Catamount Connection
December 2025
Important Dates to Remember:
December 1: Sutton School PTG Meeting (6:30pm)
December 1-6: Sutton PTG Scholastic Book Fair
December 4: Holiday Meal at Sutton School
December 4: Evening Conferences
December 5: K-2 Author's Visit
December 5: Early Release for Conferences (12:10pm)
December 5: Report Cards Emailed Out
December 5: Middle School Dance (6th-8th) at Newark (6:30pm-9:00pm)
December 6: Craft Fair at Sutton School (9:00am-2:00pm)
December 11: Sutton School's Grades K-4 & Middle School Chorus Winter Concert (6:00pm)
December 16: Winter Bazaar at Sutton School
December 15-19: School Spirit Week at Sutton School
December 19: Charlie Brown Play at Sutton School (9:45am-10:45am)
December 19: Early Release for Professional Development (12:10pm)
December 22-January 2: No School- December Break
January 5: Students return to school from December Break
January 5: Sutton School PTG Meeting (6:30pm)
January 8: Winter Activities (All Day)
January 15: Winter Activities (All Day)
January 16: Early Release for Professional Development (12:10pm)
January 19: No School- MLK Jr. Day
January 22: Winter Activities (All Day)
January 23: Middle School Dance (6th-8th) at MRS (6:30pm-9:00pm)
January 29: Winter Activities (All Day)
January 30: Early Release for Professional Development (12:10pm)
February 2: Sutton School PTG Meeting (6:30pm)
February 5: Winter Activities (All Day)
February 6: Sutton PTG Father/Daughter Dance (6:30pm-9:00pm)
February 12: Winter Activities (All Day)
February 13: Early Release for Professional Development (12:10pm)
February 23-March 2: February Break- No School
March 3: Town Meeting Day- No School
March 4: Students return to school from February Break
A Letter from the Principal
Dear Sutton School Caregivers,
As we move into December, I want to take a moment to thank you for the partnership we’ve built so far this year. Your involvement, communication, and support play a vital role in your child’s success, and we are grateful to work alongside you.
This week, we will be holding our parent–teacher conferences, an important opportunity for caregivers to meet with school staff and discuss their child’s educational journey so far this year. These conversations help ensure that we are working together to support each student academically, socially, and emotionally.
Your feedback matters deeply to us. Below, you will find a link to a document where you can share your thoughts about both the student-led conferences held in October and the traditional conferences taking place this week. Hearing your perspective helps us reflect on what is working well and what can be improved for future family engagement opportunities.
At the end of this week, report cards will be emailed home. If you prefer a paper copy, please contact the school office and we would be happy to provide one.
Finally, we are asking all caregivers to complete our Trimester 1 Caregiver Feedback Survey. This survey is another way for you to share your experiences so far this year. Your voice helps guide our next steps and strengthens our school community.
Thank you again for your continued partnership and support. We truly value the connection between home and school and look forward to the work ahead.
Warm regards,
Rachel Robillard
Principal
Winter Gear & Cold Weather
Winter is here, and Vermont’s cold weather is settling in! At Sutton School, we value time outdoors for both recess and learning, even during the colder months. To ensure all students stay safe and comfortable, it’s essential they come prepared for the weather.
Please make sure your child brings boots, warm layers, a winter coat, gloves, a hat, and any additional items like snow pants, neck warmers and/or scarves to help them stay cozy. For middle schoolers, we especially ask for your support in ensuring they bring their gear each day.
We’ve included our outdoor guidelines in this newsletter so you can see how we decide when it’s safe to head outside. Thank you for partnering with us to keep your child warm, safe, and ready to explore the outdoors as part of their learning experience!
PTG Scholastic Book Fair:
We’re excited to announce that the Scholastic Book Fair is coming to our school! From Monday, December 1 through Saturday, December 6, our school will be transformed into a booklover’s paradise, thanks to our wonderful Parent Teacher Group (PTG) who’s hosting this event.
The Book Fair is a fantastic opportunity to build your home library and encourage a love of reading, while also helping our school! Each purchase helps provide additional books for our classrooms, directly supporting our students’ learning.
Below are the hours the Book Fair will be open to the public:
Monday, December 1st: 2:00pm-4:30pm
Tuesday, December 2nd: 2:00pm-4:30pm
Wednesday, December 3rd: 2:00pm-4:30pm
Thursday, December 4th: 2:00pm-6:00pm
Friday, December 5th: 12:30pm-3:00pm
Saturday, December 6th: During the Craft Fair
K-2 Author's Visit
We’re delighted to share that on Friday, December 5, our K–2 students will meet children’s author Arlene Steinberg. She will read her newest book, Stronger than the Wind.
In Stronger than the Wind, a young character named Anu lives in Forest Village — where snowflakes dance and children play. But when Old Man Winter arrives with icy winds, everyone is forced indoors. The story follows Anu as he finds the courage to stand up to the chill and wind — a tale about bravery, resilience, and inner strength.
In addition to this book, Mrs. Steinberg wrote Room for One More, a story about friendship and inclusion. We hope this visit inspires kindness, courage, and a love of reading!
We look forward to a magical and meaningful morning of storytelling!
Upcoming Events:
Winter Concert
We are excited to invite you to our Winter Concert on Thursday, December 11th at 6:00 PM. This special evening will feature performances from our K–4 students as well as our Middle School Chorus.
If inclement weather should impact the event, the concert will be rescheduled for the following week. We can’t wait to come together as a community and celebrate our students’ hard work, creativity, and joy through music.
We hope to see you there!
Winter Bazaar at Sutton School
Our Annual Winter Bazaar is just around the corner! On December 16th, students will once again have the opportunity to practice acts of generosity by choosing a gift for each of their immediate family members. All items are gently used, allowing students to focus on the joy of giving rather than the cost of gifts.
Our Student Council plays a big role in making this event special. They help set up the bazaar, support younger students as they shop, and lend a hand with wrapping the gifts so everything is ready to bring home.
Students’ selected gifts will be sent home on December 17th and 18th. We’re grateful to our community for supporting this tradition that encourages kindness, thoughtfulness, and the spirit of giving.
Sutton School's Parent Teacher Group (PTG)
The Sutton Parent Teacher Group (PTG) is looking for new members to join them this school year! The PTG meets the first Monday of each month starting at 6:30pm in Becky Jenkins' 3-4 classroom. The PTG helps fundraise and organize important community events for the students and families in Sutton. If you would like to join the PTG reach out to Becky Jenkins, the PTG president, rjjenkins@kingdomeast.org.
Sutton School Safety
This month, students will participate in a fire drill as part of our regular safety preparedness practice. The drill which will take place the week of December 8th, allows us to practice evacuating all students and staff out of the building in the event that we need to keep immediately evacuate due to fire or smoke. To ensure the safety of everyone, we do not share the specific date and time in advance. This drill will occur during the school day, and students will return to their regular schedule afterward.
As always, the purpose of our safety drills is to ensure that students and staff know what to do and feel confident in the case of an emergency. We appreciate your support in helping us keep everyone safe and prepared.
