The Hiawatha Buzz!

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It was a full and busy week here at Hiawatha!

Thank you to all of our families who participated in conferences last week. We hope you found that time meaningful and helpful in connecting with your child’s teacher. We also hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend.

At today’s assembly, we celebrated the success of our PTO’s Pi Day fundraiser in a very memorable way… with a pie to the face! While it’s not my usual breakfast choice, it certainly brought lots of laughter and smiles from students and staff.

As always, it is such a joy to be part of this wonderful community. Have a great weekend!

Warmly,

Kolby Snellenberger
Principal

Monday-Friday, April 20-24, 2026 (Spring Break) - No School

Hello Wonderful Hiawatha Families,

Wellness classes have been very busy with celebrating Black History Month in February and Women’s History Month in March. There was also a lot of joy and excitement as the circus “came to town”!

Beginning next week, we will be discussing safety as a part of our Act 1 requirement, a Vermont law that assures that students in each grade will receive education on personal safety and sexual violence prevention. State legislation requires schools to have training for all employees, background checks for all new hires and volunteers, as well as comprehensive education that is developmentally appropriate for all age levels.

To accomplish this we are using Second Step’s Child Protection Unit. This curriculum has lessons for each grade level. We will begin with talking about safety in general (wearing safety belts, not playing with fire, swimming only when an adult is present, etc.), then we will move into identifying safe and unsafe touch, as well as the R’s:

Recognize (If something feels unsafe), Refuse (saying no or words that mean no), and Report (telling a trusted adult).

These lessons help kids set healthy boundaries for their bodies and how to deal with inappropriate behavior as well as how to respond when something doesn’t feel right. Here are some possible questions you can ask your child to stimulate discussion about trustworthiness and physical and emotional awareness.

-Who are some adults in your life that you trust both at school and at home? Why? (i.e. parents, teachers, police)

-What is the difference between “red flag” people and “green flag” people? (red flag- someone who threatens, bribes, or is inappropriate with your body, green flag – someone who can help, someone you trust, someone who is safe.)

-What is consent? We say what’s okay.

Here are some links with more information about Act 1 -

-Prevent Child Abuse Vermont: www.pcavt.org or 1-800-244-5373

-Second Step “Child Protection Unit” https://www.secondstep.org/child-protection

-Admin. for Children & Families: http://www.childwelfare.gov/preventing/

-KidSafe Collaborative VT: https://www.kidsafevt.org/ or 863-9626

Please let one of our school counselors know if you have any questions.

Thank you,

Jeff Lester

jlester@ewsd.org

and

Ashley Wageman

awageman@ewsd.org

Teaching kids to XC ski during PE was more rewarding of an experience than I ever could have imagined. Nordic skiing is hard, but our students persevered! I saw many kids make tremendous progress and their attitudes were generally very positive. It was a really fun thing to be a part of. We learned the basics (kick & glide, getting up after falling, side-stepping up hills, maintaining balance while going down hills). Not all classes had ideal conditions and I appreciate how much work they put into it just the same.

I want to send out a huge thanks to our Math Interventionist, Kim Brown for helping make skiing a success this winter. She came outside at the beginning or end of most classes to help things run smoothly. Next winter I am going to ask that family volunteers get involved in this unit to make it even better.

Always reach out with questions or concerns,

Mr. B.

As of Monday, March 30th, ALL Kindergarteners & 1st graders arriving with a parent will now enter school through their outside classroom door. Those arriving without a parent are to go to the playground

Dear families,

Please look in your student's Friday Folder today for the 2026-2027 Essex Westford Student Placement Form. It is for you to complete and return to your student's teacher by April 10th.

This is a friendly reminder that during these early Spring months, please send your students to school with a hat, a pair of gloves or mittens, a coat, a change of clothes & shoes. It can still be chilly outside get pretty wet and muddy out on the playground!

Thank you

Brownell Library visits are coming up!

In the next few weeks, you may see a library card application in your child’s Friday folder.

If your child does not already have a Brownell Library card, you are welcome to complete the application and return it to school. Our librarian will collect all completed forms and deliver them to Brownell Library.

Once the library cards are ready, they will be sent home in Friday folders.

Brownell Library also offers engaging summer programming for all ages. You’re encouraged to visit the library or explore their website at https://brownelllibrary.org/.

If you have any questions, please contact our librarian,

Susie Snow, at ssnow@ewsd.org or 802-878-1384.

Susie Snow, M.Ed.

Hiawatha Elementary School

Librarian

EST Coordinator

Past-President, Vermont School Library Association

We're excited to share that we have a limited number of spots still available for boys in Session 1 (June 21st-26th) this summer! While other sessions are currently full and have started waitlisting, we encourage families to add their children to the waitlist in case spots become available.

We would love to partner with you in sharing this opportunity with your students and their families. We would love to provide a memorable summer experience for some of your students!

A little more about Camp Downer - Our mission is to provide a positive and affordable camping experience for youth in a safe, constructive, and welcoming environment. We offer a wide range of activities, including athletic sports, shooting sports, swimming, canoeing and kayaking, fishing, tent camping, theatre, arts & crafts, and more. Camp Downer fosters a strong sense of community and provides a safe and supportive environment where campers can learn, grow, and make lifelong friends!

If distributing this information isn't within your scope, I would appreciate being connected with the right person to share this opportunity with students' families. I’m happy to answer any questions you have. You can reach me by replying to this email or calling (802) 276-4420.

Sincerely,

Amy Koch

(She/Her)

Camp Downer Registrar

Phone: 1 (802) 276-4420

Fax: 1 (802) 794-3482

1535 Downer Road, Sharon, VT 05065

www.campdowner.com

Please click the link below to see the hot lunch menu, be sure to select the correct month you need and select lunch in the drop down in the top of the page. If needed, there is a print option. The menu can also be found on our website :-)

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