MUMS Family Newsletter

It was so nice to see so many of you last night at our "Back to School night". It continues to impress me, how much support this school has, so thank you for being such a constant reminder of how awesome our community is!

Athletic competitions began this week and will be in full swing next week! Our student athletes are so excited to represent MUMS with courage and care! We look forward to another week of competition ahead. Please visit our athletic calendar to learn about our home games/meets if you are interested in cheering on our athletes!

Lastly, I want to thank the community for your understanding yesterday while we responded to the hoax social media post that was communicated through Dr. Wendy Baker's email. ACSD takes school safety very seriously and appreciate your confidence as we address concerns that arise.

As always, have a great weekend!

If you have questions generally, please reach out to us at mwisell@acsdvt.org (Michaela)

or zjerome@acsdvt.org (Zach) or dhunt@acsdvt.org (Dustin) or by calling the MUMS office at 802-382-1600 or by visiting the MUMS website for more information.

Michaela Wisell, Principal

Zach Jerome, Assistant Principal

Dustin Hunt, Activities Director

• September 26th - Friends of MUMS Mtg. (6:00-8:00
• October 1st - Picture Day
• October 9th - Early Release Day (Dismissal 12:45)

Activities Calendar

8th graders in PE class had a ton of fun playing “Shipwreck,” a fast-paced cooperative game involving crossing the gym as teams and jumping into the hula hoop when the music stopped. Teams had to assign roles within their team, strategize, and give each other feedback in their attempts to improve their time and try to be the first in their hoops. The unit’s Statement of Inquiry--the “big idea” we want all kids to understand-- is “Communication and inclusion determine the effectiveness of a system or team.” The teamwork kids displayed helped them see this Statement of Inquiry in action. Click here to enjoy the video clip from class!

Eileen Sears, MYP Coordinator

& ACSD Curriculum Leader

esears@acsdvt.org

802-382-1753

Pam Quinn, MYP Coordinator

pquinn@acsdvt.org

802-382-1243

Dear MUMS Families, September 20th, 2024

Earlier this year, our district shared an overview of our ACSD safety practices and our efforts to keep our community safe. You can find that information here. At Middlebury Union Middle School, we practice safety drills designed to ensure that our students and staff are familiar with how to be safe in an emergency. Some months, we practice what to do if we need to evacuate the building. Other months we practice what to do when unsafe people or hazards enter our school.

We are required to practice two options-based drills - one in the first semester and one in the second half of the year. Options-based drills introduce students to various strategies in response to a threat, such as when to evacuate from the school or remain in a classroom. Please know that all options based drills are trauma informed and age appropriate. This means the drills are performed in a way that is sensitive to the emotional well-being of our students.

We will be holding our first options-based drill on September 26th, 2024.

The purpose of this drill is to keep the students safe from any danger outside or inside the building. During an “options based drill” all of the perimeter doors to the school building will be locked and will remain locked until the danger or issue outside or inside the building is removed. To enable everyone to remain safe, no visitors will be permitted to enter the building at that time.

We know that this is an emotional topic for parents and caregivers and want to assure you of a few things:

• The adults in our building work together to plan and ensure students feel safe and we remind them that the drill is practice.

• We talk with students in a developmentally appropriate way before and after each drill and our practice is developmentally aligned.

• We are available to support families. We will share resources below to help you talk with your child about these experiences and invite you to reach out at any time.

I want you to know about it in advance and be able to talk with your children about it when they come home. Here are a few resources to support those conversations:

1. Talking with Children about Violence: Tips for Parents and Educators (NASP)

If you have questions or would like to connect please reach out to me directly

Best,

Michaela Wisell

Principal

This October, students are hoping we'll put on the 3rd annual Color Fun Run. The first two were such fun events for students and families and served as the primary fundraiser for FoMUMS to support all the great work they do for the MUMS community.

Right now we have 1 volunteer to help coordinate planning, but in order to make the event happen, we need at least 3 and preferably 3-5. With two years of experience to lean on, these wonderful volunteers would

• plan for the color stations
• communicate with myfunrun.com to set up the online donation platform
• plan ways for students & families to be involved in fundraising

FoMUMS has never wanted anyone to bite off more than they can chew, and talking a friend into volunteering with you is a great way to keep things manageable. We know how busy things can be and don't want to add to anyone's overwhelm!

If you'd like to help plan the Color Fun Run or would like to receive more information, please reach out via email to friendsofmums@gmail.com.

MUMS will have Picture Day on Tuesday October 1st. Order forms for LifeTouch will be handed out in TA the week prior. If you prefer to order your student’s school pictures online please visit mylifetouch.com and use the Picture ID EVTRF98G9. If you have any questions please contact Megan Curran at mcurran@acsdvt.org.

• To report your child absent from school or notify us of an early dismissal please leave us a message on our attendance line by calling 382-1297 before 8:30 AM.
• If you send a student to school with an early dismissal note or bus note they should bring them the office before TA.
• All bus notes need to be stamped/signed by one of our Administrative Assistant's in the front office. Students will not be allowed to ride a bus to another location without a note from home that is stamped/signed by the office.

In addition to our phone/email communication, ACSD has a text messaging system. Families must opt-in to receive texts. ACSD will only use text messaging for short, time-sensitive messages (like early dismissal and snow days). Your school may also text you for important school updates. We will test this service on Thursday Sept 19th after the school day. To receive texts, you must opt-in:

• Text “yes” to 67587. You will get a reply confirming your registration. If you ever want to stop receiving texts, just text STOP.

• Make sure we have your wireless number in our student database. This is the number you share on school forms. (If you currently receive school/ACSD calls on your cell phone, we probably have your number.) Please contact your front office if we do not have this number.

Due to growing instances of phishing scams and concern for potential hacks of our computer networks, we will be removing all staff email addresses from our website directory. This change comes at the direction of our Technology Dept and we join many K-12 schools, colleges, and businesses in making this change. Staff phone numbers will still be available in our staff directory. You may also request a teacher’s email by phone or by calling our front office at 802-382-1600. Thank you for your understanding as we balance family communication needs with tech privacy and safety.

Hi folks! Last year, ACSD schools participated in the 802 Smiles Dental Hygiene Program and this was very successful. I'm excited to share that we are once again partnering with dental hygienist, Michael Messina, to offer free dental screenings and preventative care to all ACSD students. There are three documents attached for families to download and review: a family letter, a SDF consent form and an enrollment form.

Do you volunteer in our schools? Join Superintendent Wendy Baker for a discussion about how to streamline, strengthen, and improve our volunteer program at ACSD schools. We will schedule a time to meet this fall to gather your feedback. Interested?
Button or link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1H6laR0CJwNAVk9RKvXDYd2kvHeiw0vzwBb_9qcRNwg4/edit

Below is some important information as we head back to school:

Annual Health Forms

Please complete the annual health update form that is sent home at the start of the year. It is important for us to have any updates to your student’s medical history, medications, permission for over the counter medications, and permission for emergency care. Reach out to the school front office if you lose yours.

Student Medical Concerns and Emergency Medical Plans

If your student has a medical condition that may require treatment, monitoring, or other needs at school, please reach out by email or phone to make us aware of the issue. If you have an emergency plan from a healthcare provider for concerns such as asthma, allergies, seizures, or diabetes please share these with us as well.

Student Illness

We ask students and staff to stay home with any potentially contagious illnesses or symptoms including the following:

1. Vomiting/diarrhea-must be 24 hours symptom free before returning to school

2. Fever 100.4 or greater -home until fever free without use of medication for 24 hours

3. Any infection requiring antibiotic-keep your student home until they have been on antibiotics for 24 hours

4. Persistent cough that disrupts normal activity

5. Unexplained rash

6. Influenza -stay home until fever free without medication for 24 hours and symptoms are improving

7. Any other symptoms or illness that impedes a student’s ability to learn or staff’s ability to work.

You may return once feeling well enough to be at school and fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medications. There is no longer any isolation/quarantine requirement for COVID. If you suspect your student has COVID, please follow the guidelines above for all illnesses.

Vaccine Information

If your student has received any of the school-required vaccines since last year, please send us this info. We do not need dates of flu or COVID vaccines. If your student has a religious exemption, please complete and send us an exemption form yearly.

By clicking on this link, you can access the most updated information and resources on vaccinations through the Vermont Department of Health. This includes annual vaccination rate data, school vaccination requirements, information on exemptions and exemption forms.

Prescription and Over-the-counter Medications

We do not allow students to carry prescribed or over the counter medications on them at school. Exceptions to this include students who carry an inhaler, EpiPen, Benadryl, diabetic supplies or other approved emergency medications.

Daily medications that need to be taken during school hours can be kept in the nursing office. These require orders from the prescribing healthcare provider, caregiver permission for administration at school and should be sent to school in the original pharmacy bottle. We ask that any medications be dropped off by an adult and not sent to school with a student. We have a variety of over-the-counter medications in the health office for students to access for daily concerns such as headache, cramps, upset stomach, seasonal allergies, sore throat, etc. We do need signed permission on the annual health form to administer these.

Vision and Hearing Screening

Per Vermont state requirements, the school nurse will complete vision and hearing screening on MUMS 7th graders. If these screenings are abnormal you will receive a letter with the screening results to review and share with your student’s healthcare provider.

Wishing everyone a great new school year. Please reach out anytime!

Liz Palko, BSN RN

MUMS School Nurse

epalko@acsdvt.org

(802) 382-1270

ACSD Health Services webpage

To view monthly school menus click here.

Here is a list of the 2024-2025 ACSD Bus Routes.

We are so excited to welcome parents and community members back into our buildings this year! If you are interested in substitute teaching or volunteering this year, please start an application now!

If you are interested in joining our new Friends of MUMS group, email friendsofmums@gmail.com