MUMS Family Newsletter

Dear MUMS community,

I want to start by thanking all of the parent volunteers who helped make DJ Skate night a success! Students experienced so much joy and were able to do so, thanks to the generosity and support of our community.

Additionally, I want to thank those who came out to support Mardi-Gras/Carnaval on Tuesday evening. I continue to be amazed by how awesome our community is and appreciate how good it feels to have you all in our school!

Lastly, we have our Winter Concert on Tuesday February 13th @ 6:30 in the MUHS Auditorium. Our music department has been working hard to make this evening possible and we look forward to seeing so many faces there!

If you have questions generally, 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

• February 19th thru February 23rd - February Break/No School
  
• February 29th - Parent Conferences PM
• March 1st - Parent Conference Day - No School
• March 6th - Early Release Day

Vaping is a catastrophic public health problem that affects many of our students. It is not uncommon for young people to be using these products and be addicted and caregivers may not be aware. Tobacco companies and companies who produce vaping products target young people and want to get our kids hooked. The creation of vaping products that are easy to obtain and easy to use are creating a generation of kids who are getting addicted to nicotine quickly and sometimes without even realizing that the vape product they are using may contain nicotine. Vaping devices can also contain THC/Marijuana.

It is easy for kids to engage in “stealth vaping” as the devices used are sleek, small and often look like other common items like USB/thumb drives, asthma inhalers and pens. There are also newer nicotine pouches that are becoming more popular with youth.

Below are some resources to help educate caregivers on the effects of vaping, the products currently available and resources to help talk to your kids about vaping and how to help if they are addicted to nicotine.

Vaping Visual Dictionary-Resource from Centers for Disease Control on how vapes work, what they look like, and different ways to use them

Vermont Department of Health Vaping Toolkit-Great info and resources for caregivers, educators and students

Info about oral nicotine pouches (such as Zyn)

United Way of Addison County

Hidden in Plain Sight-substance use/product awareness resource

Cessation Resources:

802 Quits

My Life My Quit

Unhyped

Become an Ex

Knowledge and awareness around vaping is so important. If your student is addicted to nicotine based products and you are looking for help, the best first step is to make an appointment with their pediatrician or primary healthcare provider. Please reach out to the school nurse if you have questions or need support.

Elizabeth Palko, RN, BSN

MUMS School Nurse

epalko@acsdvt.org

(802)382-1207

Pura Vida Tiger Bracelets will be sold during 8th grade lunch on Monday, February 12 and at the concert on Tuesday night at MUHS to benefit the 8th Grade Trip.

“Just One Thing” for Wellbeing

"Just One Thing,” by Dr. Rick Hanson, offers simple practices that can bring more joy, peace of mind, and greater fulfillment in relationships and life. These practices are informed by neuroscience, positive psychology and can be practiced individually, as a family, and in our classrooms.

Check out this practice from Dr. Kelly McGonigal: Set your intention for the day

Mardi Gras and Carnival!

Tuesday evening’s celebration was an opportunity for students to showcase songs and dances they've practiced in their language acquisition classes.

Learning songs and dances from other cultures is valuable not only for international mindedness, but also for learning vocabulary and sentence structure in another language. What a great opportunity for family members & friends to see and hear their students having fun with French and Spanish! This event connects with our IB Learner Profile of “Communicator” which includes “expressing ourselves confidently and creatively in more than one language” (ibo.org)

A BIG THANK YOU TO... the more than 100 students from all three grades who participated; Ms. Hall, Ms. Bickart, and Ms. Berube-Mayonne for all of their efforts in planning the event; the teachers and staff who helped to make the evening run smoothly; and finally, our community for supporting the students.

Pam Quinn and Eileen Sears, MYP Coordinators

Come out to cheer our MUMS teams on and Learn about Afterschool Clubs! Find our schedule of activities below. Also, although we don't have a skiing team, we want to remind families that there is an ACTR bus that stops at MUMS on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and goes to the Middlebury Snow Bowl and students may leave any ski/ride equipment in our lobby if that interests them.

There has been a request to reinvigorate our School Store in time for the Holidays. For those of you interested in purchasing "MUMS Gear" please use this link.

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!

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