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With school underway, we've recently had a number of field trips as well as our fall Walk and Bike to School Day. Despite a cold morning we had a large biking and walking group including students, parents, staff, and our local police.

I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the 2nd grade trip to the North Hartland Lake Pavillion. The adults were a bit worried because it was an overcast day with rain forecasted. We shouldn't have been. The students had a glorious time even in the rain. One group played a camouflage game that involved running and hiding in the woods. A second group went on a nature walk and saw all kinds of wondrous things like tiny frogs and bright red leaves and purple berries. The third group created fall art projects. The day wouldn't have been possible without the organization by the teachers and the amazing parent volunteers. It was a reminder to all of us of the happiness of children in nature.

It was wonderful to have so many families at our Friday school sing! I do wish that the gym were large enough to comfortably hold all of the grades and their families. For those of you new to HSS, we do host a holiday sing for families and all grades in December. It's tight, but still a highlight for many families and students.

A few people mentioned that they appreciated the article that I summarized in the last newsletter. Here is the second article in the series on how to raise resilient children from the Atlantic magazine written by Russell Shaw. It discusses how to use your child's strengths as a way to motivate them when they hit a roadblock or are struggling with something.

The following two sentences resonated with me both as a parent of three children and as an educator. "Raising humans is an imperfect, iterative process. The current parenting landscape—which for many families is defined by an ever-present worry over achievement—can lead moms and dads to focus on what children lack rather than on where they excel." The article then explains a five step process of using strength based motivation.

As educators, we try to find, name, and use the strengths of each student to help them build confidence. I hope that this emphasis comes across during your parent teacher conferences held the end of October.

Hello,

In addition to soaking up every beautiful day that we've been having, I have been reading a set of articles from the Atlantic magazine written by Russell Shaw called Raising Resilient Children. The first article suggests that children are better able to navigate setbacks when their parents provide only gentle guidance and emotional support, but allow children autonomy to handle the setbacks on their own. This builds a sense of independence and competency for children.

In case you are curious and would like to read the entire article, here is a link to the first article and there is a subscribe button (It's free) if you are interested in receiving the rest of the articles.

And speaking of resilient children, please see the note below if your child is ready to be an independent walker/bus rider.

Enjoy the last week of official summer,

Leah Wheelan, Principal

It has been a wonderfully sweet start to the school year. Your children seemed happy to meet their new teachers and see old friends. Our dedicated staff worked hard to be ready for our students and to create warm, welcoming classrooms.

I hope that your children had time over the long weekend to recover from their first five-day week of the school year.

Between the amazing weather and the return of our students, I'm reminded of all the reasons that I love fall.

Hello,
We are so excited to have everyone back at school. Tuesday is our school orientation event followed by ice cream or popsicles on the playground. It's going to be very busy with probably 200 families moving throughout the building. Parking will be tight so plan a little extra time to find a spot and if you live close enough, consider walking or biking. I have added a lot of logistical information below to help keep everything running smoothly.

We will be at a table in the lobby with class lists and and will direct you to your child(ren)'s rooms if you need help. If you can't attend the event, I will send a link to all of the teachers' presentations.

Wednesday is the first day of school! If you haven't completed your child's registration or turned in their immunization records, please do that on Tuesday so they are able to attend the first day of school.

See you all soon.

Leah Wheelan, Principal

Hello,

Everyone should have received an email or through Alma, our student information system, with a welcome letter from me and from your child's teacher. You can also see your child's teacher's name in Alma. If you didn't receive this email, please let me know. We sent it earlier than planned due to an issue in Alma.

I also wanted to put a few dates on your calendar. Our Family Orientation/Ice Cream Social will be on Tuesday, Aug. 25th, at 1:30 if you have multiple children at HSS and at 2:00 if you only have one child here. And. . . the day that we've been waiting for, the first day of school is Wednesday, Aug. 26th!

Enjoy summer!

Leah Wheelan, Principal