent of the total unrestricted dollars raised. The Annual Fund is money raised to support the yearly operating budget of the school - in fact, it provides 8.5% of the operating budget. In 2003-2004, the Parents’ Fund raised $734,000 for the Annual Fund from 70 percent of parents. Anne Columbia, parent of Leo ’06 and Isabel Lester ’11 will be the Chair of the Parents’ Fund for 2004-2005. Anne brings energy and excitement to the position and we are looking forward to working with her this year.

Where Does the Money Raised for the Annual Fund Go?
Annual Fund dollars contribute to many areas of the school including:

• Supporting a $4.5 million dollar financial aid budget
• Helping to keep the student faculty ratio at 5:1
• Providing more than $95,000 for technology
• Funding for a host of extracurricular activities and athletics

What is the Parents' Fund Goal for 2004–2005?

The goal for this year is to raise $750,000 from 75 percent of current parents.

How Can I Get Involved?
Become a Parents’ Fund Volunteer!
Volunteering for the Parents’ Fund is a great way to become an active member of the parent community at the School. By making connections with 10-15 families through phone or e-mail or at phonathons in the fall and spring, parent volunteers are very important to the success of the Fund. With 25 current Parents’ Fund volunteers already on board for this year, we are still looking to grow. If you would like to get involved, please contact Hilary Wirtz in the development office at (617) 898-2386 or hilary_wirtz@milton.edu.

Come to a Phonathon!
All parents are welcome at Milton’s parent phonathons! Attending a phonathon can be a great way to meet fellow parents, as many parents volunteer their time for just these nights. It’s a small time commitment that is fun and helpful to Milton and ultimately, to your child’s experience. One calling night last year totaled over $25,000! Come join fellow parents in calling your son or daughter’s class on one of the following evenings (dinner will be provided). Phonathons are held in the Development Office located on the second floor of the Caroline Saltonstall Building.

November 10, 2004
December 13, 2004
Dinner at 6:30 p.m.
Calling begins at 7:00 p.m.

Contact Hilary Wirtz, associate director of parent giving, at (617) 898-2386 or hilary_wirtz@milton.edu for more information or to RSVP. We hope to see you there!

What is the Class I Parent Gift?
One important tradition in the Milton Academy community is the Class I Parent Gift. For nineteen years, Class I parents have made a special “thank you” gift to the school to express their appreciation of their children’s experiences at Milton.

Join the Class I 2005 Parent Gift Committee! There are many ways to get involved in the gift drive from making calls, and writing thank you notes, to helping with our Class I Newsletter. There will be an informational meeting and tea on Friday, October 22 at 4:30p.m. at the home of Head of School Robin Robertson.

If you are a parent of a boarding student and live far away from the school, please know that much of the work is done via phone or e-mail. You can be a volunteer from anywhere! If you would like to learn more about this project, or to join the committee, please contact Hilary Wirtz, associate director of parent giving at (617) 898-2386 or hilary_wirtz@milton.edu.

August 2004

April 2004

January 2004

December 2003

October 2003

August 2003