Mary Hogan Family Newsletter
January 10, 2025
Dear Mary Hogan Families,
This week was a full and chilly week at school! We are Vermonters so we were outside for recess all but one day that was below zero. Please keep sending in those warm clothes for students!
There were 2 highlights of the week from my end:
- On Thursday, every student at Mary Hogan got a personal note from a teacher or staff member. This is a joyful practice that we wanted to do at the start of the New Year to remind students how we see and value each of them as well as how they belong here at Mary Hogan. Some students were so excited by their note that they wrote a note in return to the adult who wrote to them 💙! If you haven't seen your child(ren)'s note, ask them about it!
- On Tuesday, we were notified that Mary Hogan was awarded a $20,000 grant for Farm to School capacity building. This is a huge grant relatively speaking for Farm to School grants from the Agency of Agriculture. It will help us with infrastructure to support farm to school work as well as positively impact our farm to school systems and you! More news to come, but you and your children will have more time in the garden, cooking classes, and more! Many thanks to Dana Bibb, Megan Brakeley, Steve Marinelli, MESA, Middlebury College, the Coop, and ACORN for supporting the grant writing in many ways!
What a great way to start the new year with good news, joy, and connection!
💙, Jen
The folks from VINS came to Mary Hogan this week and met with the 1st graders. They were treated to a lesson about raptors and their adaptations to help them be successful in hunting and living. The students met some hawks and an owl. They also got to touch some wings and feet from raptors who had died. They were a respectful of the bird who came and were so interested in all the new ideas and information they learned.
Some of Miss Kim's students were really thinking about their blocks on Monday. They were building physical towers, and they were thinking about what was on the blocks - numbers, Korean characters (and how to say them), animals, and more. They were sharing blocks and seeing how high their tower could be. It was a beautiful moment of play.
It was a chilly week at recess this week, with temperatures in the single digits with the wind. Most students were a little chilly on Monday but had warmer clothes for the rest of the week. They found ways to enjoy the January Vermont weather and each other's company - on the field, blacktop, Hawk Zone - and in little hidey holes to avoid the wind :).
Volunteer to be a Girls on the Run coach for Mary Hogan School this spring! With caring coaches who mentor and motivate, all girls can reach new heights. Our curriculum inspires all participants to say “I, Can!” to every obstacle that comes their way. Team members build confidence to overcome difficult situations, inspire others to keep going when it’s hard, and embrace their confidence to make a difference in their community. A leader like you!
Not a runner? Haven’t coached before? No problem! Girls on the Run VT (GOTRVT) provides training, easy to follow lesson plans, supplies and support for a transformational season. Our season begins the week of March 17, 2025 and ends with a celebratory 5K on Saturday, May 31st. Over the 10 week season our team will meet twice weekly for 90 minute sessions to connect, move, learn and have FUN!
Visit gotrvt.org/coach to learn more or sign up to volunteer. Questions? Contact GOTRVT at stephanie@girlsontherunvermont.org or 802-871-5664.
