Harwood Middle School Blog update, April 11, 2021

Please click on this link for an important message from HUUSD regarding 
the opening of school to our full student body beginning April 26 on a 4/1 schedule. 
Return to school after April break annoucement  

HUMS 7th grade musicians have been Connecting to strategies for independent practice. Having access to these MIDI keyboards is not only a great resource but they also make some pretty fun sounds!

Harwood Attendance Reminder

Families	Staff	Students
Completing the absence doc. when your child will be tardy, absent or leaving early	Completing accurate attendance during each block of the day Call down to front office if a discrepancy in attendance	Being in their assigned classes on time each block of the day - both remote, ELO and in person Signing in, having note when arriving tardy

***Please Check this link for Important Attendance Reminders for Students and Caregivers 

What is an excused absence?

• Illness - Mental Health/Physical Health (with doctor’s note after 3 absences); Chronic absence due to illness will be marked unexcused absent

• Death in the family

• Post secondary opportunity visit

 

Is an unexcused absence a negative thing?

• Unexcused absences are not a negative thing. 

• Singular, sporadic unexcused absences are not typically problematic and help us determine missed class/assignments and necessary follow up.

• Accumulated unexcused absences flag unexpected patterns, and enables us to follow up and check in and find out more to best support student success and overall well-being.

 

What is our athletic eligibility attendance policy?

• If a student is marked for an unexcused absence from any class they will miss a practice.

• Students marked absent on a day of a game will sit out that day’s game.

• Students who are considered truant, or engaged in a truancy process as defined by HUUSD District Policy may be considered ineligible to participate in co-curricular athletics. The athletic director will collaborate with administration to determine attendance plan, and potential timeline for reinstatement.

• Students who abuse the attendance policy will be required to meet with the Athletic Director to reassess eligibility. 

 

*Please see the HUHMS Student Athlete Handbook for details on student-athlete eligibility. The handbook can also be found on the Athletics page on our Harwood Website.

Ending the year STRONG will support us in beginning STRONG.

Thank you for your ongoing  partnership,

Laurie, Meg and Duane 

HUMS scientist curious about the world of Chemical Reactions and 
Energy Transformations.  

Curious  A safer time is approaching, but don't abandon Covid-19 safety measures yet!! This is a critical moment in our fight against the pandemic.  As we see increases in cases, we can’t afford to let our guard down.  We are so close — so very close to getting back to the everyday activities we all miss so much, but we’re not quite there yet. Wear a mask Wash your hands frequently Social distance Stay home when you are ill Stay current on travel and gathering guidelines https://www.healthvermont.gov/covid-19/travel-quarantine Get vaccinated when you are eligible https://www.healthvermont.gov/covid-19/vaccine/getting-covid-19-vaccine If we’re acting together, we can defeat this.  Contact your school nurse with questions or concerns. Tracy Taylor RN Amanda Brown RN 802-583-8151 2021-2022 School Calendar - Please find  the link to next year’s calendar, also posted on our website.

The 7th grade team has been following the 2021 March Mammal Madness tournament for a month!  What started out as 65 species in "imagined" 1:1 battles, ended with the Red Kangaroo reigning victorious as the 2021 March Mammal Madness Champion!  After updating scores on students' brackets, we had some MMM champions of our own! 

Connected HUMS Calendar Updates: 04/09 - End of Quarter 3 4/19 - 4/23 - April Vacation - NO School 4/26 - Beginning of school for all students Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri, Wednesday will continue to be a remote day. May/2021 - Student conferences - dates 5/24 and 5/27 06/11 - Last day of school

Caring     Harwood Student Government and Rotary Interact Sponsored Blood Drive  ~Ellett Merriman   A big Thank You again to the community for helping the Rotary Interact Club raise money and collect bottles during our bottle drive. Rotary Interact and Harwood Student Government are  co-hosting the annual Blood Drive. You may be wary about donating this year however there is a large demand for it. It would be greatly appreciated if you were able to donate. You may wonder why is this year so different? It just so happens that with the ongoing pandemic, the Red Cross needs the help of blood and platelet donors. The American Red Cross is testing all blood, platelet, and plasma donations for COVID-19 antibodies. As part of that effort, plasma from whole blood donations that test positive for COVID-19 antibodies may now help current coronavirus patients in need of convalescent plasma transfusions.  We will be hosting the Blood Drive at St Leo's Parish in Waterbury VT.  This will take place on April 28th, 2021 from 10:30 - 3:30.  The eligibility requirements are the following: Be in good general health and feeling well. Be at least 17 years old in most states (16 years old with parental consent in some states). Weigh at least 110 lbs. Additional height and weight requirements apply for donors 18 years old and younger and all high school student donors. Have not donated blood in the last 56 days. We would really appreciate your help at this time and are grateful for the already outstanding community that we are! We hope you will consider donating on April 28th!    Everyone Eats and Share MRV Free Healthy Meals:  Free meals to anyone in the community who has been impacted in any way by the pandemic.  Not only will you get a delicious meal, but you a re helping your local economy by supporting a valley restaurant and its employees.  Come to the Big Picture Theater and grab a meal for you and your neighbor on Saturdays 11-1:00. For more information, call 8802-505-9149 or send an email to ShareMRA @gmail.com. Free Meals for Children 18 & Younger Did you know you can get free breakfasts and lunches for your children 18 and under? That includes littles not yet enrolled in school! Sign up for meals here.  Free meals are not only for families in need, and you won’t be “taking away” a meal from someone in need if you decide to get a meal for your child(ren).   Please take advantage of this wonderful benefit, the more meals served, the better it is for the HUUSD Food & Nutrition Program.  Updates from our Health Office-Please contact the school nurses with your questions and to report any test results. At 802-583-8151 phone     802-882-1197 Fax Vermonters are still advised against any non-essential travel, including within Vermont, to prevent the spread of COVID-19. There is a mandatory quarantine for anyone returning or traveling to Vermont. Please remember that if you travel out of Vermont whether for a day trip or longer, you must quarantine in Vermont when you return for 14 days. You can end your quarantine early if you haven't had any symptoms of COVID-19, get a PCR test on or after Day 7, get a negative test result, still do not have symptoms, and continue to monitor yourself for symptoms for the full 14 days.  If you are visiting outside Vermont for a longer period, and you will travel back to Vermont in a personal vehicle (including a rental vehicle or private plane), you may complete either a 14-day quarantine or if you have not had any symptoms of COVID-19, a 7-day quarantine followed by a negative PCR test in the state where you are visiting. Continue to quarantine from when you receive your test result until you travel to Vermont. You may then enter Vermont without further quarantine restrictions. You must continue to monitor yourself for symptoms for the full 14 days. If your family plans to travel out of state and your child participates in sports, you must communicate your plan with the Harwood School Nurses, Athletic Department and Coaches and receive clearance from the school nurse before your student may return to sports.  Please monitor the Vermont Health Department web site https://www.healthvermont.gov/covid-19 for updates and changes to COVID-19 related guidance. Tracy Taylor school nurse ttaylor@huusd.org Amanda Brown school nurse abadgley@huusd.org Thank you for doing your part in keeping our schools open and safe. Nurses Office  Phone # 802-583-8151