In the VUHS middle school, we want parents and guardians involved in their student's education. We realize that it's challenging for parents to know how to get involved, especially as your student is asking for more independence. As a school, we want to increase parent involvement. If you have any thoughts or suggestions about being involved, please contact Jay Stetzel at jstetzel(at)anwsu.org.

Thank you to the many parents who have helped specific teams with fundraisers, chaperoning trips, and assistance in the school building.

Look for opportunities to get involved next year.

The following two articles appeared in the May edition of the newspaper. They are re-printed here for those that didn't have an opportunity to read them last month.

Tattling vs. Reporting

I was talking with a student the other day who said, “You have no idea how much bullying happens in this school.”  I agreed and asked if he was getting bullied.  He said, “No, but I see others getting bullied all the time.”  I asked him to give me some details.  He said, “I was just kidding.”  This gave me significant pause. I know there is no way for us to know everything that happens in our school, but how much bullying really is happening?

In elementary school, students are sometimes told not to “tattle” because they can get caught up in telling the teacher about everything that is happening in the room.  The challenge is helping students understand when it is important to “report” something to a trusted adult.

We often find that middle school students are reluctant to report unsafe or hurtful things despite knowing they are wrong.  There are several possible reasons for this.  One, they fear being labeled as someone who gets others in trouble (i.e. rat, snitch, or narc).  Two, they are afraid that the person they are reporting will be mad at them and either retaliate, or stop being their friend, or both.  Three, they are worried about how the adult they are reporting to will react, or if anything will be done.  Four, as long as it’s not happening to them, they don’t want to bother getting involved.  The scary part is that we see this happening not only in our schools, but in our society in general.  We, as adults, have to model appropriate responses to dangerous and hurtful situations by reporting and doing something about them.

We hope that each student in our middle school has at least one adult at the school they feel comfortable reporting hurtful or dangerous situations to, but in a recent anonymous morning meeting survey; nearly 20% of students did not list an adult.  Fortunately, students have caring parents to whom they can report.  As you are talking with your student, encourage her/him to let you know if something doesn’t feel right or safe.  The next step is to communicate with Mr. Reynolds or Mr. Stetzel.  We have dealt with and put a stop to a number of hurtful situations in the school this year because people have reported them.  Because there is no way for us to know everything that is happening, we rely on parents and students to report dangerous or hurtful behavior.

Thanks for reading and helping to keep all of our students safe.

Jay

Facing the Facts of Underage Drinking

During April and May the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Vergennes in partnership with the Vermont Department of Health and the Parent Up Campaign will reach out to parents of middle and high schools students in an effort to reduce underage drinking.

The High School Parent Campaign and Middle School Parent Campaign are educational outreach efforts of the Vermont Department of Health (VDH) designed to help reduce underage drinking, by raising awareness and providing tools and information.  The goals are to empower parents to talk to their children about the dangers of underage drinking and to refuse to provide alcohol to minors.The campaign is supported by a comprehensive website, www.parentupvt.org, where parents can find a wide range of helpful information, including community support resources and tips on how to connect with their kids on this important subject.   For more information contact Jessica, Prevention Coordinator at the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Vergennes, @877-6344

Here are some common questions that parents have about underage drinking.

 My child knows everything about drinking. Why do I still need to talk about it?

• Your child may have some dangerous ideas about alcohol and may not know how to separate fact from fiction. Teens may not know that different beverages can have different alcohol content levels and may believe fresh air or coffee can sober them up.

Will my child listen to me?

• Don’t assume that nothing you say will get through. Children listen to their parents more than you think. Studies have shown that children who have parents that supervise their friendships and activities are less likely to engage in underage drinking and other risky behaviors.

Does underage drinking help children learn how to responsibly use alcohol?

• Rather than helping teens cope with alcohol use later in life, early drinking may actually add to the danger. Adolescents who drink before age 15 are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence than those who begin drinking at age 21. Research has shown that 40 percent of kids who begin drinking before age 15 will develop alcohol dependence at some point in their lives. That proportion drops to below 10 percent for those who begin drinking after age 21.