Mary Hogan Family Newsletter

Dear Mary Hogan Families,

As we head into break, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on how far students have come this year in their learning - academic and social. We are not done with the year but as I think back to where students came into the year, I am so impressed with the skills they have learned, the risks they have taken, the writing they have done (SO MUCH!), the math thinking they have shared, and the questions they have asked. You have some awesome kids. I hope you get to enjoy time with them this break and celebrate the great growth they have made this year!

See you all in a little more than a week!

💙, Jen

Monday 4/20-Friday 4/24 - April Break!

Thursday 4/30 - 9-10.30 - 5th grade exhibition

Friday 5/1 - School Lunch Hero Day

Monday 5/4 - 5th graders head to Keewaydin Environmental Education Center (KEEC) for the week

• 5 or 5.30 -Cooking with NOM

Wednesday 5/6 - Early Release Day (preschool at 11.30, K-5 at 12.35)

• 9am - All School Meeting - Led by Kindergarten

Thursday 5/7 - 1st grade field trip to Kayhart Farms and Bridport School House

It takes a whole team to get the garden ready and keep it going. We hope you can help us out on our Green Up, Clean Up day on May 2nd from 9-11. We will be greening, gardening, and having fun with local organizations who are coming to support the fun.

Please avoid idling when you are at drop off and pick up whenever possible. Idling not only creates more pollution at a low level where kids are more likely to breath it in, but it also adds to your gas costs. Thanks for your help with this!

Whole grains are the Harvest of the Month. If you have sometime over vacation, here are some awesome whole grain recipes to cook:

• Morning Glory Muffins
• Bali Bowl with Peanut Tofu
• Blackberry Coconut Bulgar Breakfast Bowl
• Lemony Quinoa Chickpea Salad
• 6 Easy Overnight Oats Recipes

This month, your counselors are sharing an overview of the Child Protection Unit, including the skills students will be learning around recognizing, refusing, and reporting unsafe situations, along with ways you can support these conversations at home. We’ve also included some helpful family resources and a few summer camp opportunities.You can view the newsletter here. *scroll through for translations in Spanish, Burmese, and Chinese

The Mary Hogan Student Council organized a super successful spirit week this past week. The Student Council worked hard to ensure that the days were designed to make sure as many kids as possible could participate - using things most of us have at home. We had so much fun dressing up together, being a bit silly, and celebrating being swift, smart, and strong. Thanks for helping your child participate!

The weather warmed up this week and it is definitely feeling like spring. It made for a perfect week to get out in the garden and start getting it ready. Kindergarteners were out in the garden, looking for worms (and aerating the soil), keeping data on how many they found, and doing some writing. 1st graders were also out there digging in the dirt, getting their fingers dirty and helping get the garden ready.

Preschoolers visited the MUHS Science Fair and learned about their skeletal, muscular, sensory, and Respiratory Systems! The MUHS students created games and activities to help the young students test their strength and discover new things about their bodies!

Second graders went to the Middlebury Art Museum with their teachers, volunteers, and Ms. Hartman this week. Just like some kindergarteners and the 1st graders, they had a chance to examine the art in the college's museum - that you can also check out as a family. Students learned about the art and had a chance to make some of their own art. It was an AWESOME trip to a rich local resource.

If you have time over break, anyone can visit the museum. Here are their hours:

• Monday: Closed
• Tuesday through Friday: 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
• Saturday and Sunday: 12 noon–5 p.m.

5th graders have been working really diligently these past few weeks to research a topic of their choice and interest. They are digging into what they know, what they need to know, how to take notes, how to record their sources, how to analyze the information they have and compare sources, and then write up what they know - and determine how to take action.

Mentors and local experts are crucial to this whole process and have been so helpful in guiding students in all of this learning.

Westly taking action to help end hunger, but he needs your help!

This food collection will take place during the Grade Five EXIBITION at MaryHogan on April 30, 2026 from 9:00 - 10:30 AM. Donations will be accepted until 3pm on that day! You can also send them in before Thursday! Donations can be dropped off in E3.

Students in 1st and 2nd grade were part of a number of walking field trips this week. 1st graders were looking at shapes that they saw on their walks - 2 dimensional and 3 dimensional - and recording these shapes. They are really digging deep into geometry in their current math unit and the walk was a chance to apply this learning. They also looked for number patterns they saw on their walks - and the post office was a perfect place to examine these numbers and patterns!

2nd graders were also out to apply their learning in Middlebury, as they went to Middlebury Falls to think about the water cycle and how water plays a crucial role in our town. It is so helpful to use the learning in the classroom in the world they see and engage in each day.

The students love getting out in the community, as well!

We are so grateful for the biking unit and helping master the balance, turns, and pedaling of biking. This unit had a lot of community volunteers involved to help support students in all stages of their biking development.

We are particulary grateful for Laura Assermily, Middlebury Safe Routes, Middlebury College Biking Team, and Charlie for helping us out multiple days. They made this two week unit flow and a huge success. Thank you!

Do you need child care for your 3-5-year-old? Our new Shoreham preschool has openings for children who will be 3-years-old by September 1, 2026! Our Shoreham preschool program will open in August 2026. It runs for 35 weeks per year and is free for all participants. The program has 2 licensed teachers and is open to all children. Read more about our ACSD preschool program here and fill out this form to apply. Share this link with friends and neighbors with young children!

We are so grateful to our family and community volunteers! If you plan to volunteer for an event or activity this year, now is a great time to apply or make sure your paperwork is up-to-date!

• Learn more about the volunteer process here.
• Check in with your front office if you've volunteered in the past to make your paperwork is up to date.
• Fill out this form if you've never volunteered before and plan to this year.

Want to know more about the Volunteer Process? Check out more information HERE.