News

Good Afternoon Meadowside Families,

It's the final countdown before school starts! We are so excited to meet our new students and to see our returning students.  If you are new to Meadowside,  every Friday at around this time, we email out our weekly news which includes highlights of the week, important events and information. Often the weekly email will include links to sign up for events and activities and information from the PTA as well as photos that highlight our students involved in learning!   

Our first Day of School is Wednesday, August 30th.  We open our doors at 8:20 for our 8:40 start and dismiss at 3:25.  Please be sure to review our Welcome Letter and Arrival/Dismissal Information as these two documents mailed to your home answer many of the common questions that allow for a smooth first day for your child. Be sure to fill out the yellow dismissal form that was included in the mailing and send it in with your child on their first day.  Additionally in your mailing we included name tags for students for the first two days as well as pick up tags for families who pick up in cars in the afternoon. Please remember also to send your child in to school with a refillable water bottle as we have water filler stations throughout the building in place of water fountains.  

When school begins this year, the following changes will be in place regarding our Milford Food Service offerings: 

  • Breakfast meals will be FREE OF CHARGE for ALL students in the Milford Public Schools.   

  • 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. 

  • For students who DO NOT QUALIFY for Free/Reduced-Price Meals, lunch meals will be offered at full price which is $3.35.  Click here to link to the Food Service Webpage for information on buying school lunches.  

  • If you have questions, please call the Foodservice Department at (203) 783-3490.

We strongly encourage everyone to review the Free/Reduced Meals Application as 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

Please read on for some additional and equally important information for our opening of the school year:   

  • Chromebook Insurance: You Can Renew When You Enter the Parent Portal - Many parents have reached out to us to ask about Chromebook Insurance.  We are happy to report that 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: cracked screen, broken hinges, water damage, just to name a few.  Do yourself a favor. Purchase the insurance – it will give you peace of mind and save you a lot of aggravation when something goes wrong.  You can renew your insurance right on your Parent Portal account when you first sign in next.  If you have any questions, please contact our BIDS dept. at (203) 783-3446.

  • Our Kindergarten ‘Meet and Greet’ is on  Tuesday, August 29, 2023; 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.   ‘Save the Date’ cards and emails have been sent out to families with all the details. 

  • Fourth and Fifth Grade Families, if your child is interested in learning how to play a musical instrument , please visit the Music Department Website.  From here you will be able to click on the Registration tab to let us know. 

  • 2023-24 BUS ROUTES: We are pleased to release the 2023-24 Bus Routes for the Milford Public Schools.  Click on this link to be forwarded to the bus routes page. We ask that you check back, intermittently, before school starts as routes may sometimes change.  Just a friendly reminder:   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 is a safety concern; our bus drivers will be reminding you as the school year gets underway.

  • Food to Kids:  Is an organization whose mission is to provide free meals to families of children who attend local schools.  If you are interested in learning more about this program or have any additional needs that we might be able to help with, please reach out to our School Counselor Brittany Smith at brittanysmith@milforded.org. 

Finally we are SUPER excited to share that our PTA is once again hosting a back to school picnic.  The picnic is scheduled for Friday, September 1: 5:00-7:00 pm.  We will keep an eye on the weather.  We hope you will join us -- It’s a great time to meet new families and reconnect with old friends.  Welcome Back Family Picnic

Important Dates:

  • Printable MPS full year calendar can be found here

  • Wednesday, August 30: First Day of School!

  • Friday, September 1: 5:00-7:00 pm - Welcome Back Family Picnic. It’s a great time to meet new families and reconnect with old friends

  • Monday, September 4: NO SCHOOL - Labor Day

  • Thursday, September 14: 6:00 Meadowside Open House

  • Wednesday, September 20: Early Release Day: Students dismissed at 1:25

  • Monday, September 25: NO SCHOOL - Yom Kippur

Welcome Back Meadowside -- Challenge Accepted! -- 2023-2024 Here we come!