Harwood Middle School update, November 22, 2019

Ellis Island HUMS and early 1900’s  Immigrant Experience.  

HUMS 8th grade students culminated their Interdisciplinary Immigration Unit (English and Social Studies) with what we call an “Immersion Day” on Friday, November 22, 2019.    Students role played, and simulated the plight of the American Immigrant in 1910, one of the peak years of Ellis Island Immigration Station and Port of Entry outside of New York City.    Each student created a character profile which outlined the immigrant they role played for the day. Parent, teachers, high school students and staff acted as the Immigration officials.  Students will debrief their feelings, perceptions and learnings from their simulation experience.

Lifelong friendships were formed, on the other hand
families were forever torn apart.   

Some students created and made their own clothing for the simulation. 
Amazing!  

Lots of Volunteers helped to create an amazing experience for our 8th graders
 This is our 15th year!  Thank you for your time and energy!   

Students experienced the many stations that immigrants 
needed to pass through on their way to deportation or citizenship. 

Some Immigrants became Citizens..  

And some did not..
We hope by having our students participate in this experience, they will
understand at a deeper level the importance of immigrations
to our history and future of our country.  

Click on the link below to order Harwood Apparel
Great selection and lots of access
Link:  https://ptsteam.com/index.php?_route_=hu247

NOTICE:  Please note that our next Blog update will be on December 6th, due to the upcoming Thanksgiving Holiday.
Have an excellent Thanksgiving with family and friends!  

7th Grade Social Scientist learn the silent bartering practice in a simulation of the salt/gold trade of The Ghana Empire in North Africa.  Ask your 7th grader why salt was so valued
as a trading asset.  

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.

Bill Koch League Nordic Program With stick season and daylight savings under our belts it is now time to register for the upcoming BKL season!   We are excited by the early snow and cold temps to the program kick-off on December 3rd.
Registration and payments are due by November 30th.  Please don't wait until the deadline to register, as early registration helps us in the planning process for lining up coaches and gear for the season.  For more information and registration materials, email Chris Badger (csbadger@gmail.com).

Free Community Thanksgiving Dinner at the Bethany Church, Main Street, Montpelier, November 28, 11:30-2pm.  If you would like to volunteer at the dinner, please call 802-339-9151.

Socrates Cafe On Tuesday, December 3rd from 6-7:30, Harwood Union High School will be hosting a Socrates Café in the HUHS Library. All members of the community are welcome to join in the dialogue on the question: How might a lack of diversity in our community impact our perspective about ourselves and others? This question was designed by students in Untold Stories, a Humanities class at Harwood that is co-taught by students and teachers.
       A Socrates Café is a dialogue where participants are encouraged to listen to and learn from one another. These gatherings are open to all members of the community, regardless of age, experience or background. Harwood students will facilitate the discussions and refreshments will be served. For more information contact Jonah Ibson at jibson@huusd.org or Kathy Cadwell at kcadwell@huusd.org

Harwood Middle School update, November 15, 2019

Curious 8th grade mathematicians 
exploring the relationship between the length of barbie's  
bungee cord and how far she bunges
with a hands on/minds on approach. 

Barbie Bungee in action!  

Student-Led Conferences ended this past week 
for Harwood Middle School.
We appreciate everyone's time in supporting this 
important event.  

Harwood Union High School presents the play “Peter/Wendy” by Jeremy Bloom

This inventive retelling of the classic story of Peter Pan will be performed on November 14, 15, and 16 at 7:30 pm. The cast of seven hard-working students is led by freshman Arianna Clark, who plays Wendy, and sophomore Cadance Hammond playing Peter Pan. Junior Connor McCarty portrays Captain Hook, while freshman Maddie Thibault is Smee. Junior Mo Wing is Tinkerbell, and the cast is rounded out by Ellett Merriman playing a Lost Boy, and Kaelyn Wood as Tiger Lily. Scott Weigand returns for his eleventh year directing at Harwood and is joined by new Technical Director Steve Smith.

This is a family-friendly show, and appropriate for all ages! Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and will be available at the door. The show runs approximately one hour and fifteen minutes and without an intermission.

Our excellent 7th grade writers workshopping their creative musings and
citizen science narratives in English class.

Are you curious about how many things a 7th grader student can do at one time?
Turns out not as many as they thought. Students explored the concept of multi- tasking as a part of a larger inquiry project during social studies. Ask your 7th grader how many they could do? It might surprise you.

Subject: HUUSD Board Meeting Recap 11/13

Dear members of our six town community,

At our last meeting on November 13, 2019, the Harwood Unified Union School District (HUUSD): 

Board had an extended Q&A and Public Comment session to address the public’s questions on the Board’s PreK - 12 planning. Information on the PreK-12 planning work and process can be found here: https://huusd.org/prek-12-bond-plan

Ron Smith and Miranda McDonald from RHR Smith & Company presented their auditor’s report and answered questions from board members.

Board postponed discussion and decision on this proposed motion to the 11/20 meeting: Move to accept the administrative team’s recommendation to move all 7th and 8th grade students to Crossett Brook Middle School for the 2020-21 school year.

The Board took action on the six (6) items below:

Approved the following items as part of the consent agenda: Approve: Minutes of 11/5/19; Approve: Policy Committee Minutes of 11/4/19; Accept: Voucher 1103 for $276,070.84; Accept: FY2019 Audited Financial Report and Management Letter from RHR Smith & Company; Approve: Harwood Union overnight field trip to Hubbard Outdoor Center in Fairlee, VT on 12/5/19.

Adopted (after discussion for about 1.5 hours and a proposed amendment that failed): Move to continue exploration and development of a preK-12 plan, in accordance with the Articles of Agreement, that includes closing Fayston Elementary School, combining all 7th and 8th graders at CBMS, and moving Moretown's 5th and 6th graders to CBMS.

Adopted: Appoint Garett MacCurtain and James Grace to the Harwood Union principal search committee.

Adopted: Approve admin team to engage with our architect and construction management company for up to 40 hours in order to start planning and beginning work on the bond. (Note that these consultants were previously engaged through the requisite bidding and approval process and this motion allows the district to resume bond work that was put on pause during the summer/fall 2019).

Adopted: Add an additional board meeting on December 4 from 6-8:30pm.

Adopted: The administration to develop a recommendation as to minimum pupil count at Harwood Union Middle School for HUMS to operate effectively.

Our next meeting is Wednesday, November 20th at 6:00 pm in the Harwood Union School library. Please visit https://huusd.org/huusd-board to confirm time and place of meetings.

Click on the link below to order Harwood Apparel
Great selection and lots of access
Link:  https://ptsteam.com/index.php?_route_=hu247

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.

Children's Clothing Swap Don't forget we have our MECA Children's clothing swap on Saturday from 9am-2pm!  If you are not in need of clothing and are only looking to donate go ahead and drop off clothing at your children's elementary or middle schools tomorrow, Friday, 11/15 between 8a - 4p. We will pick up all donations and bring them to Moretown to set up for the swap. If you are participating in the swap we will see you all on Saturday from 9a - 2p!

Bill Koch League Nordic Program With stick season and daylight savings under our belts it is now time to register for the upcoming BKL season!   We are excited by the early snow and cold temps to the program kick-off on December 3rd.
Registration and payments are due by November 30th.  Please don't wait until the deadline to register, as early registration helps us in the planning process for lining up coaches and gear for the season.  For more information and registration materials, email Chris Badger (csbadger@gmail.com).

Free Community Thanksgiving Dinner at the Bethany Church, Main Street, Montpelier, November 28, 11:30-2pm.  If you would like to volunteer at the dinner, please call 802-339-9151.

Harwood Middle School update, November 8, 2019

HUMS students, parents and teachers met this past Thursday evening
to  participate in our Student Led Conferences.  Students have been preparing during our Teacher Advisory and Core class times over the past couple of weeks for their opportunity to share some of their school experience with their families.  (Please note our second evening will be held next
Wednesday - November 13 - see instructions below to sign up) 

The conferences provided students the opportunity to detail their growth both as a person and
 learner while at HUMS.   Students shared examples from their google sites to show their ongoing school work/goals as it relates to both content and HUUSD learning expectations.   

The overall focus of the student led conference allowed time for students
present themselves as curious, connected and caring members of our community.  

Tony Viola was selected to be a Harwood Middle School representative
at the State house during January and February 2020.     His application
was selected out of the many who applied for these coveted positions.
He will work with state house representatives, senators, and staffers in learning
about the legislative process and all that goes into creating the laws that govern
the State of Vermont.  We look forward to hearing his reports from Montpelier. 
Congratulations! 

Harwood Union Middle/High School

Student Led Conferences

Harwood Union will be hosting student led conferences for all parents and students in grades 7-12. The next conferences will be held on November 13th. Parents will have the option to select one 30-minute meeting time per student on either of these two dates.

We have provided directions for you to access the online scheduling program to book your student led conference. If you have more than one student attending Harwood you would need to schedule a conference time for each student.  Online access to schedule your conference will be available beginning October 29th. 

Please refer to the directions below to schedule your conference. 

If you have any questions, please contact Liz Hepp at lhepp@huusd.org. 

Step-By-Step Parent/Guardian Instructions for conferences:

Visit Harwood’s homepage www.harwood.org and click on the link: - Harwood HS and MS conference meetings: sign up here

From the Online Scheduler Home Page 

**Choose Harwood Union Middle/High School from the drop down list and click “GO” 

**Enter the school password which is: highlander 

**Enter your student’s “Student ID” which is their lunch account number. If you do not know their Student ID, use the LOOKUP STUDENT ID button to access the system. 

**Verify the student’s birth date

**Check the box next to your student’s TA (for high school) or Team (for middle school). 

**If you have more than one student at Harwood Union, answer YES to the question when it appears on your screen: “Do you want to schedule a conferences for another student?” then repeat the steps above for your other student. If you only have one student, answer NO to that question. 

**You will then see the available time slots for the conference.

**Select the time that work best for your schedule. 

**Enter your email address (recommended) if you would like an email reminder sent to you. (Your email address is kept private.) 

**Once you have finished you can confirm your appointment details and print your conference schedule. 

**Write down the Confirmation Number (you will need this number if you need to cancel your appointment). Once you cancel, you can pick a new appointment slot.

Subject: HUUSD Board Meeting Recap 11/5

Dear members of our six town community,

At our last meeting on November 5, 2019, the Harwood Unified Union School District (HUUSD): 

Attorney Ed Adrian offered his legal opinion and answered board members’ questions regarding the board’s rights, responsibilities, and limitations under the law and its Articles of Agreement regarding the district redesign.

Board members shared reflections on the effects of school closure on students, as well as on the broader social and economic fabric of district towns, including possible loss or gain of students and families. Information on the PreK-12 planning work and process can be found here: https://huusd.org/prek-12-bond-plan. 

Board members discussed the PreK-12 planning questions and answers that were provided in the board packet as well as shared reflections on the administration’s proposal to combine all 7th and 8th graders at CBMS next year (2020-2021), which will be voted on next week. 

The Board took action on the one (1) item below:

Approved the following items as part of the consent agenda: Approved: Minutes of 10/23/19; Accepted Vouchers 1092 and 1102, equaling $840,193.17; Approved Aegis Solar Proposal.

Our next meeting is Wednesday, November 13th at 6:00 pm in the Harwood Union School library. The first hour of the meeting will be devoted to public comment and Q and A. 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

Click on the link below to order Harwood Apparel
Great selection and lots of access
Link:  https://ptsteam.com/index.php?_route_=hu247

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.Ski and Skate Sale at the Waitsfield School.  Saturday 9-5 and Sunday 10-2.  10% of sales go to support the Waitsfield PTA.  

Free Community Thanksgiving Dinner at the Bethany Church, Main Street, Montpelier, November 28, 11:30-2pm.  If you would like to volunteer at the dinner, please call 802-339-9151.

Come Play At The Collection: November 9th, 10-3.  Play new games, mix putty, participate in crafting, watch toy demos, and receive a goodie bag while supplies last.  

Suite Sounds: Exquisite Music from Scandinavia and Russia performed by Central Vermont's only professional string chamber orchestra, November 10, 3pm, at the Inn at the Round Barn in Waitsfield.  Tickets are $20 adults, $10 for seniors and student. 

Harwood Middle School Update, November 1, 2019

HUMS students connecting in the morning prior to the day's start.
The new space allows more room to meet and greet each other prior to
the beginning of their classes. 

Harwood Union Middle/High School

Student Led Conferences

Harwood Union will be hosting student led conferences for all parents and students in grades 7-12. Conferences will be held on two evenings, November 7th and November 13th. Parents will have the option to select one 30-minute meeting time per student on either of these two dates.

We have provided directions for you to access the online scheduling program to book your student led conference. If you have more than one student attending Harwood you would need to schedule a conference time for each student.  Online access to schedule your conference will be available beginning October 29th. 

Please refer to the directions below to schedule your conference. 

If you have any questions, please contact Liz Hepp at lhepp@huusd.org. 

Step-By-Step Parent/Guardian Instructions for conferences:

Visit Harwood’s homepage www.harwood.org and click on the link: - Harwood HS and MS conference meetings: sign up here

From the Online Scheduler Home Page 

**Choose Harwood Union Middle/High School from the drop down list and click “GO” 

**Enter the school password which is: highlander 

**Enter your student’s “Student ID” which is their lunch account number. If you do not know their Student ID, use the LOOKUP STUDENT ID button to access the system. 

**Verify the student’s birth date

**Check the box next to your student’s TA (for high school) or Team (for middle school). 

**If you have more than one student at Harwood Union, answer YES to the question when it appears on your screen: “Do you want to schedule a conferences for another student?” then repeat the steps above for your other student. If you only have one student, answer NO to that question. 

**You will then see the available time slots for the conference.

**Select the time that work best for your schedule. 

**Enter your email address (recommended) if you would like an email reminder sent to you. (Your email address is kept private.) 

**Once you have finished you can confirm your appointment details and print your conference schedule. 

**Write down the Confirmation Number (you will need this number if you need to cancel your appointment). Once you cancel, you can pick a new appointment slot.

Attention - 3 items 

1.  7/8 Basketball, Gymnastics, Nordic Skiing, and Wrestling middle school athletes.

If HUMS students are interested in any of these sports or activities, they should sign up using this link as soon as possible: MS Athletics Registration.

2. Open Gym Announced 

The 7th Grade Boys Basketball Coaches are going to provide an open gym on Tuesday, November 5th from 3-4:45pm at Crossett Brook. They would like to get the word out to 7th Graders about this opportunity, specifically if they are planning to play basketball this year. 

3. Winter Sports Meeting

HUMS/CBMS will host our  Preseason Parent, Coaches, Student-Athlete meeting on November 5th at 5:30pm in the Harwood Auditorium.

Curious about what a clarinet sounds like - just stop by HUMS during recess.
7th grade musician practicing the clarinet during recess.    Middle
Schoolers are very surprising characters..  gotta love them!  

Just another day at Harwood Union
Staff come to school dressed in their best Halloween attire. 

A CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS!

8th GRADE FAMILIES!

HUMS IMMIGRATION DAY- ELLIS ISLAND SIMULATION COMING SOON!

Dear 8th Grade Families,

On  Thursday, November 21, 2019, we will be culminating the historical segment of our Interdisciplinary Immigration Unit (English and Social Studies) with what we call an “Immersion Day.”  We will be role playing, and simulating the plight of the American Immigrant in 1910, one of the peak years of the Ellis Island Immigration Station and Port of Entry. Each student will be creating a character profile that outlines the immigrant they will be role playing during the simulation. 

Students will be writing narratives and creating video backstories which explain their individual character’s motivation for leaving their country of origin, and their journey to the United States.  Students should dress in character for the simulation and they will share their videos on the “ships” before entering Ellis Island and the Registry Room. In addition, students will be asked to prepare and bring in an authentic ethnic dish from their country of origin to share at an International Luncheon after the simulation. This should be a fun day for all.

IMMIGRATION UNIT SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENTS:

HARKNESS - Student-Led Discussion on Immigration

NARRATIVE ESSAY - the story of how their immigrant character got from their native country to Ellis Island

ROLE PLAY PARTICIPATION- acting and dressing as a character during simulation

We need many adults on hand to play the roles of officers at Ellis Island.  All of the 8th grade teachers will be participating in the role play that day, but we could use more adult volunteers to make our simulation as authentic as possible.  If you have some time to volunteer, we will need help between 8 am and 12 pm on NOVEMBER 21. We could also use adult volunteers to help us organize the luncheon from 11:30-1:15.  

If you are interested in being a volunteer please contact Sarah Ibson at sibson@huusd.org or Jacki McCarty at jmccarty@huusd.org and we will give you options of roles you can play, or if you would prefer not to be an actor we have jobs that require facilitation only and a little acting. Just let us know what kind of position you would feel most comfortable with.

Thank you so much for your support for this exciting and rewarding project!

Sincerely,

The 8th Grade Team:

Sarah Ibson, Jacki McCarty, Jodie Curran, Wendy Moore & Katelyn Bouffard

Subject: HUUSD Board Meeting Recap 10/23

Dear members of our six town community,

At our last meeting on October 23, 2019, the Harwood Unified Union School District (HUUSD), the Board had an extended Q&A and Public Comment session to address the public’s questions on the Board’s PreK - 12 planning. Information on the PreK-12 planning work and process can be found here: https://huusd.org/prek-12-bond-plan

Michelle Baker, HUUSD Director of Finance, presented additional information and clarification on the calculations in the models and board members asked questions. Here is the information she provided: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2uQwDkbPKEVSjdyS2pNOTRzZTM0T3FtMUVwOVJJOF9fRG9v/view

The Board took action on the eight (8) items below (listed in order of the time in the meeting when the vote occurred):

Adopted: The board resolves and declares the data package prepared and presented by the administration team regarding the PreK-12 redesign project was prepared at the direction at the board, is accurate and has been prepared without intentional bias. 

Failed: Model a scenario to include TBPS PreK-2; CBMS 3-6; all 7-12 at HUHS; 4 valley schools PreK-6. 

Adopted: Approve the early retirement proposal made in the 10/23/19 board packet.

Adopted: Approve an additional board meeting on November 5.

Adopted: Proceed with discussion about IDC at the date the Board leadership deems appropriate. 

Adopted: Add an agenda item to the November 5th meeting to share reflections on the effects of school closure on students, as well as on the broader social and economic fabric of district towns including possible loss or gain of students and families.

Approved the following items as part of the consent agenda: Approved: Minutes of 10/16/19; Accepted: Vouchers 1090 and 1091, equaling $54,091.16

Adopted: Enter into two executive sessions to discuss pending or probable civil litigation, to which the public body is or may be a party because doing so in public session will clearly place that public body at a substantial disadvantage. 

Our next meeting is Tuesday, November 5 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.

Come Play At The Collection: November 9th, 10-3.  Play new games, mix putty, participate in crafting, watch toy demos, and receive a goodie bag while supplies last.  

Ski Racing Program The Mad River Glen Junior Race Program is the season-long racing program for children ages 6-18 run by the Mad River Glen Race Department. Our program is dedicated to providing quality training and competition experiences to skiers. We create athletes that are competitive at all junior levels of competition through high quality coaching, focused training and a premier skiers’ playground. Our program is focused on creating an environment for healthy competition, sportsmanship and character development. Depending on the age, we offer a limited Saturday only program or our full program, which gives the athlete access to over 70 days of organized training per year. The Junior Race Program, through the Race Department at Mad River Glen, provides the coaching and technical support necessary for junior athletes to achieve their personal best. Our group size is usually less than ten and we always have two coaches working with each group, therefore an excellent athlete to coach ratio. Sign up here by October 15 to get our preseason rate offer. For additional information, please contact the race department at race@madriverglen.com 

Free Community Thanksgiving Dinner at the Bethany Church, Main Street, Montpelier, November 28, 11:30-2pm.  If you would like to volunteer at the dinner, please call 802-339-9151.

Suite Sounds: Exquisite Music from Scandinavia and Russia performed by Central Vermont's only professional string chamber orchestra, November 10, 3pm, at the Inn at the Round Barn in Waitsfield.  Tickets are $20 adults, $10 for seniors and students.