Mary Hogan Family Newsletter

Dear Mary Hogan Families,

It was a busy week at school, especially as we hosted three Assistant Principal candidates for a site visit to Mary Hogan. The three candidates met with families, faculty and staff, and students. Student Council interviewed all three candidates and all had a chance to be with students at lunch. Fifth graders were also tour guides for the candidates. The candidates commented on how impressed they were with our student leaders, and they rocked it! We will have updates on the process in the next week or so.

Enjoy the long weekend.

💙, Jen

Friday 3/20 - No School - Spring Conference Day (some teachers will schedule on alternate dates)

Monday 3/23 - MUMS Band and Chorus comes to perform for 5th graders (and more!)

Tuesday 3/24 - VTCAP testing begins for 3rd and 5th grades (Tues-Thu - ELA, Friday - 3rd Math, 5th Science)

Wednesday 3/25 - Meteorologist Tyler Jankowski comes to visit kindergarten

Thursday 3/26 - VINS visits preschool and kindergarten

Sunday 3/29 - 2-3pm - Line Dancing at Mary Hogan - Free, Sponsored by MESA

Monday 3/30 - VTCAP - 3rd Math, 5th Science

Tuesday 3/31 - VTCAP - 5th Math

Wednesday 4/1 - Walk and Roll Day, Early Release Day

• 9am - All School Meeting - Led by 1st grade

Thursday 4/2 - VTCAP - 5th Math

Monday 4/6 - VTCAP 4th grade (Mon-Wed - ELA, Thu-Fri - Math)

Our Jr. Iron Chef Team - The Gourmet Hawks - participated last week in the Jr. Iron Chef competition at the Champlain Valley Expo. They went up against a lot of other teams and did a great job under pressure (time, space, and judging). Judges noted what a great team they were because they talked with each other through each step. And they won an award! This team is the winner of the Lively Local Award!! Way to go, Hawks!

We celebrated neurodiversity week in a number of ways - from opportunities for students to express how they imagined their brain looking to learning about neurodiversity each day on announcements and more.

What does it mean to “celebrate” neurodiversity?

• Recognize the naturally-occurring neurodiversity among us as a community. We all have different brains, and there is no such thing as a “normal” brain.

• Acknowledge that much of the world we live in (including our school system) has been designed for so-called “neurotypical” brain types – brains that are not shaped by dyslexia, autism, ADHD, anxiety, Tourett’s, OCD, depression, or other so-called “neurodivergent” characteristics. This makes it hard for some people to navigate some aspects of the world – not because there’s something wrong with their brains, but rather because the world was built for “neurotypical” brains.

• Celebrate the fact that we all have different brains and the many ways this diversity contributes to our world – from making scientific breakthroughs and creating beautiful art to building meaningful relationships. We need this diversity!

We had the second of our annual bus evacuations this week. The students are getting more comfortable with the evacuation in the early grades and the older students are pros. Good thing too, since we are getting to a time when there are more bus field trips coming up!

Student Council members got ready to meet the Assistant Principal candidates before this week and put all that preparation into action during the week. They wrote questions that they really wanted to know more about - from what is your experience to do you yell at kids. The questions were thoughtful and they assigned the questions to individual students. They all took careful notes and were articulate and could explain candidates' strengths and who they preferred and why with evidence. They rocked it.

The question of the week celebrated maple syrup and our work around writing and vocabulary. Students were asked to come up with as many words to describe maple syrup as they could. Some of my favorites were:

• robust
• tender
• zesty
• fantastic
• pure
• liquidy, sticky licky, slimy, watery

Zoom in. What are your favorites? What more words could you and your family use to describe maple syrup?

Dear Mary Hogan Families,

We’re excited to invite all Mary Hogan families to a FREE afternoon of Family Line Dancing in the Mary Hogan gym on March 29 from 2:00-3:00 PM.

Andrea from Good Time Line Dancing will once again lead the fun and teach the basic steps. Whether you’ve been line dancing for years or have never tried it before, this event is for you. Learn a few moves, laugh together, and enjoy a fun afternoon with other Mary Hogan families.

This event is completely FREE and just for our Mary Hogan community, so bring the whole family and join in the fun.

The Student Council will also have baked goods for sale, so bring a few dollars if you’d like to grab a treat and support them.

We hope you’ll come out, kick up your heels, and spend a fun afternoon together!

Warmly,

Meghan Dishaw

MESA Co-Chair of Events

There is currently one open seat on the ACSD Board for a representative living in Middlebury. If you live in Middlebury and are interested in serving on the ACSD Board, please send a letter of interest to Board Chair, Steve Cash, at scash@acsdvt.org by March 20, 2026. If you know a Middlebury resident who would make a great Board representative, encourage them to reach out to scash@acsdvt.org. The Board plans to appoint someone to fill this seat at the March 23rd meeting of the ACSD Board. Read the full Notice of Board Vacancy here.

The ACSD Board’s mission is to provide high-quality, equitable, and varied learning environments that inspire a passion for learning and growth among our students. Board members represent the interests of all students in the district, not just the town in which they live.

We are thrilled to announce the start of the IB PYP Exhibition for our 5th grade students. This is a monumental milestone in our student’s elementary education—a "capstone" project that celebrates everything they have learned during their time in the Primary Years Program. Exhibition is a student-led, collaborative inquiry process. Students identify a real-world issue they are passionate about, conduct research, and take meaningful action to make a difference.

5th grade families will receive a longer email with more details, but our entire ACSD community can support our students: 1) If you know a student involved in Exhibition ask them what they are discovering and how it affects our world! 2) If you want to be a mentor or offer your real-world expertise for students whose topic relates to your work, contact your principal or Brandi Corbett, PYP Coordinator, bcorbett@acsdvt.org

Come learn how to play squash with the Middlebury College Squash teams on 4/4 at 11am. The session is free for students in 3rd grade and up. To sign up, scan the QR code below.

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.