The Howler: June 5, 2026

Dear Parents and Friends of OQS:

With summer vacation coming up quickly, it probably won't come as a surprise to you that a public school student spends 86% of their time in the care of their parents or guardians. Each school year, a Vermont public school student with perfect attendance would spend 14% of available time at school. There is no possible way for schools to teach everything in that amount of time; kids are learning all the time, especially at home. Summer vacation can be a great time for exploring the outdoors and doing your own "science" experiments playing with dirt, sticks and water!

Speaking of play, next Thursday is the International Day of Play. This is a time to celebrate the power of play. It's a time to raise awareness about how central play is to every child's development and well-being. And it's a time when we can come together to make sure that every child is able to fulfill their right to play. Here at the Ottaquechee School, we will spend almost the whole day playing at our 2nd Annual International Day of Play.

Also related to play, the 2nd grades presented their proposals for playground changes to the Superintendent Caty Sutton on Monday. Superintendent Sutton was accompanied by Assistant Superintendent Aron Tomlinson who were lobbied to help make OQS's playground more accessible to students with disabilities.

Your children work hard each day. Be sure to send them in on time, with 10 hours of sleep (or more) and lots of good food for energy.

Sincerely,

John Hansen

Interim Principal

Wednesday, 6/10

• 10:00 - 12:00 - 5th grade to Middle School

Thursday, 6/11: Celebration -- Day of Play

Tuesday, 6/16

• 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. 5th Grade graduation for parents/siblings of 5th grade students

• 2:00 - 2:30 p.m. Step up

Wednesday, 6/17: Last Day of School - Field Day

• 12:45 p.m. Dismissal. Report cards home with students

Field Day is almost here and we need your help to make this favorite end-of-year tradition a success! Join us on the last day of school for a morning of fun and games. Volunteers should meet on the playground at 8:15 a.m., and activities will wrap up around 11:30 a.m.

We're also seeking donations of watermelon and other fresh fruit to help keep our students refreshed throughout the morning.

Please sign up HERE if you can volunteer or donate!

Thank you for helping us send our students into summer with a fantastic Field Day!

As we close out the school year, we'd like to extend our sincere thanks to Rachel Bell for her many years of service to the PTO and school community. Rachel has served in multiple leadership roles, including Treasurer and Vice President, and has helped make many of our favorite events and programs possible! We are deeply grateful for her dedication, leadership, and countless volunteer hours over the years.

We also thank Arianna Anton for serving as PTO Secretary this year. Her organization and behind-the-scenes support helped keep the PTO running smoothly throughout the year!

We're excited to welcome the 2026–2027 PTO Board:

• Kiley Knapp, President
• Liz Bunnell, Vice President
• Christina Scott, Treasurer
• Bridget Fox, Secretary

Thank you to everyone who volunteers their time to support our school community!

Week 1: Welcome Back to the Curiosity Corner!

Week 2: Why Public Education Matters

Week 3: Educational Equity

Week 4: HSD Vision of a Graduate and Equity

Week 5: Bringing the Vision of a Graduate to Life with Link Crew

Week 6: Equity and Indigeneity

Week 7: Restorative Justice and Practices in Schools

Week 8: Circle Practice

Week 9: Restorative Questions

Week 10: Trauma-informed Restorative Practices

Week 11: Restorative Practices at Home

Week 12: The Real History of Thanksgiving

Week 13: Vermont's Educational Quality Standards

Week 14: Culturally Responsive Learning

Week 15: Social Emotional Learning

Week 16: Proficiency Based Learning

Week 17: Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

Week 18: Circles at All LevelsWeek 19: Using Community Circles

Week 19: Using Community Circles

Week 20: Black History Month

Week 21: HSD Neurodiversity and Inclusion Statement

Week 22: What is Neurodiversity?

Week 23: Moving from Deficit to Strength-Based Thinking

Week 24: Accommodations vs. Universal Design

Week 25: Inclusive Classrooms

Week 26: Declarative Language

Week 27: Neurodiversity Affirming Practice

Week 28: Neuro-affirming Spaces

Week 29: Books as Windows, Sliding Glass Doors, and Mirrors to Neurodiversity

Week 30: Co-Creating a Culture of Belonging

Week 31: How we talk about DEI at home

Week 32: Modeling Inclusivity For Our Kids (Part 1 of 4)

Week 33: Modeling Inclusivity For Our Kids (Part 2)

Week 34: Modeling Inclusivity For Our Kids (Part 3)

Week 35: Modeling Inclusivity For Our Kids (Part 4)