Category: Harry Hoag News

Dear Harry Hoag families,

Below is a list of dates for important events to be held in June and a schedule for the final week of school.

Save the Dates:

• Field Day will be held on June 11 (Rain date on June 15).
• Prek Playground Promotion Parties will be held on June 21 and June 22. (More information to come.)
• Grade 6 Moving Up Ceremony will be held on June 25 at 8:30 am. (More information to come.)
• Moving Up Day for all students will be held on June 25. (Students will have the chance to meet their teachers for the next year.)

Final Week Schedule:

• Monday, 6/21, Full Day
• Tuesday- Thursday, 6/22-6/24, 11:30 Dismissal
• Friday, 6/25, 10:00 am Dismissal LAST DAY OF SCHOOL

I hope you each enjoy a restful Memorial Day weekend!

Best,
Mrs. Crisman
Principal

Creativity, comedy and cool new skills: sixth graders in Matt Heiser’s Team Tech group present all of this in their Tech Team video production.

The video is part newscast, complete with a wild weather forecast; interview show, featuring Mr. Heiser and fellow Harry Hoag Elementary teacher Rob Jenks; and variety show with skits, jokes and how-to segments.

The students wrote, designed, directed, performed, filmed and produced the Hidden Talents video as a project for Team Tech, an activity where the requirements to participate include being creative, learning and using technology, applying themselves, being open to ideas, and getting their other school work done.

In past years, students may have produced a printed newspaper instead of a Team Tech video production. Today’s digital tools, however, provide them with even greater opportunity for expression, skill-building and fun.

Every picture might tell a story, but a fable teaches a life lesson. Harry Hoag fourth graders recently capped off their study of traditional literature with a focus on fables. Students were asked to develop a readers’ theatre production to demonstrate their comprehension of the genre.

They presented live to their peers, and we videoed their work to share with families at home. Fables feature talking animals who tell a story that teaches a life lesson. After learning about different fables and their morals, the fourth graders created staging with colorful sets, backgrounds and props, along with puppet-like characters for each tale. The students worked hard to author and perform the productions.

Harry Hoag Principal Mrs. Crisman said, “Our fourth graders did a beautiful job with the fable performance tradition. It was clear that all students contributed to the group project. I was most impressed with the performances! It is not easy to speak publicly in front of peers, let alone perform. Great job by all! ”

“This is a highlight of our fourth grade year!” said teacher Libby Arndt. “It is not only a great activity to end our traditional literature unit, but a great opportunity for students to work together. They write the screenplay, decorate the set, and build the puppets and props as a group. They are so nervous and excited to perform, and then get up in front of their friends and do such a great job! I’m always so proud of their efforts.”

View their video and learn the moral of their stories!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1am2aUBdP-30fyzgObvxK1S1UgHDGziW8/view?usp=sharing

The fables include:
“The Fox and Leopard”
“The Frog and the Mouse”
“The Owl and the Grasshopper”
“The Dog and His Reflection”
“King Lion and the Beetle”
“The Fox and the Stork”
“The Fox and the Goat”
“The Ant and the Dove”
The Donkey, the Rooster and the Lion
“The Baboon’s Umbrella”
“A Raven and a Swan”
“The Shepherd Boy and the Wolf”

Harry Hoag School is proud to announce the 2020-21 third quarter Honor Roll, to which 14 students were named, and Principal’s List, to which 39 students were named. The Honor Roll and Principal’s List recognize outstanding achievement and effort. The students received signed certificates from Principal Lauren Crisman and Superintendent John Bishop.

Honor Roll

Grade 5

Blake Battisti
Sophia Brownell
George Mang
AshLyn Lewis
E’nyjah Oldick
Brianne Gallt
Sawyer Raymond
Violet Handy

Grade 6

Brady Spaulding
Jordyn Best
Ryleigh Brownell
Brodie Poultney
Faith Narzymski
Tyler Cotton

Principal’s List

Grade 5

Alexis Bowley
Sean McGuire
Joseph Barr
Caleigh Bartholomew
Lincoln Kretser
Blake Lapi
Cristopher Quiroz-Romero
Elijah Smith
Daija Suits
Evan Weaver
Jordan Gallt
Dorian Tracki
Dio Callan
Eliyahna Brackett
Elijah Muha

Grade 6

Kala Clapper
Mason Gray
Hailey Hayes
Brooke Jones
Lilly Lapi
Madison Lewis
Elle Nare
Alexis Palmeri
Zionna Robarge
Kendra Sackett
Larry Sanders III
Silas Smith
Caitlyn Stephens
Landon VanGorder
Cheyanne Wall
Aaliyah Delgado
Molly Kwasny
Jansheen Haider
Levi Hext
Gamliel Brackett
Lyllie Handy
Nathalieann Hisert
Trinity Belliveau
Josiah Darrow

Who said that getting ready for state testing had to be boring?

As children across the state have been preparing for the NYS ELA assessments that will take place this week, the students in Mrs. Amy Bartholomew’s 6th grade English Language Arts classes have been doing the same . . . sort of.

Students spent all last week in her class reading incredibly challenging text passages and then analyzing and answering multiple choice questions. But since she was asking for so much effort and focus from them, Mrs. Bartholomew decided to reward her students and their hard work by making the experience as fun as possible.

They call these days “Glow Day,” and students spend their ELA class in complete darkness with blacklights, glowsticks, glow in the dark balloons, and highlighters to light their way as they work. When students completed test questions accurately, they were allowed to play glow-in-the-dark bowling, ring toss, tic-tac-toe, and basketball as a reward.

It is one of the most fun weeks in 6th grade ELA and students were actually THANKING her for their week of test prep! Mrs. Bartholomew shared that she is incredibly proud of her 6th graders and all of the hard work they’ve put in this past week, as well as throughout this entire school year.

While some masks obscure things, those crafted by students in Patrick Hanifin’s 5th grade social studies class at Harry Hoag School provide a big, bright display – of learning, knowledge and creativity.

The students recently studied the Pueblo people. Then, each of the students created a Kachina Mask.

“The Hopi tribe used Kachina Masks in dance ceremonies to become the spirit their mask represents,” Mr. Hanifin said. “The students were very creative with their mask designs.”

He added, “The Hopi, native to Arizona, look to the Kachina spirits to renew the land each year and guarantee water for another season. Ceremonies honoring the Kachina take place from the winter solstice until July.”

Harry Hoag School is proud to announce the 2020-21 second quarter Honor Roll, to which 20 students were named, and Principal’s List, to which 28 students were named. The Honor Roll and Principal’s List recognize outstanding achievement and effort. The students received signed certificates from Principal Lauren Crisman and Superintendent John Bishop.

Congratulations to the following students:

Honor Roll

Grade 5

Alexis Bowley
Alexa Conley
Brianne Gallt
Violet Handy
Paige Lochner
George Mang
Sean McGuire
E’nyjah Oldick
Sawyer Raymond

Grade 6

Jordyn Best
Tyler Cotton
Lyllie Handy
Brooke Jones
Madison Lewis
Christopher Manchester
Morgan Prime
Silas Smith
Brady Spaulding
Riley Spraker
Landon VanGorde

Principal’s List

Grade 5

Joseph Barr
Caleigh Bartholomew
Eliyahna Brackett
Dio Callan
Jordan Gallt
Lincoln Kretser
Elijah Muha
Cristopher Quiroz-Romero
Xavier Rodriguez
Elijah Smith
Daija Suits
Dorian Tracki
Evan Weaver

Grade 6

Trinity Belliveau
Gamliel Brackett
Kala Clapper
Josiah Darrow
Aaliyah Delgado
Mason Gray
Hailey Hayes
Levi Hext
Lilly Lapi
Elle Nare
Faith Narzymski
Alexis Palmeri
Zionna Robarge
Larry Sanders III
Cheyanne Wall

At their meeting on February 10, the Fort Plain Board of Education approved plans to resume full-day, in-person instruction for grades 1-6 at Harry Hoag School, beginning on March 8. A remote-only option will remain available for families who need it.

“Our plan to resume full-day, in-person instruction at Harry Hoag aligns with our district’s Reopening Schools Guiding Principles,” said Superintendent of Schools John Bishop. “Those principles are to: Keep health & safety as a top priority. Maximize student – teacher contact time. Collect feedback from stakeholder groups. Use data to inform decisions.

“The revised reopening plan follows the guiding principles to: Engage through outreach to stakeholder groups, Inform by sharing current data and collected information, and Evolve by revising our instructional plan.”

The district has scheduled half-days of school at Harry Hoag for February 23, an A day, and March 2, a B day, to provide time for teacher and building preparation. The superintendent noted that the half-days were scheduled on an A and a B day to have the least impact on Harry Hoag families. Buses will depart at 12 p.m. on these days.

Fort Plain engaged Harry Hoag stakeholders by reaching out through a building survey, a hybrid learning feedback form, and faculty workshops and stakeholder meetings, all for the purpose of listening, learning, soliciting perspective and targeting areas for growth.

“We value and appreciate the partnership of our parents, families, faculty, staff and the community in our decision-making process, allowing us to provide this opportunity now that COVID-19 positivity rates are declining in our region,” said Bishop. “We look forward to bringing our Harry Hoag grades 1-6 students back together for the second half of the school year.”

The district informed stakeholders by sharing feedback about remote learning, both what has been working well for children, and challenges such as internet connectivity and parent schedules; data related to COVID-19 infection rates and concerns; and how to maintain a safe school environment that also maximizes the time students spend with teachers.

“When we examine our Reopening Plan and how we will educate our students for the balance of this school year and into the future, the decisions are guided by the Board-adopted improvement levers,” Bishop said. “They include safety and student social-emotional developmental health; family and community engagement; curriculum development and support; use of data to inform and improve instruction; and fiscal resources.

“We do this all to fulfill our mission: To prepare every student for success beyond graduation.”