Harwood Middle School Update, April 26, 2019

HUMS 7th grade Scientist Curious about what they are made of.
Students are looking at their own cells! In science, students are investigating the differences and similarities between plant and animal cells by making slides of tissues from their own cheek and a thin layer of an onion.  Amazing technology allows us to see the smallest parts of our bodies!

7th Grade Marketing Experts Connect with their greater community. 
7th Graders demonstrate their knowledge of how marketing strategies influence others.
This team focused their efforts on selling friends...
  

IMPORTANT REMINDER!  

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

Spring Student/Family Conferences are

scheduled for May 1st and 9th.

Please click on the link below and follow the directions to schedule a time/day.

Please contact Liz Hepp (lhepp@huusd.org) with questions.

Click here to schedule your spring 2019 conference

          HUUSD BOARD UPDATE: April 10, 2019 
Dear members of our six town community,
       At our last meeting on April 10, 2019, the Harwood Unified Union School District (HUUSD) Board took action on the five (5) items below (listed in order of the time in the meeting when the vote occurred):

1. Approved the following items as part of the consent agenda:  Approve past meeting Minutes; Accept Board warrants totaling $252,916.35; Approved addition of May 15, 2019 and June 5, 2019 board meetings
2. Adopted: That the administration be tasked with developing a report based on the 2018 Student Performance Data Workbook highlighting the positive and negative takeaways from the data and what, if any, action steps are planned based on the data.
3. Adopted: That the board remove third grade from the classes offered at Fayston Elementary School for the 2019-20 school year due to exceptionally low-class size.Adopted:That the board direct the administration to prepare updated Education Cost per Equalized Pupil and Homestead tax projections to cover FY19 to FY20
4. AND that these projections be modeled after Appendix C1 and C6 of the Washington West SU Act 46 Study Report (Revised 4‐7‐2016) 
   AND that these projections assume no changes are made to the district configuration
   AND that these projections are prepared in such a way that they can be updated to reflect various district configuration proposals as easily as possible
   AND that these projections be made available to the board no later than May 15, 2019
   AND that the report include information on the impact of a bond on the tax rate as was included in the March 4, 2019 board packet
   AND that the formula and assumptions use to reach the conclusions found are made available at a degree of specificity that renders the results reproducible.
   5. Moved the due date for board goal 2.2 - ideal state metrics - from April 30 to May 22, 2019.

           Also at this meeting, Shannon Lessley, the Director of Curriculum and Instruction for HUUSD presented on Student Performance Data. Her presentation can be found here.
        Additionally, the board had an initial discussion of a draft Board Work Plan Timeline for April - June 2019 (included in board packet - see link below). This draft will be revised and reviewed at the April 24th meeting.
       Our next meeting is Wednesday, April 24th and expected to begin at 7:00 pm in the Harwood Union High School library. The Policy and Visioning committees are expected to meet at 6pm and 5:30 pm respectively, also in the library.  Please confirm time and place of meetings by visiting our website as start times and locations are subject to change.  Agendas are posted at least 2 days before the meeting. Our committees generally alternate meeting times and meet every other board meeting. For more information on the SMART goals that drive the work of these committees, check the HUUSD board web page.
       Please visit www.wwsu.org/huusd-board for board agendas and packets  (including committees that are meeting), detailed minutes, HUUSD Smart Goals for the 2018-2019 school year, and to find the link to watch board meetings.
        Thank you for your continued support and engagement.

Respectfully,
The HUUSD Board
Caitlin Hollister (Waterbury)  *Chair, Torrey Smith (Duxbury)  *Vice Chair, Hannah Clark (student rep, class of 2019), Jonathan Clough (Warren), Carlton Cummisky (student rep, class of 2021), Gabriel Gilman (Moretown), James Grace (Waterbury), Tim Jones (Fayston), Jake Lynn (student rep, class of 2020), Garett MacCurtain (Duxbury), Maureen McCracken (Waterbury), Theresa Membrino (Fayston), Kristen Rodgers (Moretown), Christine Sullivan (Waitsfield), Alexandra Thomsen (Waterbury), Jeremy Tretiak (Waitsfield), Rosemarie White (Warren)

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.

Fencing Instruction Adults, Teens, and Students grade 5 and up, Beginner - Advance (No experience necessary), Waitsfield Elementary School Gymnasium, April 23-May 28 (Tuesdays and Thursdays), 6:30PM-8:00PM, $50 Students - $125 Adults. Visit  https://sites.google.com/site/midvtfencing/ for additional information or contact Keith "Digger" Puffer midvtfencing@gmail.com

Art Show, Social, and Fundraiser for Waitsfield Children's Center   May 16, at The Mad River Barn, with a raffle drawing at 6:30.  The raffle prize is seven nights lodging in a one bedroom Condo anywhere within the Interval International Timeshare Network with locations worldwide and throughout New England donated by Eagles Resort. All ticket sales benefit The Waitsfield Children's Center. Fifteen percent of food sales will also benefit the Waitsfield Children's Center.

Harwood's Refugee Outreach Club is collecting raincoats, boots, and umbrellas for resettling families in Vermont. This drive will take place Friday, April 5th --Friday, April 26th. A donation box will be located in Waitsfield School Library. All donated products will be given to the VT U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI). These products will then be available to all USCRI clients. If you would prefer to donate money to our diaper/sanitary drive rather than to donate specific products checks can be made out to the Harwood Refugee Club and sent to Harwood (458 VT-100, Moretown, VT 05660 ). Any and all donations are greatly appreciated!