Mary Hogan Family News
October 30th, 2026
Hello Mary Hogan Families!
It is hard to believe we are at the end of October. The fall has been so full of energy and sunshine that we have been so lucky. That daylight shifts overnight this weekend as Day Light Savings time ends. Be sure to set your clocks back an hour!
We have some awesome events in November that we hope you are a part of. From Math Night (11/12) to MESA's Family Skate (11/8), we have events that will engage your whole family. If you and your kids love to be outside on a weekend, consider helping at our work day on 11/8, when we are working to build an outdoor classroom and trail on Mary Hogan land. Our school community is swift, smart, and strong. This is our time to celebrate that!
💙,
Jen
Save the Date for a Cozy Math Night - 11/12, 5.45-7pm
Please come to Math Night and enjoy a free Farm to School meal, featuring local products. It’s a chance to recognize every child’s effort and growth in math. When families explore math together, children feel more supported and confident. You can visit classrooms to play math games with your mathematician, view student work, and learn more about at-home resources.
Help Build Our Outdoor Classroom!
Mary Hogan School teachers have been working with Addison County River Watch Collaborative to create an outdoor classroom space on school property for environmental science education and an alternative classroom setting that encourages connection with the natural world. The site borders Barnes Brook, a small tributary of the Otter Creek, and a beautiful wetland. We have wildlife camera out there now. Here's one of the animals we found there.
Join River Watch for a volunteer work morning on November 8th, 10-12, to make the space come alive! Work tasks will include trail clearing and maintenance, pruning and clearing a main learning area, and painting signs for the space. Dress for the weather and bring work gloves and pruners if you have them. Volunteers of all ages are welcome and encouraged to come! We will meet at the bus circle in front of the school. Questions? Email anya@acrwc.org.
Lost and Found
Our lost and found is OVERFLOWING with sweatshirts and some coats. All of the items are located in our main entry way. Please come look for what may belong to your child. Any items still in lost and found at Thanksgiving Break will be donated to HOPE and/or Junebug.
The 5th graders have also been working to write a song for their class that reflects the story of their act in the Shakespeare play Romeo and Juliet. They will be performing the play in December and had a chance this week to work with Clint Bierman, of The Grift, to create the lyrics to the song. He will then take the words and draft a few options for the music and students will weigh in again. It was pretty cool to watch this creative process unfold this week.
4th Graders Learn from Senator Hardy
The 4th graders have been studying our government structures and the three branches of the federal and state governments. As part of this inquiry, they had a chance today to ask State Senator Ruth Hardy about the legislative process and how ideas become bills and then they turn into laws. They were really interested in how a bill she introduced came from talking with 8th graders in Addison County. Our students learned so much from her!
We were hoping to have more candidates for the senate seat come in but unfortunately others were too busy right before the election.
Snowplow Naming News
It is that time of year when schools are able to name the VTrans snowplows, and the kindergarteners love entering the Mary Hogan submission. Each kindergarten class chose a name and voted from these names:
- Icy Pumpkin
- Snowicorn
- Snowy Owl.
The winner was Snowicorn!! Snowy Owl is the alternate name. Stay tuned to know if we get to name a snow plow this year! (The photo is from 2 years ago when we named a plow Witch Hawk.)
