Hartford School District Newsletter

October 3, 2025

Dear Hartford School District Learning Community,

The school year is off to an exciting and joyful start!

As a District, we started the year at our convocation hearing from Dustin Liu, who serves as the Senior Associate Director of the NYU Stern Initiative on Purpose and Flourishing (IPF). His keynote was focused on "Cultivating Purpose in Learning," and he posed a critically important question for our consideration and reflection as educators: "In a world of rapid change and uncertainty, how can we help students connect learning to a deeper sense of purpose?"

Throughout the year, we will continue to focus on bringing our "Vision of a Graduate" to life in the district, with a focus on "Learn," which embodies the academic aspects of the vision, or the "R," "I," and "A" of the acronym.

Below and sprinkled throughout this newsletter, please enjoy a glimpse into this learning, which is a collective, communal endeavor and includes all of the stakeholders in our teaching and learning community.

We are so grateful to teach and learn and grow in a community that demonstrates its value in education in ways big and small.

Thank you for your support, and for the privilege of educating the young people who bring us all together in the spirit of curiosity, hope, and inspiration.

Warmly,

Caty Sutton

Superintendent

Hartford School District

suttonc@hartfordschools.net

Pursuant to H.454 (Act 73), the School District Redistricting Task Force was created to recommend new school district boundaries and configurations to the General Assembly.

As the article below indicates, "More maps will likely be proposed at the task force’s next meeting on Oct. 10. Graning, the co-chair, cautioned members that 'there will be many details that we can’t figure out in the next four meetings.'"

Want to get involved and provide crucial input into these decisions? Join the next meeting and provide public comment!

Next Meeting Details:

Date/Time: Friday, October 10, 2025, 9:30 AM - 3:30 PM

Location: Oxbow High School, 36 Oxbow Drive, Bradford, VT

Microsoft Teams Link - for attendees who would like to participate in public comment

Remaining Meeting Dates:

• October 10, 2025
• October 28, 2025
• November 10, 2025
• November 20, 2025

Please see the links below in the "Hartford Board of School Directors Information" section to see previous school board agendas and links to view the meetings, as this topic has been discussed on each agenda.

Below, you will see the latest article written on the topic, which articulates the most up-to-date news we received from the state, which is that the most recent testing and analysis indicates that all of the rooms that were recently vacated at the high school have all tested below what is called the "Immediate Action Level" (IAL) and may be used for safe occupancy and instruction.

We will continue to keep you updated; please reach out of you have any questions.

DBS started annual Fall "Walk and Ride" last Thursday, September 25. This event goes until October 30th. Students participate in walking or riding on the bike path every Thursday until the end of October.

DBS Otters earned their first school wide celebration for being CSR: (C)aring, (S)afe, and (R)esponsible! On Friday, September 26, students participated in a school wide recess. The students have been working really hard on demonstrating these important aspects of being a part of the "Otter" community!

"You Otter Know": October 3, 2025

OQS started the year by celebrating our Wolf Way character strengths with an assembly and "color day" for the first 6 Fridays of the year. Everyone showed great participation and enthusiasm in this, as you can see at the Respect-themed all school popsicle/recess/dance-party celebration, during the giving of the "High Paw" award at our Awareness assembly, and during the student skit showing Courage at last week's assembly.

We were very pleased with the work to correct a drainage issue behind the school. We hope that this improves health and safety within our building, and we appreciate the beautiful work the contractors did to protect our Leo’s Landing patio and to restore the “backyard” including the garden. The roof over the cafeteria was also completely redone this summer, and the fresh ceiling tiles inside have really brightened the space. Both of these projects were funded by the bond approved by the community, and we are grateful!

OQS teachers & staff began the year with a field trip to Billings Farm. We began the day in circle, creating relationships and intentions, just as our students do through Den Meetings & Restorative Practices. Then we went out on some adventures, to set the scene for bringing even more expeditions into student learning. Afterward, we created maps of where we had travelled and used that process to launch our long-term goal of mapping our PK-5th grade curriculum. We hope to do this work in conjunction with other HSD schools, so we can have a coherent and connected (yet uniquely OQS!) experience that prepares all our learners for middle school and beyond.

OQS teachers and HSD administrators participated in our regular instructional walkthroughs on September 30. This is an important way that we build a common understanding of teaching practices across the building, and our observations inform priority areas for faculty professional learning. We have established and refined this routine over the past 5 years through our partnership with EL Education.

(Pictured below is the morning group: Lauren Giampietro, 2nd grade; Sarah Hisman, Director of Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment; Julia Lau, Equity Coordinator; and Krista Mock, Assistant Director of Special Education.)

This time around, we saw English Language Arts module lessons, Additional Language & Literacy (ALL Block), math lessons, math menu, center time, circle debriefs, P.E., library and environmental enrichment, with a total of 12 classrooms representing 6 out of our 7 grade levels! Each visit is just 7 minutes, and we look for particular teaching & learning indicators. Our data showed that we are continuing to improve in all areas (see the graph below), and all of the "walkers" were so impressed with our students and colleagues!

Here are some highlights:

Learning Targets:

• Teachers foreshadowed long-term targets, by telling students what they would become “experts” in this year

• Academic vocabulary essential to the learning target was used consistently throughout lessons/discussions

• Students could explain what they were learning

• Wolf Way character strength visuals are posted prominently in learning spaces

Checks for Understanding:

• Teachers closely monitoring student responses

• Evidence that lessons had been planned to build upon learning and any misconceptions from previous days

• Students supported each other in multiple ways, for example re-reading something to them, clarifying directions, showing the class how to do a math game, etc.

• Teachers affirmed what was partially correct in a response and built upon that to address misconceptions

Student Discourse:

• Student contributions are welcomed and sought out

• Teachers co-create visuals with students, for example recording calendar dates

• In centers, students independently managed parallel and collaborative play, and they were able to work through problems

• In whole group discussions, teachers often referred to a prior student’s comments, creating opportunities to build upon contributions.

Culture of Grappling:

• Teachers modeled and made learning visible using a variety of strategies (visual, kinesthetic, auditory, etc.)

• Lots of versions of, “Tell me more,” or questions to invite students to say more about their thinking

• Students relied upon one another and helped each other’s learning

• Overall culture throughout the building of the teacher as the facilitator of learning, rather than the authoritarian or the “knower of knowledge”

Universal Behavior Supports:

• Integrating Wolf Way character strengths into specific praise and positively-stated redirections

• Every classroom we visited had a calming space, and we saw students using them appropriately.

• Students reentering the room were seamlessly, warmly reintegrated

• Strong, positive individual connections among teachers and students

• Teachers accepted students as they were in the moment and responded to their needs, for example adjusting to allow a student to sit next to them or giving them a helper job

• Belonging is happening here!

• Students were willing to ask each other for help and to help each other

The Howler: October 3, 2025

To combat digital overload, WRS has begun "Thursday Things" folders. Each week on Thursday, students take home folders with a cycle of content. The 1st of the month is for progress reports, the 2nd is for the next month's calendar of events, the 3rd is for PTA fliers and events, and the 4th is for our “Ask Blue” advice column and lunch menus.

During the late start Monday; WRS staff had the chance to dig into our year-long exploration of Functional Skills. In particular, we looked at our Executive Functioning Trajectory with our new classes/caseloads in mind to begin thinking through how we might teach, support, and grow proficiencies with these skills. With all of our Road Maps (trajectories) we learn what children have mastered, and work to grow their skills from there.

Weekly Review: October 2, 2025

At Hartford Memorial Middle School, belonging continues to be a schoolwide priority. One way we are supporting this goal is by focusing on our advisory program, which plays an important role in helping students feel connected and supported.

With support from the district, HMMS has also launched a new process for welcoming students who join us mid-year and could become part of all transitions. This approach gives us time to learn more about each student, slows down their transition, and helps to ensure they feel comfortable, prepared, and cared for. It also provides our staff with important academic and social-emotional information so they can offer the best possible support.

Our full staff spent our first delayed start morning identifying what our Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) look like in our classroom and spaces. MTSS is a big acronym that represents all that a school has to offer every student. In other words, MTSS is the layers of full group instruction, small group times, and individual experiences that HMMS can offer to meet every student where they are and customize the learning experience for groups and individuals. We believe there is always more we can do at the classroom level to meet the needs and appetites of all learners, and we know that some students’ needs shift or grow, so we must be flexible. Being flexible means adults have to keep learning and shifting too.

Please use this link to access the HMMS Athletics page.

HMMS Newsletter: September 28, 2025

The Growth Mindset for Learning, a team taught ELA and PE class, visited the White River School and spent time with the Kindergarten classes

The first All-School Meeting was held last week and was a success as our students and staff had fun together as our students learned interesting facts about their teachers.

The National Honors Society at Hartford High is proud to fundraise for and participate in the annual Children's Hospital at Dartmouth Hero Race each year.

The event is taking place this year at the Dartmouth Green on October 19th, and the NHS team will be titled "Hurricane Honor!"

Please join them in participating and in cheering them on for a wonderful cause!

• Week of Oct. 6 - 10 Homecoming week
• Oct. 9 Homecoming dance
• Oct. 10 Fireworks are cancelled due to the dryness in the state of Vermont
• Oct. 7 PSAT / NMSQT testing
• Oct. 8 St. Michael’s College - College Fair

Hartford High Lites: September 19, 2025

HACTC students will be presenting at next week’s "Women Can Do" Exhibition Day. These students practiced their demonstrations this week.

• Introduction to Welding starts 10/14/2025
• T/Th for 8 classes 4:30-7:00pm

• Microsoft Excel for Intermediate Users starts 11/4/2025
• T/Th for 5 classes (not including Veteran's Day)

• The Art of Fall Cooking with Chef Jessica Williams 11/8/2025
• Learn, cook, have fun, eat, enjoy! A one day enrichment class.
• No experience necessary.

• Electrical Code Update Class for Electricians 2/28 & 3/1 2026
• Two full days

• Licensed Nursing Assistant Spring 2026 starts March 3, 2026
• T/Th/Saturday through 4/25/26

REGISTER TODAY - HACTC Adult Education Website

Scholarships & Free Tuition Opportunities

• Scholarships for Vermont Residents. - contact Stacey King @king@vsac.org
• NH Charitable Foundation for Hartford Graduates. - contact Jessica Kierstead @jek@nhcf.org

Please reach out if you have any questions. We are happy to help.

Thank you for sharing this information with your family, friends, and coworkers! We are excited to grow our Adult Education Programs and you are a vital part of that mission.

We just launched our own FB and Instagram page so check us out @ follow to get real-time announcements and be the first to know:

HACTC Adult Education FB Page.

HACTC Adult Ed Instagram

Dr. Madeline Raynolds is on a mission to provide our local communities with fresh produce, herbs and edible flowers through this innovative system of large container growing. Raynolds can produce 990 heads of lettuce in just four to six weeks and is excited to share her new adventure. Jennifer Opalinski, Director of Adult Education at the HACTC is working with Madeline and hydroponic design expert Matt Denton to bring a “Build Your Own” Hydroponics class to HACTC Adult Ed. The course is in the design phase with the goal of a spring 2026 launch. Stay connected with all the cool happenings in Adult Ed at hactc.com/Adult-ed and click “connect with us” to receive timely news about our programs.

HACTC Adult Ed, Vermont Rural Water and the Hartford Town Manager and Public Works Director strategize opportunities for courses, training and apprenticeship programs that will fuel the pipeline for municipal careers. Hartford like many other communities is facing a shortage of employees as valuable, highly skilled and competent long-term employees head into retirement. The time to train and mentor the next generation is now.

Dear TWS Teaching and Learning Community,

As many of you may have heard, we are thrilled to announce that the next school leader at The Wilder School, Mr. Christopher Hopkins, will be joining the school community to begin his work as Head of School this coming Wednesday, October 1st!

Mr. Hopkins brings a wealth of comprehensive education and leadership experience to the role, having served in a diverse collection of schools throughout the last three decades, including spending eleven years in education in rural Maine as Head of School and in inner city Springfield, Massachusetts.

Throughout his time in education to date, in addition to the variety of administrative roles he has held, Mr. Hopkins was also an English educator who taught at all grade levels throughout the United States, England, and Botswana, and most recently served in a leadership role for two years in a program that prepared young ASD/ADHD adults for success in navigating postsecondary educational opportunities, career opportunities, and in social and independent living.

In addition to his vast experience and commitment to education, Mr. Hopkins has also been a hockey and a lacrosse coach, and is an amateur naturalist who enjoys sharing his passion for the flora and fauna of the outdoors with others.

"I feel very fortunate to have been selected by the Search Committee to serve as the next Head of School at The Wilder School. From the moment I spoke about the opportunity with Dr. Slammon several months ago, to my last visit when school was in session, it has been clear to me that the staff and teachers at TWS are an extraordinarily talented, dedicated group of people. The administrators within the Hartford School District have also been extremely welcoming and helpful as I prepare to begin my service at TWS on October 1."

Please join us in warmly welcoming Mr. Hopkins to the TWS and HSD communities!!

Caty Sutton, HSD Superintendent

Dr. Bill Slammon, HSD Clinical Director

*Link to register is here, but can also be accessed by clicking the image above.

Please see the latest Equity Updates in this newsletter!

A link is here for your convenience!

Hartford Athletics

Jeff Moreno, CAA

Athletic Director

morenoj@hartfordschools.net

The Hurricane golf team captured the 2025 SVL league title at an 18 hole match at Woodstock Country Club on September 23rd. This is the 12th league title for the golf program (1992, 1993, 1994, 1998, 2009, 2017(spring), 2017 (fall), 2018, 2019, 2020, 2023, 2025). Coach Erin Stevens continues to do an incredible job building and rebuilding the program and keeping the team competitive despite heavy graduation losses each year. Word is the HMMS program is in great shape with another group of solid golfers headed to HHS soon. Great job Hurricanes!

Sophomore Isaac Obar has backended the boys soccer defense to the tune of 5 consecutive shutouts! There’s no clear history on this acheivement…but suffice it to say that this must be a school record (or darn close!) for goalkeepers (of any sport) at HHS. Great job boys soccer defense and especially to Isaac Obar! Wow!!

The Homecoming Celebration is scheduled for the week of October 6th! Four Hartford state championship teams will be honored at halftime of that game (1990 football - 35th anniversary | 1995 field hockey - 30th anniversary | 2000 field hockey - 25th anniversary | 2010 football - 15th anniversary). We look forward to welcoming back our alumni and celebrating our great community. Hope to see you during homecoming week!

[UPDATE: Due to the ongoing severe drought there is a ban on all open burning / outdoor fires and HHS will not be hosting a fireworks display at Homecoming]

Fall sports participation numbers are strong! There are 253 Hurricanes on rosters this fall! 47% of our male population and 51% of our female population are playing a fall sport. Very proud of these Hurricanes for making the commitment to join a team and contribute to their school community. Well done!

Janet Potter has been instrumental in bringing Bass Fishing back to HHS. She is serving as the volunteer GM for the bass program and handles all of the behind the scenes ‘stuff’ to make sure our bass team is ready to get those lunkers at their events this fall.

Janet is a 1998 graduate of Hartford High School where she played field hockey (4x state champion!), was a goalie on the ice hockey team, and also participated in alpine ski, softball, track 7 field, and was on Hartford’s first-ever lacrosse team. Coach Potter attended Hawaii Pacific University 1998-2000 (pre-med); Johnson State College 2000-2003 (BA Psychology, Minor-Non-Profit Management); Antioch University 2004-6 (MA, Marriage & Family Therapy).

Since 2019 she has been employed as the Student Assistance Provider (SAP) at HSD and sits on Vermont Substance Misuse & Prevention Council. She is married to the Bass Fishing Coach, Andrew Potter, who was a helper for the football state championship run in the early 90s and an avid lover of the swirl. A huge thank you to Coach Potter for doing all the legwork to get bass fishing back!

If you would like to contact the school board, please access their page on our website.

To watch recordings of past meetings, including our last special meeting on July 30, please access this link.

We also created a new email address that will allow you to send one email that will go to all five board members (thank you again, to Eric Christie!):

To reach all members of the school board collectively, email schoolboard@hartfordschools.net

The Hartford School District is looking for a second shift custodian.

Full time benefits eligible position available at Hartford High School starting at $20.hr.

We welcome applicants who want to contribute to our educational community by ensuring a clean, safe environment for our students and staff.

For more information please contact Jonathan Garthwaite, Director of Facilities, at 802-359-4610 or garthwaitej@hartfordschools.net.

Here is the link to apply: www.gobeacon.com/careers

http://www.gobeacon.com/careers

A big thank you to Eric Christie, HSD Director of Technology, for figuring out how individuals can subscribe to the HSD Newsletter!

To subscribe to be on our list of newsletter recipients, please access this link (the link is also on the front page of our website)!