Hoosic Valley heads back September 10, with a new superintendent at the wheel

In case it scrolled past you in the end-of-summer flood: Hoosic Valley students go back on Thursday, September 10, and there is one small schedule change to program into the household clock.

Elementary dismissal moves from 2:08 to 2:12 p.m. Four minutes doesn’t sound like much, but the district says the adjustment shortens the time elementary students spend sitting on buses at the middle/high school after dismissal. It’s the kind of unglamorous fix that makes a school year run smoother.

The essentials, from Elementary Principal Dr. Ailene Cavaliere’s back-to-school message to families:

First day of classes is Thursday, September 10. Labor Day is the 7th, and the 8th and 9th are staff conference days, which explains the late-week start.
The school day begins at 7:55 a.m.
Elementary students are dismissed at 2:12 p.m., the new time.

The 7:55 and 2:12 times are the elementary building’s; middle/high school families should confirm their bell times with the district. Further out, the district calendar has the year’s rhythm: early-dismissal days for K–6 on October 29 and 30, Thanksgiving recess November 25 to 27, and holiday recess from December 24 through January 1. The whole year is laid out in the 2026–27 district calendar (PDF), also linked from hoosicvalley.org’s calendars page.

A new superintendent, and she’s asking for your two cents

The bigger Hoosic Valley story this fall sits in the corner office. Michelle Gabree-Huba became superintendent on July 1, and her first letter to the community strikes a deliberately modest note: “I am not coming into Hoosic Valley with a predetermined list of changes.” She has spent the summer on a listening tour instead, meeting board members, administrators, union leadership and instructional staff, and going through the buildings, the budgets and the bus routes.

Two things in the letter involve you directly. The district has put out an entry survey asking staff, families and community members what the district does well and where it can grow, and that last group includes Speigletown neighbors without kids in the schools. This fall she also plans to host “Coffee & Conversation with the Superintendent” sessions, dates to be announced. If you’ve ever wanted the district to hear something, this is the open window.

The opening week

From the district’s own events feed:

Monday, Aug. 31: Media Day for fall sports photos. The teams are already practicing.
Tuesday, Sept. 1: 7th Grade Open House, 10 a.m. to noon at the middle/high school. The walk-the-halls day for students moving up.
Wednesday, Sept. 9: HV Booster Club meets, 5:30 p.m. at the high school.
Thursday, Sept. 10: classes begin, and that evening the Board of Education holds its regular meeting at 6:00 p.m. at the high school. First day of school and a board meeting in one; a fitting opener.

The full feed lives at hoosicvalley.org’s calendar.

And a note for everyone without a backpack in the house: as of September 10 the buses are back on the roads at both ends of the day. Build the extra minutes into the morning drive, and remember the flashing reds mean stop, both directions.

Here’s to a good year, Hoosic Valley. And welcome, Superintendent.

First-day and recess dates verified against the district’s board-approved 2026–27 calendar; bell times from the elementary principal’s back-to-school message to families; superintendent details from her August 17 letter; opening-week events from the district’s calendar feed. Confirm middle/high school times with the district at hoosicvalley.org.