Here Is What Milford Is Planning For High School Graduations

Written by Milford Superintendent of Schools Anna M. Cutaia,

Dear Staff and Parents/Guardians,
I hope this letter finds you well and safe. This letter serves as an update to our Milford school community based on information we continuously receive from the state. Our plans all feel like “works in progress” and are responsive to the new information we receive on a daily basis.

Graduation 2020
We received notification from the Connecticut Commissioner of Education that graduation ceremonies will be allowed to occur with a cap of 150 people total, including graduates, after July 6, 2020 as long as public health data supports the continued opening of our state. Guidance on specific protocols to follow will be shared with us soon. All of our plans will be developed and will need approval by the Milford Health Department.

With a cap of 150 people total, including graduates, we will likely plan for smaller in-person ceremonies to honor the Class of 2020. We will work on finalizing our plans when we receive the state guidance and share them with our school community upon approval by the Milford Health Department. We will bring a proposal for graduation dates to the Board of Education for consideration and approval at their meeting on June 8, 2020.

You can expect to hear more from your school Principal when dates and plans are finalized.
In addition to graduation ceremonies, our administrators have enthusiastically planned other events to celebrate the Class of 2020. Some examples include: senior yard signs, celebrating individual student awards at their homes, scheduling senior pick-up cap and gown days, virtual award ceremonies, and various social media campaigns (all in-person events follow safe social distancing practices).

We all have the same goal - we want a memorable experience for our seniors who deserve only the very best celebration of their work and who they are. Thanks for your patience and understanding while we work through important decisions regarding graduation ceremonies.

Summer School
Our first priority is to keep all students and staff healthy and safe. With that in mind, we will continue with remote learning for extended school year and secondary summer school (specifically, credit recovery and Advanced Placement preparation courses). We will not have remote learning for elementary summer school. We hope this gives our youngest learners and their families opportunities to engage in summer activities while
we prepare for the changing face of schooling for 20-21.

District-wide Car Parade
Mark your calendars and stay tuned for more information - on June 11 we will be hosting a district-wide car and bus parade for our staff to drive through Milford’s neighborhoods to wave a hand of good cheer to our students and families. Milford Police and Fire Departments will be helping, too. More information on routes and times will be coming your way. Of course, we will all use healthy social distancing and gathering practices and keep everyone safe!

2020-2021 Planning
We anticipate the state to issue guidance on the 2020-2021 school year sometime in June. While we do not know the exact specifics of that, we have already started preparing for multiple scenarios for the upcoming school year. There will be opportunities to hear more about this at the following information sessions that I’ll be hosting:
Tuesday, June 9 at 2:00 p.m. (for staff only)
Tuesday, June 9 at 7:00 p.m. (for Milford staff and families)
Wednesday, June 10 at 12:00 p.m. (for Milford staff and families)
The information shared is considered preliminary as all plans will be based on state guidance that we are awaiting.

This wasn’t how any of us pictured finalizing a school year. I am incredibly proud of our students, staff and families on how we pulled together to encourage and support one another. In a previous letter, I wrote about how years from now, we won’t remember the incredible Flipgrid lesson we taught or learned from but rather, we will remember how we spoke with and treated one another. Teaching and learning is incredibly important and critical to forming futures for our young people but only if coupled with a focus on relationships. I am sincerely grateful for each of you. Take good care.

Best,

Anna M. Cutaia, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools