Author Archives: michaellcahill

Known as the “Month of the Young Adolescent,” the month of October acknowledges the special characteristics of children between the ages of 11-14, our very own middle level learners. This period of development is the “home stretch,” if you will, between childhood and becoming a teenager. It is a time of rapid development. We canContinue reading “Coming of Age in the Digital Era”

At our last PTO meeting, Detective de la Fuente of the Millburn Police Department spoke about what he has learned and experienced during his last eleven years on the Millburn Police Force, and especially in his six years assigned to the Juvenile Division. In this capacity, Detective Ed is our school district’s partner in dealingContinue reading “Predators on the Internet”

This summer groups of volunteers, most of them from the South, arranged their own transportation and lodging to come to Millburn Middle School to paint our school. Paint the Town, an organization that coordinates volunteers and supplies them with paint and equipment from corporate donors, generously selected Millburn Middle School. It all started with theContinue reading “Paint the Town”

I often talk about the various transitions our students and parents face during the course of the school year. It has dawned on me that we are always in transition in our lives; we are constantly changing, integrating and evolving as we learn, grow, reflect and respond. It is simply amazing to watch our preadolescentsContinue reading “We Are Always in Transition”

There could not be a more appropriate way to write this year’s final newsletter column than to acknowledge Mr. Rogers’ retirement after 40 years of service to the Millburn community. I do not pretend to be able to write about all the things he has done over four decades that have made a difference inContinue reading “The Lessons of Our Own Mr. Rogers”

Is there anyone who does not know about the heroism of Captain Sullenberger who guided his disabled airplane and nearly 160 passengers into the Hudson River? Accolades have been pouring in to honor the man who kept his cool and exercised keen judgment through split second decisions to give his vessel and its inhabitants theContinue reading “Sully is Our Leader”

More attention is being paid in the media to the medicines and common household supplies that contain ingredients that middle level youngsters can abuse in the same fashion as other drugs. This spotlight seeks to raise awareness about the potentially fatal effects of dangerous chemicals in certain products we purchase. Also, more attention is being paidContinue reading “Toxic Highs from Household Products”

Middle school marks what is perhaps a bittersweet time for new middle level parents as their child begins the journey toward young adulthood. The three years of middle school are a time of intense physical, academic, social, and emotional growth. It is the extraordinary changes our students undergo that make this stage of development uniqueContinue reading “When I Was Your Age”

In thinking about this new school year, I am reminded about how interconnected beginnings and endings really are. It seemed a short time ago we were preparing for the eighth grade move-up ceremony as well as beginning new traditions and transitions for our sixth and seventh graders. Thanks to our wonderful guidance team, the endContinue reading “Beginnings and Endings”

After only 37 years on the job, Mr. Thomas Perry is retiring from his post as a social studies teacher at Millburn Middle School. Words cannot express how much he will be missed by students, teachers, and parents in our school community. When I arrived at MMS sixteen years ago, I was placed on anContinue reading “A Farewell to a Master Teacher”