The Hiawatha Buzz!

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Dear families,

This will be our last newsletter before we head into Early Winter Break, and I hope everyone has a wonderful, restful time with family and friends.

To celebrate the great work our students and staff have done as part of our Positive Behavioral Intervention System, we will have a Comfy/Cozy Day with Stuffies on next Tuesday. Students are welcome to wear whatever feels comfortable or cozy to them. Participation is optional, and students unable to bring a stuffy are welcome to borrow one from the counselor’s office.

We wish all of our Hiawatha families a joyful, peaceful break and look forward to starting the new year together.

Warmly,
Kolby Snellenberger
Principal

December 24th - January 2, 2026 (Early Winter Break)- No School - Please plan accordingly

Coding and Robots in the Library

All students at Hiawatha have been learning about coding and sequencing through hands-on experiences with robots. Kindergarteners and first graders explored how to sequence commands using BeeBots—small, friendly robots with directional buttons on top. Using a large grid mat on the floor, students programmed their BeeBots to travel to specific squares, and they also learned how to “debug” their code when the robot didn’t follow the intended path. Perseverance and problem-solving were key skills as they worked like real programmers.

Second graders worked with Ozobots, discovering how to color-code directions on tracks they designed themselves. They experimented with different codes and found success using multiple commands.

Next, all students will dive deeper into sequencing through apps and online coding games. Kindergarteners will use the Kodable app, while first and second graders will work with Code Monkey Jr. and Rodo Codo.

Needless to say, library class has been especially exciting and engaging this December!

📬 Questions or Suggestions?

I’d love to hear from you!

Susie Snow
📧 ssnow@ewsd.org
📞 802-878-7734

Dear Hiawatha families,

If you haven't registered yet with PickUp Patrol, you can find the link to PickUp Patrol on our website by clicking on the Report an Absence tab on our Hiawatha homepage or send an email to hiawathaoffice@ewsd.org and ask for help. Please take a few minutes to set up your account so that we can accurately dismiss your child(ren).

*** If you need to make a change in your student's default plan in PickUp Patrol, please contact the front office at hiawathaoffice@ewsd.org. ***

PICK UP PATROL IS NOT TO USE TO SEND MESSAGES TO THE REC PROGRAM- PLEASE CONTACT THEM DIRECTLY.

PickUp Patrol is helping us communicate about a change in your student's attendance or change in their after school plan for that current day. You DO NOT need to put your student's after school plan into PickUp Patrol daily if there are no changes for that day.

Absence? Early Dismissal? Here’s the “How to”

After you select the day that you want to change to an Early Dismissal, you will see your child’s default dismissal plan for that day (Pick Up, Bus 10, etc.). Select that plan and you will be brought to another screen where you can choose from a drop down of options to change the dismissal plan including options for Absence or Early Dismissal (you might need to scroll up to see all of the options available). To choose "Absent", you must scroll up.

Does your child have an appointment midday? Looking for the late arrival option?

This option is available under Leave and Return or Late Arrival towards the bottom of the main screen. In addition to the late arrival option, the Leave and Return or Midday option is where families can enter timing for a child’s appointment that is part way through the day.

Did you know that your child’s absence can be entered ahead of time?

If you know your child will be absent or has an appointment for a future date, you can enter this into Pick Up Patrol at any time by selecting the date of the appointment or absence and updating the information as needed.

Reminder: After School Plan change cut off times

Any changes to an student's After School Plan must be done in PickUp Patrol by 1:30pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. The cut off time for Wednesdays is at 12:30pm. After those times, you must contact the Front Office by calling 802-878-1384 or email hiawathaoffice@ewsd.org

ALL plan changes should now be submitted through PickUp Patrol. When making changes, please do not send notes, emails, or call the office, except in an emergency.

The link to PickUp Patrol can now be found on our Home page of our website by clicking on the Report an Absence Tab

If you have any questions, please first check the PickUp Patrol Parent Guide & if you need additional assistance, contact our Front Office at 802-878-1384 or hiawathaoffice@ewsd.org

This is a reminder that during the winter months, please send your student to school with a hat, a pair of gloves or mittens, a coat, snow pants, and boots. Students go outside for recess unless the ‘feels like’ temperature is below zero degrees.

Also, please pack extra shoes for your student to wear inside the school building. Wearing wet snow boots is not only uncomfortable but makes for wet floors, which can lead to injury.

If you need assistance with obtaining winter coats, please contact me.

Thank you,

Reyna Maher, RN

rmaher@ewsd.org

802- 857-7740

Please click the link below to see the hot lunch menu, be sure to select the correct month you need and select lunch in the drop down in the top of the page. If needed, there is a print option. The menu can also be found on our website :-)

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