Mary Hogan Family Newsletter

Dear Mary Hogan Families,

We had such a busy week here at Mary Hogan. I am going to try to slide all of the information in below in what we did, so it is a long newsletter. I chose some photos but more will show up on Instagram.

Today was such a fun reminder of what an awesome community we have at Mary Hogan and in Middlebury. We started the day cheering for MUHS graduates as well as MUMS and MUHS students in the annual parade. Our students were curious about what we were doing and why we had to wait (better to be on time than late!). They did a wave, they started a chant "Let's go high school, let's go!" and were just great supporters of older students, many of whom they don't know.

The day ended with a preschool art show opening in the preschool part of E wing. It was an amazing show case of the beautiful work that the preschool created this year from natural and paper materials. The students had artist statements and biographies. There were fancy snacks (cheese, crackers, and fruit). It was a real art opening for our youngest students.

Both had me smiling from ear to ear at the start and end of the day! I am so looking forward to our last 4 days together this year next week!

💙, Jen

Monday 6/8 - Mrs. Wisnowski's class class goes to Green Peppers & Arcade

Tuesday 6/9 - Last day of preschool

• Mrs. Schondube's and Miss Jessica's classes to Mini-Ilsley
• 3rd grade goes to the Town Pool

Wednesday 6/10 - Ms Payne's class hikes Chipman Hill

• 1.30 - 5th grade promotion

Thursday 6/11 - Last Day of School and Community Day

• Talent Show
• Mini-Golf at Mary Hogan
• 5th grade goes to the Town Pool
• 4th grade goes to the Marquis Theater

*** There may be more events than this and your child's teacher will communicate those directly to you.

Please return all library books as soon as possible so Julie can look at inventory and place orders accordingly!

All students selected free books to take home and read this summer!! Please read with your children!!!

Book break put together a free resource with grade-level reading lists for K through 5th grade, activities like outdoor reading bingo, a scavenger hunt, word searches, coloring pages, and book trackers to keep kids reading all summer long. Everything is right here: Summer Reading Games and lists

The preschool students went over to MUHS earlier this week to help harvest some of their lettuce with the high school students. The lettuce was so tasty that some got gobbled up, but you know what, this is the perfect thing to try. We want students out in the garden and taste testing all the things out there!

Students in 2nd grade have been working hard on their writing, so when they had ideas for how the last day of school could be better, they decided to share those ideas in letters to Dr. Baker. They had a lot of ideas - and mostly wanted to play hide and seek in the dark at school with their big buddies.

Dr. Baker came by this week to talk with the students not only about their ideas but also to learn from them about what it is like to be a 2nd grader at Mary Hogan - and what they are looking forward to next year in 3rd grade. It was a great way for students to hear heard from our district's leader!

We LOVE books here at Mary Hogan and are so lucky for the opportunities to read throughout the day and the support from MESA, the library, and local organizations like Bonnie's Books to keep on reading all summer long.

This week, students in 1st grade had a read in. The lights were off, the fake campfire was out, and students snuggled up and read alone and together. I was super lucky to have a 1st grader read me an Elephant and Piggie book (my favorite series!).

Students also got to pick books to take home with them at the Free Book Give Away. Thanks to Reading is Fundamental and Bonnie's Books, students brought home MANY books with them! Preschool-2nd grade students could choose up to 10 books! 3-5th graders brought home up to 4 books!

We sent home over 2,500 books with students this week! WOWZA!

This week and early next, each 1st grade class has a chance to go to Green Peppers and the Arcade with their class. Students had THE BEST time picking out their pizza as well as playing games together. They had a lot of stories to tell me on their walk back today!

Thank you MESA for supporting this fun lunch!

Students in 2nd grade had a great time with Tie Dye this week, as they created their shirts this week for their classmates to sign next week. This is an annual 2nd grade tradition and these shirts are treasured by students for many years to come. In fact, this week, I saw many old tie dyes on students this week in the warm weather.

Thank you, MESA, for continuing to support this fun tradition!

We had a great time on Wednesday with the Band and Chorus wowing us with their Spring Concert. The band played two pretty complex songs, one with different syncopation. Good work.

The Chorus sounded beautiful as well, as they sang with us ("These Green Mountains") and for us. We were all so impressed with their final song "This Is Why We Sing" and the two 5th grade soloists on it. There were a lot of adults listening who got teary; it was so beautiful. Check it out below!

Our preschool is always out and about in the community on their exploration walks. They put the rest of us to shame in how much they walk each week!

This past week, they had a few last adventures for the year.

• Miss Deb's class headed over to the Middlebury College track for a bit of a track workout. They had so much fun running around and testing out their endurance.
• Miss Kim's class went to the falls and found a beautiful great blue heron at the bottom of the falls. They watched quietly for a long time while the heron was there - looking for a snack in the Otter Creek.

We celebrated our last Walk and Roll Day on Wednesday. We also gave out the Muddy Boot at our All School Meeting on Wednesday. Two classes tied for 1st for the Muddy Boot with 100% of students participating in each class. Ms Levesque and Miss Jessica's classes are sharing the trophy these last days of the year.

We had so much fun this morning at the MUHS parade. We enjoyed the sun, we laughed, we cheered, and enjoyed being together as a school to support older students. Here are some photos.

The 3rd grade had a brilliant day today to go to the Lake Champlain Bridge in Addison and walk over to New York State. Students enjoyed a picnic lunch, walking over the bridge, and exploring Crown Point archeological site on the far side.

The preschoolers have been working on natural art and papermaking all year and today they showcased their work in the hallway for friends and family. The students had artist statements, artist biographies, and explanation of their art. It was incredibly creative and beautiful!

Summer reading builds a positive relationship with books. It helps children maintain and strengthen their literacy skills when school is out. Without regular reading practice, many students experience the “summer slide,” losing progress in reading comprehension, vocabulary, and confidence. Consistent access to books and engaging reading activities can make a measurable difference in keeping kids on track.

Reading Is Fundamental (RIF)is an organization that donates thousands of dollars in books for our students to take home free books! They also offer a summer reading challenge! Head to our Summer Reading Camp page to learn about our Summer Reading Challenge and discover easy, fun ways to build reading into each day. Get free virtual storybooks, recommendations, hands-on activities, and fresh inspiration to keep kids excited, motivated, and exploring, while avoiding the dreaded summer slide.

As we prepare for the upcoming summer season, we want to reach out about students and summer camps. The Vermont Department of Health has compiled resources and guidance to help camps prevent and manage common health and safety risks such as vaccine-preventable diseases, norovirus, heat, air quality, rabies, ticks, mosquitoes, and injuries.

Campers have a safe, healthy, and enjoyable experience by following these health guidelines:

• Campers and camp staff who are not up to date with vaccines should be immunized before camp to make sure they are protected against illnesses like chicken pox, whooping cough (pertussis), tetanus, and measles.
• Families should check with their health care provider to determine if campers are up to date.
• Norovirus is a very contagious virus that causes vomiting and diarrhea. It spreads quickly in group settings. To help prevent norovirus, remember to wash hands often with soap and water (hand sanitizer doesn’t work against norovirus!) and to keep children home from day camps for at least 24 hours after symptoms are gone.
• Families should have a communication plan to be ready in case of emergencies.
• Sign up for emergency alerts at VT Alerts.
• Know where to find information about exposure to ticks, mosquitoes, rabies, cyanobacteria, and about hot weather and air quality.

ACSD will again be providing summer meals to students 18 years and younger. Here are the dates, time and location for meal pick up.

Mary Hogan School: June 15th - August 14 Monday through Friday (Weekend Meals will be available for pick up on Fridays). Pick up time is 11:00 - 12:30. Lunch for that day and breakfast for the next will be available.

MUMS: June 15th - August 14 Monday through Friday (Weekend Meals will be available for pick up on Fridays). Pick up time is 11:00 - 12:00. Lunch for that day and breakfast for the next will be available.

Shoreham: July 6th - July 31 Monday through Friday. Pick up time is 11:00 - 12:00. Lunch for that day and breakfast for the next will be available.

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.