RIVER RAIDER

Dear BRMS Families,

It has been an extremely wet week at Browns River Middle School. In spite of the rain we were able to get in a few soccer and field hockey games with hard work from Mr. Streeter and Mr. Lennon to get our fields prepared for our home games. Thank you to all of the loyal fans who came out to support the teams despite the occasional downpours!

It was an exciting day on Wednesday as we were able to meet as an entire school to kick off the start to our school wide advisory program. This is the first time since the fall of 2019 to have our entire student body in one place! There was great energy as we sent our students off to meet their NEST advisor and the opportunity to begin new friendships with other students from a different grade level. Below you will find information about our next NEST gathering.

This week we completed our second safety drill of the month. These drills can occasionally bring up some additional worries for our students at BRMS. Please be sure to check in with your child to make sure that you can support them with any questions or concerns they may have about our monthly drills. Here is a link to the school safety guide that was sent out to parents earlier this month. This guide will provide you with essential information about some of our practices to keep our children safe at school. Feel free to contact your child’s teacher or our school guidance counselor if you feel that they may need some support with these worries while at school.

Have a wonderful first weekend of autumn!

Kevin Hamilton

We have a number of respiratory illnesses, including COVID, circulating throughout our school community currently. As a reminder:

Stay Home When Sick:

Students and staff should stay home with COVID-related symptoms and any other potentially contagious illnesses or symptoms including the following:

● Vomiting or Diarrhea - must be 24 hours symptom-free and able to tolerate food and drink before returning to school.

● Fever 100.4 or greater - must be home until fever free without the use of medication for greater than 24 hours.

● Any infection requiring antibiotics - keep your student home until they have been on antibiotics for 24 hours.

● A persistent cough that disrupts normal activity.

● Excessive nasal drainage - check with your child’s doctor before sending your child back to school.

● Unexplained rash - check with your child’s doctor before sending your child to school.

● Red or draining eyes - check with your child’s doctor before sending your child to school.

● COVID-19 infection - please call or email the school nurse to determine the next steps and follow VDH Isolation guidance. It is recommended that when returning

to school after a positive test, a mask is worn for an additional five days.

● Influenza - stay home until fever free without medication for 24 hours.

● Any other symptoms or illness that impede a student’s ability to learn or staff’s ability to work.

The Health Department recommends getting tested if you develop symptoms at any time – even if you are vaccinated or have recently had COVID-19.

Please notify your school nurse and the attendance line (per your school’s preferred procedure) when your student stays home with symptoms.

COVID-19 Testing:

● Testing is currently recommended for symptomatic individuals.

● Please report all positive at-home test results to both your school nurse and the VDH reporting line link here.

● Schools have a limited supply of at-home antigen tests. Please contact your school if a test kit is needed.

COVID-19 Primary Vaccine Series and Boosters:

The COVID-19 primary vaccine series as well as the Omicron-specific COVID-19 boosters are widely available in Vermont. The booster is for people 12 and older who have completed their primary COVID-19 vaccine series. Look for Pfizer Bivalent Booster 12+ and Moderna Bivalent Booster 18+ in the list of walk-in clinics. Boosters are also available through pharmacies and doctors' offices. Talk to your health care provider about the right time to get vaccinated or boosted. Learn more about these boosters.

BRMS MARCHING BAND 2022 INFO!

The Harvest Market in Underhill is on Saturday Sept 24, 2022

and we will be a part of the parade again this year!

Saturday Sept 24th - Parade Details

8:10am - 8:20am - meet at the BRMS BAND ROOM

8:10 - 8.30 - WARM UP and PREP

8.40 - 8.50 - LINE UP IN PARKING LOT

9.00 SHARP - STEP OFF!

JAZZ BAND will be starting up the week after MARCHING BAND

Jazz Band 2022 for grades 6 - 8 first rehearsal:

Thursday Sept 29th - JAZZ BAND 2:40 - 3:20pm (for 6th graders)

(Extended to 4pm for grades 7 & 8)

BRMS Jazz Band will also rehearse Mondays 7:30am

We will be playing Satin Doll - be sure to get the music before then!

Hi Families,

Recently, we were introduced to the Mental Health America Back-To-School Toolkit. This toolkit has articles for both adults and adolescents pertaining to the most relevant topics we’re all facing today. Topics in this tool kit include, but are not limited to (*starting on page 18) ways we can support social belonging and confidence in our child(ren), supporting our child(ren) through grief, what to do when home life feels hard, social media and our youth’s mental health, fitting in and self-esteem and more. In this toolkit you will also find additional resources and 24/7 help links to help support both your and your child’s mental and emotional health.

As always, in conjunction with any resources we send out, your BRMS School Counselors are available to help and provide support so your child(ren) can be and feel their best academically, socially and emotionally during their days here at school.

Ashley Bergeron 5th/6th & Jenn Wisniowski 7th/8th

ashley.bergeron@mmuusd.org jennifer.wisniowski@mmuusd.org

Meet at the Valley Dream Farm

to Ride the Pleasant Valley Trails

Must have an adult present with you to ride.

9:00-11:00 AM

Saturday 9/24, 10/1, 10/15, 10/22

Contact beth.moore@mmuusd.org to sign up.