Mary Hogan Family Newsletter
May 8, 2026
Dear Mary Hogan Families,
I have been thinking a lot about our our four core values: belonging, connection, growth, and respect. These aren't just words we say; they shape how we teach, how we treat each other, and how we build our community each day. When students feel like they truly belong here, amazing things happen.
This has been a busy and exciting week! I had a chance to share more about these values this week at our All School Meeting when I shared unveiled the Belonging Project. We had community time and students spent a lot of time learning outside, exploring and discovering with the world around them as their classroom. Keep reading to learn more about what's been happening!
💙, Jen
PS - It is a long one and I didn't even get it all in from the week. Check Instagram as I will be adding more photos from the week there this weekend!
Monday 5/11 - 4th & 5th graders go to Mario the Magician at Town Hall Theater
Tuesday 5/12 - Mrs. Bibb's class heads to the Marbleworks
Wednesday 5/13 - 🚲🏃🏻♂️Walk and Roll to School Day (for the Muddy Boot!) 🚌🛴
- Ms. Jessica's class goes to Crown Point
Thursday 5/14 - 2nd grade goes to the Marquis Theater
- MESA sponsored Faculty and Staff Appreciation Luncheon
- 6pm - MESA meeting in the Mary Hogan Library
Friday 5/15 - K & 1 go to see Cirque Us at the Town Hall Theater
- 2nd & 3rd grades go to see Show Up Kids at the Town Hall Theater
- 3rd grade goes on a bridge walk
- Kindergarten yoga class
Monday 5/18 - 3rd grade walks to the Boat House Bridge
Tuesday 5/19 - Field Day and School-wide BBQ
Wednesday 5/20 - Field Day rain date
Thursday 5/21 - 5th grade goes to the Montshire Museum
- Golden Dome Challenge
- 5.45-7pm - Celebration of Learning Night
Friday 5/22 - 4th grade goes to Dead Creek
- Kindergarten yoga class
- 3rd grade goes on a bridge walk
Monday 5/25 - No School
WALK AND ROLL DAY is on 5/13.
Please support your child in walking or rolling tomorrow to school.
If you normally drive your child, consider parking at the Memorial Sports Center, Shaws, or other nearby but far enough to walka bit more than normal. It will be a beautiful day, so encourage walking or walk with them this extra bit.
Muddy Boot Award Day. This means that the class with the highest percentage of students who walk and roll will win the Muddy Boot for their class!
Mary Hogan Recognized by Middlebury College
You may have seen in the ACSD email this week that Mary Hogan was recognized by Middlebury College as a great community partner. We won the Tiffany Nourse Sargent '79 Engaged Partnership Award.
The award recognizes our partnership with Middlebury College in many areas - from working with the football team to mentor our students to Cooking with NOM, from our work with the Middlebury College Knoll to hosting student teachers and far, far beyond. We are SO lucky that we get to partner with college students, professors, and staff to learn and grow together.
Paddle Skills
Kindergarteners are working on their paddle skills, just like the 1st graders. They are doing some more foundational work with a paddle and ball. They are thinking about not just the hand eye coordination but also how to move in space and stay still while still bouncing and balancing the ball. It is HARD work!
Belonging Project
We are so excited that the year long work by Kim Forbes, Laura Charron, and Katie Mitchell around belonging is coming to a conclusion with some beautiful mosaics coming soon to B wing. Kim, Laura, and Katie worked with the faculty and staff - and some students! - to capture moments of belonging at Mary Hogan.
These panels are made up of 100s of individual photos that have been taken this year and each grade is highlighted in one letter with some additional letters being for staff and other photos we have. The panels will go up in the coming weeks so more will be shared then.
In the meantime, thank you to ACEEF for funding the work and to everyone, especially Kim, Laura, and Katie for bringing this idea to fruition.
KEEC Week
Our 5th grade students went to KEEC (Keewaydin Environmental Education Center) this past week. They left Monday morning and returned happy, tired, and a bit dirty on Friday afternoon. During the week, they did a lot of reflection, writing, science, math, and history as they learned from the land right around Lake Dunmore.
The students were there with Salisbury Community School and got to know their future MUMS classmates as they learned, ate, laughed, and worked together. Students shared their learning on Thursday night at the final campfire, together with some hilarious and creative skits.
There was SO much growth, connection, and learning this week by all students. Here are some snapshots from the week (with more on Instagram soon!).
Farm to School - Past and Present
This week, 1st grade had an exciting adventure learning all about where milk comes from. They worked with folks from Shelburne Farms to discover all about dairy, make some butter, and more.
Then they went to Kayhart Farms, where they got to see real dairy equipment up close and learn how farmers do their jobs every single day. The most amazing part? They met a baby calf that was only one hour old — it had just been born!
This special field trip was part of our unit about the past and present and connects with our Farm to School Work, helping us understand how farming has changed over time and why it still matters today.
Rosemary Wells Visits Mary Hogan
Mary Hogan School had a very special guest this Friday — author Rosemary Wells! Wells has written over 120 books for children, including more than 40 featuring the beloved bunny siblings Max and Ruby. (See below for a photo with Rosemary with students!)
Our Kindergarten and 1st grade students were excited to meet her, listen to her share her work, and even books signed by her. This wonderful author visit was made possible thanks to the Vermont Book Shop. A huge thank you to Becky Dayton for helping make this memorable morning happen!
Kindergarten Leads All School Meeting
Kindergarteners took center stage at All School Meeting this week. These confident students showed what risk takers they are by singing to the whole school and getting everyone singing right along with them. They shared what they have been learning in class and were great communicators. They also had the entire school on their feet, moving and grooving to Danny Go! It was an energetic, joyful morning that reminded us all just how much our youngest learners bring to our community.
May Community Day
Our Community Day was a wonderful celebration of friendship and fun! Students spent quality time with their buddies, sharing laughs while playing games, reading books together, and making butterflies. Second graders had a special twist to their day — since their 5th grade buddies were away at KEEC, students from MUMS (including MH alumni!) came over to save the day, running exciting experiments and reading with them instead. This Community Day reminded us of those core values of belonging, connection, growth, and respect!
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