News from Cougar Country February 2017 Issue PENGUIN PLUNGE On a frigid Saturday morning, in the beginning of February, a record-breaking 613 plungers from schools all across Vermont joined together on the Burlington waterfront to participate in the 2017 Special Olympics Vermont Penguin Plunge. “We are overwhelmed by the outpouring of community support we experienced,” writes the Board of Directors and staff for the Special Olympics of Vermont in a congratulatory letter to all the event's participants. The Plunge this year raised over $300 thousand dollars, generating nearly 40% of the operating budget for the Special Olympics of Vermont. Thanks to the coordination of the Leo Club and the leadership of members Olivia Vita and Caitlin Erg, Mount Mansfield is proud to say that $3,618 of those dollars were raised by 17 of the school’s own volunteers. There were an additional 27 incoming freshmen who plunged, so the Leo Club is looking forward to an even larger plunging team next year!

NEWS FROM MMU COUNSELORS Counselors met individually with each freshman, sophomore, and junior through the month of February to create an academic program for the 2017-18 school year. We took a close look at graduation requirements, teacher recommendations, and each student’s college and career goals to create a list of appropriate courses. Everyone was sent home with a copy to share with families and we encourage you to contact us with any questions. We hope everyone has a wonderful break and returns refreshed for the rest of the school year. Here are some important notes: AP Exam registration: All students that plan to take an AP exam need to bring their Exam Registration sheet and payment to Student Services by March 22nd. If students or families have questions about the registration process or AP exam schedule, please contact Kristen Barker. Driver’s Education: Every year we get many questions about how to register for Driver’s Education at MMU. The first thing students need to do in order to get on our Driver’s Education list is to bring their permit to Student Services. We will make a copy and this makes one eligible for the class. Each semester, we schedule the 70 oldest students whose permits we file. We will likely schedule fall 2017 Driver’s Education in April and will schedule spring 2018 Driver’s Education in October. Please direct any questions to your student’s counselor. Sophomores: All 10th graders will be taking the PreACT on March 23 rd during the first half of the school day. The PreACT is a practice of one of the 2 college entrance exams. Students will take the practice SAT (PSAT) in the fall of their junior year. Juniors: In January each counselor sent parents/guardians an email with some reminders about important upcoming dates and deadlines. Please contact your student’s counselor if you did not see this email. We will be meeting with junior classes for 2 sessions this spring, once in March and once in May to discuss post high school planning. We encourage each student to schedule an individual appointment with his/her counselor to talk about his/her goals and to develop a plan for moving forward. Seniors: There is an extensive and ever changing list of scholarships in Naviance. Students should check this list regularly to find some great scholarship opportunities. Students and families may also want to check out the Student Services website where there are Gap Year opportunities listed. Finally, please update Naviance accounts with admissions decisions as this helps us to collect the most reliable data from year to year. We are always here to help you as you make decisions about next year and are excited to hear about your plans! Thank you, Kristen Barker, Toni Chandler, Chris Adams and Meghan Sweet

Save the Date! Calendar of Events…. February 02/27/17—02/28/17 March 03/01/17—03/07/17 03/13/17 03/13/17 03/13/17 03/17/17 03/20/17 03/20/17 03/24/17 03/31/17 April 04/03/17 04/07/17—04/09/17 04/10/17 04/12/17 04/12/17 04/17/17 04/20/17 04/24/17—04/28/17 May 05/01/17 05/05/17 05/08/17 05/10/17 05/12/17 05/13/17 05/15/17 05/18/17 05/24/17 05/26/17 05/29/17 June 06/01/17 06/01/17 06/02/17 06/02/17 06/02/17 06/02/17—06/03/17 06/05/17

School Recess School Recess MMU Parent/Guardian & Principal Advisory Breakfast @ Sweet Simone’s, 40 Bridge St., Richmond @ 7:30 am Baseball Pitcher/Catcher practices begin Blood Drive in MMU Gym @ 8:00 am—2:00 pm 1/2 Student Day & 1/2 Staff Professional Development Spring Sports Begin MMMUSD/CESU School Board Meeting at Browns River Middle School @ 6:30 pm Cabaret Night in Auditorium @ 7:00 pm Quarter 3 Ends MMMUSD/CESU School Board Meeting at Camels Hump Middle School @ 6:30 pm Spring Musical Production in Auditorium MMU Parent/Guardian & Principal Advisory Breakfast @ Jericho Café & Tavern, Rte 15, Jericho @ 7:30 am 2-Hour Delayed Opening—Classes begin at 10:15 am Concert in Auditorium @ 7:00 pm MMMUSD/CESU School Board Meeting at Browns River Middle School @ 6:30 pm Mr. Cougar in Auditorium @ 7:00 pm School Recess MMMUSD/CESU School Board Meeting at Camels Hump Middle School @ 6:30 pm Quarter 4 Progress Report Ends MMU Parent/Guardian & Principal Advisory Breakfast @ Sweet Simone’s, 40 Bridge St., Richmond @ 7:30 am 2-Hour Delayed Opening—Classes begin at 10:15 am Senior Meeting in Auditorium @ 8:20 am Prom at TBD (The Essex Resort & Spa or The Ponds at Bolton Valley) @ 8:00 pm— 11:00 pm MMMUSD/CESU School Board Meeting at Mt. Mansfield Union High School @ 6:30 pm Concert in Auditorium @ 7:00 pm NHS Induction Ceremony in Auditorium & Café @ 6:30 pm Cabaret Night in Auditorium @ 7:00 pm No School—Memorial Day Senior Tea in Library @ 4:00 pm Senior Recital in Auditorium @ 6:00 pm Seniors Only—1/2 School Day Honors Assembly in the Gym in morning Move Up Day for 8th – 11th Graders in afternoon Senior Theatre Show in Auditorium @ 7:30 pm MMU Parent/Guardian & Principal Advisory Breakfast @ Jericho Café & Tavern, Rte 15, Jericho @ 7:30 am

MESSAGE FOR THE CLASS OF 2017 PROJECT GRAD 2017 UPDATE Greetings Families of the MMU Class of 2017. As we head into our winter break we are still in search of a few more key volunteers to organize the 2 main fundraisers for our Project Grad celebration. Here at MMU we are truly proud of our Project Grad celebrations. On average, 85% of the graduating class comes together for an all night, substance free, memorable evening that will include go-karting, roller skating, indoor climbing wall, galactic bowling, laser tag, black light volleyball, jousting, dancing, bonfire, games, movies, food, more food, still more food then winding up with a hypnotist show at MMU and parting gifts for all attendees. At this point we still need a team of 3-4 parents to coordinate the silent auction to be held in conjunction with a Mexican dinner. The dinner will be catered but the auction needs to have items gathered and promotions done. There are lots of notes from previous years to help you on the way. This is slated to be held in April but can be slightly altered to fit the needs of the volunteer team! A Golf Tournament held at the West Bolton Golf Club in May is our other perennial favorite fundraising event but this also takes a dedicated team of volunteers to pull all the pieces together. We have a couple folks on board but are looking for ideally 4 more to help organize the event. Additional helpers will be needed the day of the event. Keep you eyes open for a mailing with donation information, both family and corporate, and volunteer details for all the Project Grad events. Grab a friend or two and let us know how you can help! It takes a village to raise a child and this is a fabulous night. We’ve done the hard part now lets work together to send them off with a bang! Contact Jill at [email protected] or 363-9545 for more information about volunteering, donations or other questions.!