Mary Hogan Family Newsletter
April 3, 2026
Dear Mary Hogan Families,
We had a great All School Meeting and Community Day this week on Wednesday! It was so awesome to see the poise some of our youngest students had up on stage - and to learn from them. They taught us about how to be an inquirer, to look for patterns, and what a whole grain is.
Students also had their 2nd to last buddy time afterwards. Some buddies leaned into math and patterns. Others celebrated the Harvest of the Month - whole grains - with their buddies by making energy balls. Everyone enjoyed each other's company and there was a lot of laughter. We all also had a chance to read our Community Reads book for April (see more below!).
Enjoy the weekend!
💙, Jen
Hannaford Helps Schools Helps Mary Hogan - 4/5-5/30!
We’re happy to share our school is automatically reenrolled in the Hannaford Helps Schools program! The 2026 program will run from April 5 through May 30. During this time, our community can support our school by shopping for specially marked items. For every 4 participating products purchased, shoppers earn 3 School Dollars. At checkout, customers receive a School Dollar printout that they can redeem online and direct funds to our school.
Using Hannaford To Go? With Hannaford To Go, School Dollars are not provided at pickup. Instead, about a week into May and again a week into June, Hannaford will email you a unique code reflecting the total School Dollars you earned in the previous month from qualifying purchases.
To redeem School Dollars, simply enter the unique printout code and store number on the Hannaford Helps Schools website or app, then select our school. Each School Dollar printout also includes a QR code linking directly to the website, making it quick and easy to redeem School Dollars.
Biking Unit in PE - 4/6-4/17
The Physical Education Department is happy to announce that we will be providing all students in K-5th grade with an opportunity to learn the Bike Smart Curriculum offered to us through Local Motion. The Local Motion bike trailer will be dropped off at Mary Hogan and students will take part in riding during the dates of April 6th - April 17th.
The trailer has everything we need, including pedal bikes, balance bikes and helmets. Students are encouraged to bring their own helmets and bikes for use during class instruction. Please no E-Bikes or motorized bikes.
This program focuses on teaching balance and riding skills, so if your child does not know how to ride yet, we will be working with them on a balance bike to help jump start the process. Please do not send your child to school with a bike that has training wheels, it’s important that they try to use the balance bikes as a way to increase confidence and balance.
The 4th and 5th grade students will be taking some short rides off campus through adjacent neighborhoods. We will be working on road rules and safe riding on quiet streets. The 5th graders will also be taking a ride to MUMS, in an effort to teach them safe routes to bike to school.
We are excited to be working with local motion again this year and we look forward to seeing growth and confidence in our student riders.
Birders Meet a Birder at Lunch!
Bird watchers meet a birder! There is a crew of 3rd graders who have a bird watching lunch once a week and recently they had a chance to have lunch and learn with Carol Ramsayer from Otter Creek Audubon Society who brought with her some items to learn from and with. Thanks for coming, Carol!
Kindergarten Fitness Scavenger Hunt
Kindergarteners worked together on a fitness scavenger hunt this week. They had to work together to get through different stations and practicing different types of fitness.
1st Grade Inquirers Lead All School Meeting
1st graders have been learning about the moon and moon cycles in their current transdisciplinary inquiry. They brought this inquiry to All School Meeting, explaining how they are inquirers as well as what they have been learning. They also have been thinking about patterns in the moon cycle and what patterns can teach us. There were opportunities to practice a pattern greeting and to participate in recognizing patterns.
Students also shared information about the April Harvest of the Month - Whole Grains. They helped us understand what a whole grain is and when we might eat it. They also shared information about which type of maple syrup students liked best from our March Maple taste test!
Fun with patterns and shapes!
Nest building challenge
Making energy balls with whole grains
Learning about the Water Cycle
2nd graders have been learning about the water cycle in their current unit of inquiry. They are applying their learning by doing some writing about the facts they know in organized writing. And, some had a chance this week to learn from Liv Herdman about the water cycle in a game! Students were water and depending on how they rolled their dice, they could move between different states of water (liquid, gas, solid) or had to stay where they were. It was super fun and a great chance to learn through play!
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