RIVER RAIDER

Dear BRMS Families:

With the sun getting higher in the horizon and the daylight hours getting longer, we are quickly approaching our February break.   Our basketball teams are wrapping up their seasons with end of the year tournaments next week.   After the break our intramural volleyball season will be in full swing and we will be looking forward to baseball and softball in April.  The annual staff student basketball game on the Friday before break.  8th grade students and faculty look forward to this annual tradition every February.

Last week’s bitterly cold temperatures forced the cancellation of the Penguin Plunge on the Burlington Waterfront.   We had 46 plungers who had signed up to jump into Lake Champlain on February 4th.   They have raised over $12,000 for the Vermont Special Olympics.   Our students were extremely disappointed that they were unable to go into the water.   We are planning to host an alternative event during the school day on Feb. 23.  The details are still being finalized but the event might involve a large “slip and slide”!  Stay tuned for more information!  Thanks for all of your support and generous donations to this cause.

Our staff at BRMS have begun to revisit our mission and vision statements.  The current mission statement is over 10 years old and we felt it was important to update this document in response to the many changes that have taken place over the past decade.  In the spring we will be looking to get input from our families as we move forward.   We will be offering this opportunity to participate through BRAG (Browns River Action Group).  Our students will also be given an opportunity to provide input on the mission and vision of our school in future NEST (Advisory groups) gatherings.

We hope you have a wonderful weekend with the warmer temperatures!

Kevin

To Our 6th, 7th, 8th Grade Parents/Guardians

(5th Grade Students do not participate in YRBS)

Our school is taking part in the 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey on Wednesday February 22nd, 2023. This was developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and is sponsored by the Vermont Department of Health and Agency of Education. The YRBS has been administered every other year in Vermont since 1993. Separate versions of the survey ask middle or high school students about health behaviors and assets or protective factors. Topics include personal safety and injury prevention, mental health, nutrition, physical activity, sexual health, substance use, and protective factors.  

Results from the YRBS help us determine the extent to which adolescents engage in or experience  health risk behaviors. The results from the YRBS support public health officials, educators, and community organizations ability to assess and improve efforts to reduce health risk behaviors among adolescents throughout the state and nation. They help us develop and evaluate health-related programs and securing their future funding.

The YRBS is anonymous. It has been designed to be confidential and to protect your child’s privacy. Students will not put their names on the survey and student login information is not recorded. Individual survey responses will not be revealed in a report of the results or disclosed to any school employee. 

For this survey to be accurate, it is important that all students, regardless of whether they have engaged in health-risk behaviors, are given an opportunity to participate in the survey. We would like all students to take part in the survey to best understand the issues and experiences of youth, however, the survey is voluntary. Students may skip any questions they do not wish to answer or stop taking the survey at any point without penalty. As a parent, you have the right to view the survey before it is administered and to have your child opt out.  A copy of the survey is available on the Department of Health YRBS webpage (www.healthvermont,gov/yrbs). If you have any questions or concerns, please email Ashley Bergeron at: ashley.bergeron@mmuusd.org

Please visit the Vermont Department of Health website at: http://healthvermont.gov/yrbs for more information about the Vermont YRBS including previous reports. Links to the CDC’s YRBS page, FAQs, and other background information are available by clicking “Learn more about the YRBS” on the website. 

Should you decide to opt your child out of taking the survey, please complete the following form and return it to Ashley Bergeron by Monday February 20th, 2023.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Sincerely, 

Kevin Hamilton, Principal

Ashley Bergeron, YRBS Coordinator

Mrs. Robinson in the office is again looking for contributions from students this year for the yearbook!   

* Short writing pieces -- poetry, haiku, creative expression, very short stories, contemplation and comment of any kind -- 3 - 4 pieces will likely be chosen from the submissions.

* Student drawings.  The theme this year is Browns River Middle School & Friendship, but all drawings will be considered.   One drawing submission will be chosen as the TITLE PAGE of the yearbook, and likely 3 others included on our creative work page, just inside.  

Students who are interested in doing photography for the yearbook, please come see Mrs. Robinson in the office!  Photos are needed of EXPs -- guidance, health, PE, music, design technology, library, and art.  We also need photos of lunch, recess, ALL clubs, and evening events such as  5/6 party & 7/8 dance, drama performance and music concerts.  If you need a press pass to use your phone during school, you may come to the office to sign one out, or also, you may borrow the camera from the office and sign that out as well.

Thank you everyone.  With your help, it will be a great yearbook this year!

Each year, families, companies, and students join the Spectrum Sleep Out in solidarity with homeless young adults in Vermont. These courageous individuals sleep outside for one night-Thursday March 23rd- and raise money to keep Spectrum’s doors open for the next young adult looking for help. This year our team, the BRMS Rock Stars, has a goal of raising $20,000 (or more!) to provide homeless and at-risk youth the services they need to build future success and independence.

Want to get involved?! Click on the below link to join the BRMS team:

http://give.spectrumvt.org/site/TR/Events/TeamRaiserWorkshop?team_id=2331&pg=team&fr_id=1140

*Please note that the 2023 BRMS Sleepout will be happening from individuals' homes this year-with a live check in! We will not be gathering as a larger group and sleeping at school, however, stay tuned for potential events and gatherings the week of!

Want to learn more about the Spectrum Sleep Out? Check out the link below:

https://www.spectrumvt.org/events/sleep-out/

*If you have any questions, please contact Ashley Bergeron at ashley.bergeron@mmuusd.org

Browns River Action Group (BRAG) is a nonprofit organization that supports BRMS. We help promote student self-esteem, support school staff, and assist in efforts to solve school needs through volunteering and fundraising. 

If you would like more information, please email brmsbrag@mmuusd.org.

BRMS BRAG will be selling snacks during the BRMS Basketball Tournament 

on Friday, February 17 & Monday, February 20!

We are looking for volunteers to help set up, sell snacks, and clean up. 

Have a basketball player? You can volunteer and watch the game! Sign up HERE!

Check out Daily Drawing Fundraiser to support BRAG! Only 1,000 tickets will be sold! 

Tickets are $5.00 each. 

Tickets are on sale now through February 28, 2023.

Each ticket has 31 chances to win!

The Daily Drawing Fundraiser runs for the entire month of March 2023.

Winning tickets will receive $50 with a special 

St. Patrick’s Day Drawing on March 17, 2023 for $200.

Click HERE for more details and to buy tickets!