The Hiawatha Buzz!
February 14, 2020
Growing hearts and minds for a better today and tomorrow: every day, every way, every one.
Principal's Messages
Dear families,
I am so excited to share that we have raised $1,051.66 and counting for the Vermont Children's Hospital! A very special thank you to Mrs. Furniss and her third grade students for taking the lead on the Big Change Roundup. It is events like this that highlight the compassion, drive, and willingness to help others that makes our school such a special place.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's Day. Our day was definitely filled with lots of kindness and high energy!
Take great care,
Katherine
Upcoming Events
- Skating field trip day: February 19, 2020
- February Vacation: February 24, 2020 through March 3, 2020: NO SCHOOL, please plan accordingly
Grade K through 3 Skate Day at Essex Rink!
We would love to have as many parent volunteers as possible. (Please make sure you have completed the online application to become a volunteer located on our website under the For Families tab) An informational sheet was sent home to let you know the schedule of the day. Please take note of your child's skating time slot on the sheet. Please meet us at the Essex rink because the buses are at full capacity.
*** ALL STUDENTS MUST WEAR A BICYCLE, HOCKEY, OR SKIING HELMET TO ENSURE THEIR SAFETY WHILE SKATING! ***
Thank you for your cooperation and participation in this annual school event.
Sincerely,
Bryce Currier, P.E. Instructor
want to order some Hiawatha spiritwear?
You looking for some Hiawatha Spiritwear? The deadline to order some has been extended! If interested in Hiawatha Spiritwear, click the link below. If placing an order for your student, please be sure to put their name on the order.
Orders will be processed and delivered to the school for distribution 2-3 weeks after closing date. NEW DEADLINE is March 1st, 2020.
Musical Petting Zoo at Hiawatha a Success!
On Friday morning, January 31st, the Musical Petting Zoo from the Vermont Symphony Orchestra came to Hiawatha and was a wonderful opportunity for our students. They were able to play a variety of instruments and many of them were "naturals"!
A huge THANK YOU to our parent volunteers who made the morning a success - Nikki Mayhue, Wendee Pringle-Corcoron, Rebecca Herrin, Carolyn West, Wendy Mustafic, Jess Wisloski, Sarah Rogers-Spaulding, Carrie Drost, Ben Loscalzo and Anne Dodd. We could not have done it without you!
the flu: a guide for parents
K-12 Fine Arts Celebration
The K-12 celebration, "Celebrating our Creative Community" is taking place at the high school on Tuesday evening, March 17th, beginning at 5:30pm. This wonderful event features art, music, drama, and dance from our K-12 students. Artwork from our school will be on display, and some of our third grade students will be singing with other schools in our district.
We are asking for donations of nut-free, healthy snacks for the evening. If you are able to provide a snack, please drop it off at the high school guidance lobby by 5:00pm on the 17th.
Thank you!
Mini Milers Begins Soon!
Registration for K-3rd graders starts NEXT Friday 2/21
Volunteer Registration is OPEN NOW at https://runsignup.com/mmleader
Please be on the look out for more information in your email and Friday folders over the next few weeks. Key details are below. We hope you will join us!
This will be the fifth year that our K-3 students have the opportunity to enroll in this awesome program. Last year, we had 120 students join us. Mini-Milers is a youth program developed by RunVermont. The goal is to get kids excited about moving their bodies and learning about healthy lifestyles. School-Aged groups across Vermont will be participating. During this 10-week program, students will strive to complete a full marathon over the duration of the program. The best part is that all you need is a pair of sneakers.
Hiawatha's program will meet every Wednesday from April 1st to June 3rd right after school until 3:45 pm. Students, parent volunteers, and staff members will gather to walk/jog/run on our school campus. We have a community celebration on the last day of our program and we are planning our 3rd Annual Fun Run with Summit Street Elementary School in May.
We are still building our volunteer team this year. Please email me or call me if you are interested or have any questions! All of our parent and teacher volunteers do complete a background check with RunVT. Thank you to those who have already signed up!
Families that want to participate will need to register online at www.runvermont.org/youth/ready-set-run/ . If you do not have access to a computer, we will have paper forms available in the office. Registration officially opens on Friday, Feb. 21st. There is a $35.00 registration fee. The cost of the program pays for a mile tracker, a t-shirt, incentives as you run, a certificate and medal at the end of the ten weeks in addition to e-letters with activity ideas and citizenship challenges! Any student who wants to participate should not be deterred by the cost. There are scholarships available. RunVermont offers the Mini Milers program free of cost to any child that qualifies for free and reduced lunch at school. Please do not let the cost stop you from participating. We will make sure that any child that wants to participate can enroll. Contact Katherine Grykien directly at 878-1384 for scholarship information.
If your child participates in Village Kids, they are more than welcome to sign up. We are fortunate to be a part of such a great community. EJRP has always supported Mini Milers making it possible for all Village Kids to participate in our program and then return to their groups afterward. This includes Kindergarten students. We also recognize that the upcoming after-school enrichment program extends through Wed, April 8th. If your student wishes to do both, please know they can still register for mini-milers and choose to join us on April 15th.
This is a wonderful opportunity for our school community. I hope your child will join us! Student registration opens on Friday February 21st and volunteer registration is OPEN NOW!
I encourage you to take a minute and go sign up! You won't regret it.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at 802-338-7374.
Ready, Set, Run!
Allison Van Steensburg
PTO News
Here are some save the dates:
3/25/2020 - How to talk to kids about LGBQTIA+
4/16/2020 - Trauma-informed Parents: ACEs and How Can Kids Can be Resilient
3/30/2020 - 4/13/2020 –Square 1 Art Fundraiser
4/14/2020 – 5/5/2020 – Lake Monster Fundraiser
5/3/2020 - Glow Dance Party
6/19/2020 – Lake Monster Game
Looking for volunteers to help with the dance and teacher appreciation. If you would like to be on one or both of these committees, please email HiawathaPTO@ewsd.org
Thank you,
Nikki Mayhue
PTO President
Winter Outdoor Gear Reminder
During the winter months, please send your student to school with a hat, a pair of gloves or mittens, a coat, snow pants, and boots. If students do not have boots and snow pants, they will need to stay on paved areas of the playground during recess. This is done to keep them dry.
Also, please pack shoes for your student to wear inside the school building. Wearing wet snow boots is not only uncomfortable but makes for wet floors, which can lead to injury.
If you need assistance with obtaining winter gear, please contact me or Mrs. Grykien (kgrykien@ewsd.org).
Thank you,
Reyna Maher, RN
857-7740
Attendance & After School Plan Changes
Please be sure to contact Michelle by 8 AM if your child is going to miss school during the day.
You can call the Attendance line at 802-857-7007(for Attendance only), call Michelle at 802-878-1384, or email her at mailto:mmurphyertle@ewsd.org. You can also go to our website and use the Report an Absence tab on our Home page.
If you have a change in your child's after school plan on any given day, contact Michelle BEFORE 2:00 PM, and 1:00 PM on Tuesdays.
***When sending emails to a teacher regarding your student's attendance or a change in their after school plan, PLEASE include Michelle to the email in case the teacher doesn't have time to read your email or there is a sub...Michelle takes care of all attendance and after school plans for all teachers.***
Community Happenings
Brownell Library will be closed on Monday, February 17th in observance of Presidents' Day
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EJRP Summer Camp/Swim 2020 Registration Now Open!
We are excited to announce that our Summer Camps/Swim 2020 brochure is now open for registration for Essex (Essex Junction & Essex Town) Residents!
In this brochure you will find: Explorers Day Camp, Specialty Camps, Maple Street & Sand Hill Pool information, Swim lesson information, and more!
Please visit us at www.essexrec.org to view the full PDF and to enroll. Non-Essex registration will open on February 19th at noon.
For more information, please call us at 802-878-1376.
We look forward to seeing you this summer!
Sincerely,
Essex Parks & Recreation and Essex Junction Recreation & Parks
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19th Annual Winter Carnival
February 29, 2020
Join in for a fun day filled with music, performances, awesome winter activities inside and out, and more! Weather depending, there will also be snowshoeing and sledding. Enjoy this wonderful day with your family in celebration of winter!
Food and refreshments will be for sale.
Don’t forget to check out the Chili Cook-Off! For the third year in a row the Blue Star Mothers will run the cook-off. Sign up before February 25th.
For more info., click this link https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf-rcrAC6OW2L86-AN30LiiLt6KLflIqy5EE6WX7XsQuO3t5Q/viewform
Please help by in providing food to the local food pantry and bring a non-perishable food item.
The event will take place at A.D.Lawton Middle School this year.
For more info: www.ejrp.org | recreation@ccsuvt.org
Hiawatha Elementary School
Email: mmurphyertle@ewsd.org
Website: www.EWSD.org/HIA
Location: 30 Hiawatha Avenue, Essex Junction, VT, USA
Phone: 802-878-1384