Yesterday, as part of our Early Release Day professional development I had the wonderful opportunity to be part of a workshop led by Amy Butler from the North Branch Nature Center. Amy currently spends every Wednesday morning in Moretown and every Friday in Montpelier leading children in outdoor exploration. While I’m not certain North Branch has the resources to spend time with us this year, I was able to get many fantastic ideas from Amy and am hoping to put some of these into practice soon. The work she has been doing is amazing and I am certain all of our students would thrive on such an experience.

When Amy is with her groups they are outside for the entire morning, rain or shine, and one critical piece that she mentioned is appropriate clothing. With snow finally arriving, please make sure your child comes to school prepared to go outside. While we don’t currently spend entire mornings outside, we do go out each day for recess. Warm, dry children are happy children! While I do have at least one extra of everything, children tend to be happier with their own gear. Thank you for your help with this. As a parent of two small children I recognize the challenges posed by all of the extra stuff that comes with winter!