Harwood Middle School Update, Oct. 12, 2018

Harwood Middle School Update, Oct. 12, 2018 

Picture of 8th grade students connecting through an active listening soft skill lesson. In preparation for Harkness discussions, we practice many soft skills to learn how to have respectful and inclusive student-driven discussions.

Curious about Harkness in the classroom?  Ask your 8th grader how it 
works in Mrs. Ibson's Classroom.   

What is Harkness? 

"Harkness refers to a method of teaching that was developed in the 1930s at the Phillips Exeter School in New Hampshire. The philanthropist Edward Harkness challenged Exeter with an offer: he would make a sizable donation of money to the school if they could originate and implement a radically student-centered method of teaching, and then use this method in all classes. After having their first proposal rejected by Mr. Harkness as “not radical enough,” Exeter eventually committed to moving away from the traditional model of teaching in which the teacher lectures information to students, the students copy the information onto paper, and later, they “regurgitate” the previously instructor-fed information back onto tests and essays. In a Harkness class, learning takes place through discussions held around a circular “Harkness Table.” Sitting at the table, all members of the class must question, contribute, and contemplate in order to learn and succeed." 

Kathy Cadwell, Harwood Union Educator

Volunteer spelling coach Judi Gross practices with the HUMS Spelling Team this past Wednesday in preparation for the Regional Spelling Competition (with Team Mascot, Judi's granddaughter Penny) 

HUMS is Connected to our neighbors and the environment 
8th Grade students visited the Living Tree Alliance Farmstead next to Harwood Union's trail system (15 minute walk)   They harvested  kale, carrots, onions, and black beans.  We made a delicious kale salad with the veggies we reaped and washed them and then had a meal.    The team planted perennials near the fruit trees to help the soil.  Hands on/Minds on Learning can be so much fun!   Huge thanks to our neighboring farmers, Stacey and Craig, as well as HU Farm to School Initiative for making real these opportunities possible.  

The High School Visioning Workshop is next Tuesday, October 16! Please register to participate by Friday October 12! (if you end up letting us know by the weekend, we'll probably still have room so please consider it!)

Those interested in participating in the October 16 event should contact the HUUSD board representatives. Board representative contact information can be found at: tinyurl.com/HUUSDboard

PROJECT OVERVIEW:

The HUUSD board is considering a bond proposal to renovate, update, and modernize Harwood Union Middle and High Schools. Work focused on grades 7 and 8  is well underway; we are now turning to the high school facilities, and students in grades 9-12. We are seeking two volunteers from each of our six towns to participate in our high school visioning workshop on Tuesday, October 16, 2018.  We hope you will consider being a part of these continuing conversations.

Harwood Union was built in 1965, and has been well-maintained for more than 50 years. As building codes and teaching practices have evolved, and infrastructure and systems have aged, it has become increasingly clear Harwood is in need of an overhaul as we strive to meet the needs of today’s students.

This past spring, the HUUSD board voted to revive the Harwood bond project that had been put on hold in 2015, due to Act 46 merger activities, and to resume working with the architectural firm TruexCullins of Burlington.

Visioning for our Harwood Union High School experience is the second phase of the process, which will continue with TruexCullins facilitating a workshop to help the community articulate its vision for students at the high school. The workshop will be held October 16, from 5:00 to 8:00 pm, and will include: administrators, teachers, and staff from Harwood; board members; and community members from each town. For the community member participants, we hope to have two from each town: one parent of a student in the district, and one resident who does not currently have a student in the district. The goal of the workshop is to develop guiding principles for the high school experience. This phase of the project will also revisit ideas generated through workshops that were held in 2015, when TruexCullins originally started work on this project with the former Harwood HS/MS board.

After the workshop, data will be collected by engineers, contractors, and architects who will evaluate the high school building to determine its current physical state, configuration, and capacity. TruexCullins will use information from the visioning workshop and the data collected on the Harwood facility to identify options with cost estimates. This winter, TruexCullins will present its findings and recommendations to the board.

In December, TruexCullins will make a public presentation, and the board will vote whether to move into the design and budgeting phase. Throughout the process there will be ongoing opportunities for public comment, with a continuing dialogue around how best to meet the current and future needs of HUUSD students on the Harwood campus.

More information about the bond project is available on the board page of the HUUSD website: www.wwsu.org

Respectfully,

The HUUSD Board

Christine Sullivan (Waitsfield)  *Chair

Caitlin Hollister (Waterbury)  *Vice Chair

Alycia Biondo (Warren)

Jill Ellis (Fayston)

Linda Hazard (Moretown)

Gabe Gilman (Moretown)

Garett MacCurtain (Duxbury)   

Maureen McCracken (Waterbury)

Theresa Membrino (Fayston)

Melissa Phillips (Waterbury)

Torrey Smith (Duxbury)   

Alexandra Thomsen (Waterbury)

Rosemarie White (Warren)

Rob Williams (Waitsfield)

CALENDAR UPDATE

October 2018

October 15	Progress Reports
October 19	Middle School Dance @ Crossett Brook Middle School 7pm - 9pm, $10.00

Community Announcements

Please note that the opportunities/events listed below are not specifically endorsed or screened by school staff. As always, families should use their own standards and review processes to determine appropriate activities.

A Seventh and Eighth Grade Dance will be held next Friday, October 19th, at CBMS.  $10 admission at the door. Thanks in advance to parents for not dropping students off early and for picking them up promptly at 9:00!  CBMS staff