Our programs in the opening days are geared toward helping everyone get acclimated—to feel confident about who and where they are. These programs are designed by in-house experts—our own faculty and students—who know what being new to Milton feels like and what experiences will be helpful in those first few days. Each person at our School contributes to the Milton environment in big and small ways every day.
For the opening of school schedule, visit the opening of school calendar. Links to your child’s opening of school schedule will also be posted in your myMilton account.
During the week, students new to the Upper School will participate in activities ranging from “ice-breakers” to group discussions. All students—new and returning—will engage with each other, faculty and staff.
Interactions during orientation focus on a number of themes important to life at Milton. While students will spend some time learning the logistics of life at School, most of the time they will be meeting peers and anticipating certain key experiences. We help incoming students understand what they should expect at Milton and get a feel for what our school culture aims to be: how much their different life experiences and personal identities make this an outstanding place; how surprisingly talented their classmates are; how to manage academic challenges that may feel daunting; how to engage in a community that brings together members of communities from around the world; how to keep their parents in the loop while they become more independent; how to participate fully in a School where choices exceed the time available. These ideas, coupled with advice from current students, advisors and deans, are extremely valuable for successfully navigating Milton Academy.
Each of the first four days of school (Tuesday, September 4, through Friday, September 7) will include activities for both boarding and day students. We want all the activities to encourage students to be aware of the unique cultural gifts they bring to Milton and to begin to explore aspects of living and learning in a diverse community. Whether registering a laptop to the Milton network with the support of our ATS staff or greeting a new bus driver, every interaction is an opportunity to form a relationship that may last a lifetime.
Being new, however, is not a four-day experience. Since every day in the first year at Milton is a new day, students and families should anticipate using the full year to understand the rhythm of the School. Our comprehensive approach, which includes the advisor system, class assemblies, affective education classes, residential life meetings, Wednesday second period assemblies, and more, sustains the support that will be introduced in the opening days.
We all look forward to greeting students on Tuesday, September 4; spending time with them on Wednesday and Thursday, September 5 and 6; introducing them to returning Upper School students Friday, September 7; helping them get to classes on Tuesday, September 11; and helping everyone find ways to contribute to and get the most out of their Milton experience throughout the 2018–2019 school year.
The date and time that students should arrive on campus will vary due to a variety of program offerings that we provide students in the days leading up to the start of classes. Please read the following carefully and refer to the Upper School calendar at www.www.milton.edu to plan your arrival.
Boarding athletes: Sunday, September 2, between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Boarding athletes who will play football or try out for varsity level field hockey, soccer or volleyball may move into their houses on Sunday, September 2, between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Please note that dining services will not be open until Monday morning.
Day and boarding athletes: Monday, September 3, beginning at 8 a.m.
Programming for all athletes—boarding and day students—who will play football or try out for varsity level field hockey, soccer or volleyball will begin on Monday, September 3.
All other students: Tuesday, September 4
New students entering Classes II, III, or IV—with the exception of athletes as noted above—will be welcomed to campus on Tuesday, September 4. Required programming for all new students will run from Tuesday, September 4 to Friday, September 7. Classes begin on Tuesday, September 11 (Note: Monday, September 10 is Rosh Hashanah; classes will not be in session.)
Also remember that, as with every weekend, all students are invited to join in the evening activities on Friday and Saturday night.
For more Opening of School information, visit the online parents’ newsletter, Centre Connection.
