February 7, 2025

Dear Hartford School District Learning Community,

I hope you were able to stay safe and enjoy the weather event yesterday, and that the news of the school closure the night before allowed you to plan; I will continue to do my best to notify you all as soon as I can- I know that arranging for childcare and balancing work is a real challenge- thank you for your collaboration and support as we prioritize safety.

Speaking of support and safety, I would like to thank you all for combining your bright, positive energy into a veritable and bursting, beautiful display of warmth for those who feel most vulnerable right now.

Our ongoing collaboration and partnership with you all will continue to be critical as we come together as a community to ensure that all of our students feel welcome, safe and supported in their learning environment.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to us if you need anything.

Warmly,

Caty Sutton

Interim Superintendent

Hartford School District

suttonc@hartfordschools.net

PoemTown is an effort to celebrate National Poetry Month in April by showcasing poems written by folks in Vermont & the Upper Valley, hopefully with a large representation from our town!

Businesses and organizations in WRJ will have printed poems in their windows for the month of April and there will be associated events around town celebrating the creativity of our community.

This is the first year of PoemTown Hartford which is being spearheaded by the Quechee/Wilder Libraries. I am excited to make it a success! To do that, we need… poets and poems! It would be wonderful to have many poems from Hartford students across the district.

The link to submit poems is HERE, and the requirements are here - primary requirements are that the poems be original and no more than 28 lines including spaces! A parent/guardian/teacher email is required for all students 13 and under.

The deadline to submit is Saturday, March 8th

Here!

You Otter Know: February 5, 2025

Each year Finding Our Stride presents the Tara McGovern Excellence in Coaching Award award to honor the coaching staff of one New Hampshire and one Vermont team who have demonstrated excellence in their commitment to and advancement of the Finding Our Stride mission

Better World Day is an annual national event showcasing student learning that contributes to a better world. Students work in partnership with each other and their local communities on this day to engage in and celebrate meaningful student work that positively impacts the world around them. Students present learning projects and engage in acts of service, demonstrating the power of EL Education’s vision for public school: a place where children become great scholars and active citizens with the capacity to make a positive impact.

This year, Better World Day is Friday, May 2, 2025. Mark your calendar and stay tuned for an invitation to participate as an audience member, service workshop participant and/or event volunteer!

Our ski program is off to a fantastic start after our first two sessions for this year. Outdoor adventure is a powerful way for students to explore our Wolf Way character strengths of courage and perseverance. We see them taking appropriate risks, falling, getting up and trying again. What’s especially magical is seeing how these confidence-building lessons transfer to other areas of learning and life!

The Howler: February 2, 2025

Students in Mrs. Derosier's and Mrs. Carbino's 1/2 spent last Friday digging. After an EL Reading unit around Paleontology where students learned about tools of the trade, fossils, and learning about paleontologist Mary Anning; students spent an entire day using those tools to 'dig fossils', identify them, and read and learn even more about it. What better way to celebrate learning, then by learning (through play!)

A discussion about frogs is a part of the students' EL reading unit. Reading comprehension involves decoding words, of course, but to truly comprehend students need deep content knowledge and benefit from practice with their speaking and listening skills.

White River School: January 30, 2025

The progress our students have made is incredible, and I want to acknowledge both the dedication of our staff and the commitment of our students to our systems!

6th Grade:

• The number of students with urgent needs halved from 5th to 6th grade.

7th Grade:

• The number of students with urgent needs dropped from 29% to 8% from 6th to 7th grade.

• The number of students at grade level increased by 9%.

8th Grade:

• The number of students with urgent needs halved from 7th to 8th grade.

• The number of students at grade level increased by 6%.

Ezra has been selected by the Hartford Community Coalition to attend the National CADCA Conference on behalf of HMMS prevention!

As I’ve shared before, our students recently took a belonging survey where they answered questions about their experiences at HMMS. This gave us valuable insights into specific parts of their day where they may feel uncertain or less connected. One of the key areas that stood out was passing time.

In response, the belonging group, along with administration and our HHS intern Harper Fallon, have been working to better understand why students might feel this way and what we can do to improve. As a first step, they created advisory slides focusing on safe and respectful hallway etiquette. They also put together a fantastic video to share with students! Take a look!

Please use this link to access the HMMS Athletics page.

HMMS Newsletter: January 26, 2025

The first semester’s Exhibition Night provided many students the opportunity to share their learning through public exhibition. In addition to students from the Student-Created Independent Projects (SCIP) class, students from a variety of clubs and other classes participated. The presented projects offered a window into the many ways our students express their learning through their interests.

HHS transitioned to the second semester starting on Jan. 27th. All students completed their end-of-course culminating experiences and our staff assessed and reported first semester, final exams and projects grades and prepared for teaching new classes during a two day span.

Hartford students are looking forward to a half-day Winter Carnival which will take place after lunch on Friday, Feb. 14. There are a number of opportunities for students and staff to interact in fun and educational ways during this short Winter Carnival the day before the start of February break.

If you are looking for something to do to pass the winter nights, check out the athletic calendar on our website and visit our gym or the rink. If you are looking for something that takes you away from our campus, check out an indoor track meet.

• Feb. 14 Half-day Winter Carnival
• Feb. 17 - 21 Winter Break, no school

Hartford High Lites: February 7, 2025

Cosmetology has been bustling these last few months, serving many clients in the HACTC Salon. Students have also participated in more styling contests - "Whoville," where they styled a mannequin like a character from The Grinch, and their current project, "Love Is In the Hair." They've been spending time participating in FBLA work, focusing on teamwork, leadership, and career development.

Academically. level I students have continued learning and practicing upstyle techniques, long hair styling, and hair removal. Level II students are working through their final assessments in preparation to take their state board exams in May. They also have the opportunity to get more in-depth training in areas in which they'd like to specialize.

In IMW, level I students have been working on a variety of projects using the lathe, mill, and welding. They made personalized wall-mounted hat racks, standing lamps with scrollwork, and a chipping hammer with spiral handle.

In level II, students finished their table projects, used the CNC mill to create personalized wooden signs, and started learning about electrical circuits and panel installation. These students recently visited the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard to learn about career pathways.

Highlights from the HACTC: February 5, 2025

The Wilder School (TWS) does not believe in Groundhog Day but rather 'Hedgehog Day.' The latter being focused on the school pet/mascot and the former simply being focused on a woodchuck, of sorts, whose inaccuracy is widely and historically recorded 😊 . Winnie the hedgehog (owner is Roisin Viens) let the TWS students and staff know that there is still 6 more weeks of Winter. Ugh.

The Wilder School: February, 2025

Please enjoy the Equity Newsletter for January!

A link is here for your convenience!

Hartford Athletics

Jeff Moreno, CAA

Athletic Director

morenoj@hartfordschools.net

The basketball teams continue their recent success as both teams are ranked near the top of their respective divisions. The girls are 10-3 and ranked #6 in the state while the boys are 12-3 and ranked #2 in the state. They are both prepping for the playoffs with hopes of both reaching the Barre Auditorium in March (which has never happened in Hartford history…both teams making it to Barre in the same year). The recent success has made for packed crowds in Hanley Gymnasium. Hope to see you in the HHS gym cheering on our teams! *not to be outdone…the HHS JV teams have a combined record of 32-7 this winter!!! Good times for Hurricane basketball!!

Senior Nolan Morlock was named Vermont Athlete of the Week in early January for his incredible play for our boys ice hockey program. Nolan is the team captain, a prolific scorer, incredible passer and unselfish player, and amazing all-around kid! A very well deserved honor for Nolan!

Spring sports registration is open! Families may go on Infinite Campus to register for tennis, track & field, softball, baseball, Unified basketball, or lacrosse. Information and instructions can be found on the athletic webpage (https://hhsvt.com/athletics-2). Pre-season starts on March 17th (pitchers / catchers / Unified) or March 24th (everyone else). Plan ahead and register today! Please contact Burke Farrell (farrellb@hartfordschools.net) if you have any questions about your child’s physical.

Zoe Zanleoni scored 5 goals in the girls ice hockey team’s 9-2 victory over #2 seed Burr & Burton. The girls came alive in this pivotal game and were led by junior Zanleoni who scored a natural hat trick and then scored 2 more for an incredible night at Barwood Arena!

Karli Swensen is in her 2nd year as the assistant coach for the girls ice hockey team. “Coach Katniss” graduated from Lebanon and played at Plymouth State before coming to Hartford School District as an art teacher at HMMS. Karli is absolutely beloved by the players and was a key part of the 2024 championship team. Thanks for being a Hurricane, Coach Swensen!

Please join us!

HSD budget materials and resources can be found here!

Vermont Public Radio provides a good explanation of how Vermont schools are funded in THIS piece. The article and the video work well to bring clarity to a confusing system.