Superintendent's Blog

Since September, Srta. Colcord's and Srta. Seymour's 4th and 10th grade Spanish Immersion classes have been amigos. They started out by writing letters back and forth, getting to know one another while practicing Spanish in an authentic way. They have gotten together to sing songs, chat, and read books created by the 10th graders.

The Millis Middle School was fortunate this year to be awarded a $100,000 grant from Target and the Ellen DeGeneres Show. Middle School teachers submitted mini-grant proposals that outline how the equipment and materials they wished to purchase would impact student learning. The attached PowerPoint provides an outline of the ways that teachers proposed to improve student learning using this generous grant. Personnel needs were not funded through this grant as the funding is for one year only.  School Committee voted to accept these purchases on April 24, 2012.

Last month I was impressed by two project-based units completed by Middle Schoolers. It is essential that students be able to apply the skills and content knowledge they learn to real-world problems.

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Three parent roundtable discussions will be offered at Milford Regional Hospital on topics that are critical to adolescent well being and health.

      * Marijuana Use in Teens- April 25^th from 7-8:30 at Milford Regional Hospital

* The Effects of Social Media on Teens- June 14^th from 7-8:30 at the Hockomock YMCA in Franklin, MA

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

As you may know, on February 13^th, the Millis Public Schools, in partnership with the Millis Police Department, conducted a sweep of the hallways, common areas, locker rooms and parking lots of the middle school/high school campus with canine units from neighboring law enforcement agencies. This is a standard practice in most school districts due to the fact that students are using marijuana at higher rates than in the past. The 2010 MetroWest Youth Risk Behavior Survey indicates that 26% of Millis high school students report having used marijuana in the past 30 days. This is similar to the state average of 27% and the regional average of 23%. The Millis High School average was 20% in 2006 before marijuana was decriminalized statewide in late 2008.

How lucky am I?

You might ask what being a Superintendent is like. To be sure, there are days that are tough but more days that are wonderful, like yesterday.  The more time I can be in classrooms and talking with students, teachers and parents, the better.

I started my day with two wonderful high school students who are making a video about the new educator evaluation system that Massachusetts is developing. Their questions were thoughtful and mature. They had a real curiosity about how this new system would affect teachers and students and were very professional.

Ok- I'll admit it. I'm an addict. And it's an addiction that I truly hope will spread to every student in our schools. I'm addicted to books. I cannot walk into a bookstore without emerging with at least $60 worth of books and I can't stay away from bookstores! My addiction has gotten worse with the advent of electronic books since it's so easy to click, purchase, and settle in! With so many electronic resources so easily available and so many webinars, blogs, tweets, posts etc. coming in daily, it can be hard to keep up with! My oldest daughter, a high school English teacher, provides me with a supply of great suggestions as well.

Given that today might be a record breaking high temperature, to reflect on the winter solstice doesn’t quite seem appropriate. But winter did indeed begin today, at least according to the calendar. Last night was the longest night of the year and all locations above latitude of 66.5 degrees north (the Artic Polar Circle) will not see the sunrise at all.

News from the Desk of Athletic Director, Chuck Grant:

Dear Families: