Harwood Middle School Update, November 30, 2018

Harwood Middle School Update, November 30, 2018 

Curious about dissecting the EYE of a "vitula eligans" 
Our 8th grade scientisst had the opportunity to explore the biological world of 
optics through a hands-on approach.     

Making connections between what we see ("Solfege" hand signs) and what we hear/sing.      Solfege is a time-honored tradition that dates back to the eleventh century. The theorist and composer Guido of Arezzo introduced a set of syllables corresponding to the pattern of tones and semitones.  

A HUMS artist putting the finishing touches on a our
TA team Corn Hole Boards..
Competition between our Teacher Advisories coming soon.
Perfect game for winter.   

IMPORTANT BUS NOTICE

There will be changes to Buses 19 and 20 in the afternoon only. The effective date is Monday, 12/3. First Student has moved the River Road and Jones Brook Road drop-offs from Bus 20 to Bus 19.

If you have any questions, please call the Bus Barn at 244-6422. 

HUUSD SCHOOL BOARD UPDATE

Dear members of our six town community,
Below please find the votes and key agenda items from the HUUSD board meeting on November 7.
1. Approved the following items as part of the consent agenda for November 7, 2018:  Approve Minutes of 10/24/18, Accept Director of Finance Report, Accept pre-approved Board warrants (1101 for $116,224.61 and 1102 for $$97,536.69 Total = $213,761.30), Approve use of Moretown Maintenance Reserve funds for DDC upgrade of HVAC system at Moretown Elementary School, Confirm 2nd December HUUSD Board Meeting for Dec. 19, 2018
2. After discussion, approved telephone lease.
3. After discussion, approved final HUUSD BOD asset management goal.
4. After discussion, accepted the board leadership report and HUHS principal letter with the caveat that we will have board discussion before any more action is taken.
6. As part of budget work, the BOD reviewed enrollment data and projections for preK - 12 students at all seven HUUSD campuses and expects to review further projection reports at its next meeting on Nov. 28.
Our next HUUSD board meeting is scheduled for 6:00 pm on Wednesday, November 28th at the HUHS library.
On Monday, November 12, the board participated in legal training/Q&A with Attorney Pietro Lynn. On Tuesday November 13, the board hosted a community engagement workshop at HUHS library.
For more information, please visit wwsu.org for board agendas and minutes and to find the link to watch board meetings. The direct link to watch this and past meetings is: https://mrvtv.com/category/school-board-meetings/
Thank you for your continued support and engagement.
Respectfully,
The HUUSD Board
Christine Sullivan (Waitsfield)  *Chair, Caitlin Hollister (Waterbury)  *Vice Chair, Alycia Biondo (Warren), Jill Ellis (Fayston), Gabe Gilman (Moretown), Linda Hazard (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)

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.

Vermont National Guard - Phillip Plevel, of the Vermont National Guard will be here during ELO 1 on Friday Dec. 14th.  He will be here to answer any questions you may have about what National Guard service entails and how their soldiers take advantage of attending college, trade schools, and certificate programs tuition free while serving their communities and state. Please contact Susan Laskaris in the School Counseling office if you'd like to sign up for ELO 1 on this day.  The session will be held in the School Counseling conference room.

The 28th Red Ribbon Ceremony at the Vermont State House Chamber will remember and honor those who have been injured or killed by impaired or distracted drivers. The event will be held on 12/4 at 4:30pm.

Harwood annual Christmas tree and wreath sale is just around the corner! This sale is the major fundraiser for the class of 2021. Please consider purchasing a tree or wreath from the Sophomore class this year. The sale will be held at American Flatbread at Lareau Farm in Waitsfield. Sophomore parents/guardians...you are welcome to join with your student's TA group! All volunteers are welcome! Please contact the TA or Ellen Berrings (eberrings@wwsu.org) with any questions. Parent/guardian volunteers will receive a $5 voucher toward your tree purchase.

Dates and times:

Friday, 11/30; 4:00-7:00 PM

Saturday, 12/1; 10:00 AM-6:00 PM

Sunday, 12/2; 10:00 AM-5:00 PM

Friday, 12/7; 4:00-7:00 PM

Saturday, 12/8; 10:00 AM-6:00 PM

Sunday, 12/9; 10:00 AM-5:00 PM

Gifts of Kindness   Harwood Union Rotary Interact club is holding the Gifts of Kindness clothing and toy drive for our 15th year. This drive seeks to collect new and very gently used toys and clothing for families in Washington County experiencing homelessness. We plan to collect items between the dates of November 28th and December 7th. Interact works with the Good Samaritan House, the only homeless shelter in Central Vermont, and CIRCLE in Barre, who provide shelter for families experiencing domestic violence. Our goal is to brighten the holiday season for people in need. There is a box for donations in the school lobby.

“A Christmas Carol”, the new ghostly musical is a great way to kick off the holiday season! Spruce Peak Resort Association and Vermont Youth Theater proudly present the new musical, “A Christmas Carol,” the all-Vermont original, November 30 – December 2, with four performances at Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, Stowe.    Broadway veteran and St. Michael’s Playhouse favorite, Bill Carmichael, gives an unforgettable performance as Ebenezer Scrooge. Peter Boynton, another Broadway veteran, takes a break from his own Waitsfield theater company to appear as a decomposing Jacob Marley.In this Christmas ghost story, Waitsfield’s Dr. Shannon Mitchell plays a corpse robber looking for loot. Reverend Will Vaus of Stowe Community Church sings the role of Fezziwig as he leads the Victorians in a Christmas Dance. Taryn Noelle, Stowe recording artist and educator,plays Tiny Tim’s mother, the heart-rending Emily Cratchit. Stowe children, playing London Urchins living on the street, have their own take on sharing the city with Scrooge. Children from other towns (including our own Warren student, Christopher Cummiskey) play Apprentice Gravediggers and the Cratchit kids. Now in its third year, this is a Vermont holiday tradition for the whole community.    Nov. 30, 7:30 pm; Dec. 1, 2:00 pm and 7:30 pm; Dec. 2, 2:00 pm Tickets: $25.    Call 802-760-4634 or go to: https://www.sprucepeakarts.org/events/christmas-carol/ 

Harwood Middle School Update, November 20, 2018 

This Thursday, many of us will travel distances both long and short to share a meal and fellowship with friends and extended members of our families to give thanks for all that we have.   To this end, HUMS students and our school counselor, Jen Dreimiller, constructed a gratitude tree on which we will place on the leaves the things we are grateful for this winter season.   We continue to work to create a school where all  students are Caring, Connected and Curious.  

Have a great Thanksgiving Holiday. 

Curious about Sailing?  
7th Grade Engineers build cardboard boats and compete in a speed/float/sail contest.
Spirits were high as they sailed across the ocean blue.
Ask your engineer what boat design worked best and why? 

 

Please provide us with feedback on your recent
HUMS student led conference experience.   Here is a link to our very brief survey. 
Thanks for your time.
Click for Conference Survey Here

The HUMS community would like to welcome
Melissa Greenwood, our Substitute math educator for Katelyn Bouffard while she
is on maternity leave.  Melissa comes to us with many years of teaching, math expertise
and a passion for kids.   We look forward to working with her over the next few months.   

CALENDAR UPDATE

October 2018

Nov 24, 25, 26

Thanksgiving Break

Harwood Middle School update November 16, 2018

Harwood Middle School update, November 16, 2018 

HUMS students Curious about immigration and its Connection to our past.
8th Grade Immigrants experienced Ellis Island as our ancestors might have this past Thursday.
Students, parent volunteers, Harwood Staff members and our coordinator, Jackie McCarty,  set-up the 8th grade classrooms, HUMS Commons and gym so  that they mirrored the many stations that existed on Ellis Island during the early 1900's.  Students progressed through the maze to become US citizens.  

Immigrants wait in line to receive their directions during our simulation.  Each student had an actual name of an Ellis Island immigrant and were to act and respond to the process in character.
We thank the all of the many volunteers who made this a great success!  

Student Led Conferences continued this past week.  We piloted a new format this year and want you feedback on how things went.  We will be sending out a survey next week.  Thanks in advance for your feedback.  

Harwood Union Middle School Spelling Team Wins Regionals -- Heading to State Competition!

On Saturday, November 3, 2018, the HUMS Spelling Team competed at the Vermont Principal’s Association Regional Spelling Bee, held at Barre Town School.  Two regions (Central & Western) competed at Barre Town on Saturday. Competing schools included Barre Town (who defeated Barre City previously in a district competition), Orwell Village School and Saint Albans. The Harwood Team, consisting of Kate Cox, Lindsey Bigelow, Anna Sanborn, Beckett Kahn, Francesca Galati and Ciera Fiaschetti defeated Barre Town to win the Central Region Competition under the direction of their dedicated volunteer coach, Judi Gross.  Coach Judi and her team  will compete for the VPA Spelling Team State Championship Title on Saturday, November 17th at Northfield High School.

HUMS musician performing for an end of the day talent show 

CALENDAR UPDATE

October 2018

Nov 14	Student led conferences
Nov 24, 25, 26	Thanksgiving Break

Nov 14

Student led conferences

Nov 24, 25, 26

Thanksgiving Break

Harwood Middle School Update, November 9, 2018

Harwood Middle School Update, November 9, 2018 

HUMS student Caring about making healthy choices and helping others do the same at the

Vermont Kids Against Tobacco (VKAT) Conference.

Two 8th grade students and one 7th grader joined middle school students all over the state with Vermont Kids Against Tobacco (VKAT) at Lake Morey with our school counselor, Jen, on Wednesday. Starting in 2016, VKAT is supported by the Health Department’s Tobacco Control Program and the Vermont Agency of Education. VKAT is a stepping stone for middle school-aged youth to gain leadership and community engagement skills.

The goals of VKAT are to reduce youth smoking rates and to create and support youth leaders by:

• Educating peers about the dangers of smoking.

• Raising awareness of the tobacco industry’s advertising and marketing tactics.

• Modeling healthy behaviors for younger students.

Students led our first evening of conferences this past
Thursday evening as a way to Connect with their families about their
learning opportunities/successes so far this year.  We will send out a survey to families to provide feedback on how it went for you.  

HUMS Students Curious about the past.
7th grade archeologist explore items found in a Warren, VT dig site by engaging in a game designed by our school librarian.  A great hands on/minds on opportunity.  

Nov 13 Final School Engagement Workshop - RSVP!

Dear members of our six town community,
       The HUUSD School Board would like to invite members of the public, faculty, students, and HUUSD administrative team to the community engagement workshop on November 13, from 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm. Food will be provided. Please RSVP at this link: https://goo.gl/forms/ytGcY6UOYl0cNRcv2 (note, the rvsp is also available on the board page of the district website (www.wwsu.org/huusd-board)
This is the final workshop related to our work with our engagement consultants and will build on learning and themes that came out of the September 26 workshop held at the Waterbury Municipal Offices.
Key outcomes for the Nov 13 workshop are:
1. To identify and prioritize district-wide and school based issues that will require significant engagement in the coming months and years
2. To establish a set of possible roles and possible responsibilities related to district and school-level engagement work
3. To identify existing infrastructure, assets and barriers to implementing engagement across the district
We hope to see you there!
The HUUSD Board: Christine Sullivan (Waitsfield)  *Chair, Caitlin Hollister (Waterbury)  *Vice Chair, Alycia Biondo (Warren), Jill Ellis (Fayston), Gabe Gilman (Moretown), Linda Hazard (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)

Monday Practice Times at CBMS:

3:15-4:15- combined 7th grade- both boys and girls

4:15-5:15- 8th boys

5:15-6:15- 8th girls

Tuesday, Wed, and Fri Practice Times at CBMS: 

3:15- 4:15- 7th grade girls

4:15-5:15- 7th grade boys

5:15-6:15- 8th grade girls

6:15-7:15- 8th grade boys

CALENDAR UPDATE

October 2018

Nov 14	Student led conferences
Nov 24, 25, 26	Thanksgiving Break

Harwood Middle School Update, Nov. 2, 2018

HUMS students connecting with others about
the environment at the Annual YES conference.
Curious about what these students learned? 
Ask them two things they found out that they did not know prior to going.

The Youth Environmental Summit (YES) is an annual conference for middle and high school students. YES is an opportunity to learn about environmental issues and get involved in local communities. The mission of YES is to inspire, encourage, and prepare youth for a life of environmental responsibility, service and leadership by increasing awareness and knowledge of environmental issues and fostering leadership skills. 

Harwood Middle School will host our first evening of 

conferences this coming week beginning Thursday evening from 3:00 - 7:00pm   

Please note:   

Our HUMS student led conferences will be hosted within your child's perspective grade level teams this year as opposed to their TA's (as we have done in the past).   

Our conferences will follow a "Arena" style format where students will act as the host/guide for their learning, while core teachers will be available to assist with questions or assistance with understanding their presentation.  Conferences will occur within a shared space large enough to accommodate 2 - 6 student meetings at once.   If parents/guardians require a specific teacher meeting, we will have the opportunity to indicate this within the team area.  We look forward to seeing you next week.  Questions regarding scheduling should be referred to Liz Hepp at 882 -1127 or lhepp@wwsu.org.  

World Language Students show off their dance moves for the final competition of their
World Language Festival.  It was heard that some teachers have some amazing moves, but this may be only a rumor.  

Open Gyms for 7/8 Basketball Players, next week in the CBMS gym, as follows:

7/8 Girls- Monday and Wednesday from 2:35-5:00

7/8 Boys- Tuesday and Thursday from 2:35-5:00

Optional- come for as little or as much as you want.  No coaching- just shooting and small games as you wish.  Formal practices will begin the week of November 12th- more information on details coming next week. 

 HUUSD School Board Meeting Updates:Oct 10 & 24

Dear members of our six town community:

Below please find the votes and key agenda items from the last two HUUSD board meetings on October 10 and Oct 24.
October 10 Actions and Key Agenda Items

1. Approved our consent agenda including meeting minutes, board warrants, and financial report.
2. Approved our FY 2020 budget goals.
3. Approved requests for the Superintendent and the HUUSD administrative team to submit both a level funded budget (based on Per Pupil Expenditure) and level service budget.
4. Approved motion to acknowledge Open Meeting Law violation and approve solution moving forward - that the BOD will not use anonymous feedback methods in the board room or among board members.

October 24 Votes and Key agenda items

1. Approved SMART Goals related to Developing Process for Monitoring District Performance (2.1 and 2.2)
2. Various motions related to voting weights for each HUUSD board representative following the discovery of incorrect population data:  1) Unanimously approved a motion finding that the matrix appearing in Article 7 is/was in error; 2) Unanimously approved a motion to substitute a corrected matrix for the one found in Article 7; 3) Approved a motion (using the newly adopted matrix) to confirm and ratify all actions taken by the Board from July 1, 2017 to the present date (10/24/18). Note the policy on voting patterns will also be updated.
3. Other:  Vermont Secretary of Education Dan French attended the meeting and answered questions from the board for an informative and interesting conversation
4. A representative from the auditor RH Smith attended the meeting and gave information/answered questions from the board.

Our next HUUSD board meeting is scheduled for 6 pm on Wednesday, November 7 at the Harwood Union High School library. On November 12, the board will have legal training with Attorney Pietro Lynn, On Tuesday November 13 we hope a variety of stakeholders will attend our community engagement workshop (look for more information on this soon).
      For more information, please visit wwsu.org for board agendas and minutes and to find the link to watch board meetings. The direct link to watch this and past meetings is: https://mrvtv.com/category/school-board-meetings/
Thank you for your continued support and engagement.

Respectfully,   The HUUSD Board
Christine Sullivan (Waitsfield)  *Chair
Caitlin Hollister (Waterbury)  *Vice Chair
Alycia Biondo (Warren)
Jill Ellis (Fayston)
Gabe Gilman (Moretown)
Linda Hazard (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)

A HUMS 7th Grade Engineer shows off her landing device to
safety land an egg from a drop of 30 feet.
It was a very successful design!  

CALENDAR UPDATE

October 2018

Nov 8 and 14	Student led conferences
Nov 24, 25, 26	Thanksgiving Break

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.
 Mountainfilm on Tour is coming back to the Valley! This event brings a selection of culturally rich, adventure-packed and incredibly inspiring documentary films curated from the Mountainfilm festival held every Memorial Day weekend in Telluride, Colorado. The tour will soon visit Waitsfield at the Big Picture Theater on November 3, 2018 with films that will explore the themes connected to Mountainfilm's mission: using the power of film, art and ideas to inspire audiences to create a better world. A Mountainfilm presenter will guide the audience through the program providing insight on the films, filmmakers and subjects.
Doors open at 6:00 pm and the show kicks off at 6:30 pm. Tickets for Mountainfilm on Tour can be reserved by calling The Waitsfield Children's Center at (802) 496-3372. Tickets will also be available the day of the event at The Big Picture. The cost is $20.00 per adult and $12.00 per child or student, or $60.00 per family (limit 4). Recommended for ages 9 and up; please note the show runs until about 10PM. See the complete playlist at www.mountainfilm.org/tour/schedule.
Mountainfilm on Tour in Waitsfield is hosted by The Waitsfield Children's Center in partnership with local Valley businesses.