Happy Friday, Friends!
We received dozens of great comments about last week’s edition of Upcoming News & Events – thanks for your votes of support! Today, you’ll see several of the same topics – as our readers continue to have questions about them. And – we’ve woven in a few more that have popped up over the past week. So, let’s get started!
We are pleased to report more than 3,900 people have accessed their Parent Portal account since it opened on Tuesday! If you haven’t done so already, we encourage you to access your account – maybe this weekend? See below for additional details related to the Portal:
When Will the Parent Portal Open?
PART 1: Beginning Tuesday, Aug. 15th
Preliminary Opening. Please review/acknowledge all the items we routinely require every year. For Back-to-School purposes, the items you need to address are: Student Information (update contacts, addresses, phone numbers, etc.), the Acceptable Use Policy (AUP), the Parent-Student Handbook, the Foodservice documentation (such as the Free/Reduced Price Forms), and the Military Recruitment sections.
PLEASE NOTE: Do not use the PowerSchool App for this process. We ask you to use a web-based browser to accomplish this task instead. It’s best to go right to the Milford Public Schools website and click on the Powerschool link at the top of the home page or click HERE.
PART 2: Beginning Tuesday, Aug. 22nd
Classroom Teacher Assignments, Bus Routes Released. Once your preliminary work has been completed, it will make quick work of it for you to log on (beginning Tuesday, August 22nd) and find out your child’s classroom teacher assignment and his/her bus route (if eligible). Opening the Portal using this 2-stage process has helped mitigate the substantial traffic that our system experiences when parents are logging on to find out their child’s teacher assignment.
If you need help or are experiencing a problem logging in, please call our BIDS department at (203) 783-3446.
When is the first day of school? Wednesday, August 30, 2023
Friendly Reminder: No Food or Drink on School Buses
Just a friendly reminder this year. Food and drinks are not allowed on our school buses when students are being transported to or from school. Consuming these items while in transit can cause a safety concern; your bus driver will be reminding you as the school year gets underway.
Chromebook Insurance: You Can Renew Right on the Parent Portal
Our low-cost Chromebook Insurance program is WELL worth the annual renewal fee ($25 per year). If you’ve got kids, then you already know there’s always the potential for something to happen to the Chromebook during the year: lost (~$230 replacement cost), replacement mainboard (~$90), cracked screen (~$40), broken hinges (~$15), or broken keyboard (~$60), just to name a few. For $25, you can have peace of mind and save a lot of aggravation when something goes wrong. You can reserve your Chromebook insurance right on your Parent Portal account. If you have any questions, please contact our BIDS dept. at (203) 783-3446.
Foodservice News: Breakfast/Lunch Plans Released
Free Breakfast for All, Lunch Will be Free Only for Qualifying Families
When school begins this year, the following changes will be in place regarding our Milford Foodservice offerings.
Breakfast: Breakfast meals will be FREE OF CHARGE for ALL students in the Milford Public Schools. Lunch: For students who QUALIFY for free or reduced-price meals, (determined by the completion of the Free/Reduced Price Meals Application or via Direct Certification), lunch meals will continue to be offered FREE OF CHARGE.
We strongly encourage everyone to click on the appropriate link below to complete the form; many of the income benchmarks have changed over the past 2 years – and you may now qualify even if you haven’t in the past.
Free/Reduced-Price Meals Application Online
Free/Reduced-Price Meals Application (print out/paper version)
Lunch: For students who DO NOT QUALIFY for Free/Reduced-Price Meals, lunch meals will be offered at full price.
Elementary Full Price Lunch | $3.35 |
Middle School Full Price Lunch | $3.60 |
High School Full Price Lunch | $3.65 |
If you have questions, please call the Foodservice Department at (203) 783-3490.
Does Your Child Want to Play an Instrument This Year?
Just a quick reminder … if your child is interested in learning how to play a musical instrument (kids entering Grade 4 and Grade 5), don’t forget to read all the information on the Music Department Website. It is important that you click on the REGISTRATION tab in order to correctly arrange your child’s schedule.
In Closing…
And that’s it for this week. If you have a question, please give us a call and we’ll help you resolve it. Social media platforms are wonderful for looking up old friends, making plans, or knowing what’s going on in the community. When it comes to getting accurate, verifiable answers to your questions, the best way to do this is to contact the official source who can help you. We’re here to help. Give us a call.
Now – let our magical 49th Annual Milford Oyster Festival weekend begin! Hope to see you all there - have fun!
-Milford Public Schools