Mary Hogan Family Newsletter

Dear Mary Hogan Families,

We had a great three day week of school to kick off the year. It was so good to see all of the students back here and I am still getting used to seeing them in their new classrooms and hallways! The students have been enjoying being together after the summer and this is particularly true out at recess where there has been a lot of laughter and principled play. In classes, students are learning the routines and getting started with this year's learning. I can't wait to see what the next 4 days bring!

Best,

Jen

PS - Please do not park at Tim's Garage at drop off or pick up. They have called and asked that we share this is not a parking site. You can always park at the Memorial Sports Center. It is a quick walk over!

Tuesday 8/26 - 9-10am - Student visits to Mary Hogan - Come see your new classroom and meet your teachers.

Wednesday 8/27 - First Day of School

Monday 9/1 - No School

Wednesday 9/3 - Walk and Roll to School Day! - see below

Wednesday 9/10 - 6pm - at MUMS - The Flynn presents The Playing Fields - Free!! - see below

Tuesday 9/16 - Picture Day

Thursday 9/18 - 6-7pm - Back to School Night

This free back to school celebration comes to ACSD from The Flynn Theater in Burlington. Schools around Vermont, including all of ACSD, have the chance to gather as a community for a joyful and inspiring performance on the school fields at MUMS.

Les Giraffes de la Compagnie de Off will be there to celebrate the start of the year with us. Check out more about them below.

We have some amazing school meals here at Mary Hogan! This week, students were pumped to be back in the cafeteria eating some local corn and other delicious main courses in their lunches.

ACSD Food Service Director Steve Marinelli is based at Mary Hogan and helped all students, especially the kindergarteners, learn the new routine and how to move through the lunch line. Lead Custodian and lunch room leader Chris Pratt reviewed lunch room expectations with all students as well to set things off

Kindergarteners came these first three days of school to Kindercamp. This was a chance for students to ease into the elementary school routine and for us to get to know them. Kindergarteners spent the days with different teachers and different groups of students. During this time, they did a lot of building, playing, learning, and exploring.

Recess has been a bright spot in everyone's day. Friends are reconnecting and finding new friends. And there is a lot of active play of games throughout each recess. We love getting kids out and about at recess.

Classes were learning how to play games and agreed upong game rules, so students know how to play the games that are open at recess. This helps set kids up for success at recess.

Please be sure your child has an extra set of clothes and gear for rain. We go out in the rain unless it is pouring - and sometimes even then!

All of our students start each day with a Morning Routine and Morning Meeting. This means that students come in and put their backpack and items away in a cubby/hook and then check in. The check in looks different with each grade but includes signing in and choosing lunch. Older students read a morning message from their teacher and answer questions together.

Morning Meeting is a chance for students to get to know one another, build community, have fun, and know what is coming next in the day. The meetings start with a greeting by name of everyone in the class community. Then, the class will do a share and activity. The meeting ends with reading the mornign message and looking at student asnwers together. Ask your child what their morning meetings are like!

Attending school is one of the most important factors in student learning and success! We want to work with you to make sure your child(ren) can get to school. Our 2025-26 Unexcused Absence Protocols focuses on unexcused absences and was created to meet our ACSD attendance policy, newly released AOE absence guidelines, and state law.

If your student begins to miss school, a member of our administrative team (Jen Kravitz, Stephen McKinney, Mike Dudek) will reach out to talk to you about how to help your student attend school.

Our goal is always to understand circumstances, provide help, and ensure that every child has the best chance to thrive in school. If you have issues that make it hard for your students to attend school, please reach out to your principal as soon as possible so we can support you.

Students in PE had a great time this week getting back into the routine of class. I saw students galloping, running, walking, skipping, running backwards and more as I peeked in on PE. Students were all smiling and having fun together.

Having proper foot wear in physical education is important for skill development and safety. On occasion, students may need to borrow a pair of sneakers. We are looking for gently used sneakers in a variety of kid sizes that will fit students in grades K - 5. These sneakers will be lent out for PE class and returned at the end of class. Please drop off donations to Cyndi Palmer or Stephanie Bull in the PE office next to the gym.

At ACSD, the safety and well-being of our students are at the center of everything we do. In addition to the proactive work we do to build supportive and caring school cultures, this year we are placing a special focus on staff training and reunification drills to ensure our schools and staff are prepared to respond effectively in the event of an emergency. Each of our schools follows a yearly training and drill schedule guided by state and national best practices, and our district and school-based safety teams work closely together to keep our Emergency Operations Plans up to date.

Families play a key role in school safety. Please visit our School Safety page to learn more about our approach, your role, and resources for talking with your child about safety.

We will be holding two safety drills (evacuation and options based) during the last two weeks of September and will be sending home information to families in advance of the drills so you will know:

• When the drills will be
• What happens in a drill and what your child can expect
• How to talk with your child about the drills

More information will be sent around mid-September, but please reach out if you have questions

Are you visiting our school buildings? Make sure you come to the school's main entrance and sign in! Visitors and volunteers can support and protect students and staff by signing in at the front office and wearing a clear visitor badge. Whether you just need to drop off a forgotten item to your student or you plan to volunteer in our schools, please follow your school's sign-in procedure: always sign in at the main office when you arrive and wear any visitor badge that they request. Thank you for working with us to let keep our buildings safe.

This awesome video features some of our current and former students to help you learn how to get to school. We hope these stars help you learn more about our routine in the morning. Remember to be Swift, Smart, and Strong in the morning at arrival!

Dismissal can be a busy time of the day at Mary Hogan so here is some information about how to do it in a swift, smart, and strong manner.

TIMING

• 2.55pm - Classroom teachers bring their classes to the car pick up location

• 3pm - Teachers walk their remaining students to the bus and Mary Johnson After School program, where they would say goodbye to students.

• 3.05pm - Buses depart Mary Hogan for MUMS and MUHS pick ups before starting their route.

HOW TO PICK UP STUDENTS walking in:

• Park at the Sports Center or North lot and walk over to meet.

• Kindergarten (red) and 3rd grades (green) will go directly out to the sidewalks by the cones with their color.

• 1st (orange), 2nd (yellow), 4th (blue), and 5th grades will stop on the blacktop next to a cone with their grade’s color and then go to their color cone along the sidewalks.

• These cones are by the basketball hoop on the blacktop.

• Only those people approved by the student's parent/guardian may pick up the child. If a person not on our list is picking up or someone out of the normal routine is picking up, please send in a note.

HOW TO PICK UP STUDENTS driving through:

• If a caregiver wants to pick up without getting out of the car, the car will get in one of two lanes along the A Wing of school. A staff member will ask the driver who they are picking up and the child will come over to the car.

• Only those people approved by the student's parent/guardian may pick up the child. If a person not on our list is picking up or someone out of the normal routine is picking up, please send in a note.

HOW STUDENTS GET ON THE BUS:

• A teacher will walk the bussers over to the bus they are going on.

• The students get on the bus and find their assigned seats. All students will have an assigned seat at the start of the school year.

• A staff member will wait on the bus with students and ensure they are buckled until the bus is ready to leave for the route.

We aim to create a developmentally appropriate learning environment with minimal distractions. Elementary school years are crucial for developing face-to-face communication and social skills, like listening, turn taking, asking questions, empathy, how to be a good friend, and more. Access to devices can interfere with these foundational social learning opportunities. The use of personal devices is restricted from 7:50AM to 3:00 PM (end of school day).

What Devices Are Included?

• Cell phones

• Tablets, gaming devices

• Bluetooth headphones (airpods, wireless earbuds, or similar)

• Smartwatches, fitness trackers that transmit texts or calls, and similar internet-enabled accessories

By restricting cell phone and personal electronic device use during the school day, we intend to:

• Enhance academic focus and engagement

• Support mental health and emotional well-being

• Foster strong communication skills between peers and student to adults

• Growth in student independence and responsibility

• Strengthen our school culture and community

To read more about our practices this year, click HERE.

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.