PTO Meeting Minutes

hardy pto agenda minuteS

September 17, 2025

For Your InformatioN

- Spirit Wear store opened this week so be on lookout for flyers
- Green Team welcomes Environmental Planner & Conservation Agent for the town of Arlington, David Morgan. Reach out to Emily at greenteam@hardypto.com to get involved.
- DIG is in process of reaching out to caregivers who expressed interest in participating in DIG activities. Reach out to Abi at DIG@hardypto.com to get involved.
- Thank you to the Back to School Social volunteers!
- Upcoming Events:
Meeting Minutes
Welcome
- Positions
  - Communication should have gone out to caregivers already
  - Still looking for a co-president
  - DIG & Safe Routes looking for co-chairs
  - Classroom coordinators - all classes have one; however, first time coordinators would like a helping hand to acclimate
- Hardy Helpers
  - Over 70 people have already signed up
  - Hardy Staff will have extra help with things such as Lost & Found, playground clean-up, admin help; these things can typically be done on caregiver’s own time
  - Three people have volunteered to help Mrs. Bellerose with Lost & Found

Principal & Teacher Representatives’ Report
- Principal’s Report - Gretchen Saunders
  - Back to School night was successful - Principal Saunders appreciated the new format and great turnout
  - Lexia Licensing - not buying blanket licenses this year
    - Cost per student has gone up tremendously ($46/student)
    - Trying to determine path forward to replace Lexia
      - Effort is being driven by ELA department, not the school
  - Fixing/replacing two swings on playground
    - Facilities ticket to the Town of Arlington has been submitted
- Teacher Representative Reports - Emily Vecchione & Laura Ribiero
  - Kindergarten
    - Beginning to become “toy experts” and learning how to care for each other and their materials
    - Learning classroom routines, getting to know each other, and becoming “engineers” to learn how to solve problems
  - 1st grade
    - Exploring tools for getting certain jobs done (i.e. a chef needs kitchen tools)
  - 2nd grade
    - Working on elections in social studies and will be starting science section later in the week
    - Popular read aloud has been “The Dot” and the “Invisible Boy” which have fostered great conversation among students
  - 3rd grade
    - Beginning science unit about variations and traits
    - Starting module about learning challenges and access to books around the world
    - Also discussing what it means to be a friend - students have collectively decided that friendship requires laughter, strength, and patience
  - 4th grade
    - Began their first ELA module - poetry, poets, and becoming writers and analyzing poems
    - Began civics unit and social studies where they are learning about the government and the different types of governments
  - 5th grade
    - Working on community building activities and establishing and practicing routines and expectations
    - Reiterating their role as leaders at Hardy School and what those leadership qualities are
    - Began first ELA module about human rights and why they’re important; also reading Esperanza Rising and connecting that to the universal declaration of human rights
    - In math, students are learning the order of operations & multiplication
    - In social studies and North American colonies, students are learning where they are, how they were colonized, how the indigenous people were there, and how their human rights were threatened and neglected
    - Start science unit at the end of the week
  - Art
    - Starting on drawing skills and building on previous skills
    - Will focus on observational drawing for each grade later in the year
Committee Updates