Gator News

Monday, Dec 19, 2022

Closing 2022 in Style!

The last week of school and there is a flurry of activity both with the snowflakes falling and the things our teachers have planned for our students. Our official first snow day gave everyone a bit of a break before the break. We hope you were able to enjoy some outside and play.

5/6 Social: Was rescheduled for Friday, January 6th! More information to come! What a fun way to kick of 2023!

Styling Spirit Week: This week, we have a light-hearted Spirit Week meant to bring a little fun and joy as we get closer to our winter break.

Monday, Dec 19: Sock and Slipper Day
Tuesday, Dec 20: Hats and Headband Day
Wednesday, Dec 21: Backwards or Inside Out Day
Thursday, Dec 22: 'Ugly' or 'Tacky' Clothes Day

Winter Break Starts with an Early Release Day!

A reminder that this Thursday is an early release day! Students are dismissed at 12:55 to load the buses and 1:00 for our students that are walking.

Welcome 2023! January 2nd is our first day back at MSMS after the winter break!

Stay Warm and enjoy the snowflakes!

Julie Conrad, Principal

5th & 6th Grade Social RESCHEDULED to Jan 6th!

Our Student Leadership Team is organizing a social for Grades 5 & 6 for this Friday!

The social will happen right after school from 3 - 5 pm. There will be dancing and food in the cafeteria as well as games in other spaces on the MSMS ground floor!

It should be a great time for our 5th and 6th graders to have fun together and enjoy some extra social time! Contact Michelle Harper if you are interested in volunteering or donating food and drink!

MSMS-Sustain Store!

Our MSMS_Sustain Store is up and running and we have MSMS_Sustain Maple Syrup available for purchase. Students tapped dozens of trees in Hubbard Park and other local places. The sap was then boiled down in the MSMS schoolyard. This is the perfect gift for the holidays, since it is local, and student-made.

Currently, there are 6, 8 oz. bottles for sale at $15 each, and 11, 4oz. bottles for sale at $10 each.

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From Nurse Caitlin

Please see the letter below from Nurse Caitlin, then read on to learn more about the flu, free at home Covid-19 tests, and Covid-19 booster eligibility for children 6 months to 5 years old!

Dear Parents/Guardians,

We are so thankful to each and every one of you for helping to keep all of us safe and healthy at school! In an effort to continue keeping our students and staff healthy, we strongly recommend getting the flu vaccine! If you haven’t scheduled one for your child, please consider doing so. Primary care offices, local pharmacies, and Vermont Department of Health vaccine clinics all have flu vaccines in stock. Everyone 6 months of age and older is eligible to get the flu vaccine; there are a few rare exceptions. Please check with your doctor if you are unsure if your child should receive the vaccine.

Why are we advocating so strongly for flu vaccinations? You can get the flu AND COVID-19. Getting vaccinated against both can decrease your chances of contracting the viruses, lower your risk of serious complications, and decrease length of illness. You may have heard in the news about RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) and that it has been increasing in numbers in children this year. RSV, COVID-19 and Flu can all happen at the same time, so it’s important to get Flu vaccines and COVID boosters to offer ourselves and our students the best protection possible.

Things you can do to prevent flu or other respiratory viruses for yourself and your child are:

Get a flu shot
Cover your mouth when coughing/sneezing - if your child is coughing moderately or more, please keep them home
Wash your hands frequently with soap and water (use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available).
Get plenty of rest.
Drink lots of water and eat healthy foods. Send your child to school with a water bottle.
Stay away from people who are sick or have colds; stay home if you are sick.
Wear a face mask.

Make sure if your child has asthma, your school nurse has an updated copy of the Asthma Action Plan on file.

It is important to contact your child’s primary care doctor if they are sick so they can determine if it’s a cold, the flu, RSV or coronavirus. If it’s the flu, your child might be eligible for an antiviral medication that might help them feel better faster, so it’s important to call the doctor right away. Thank you!

Caitlin Patterson, MSN, MPH, RN, NCSN Direct Line: 802-225-8605 Fax: 802-223-9225 caitlinpatterson@mpsvt.org

Please see this guide for parents about the flu from the CDC (or click on this link: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pdf/freeresources/family/flu-guide-for-parents-2018.pdf). Please call or email Nurse Caitlin at (802) 225-8605 or caitlinpatterson@mpsvt.org if you have any questions!

Every household is now eligible for free Covid-19 at home tests through the USPS. Visit this page to order these free tests.

Children 6 months to 5 years old are now eligible for Covid-19 bivalent boosters! Children ages 6 months through 5 years who previously completed a Moderna primary series are eligible to receive a Moderna bivalent booster 2 months after their final primary series dose. For more information visit this link. To get this vaccine, you can call your child’s pediatrician or check the Vermont Department of Health Covid-19 vaccine page here. VDH anticipates the booster being available in Vermont beginning 12/19/22.