Frequently Asked Questions:
Questions that Tucker Families may have
What are the school hours?
Regular school hours are 8:50 AM - 3:19 PM. Children not registered for the before or after school programs may not arrive or stay beyond the designated school hours. Children not registered in the early school program may be dropped off between 8:35 and 8:50 AM.
Students may choose to have breakfast at school beginning at 8:35 A.M.
Dismissal is promptly at 3:19 PM. Students registered for the afterschool programs will designate pick-up times for 4:30, 5:30 or 6:00 PM.
There are a few half-days throughout the year. The dismissal time for half days is 12:30 PM and bagged lunch is available at dismissal. This year there are also several late-start days. School will start at 10:50 and students may arrive by 10:35 AM.
Students requiring after school program on these days must register well in advance through the Milton Community Schools office. Registration reminders will are sent out in advance via email.
Who are the key contacts at the school?
Principal, Cat DesRoche - cdesroche@miltonps.org - 617-696-4291
Administrative Assistant, Mrs. Eileen Keaney- ekeaney@miltonps.org, 617-696-4291 x 6100
School Nurse, Mrs. Kerri Joyce- kjoyce@miltonps.org, 617-696-4291 x 6104
Adjustment Counselor, Mr. Ramsay Cadet- rcadet@miltonps.org, 617-696-4291 x 6200
What are the different family committees I may volunteer for or participate on?
Diversity committee: The diversity committee is made up of family members and faculty members. Diversity encompasses a range of differences in people in many ways including race, ethnicity, culture, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, interests, talents, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs, or ideas. The committee works towards creating and sustaining an educational community in which students and families of all backgrounds feel welcome, accepted and affirmed. The committee partners with other diversity committees across the school district and with the community based Citizens for a Diverse Milton (CDM) organization. The committee also works to uphold five additional core values that recognize diversity as an integral component to an excellent education. Read more at http://www.miltonps.org/documents/CDMCHARTER.pdf.
Site Council: The site council is made up of family members, faculty members, and a community member. The council works in partnership with the school principal to:
Adopt educational goals for the school that are consistent with local educational policies and statewide student performance standards
Identify the educational needs of students attending the school
Review the annual school building budget
Formulate a school improvement plan
Members meets on a monthly basis at the school site. Annually, the site council makes a presentation to the School Committee in relation to these responsibilities. If you are interested in participating, please contact Dr. Elaine McNeil-Girmai for additional information.
What additional volunteer opportunities are available in the school and how do I participate?
BOKS is a before school physical activity program, that prepares children for a day of learning and is an important step in helping children gain an appreciation of the benefits of exercise and healthy choices that will last a lifetime. BOKS was inspired by Dr. John Ratey’s book “Spark”. Dr. Ratey states that “exercise is the single most powerful tool that we have to optimize the function of our brains.” Classes are filled with team-oriented games and provide plenty of opportunity for play, since the program focuses on fun! Trainings for BOKS instructors are led throughout the year in partnership with Reebok in Canton. Please contact the PTO if you are interested in being an instructor.
The Reading about Diversity (R.A.D) project is a classroom based opportunity for you to share the joy of reading and discussing diversity with children. The R.A.D. project hopes to not only promote awareness, respect, and acceptance in regards to these differences but also celebrate them and enrich our experiences. All interested parents or guardians are encouraged to volunteer. You may lead the activity or co-facilitate it with a friend. You will not need to do much preparation ahead of time. All materials, such as the story, discussion questions, and activities, will be outlined for you. Please contact your child’s teacher if you are interested in being a R.A.D volunteer.
The Meet the Artist program is a K-4 art history program that was started in 2010 by the Tucker art teacher Mrs. Jessica Gillooly and Milton resident Ms. Emily McElhinney. There are six artists introduced to the students through designed lesson plans and pre-scripted lesson plans available. There is a PTO “point person’ in each school who assists in organizing materials and recruiting volunteers. In order to set up a time to participate in the program please contact your child’s teacher.
The Tucker Reads website was developed in 2013 as an online opportunity for students to interact with favorite texts and community members. If you are interested in making your own read aloud video or supporting the recording and uploading of video, please email Dr. Elaine McNeil-Girmai or speak to current members of the school site council.
http://www.edline.net/pages/Tucker_Elementary_School/Tucker_Reads_)
How do I sign up for the breakfast/lunch program? After school? Edline?
Each child will be pre-assigned a unique ID for the breakfast and lunch program. If you have misplaced your ID number, contact the school office for a way to retrieve it. Payment for the program can be made on one of two ways:
Create an account at www.myschoolbucks.com utilizing your childs unique ID. Manage payment to your childs’ account via the web site.
Drop a check off in the School Lunch Mailbox at the school office. Make check payable to ‘Milton School Food Service Program’.
After school: You can find information on After School enrichment at http://www.miltoncommunityschools.org. Click on the ‘After School Enrichment’ link in the left side menu.
Edline: The Tucker Edline site is open for viewing. You need not, and cannot, get a login for it.
Navigate to http://www.edline.net/pages/Tucker_Elementary_School
General information for the school can be found here on the site
For information for your child’s class, find the “Our Classes” link in the top right menu and navigate from there.
Who do I contact if my child is sick?
Attendance calls and concerns should be directed to the main office to Mrs. Keaney 617-696-4291.
What and when are some of the school wide events?
Check out the Tucker events page
How do I contact my child’s teacher?
Every teacher’s email address and phone extension is available in the Tucker staff directory.
Getting to School
Arrival to School (Early School 7:00 a.m.)
All those attending early school must be registered in advance. On the first day you will need time to meet Mrs. Coughlin and review emergency information.
Please always remember to sign your student in at arrival.
Arrival to School (Breakfast Arrival 8:15 a.m.)
Due to our changes in breakfast this year we are encouraging only students in Kindergarten and Grade 1 to attend breakfast beginning at 8:15 a.m. in the cafeteria.
Students in Grade 2 have access to the breakfast in the classroom on carts and students in Grades 3-5 have access to the Tiger Trolley cart. These options both begin at 8:40 for students.
If a student must arrive to cafeteria breakfast in Gr. 2-5, as they accompany a younger sibling to breakfast or you have a concern with the classroom option, please email me directly so we can collaborate to ensure your child enjoys a healthy start to the day.
Arrival to School (Traditional Arrival 8:35 a.m.)
We open our doors and begin our supervision at 8:35 a.m. We ask that students not arrive to school unattended earlier than 8:30 a.m. We also ask that as there are students without supervision waiting that there is no use of the structure or of the soccer pitch before school begins to ensure safety.
Our car drop off will also begin at 8:35 a.m. Please have students seated on the curb-side of the car and follow the directions to move up as directed. Please do not get out of the car whenever possible.
When the gym doors open only students are allowed to enter without prior approval and communication with school administration. This is for the safety of all students. Those needing to enter the building should arrive through the main office bringing their ID to receive a badge.
Arriving to School Tardy (Arrival after 8:50 a.m.)
Students arriving after 8:50 a.m. should be walked into the main office by an adult for safety.
It is requested that the student is signed into the building.
Dismissal:
Outdoor Dismissal-Please remember that our faculty members have been asked to say goodbye to each student before they are dismissed. Please do not take or ask students to step out of line early prior to the teacher dismissing to you.
Indoor Dismissal-We are working to streamline our lines for indoor dismissal. We ask that families be patient with this process and that they stay on the outside of the cones during indoor dismissal to ensure there is room for the students to line up by class.
Dismissal Changes-All dismissal changes should be communicated to the classroom teacher and Mrs. Keaney as early in the day as possible.
Early Dismissal (prior to 3:19 p.m.)-Whenever possible students should not be picked up from school after 2:45 p.m. as our main office is very hectic at the end of the day. We want to ensure all students follow their dismissal routine and changes late in the day are difficult to accommodate. If you need to dismiss early from school email the classroom teacher and Mrs. Keaney as early in the day as possible.
Sibling Dismissal-All those being dismissed to an older sibling daily will exit the side door closest to the staff parking lot. We ask that all families speak to the older sibling about appropriate behavior on the elementary school grounds. Older siblings should not bring friends on to the school grounds for dismissal and are asked to be mindful when walking near the parking lot. It is expected they will model our Tucker Rules-Be safe, Be responsible, Be respectful and Be a Good friend at all times.
We thank you in advance for your collaboration on these procedures. They are taken in order to ensure we have the safest school building and process for your children in place.
The Tucker Way Model - Core Values
Tucker School prides itself on being a diverse community of learners. While we are the smallest elementary school in town, the energy, sense of community, and collaboration within our community makes us a powerful and unique educational setting! As a school community, we focus on integrating the district-wide core values into all of our actions in order to advance the achievement and development of every student.
1. Collaborative Relationships and Communication
The Tucker School is a diverse community that respects each individual whether a student, caregiver, faculty or staff member, school or community leader or neighborhood resident. We thrive by acknowledging and honoring our diversity. Each individual expresses a sense of belonging to the Tucker Community, understands the purpose and expectation of the community, and contributes to the community. Every family is involved and invested in their own way.
2. Respect for Human Differences
In addition to academic learning and achievement, the development of the whole child is a priority in the daily life, culture, and instruction at the school. With this mindset, the Tucker School Community is attentive to the social-emotional and physical well-being of all students.
3. Excellence in the Classroom
In pursuit of excellence, teachers at Tucker Elementary School respond to the needs of the student in determining if extra support is needed and to what extent that support is provided. Students learn from their example and are always asked to ‘go above and beyond’ for their best work and effort. This same motto is used by the faculty of the school in going above and beyond to support the needs of our students and families, no matter how large or how small.
4. High Academic Achievement for all Students
The Tucker School Community believes that all students will learn and achieve and that all students deserve opportunities for academic rigor and differentiation to support diverse needs. We also believe that providing opportunities for enrichment in areas that are not part of the core curriculum help support students in engaging with content in unique ways and making real world connections to their learning. These opportunities allow for students to connect, engage and grow as contributing members of the community which furthers academic learning and achievement.
5. Risk-Taking and Innovation for Education
The Tucker School Community works together to ensure that all students benefit from an education driven by an expectation of learning, growth and responsibility for ourselves, others and the world around us. Through on-going assessment, ceaseless learning and a determined spirit, we strive to always improve in delivering the best education for our students.
These Core Values, supported by strong leadership, intentional school culture, purposeful family and community partnerships and effective systems and structures, shape and influence the education of the Tucker School community. It is our aim that each student demonstrates academic growth each year, academic proficiency in core subject areas, and the formation of skills and character that support their on-going development. Our goal is that each student will graduate from Tucker Elementary School ready for a successful transition to the Middle School level. We also encourage our students from their first day at Tucker School to believe in themselves as learners that can go to college, and beyond if it is their desire, by connecting actions and learning to our college bound theme.
Summertime Blues
Summer Events
These websites will be updated closer to the Summer and they are good resources for summer activities and events.
Milton Public Library Summer Reading Challenge -
http://www.miltonlibrary.org/youth/summer-reading/
Parks & Recreation -
http://www.townofmilton.org/Public_Documents/MiltonMA_Recreation/recreation
Milton Music Festival -
Baron Hugo Music Series at the Town Gazebo -
https://portal.clubrunner.ca/5377/event/baron-hugo-gazebo-town-green-summer-concert-series
Cunningham Pond -