The Howler

Dear OQS Families,

This week, we have Walk-to-School Day on Wednesday, October 2. Remember to drop your students off at the Quechee Green between 7:45-8:00 if you self-transport. Bus riders will also be dropped off there. If your child has mobility limitations that we are not already aware of, please be sure to reach out to the school nurse beforehand, so we can make an alternate plan. All families are invited to stay for Community Coffee & Conversation with the principal and other school staff to learn more about the new Wolf Way.

The character strength we are focusing on next week is Courage: "I can be brave and make good choices in the face of fear (even if it might be scary). I can stand up for myself, others and what I believe in."

Have a great weekend,

Amelia Donahey

Principal

P.S. If you are trying to reach our school meals program, please contact Cheryl French in the main office, frenchc@hartfordschools.net. Note that emails sent to potwinp@hartfordschools.net are received by Pamela Potwin of the Wilder School, not by our Ms. Pam, who does a fabulous job in our kitchen. Ms. French communicates with her daily and will pass your messages along.

Ensuring students' safety online is increasingly important. That's why each year, our librarian, Ms. Amick, reviews the Acceptable Use Policy with students. Check out their summaries of key points below! You can find the full policy at https://hsdvt.com/news/78/70/Acceptable-Use-of-Technology/d,General.

Schools nationwide are not safe learning environments for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) students. It is incredibly common for LGBTQ+ students to be harassed or physically assaulted at school simply for being who they are.

According to a nationally representative sample of over 20,000 LGBTQ+ youth ages 13-21 from all 50 states, 68.0% of LGBTQ+ students feel unsafe at school because of their gender or sexual orientation. As an example, nearly all LGBTQ+ students reported hearing “gay” used in a negative way (e.g., “that’s so gay”) and heard the phrase “no homo” at school. The majority heard these phrases frequently or often, and almost everyone reported feeling distressed by this language.

Watch Lee Mokobe’s powerful 4-minute poem about what it feels like to be transgender.

Check out this 2-minute video from the perspective of a student with lived experience of what a hostile school environment is like, and what they envision an inclusive school to look like.

The good news is that LGBTQ+ students who feel safe and supported have better outcomes. This really is life or death—LGBTQ+ youth with affirming schools report lower rates of suicide attempts. Our goal is for the Hartford School District to be where students come—and stay—to feel safe and able to thrive because of who they are—not despite it.

To read more, click here.

As a reminder, Vermont's Department of Public Safety and the Agency of Education operate an anonymous school safety tip line for students, school staff and the community, available by calling 1-844-SAFE4VT; texting SAFE4VT to 274637; or online at safe4vt.org

You can still access previous issues of the Howler here: https://sites.google.com/hartfordschools.net/oqs-howler/september-22-2024