Mary Hogan Family Newsletter

Dear Mary Hogan Families,

We had a great week of spring - with all the various spring weather - and we still were out biking nearly every day thanks to our bike trailer and the many awesome volunteers. The transformation in a short time of kids' biking abilities is always amazing to watch. So many students started the week not being bike riders and ended the week comfortable on a balance bike and some pedaling with proficiency! Way to be!

I can't wait to see what next week brings!

💙, Jen

Sunday 4/12 - 1-3.30 - MESA sponsored First Aid and CPR (sign up HERE)

Monday 4/13 - Anything but a backpack spirit day, Biking unit continues,

• 5.30 - Cooking with NOM (sign up HERE before Sunday)

Tuesday 4/14 - Tie Dye Tuesday

Wednesday 4/15 - Wacky Wednesday, 2nd grade to Mahaney Art Center

Thursday 4/16 - Class colors - see below

Friday 4/17 - Dress like a tourist

Monday 4/20-Friday 4/24 - April Break!

Thursday 4/30 - 9-10.30 - 5th grade exhibition

Join us over Zoom to cook an extra fun meal with April's Harvest of the Month: Whole Grain!

When: Monday, April 13th, 5 pm

Where: The Zoom Link will be sent to your email prior to the cooking session

Extra local, extra fresh!

We will be making Vermont ABC (apple, bacon, cheddar) pizzas and a fresh side salad with ingredients from local farmers purchased through ACORN. We will use premade whole wheat dough from the co-op.

SIGN UP HERE!

The April Reading Challenge is to explore poetry!

Students should read at least 5-10 poems from different poetry collections and then write a poem of their own. The other option is to read one novel in verse and fill out a response to it. We can't wait to see the poems that our students create!

As part of our ongoing commitment to student safety and well-being, our school counselors will be teaching the Second Step Child Protection Unit in classrooms. These age-appropriate lessons focus on personal safety, understanding safe and unsafe touch, and helping students learn how to seek help in uncomfortable or unsafe situations. This learning aligns with Vermont’s Act 1 requirements for child abuse prevention education. Please take a moment to review the full family letter for more information about this important unit: CPU Letter

Our Jr. Iron Chef team from Mary Hogan - the Gourmet Hawks - were invited to the State House in Montpelier to celebrate the awesome work they did in the Jr. Iron Chef competition. As award winners, they joined other winning teams as a resolution was read celerbating their great work. They also had a chance to meet Rep Robin Scheu and Sen. Ruth Hardy! They had a TON of fun.

Our biking unit helps all of our students learn how to bike as well as the rules of the road. Here are some questions to ask your children:

• What do you need to check before you start riding?
• What do you need to be sure to wear when you bike?
• How do you signal that you are changing direction or turning when you are biking?
• How do you stay balanced when you go over bumps or around cones on your bike?

This past week we had a fun spirit week among the staff. You may have seen us dressed a bit differently than normal - some days we had rain suits or vines on, other days we were back in the past. It was all part of a secret spirit week that kicked off on Monday with us dressing like Mr. Stephen to celebrate him. It was great fun. I wonder if you children noticed!

This week, some teams had a great opportunity to be students themselves and learn from Mary Abele-Austin. Teachers worked with Mary to look at evidence of student learning in student work and then plan how they could improve student's learning in a next lesson. The depth of thinking required of the teachers was incredible - and they were amazingly reflective, collaborative, and thoughtful.

On Friday, they put their learning to work with students. Students not only made the connections with the student samples but they also had such deep mathematical conversations about what their thinking was, how they chose the strategy, and could answer a lot of questions from adults. They rocked it. It was amazing to see this quick and intensive teacher learning translate so quickly into student learning.

MESA is excited to host a free CPR, AED, and First Aid class for Mary Hogan families. Join us to learn important life-saving skills in a supportive, hands-on environment with Mary Hogan community members, Josh and Meghan Dishaw leading the training.

Location: Mary Hogan Elementary School Gym

Date: Sunday, April 12

Time: 1:00–3:30 PM

Cost: Free. If you would like a CPR certification card, they will be available for $5.

Ages: Participants must be 10 years or older and participate with an adult.

Sign-up is required to ensure there is enough space and training equipment available for everyone. CPR AED First Aid signup

Have fun this Saturday (4/11) at Middlebury College at a number of events (info below):

• 11am - Athletes celebrate the Week of the Young Child with families
• 11-12 - Squash clinich for students grades 3 and up
• 1-4pm - Family Day at the Museum

We are so grateful to our family and community volunteers! If you plan to volunteer for an event or activity this year, now is a great time to apply or make sure your paperwork is up-to-date!

• Learn more about the volunteer process here.
• Check in with your front office if you've volunteered in the past to make your paperwork is up to date.
• Fill out this form if you've never volunteered before and plan to this year.

Want to know more about the Volunteer Process? Check out more information HERE.