Harwood Middle School update, December 20, 2019

Harwood Engineers at work.
 Pictured above, students test their interplanetary lander designs.
Pictured below - scientists learning the art of circuiting.  Not be confused with "circusing"
Harwood middle offers a STEM class  that focus on
Mind-on/Hands-on learning activities
 that allow students to explore the world of how things work.
Students become designers and builders for a host of
projects that demonstrate their prfenciens with the world of engineering. 
 

HUMS hosted winter spirit contests and activities throughout December.
Activities included, team spirit day, hoodie day, food collection and a gingerbread building
context.  The TA thats showed the most spirit was recognized at our  Friday, end
of the day assembly on Friday.  The smilies and effort put into this
was amazing!


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HUMS bakers at work.  The HUMS cookie brigade delivered homemade chocolate chip cookies
to all HUMS students this past week.  As head chefs, Jen Dreimiller and Hillary Wheeler organized their bakery
into a streamlined production line of happy workers.  The end results were
very much appreciated by all.

Subject: HUUSD Board Meeting Recap 12/18

Dear members of our six town community,

At our last meeting on December 18, 2019, of the Harwood Unified Union School District (HUUSD) Board: 

David Epstein of Truex Cullins and Bert Delabruere of ReArch gave a presentation on the District Bond including the scope of work, priority levels, projected costs, and  schedule. This presentation addressed all elements of our district PreK-12 plan, but was primarily focused on the work at Harwood Union High School where the bulk of the work will occur both to address deferred maintenance and facilities upgrades and enhancements. A June 2020, bond vote is planned.

Michelle Baker, Director of Finance & Operations, gave a presentation and answered board member questions on updates on the FY21 Budget. She presented a preliminary projected equalized homestead tax rate of $1.70. Her report, and all FY21 budget documents, can be found at https://huusd.org/business-office under “FY21 Budget Development.”

The Board took action on the items below:

Approved the following items as pSart of the consent agenda: Approve: Minutes of 12/11/19 Accept: Voucher 1139 for $256,801.20, Approve: $30,294.07 proposal from Cutting Edge Contracting for Waitsfield Elementary School cabinets to be funded from the Maintenance Reserve Fund. 

Approved a motion directing board leadership to develop a timeline that would bring a district-wide bond for consideration to voters in June 2020.

Affirmed its intentions to pursue a bond that includes Harwood Union High School’s priority 1 and priority 2 renovations as well as programmatic additions.

Approved a motion to direct the project team to develop architectural programming recommendations which account for the D(c) scenario for consideration according to the bond timeline that the leadership team develops. The recommendations will include very rough cost estimates as well as details about any changes/improvements/renovations being considered but will not include design information.

Approved a motion directing the administration to draft an RFP for a bond-related communications consultant by January 15, for board review.

Approved a motion to take the full surplus and put it in maintenance reserve.

Approved a motion to direct admin team to prepare a budget that limits per pupil expenditure increase to 2.2% over that of FY 2019 per the tax commissioner’s recommendation passed. This would limit FY 2021 PPE to $18,353 and necessitate an overall expenditure reduction of ($984,000) from what is currently proposed in the FY 2021 budget.

Approved a motion to appoint Kristen and Christine to the negotiations teams.

Our next meeting is Wednesday, January 8, 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

HUMS celebrates the end of 2019 - and the beginning of a new decade!  
Have a great holiday for all of us to all of you!  

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.
 Winter Solstice Tea Party and Fire Pit in the Park  Saturday, December 21st, 3-5 PM. This Solstice, come celebrate the light with Joslin Library and Lindsey Vandal! We'll welcome longer days as we sip tea and tell stories. Drop by the Joslin Memorial Library Park anytime between 3 and 5 pm and warm up around a campfire as you sip your tea. In the event of bad weather, we'll relocate indoors and warm up around a (pretend) fire. Free and open to all ages.

Volleyball Registration for Harwood Volleyball Club March Madness 2020 Season is open for all interested grade 5-8 boys and girls in HUUSD. Learn the basic skills and rules of the sport. Month of March only: twice a week practice, once a week match, and end-of-season tournament. Practices at Thatcher Brook Primary School and Crossett Brook Middle School.  Matches/tournament at various locations.
Early Signup Discount by 1/20/2020. For more information and to register, go to: http://tinyurl.com/ :

Registration NOW OPEN for Mad River Valley Youth Lacrosse Mad River Valley Youth Lacrosse offers girls and boys lacrosse for grades K-8.  Weather permitting, outdoor practices begin in April at Mad River Park.  The registration fee is $100 before January 31st and $120 after. For more information and to register, please go to www.madriverlax.com.

Escape Room Open through February 23rd  An escape room with a mad scientist themed course is now open at the Sugarbush Health and Recreation Center.  This project was completed by a group of local high school students.  Your team must work together to find clues, crack codes, and solve mind puzzles to complete the mission before time runs out. To register, visit the following link: https://www.sculptureschoolvt.com/escape-room-2019

MRVJC Annual Hanukkah Party December 26, 4-6, at the Waitsfield Church Village Meeting House.  Join us for an afternoon of dreidels, music, latkes, and miracles.  Bring your favorite menorah and something  yummy for the potluck.