You 🦦 Know

12/11 - Winter Concert-All School-6:30 pm

12/15 - 2 Hour Delayed Start

12/19 DBS Circus Performance 1:00 PM

12/22-1/5/26-Winter Break - No School

1/19 - Inservice - No school

2/16 - 2 Hour delayed Start

Happy Friday!

Things are buzzing here at Dothan Brook! The last two weeks before winter break are always filled with joy, excitement, and a little bit of nervous energy. Our Otters have been working hard preparing for next week’s winter concert and creating beautifully decorated gingerbread houses for The Family Place’s 23rd Annual Gingerbread Festival. The whole office has smelled like freshly baked cookies and candy all week—yum!

As we head into the final stretch before break, the best way to help your Otter continue to thrive is to keep routines steady: plenty of sleep, a good breakfast (remember, breakfast is always available at school), and open communication with us if they are struggling. When we know what they need, we can support them in the very best ways while they’re here.

The success of our Otters is truly a team effort, and we are so grateful for each and every one of you. Thank you for being an essential part of our learning community.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend filled with fresh, crisp winter air. We can’t wait to see everyone next week!

Patrick Peters

Interim Principal

Dothan Brook School

Report Cards

First trimester report cards will be released to Infinite Campus on Friday, December 5th. Please log in to Infinite Campus to view your child report card.

Thank you for your generous donations of candy and decorating support! They look great! Go check out the DBS subdivision this weekend at Tracy Hall in Norwich from 10 am to 3Pm.

We’re excited to announce that from December 15–19, our school will be hosting a special Circus Arts Residency! Throughout the week, students will have the wonderful opportunity to work with Troy Wunderle from Wunderle’s Big Top Adventures. They’ll explore a variety of circus-inspired activities and skills, all leading up to a fantastic performance at the end of the week.

We warmly invite all members of our Otter Community to join us on Friday, December 19th, for the big show! The circus performance will begin at 1:00 PM and will wrap up around 2:30 PM.

We can’t wait to share this exciting celebration of creativity, teamwork, and fun!

The gym floor has just recently been refinished. To help keep it looking great all year long, Mr. Hewitt kindly asks that students wear or bring sneakers on their gym days. Thank you for helping us take good care of our refreshed gym space!

Author and illustrator, Matt Tavares is coming to DBS on Friday, December 12th.

If you'd like to pre-order a book from the Norwich Bookstore, and get it signed by the author, please note the online link as well as the order form.

https://www.norwichbookstore.com/community/matt-tavares-school-orders

Hartford Schools are partnering with the Upper Valley Haven to ensure that families have enough food for their families over the two week winter break in December. If your family needs food support for the winter break please let Patrick Peters know or reach out directly to Carrie Russell, District Social Worker, russellc@hartfordschools.net or 802-359-4769.

The Upper Valley Haven has many supports available for families who might be having food insecurity.

Updated Food Market Hours

The Haven’s Community Food Market now has updated hours:

Monday–Thursday: 10 am–5 pm

Friday: 10 am–3 pm

The Market closes daily from 1–1:30 pm for restocking.

Want to avoid morning crowds and long waits? Shop the Community Food Market after 1:30pm, when our foods are freshly restocked, and you’ll have a more relaxed experience.

LISTEN Community Dining Hall is located at 42 Maple St. White River Junction, VT. LISTEN’s hearty three-course community dinners are served in the dining hall and on a "to go" basis Monday - Friday between 4:30pm - 5:30pm.

The Vermont Food Bank site provides a list of other food shelves in our area along with hours of operation.

https://www.vtfoodbank.org/access-food/find-a-food-shelf/

In addition, we also offer Friday food bags. Please contact Mrs. Wood in the office @ dbsoffice@hartfordschools.net or fill out this form

This week, we are excited to shine our Spotlight on Ms. Michaela Eckler, one of our wonderful kindergarten teachers here at DBS! Ms. Michaela has been part of the Dothan Brook family for four years, and in that time she has brought joy, warmth, and creativity to our youngest learners.

When asked what she loves most about working at DBS, Ms. Michaela shared:
“I love being able to do what I love with colleagues that support and challenge me to be better at my craft. This community welcomed me with open arms and I will never forget it.”

Before joining us at Dothan Brook, Ms. Michaela spent three years teaching preschool and began her career immediately after graduating college. Outside of school, she’s an adventurer at heart—she loves reading, traveling, and makes it a goal to visit a new state or leave the country at least once a year. And if you ever need a board game partner, look no further! Ms. Michaela is always up for a game, anytime and anywhere.

We are incredibly fortunate to have Ms. Michaela as part of our Otter Community. Thank you for all you do!

We are pleased to offer the all school winter concert again. However, this event draws a large crowd. Parking is allowed across the road at King Arthur Flour. HPD will be available to assist with traffic control. We highly suggest car pooling if possible. Please also note, that there will be a bake sale to benefit the Drama club.

Week 13: Vermont Education Quality Standards (EQS)

Vermont’s Education Quality Standards (EQS) are a government rule authorized by the State Board of Education. They are a set of guidelines that establish learning and teaching values and provide direction to school districts as they develop curricula, choose learning materials, and design instructional and student well-being practices. They describe what a high-quality education should look like for students attending Vermont’s public schools.

The EQS was updated recently and implemented on July 1, 2025 to ensure that all Vermont students are afforded educational opportunities that are substantially equal in quality and are equitable, anti-racist, culturally responsive, anti-discriminatory, and inclusive, thus enabling each student to achieve or exceed the performance standards approved by the State Board of Education.

To achieve these ends, the Hartford School District is working towards an integrated curriculum that weaves together culturally responsive learning, trauma-informed education, social and emotional learning, proficiency-based learning, Universal Design for Learning, and restorative practices The Integrated Curriculum is what teaching and learning might look like when we start with educational equity at the center of the design process.

Dress for recess
Students have recess every day except in bad weather (rain or extreme cold). In the winter, students are expected to wear snow pants, winter hats, mittens/gloves, and boots. DBS does have a limited supply of extra winter gear that is accessible next to the recess doors. Any Student that has forgotten their winter gear will be given the option to borrow whatever is needed. If you need assistance obtaining winter gear, please contact the school nurse at Ext. 5106. Children who do not dress for the weather will have their recess privileges limited.