MUHS Community Newsletter

Dear MUHS Community,

The start of a new school year is always a whirlwind of activity! We hope you’re enjoying the first long weekend of the year and finding a little time to relax and recharge.

Below, you’ll find the schedule for our Open House on Thursday, September 10, along with updates on our daily schedule, Advisory attendance and upperclassmen privileges, important deadlines for adding or dropping semester- and year-long classes, and more.

We look forward to seeing many of you at Open House next week!

Warmly,

Caitlin Steele, Principal

James Kiefer, Assistant Principal

Julie Pettis, Student Response Coordinator

Sean Farrell, Activities Director.

5:30pm – 5:45pm Cafeteria Pick up Student Schedules and Maps

*If your student has a “skinny” or “half-block” class, feel free to split your time between them*

A DAY

5:45 – 5:55 Block A1

6:00 – 6:10 Block A2

6:15 – 6:25 Block A3

6:30 – 6:40 Block A4

6:45 – 7:05 Various Sessions

• Grade 10 Personal Project – Auditorium
• Grade 12 - Important Dates to Watch for in Senior Year – Commons
• Table Sessions (IB-DP, PAHCC, School Counseling, Flexible Pathways, Prevention, Power Literacy) – Cafeteria

B DAY (OPTIONAL – If your student has the same class on A Days and B Days, there is no need to return to that class.)

7:10 – 7:20 Block B1

7:25 – 7:35 Block B2

7:40 – 7:50 Block B3

7:55 – 8:05 Block B4

Please join us on Friday September 18th for a special welcome back event hosted by the Flynn Center and ACSD! This Whimsical interactive back-to-school party will feature PEARL by Plasticiens Volants. FREE and open to everyone in the ACSD Community. 6pm at Middlebury Union Middle School

Across our district, we are facing significant transportation challenges caused by driver shortages on multiple bus routes. You can find revised bus routes here based on Week 1 changes. We hope the changes we made in Week 1 will offer stability moving forward and we will continue to make adjustments as needed and hope to get back to our normal bus routes as quickly as possible. However, we are also working to capture the full impact this challenge has had on our families as we escalate this situation to the the Secretary of Education and BetCha’s parent company, STA. Please use this form to document the impact any bus disruptions had on your family so that we can act on and/or pass along the information as we seek resolution.

At MUHS, being here matters. Our main school day is 8:45 AM–3:15 PM, and students are expected to be at school for their entire academic day.

Zero Hour (8:00–8:40 AM) is optional unless students are enrolled in Jazz Band or Camerata Singers, in which case attendance is required. Students who choose to be at school during Zero Hour may use the Cafeteria, Gym, Weight Room, Learning Lab, or Library. We do not take attendance during Zero Hour.

Students in grades 9–10 are scheduled for classes and study halls throughout the full school day, and attendance is required. Once students arrive at school, they remain here until the end of their academic day.

Students in grades 11–12 have additional flexibility and responsibility. Instead of study halls, they may have free blocks where they are allowed to be in the Cafeteria, Commons, or Library. They may travel to other locations (like a teacher's classroom) with a pass. If a student has a free block at the start of their day, they do not need to arrive until their first scheduled class. If they have a free block at the end of their day, they may leave after their last scheduled class. Upperclassmen are expected to be at school from the beginning of their academic day through the end of their academic day.

Advisory is part of the academic day on Mondays and Thursdays, and attendance is required for all students. This is a change from last year. Even if an 11th or 12th grader has no Block 3 class, they are expected to attend Advisory. Advisory is an important part of our school community: it gives students a consistent small group and trusted adult from 9th grade through graduation, and it is an important place for sharing information and updates.

If an upperclassman has no Block 3 class and needs to leave before Advisory, they may do so only with a permission slip signed by a parent/guardian and their advisor, along with a student-developed plan for checking in proactively with their advisor to learn about anything they miss.

An important note: Students who attend afternoon technical programs at the Hannaford Career Center are unable to attend Advisory because it conflicts with their Career Center classes. These students and their advisors are encouraged to find other ways to stay connected and share important information and updates that students might otherwise miss.

Finally, coming to school for Zero Hour means staying for the academic day. If an upperclassman comes to school early for a club, activity, or event—even if they do not have a Block 1 class—they are expected to remain at school through the end of their academic day.

In short: Upperclassmen have more flexibility in their schedules, but that flexibility comes with responsibility. Once you arrive at school, you stay until your academic day is complete.

The School Counseling Department is hosting the annual College Information Night on Tuesday, September 22nd in the MUHS Auditorium. Sam Prouty, Executive Director of Admissions at Middlebury College will be the keynote speaker with updates from the MUHS school counselors and student representatives from the MiddCAM program. This will be an overview of the college admission process, financial aid information, and there will be a time for Q&A. Light refreshments will be served. This program is not meant to feature Middlebury College admissions, but is an overview of applying to college and the landscape as students and parents consider the path to higher education.

The following colleges and universities will be visiting MUHS in the School Counseling Office the week of September 8th. Visits are open to juniors and seniors. Students must have a pass in order to attend, and if a visit occurs during a class time, students must have their teacher's permission to attend. Please see Margo Austin, Sarah Kemp, or your school counselor if you have any questions.

Tuesday, September 8

8:45 am Wheaton College (in-person)

Wednesday, September

10:10 am - 10:50 am Roger Williams University (in-person)

September 4-7 - No School, Labor Day Weekend

September 10 - Open House

September 11 - End of Add/Drop Period for Semester-Long Classes

September 21 - No School

September 22 - College Info Night

September 25 - End of Add/Drop Period for Year-Long Classe

October 7 - Early Release (School ends at 12:40.)

October 21-22 - Progress Conferences

October 22-23 - No School

October 30 - End of Quarter 1

Check out the MUHS Events Calendar online here.

Of Note: We often use AI to help with this newsletter. Our most common prompt to ChatGPT is, "Please revise this for clarity and brevity."