MUMS Family Newsletter

Dear MUMS community,

I want to start by thanking those of you who contributed to our staff brunch yesterday. We felt so much gratitude and care as we enjoyed the delicious treats that were shared!

An additional thank you goes out to those who have made contributions toward gift cards for those in our community in need. We are so grateful.

Lastly, I want to send a shout out to our students who generally did a fabulous job during our relocation drill on Wednesday! Students were principled and reflective and the drill went as smoothly as it could have.

I hope you all have a great weekend!

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

• Dec. 24th-Jan. 2nd: School Break

• Activities Calendar

The MUMS Counseling Office is coordinating efforts to help support families over the upcoming holidays. We are welcoming donations of gift cards to local or online businesses that families can use to purchase gifts and grocery items. Items that are popular include cards that can be used to purchase games, clothing, electronics, sports equipment, art supplies, groceries, and books. For example, Hannaford, Shaws, TJMaxx, Amazon, Tractor Supply, etc. Supporting local and small businesses is also a wonderful way to support our community! Think Fourth and Goal, Vermont Book Shop, Middlebury Mountaineer, Tinker & Smithy, etc.

If you would like to support gift giving for a MUMS student, donations can be brought to the Main Office or Counseling Office by December 17th. We are extremely grateful for your show of caring for the MUMS community, and look forward to spreading holiday cheer with all of our MUMS families.

The VT Department of Health is reporting a significant rise in pertussis (whooping cough), a very contagious respiratory disease that often affects school-aged children. We are not aware of any cases in ACSD, and hope the information below will help prevent and treat any cases that occur.

Symptoms & Treatment: Early symptoms look like a common cold (runny nose, low fever, mild cough) and usually appear 5-10 days after exposure. Later Symptoms can include severe coughing fits with a “whoop”, vomiting during/after coughing fits, difficulty sleeping, struggling to breathe, and rib fractures. Early treatment is crucial to prevent severe symptoms and shorten illness. Students/staff diagnosed with pertussis must complete 5 full days of antibiotics before returning to school; without antibiotics, they must stay home for 21 days from the start of the cough.

Spread & Prevention: Pertussis spreads easily through respiratory droplets from coughs and sneezes. Help prevent illness by staying up to date on Tdap/DTap vaccines, washing hands, covering coughs, and keeping students home when sick. Good rest, nutrition, hydration, and time outdoors also support overall health.

For questions, contact your school nurse or healthcare provider, and visit ACSD’s illness guidance or www.healthvermont.gov/whoopingcough for more resources.

HOPE in Middlebury wants to remind families that we run a free Holiday Shop to support gift giving for kids. Parents with income of up to 200% of the federal poverty level are encouraged to make an appointment to visit and select new toys, games, gadgets, books, etc for their children, birth to 18. We also offer a family gift to each household – kitchen items, linens, and more. To reach HOPE, visit https://www.hope-vt.org/ or call 802-388-3608

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.

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