August 31, 2017

No school: There will be no school September 1st and September 4th (Labor Day). School will resume on September 5th at 7:55.

Lower house field trip: The 5th and 6th grade will be going to Elmore State Park for a day of team building activities on September 8th from 8:30-2:15pm.

Instrument rental night: On September 7th there will be an instrument rental night at 6:00pm in the PA music room. All students interested in renting an instrument are encouraged to attend.

Picture Day: Picture day will be held on September 13th for all middle level students.  

Meadow Farm fundraiser:  Meadow Farm fundraiser will start on September 14th. Students will be bring home fundraiser packets.

Open house: Open house this year will be in conjunction with the High School on September 28th, from 5:30-7pm.

E-Registration

E-registration: This year we are doing our annual school registration online again.  This is for your convenience as you only have to review and sign-off on existing data and make changes as necessary.  It is also quicker if you have multiple students in our EMMU school system.

If you are having difficulty with e-registration, please call Melissa Gillen at 888-4541 or 802-279-7791.  She can easily walk you through the process.

If you do not have access to a computer to do this, come by the PAML office and we can provide one for you to use and help you through it.

E-registration Link

Thanks, 

Karen Weeks

Friday August 25, 2017

First day of school: The first day of school is Monday, August 28th. Please also note that starting this year we will be starting school at 7:55.  

Website Transitions: We are moving to a new website, this will include a new sign-up for News and Announcements blog. More information about this will be forthcoming.

Student and parent sport night: The PAML sports meeting will be August 28th at 5:30 in the high school auditorium. Students wanting to play a fall sport should attend. Fall sports consist of: soccer for 6-8th grade and cross country for 5-8th grade.

Instrument and Chorus demo: 5th grade students will have a chance to meet the new chorus teacher, Ms. Leopold on August 28th.  Students will also have an opportunity to attend a demo of the various instruments with Mr. Bruce on August 29th.

No school: There will be no school September 1st and September 4th (Labor Day). School will resume on September 5th at 7:55.

Lower house field trip: The 5th and 6th grade will be going to Elmore State Park for a day of team building activities on September 8th from 8:30-2:15pm.

Picture Day: Picture day will be held on September 13th for all middle level students.  

Meadow Farm fundraiser:  Meadow Farm fundraiser will start on September 14th. Students will be bringing home fundraiser packets.

Open house: Open house this year will be in conjunction with the High School on September 28th, from 5:30-7pm.

Friday, August 18, 2017

Beginning of the school year mailing: Parents and students should have received or will receive the beginning of the year mailing. Enclosed in this mailing you will find the E-registration, Unbound brochure and the free or reduced hot lunch form. If you have not received your mailing please don’t hesitate to call the PAML office at 888-1401.

First day of school: The first day of school is Monday, August 28th. Please also note that starting this year we will be starting school at 7:55.  

Student and parent sport night: The PAML sports meeting will be August 28th at 5:30 in the high school auditorium. Students wanting to play a fall sport should attend. Fall sports consist of: soccer for 6-8th grade and cross country for 5-8th grade.

No school: There will be no school September 1st and September 4th. School will resume on September 5th at 7:55.

School calendar: You can stay up to date by checking out our school calendar on our website at: https://sites.google.com/a/lssuvt.org/emuu/home

Open house: Open house this year will be in conjunction with the High School on September 28, 2017 from 5:30-7:00 PM.

Capital Project Committee Is Seeking Input

PHASE 2 CAPITAL PROJECT SURVEY NOW AVAILABLE

Two major facilities projects have been identified for consideration within the Elmore-Morristown Unified Union: a Morristown Elementary School project and a Peoples Academy/Peoples Academy Middle Level project.  To narrow the options for consideration by voters, the Capital Project Committee is seeking input from the community.  A short, two question survey on your preferences for each of the options is available and can be completed at any school or either Town Clerk’s office.  The survey, as well as additional information including comprehensive videos, is also available online at the following location: https://sites.google.com/a/lssuvt.org/emuu/capital-projects. 

The Committee would like to hear from you by September 22, 2017.

"Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?"

Counselor's Corner - from Jessica Dambach

I would like to share my thoughts after reading a fascinating and sobering article titled "Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?" which appears in the September issue of The Atlantic.  The San Diego State University professor and author,  Jean Twenge,  has studied generational trends for 25 years and has noticed some big differences in "IGen",  children born between 1995 and 2012 and  who don't remember a time without smart phones as part of their everyday life.

The bottom line is that the more time that teens spend on social media sites, the more likely they are to report symptoms of depression, loneliness, feeling left out and sleep deprivation.

This generation has much less interest than previous generations in going out, having independence from their parents, working for pay, dating, getting their driver's license and even earlier sexual experiences.  Instead they are spending more times in their homes on their phones, which in turn causes them to be more isolated and unhappy.  

Professor Twenge advice for a happy adolescence is straightforward: Put down the phone, turn off the laptop when not doing homework, and do something—anything—that does not involve a screen. She warns that these analyses don’t unequivocally prove that screen time causes unhappiness; it’s possible that unhappy teens spend more time online. But recent research suggests that screen time, in particular social-media use, does indeed cause unhappiness.

What I have noticed is that adolescents feel pressure to respond to, post, check their likes, check out other people's stories, keep up the streak and be visible on social media, but when we limit this, it is actually a relief.  As parents we can give them the out by limiting their use and/or checking their sites.

This article is food for thought, the blog is a reminder to all of us, adults included, to keep balance in our lives.  Do something outside every day, talk together face to face, turn off the wi-fi or have a no -phones at the table rule.  As much as we all love our phones, I felt a surge of relief last year in the Middle Level when phones were no longer allowed.  

The link to the full article is below:

Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?

Feel free to email me with any questions or concerns you have, thank you.  Jessica

Jessica Dambach, LCMHC

Peoples Academy Middle Level School Counselor 

ESS Coordinator

jessica.dambach@lssuvt.org

802-888-1401 ext. 6144