MUMS Family Newsletter

We hope this email finds you well. We are busy at MUMS preparing for our Parent-Teacher conferences next week as well as the Quarter end, which is coming mid-week next week as well. You can look forward to report cards showing up in your mailboxes via USPS this year. We hope that this new practice makes these reports more accessible to families, but certainly welcome any feedback following our first mailing. As you know, grades also exist in Power school and you can access those live on a daily basis.

We are very excited to announce that we met our fundraising goal of $5000.00 from our Fun Run donations and are looking forward to our event tomorrow morning from 9-11 here at school. All are welcome and we are looking forward to celebrating with you all.

Enjoy the weekend and reach out with any questions or concerns.

If you have questions, 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, Zach & Dustin

Michaela Wisell, Principal

Zach Jerome, Assistant Principal

Dustin Hunt, Dean of Culture and Climate

• October 28th, 2023 - Color Fun Run
• November 2nd, 2023 - 1st Quarter ends
• November 2nd and 3rd, 2023 - PT conferences
• November 8th, 2023 - Early Release Day
• November 9th, 2023 - Picture Re-Take Day

This is an urgent plea to follow the steps in the parent portal so that we can ensure all information regarding your child is up to date in our system.

We are excited to welcome your child(ren) back to school! In an effort to ensure that we have updated and accurate information about each and every student, we are asking families to verify our yearly forms using the PowerSchool Parent Portal.

If you have not created a parent account yet just click on the Forgot Username and password link.

Once in PowerSchool, navigate to the “Forms” icon on the left-hand toolbar to review, update and submit the following forms for each of your children, we ask that you complete these by September 11th.

1. ACSD - Directory Information

2. ACSD - Field Trip Permission (required for field trip participation)

3. ACSD - Health Authorizations (required for field trip participation)

4. ACSD - Health Information

5. ACSD - Vermont Department of Health Inquiry

6. ACSD - Student Address

7. ACSD - Student Contacts & Custody

If you have questions please contact Megan Curran at mcurran@acsdvt.org

Collaboration, justification, real life application! These are the things you will see and hear in Bridget Nardiello's 8th grade math class. Students learn that everyone has something to offer and they learn the important skills of being open-minded thinkers and communicators (3 of our 10 Learner Profiles). There is a lot of student discourse, which requires critical thinking to justify ideas, build models, and connect what they are learning to real life. Learning how to have respectful conversations when there are differing points of view is an essential skill to be an effective community member. Math is intertwined with so many valuable life lessons! Thank you, Ms. Nardiello and students!

Pam Quinn and Eileen Sears, MYP Coordinators

Keep Connected: Strengthen Your Family Relationships

In early adolescence, sharing power, supports children in becoming responsible, learning how to solve conflicts, and developing interpersonal awareness. Here is a resource from the Search Institute about why sharing power is important, how to talk about it, and what you can do. Additionally, here is a resource about collaborative decision making.

Intramural Basketball Update

Boys participating in Intramurals will have games on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30-5:00pm starting Tuesday October 31st. A team breakdown and schedule will be emailed to families of the players that signed up this week.

Girls Intramural Basketball will be held on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:30-4:30pm starting Monday October 30th. Due to low signup numbers, the program will be run as an open gym where girls will arrive and be split into two teams to play a game each meeting. If more girls sign up we will potentially make teams and a schedule at a later time

Chess Club-

Chess Club will begin on Monday October 30th. The first meeting will be in the cafeteria from 3:30-5:00pm. Due to the club being in high demand (38 participants) we are looking into splitting the group into a novice group and an advanced group with each group meeting one day a week. We encourage you to talk with your child about which level you feel like they will be most comfortable in. If your child can only make 1 of the 2 days (Mondays or Tuesdays) work let us know and we can make accommodations if necessary.

Fall Themed Team Decorating contest

Students in Jennifer Bickart’s TA have organized a fall themed decorating contest amongst the teams. 4 classrooms have been identified to host the contest during extended TA on November 8th. Students and teachers are encouraged to bring paper supplies and other fall decor to their TA’s the week of October 30th. Decorating will take place during extended TA on the 8th and will be judged by both the administrative and counseling teams that same day. Any questions about the contest can be directed to either Dustin or Jennifer. Please stay tuned for pictures of this event.

As a way to show school spirit and unity, all students and staff are encouraged to show their tiger pride by dressing in black and orange on Tuesday, October 31st. If your student doesn't have anything that is black or orange and want to participate, encourage them to check in with their counselor for support.

Conferences will be held on Thursday November 2nd and Friday November 3rd. Please review the information below:

• Conferences will occur in-person on Thursday November 2nd 4:00pm- 8:00pm and online Friday November 3rd 8:00am- 12:00pm.

• Core teachers will do conferences in pairs. (Math and I&S together and Lang & Lit and Science together)

• Due to limited conference slots, caregivers can meet with one pair or the other, but not both core teams.

• MIXT team, Wellness, Language Acquisition, Counselors, Special Education & Interventionists will meet independently with caregivers as folks sign up.

• Conferences will be 13 minutes long with a 2 minute break between each conference.

• The focus of our conferences will be on how students are navigating their school day as well as discuss strengths & an area of growth/focus.

Caregivers please sign up HERE via PTCFast. Conference sign ups will close by the end of the school day Friday October 27th.

The Color Fun Run is tomorrow! Please join us at the MUMS main circle on Saturday, 10/28 at 9 am for face painting, crazy hair colors, whipped cream catch, jazzercise and more. No registration needed! At 10 am, walk, run, amble, skip, sashay, hop or gallop around the 1.5 mile course, going through (optional) lots of poofs of color. We can't wait to see the MUMS community there! You're definitely still welcome to donate or to sign up to help. All three grades have had wonderful fundraising support, and Grade 6 is only holding onto their fundraising lead by a nose...

Grade 7: $1108

Grade 8: $2019

Grade 6: $2139

Addison Central SEPAC

WHO WE ARE:

The Addison Central Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) is an organization led by parents (defined broadly) that focuses on improving the education and experiences of students with special needs and disabilities in the Addison Central School District (ACSD). (Learn more at: www.AddisonCentralSEPAC.org)

WHAT WE DO:

• Support families through information, events, and community.

• Collect community input and help district leaders understand the concerns of families and students.

• Collaborate with ACSD to improve district policies and practices.

STAY IN THE KNOW!

Don’t miss out on SEPAC resources and events! Sign up for updates at the link below.

Make a BUTTON called “ACSD SEPAC Sign up” with this link : https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/584556/98439485333701796/share

We are currently partnering with Dr. Rebecca Eunmi Haslam to amplify the voices and perspectives of our BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) students and staff at our schools. Dr. Haslam is designing a confidential study about racial and other bias-based harm at school. We are calling this confidential study The Listening Circles Project. The study will include interviews, focus group discussions, and other engagement tools, like questionnaires, with ACSD BIPOC middle and high school students and staff members. This project will result in a report and recommendations for the ACSD administration.

Earlier this week we sent an email invitation to all families who identified their child as BIPOC on school entry forms. If your child identifies as BIPOC and you did not receive an invitation, we apologize. Please find the form to participate in the project here. You can read more about ACSD's other Equity work here and we will share updates on this project as it develops.

Dear Families,

Picture retake day is Thursday November 9th. If your child was absent on October 3rd this is the last opportunity to get a school portrait.

You can still order your child’s Lifetouch school portraits online by going to mylifetouch.com and entering the picture day ID: EVTNNF82G.

If you have any questions please contact Megan Curran at mcurran@acsdvt.org

Staff Wish List

• Our Staff Wish List includes lots of things you might have around your home unused, like magazines (for Ms. Ambrose's classes), milk crates (for Ms. Cosgrove's classes), tools, scrap wood, craft supplies and more!

REMINDER

Flu and covid are on the rise!

If your child is exhibiting any of the following symptoms PLEASE DO NOT SEND THEM TO SCHOOL.

Fever 100.4 and greater

Chills

Vomiting

Diarrhea

Flu like symptoms- general malaise, body aches

The student must be symptom free for at least 24 hours (without the use of medications) before returning to school.

It is strongly encouraged to test your child for covid. Unfortunately, the school is unable to provide covid tests to students at this time, we should be getting more in- but a very minimal amount. Please check your local pharmacy, online, or the local health department. The federal government is also offering 4 free covid tests to each family, see the following website www.covid.gov

Hand hygiene! Encourage your child to hand wash frequently and utilize hand sanitizer. Cover their mouths when coughing or sneezing. Avoid close contact with people who are sick. And don't forget to schedule your child for their annual flu shot and covid booster!

Following these guidelines will help stop widespread flu and covid throughout the school. If you have any questions please reach out. Thank you!

Elizabeth Palko BSN RN

MUMS School Nurse

802-382-1207

epalko@acsdvt.org

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