Dear Badger Families,
I know the weather is making it hard to think ahead to summer, but for planning purposes, it is right around the corner. At The Craig School, we want to help our students mitigate the summer slide. We host a Summer Academy and Enrichment on our Mountain Lakes campus. For those unable to attend, summer packets in Reading, Language Arts, and Math are provided.
For those that enroll in the Summer Academy, students will have four classes from 9:00 am to noon: Reading, Language Arts, Math, and Technology. The summer packets assigned by their Language Arts and Math teachers are considered done at the end of the Summer Academy. For Reading, we ask that your child continue their reading through the rest of the summer by completing a portion of the assignment during August. Your child’s reading teacher will let you know what that will be.
All students who attend the academic morning have the chance to continue their day with us for enrichment activities in the afternoon. Students will bring lunch and then choose between sports, gym, game room, art, movie making, and other rotating activities. On Fridays, when the academy is not in session, the enrichment has a full day of activities, including off-campus field trips. This camp experience is a wonderful opportunity for socialization and building friendships.
For planning purposes, we must have an accurate count of who will be attending our summer programs. We kindly ask that you register your child(ren) as soon as possible. We do understand some families may be waiting for their Annual Review for their IEP to ensure an ESY placement. If that is the case, please just indicate that on the registration form and send it in. This will allow us to hold a spot for your child(ren).
Have a great weekend,
Jen Guthrie
Director of the Lower & Middle School
February 2026 Important Dates
2/23 (Mon) - After School: Badger HW Support and Art
2/24 (Tues) - After School: Dance and Music Club
2/24 ( Tues)- Speaker Series- Gretchen Berman
“Tools for Empowering Emotional Strength” (7-8 PM-Registration and Zoom Link to Craig Speaker Series)
2/25 (Wed) - After School: Badger HW Support and Swim
2/26 (Thur) - After School: Badger HW Support and Robotics
2/27 (Fri) - Twilight Skiing at Mt. Peter 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm
March 2026 Important Dates
3/6 (Fri) - Twilight Skiing at Mt. Peter 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm
3/15- (Sun) - Chili Throwdown at Craig High, Montville, 12-2PM
3/16-3/20 (Mon-Fri) - Noon Dismissals: Parent-Teacher Conferences in the afternoons
3/30-4/6 (Mon-Mon) - No School: Spring Break
-Registration and Zoom Link to Craig Speaker Series
Miles W (7-K) recently served as our Lower Middle School Front Desk for the Day, an experience won at our Badger Bowl-a-Rama Auction.
On Wednesday, February 18, Miles joined Ms. Furlong at the LSMS front desk, where he stepped confidently into this leadership role. Throughout the day, he answered and placed phone calls, delivered mail and messages across campus, used the PA system with ease, and supported a wide range of front office responsibilities.
He also enjoyed lunch in the Teachers’ Lounge and a special afternoon beverage of his choice - small perks that made the day even more memorable! In addition, Miles helped direct students when needed, assisted with dismissal, and supported after-school activity coordination.
With professionalism, enthusiasm, and maturity, Miles embraced each responsibility and quickly proved himself to be a natural.
We are so proud of you, Miles!
Matthew S. (7-V) recently stepped into leadership as our “Mr. Furlong for the Day,” an experience won at Craig Badger Bowl-a-Rama Auction.
On February 19, Matthew began by greeting students at drop-off and confidently running the morning announcements. He then joined Dr. Cap and Mr. Furlong for a strategy meeting at Paul’s Diner, kicking off the day with meaningful leadership work.
Matthew joined a statewide call on Senate Bill S3695’s new “bell-to-bell” cell phone policy, hearing school leaders discuss refinements to cell phone and internet-enabled device guidelines, an area where Craig School is already ahead of the curve.
Throughout the afternoon, Matthew oversaw first lunch and recess, traveled to the High School campus to assist with final planning for the Vermont college visit trip, and returned to Lower Middle School to help facilitate dismissal.
With maturity and professionalism, Matthew embraced every responsibility and demonstrated thoughtful, engaged leadership throughout the day.
We are so proud of you, Matthew!
CALLING ALL CHILI CHEFS-The Craig School Chili Throwdown (Sunday, March 15th)
We have our save-the-date for this year’s Craig School Chili Throwdown (Sunday, March 15th, from 12-2 PM on our Montville Campus). Now we need our Chili Chefs!
We have crowned quite a few Chili Champs in the past 20 years and are looking to make this year’s the biggest and best Chili Throwdown ever. In order to make that happen, we need the best Chili that the Craig Community has to offer, so we are looking for our Craig Families to break out that family chili recipe and register to put it to the test. Here are the Chili Awards Categories that are awaiting this year’s champs.
Craig School Chili Awards 2026
OVERALL WINNER-The "Golden Ladle" Award (Best Overall)
We are looking for Mild to Spicy, traditional to one-of-a-kind. We are also looking to crown a student champ in our “Master Chef Junior” category! You can use the following link to register for your Chili (Chili Chef REGISTRATION), and don't worry if you don't know what kind of Chili you're going to make right now. Just enter TBA in that line. All you need is a Crock Pot, a Ladle, and a great name for your family chili! Any chili questions, email Mr. Furlong at NFurlong@craigschool.org
Celebrating our seniors!
We are starting to celebrate and plan for our graduating Craig High seniors with many activities in the works!
Looking Ahead: Join the PACS Board for 2026–2027!
Serving on the board is a meaningful way to share ideas, strengthen our school community, and help continue the events and experiences that make Craig so special.
We would love to connect! Reach out: pacs@craigschool.org
March at Craig: Read Across America & PACS Volunteers Needed!
March kicks off Read Across America with our beloved Annual Read Across America Breakfast on March 6th, celebrating Dr. Seuss's birthday! This special breakfast is a student-only event, but PACS is looking for parent volunteers to help with setup, assist during the event, and assist with breakdown. It’s a joyful morning and such a fun way to support our students and celebrate a love of reading.
Read Across America Volunteer Sign-Up Link
Spring Book Fair - The week of March 16th, during the half days. (More info to follow)
Summer Program 2026-REGISTRATION
The Craig School Summer Academic Program will be held at our MOUNTAIN LAKES campus during July (July 6-July 30, Mon-Thurs 9 am-12 pm). The experience of having both schools on one campus last summer was a positive experience for our summer students and staff, so this year we will be heading over to Mt. Lakes.
In addition to the morning academic program, you can also register for the AFTERNOON ENRICHMENT Program, which follows the morning academics M-TH from 12-3:30 PM. The afternoon enrichment program offers all-day field trips on Fridays throughout July (Fridays, 9AM-4PM).
For more information on our summer program, visit our website at www.craigschool.org/summer academy To register for the morning and/or afternoon program, use the following link (REGISTER Summer Program 2026). Any summer questions, reach out to our Director of Admissions, Kate Tartaglia, at KTartaglia@craigschool.org
Gogi Trip to Galapagos
Our June trip fell short on numbers. So we are promoting an August trip. Please see the flyers below for more information.
CO-ED Volleyball Sign-Ups Grades 6 to 8
For more information on ways of giving or to make a donation online you can clicking here.
