It has now been four full years since Hilltop moved to the hilltop. That move completed a 30 year migration from Main Street to the Austine School and finally here. And just when the dust had settled, we took on another substantial project with the Arts Barn. Somehow, I get the feeling that our community will remain in a constant state of motion.

Thankfully there is a strategic plan in place to guide the direction of the organization. And there is a proposal to create a campus master plan. Would you like to take part in guiding the growth and care of our land and buildings?

My name is Adam Hubbard, parent of 7th grader Ethan Hubbard. I will be leading the re-establishment of the Building and Grounds Committee. The goal of the committee will be to  1) Reach out to students, faculty, staff and parents for input and ideas about the campus, 2) Assist the Board of Directors with campus decision making, and 3) Develop and implement the Campus Master Plan.

Additionally the committee might prioritize projects, assist with fundraising efforts and help organize work parties.

If you are interested in getting involved, please contact me by phone, email or even in person. [email protected] or 802-380-5875

• Many people suggested online conference scheduling. We've already started looking into how to make that happen in the future.
• Twenty people liked the idea of a coffee chat before All School Gathering and a few noted that they were not aware that parents were welcome for All School Gathering, SO... 

• Childcare/Enrichment activities for the conference days: There wasn't enough potential participation in the Irish Dance for the Friday conference day to make it worth the expense. There was a need expressed for care during these kind of days with no school. In the future, with the barn space available and more advance scheduling, planning, and notice time, we would like to provide more choices and opportunities for care and enrichment. Though it did not make sense to pull off Irish Dancing this time, instead we will offer the following

1. Free Childcare During Your Conference: As has been done in the past (but not everyone knows) there is childcare offered free of charge during your conference time. So, if you need to have Mariam watch your little one while you meet with the teachers, please feel free to drop him/her off at the playground or Quiet (Toddler) Room.
2. After Care During Conferences Day and a Half: For families who need care for the afternoon of Thursday, October 24th and during the day on Friday, October 25th when there is no school, we will offer care (until 5 p.m.) at the regular After Care rate of $7.50/hour.  (Please sign up at the front desk by Friday, October 18th, to reserve a space.)
3. Mask Making Enrichment Activity: We also have a fun Mask Making program to offer older children!

Just in time for Halloween: Mask Making   

Thursday October 24th 12:00 - 3:30 and Friday October 25th 8:30 - 12:00 (follow-up time after school TBD if needed) Upper El & Middle School  - $65

Tools of transformation, masks can inspire awe, wonder, and mystery in the mask-wearer, as well as the viewer. Students will learn the fundamentals of designing and creating their own masks, focusing on sculptural techniques to capture the "essential spirit" of the mask. Participants will sculpt in fabric, cast in duct tape-mache and learn painting techniques to give their masks maximum play. (Please sign up and pay by check at the front desk by Friday, October 18th, for your child to participate in this fun activity.)

• Conferences sign-up list is in the front lobby.  Conferences are for 20 minutes.  
• Check clothing boxes and restock as needed.   
• Monday, October 14 No School.
• Friday, October 18 will be hike day. Watch your e-mail for information.

Our week began on a very exciting note. Firefighter Jason and Firefighter Kurt from the Brattleboro Fire Department visited our classroom bright and early Monday morning. They talked with us about fire safety. Here is some information they shared:

• Matches are for adults only.
• Smoke detector batteries should be checked twice a year.
• In a house fire you should:

1. Get out of the house, crawl on the floor to stay out of the smoke.
2. Meet at your family meeting spot.
3. Call 911.
4. Never go back in the house.

• If your clothes catch on fire, STOP, DROP and ROLL!

Firefighter Kurt put on his special firefighter clothes and equipment called "turn out gear". The children watched in awe as he put on each item. As he dressed he talked about the importance of the gear and how it helped him stay safe in a fire so he could help put the fire out and help people. When he was completely dressed and had put on his air tank and mask his eyes were the only part of his body we could still see. The children listened to the sound of the alarm on the air tank and the sound of Kurt breathing with the mask over his face. When he talked with his mask on his voice sounded different too! The children had the opportunity to touch his clothing and gear and look through the mask to confirm that it was still Kurt underneath everything.

Kurt shows the children how his oxygen tank works and sounds

Firefighter Kurt in his turn out gear

Next week we are looking forward to our Black Mountain Hike on Thursday, October 17th. We will leave school at 9 and return as close to 11:30 as possible.

Please watch the weather and help your child dress appropriately for the trip.

We'll see everyone on Tuesday, October 15th. Enjoy your weekend.

Melissa and Ellie

On Wednesday the sixth graders spent a delightful fall day in the 1830's at Old Sturbridge Village. We watched a log sawn into boards, a musket loaded and fired, some tinwork being worked, took a tour of a root cellar and watched a clay vase miraculously come into form on a wheel. At each stop, the students engaged with the artisans as if they themselves were members of the village community with an important question to decide: Should the town buy a poor farm to house their paupers? This was a new idea sweeping Massachusetts at the time. Many townsfolk we spoke to didn't want their taxes to increase. Some mentioned the stigma of going to the poor farm. Others thought the present system of "vendue" was working fine, and that being housed with a family would be more natural than having all the poor in one house. Eventually we had our own town meeting under a beautiful grape arbor. Luckily for this group, we bent the rules a bit and allowed the girls to participate. In the end, it was decided to buy the farm, even without knowing for sure the number of paupers the town would send there.

Meanwhile, the 4-5 students have been working in small groups to prepare presentations on their Egypt studies, and working on paragraph organizing for their topics. Today we are treated to a visit by Nellie, Nome's bunny who served as class mascot during one of the recent soccer games.

For our current art project, we are in need of box-board for example, cereal boxes, cracker boxes, tissue boxes... thanks! 

We are entering the phase in our study we call the third period. In the Montessori world we use the Three Period Lesson as our model. The first period is the lesson itself. In our case it might be defining what a procedure is or a thesis or how to combine pigments in watercolor. The second period is the independent practice and furthering of that lesson. Students conducted labs, collected data, researched individual naturalists, and began their classification projects. In the third period students express their learning (sort of show and tell) in completed lab reports, biographical essays or presentations, reading comprehension paragraphs, and several art-focused projects. Currently students are redrafting their lab reports and reading comps, completing their naturalist biographies, and dipping into their creative selves with the classification and naturalist language/art projects. We are coming to the end of our time in the woods.   

There is plenty going on in this transition time. Along with completing the projects currently in play, students will have a final reflective first person essay and a self-evaluation to write prior to their conferences. The week after conferences we embark on our new study, "A Sense of Place", where we continue our quest to understand who we are, this time in community and society. As Wendell Berry famously said, "If you don't know where you are, you don't know who you are."

Thanks to all of you for your contributions to Harvest Festival this Sunday and we look forward to seeing many of you there.