Milton’s programming for new students begins on Tuesday, September 3. Opening of school activities are designed to help students feel comfortable within the School community. We know that while new students are surrounded by welcoming faces, they are making their way over unfamiliar terrain.
Our programs in the opening days are geared toward helping everyone get acclimated—to feel good about who and where they are. These programs are designed by in-house experts—our own faculty and students—who know what being new to Milton feels like and what experiences will be helpful in the first days of school.
For the opening of school schedule, visit theopening of school calendar. Your child’s opening of school schedule will also be posted in your myMilton account.
During the first week, students new to the Upper School will participate in activities ranging from “ice-breakers” and skits, to group discussions. All students—new and returning—will engage with each other, faculty and staff. For example, Class IV students will go on a “find your classroom” tour with upper class student guides and participate in Project Adventure challenges as part of their orientation activities.
The interactions during orientation focus on a number of themes important to life at Milton. While students will spend some time learning the logistics of life at School, most of the time they will be meeting peers and anticipating certain key experiences. In these opening days, we help incoming students understand what they should expect at Milton and get a feel for what our school culture aims to be: how much our different personalities and backgrounds make this an outstanding place; how surprisingly talented students’ classmates are; how to manage the particular academic challenges that may feel daunting; how to keep parents in the loop while students become more independent; how to participate fully in a School where choices exceed the time available. These ideas, coupled with advice from current students, advisors and deans, are extremely valuable for successfully navigating Milton Academy.
Each of the first four days of school (Tuesday, September 3 through Saturday, September 7) will include activities for both boarding and day students. We want all the activities to encourage students to be aware of the unique cultural gifts we bring to Milton and to explore aspects of living in a diverse community. Whether registering a computer to the Milton network with the support of our ATS staff or greeting a new bus driver, every interaction is an opportunity to form a relationship that may last a lifetime.
Being new, however, is not a four-day experience. Since every day in the first year at Milton is a new day, students and families should anticipate using the full year to understand the rhythm of the school. Our comprehensive approach, which includes the advisor system, class assemblies, affective education classes, residential life meetings, Wednesday second period assemblies, and more, sustains the support that will be introduced in the opening days.
We all look forward to meeting students on Tuesday, September 3; spending time with them on Wednesday, September 4; helping them get to classes on Friday, September 6; and helping everyone get the most out of the Milton experience throughout the 2013–2014 school year. Please note that there will be no school activities on Thursday, September 5, due to the Rosh Hashanah holiday. Play rehearsals and athletic practices will take place on Saturday, September 7.
