Harwood Middle School update, September 27, 2019

Curiosity at work. 7th grade scientists grapple with how to make an identification tool for nails and screws. What characteristics should be used to help others identify the nails and screws? This task models how scientists classify living organisms on Earth. It’s not as easy as it sounds!

Connected as a Caring community 
HUMS hosted our second student led community meeting this past
week.  One of our excellent student government representatives (pictured center above)
announced the decision to allow backpacks for students during the school day.
  We also celebrated our the continued hard work of our athletic teams,
and announced the first assembly team meeting. 

We have received a few questions about additional information that may be of
some benefit regarding our recent John Halligan presentation. 
Please click on the link below to access collected resources
for parents and families.  Let us know if you need any assistance
with this. 
https://www.ryanpatrickhalligan.org/resources.htm 

Oct 11	No School
Oct 14	No School - Inservice for educators
Oct 18	CBMS dance for grade 7 - 8  More information to come.

Oct 11

No School 

Oct 14

No School - Inservice for educators

Oct 18 

CBMS dance for grade 7 - 8  More information to come. 

Hello 8th grade parents, 

Here is the link to the Legislative Page Program from the state of Vermont. 

Link:  https://legislature.vermont.gov/the-state-house/civic-education/become-a-legislative-page/ Mr. Pierson will be completing letters of recommendation over the weekend.  Please have your son/daughter(s) bring in their completed application packet to school and give them to Liz Hepp our administrative assistant.  We will complete the application and send them out in the mail, postmarked September 30 to meet the deadline for submission.  

Subject:  HUUSD Board Meeting Recap 9/25

Dear members of our six town community,

HUUSD Community Forums Oct. 1 & 7

       The Harwood Unified Union School Board invites you to join us Oct 1 or Oct 7 for one of our Community Forums. Open to staff, students, parents, taxpayers, residents...if you’re part of the HUUSD, you’re invited!  We'll be discussing possible scenarios to reconfigure our school district and meet the needs of our students, PreK - 12th grade.Come to either or both meetings: Tuesday, Oct 1 from 7-9PM @ the Harwood Union Library OR Monday, Oct 7 from 7-9PM @ the Crossett Brook Cafeteria.

Each session will include:

1. A presentation of change models being considered

2. Q & A for clarifying questions about data, models, and process

3. Small group conversations facilitated by Board members

We will be providing LOTS of information at the meeting, so everyone can participate in the discussion, even if this is all new to you.  If you also want more background before you come, please visit the HUUSD.org website and click on PreK-12/Bond Plan tab.         Childcare will be provided. We ask that those planning to use babysitting on site to please RSVP to Torrey by 9/29 at tcsmith@huusd.org 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please visit https://huusd.org/prek-12-bond-plan to complete a brief survey on how the board should approach its decision on our PreK - 12 plan

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At our last meeting on September 25, 2019, the Harwood Unified Union School District (HUUSD) Board heard a presentation on possible change models for the district’s PreK - 12 configuration.

The board took action on the four (3) items below (listed in order of the time in the meeting when the vote occurred):

Adopted: A motion to direct administration to add modeling option D(c) in time for the first community meeting on October 1

Approved: HUUSD board protocols 

Approved the following items as part of the consent agenda:  Approved: Minutes of 9/11/19; Accepted: Vouchers 1065, 1066, and 1067 equaling $640,842.63; Approved: Out of state field trips; Approved: Bid for Harwood Auditorium HVAC Replacement from VHV in the amount of $284,923.10 funded from the Maintenance Reserve Fund; Accepted: Final Vision Process Report

Our next meeting is Wednesday, October 16th at 6:00 pm in the Harwood Union School library. 

Please visit https://huusd.org/huusd-board to confirm time and place of meetings. You’ll also find all board and committee agendas, packets and minutes, and the link to board meeting videos. The direct link to watch this and other recent meetings is: https://mrvtv.com/category/school-board-meetings/. An archive of older meetings can be found here: https://archive.org/search.php?query=Harwood+Unified+Union+School+Board&sort=-date 

Thank you for your continued support and engagement.

Respectfully,

The HUUSD Board

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.

Family Contradance    September 28, 6:30-9pm, at the Warren Town Hall. "Honey in the Hive" returns to Warren along with caller Lausanne Allen! Show us your dance moves, learn to dance, or just come to listen and watch. To help us preserve our historic wood floor, please wear clean, soft-soled shoes. Free and open to all. Sponsored by the Warren Arts Commission.

The Nutcracker   Come be a part of the holiday magic of Vermont’s longest running Nutcracker performance with Albany Berkshire Ballet. Student Dancer Auditions will be held:
 Burlington, VT - September 29, 2019, Flynn Center for the Performing Arts – Flynn Space, 153 Main St., Burlington, VT 05401, 10:00 am Ages 4-5, 10:30 am Ages 6-8, 11:30 am Ages 9-11, 1:00 pm Ages 12 and up. Audition fee of $20. Shows will help kick off the holiday season Thanksgiving weekend November 30 & December 1, 2019. Children are generally in one show. For more information contact Lori Preiss at abbvermontnutcracker@gmail.com.

Trick or Trot 2019     5 K walk or run and kids' fun run to benefit Warren School PTO, October 27, 1pm at the Warren School.  Kids $10 and adults $20. Costumes are encouraged. For more information contact HGreene@huusd.org or NMcdonough@huusd.org

Baked Beads Tent Sale  Skatium Benefit: 10/11-10/13, 10am-5pm, under the tent at Skatium Ice Rink.

Barn Dance and Fall Harvest Fest to benefit The Children's Room.   September 22, 2-5pm, rain or shine, Beard's Barn, 1601 Barnes Hill Road, Waterbury Center.  Live music, dancing, hayrides, games and refreshments.  $20/family

Rise Against Hunger Event

Harwood Rotary Interact is partnering with the Mad River Valley and the Waterbury Rotary Clubs for an event to support Rise Against Hunger. The goal is to bring together 100 volunteers (students, parents, teachers, community members, etc...) on October 19th in the Harwood Cafeteria from 12:00-2:00 PM to assemble 20,000 meals for communities experiencing hunger. 

Why support Rise Against Hunger?

"820 Million people don't receive enough nutrition to lead an active, healthy life."

Rise Against Hunger meals are provided in schools to encourage increased enrollment and attendance. For adults in community empowerment programs, the provision of meals offsets productive time lost while attending training sessions. Meals distributed in hospitals and clinics may support patients’ nutritional needs and complement their treatments. (riseagainst hunger.org) 

794,700 lives were impacted by support from Rise Against Hunger in 2018.

Want to get involved? Sign up here: https://www.mrvrotary.org/ 

Questions? Contact Pete Colgan: email: peter.colgan@gmail.com; cell: 781-771-5568 or Ellen Berrings: eberrings@huusd.org

Harwood Middle School update, September 20, 2019

8th grade authors 
composing letters of gratitude using the
Harwood Gazebo as a place for inspiration. 

We hope everyone enjoys the excellent weather forecasted for this weekend.   Our time spent with John Halligan and his powerful message about caring for each other and being an "upstander" made significant impressions on many of our students and adults. We will continue to view mistakes as learning opportunities as we carry his message  into how we treat each other.  

definition of an Upstander:  a person who speaks or acts in support of an individual or cause, particularly someone who intervenes on behalf of a person. 

As we enter the fifth week of classes next week,  we will host our second community meeting  celebrating our successes and informing students about some of our clubs and activities we offer throughout the school week.  We are excited about the possibilities.  Be Caring, Be Connected, Be Curious, Be HUMS.  

 

7th grade analyst
collecting data to support their
reasoning around connections and patterns in math. 

HUMS scholars
using the new Gallery area to
work together on a project 

Subject: HUUSD Community Events Oct 1 and 7 on PreK - 12 Plans

Text:  The Harwood Unified Union School Board invites you to join us Oct 1 or Oct 7 for one of our Community Forums. Open to staff, students, parents, taxpayers, residents...if you’re part of the HUUSD, you’re invited!  We'll be discussing possible scenarios to reconfigure our school district and meet the needs of our students, PreK - 12th grade.

Come to either or both meetings: Tuesday, Oct 1 from 7-9PM @ the Harwood Union Library OR Monday, Oct 7 from 7-9PM @ the Crossett Brook Cafeteria.

Each session will include:

1. A presentation of change models being considered

2. Q & A for clarifying questions about data, models, and process

3. Small group conversations facilitated by Board membersWe will be providing LOTS of information at the meeting, so everyone can participate in the discussion, even if this is all new to you.  If you also want more background before you come, please visit the HUUSD.org website and click on PreK-12/Bond Plan tab.   

Childcare will be provided.  We ask that those planning to use babysitting on site to please RSVP to Torrey by 9/29 at tcsmith@huusd.org  

members of our six town community,
First - upcoming events:

• Community engagement and conversation around PreK-12 redesign. Hear a presentation about the change models being considered and then share your thoughts in small group conversations led by school board members.  
  • Tuesday, October 1st, 7-9pm at Harwood Union
  • Monday, October 7th, 7-9pm at Crossett Brook

At our last meeting on September 11, 2019, the Harwood Unified Union School District (HUUSD) Board took action on the four (4) items below (listed in order of the time in the meeting when the vote occurred):

1. Adopted: Approved the new HUUSD vision statement
2. Adopted: Approved the SY2019-20 Board Goals as amended
3. Approved the following items as part of the consent agenda:  Approved: Minutes of 6/26/19 and 8/28/19; Accepted: Vouchers 1295, 1302, 1303, 1304 and 1306 for FY 2018-19 equaling $677,653.26; Accepted: Vouchers 1018, 1022, 1023, 1024, 1036, 1037, 1046, 1048 and 1056 for FY 2019-20 1009 equaling $2,045,144.60; Approved: HUHS overnight field trip to Burlington, VT on November 4th; Approved: Waitsfield Elementary School overnight field trip to Hosmer Point in Craftsbury, VT on September 25th
4. Adopted: A motion that James draft an Op Ed to communicate why we are doing this PreK-12 work at this time and use the Board’s communications process to finalize and share was seconded and adopted. 

Additionally, the Board discussed possible Board Operating Protocols; our fall community engagement schedule; reflections on the process used thus far in preK-12 decision-making; and our evolving process for agenda requests.

Our next meeting is Wednesday, September 25th at 6:00 pm in the Harwood Union School library. 

Please visit https://huusd.org/huusd-board to confirm time and place of meetings. You’ll also find all board and committee agendas, packets and minutes, and the link to board meeting videos. 

Thank you for your continued support and engagement.

Respectfully,
The HUUSD Board 

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.

Mad Dash   October 13th, 10am start, Route 100 and Meadow Road, Waitsfield.  There will be a 5K and 10K race, 5K Fitness Walk and a Kids' Fun Run. Information and registration: www.madriverpath.org.  For more information and to volunteer contact: dash@madriverpath.org or 802-496-7284.

Pottery Classes for Kids    Wednesdays, 3-5pm, Sept. 25-Oct 23, at the Blockhouse Studio, 5031 Main Street Waitsfield. Please visit www.Blockhousestudio.com for information and registration.

Woodchuck Golf Kids Clinic    September 22, 11-1:00pm, 265 Palmer Lane, Waitsfield.  The Harwood High School Golf team will be leading the clinic.  Parents are encouraged to watch from the club house. There are no fees.  Please call Mary Jane Potter 802-496-2415 if you would like to sign up.  No golf experience is necessary.

Family Contradance    September 28, 6:30-9pm, at the Warren Town Hall. "Honey in the Hive" returns to Warren along with caller Lausanne Allen! Show us your dance moves, learn to dance, or just come to listen and watch. To help us preserve our historic wood floor, please wear clean, soft-soled shoes. Free and open to all. Sponsored by the Warren Arts Commission.

The Nutcracker   Come be a part of the holiday magic of Vermont’s longest running Nutcracker performance with Albany Berkshire Ballet. Student Dancer Auditions will be held:
 Burlington, VT - September 29, 2019, Flynn Center for the Performing Arts – Flynn Space, 153 Main St., Burlington, VT 05401, 10:00 am Ages 4-5, 10:30 am Ages 6-8, 11:30 am Ages 9-11, 1:00 pm Ages 12 and up. Audition fee of $20. Shows will help kick off the holiday season Thanksgiving weekend November 30 & December 1, 2019. Children are generally in one show. For more information contact Lori Preiss at abbvermontnutcracker@gmail.com.

Trick or Trot 2019     5 K walk or run and kids' fun run to benefit Warren School PTO, October 27, 1pm at the Warren School.  Kids $10 and adults $20. Costumes are encouraged. For more information contact HGreene@huusd.org or NMcdonough@huusd.org

Baked Beads Tent Sale  Skatium Benefit: 10/11-10/13, 10am-5pm, under the tent at Skatium Ice Rink.

Barn Dance and Fall Harvest Fest to benefit The Children's Room.   September 22, 2-5pm, rain or shine, Beard's Barn, 1601 Barnes Hill Road, Waterbury Center.  Live music, dancing, hayrides, games and refreshments.  $20/family

Harwood Middle School update, September 13, 2019

HUMS 8th graders at the top of Stowe Pinnacle
Ending the day with a stop at Ben and Jerry's.  Perfect Day! 
 

Harwood Hosts a day for students and families about bullying.

Mr. Halligan (www.RyansStory.org) will hold a presentation for the Harwood Union High School Students on the morning of September 19, 2019, followed by a middle school presentation in the afternoon.  An evening parent presentation, on September 19th at Harwood Union’s auditorium from 6 - 7:30pm, will be held to hear John’s story for themselves and have a forum to talk about this difficult issue with other parents of teenagers.  John will also share his own technology use recommendations, based on his insight. John will be visiting CBMS on September 20, 2019. Because of the sensitive nature of the topic, we wanted to inform you about it in advance. We encourage you to ask your child about the presentation and discuss it together. If for any reason, you would prefer that your child not attend this presentation, please send a written note to Harwood Union c/o Shannon Tremblay at  stremblay@huusd.org, before September 17, 2019.   Should you have further questions, please feel free to contact Duane Pierson at dpierson@huusd.org. 

HUMS 7th Graders
Taking advantage of the amazing weather for their
Stop Drop and Read Time.
Ask your 7th grader what they are reading. 

Brain Breakers hard at work.
As part of our Responsive Classroom Training ,
HUMS teachers are utilizing Brain Breaks during class to
help reset and refresh the mind to improve student engagement.
Ask your HUMS student what Brain Breaks is their favorite?  

Dear HUMS community, 

We enjoyed meeting everyone who made it to our open house event last evening.  It is one of many opportunities for our school to connect with our families throughout the school year.  If you would like to follow up on anything from last night, or if you could not make it and have questions, please contact Duane Pierson at dpierson@huusd.org.  We heard from some parents that they were seeking some advice on screen time and setting good habits for their middle school students.    We placed 7 tips from an outline publication “Your Teen for parents” that may be able to assist a bit with this struggle. No one strategy is perfect,  however a continued approach, that includes your teenager in the discussion has a better chance of developing healthy habits.  Be Connected, Curious and Caring. Be HUMS.

Seven strategies that may help manage screen time for teens.  

1. Model good habits.

My first recommendation is a tall order, but important — model good habits.  No screens during meals. When another adult is speaking to you, put the phone down and make eye contact. Be mindful of your own use and try to limit it throughout the day. Remember, your kids are watching.

2. Add structure.

As for your kids, I would recommend adding structure to their screen time. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that kids spend less than two hours a day in front of screens of any kind. It’s a good idea to set a block of time each day or on weekends that your kids are allowed to use devices — but that’s the limit. Try to keep it consistent so they know when they can expect to enjoy the privilege.

3. Be willing to take screens away.

If they can’t follow the rules, take away the devices for a period of time you can tolerate, let’s say a day to a week. They may—they will—have a tantrum or throw a fit, but if you stay strong with a neutral and firm attitude the protest will subside.

4. Don’t allow screens after bedtime.

When it comes to screen time recommendations, the experts are unanimous about screen time and sleep. Devices should be out of your kids’ rooms. Even charging a device in your room can disrupt sleep patterns and certainly the compulsion to text has kids staying up too late or even waking in the night to connect with friends. Also, screens should be shut down an hour before bedtime because the stimulating blue light can make it harder to fall asleep.

5. Remain neutral.

Parents often think that simply expressing disdain for their children’s attachment to electronic devices will solve the problem of too much screen time for kids. This tactic doesn’t work. It could actually increase the desire to use the devices, and it comes off as antagonistic to children who value their screen time. Maintain a neutral tone when you deliver your message. Be validating while setting limits. For example, you could say something like, “I understand how much you enjoy this (game/show/etc.), and I notice between this morning and this afternoon that you have already used your two hours of screen time. It’s time to stop for today.”

6. Be consistent.

Try not to swing between extremes—I see parents doing that a lot. One day it’s—”No screens! They are all going!” Then the next day, it’s back to no limits, and then the pendulum swings back again.

7. Know what your kids are doing online.

Always be aware of the content. Talk about being a responsible digital citizen,” and using appropriate language and decision-making. Screen use should be in communal areas of the home and you need to know what they are watching. There are many apps that allow parents to control access to websites, YouTube, etc. You wouldn’t let your school-age child walk off a bus in the middle of Chicago on their own; they need adult supervision in the digital world as well.

In summary, when it comes to managing screen time for kids—model screen etiquette, schedule a consistent block of screen time daily or weekly (after homework), take control by limiting or taking away devices outside of the scheduled blocks, use a neutral tone and language when you are setting limits, and discuss content and digital citizenship.

Good luck! You may not arrive at a “perfect” solution, but you can make progress.

What is Jump Rope all about?

Harwood Union uses JumpRope as our online academic progress reporting system.  Student learning is continually being reported and can be viewed in the student/parent portal organized by courses.  This view is useful to students in their work with teachers and current course scores can be seen there. Please note that a course will not be visible until the first score of the year is entered.

The student home page has a navigation bar on the left as well as three quick click boxes: Missing Assessments, Upcoming Assessments, and Courses with Scores.  When you click on Courses with Scores, you will see a list of current HU courses and the overall course score for each. You can click on the course name to expand the view for further information and then a click on any Performance Indicator will show the assessments scored.

Login information was sent to students via their school email last week.  This welcome note included their username and password. Parents/guardians and students use the same log in information.  An additional message with this same information will go out to parent/guardian email addresses next week.

In addition, a student progress report organized by Learning Expectation will be emailed home four times during the school year. Please note that this email is generated through JumpRope and does not come from a huusd.org email.  Progress Reports will be sent out on November 5, January 24, April 7, and following the last week of school.

If you have further questions please concern ltherrien@huusd.org.

Dear members of our six town community,

First - upcoming events:

• Community engagement and conversation around PreK-12 redesign. Hear a presentation about the change models being considered and then share your thoughts in small group conversations led by school board members.  
• Tuesday, October 1st, 7-9pm at Harwood Union
• Monday, October 7th, 7-9pm at Crossett Brook

At our last meeting on September 11, 2019, the Harwood Unified Union School District (HUUSD) Board took action on the four (4) items below (listed in order of the time in the meeting when the vote occurred):

• Adopted: Approved the new HUUSD vision statement
• Adopted: Approved the SY2019-20 Board Goals as amended
• Approved the following items as part of the consent agenda:  Approved: Minutes of 6/26/19 and 8/28/19; Accepted: Vouchers 1295, 1302, 1303, 1304 and 1306 for FY 2018-19 equaling $677,653.26; Accepted: Vouchers 1018, 1022, 1023, 1024, 1036, 1037, 1046, 1048 and 1056 for FY 2019-20 1009 equaling $2,045,144.60; Approved: HUHS overnight field trip to Burlington, VT on November 4th; Approved: Waitsfield Elementary School overnight field trip to Hosmer Point in Craftsbury, VT on September 25th
• Adopted: A motion that James draft an Op Ed to communicate why we are doing this PreK-12 work at this time and use the Board’s communications process to finalize and share was seconded and adopted.

Additionally, the Board discussed possible Board Operating Protocols; our fall community engagement schedule; reflections on the process used thus far in preK-12 decision-making; and our evolving process for agenda requests.

Our next meeting is Wednesday, September 25th at 6:00 pm in the Harwood Union School library. 

Please visit https://huusd.org/huusd-board to confirm time and place of meetings. You’ll also find all board and committee agendas, packets and minutes, and the link to board meeting videos. The direct link to watch this and other recent meetings is: https://mrvtv.com/category/school-board-meetings/. An archive of older meetings can be found here: https://archive.org/search.php?query=Harwood+Unified+Union+School+Board&sort=-date 

Thank you for your continued support and engagement.

Respectfully,

The HUUSD Board

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 Lessons: Adult and Teen Classes,Stowe, VT, Tuesdays and Thursdays September 17 - October 17, 6:30 PM-8:00 PM, Stowe Elementary School Gym. All classes start promptly at 6:30 PM and go until 8:00 PM.  Adult cost is $125.00, Student/teen, cost is $50.00 - $10 additional for non-Stowe residents.  (EACH Fencer must complete a USFA $10 membership (https://www.usafencing.org/membership) and bring proof of registration to class - or email Digger - this is a one time/yearly national organization fee).   You may use your own equipment, if I feel it passes a brief safety check. Pre-Registration is REQUIRED for Stowe Fencing.  Please visit the Stowe Rec Department’s Stowe FALL/WINTER PROGRAM GUIDE at: https://www.stowerec.org/program-guide/fallwinter-program-guide/ to pre-register.  Teen class participation is limited to 6-10 Fencers and Adult class participation is limited to 4-8 Fencers. Contact Digger at midvtfencing@gmail.com

Come Join Cub Scouts Pack 798 and Scouts BSA Troop 700! Boys, girls, and adults are all welcome! You are invited to an information and sign-up night at the Waitsfield United Church of Christ, Wednesday, September 18th, 6:00-7:00pm. Cubs are ages 5-10: mrvpack798@gmail.com
 and Scouts BSA are ages 11-18: beckysingr@gmavt.net .

MAD DASH: October 13th, 10am start, Route 100 and Meadow Road, Waitsfield.  There will be a 5K and 10K race, 5K Fitness Walk and a Kids' Fun Run. Information and registration: www.madriverpath.org.  For more information and to volunteer contact: dash@madriverpath.org or 802-496-7284.

Pottery Classes for Kids: Wednesdays, 3-5pm, Sept. 25-Oct 23, at the Blockhouse Studio, 5031 Main Street Waitsfield. Please visit www.Blockhousestudio.com for information and registration.

Woodchuck Golf Kids Clinic: September 22, 11-1:00pm, 265 Palmer Lane, Waitsfield.  The Harwood High School Golf team will be leading the clinic.  Parents are encouraged to watch from the club house. There are no fees.  Please call Mary Jane Potter 802-496-2415 if you would like to sign up.  No golf experience is necessary.

Harwood Middle School Update, September 6, 2019

Caring about HUMS!
Harwood Middle School Hosts
our first
Community Meeting

Student/teacher advisories shared important expectations about the how we want to care and connect with our middle school space and each other this school year.  Teams of students presented their work through videos and a brief presentation to their
classmates about their ideas.  Two student hosts led the meeting and help guide
their classmates through the agenda.  Ask your middle schooler about their experience
with our first community meeting.     

Open House Announced

 Harwood Union will host its annual open house 

on Thursday, September 12th beginning at 5:30. 

It has been an excellent start to the school year!  The hallways and classrooms are full of energy and positive spirit on which our students will grow as learners throughout the school year.     As a learning community we are continuously interested in improving our school's approach that creates curious, caring and connected students. Let us know how we are doing by connecting with your teachers, Liz Hepp (our administrative assistant) or Duane Pierson (dpierson@huusd.org) with your ideas.  

We look forward to seeing you at the upcoming open house on September 12.  Please note that our open house will coincide with the high school's evening to support families with meeting both our core and applied arts teachers.   Middle school schedules will be available in the middle school office area. Let us know if you have any questions.

I feel honored to be the school's educational leader and and excited to see all of the possibilities for growth, for both our middle school community as well as your child(ren)'s experiences.

Have a great weekend.

Duane Pierson

CALENDAR UPDATE

September/October  2019

September 12	Harwood Middle Open House  - begins at 5:30 to receive schedules Middle School families should go to the middle school gallery at 5:45.
September 27	Middle School Picture Day.
October 11	No school
October 14	No school (inservice for educators)

September 12

Harwood Middle Open House  - begins at 5:30 to receive schedules

Middle School families should go to the middle school gallery at 5:45.

September 27

Middle School Picture Day.  

October 11

No school

October 14

No school (inservice for educators)

Dear Parents/Guardians;

The Harwood Union Coordinated School Health Team promotes school programming that supports a “caring” school community.   One school focus is to provide bullying awareness and prevention for our students and staff. We are committed to taking serious, proactive steps to curb a problem that is found in schools everywhere. Our efforts this year are focused on raising awareness about bullying and cyberbullying with students and parents. 

We have asked  Mr. John Halligan, an international speaker and author, to conduct a presentation on September 19, 2019.  He will relay his own tragic experience as a Dad whose 13-year-old son took his own life in 2003, after on-line and in school bullying by peers since the 5th grade. Mr. Halligan further shares that Ryan wrestled with underlying mental health issues and depression, and that these factors contributed to Ryan’s vulnerability and ultimate suicide. 

His story is riveting and compelling and reminds students that there is a face, a person, a heart, on the other end of the screen. His presentation will begin with a short video collection of home movie clips and still pictures of Ryan. John will then tell the story of Ryan life and the factors that led up to his son’s suicide. The students will gain a perspective from inside the family of a child who is a victim of bullying and cyberbullying. In the wrap-up session, they will receive life-changing lessons about forgiveness, suicide prevention, the role of bystanders and a challenge to apologize to someone. 

We encourage you to visit a website named for his son: www.RyansStory.org for more information.  Mr. Halligan will hold a presentation for the Harwood Union High School Students on the morning of September 19, 2019, followed by a middle school presentation in the afternoon.  An evening parent presentation, on September 19th at Harwood Union’s auditorium from 6 - 7:30pm, will be held to hear John’s story for themselves and have a forum to talk about this difficult issue with other parents of teenagers.  John will also share his own technology use recommendations, based on his insight. John will be visiting CBMS on September 20, 2019. Because of the sensitive nature of the topic, we wanted to inform you about it in advance. We encourage you to ask your child about the presentation and discuss it together. If for any reason, you would prefer that your child not attend this presentation, please send a written note to Harwood Union c/o Shannon Tremblay at  stremblay@huusd.org, before September 17, 2019.   Should you have further questions, please feel free to contact Duane Pierson at dpierson@huusd.org. 

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.

Middle School Volleyball Club Fall Open Gym   Sunday Nights, September 8th through October (possibly November), 5pm-7pm.This will be a great time for middle schoolers to try volleyball for the first time and for existing players to continue practicing. The club is beginner-level and co-ed. All boys and girls entering grade 5-8 in the HUUSD are eligible. We will focus on basic rules of the game, skill building, and match-like games. In March we will participate in the Middle School March Madness League/Tournament. For more information and to sign up go to https://tinyurl.com/cbmsfallvb2019