www.milfordschools.org                                                                          December 2017
Milford Schools Honored at Statewide PBIS Showcase
Pattison teachers, Jessica Early and Christine Becker, accepted Pattison's award at the state PBIS showcase.
Milford School District was well represented at the 2017 Ohio Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Showcase held in Columbus on November 30. Four of Milford's elementary schools were recognized for their success in implementing PBIS. Meadowview, McCormick, Pattison, and Seipelt Elementary Schools each received bronze-level recognition at the showcase. 

A team from Meadowview Elementary was also selected to present at the showcase and shared examples and resources for their effective implementation of PBIS. PBIS is a schoolwide framework shown to improve student behavior, academic achievement, and overall school climate. 

"We continue to see the impact of our PBIS Implementation in our elementary schools and are excited about the strong foundation of social emotional learning being formed. Our continued efforts have a strong emphasis on positive reinforcement and encouraging students to perform expected behaviors through collaborative discussions, modeling, and instruction," said Jennie Berkley, Milford's Director of Special Education. "Safer schools are more effective learning environments." 
Kindergarten Registration Begins January 10, 2018
Kindergarten registration for both half and full-day kindergarten for the 2018-2019 school year will begin on January 10, 2018. To be eligible for kindergarten, a student must be five by September 30, 2018. 
 
Parents must call the Milford Administrative Offices to make a registration appointment. Please call Veronica Weaver between 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. at (513) 831-1314 to arrange this appointment. 
 
Parents will be able to complete the registration forms at  milfordschools.org beginning January 3, 2018. Please note: registration forms for the 2018-2019 school year will not be available prior to this date.
Mulberry Third Grader Appearing in Nutcracker
Isabela DePaz, a third grader at Mulberry Elementary School, will be performing in the Cincinnati Ballet Company's production of the Nutcracker this holiday season. Isabela auditioned in August and was selected for two roles as a chick and a snowball. The Nutcracker performances will run December 14-24 at the Aronoff.

At only 8 years old, this was DePaz's first time auditioning for the Nutcracker, but she has been in ballet since she was 3. DePaz has been on Dance Etc. competition teams since 2013, competing in a variety of styles including jazz, lyrical, acrobatics and musical theatre. DePaz has performed in award-winning solos and duets as well as groups, and one of her teams this summer won first overall at Applause Talent National Dance Competition in Charleston, South Carolina. 
Weather-Related Notifications
On December 6, the district sent out a test message of the parent notification system used for snow days and school emergencies. The test message was sent through SchoolMessenger to parents/guardians via phone, email, and text. If you did not receive this message, please go to your FinalForms account to verify your contact information. Our building secretaries use this information to keep our SchoolMessenger list up-to-date. If your contact information is correct in FinalForms, but you did not receive the call, please contact your child's school.

Milford also shares delay and closing updates with the local media and will post on the district website at  www.milfordschools.org, Facebook ( Milford_Schools), and Twitter ( @Milford_Schools).
DECA Students Support Local Charity
For almost 50 years, Milford DECA students have been collecting donations during the holidays for the Mary Miller Fund and other local charities. On December 7, members of the community came to Milford High School to enjoy a breakfast where the DECA program donated more than 700 items to Wrapping Clermont Together. DECA students collected toys, wrapping paper, tape, and crafts for area families in need.

The DECA students were also able to donate a $2,000 check to the Mary Miller Fund.  Milford High School DECA students have been participating in this program since 1970. Milford Miami Ministry will distribute the donations on behalf of the Mary Miller Fund to area residents who are in need of assistance with food or emergency financial commitments.
Eagles Head to Nationals
The Milford High School competition cheer squad has qualified for nationals. In November, the Eagles squad competed at the UCA Bluegrass Championship and earned first place in the game day division and a bid to the national championship to be held in Orlando, Florida in February.

The National High School Cheerleading Championship (NHSCC) is the most prestigious cheerleading championship in the country. The NHSCC is held at the Walt Disney World® Resort in Orlando, Florida, and nationally televised on ESPN and ESPN2 to over 100 million homes and 32 countries nationwide each year. The Championship is also streamed live on Varsity TV on Varsity.com.
Inservice Days Focused on Personalized Professional Learning
Teacher inservice days have taken on a whole new look in Milford Schools this school year. The district is now focused on personalized professional learning. This professional learning approach is an active process enabling educators to take responsibility for their own learning.

"After extensive reading and great conversations with educators throughout the country, the conclusion was clear: if we want students to be empowered learners, educators first have to feel empowered to identify what they need to learn and how they want to learn," shared Milford Superintendent, Nancy House.

A framework for this year's inservice days was created districtwide to include time for building-level meetings and then learning sessions with similar foundational experiences for all teachers such as personal inquiry, EdCamp, and collaboration with colleagues. EdCamp sessions bring together teachers and administrators and promotes learning through an organic, participant-driven experience where educators drive the topics of their own learning. 
 
To read more, click here.
Board of Education Election Update
In November, Milford voters elected Chris Hamm and re-elected Andrea Brady and David Yockey to the Milford Board of Education. First-time Board member Chris Hamm will be replacing Gary Knepp who chose not to run for re-election. 

The newly-elected Board members will be sworn in at the organizational meeting on January 8, 2018. At this meeting, the Board will perform annual organizational requirements required by law including setting the regular meeting dates for 2018.

Milford Board of Education Budget Hearing & Organizational Meeting
January 8, 2018
4 p.m.
Milford Board of Education Office  Conference Room
777 Garfield Avenue
Milford, OH 45150
 
The annual budget hearing begins at 4 p.m. followed by the organizational meeting at 5 p.m. Both are open to the public.
MHS Dance Clinic Open to K-8 Students
On December 19, the Milford High School dance team is hosting a dance clinic open to all students in grades K through 8 to join them for a fun night of dancing. The clinic will also prepare them to perform at an MHS half-time performance. The dance clinic will be held on Tuesday, December 19, from 5 p.m.- 8 p.m. in the MHS Auxiliary Café.

Students will learn dance techniques including leaps, turns, hip-hop tricks, and a routine to perform. Participants will get a picture with the MHS dance team and a youth clinic t-shirt for the halftime performance.

Youth clinic dancers will be invited to join the MHS dance team at their halftime performance on Wednesday, December 20, at the MHS Boys Varsity Basketball Game.

Click on the link below for details.
goo.gl/sDqKZb

AAA Driving School Offered at Milford High School
The winter session of the Milford High School AAA driving school begins January 8, 2018. Students living in the Milford Exempted Village School District who are at least 15 years and 5 months old are eligible to participate in this program.

The training offered by AAA Driving School to Milford area students costs $425 and includes: 24 hours of classroom training offered at Milford High School after school and 8 hours of in-car driver's training with an AAA certified driving instructor.
Scheduled classes: (You must be 15 years and 5 months old when class starts)
Winter - Jan 8, 10, 17, 22, 24, 29, 31, Feb 5, 7, 12, 14, 21 (Off 19th for President's Day)

Click on the link below for the registration form or pick up a form up at Milford High School.
goo.gl/5yJBiU
Write Our Legislators on Behalf of Local Control
Across the country, there has been a movement to regulate educational institutions and increase accountability measures by passing legislation. While some regulations help to improve school districts, there are many that restrict local control, create unfunded mandates, and increase unnecessary state assessments for students.
 
In October, Senator Huffman introduced Senate Bill 216 which begins to reduce some of these requirements for school districts. Senator Huffman actively engaged local educators to determine areas to allow local districts more control and to reduce unnecessary state regulations. As educators, we support these changes and want to see this bill to be voted on by the Ohio Senate, so it can move to the Ohio House of Representatives for approval.
 
As a school district, we understand the need for accountability measures to make sure our students are making progress. Senate Bill 216 allows for more time to be focused on what matters most - more instructional time for our students. We believe this is a great start to a broader conversation to determine how to best meet the needs of all students across Ohio. We will continue to advocate for our students and public education in Ohio.

Please write our legislators in support of SB216. To see a sample letter and contact information, click here.

Family Swim Sessions Held Over Winter Break
The Milford High School pool will be open for community swim during December and over the holiday break with special family swim sessions.  There will be three family open swim sessions: December 21 and December 28 from 6 p.m.-8:30 p.m. and on December 30 from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

A waiver of liability must be signed by all swimmers prior to swimming and by a parent or legal guardian for participants under the age of 18. Any participant under the age of 16 must have a parent or legal guardian present to swim. If school is closed due to inclement weather, community swim will not be held. If the weather is questionable during the winter break sessions, please check the website or social media for updates.
Calendar Check 
December

14 Board of Education Meeting
7 p.m.
Pattison Elementary School
20 End of 2nd Quarter
21 Winter Break Begins
January

3 Classes Resume
15  NO SCHOOL
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
       
To view a complete calendar with district and individual school events, click here.
Thank you for subscribing to the Eagle eNews, Milford School District's electronic newsletter. The Eagle eNews is also emailed to all parents and guardians. We welcome your feedback and encourage you to submit news items to  news@milfordschools.org.  
Milford Exempted Village School District | (513) 831-1314 | www.milfordschools.org
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