Upcoming Dates & Helpful Links
9/23-9/27- School Spirit Week (See below for details)
9/25 - School Picture Day
10/9 - Open House 5:30-6:30
10/11 - No School - Yom Kippur
10/14 - No School - Indigenous Peoples Day
Principal's Message
Open House! And the Parent Advisory Council!
Our open house is October 9th at 5:00pm. If you are interested in learning more about the parent advisory council and PTA at PAML, please stay and meet with me beginning at 6:30pm in Elizabeth Emerson’s Room!
I would like to shout out Melissa Hunkins, 6th Grade Science Teacher for facilitating an outstanding learning opportunity and event for the entire 6th grade; the Cardboard Boat Challenge! The learning experience for students was anchored in science learning targets, collaboration, and team building. One student shared with me “floating cardboard in the lake with putting a friend in the boat has been so fun. I can’t believe the school let us race them at Elmore.”
I hope this message finds you well. I want to address an important issue that has been affecting our students. It has come to my attention that some students have been experiencing ongoing harm in our building. This is occurring in multiple ways; here are the examples we have seen many times already in school:
1.”Cheese touch” - this looks like students touching other students and saying “cheese touch” suggesting that they now have a disease.
2. “Whomp whomp” - is being said intentionally to embarrass and humiliate targeted students in front of their peers.
3. “If you move, then you are gay.” - When a student says this, everyone is expected to freeze.
We believe that every student deserves a safe and supportive environment, and it is our priority to ensure that all students feel valued and respected. Unfortunately, we have observed patterns of behavior that are contrary to these values.
We are actively working to address this situation. Teachers have been explaining to students that PAML is a place of No Hate, No Harm and that we do not allow perspectives that are racist, hateful, harmful, or make someone feel less human. This behavior is not welcome at PAML and will result in a Hazing, Harassment, and Bullying (HHB) investigation which is required for schools by Vermont Law.
Another ongoing conversation with students is our dress code. Here is our school handbook if you would like to review the expectations again. Our dress code expectations adhere to our District Equity Policy (C29) that states "we do not tolerate hate speech, acts of harm that target identity (race, ethnicity, religion, family economics, class, geography, ability, language, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or initial proficiencies) whether it be a generalization or an interpersonal act, or any form of discriminatory behavior by faculty, students, or other members of the school district."
Your support at home is vital. We encourage you to talk with your child about their experiences and feelings, and to reinforce the importance of kindness and respect for others. Together, we can create a positive and inclusive environment for all our students.
