MUMS Family Newsletter

Dear MUMS community,

Happy snowy Friday! It's been a wild weather week out there, sunshine, warm weather, rain, snow, you name it!

Inside the building we have been focused on clarity, consistency and predictability as teachers have supported students to finish up assignments for the end of the Quarter. To that end, today marks the end of quarter 2! Teachers will work on finalizing grades grades next week for an estimated mailing date for report cards of Monday January 26th. As always, if you have questions regarding your child's report card, please check in with their teachers.

Lastly, this is a reminder that there is no school for students on Monday or Tuesday of next week. We look forward to seeing all of our students back at school on Wednesday January 21st, 2026.

Thanks for your committed partnership and 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

• Jan. 16th: Quarter 2 Ends
• Jan. 19th: No School
• Jan. 20th: Inservice Day (no students)
• Jan. 21st: Quarter 3 Begins
• Jan. 22nd: 8th Grade Parent Night @ MUHS 6:30-7:30
• Jan. 22nd - 27th: FAST Winter Screener Dates
• Jan 30th - Option Based Drill

• Activities Calendar

We know that social emotional learning (SEL) is crucial for our students’ success in school and in life, so across ACSD we are working on systems to support strong SEL teaching and learning in our schools. As part of that work, we are using Panorama surveys, research-backed SEL measurement tools. We will use the data we collect with this assessment to reflect on student learning and strengthen our programs and instruction to help all students succeed.

ACSD students have been taking this survey for 2 years now, and we are actively using the data at the school and district level. At MUMS, it helps us to know both how students are doing as well as respond with whole class, grade, and individual supports as needed.

This survey will be given to students in grades 3-12 between this week and February 6th. The survey asks students to self-reflect on skills related to self-management, self-awareness, responsible decision-making, relationship skills, and social awareness. We ask that all students participate, because their feedback provides valuable insights to help us improve and adapt. K-2 students do not participate directly in the survey. Instead, K-2 teachers complete an SEL Teacher Perception checklist for each student.

Please use this link if you wish to opt your child out of taking the survey. Thank you in advance for supporting this important work. If you have any questions please contact Michaela Wisell.

Concert Closet

Attention, MUMS band and choir families: Our MUMS Tiger Concert Closet is up and running! Thank you to those of you who donated gently used black tops, bottoms, and dress shoes for our students to borrow for all upcoming concerts.

As you know, the MUMS spring concert is February 11th at MUHS. In preparation for this event, the Tiger Concert Closet will be open for students and/or their families to browse and borrow concert clothing and shoes in the week leading up to the concert, February 2nd through 6th.

Please email Mr. Sherman, rsherman@acsdvt.org, or Mr. Young, cyoung@acsdvt.org, to arrange a time to browse the closet. It’s here for all of us! Please come by and utilize our new community resource!

The Tiger Concert Closet is here for all of our students - please come by and see us!

Important Information for 8th graders!

We are reaching out to you to remind you of three upcoming events and important information regarding your transition from 8th to 9th grade!

Thursday, January 22nd: Next Thursday night at 6:30pm, MUHS will be hosting the 8th grade Caregiver Information Night in the MUHS Auditorium. Departmental representatives at MUHS will highlight information about classes available to your student in 9th grade. In addition, school counselors, administrators and other key staff will share information that will help prepare students and families for the transition to high school. We hope that you will plan to attend this informative meeting. In the past, parents have found this session to be helpful in understanding academic and social activities at the high school, as well as how and where to get help when needed.

Wednesday, Feb 4th: Our 8th graders will be visiting the Hannaford Career Center to learn about upcoming class opportunities available to them as they transition to MUHS. This visit will be happening during Period 1, 2 and 3 of the school day.

Thursday, February 5th: MUHS school counselors will meet with 8th graders to introduce themselves and talk about what to expect in the 9th grade at MUHS. These presentations will take place during the school day at MUMS. Students will then have the opportunity during this meeting to choose the elective courses they want to take at the high school, and complete a course registration form. In early March, after MUHS counselors have all of the completed registration forms, you will receive a list of your student’s requested courses with both core MYP classes and electives for your review. Math and Language Acquisition teachers make course recommendations for each student. If you have any questions about those course recommendations, we encourage you to contact the MUMS teacher directly. Please note, these are only course requests, not student schedules. Schedules are created in late spring from these course requests and will be mailed home in early August.

VSAC Talent Search Program:

If neither you or your child’s other biological or adoptive parent have a 4 year college degree, your child may be eligible for the program! Please fill out this quick form and our VSAC Counselor will reach out to you with the application.

If you have any questions about any of this information, please feel free to contact any of the following counselors:

Laura Emilo- 8th grade School Counselor at MUMS

lemilo@acsdvt.org

Sam Lewis- MUHS School Counselor (Student Last Names A- Goe)

slewis@acsdvt.org

Emily Schademan- MUHS School Counselor (Student Last Names Gom-Sal)

eschademan@acsdvt.org

Adrien Preston- MUHS School Counselor (Student Last Names San- Z)

apreston@acsdvt.org

The Vermont Chamber of Commerce is partnering with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and the Northeast Kingdom Chamber to host a nonpartisan civics competition that encourages young Americans to engage in civics and contribute to their communities. Participating 6th, 7th and 8th graders will flex their civics knowledge for a chance to win recognition and cash prizes. Finalists will be invited to Washington, DC to compete in the National Civics Bee National Championship in Fall 2026. (Text from Vermont Chamber of Commerce)

MUMS Individuals and Societies teachers will be offering support for students interested in taking part in the Civics Bee in the following ways:

• I&S teachers will have a flyer available (linked here) so parents and caregivers can discuss the opportunity, and whether students would like to choose to take part.

• I&S teachers will be offering after school work times for interested students to receive support. These will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:15- 4:30 in room 105 on January 22nd, 27th, and 29th, along with Tuesday, February 3rd (the due date for the Application Essay).

• Students will be submitting these applications voluntarily and independently- preparing for this will not be a part of class time or part of the regular curriculum.

In November, the ACSD Board voted to educate Shoreham and Bridport together at Bridport school beginning in August 2026. The Shoreham building will also begin a new chapter, educating preschool students. We want to share the principal update with all members of our community:

• Jenny Urban will continue as the full-time principal at Bridport Central School, and Lashawn Whitmore-Sells will join her as a 0.5 principal.

• Principal Whitmore-Sells will also be the preschool administrator at Shoreham, working with our preK team to stabilize and grow our early childhood programming by relocating our Bridport PreK classroom to Shoreham Elementary School, expanding preK offerings, and exploring birth-to-3 partnerships to best serve our communities.

• Principals Urban and Whitmore-Sells both bring exceptional care for our students and staff, and we are incredibly lucky to benefit from their expertise as we move forward.

Help shape the future of education in our community! The ACSD Board will have open School Board seats this year in Bridport, Middlebury, and Salisbury. If you're interested, gather signatures* on your nominating petition and submit the petition and your Candidate Consent form to your Town Office by January 26, 2026.This is also a great time to reach out to encourage someone you think would be a great candidate! Board elections occur on Town Meeting Day, March 3, 2026. Terms are 3 years. You must be 18 or older and a resident of the respective town to run. You'll play a crucial role in enhancing our schools and advocating for every student. Learn more on the Running for School Board page of the Vermont School Board Association website.

* Petitions must be signed by 60 voters or one percent of the ACSD checklist—whichever is less. Petitions and the Candidate Consent Form are available with the links above, at your Town Hall, or the ACSD District Office (49 Charles Ave, Middlebury). ​​​​​​​

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