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.