February 5, 2026

Talent Show- Pi Day!

Your children should be bringing home sign up sheets for the talent show. THe show will once again be at the High School, but on a Saturday! Dress rehearsal will happen during the school day. In order to try out kids need to come to the office and do a little bit of their show for an adult. That's it! A great opportunity to practice being in front of crowds and it's a great event.

If you ahve never been, here is what you need to know. Families donate pies of all sorts. When we get together before the show we all buy the PI(es) to help raise fund for the PTA and our trip to Boston this year. After our community meal is finished we head into the auditorium and watch the talent show!!!

Full Bellies and Full hearts!

Boston T-Shirts

In winter we go on 6 whole school field trips for winter sports. But every three years we go to Boston as a whole school (well, minus PreK). We are getting excited to plan our trip. The next thing that needs to happen is deciding on our t-shirt design!!! Kids submit their designs and one get's choosen to be made into the t-shirt that all of us wear when we go (Makes it easy to find WRS people as well as being a cool suvenier).

In our weekly reviews I try to keep the information short and keyed on one or two improtant things. If there is something else you'd like as a reoccuring item/theme, or even something you wished we put in the rotation of Thursday Things, please let me know.

In Thursday Things-

• February Lunch Menus
• Talent show sign up and Pi(e)Donation flier
• Boston T-Shirt Design Contest

*** Late Start on February 16th--- No PreK***

Save the date for our annual Talent Show and Pi Day! March 14th! (See Fliers below)

Week 19: Using Community Circles

This week's Curiosity Corner is written by Dr. Melissa Wyman, a 15 year teacher in HSD who specializes in place and implementing place-based practices. To learn more about this work, please feel free to email her at wymanm@hartfordschools.net.

During the 2024–2025 academic year, I was honored to receive a fellowship grant from the Rowland Foundation, a Vermont-based organization that invests in educators to strengthen the climate and culture of Vermont schools. My fellowship project focused on expanding place-based education practices across all content areas in our building.

The grant provided funding for a long-term substitute, allowing me to spend the year deepening my understanding of place-based education. This included visiting and learning from educators across Vermont and the greater New England region who are actively engaged in this work. Throughout these visits, I paid close attention not only to what place-based learning looked like in practice, but also to the systems, structures, and routines—the “containers”—that made this work possible and sustainable.

Across nearly every setting I visited, one practice stood out: the use of circles. In classrooms, schools, and community-based learning spaces, circles were consistently used to support teaching and learning—and for good reason. Place-based education is inherently learner-centered. To be learner-centered means intentionally calling students into the learning process, creating spaces where they feel safe to connect, reflect, ask questions, and support one another.

Place-based learning also extends beyond classroom walls by using the community as part of the classroom. When learning happens in the field, students still need structured opportunities to make meaning of their experiences—to pause, reflect, share observations, and deepen understanding. Circles provide that structure. They act as a portable and flexible container that can travel with students wherever learning occurs.

Spaces become places when we center the human experience. Circles transform space into place by fostering connection, belonging, and thoughtful reflection. In this way, they serve as a powerful foundation for place-based learning—supporting both academic growth and the development of strong, connected learning communities.

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As we hear more and more about ICE entering schools across the United States, please take a few minutes to review our protocol for what to do when ICE comes to our schools. This is a two page cheat sheet of what to do with a link to the slideshow that you presented to your staff last year. It would be good to reshare and revisit it with staff, especially with front office staff and any new staff members. Let's be proactive and ready.