In the Schools September 18

Collicot Potluck Dinner a Big Hit
students and families celebrated a back-to-school potluck on Friday, September 9 at . The picnic, held on the rain date due to soggy conditions earlier in the week, offered families an opportunity to visit old friends and make new ones. A full banquet of food helped the celebration and the competition was fierce on the Simon Says field.

St. Mary’s Students Attend Leadership Conference
Thalia Etienne, Jacob Martens and Janelle Saint-Eloi, middle school students at , attended the Junior National Young Leaders Conference this summer in Washington, D.C. The Conference helps scholars develop and sharpen their leadership skills by examining the leaders of the past and empowering them to make a positive social impact in their community and the world. Through an examination of both different historical time periods and characteristics of leadership, students will gain a better understanding of what it takes to become an effective leader. Congratulations to Thalia, Jake and Janelle for their participation in this prestigious conference.
 
Bus News
On September 14, the School Committee approved funding for an additional one or two school buses, as needed, up to $108,000 for this year. The bus departure procedures at have been modified, to improve the arrival times at the elementary schools following the Pierce routes. In addition, the district will be adding a bus to -Collicot routes to improve the time that , , Collicot and Cunningham elementary students arrive home.  New passes were mailed out last week to all affected elementary students. Parents are encouraged to review the bus passes, as bus numbers and/or stops may have changed. Glover students should expect earlier pickups and drop offs, but no changes in route numbers or stops, while Tucker students will no longer transfer at Glover to board buses for home; these students will get on a bus and ride it all the way home.

Lunch Fee to Increase
The School Committee voted on September 14 to increase the lunch fee an additional 25 cents for fiscal year 2013.

Debaters to Attend Tournament
Two members of the Debate Team have been asked to participate in the 2011 Yale Invitational Debate Tournament, to be held in New Haven, Connecticut from September 23 to 25. Coach Nancy Warn will accompany Ailsa Jeffries and Maya Rosmarin to the annual high school tournament which will feature three days of top-quality competition in Policy, Lincoln-Douglas, Public Forum, Congressional, and Parliamentary debate as well as the major speech events. Good luck, debaters!

Pierce Art Teachers Place in Competition
Pierce art teachers Robyn Thompson and Stephanie Sherman both placed in the Quincy Arts Fest. Thompson won “Best in Show” for a painting of her grandfather, “Papa,” and Sherman won third place for her untitled landscape painting. Both artists were recognized at a ceremony this weekend.

Art for Elementary Students
This September marks the restoration of full-year visual arts education classes in the Milton Public elementary schools.  One full-time and one part-time visual arts teacher have been added.

A Celebrate Milton grant of $3,000 will support bringing visiting artists--master Oaxacan woodcarvers Ventura and Norberto Fabian--to all four elementary schools this fall. Students will learn about Mexican folk art and culture; have a first-hand opportunity to see professional artists’ work; and create their own art inspired by the artists. In addition, a $2,000 grant from the Target Foundation will support the ‘All Together Whole’ project, which will bring visiting artist Clara Wainwright, a professional textile artist/arts educator and founder of ‘First Night’, to work with students to make self-portraits assembled from a variety of colorful and textured fabrics. When completed, the self-portraits will be sewn together into a large-scale art installation. Parents and caregivers are invited to donate fabrics, as well as volunteer to help sew the students’ creations. The grant also will support a ‘Family Arts Festival’ to be held in the spring of 2012.  If interested in participating in this project, email miltonvaa@gmail.com.

Upcoming Events
On October 5 at 7:30 p.m., Learning Circle Preschool, 3 Blue Hill River Road, will host Deborah Weinstock-Savoy, a licensed psychologist and parent educator with over twenty years of experience consulting with parents and educators. Dr. Weinstock-Savoy will discuss ways that teachers and parents can help young children learn essential friendship skills along with how this important form of social learning goes hand-in-hand with the emergence of “emotional intelligence.” For more information and to register, call 781-828-4800 or email info@learningcirclepreschool.org.

will host its first Open House on Sunday, October 2 from 1 –3 p.m.  Contact admissions@fontbonneacademy.org or call 617-696-3241 for more information.

On October 4 and 5, “Rachel’s Challenge,” an anti-bullying program, is coming to Milton High School and Pierce Middle School. Rachel Scott was the first victim of the Columbine High School shootings, and the goal of the program is to empower students to “replace bullying and violent behavior with kindness and compassion.” Assemblies will be given at Pierce and the High School, followed by an evening community presentation on October 5 at 7:00 at the Charles C. Winchester Auditorium. For more information on the program, visit www.rachelschallenge.org.