EMS Newsletter

School Pictures & Makeup Day

School picture day was today. Please do not be worried if your student missed it; our makeup date is tentatively scheduled for October 14th, so there will be another opportunity. Pictures can be ordered online https://my.lifetouch.com/mylifetouch/#/

EMS Open House

When: Thursday, Sept. 22nd, 6-7pm

Where: EMS - in person!

What: This will be our first post-pandemic in-person Open House, and we are all thrilled to welcome families into our school to meet core and exploratory teachers, explore classrooms, and learn about the curriculum. The Union St. entrance doors will open shortly before 6pm, with greetings, schedules and maps (and snacks!) in the front lobby. Please bring your student, and well as any questions you have and hopes for your child that you want to share!

FYI: Updated Volunteer Policy Coming Soon

EMS loves parent volunteers, and parent support is so valuable to making special events and field trips happen! We have an array of volunteer opportunities over the course of the year, to support work in classrooms, chaperone walking trips or special events, and/or be a parent driver for field trips. Of course, we also want to ensure that we maintain a volunteer policy that centers safety! If you're potentially interested in lending a hand, please be aware that the district volunteer policy will be updated soon. Recurring volunteers, or volunteers who will be with students unsupervised (such as driving students to and from a field trip) will need to complete a screening process. More info on that will be coming soon. Thank you!

EMS Parent Social Media Safety Presentation on 9/26

When: Monday, Sept. 26, 6-7:30pm

Where: EMS Gymnasium

What: This informative event is free and open to BSD families and community members. These days, teens on average are spending 4 to 5 hours a day on

social media. And, during all this time, they are exposed to risks they are not prepared to confront – including cyberbullying, sexual harassment, and hate speech. To better protect our students, we have invited the Organization for Social Media Safety to present both to students during school assemblies, and to families. If you cannot attend this event, but are interested in learning more, HMS is offering a second session on 9/27 from 6-7:30. Please check out to full flyer here.

A Note on Energy Drinks in Middle School

We have noticed that many students are arriving at school with energy drinks (sometimes, multiple drinks or very large cans). Caffeine can have negative impacts for middle schoolers even in relatively small quantities, and many people don't realize just how much caffeine energy drinks actually contain. A little info:

"The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t have official guidelines about kids and caffeine. But pediatric experts say kids under the age of 12 should avoid caffeine, and those over 12 should limit it to no more than 100 milligrams (about two cans of cola) per day. [...] Pediatric experts say kids under the age of 12 should avoid caffeine, and those over 12 should limit it to no more than 100 milligrams (about two cans of cola) per day. [...] A cup of cola contains about 45 milligrams of caffeine, while a cup of coffee has about twice that. Energy drinks vary widely, depending on the brand and the size of the can or bottle. But some can pack a punch of 400 milligrams or even 500 milligrams of caffeine per container. That’s a lot." (Cleveland Clinic, 2021)

Some things we see when kids routinely drink energy drinks include restlessness, anxiety, jumpiness, mood swings, sleeplessness, and difficulty focusing. While all parents must decide what is best for their own children, and many students may be picking up energy drinks on their way to school, we encourage touching base with your child around energy drinks and, if your child is consuming them, potentially considering better beverage alternatives (especially during the school day).

EMS Afterschool Begins on Monday 9/12

We have started Afterschool sign-ups for the 2022-2023 school year.

After school will start Monday 9/12 starting at dismissal with clubs ending by 5:00pm.

Click on the links below to learn more about what's being offered and to access the Sign-Up from.

Brochure:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PRlUS_6GrSEeYmkc_4GXAGW2KWKtWXM2sInSii85PEI/edit

Activity Sign-up Form:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1nhRvrcZQQxq5zKCbi-urFHZdYQTFItcdtwGFMqQHjF0/edit

After viewing the brochure,see the link to sign up for clubs. A parent or guardian needs to complete our Registration and Permission Form. Please let Malik Mines know if you need any help with this.