Hartford School District Newsletter

October 30, 2026

Dear HSD Teaching and Learning Community,

First and foremost, thank you so much for your ongoing and much appreciated support of our schools. I continue to be humbled and so grateful for the outpouring of support, thoughtful questions and reflections, and incredibly interesting, innovative, and creative ideas you have had to share with us as we navigate a challenging time for our community and problem solve collaboratively to face these difficulties together.

It is critically important to us that you know how committed we are to kindness, civility, respect, and transparency throughout the next several months and as the budget is developed by the board and presented to the community before Town Meeting Day.

It is not lost on us how steadfast we must be in modeling for our students what it looks like to engage in mutual discourse when participating in an exchange of opinions and ideas, especially, and particularly, when there may be disagreement and debate among us. Our students are observing how we as adults engage in this process, and most importantly, learning from us how to participate and maintain a healthy and safe environment where all of our community members will benefit from freely contributing to the discussion and the process.

Thank you for taking the time to fill out the community survey, linked below for your convenience and also available on our website, and for reaching out to the board with your thoughts, questions, and suggestions. Please be on the look out for more opportunities for you to provide input, feedback, and ideas for the board’s consideration.

The next board meeting when more discussion will take place in relation to the budget will be on November 18, with the meeting on November 4 a return to board business, as there are a number of outstanding items the board has tabled while we share information with the community in relation to the challenging budget circumstances we must face this year.

Below, I have included the last two presentations the board has heard from district administration, which lay out, in broad strokes, some conceptual frameworks and other options they may consider in approaching budget development and that are based on vetted approaches other boards have considered who have faced similar challenges.

In the meantime, let’s hold space for and respect the emotional weight that these circumstances bear on all of us. It is natural that the way in which we process this situation will vary and will manifest in different ways; that is okay and completely understandable, as the stakes are incredibly high when we are considering the welfare of our children, the livelihoods and careers of our friends, neighbors, and community members, and the potential for change.

Thank you for your care and compassion.

In Solidarity,

Caty

At the last HSD board meeting, the board directed the administration to bring back an option, "Model F," that will provide them with information on what it would look like to maintain our current facilities footprint and school configuration, but adjust class sizes and inspect resources that are mandated by the VT Education Quality Standards or otherwise by the state in relation to those resources that the EQS does not dictate.

Below, I have attached the last two presentations that HSD administration has delivered to the board, one on 9/30, which presented multiple options for the board's consideration, and the last one on 10/21, which delved more deeply into two models, Models C and E.

I have also attached the community survey that went out in early October in case you have not had a chance to fill it out yet.

At the next board meeting, next week on 11/4, the board will return to a business meeting, with the next budget-focused meeting taking place at the following meeting on 11/18.

In the meantime, the board will continue to determine effective ways to get as much input from all stakeholders in our community as possible throughout the budget development process.

Thank you so much for your participation and engagement throughout this process. As challenging as all of this is, your input, ideas, and thoughtful reflections and questions are incredibly helpful.

The Seasonal Fuel Assistance Program is available to income qualifying Vermonters to help alleviate the cost of heating your home. For further information and/or assistance with the application, please call 2-1-1, or visit the website Fuel Assistance.

• If you are 60 or older, call the Helpline at 1-800-642-5119 for personalized assistance.
• For translation and interpretation services, call 1-800-479-6151 and ask for an interpreter.
• Vermont Fuel Assistance and 3SquaresVT (flyer)

Upper Valley Food Resource Guide 2026

Free food distribution locations, food pantries, meals-to-go and meal sites. A resource created by the local Department of Health office.

Now that school is back in full swing, here is a reminder that consistent school attendance matters and is vital to school success. Creating healthy habits now will set your child(ren) up for success in school.

Did you know that chronic absence is missing 2+ days each month throughout the school year?

What you can do:

• Set a regular bedtime and morning routine.
• Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before.
• Keep your child healthy and make sure your child has the required shots.
• Develop backup plans for getting to school if something comes up.
• Monitor your child’s absences.
• Try to schedule non-urgent medical appointments and extended trips when school isn’t in session.
• If your child seems anxious about going to school, talk to teachers, school counselors and other parents for advice on how to make your child feel comfortable and excited about learning.
• If you are concerned that your child may have a contagious illness, call your school nurse or health-care provider for advice. Ask the teacher for ideas to support missed learning time. (Sourced from Attendance Works)

If you are feeling worried or stuck getting your child to school regularly, please reach out to your child’s school counselor, or the Hartford School District social worker, Christina Key, for support.

VEHI PATH representatives from across the district spent a day at the Killington Grand, learning about:

• the details of running the program as a building rep/district champion,
• kits available for purchase through our available wellness funds through VEHI,
• different exercises to promote movement among our colleagues, and
• different ways other districts are encouraging wellness in their buildings and how to build a Wellness Workplace

It was a great day of brainstorming and learning together. We learned a lot about how other districts weave wellness into their entire district's plan, including:

• setting aside 30 minutes of each in-service day to allow for wellness activities,
• providing spaces within the buildings that promote wellness among staff,
• providing things like ski passes or gym memberships to staff who do not use a predetermined amount of leave time,
• one district even took one whole in-service day and offered wellness events like skiing, reading, cooking, snowshoeing, etc. as the day's plan.

We are excited to head back to our buildings and share all that we've learned!

The first quarter of the school year has been filled with tremendous learning, growth, and excitement across our school community. We are incredibly proud of the effort our students have demonstrated as they have settled into new routines, built classroom communities, and embraced opportunities to learn each day.

A significant accomplishment during this time has been the completion of our beginning-of-year literacy and mathematics assessments through DIBELS and STAR. These assessments provide valuable information that helps teachers understand each student's strengths and learning needs, allowing us to personalize instruction and support continued growth throughout the year. Students in grades K-11 have taken these assessments, and individual results will be shared with families, either through conferences or a virtual or physical delivery method. Please be on the lookout for those assessment scores.

DBS is hosting our annual Unity Day celebration on Friday, 10/30! Orange is the color of the day as we gather for a whole school assembly to celebrate being an Upstander in our community followed by an anti-bullying rally outside the school from 2:00-2:15. Please support our Otter Scholars and the entire DBS community with a drive-by beep of the horn and wave of your hand!

Our Otter Scholars also wrapped up our fall Walk & Bike to School session on Thursday, 10/29. We were so proud of all the riders and walkers for promoting a healthy and active lifestyle each and every week. A special THANK YOU to all of our parent volunteers for supporting this event and helping to keep our Otters safe along the way.

You Otter Know: October 23, 2026

Celebrating our Wolf Way Character Strengths:

In the first six weeks of school, all members of our community reviewed the character strengths that make up the Wolf Way: Respect, Perseverance, Awareness, Courage, Kindness and Joy! Now that the first six weeks are behind us, classes will take a deeper dive into how we live the character strengths in practice, taking a month for each.

This month, all community members will be focused on RESPECT.

Our leadership team has also begun meeting regularly and the energy for the work we are planning encapsulates JOY and the spirit of learning together. We have spent the first few weeks seeking input about a schoolwide goal to share from the CEL 5D teaching framework. Our team narrowed the broad range of possible goals down to three based on what we are doing well and could build upon as well as areas of need we identified. We sent out the top three goals to our staff for more input: communication and collaborating with families and the community, student ownership of learning/opportunities for student voice and choice and, Capitalizing on student strengths. After seeking input from our greater group it seems like the goal our team is eager to work on together is capitalizing on student strengths. We hope to use the goal to look at what it means to raise the bar for all staff and students. We believe we can do it! We’ll keep you posted on our progress.

(pictured) Staff announcing the winner of the schoolwide celebration vote with a little “donut on a string” competition.

Kindergarten enjoying the sweet reward of learning into respect. Thanks Mr. Sadowski!

The Howler: October 24, 2026

White River School continues to support learners where they are and generates ways to help them grow. This year, we are doing so with a little different emphasis. Our teachers meet in teams weekly to discuss instruction, curriculum, and individual kid needs. What’s been exciting for us this year is how we approach our conversations about intervention and enrichment within these teams. Each grade level has a dedicated 45 minute block within their week that we dedicate to Intervention OR Enrichment. This is a time when no “new” instruction happens, but we catch students up on previously taught skills they need more practice with OR go deeper on those skills if they have mastered them. This requires careful planning and collaboration on teams between teachers, special educators, and interventionists to make sure everyone gets just what they need.

This approach is showing a lot of promise as it allows grade levels to keep the pace of regular instruction moving forward while ensuring all skills for the year are taught. At the same time, we provide explicit direct instruction to students in response to current assessment skills and objectives. Sometimes groups have been formed around one skill on an assessment that students have struggled in answering, other times it is remediation on a deeper concept or enrichment in the form of deeper exploration of the concepts. The result is that more children are getting access to intervention through these highly focused groups.

Photos from the recent BATS Pep Rally–celebrating their fundraising efforts for the CHaD Hero. Their coin drive brought in $536.40.

Weekly Review: October 29, 2026

This month, HMMS highlights examples of STUDENT CHOICE & ACTIVE LEARNING because we believe that a student’s sense of belonging in a school community is built on a combination of experiences. When students feel a sense of choice and independence, their engagement soars and belonging begins to take seed. We also know that movement, being outdoors, working with their hands, and problem-solving physical tasks gets and keeps students’ interest and builds community.

Cooking elective students wrapped up the year by making their
seasonal favorites, pumpkin and apple pies!

HMMS offers a wide variety of clubs, before, during and after school, to create access for students. In addition, electives - like our ever popular band and chorus ensembles - as well as other hands-on, experiential, interest-based classes, can often be a part of the day that students look forward to most. Quarter 1 electives included: world sports, algebra, outdoor walking, cartooning, yearbook, open art studio, gardening, Legos, cooking, group fitness, and a partnership class with Craft Studies.

Some HMMS groups & clubs include: Pride club, Dungeons & Dragons, Artsy club, yo-yo club, BIPOC group, boys group, girls STEM club, glee club, student council, student government, jazz band, and more. Students can start their own clubs by working with a teacher or staff member to advise the group.

Above: Art Club tour of RePlay Arts and brainstormed cool art projects
to do throughout the community. Thank you Re-Play!!

Below: HMMS Girls STEM club is off to a strong start this year with over 20 members. This year’s theme is "Science Detectives” and club members have been busy using science to solve mysteries!

Left: 6th grade STEM students battle it out in the battle bot arena, trying to be the last bot standing

Below: Team Atlas 8th graders have been visiting Hurricane Hill in order to read the forested landscape to learn about the past.

HMMS Newsletter: October 12, 2026

We are excited to highlight Link Crew, a high school transition and peer-mentoring program designed to welcome and support our incoming ninth-grade students as they enter high school. Developed by The Boomerang Project, Link Crew pairs incoming freshmen with trained upperclassmen—juniors and seniors—who serve as mentors, guides, and positive role models throughout their entire first year. Kicking off with an energetic, student-led orientation, the program eases the transition from middle school by ensuring every freshman feels welcomed, supported, and connected to familiar peer faces from day one.

Beyond orientation, Link Crew strengthens our entire school culture throughout the year through regular peer mentoring, academic check-ins, and community-building activities. Incoming students gain the confidence and guidance needed to navigate high school both academically and socially, while upperclassmen develop essential leadership, empathy, and communication skills. By building meaningful connections across grade levels, Link Crew helps create a vibrant, inclusive, and caring environment where all of our students can thrive.

This is our second year with Link Crew and we continue to be excited about what the program brings to our school, the connections that it helps to create and the sense of belonging that our students feel by being a part of it. To learn a little bit more about the ‘why’ behind this program, we encourage you to watch this short video:

On Sunday, October 18th, HHS National Honor Society students Sylvia Johnson, Maxwell Smart, Kathryn Summarsell, and NHS Advisor and Social Studies teacher, Angela Conrad-Schlager, participated in the CHaD Hero 5K race in Hanover, NH. Our Team, Hurricane Honor, raised $1,122. Money raised goes directly to the Children's Hospital and Children's Health at Dartmouth. Many thanks to those who supported and made a financial contribution to our team!

There were 3,700 event participants and over $1 million was raised at this year's CHaD Hero race.

In the Eye of the Storm: October 26, 2026

Women Can Do brings together young women from across Vermont to explore high-wage, high-skill, non-traditional careers. While the vast majority of exhibitors across the Expo are adult industry professionals, HACTC students stepped forward as high school CTE students to prepare, lead, and run hands-on stations with remarkable maturity, skill, and poise.

Culinary Arts and Business Students attended Ski Career Exploration Day at Killington Resort. Students got an inside look at the careers that keep a mountain running - from learning how ski lifts work and checking out grooming equipment to exploring culinary careers and the food & beverage operations that serve thousands of guests. Students also had a chance to participate in mock interviews.

Medical Assisting and Phlebotomy students are doing lots of hands on clinical practice.

Students in Information Technology and Software Engineering are also getting lots of hands-on practice with fixing computers and coding.

HACTC Adult Education and HACTC Natural Resources team up on a project that integrates hydroponic growing into the high school CTE curriculum and provides new opportunities for adult learners too. Madeline Raynolds from Ferndean Farm wrote a grant through STRIVE: Science Technology Research Initiative for Vermont Economy for HACTC and was awarded $2500 for HACTC/Adult Ed to install a 4’x 6’ horizontal, hydroponic unit for growing lettuce and basil during the winter and for Adult Education to build hydroponics classes around. The food grown through this unit can be utilized by the culinary program at HACTC and the popular garden sale in the spring can have a head start thanks to this new system. Special thanks to Gropro who will design and install a system just for Natural Resources.

November 21st 10:00 - 12:30pm join us for our second annual evergreen wreath making class.

Design and build a beautiful wreath with a demonstration and expert advice from Jennifer Cummings of Full Circle Landscape in Falmouth Maine.

Adult Education at HACTC is proud to sponsor community classes like wreath making alongside our more technical programs such as Dental Assisting, Electrical 1, Dog Grooming, Welding, Intro to Law Enforcement and Licensed Nursing. Check out our website at www.hactc.com/adult-ed

Erin Masteller is a master! Intro to Welding at HACTC Adult Ed is one of our core classes. Everyone is welcome. Erin specializes in supporting students who have never welded. Within the first few hours you’ll be dropping the hood and trying your hand at stick welding and eventually MIG welding. We have two welding classes upcoming: Welding for Industry with Ben Lamontagne starting January 9th, Saturdays 8:30 - 2:30pm and Intro to Welding starting March 2nd with Erin T/Th evenings 5 - 7:30pm. www.hactc.com/adult-ed

Our first in-person Dental Assisting class is off to a great start. Fayann Bachand from Mascoma Dental is our awesome instructor and she has great students in her first cohort. Dental Assisting offers an online curriculum paired with in person instruction and the option for Dental Radiology certification as well. A new class will run next fall, 2027, registration will open this spring for next year's class.

Highlights from the HACTC: October 23, 2026

On October 23, The Wilder School had our Fall Festival, and what a wonderful day it was! Students had the opportunity to participate in different games and activities, such as donuts on a string, M&M and Airhead taste testing, Cookie Face, and many others. HPD came and did balloon animals, and we had students from the High School to come and run the different stations. It is events like these that are a great way to bring our school community together, and it was such a joy to see so many smiles, hear so much laughter, and watch out students enjoy the day.

Events like this take a lot of planning and teamwork, so I want to give a huge shout-out to our Programs Coordinator, Ralph, for all the hard work he put into making sure today was a success. Thank you, Ralph! I also want to extend a heartfelt thank-you to our community partners who joined us and helped make the day extra special for our students. We are grateful for your time, support, and partnership!

Below are some photos from this wonderful event.

The Weekly Update: October 27, 2026

Please see the latest Equity Updates in the October 2026 Equity Newsletter!

Equity is at the center of all that we do in the Hartford School District! This year, we will focus on how we can better create neuroaffirming spaces as we engage in professional development around neurodiversity and inclusion. We’ll also continue to implement restorative practices, uphold our equity policies, and stay curious!

Each week, you can read the Curiosity Corner in your school’s newsletter. This year, we will have quick blurbs and videos about diverse holidays and their significance to people here and around the world.

Each month, there will be a District Equity Newsletter highlighting the equity work that staff, students, and administrators are doing.

Members of the Hartford High School and Hartford Memorial Middle School BIPOC Affinity Groups attended the Free To Be Youth Day in Bethel, VT which brought students of color from all over Vermont to meet, be together, and celebrate diversity!

Applications are now open for the 2027–2028 Project SEARCH program at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. The applications are available on our website. If you have a student with an intellectual and/or developmental disability who is interested in pursuing competitive employment after high school, please encourage them to apply. The Project Search team would also be happy to arrange a time to meet with you to discuss the program, set up a tour and/or discuss whether Project SEARCH would be a good fit.

We are currently recruiting for the 2027–2028 school year, with two application deadlines:

• January 7, 2027
• February 17, 2027

Please reach out if you would like more information, have a student who may be interested, or would like to schedule a presentation or visit.

Objective: Remote webinar to learn about the 8 public transportation options throughout Vermont, for students who cannot drive, including a Power Point Slide Show to share.

Audience: Students, families and school staff are invited to attend.

Date: November 13, 2026, from 10am-10:30am

To Register: Contact Stephanie Bissonette for the Zoom link

Speakers:

• Eric Shaw, Certified Orientation & Mobility Specialist and Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments
• Stephanie Bissonette, Director of Children Services, Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments and Certified Orientation & Mobility Specialist

A link is here for your convenience!

Hartford Athletics

Jeff Moreno, CAA

Athletic Director

morenoj@hartfordschools.net

Boys soccer dropped the first game of the season (3-2 at North Country) then rolled to victory in their next 14 games. More impressive was that 10 of those 14 straight wins were by shutout! Even more impressive was that starting keeper Isaac Obar was relegated to the sideline after a season-ending injury and back-up keeper Max Smart stepped up and kept things rolling. The Canes won the SVL league title and earned the #1 seed in the D-II tournament, an accomplishment that hadn’t happened since 1993! They also tied the program record for wins with 14 (also accomplished in 1998 and 2013) and only 1998’s 14-1-2 squad had fewer losses. They hosted a semifinal in front of a large crowd at Maxfield on Wednesday but the defending champion Milton Yellowjackets had the answers as they defeated the Canes 3-1. This is only the 4th time in program history the Canes have hosted a semifinal (1993, 1998, 2024 were the other years). It was an historic season for the Canes boys soccer team!

Below: The 2026 Hurricane Boys Soccer Team

Sophomore Lucy Crowley had another impressive season for girls soccer. She provided a team leading 14 goals to go along with 5 assists including a pair of hat tricks (in the same week!!!) and a thrilling PK conversion in OT to propel the Canes to victory in a game at Brattleboro. Lucy commanded a lot of attention from the opposing defenses as they worked to double team her and limit her touches. The sophomore sensation will now turn her attention to the basketball court where she was a key member (as a freshman!) of the state title winning Hurricane girls hoop squad. Keep up the great work Lucy!

Winter sports are coming! Ice Hockey, Basketball, and Indoor Track are offered at HHS. Pre-season starts on November 30th. Please register on Infinite Campus (you can also register for your spring sport while you are there). The parent-coach-athlete orientation will take place on November 9th at 7:00. Enter through the H-Lobby and look for signs to direct you to your meeting location.

The HHS Musical is only a few weeks away! Best of luck to the students participating in the musical, especially those who have been juggling both a fall sport AND rehearsals for the musical. Impressive!!

Above: Aubree Gramling (‘30), Maria Chaput (‘29),
and Grace Hayes (‘27) protect the net against
U-32 in the title game last winter

Below: The boys ice hockey team puts the final touches on their gameplan before heading to the bench before a game last winter

There are currently 31 (known) Hurricanes competing at the next level. We love to keep track of our alumni who are competing in college (or beyond) and we use this document as well as a board in the Hanley Gymnasium lobby. Please check the list out and let us know if we have missed anyone. We update the board throughout the year and provide links so you can keep tabs on Hurricane stars from the recent past. Someday we hope to expand the project to include Hurricanes who competed in college (and beyond) throughout the school’s history. Feels like a great SCIP Project…

‘*for recently graduated college athletes you can stop by the Athletic Office to pick up your nameplate anytime (we hold them for you once you are done competing in college and they are taken off the board)

Art Rafus just completed his first year as our bass fishing coach. Art is a 200 graduate of Hartford High School where he excelled in football and track & field (he is STILL the school record holder in the 100m dash and therefore STILL the fastest Hurricane on record…). Art grew up in Hartland and became a journalist for Fly Fishing publications as well as a fly fishing guide and instructor before pursuing a career as an english teacher and special educator. Art taught at several schools around the Upper Valley before landing at HHS in 2016. He is an avid fisherman and jumped at the chance to lead the bass program when it was revived last year. The numbers were way up this year as Art delivered a fun and instructive program for the Hurricane fishermen. Art enjoys fishing (duh), hiking, camping, traveling, raising Labrador puppies, and spending time with his sons. He says “coaching the Hartford Bass team has given even more excuses to be out on our nation's sixth Great Lake: Lake Champlain.” Great to have you back at HHS Art!

Not all electric bikes are treated the same under Vermont law. The key difference is whether the vehicle has operable pedals and meets the state’s requirements for motor power and speed.

What is legal, and where?

• E-bikes: Bicycles with fully operable pedals and an electric motor under 750 watts that meet Vermont’s Class 1, 2, or 3 requirements. They may generally be ridden on public roads, bike lanes, and bicycle or multiuse paths where bicycles are allowed. Riders must follow applicable age and path restrictions.
• Electric dirt bikes: Models such as the Talaria Sting typically lack operable pedals and do not qualify as e-bikes. Off-road-only models cannot be ridden on public roads. They also cannot be ridden on public land or trails unless that use is specifically permitted. Check with the land manager before riding off-road.
• Street-legal motorcycles and motor-driven cycles: These must meet applicable equipment and safety standards and registration requirements. Operators must have the appropriate driver’s license; motorcycle operators generally need a motorcycle endorsement. Inspection and insurance requirements depend on the vehicle and applicable law.

Electric dirt bikes marketed as “road legal” are not necessarily street legal in Vermont. Off-road-only vehicles cannot be operated on public roadways or public property.

Parents and riders should check their vehicle’s classification and understand Vermont’s requirements before riding. When in doubt, contact the Vermont DMV or the Hartford Police Department.

While Keisha presented Stanford's You & Me, Together Vape-Free curriculum in HMMS health classes earlier this month, 6th grader Addi made a poster to spread what she learned. Thank you Addi for your participation and for helping your community live healthy!

For more information about Stanford REACH Lab, check out their Parent Corner.

The agenda for the meeting on November 4th will be warned at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting. To watch recordings of past meetings, please access this link.

If you would like to contact the school board, please access their page on our website. You can email the School Board at schoolboard@hartfordschools.net.

Here is the link to apply: www.gobeacon.com/careers

http://www.gobeacon.com/careers

To subscribe to be on our list of newsletter recipients, please access this link (the link is also on the front page of our website)!