MUMS Family Newsletter

Dear MUMS community,

Thank you so much for all of the support and well-wishes over these past few days! We've had a strong and positive start to the 25-26 school year!

This week, students have spent lots of time with their TAs, meeting their teachers, and learning (or relearning) our school-wide expectations and how we take care of each other here at MUMS!

For those wondering how to view your students' grades, you can expect a tutorial linked in next week's newsletter and in-person training at our Back to School night on September 25th.

Again, thank you for your continued support, and I look forward to seeing all of you soon!

Best,

Michaela Wisell ~ Principal

If you have questions, please reach out to us:
MUMS office 802-382-1600 or visit the MUMS website.
Michaela Wisell, Principal mwisell@acsdvt.org

Fieh Chan, Assistant Principal fchan@acsdvt.org

Erin Jipner, Student Response Coordinator ejipner@acsdvt.org

Dustin Hunt, Athletics and Activities Director dhunt@acsdvt.org

• Sept. 1: School Break/No School

• Sept 2 - Week of: Athletic practices begin

• Sept 10: Flynn Center/ACSD joint event (6:00-7:00) see flier below

• Sept. 17: Early Release Day (Dismissal at 12:45)

• Sept. 25: Back To School Night (6:00 pm - 7:00 pm)

• Activities Calendar

If your student will be absent from school, needs an early dismissal, or will take a different bus, please follow these directions:

• Absence / early dismissal: Call 802-382-1297, the MUMS attendance line, before 8:30am (helpful tip: add this number to your phone now as "MUMS attendance line")
• Early dismissal + bus notes: Students must deliver a caregiver's note to the front office when arriving at school (before TA).
• If taking a bus other than their regular bus: Students must bring a caregiver's note and have it signed by a MUMS Administrative Assistant in the front office to be valid.

MUMS continues to be a "smart device" free school! Smart devices can help children communicate and develop healthy independence. However, we want to help students use devices respectfully and not let them be a distraction at school. Here are two important points about our policy (read the full document here).

• Devices: Smart watches and airpods/headphones are included in the Cell-Phone Free expectation. This means, if brought to school, smart watches, and airpods/headphones must remain in lockers for the school day. In the past, we only confiscated cell phones, but smart watches and airpods/headphones have proved to be a similar distraction.

• Enforcement: If a student has a cell phone, smart watch, or airpods/headphones during school hours, it will be confiscated by an adult and remain in the front office for the remainder of the day. The device can be picked up at dismissal.

Family support is crucial for us to build a Cell-Phone Free school. Here are three things you can do:

• Reinforce this message with your student: You can bring your smart device to school, but it must remain in your locker for the entire school day.

• Please don't text or call your student during school hours. If you need to reach them during the school day, call our front office at 802-382-1600, and we will deliver the message.

• Remind your child to visit the counseling office if they need to make a call home.

Dear Families,

We are excited to introduce you to The Den! This is a refreshed and reimagined space in our school designed to support student growth, reflection, and regulation. You may have heard this space referred to as “109,” but we're proud to share that it has been thoughtfully renamed to better reflect our values and goals for student support.

Why "The Den"?

• Just like a den in nature, this is a space where students can pause, reflect, reset, and regain their strength—emotionally, mentally, and socially.
• It's a space for learning, growth, and empowerment.
• The letters D, E, and N all have meaning. D- drop in, E- explore what your body needs, N- navigate next steps.
• Students may visit The Den for a variety of reasons, including regulating big emotions, reflecting on challenging situations, getting support with problem solving, and planning, practicing coping strategies, and reconnecting with the learning environment.
  
  

We want you to know that a visit to The Den is not a punishment—it’s an opportunity. When your child spends time in The Den, they learn tools and strategies to navigate life more independently and successfully.

You may hear your child talk about strategies like big body movements, taking space, or making an action plan. These are all part of the process of becoming more self-aware and responsible. We encourage you to talk with your child about The Den and the values we’re building. In The Den, we are safe, respectful, and capable. Together, we can create a consistent and caring message between school and home.

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about how The Den works, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We’d love to connect with you.

With appreciation,

Erin Jipner, PhD, Student Response Coordinator

Sara Stevens, Behavior Specialist

Student forms that were mailed home in early August. If you haven't returned them already, please send them back as soon as possible.

If you need extra copies, please reach out to the main office directly, (802) 382-1600

Thank you!

Attendance school is essential for students to meet academic and social and emotional development. We expect that your students will attend school daily and want to work with you to ensure your child(ren) can get to school,, unless suffering from an excused illness. Excessive absences due to illness will require appropriate documentation from a physician.

We understand that there are excused absences such as family deaths, appointments that cannot be scheduled outside of normal school hours (8:15 am-3:15 pm), and family trips that cannot occur during normal school vacations. However, if your student begins to miss school beyond excused absences, we will reach out to talk to you about how to help your student attend school. Our goal is always to understand circumstances, provide help, and ensure that every child has the best chance to thrive in school. If you have issues that make it hard for your students to attend school, please reach out to your principal as soon as possible so we can support you.

HOMEWORK requests when your child is absent

• Teachers are not expected to prepare work for students when they are on family trips.

• Please do not call individual teachers to request work.

• If your child is absent 1-2 days, they should follow the system established by your child’s team.

• If your child is absent for 3 or more days, for a reason outside of your control, you can request work missed by notifying the main office. You can pick up homework up in the Main Office between 3:30 and 4:00 on the day you call, or anytime the following day.

MUMS Picture Day is Wednesday, 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 Picture ID EVTX28MPF. Your child can also bring their completed flyer with cash or check on Picture Day. If you have any questions, please contact Megan Curran at mcurran@acsdvt.org.

All families should have received a link to register their children for our fall athletic offerings here at MUMS. To learn more about our offerings and to register please click here

If you are looking for information on flag football please be on the lookout for the Midd. Parks and Rec Fall guide which will contain all the details about that program. For any questions about our athletic programs please reach out to Activities Director Dustin Hunt via email dhunt@acsdvt.org or by calling 802-382-1213

Key components of the 25-26 Waterfall schedule

• This year, the waterfall rotates in the opposite direction from last year. This means, students begin the day with the class they didn't have the previous day.
• To preserve Band and Choir ensemble practices, which occur daily, lunch & WIN blocks are guided by Band and Choir groups. This means that lunch groups are not specific to a grade or team.
• Language Acquisition and Health are on a joint rotation this year. Students will have three quarters of language and one quarter of Health. If you don't see Health or Language in their quarter one schedule, you can expect to see them in upcoming quarters.
• We've added one minute of passing time between most periods to better support the pace of passing times.

• School year calendar with waterfall rotation
• Daily schedule

If you have questions or concerns about your student's schedule, please reach out to your child's school counselor:

6th grade - Lauren Daley ldaley@acsdvt.org

7th grade - Heather Smith hsmith@acsdvt.org

8th grade - Laura Emilo lemilo@acsdvt.org

Please use the "button" above to preview our ACSD bus routes.

Also please note a few caveats that impact students who ride Cornwall or Shoreham buses home.

Cornwall and Shoreham buses do not come to MUMS at pick-up time. Students who ride those buses must take a shuttle from MUMS to MUHS to meet their bus.

Cornwall students use the Bridport bus as their MUMS-MUHS shuttle and get on the Cornwall bus at the High school to ride home.
Shoreham students use the Weybridge bus as their MUMS-MUHS shuttle and get on the Shoreham bus at the High school to ride home.

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