March 5, 2025

This weekend we Spring Ahead! Which means it is the perfect time to register your future PreK or Kindergarten student! Please see attached letter for new Kidnergarten families (SY 26-27) and help share with anyone you know in the district who might need it.

Similarly, the PreK registration process has changed a little. All NEW registrations will go through Infinite Campus. A lottery will be used in April to determine placement.

Visit https://hsdvt.com/enroll-new-student to complete the process. PLEASE reach out with any questions or if you need some help.

*All Current Kindergarten Families*

Please note that there will be NO KINDERGARTEN CLASSES on Tuesday, May 26th. This day has been set aside for new Kindergarten Screening.

Over the break an unknown person turned on the water faucet outside the building and left it running. This resulted in a flooded art room. Maintenance quickly determined that it posed a mold risk and began an immediate remedation. Unfortunately, art will be on a cart for a while. Mr. Emil has quickly pivoted to the road show and we hope to have the remediation done by April break. (Pun above courtesy of Mr. Maggiolo --- but don't share with Mr. Emil--- it's still too soon!)

Parent Teacher Conferences:

If you haven't signed up for a conference already please do so! It's one of the most important days of teh year for us and we are excited to get together and talk about your kids and their learning.

PTA Help NEEDED!!!

You may have seen the exciting news that we are hosting our Pi(e) & Talent Show Event once again this year! Here are a few important details and a sign-up link as we begin gearing up for this favorite community event.

To make the night a success, we’ll need help in two key ways:

• Volunteers to help staff the event

• Sweet and savory pie donations for our guests to enjoy

Click the button below to sign up.

If baking isn’t your thing, you could consider asking a family member who has a favorite pie they love to make (or buy!) and might be willing to donate — we’ve had some wonderful contributions this way in the past.

Click here: Sign up to Help at PIe Night/ Talent Show!!!

--Send a pie, help serve, or backstage.

Week 23: Moving from Deficit to Strength-Based Thinking

Too often neurodivergent students’ differences are viewed with a deficit lens. It’s important that we shift our mindset to see differences not as deficits but as strengths.

Deficit-based thinking focuses on what a student lacks, viewing differences as problems to be "fixed" or "cured." In an educational setting, this mindset often prioritizes standardized benchmarks, leading educators to focus exclusively on a student’s struggles—such as a dyslexic student’s reading speed or an autistic student’s sensory sensitivities. For neurodivergent learners, this approach can be deeply demoralizing; it frames their natural neurological makeup as a collection of symptoms and failures. When the goal is merely to close a "gap" to reach neurotypical standards, the unique ways these students process information are often suppressed, leading to burnout and a diminished sense of self-worth.

Conversely, a strength or asset-based approach shifts the lens to what a student can do, viewing neurodiversity as a valuable form of human diversity rather than a disability. Instead of trying to force a square peg into a round hole, educators identify a student’s specific talents—such as hyper-focus, creative problem-solving, or pattern recognition—and use those as the foundation for learning. For neurodivergent students, this shift is transformative. It fosters an inclusive environment where accommodations are seen as tools for equity rather than "special favors," allowing students to build confidence and leverage their natural cognitive styles to achieve academic success.