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HUMS SCRIPP’S SCHOOL-WIDE INDIVIDUAL SPELLING BEE
On Monday, February 17th Harwood Union Middle School held its 17th Annual Scripp’s Spelling Bee School-wide competition. The bee was open to students in grades 7 & 8 who qualified through preliminary rounds conducted by their English Teachers during ELO blocks last week.
This year’s bee participants included: Seventh Graders: Christopher Cummisky, Estella Peterson & Elsie Pawul. Eighth graders: Madison Henry (who qualified but was absent for the competition), and former HUMS VPA Spelling Team members Solveig George and Poppy Woods.
After 7 rounds of intense competition it came down to a match between Christopher and Solveig for the championship title! The two battled it out to the ninth round where Solveig pulled ahead with the correct spelling of “Equinox.”
Congratulations to Solveig George, our HUMS Spelling Bee Champion! Solveig will join school champions from across Vermont at the State Spelling Bee Competition on March 17 at St. Michael’s College.
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| HUMS teacher advisory groups spend the day before our break getting to know new friends while sorting out a giant Jenga Game |
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Dear 8th Grade Students, Parents, and Guardians,
With the halfway mark of the school year behind us, it is time to start thinking about the transition to Harwood Union High School next year. Harwood staff are working to make this transition process a smooth one. Below are important upcoming events and information related to the transition to High School that require your attention over the next couple of months.
Thursday, March 12th, at 10:00 am all 8th-grade students will attend a program of studies review led by Tara Cariano and Erin Dezell, the two 9th grade School Counselors. Students will bring home a Program of Studies which you can review with them.
On March 17th at 10:45 am, our 8th graders will gather for a second time to learn about the Next Steps Program and Flexible Pathways available to them in High School. This presentation will be led by Ellen Berrings and Rachael Potts.
Parents and guardians should plan on attending the Incoming 9th Grade Parent Night on March 19th at 6:00 pm at Harwood Union in the auditorium. At this event, you will gather some general information about your child’s transition to 9th grade, including information about the registration process, the Next Step Program, and Flexible Pathways.
During the morning of March 23rd, HUMS Students will be registering for their 9th-grade classes during their Social Studies class. This process will be guided by Tara and Erin.
Students who review the Program of Studies with parents and guardians prior to these registration meetings will find this process quick and easy. Because Parent/Guardian input is important, we have included a link to the Program of Studies that can be viewed from the Harwood Union High School web page.
If you have questions about the transition process, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Sincerely,
Jen Dreimiller
HUMS School Counselor
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Dear HUUSD Staff and Families
HUUSD Board Update
At Town Meeting day this year, the HUUSD School Board will be asking voters to approve a nearly $40M budget to operate our seven campuses next year and to transfer nearly $2M into the district’s long term maintenance reserve fund.
Details about the district’s work and finances from the last year as well as our plans for next year are available in our Annual Report. Our annual meeting will be held on Monday, March 2nd at 6PM in the Harwood Library. As for any of our meetings, community members are warmly invited to attend. This has been a particularly challenging budget year that has played out over months of public meetings. We know that community members have a range of budget-related questions and we have put together a Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) document, which we invite you to peruse. We hope it will provide some detailed context for the difficult decisions faced by the Board -- and by our community. Respectfully, Caitlin Hollister, Board Chair, Torrey Smith, Board Vice-Chair
Coronavirus Update
We would like to provide you with three information sources about coronavirus. Our HUUSD schools will continue to follow the ongoing guidance being provided by the Vermont Agency of Education and Vermont Department of Health. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your school nurse and/or building principal.
Best Regards,
The HUUSD Administration
Middle School Merger Update;
As Town Meeting Day approaches, we would like to take the opportunity to shed light on the work happening around the transition to one Middle School, and speak to concerns that the middle school will not be fully ready for learning come this August. The idea of one middle school is not a new one, and a good amount of thinking and planning on this notion has been happening for a number of years. When the HUUSD school board adopted the budget in late January, we began to create both short and long term plans to establish an exceptional HUUSD middle school for all of our students.
Recently, the HUUSD administrative team was able to identify the specific staff members who will be working at CBMS next year. This proved no small feat, as seniority, licensure, and the union contract made this a multi-layered task. In our schools, we lean heavily on shared leadership and decision making, and now that staff members have been identified, we can begin that shared decision making work in more detail. Our next step is to form three new, balanced grade 7/8 core teams. We have sought input on this from teachers, and the decision as to who will staff each team will be made shortly.
To assist with the merger of the two schools, we have established three transition leadership groups. One is focused on the overall transition to one middle school, one is focused on finalizing a master schedule for the school, and one is focused on the student-centered view of the transition and getting student voice and leadership into the planning. Once the new 7/8 teams have been identified, those teachers will begin work on team names, team norms, team traditions, and the general nuts and bolts of how the team will function. We strongly believe that by working together we will be ready to greet students for an excellent year of learning.
This past week we identified the location of the annex, which will house four classrooms and office space. One next step is to determine room assignments for all teaching staff, and this will be a task for the leadership team. In March, the two middle school principals and the two middle school counselors will be visiting the four Valley elementary schools and HUMS in order to begin the conversation with students who will be coming to CBMS for the first time in August, and a similar visit to TBPS will happen later in the spring. All students will participate in step up day on the CBMS campus at the end of May.
We understand that the upcoming changes and transitions may be challenging for some. We want to reassure our community that we will work tirelessly and in partnership with our staff to create an excellent middle school for our middle school students. While the work between now and August will be significant, please rest assured that we will be ready to welcome our students with a school that cares deeply about learning and each other.
Respectfully,
Tom Drake & Duane Pierson
HUUSD Middle School Principals
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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 River Glen's Skiing for Scholars Program Free all-mountain lift tickets for students from 2-5pm, includes free ski, boot, and pole rentals(helmets not included). Parent or legal guardian must be present to sign forms. In addition there is a free Learn To Ski program featuring two 3-week sessions with Mad River Glen Ski School instructors. The Learn To Ski program is for new skiers only. Sessions are February 14, 21, 28, and March 6, 13, 20 , 3:30-5pm. Pre-registration is required, call 802-496-3551 ext 135 or email skischool@madriverglen.com. There is also a free "Fast Start", an introduction to racing for the more experienced skiers interested in learning basic ski race techniques and the thrill of running set courses with video analysis. This group will meet weekly 3:30-4:30, meet at the flag pole. To learn more visit: www.madriverglen.com/skiing-
TRIP Dance Company Performance Come watch TRIP’s passionate, competitive, local dancers hit the stage at Spruce Peak Performing Art Center on Friday, March 20 and Saturday, March 21 at 7pm. During the year, the dancers attend some of the industry’s leading dance competitions where they take challenging classes, learn new choreography, and get inspiration from the innovators and well-known choreographers of the dance industry. The Company will perform a variety of dance genres, all of which will be certain to entertain. Hope to see you there. See link below to view available seats, starting at $16 per ticket.TRIP Dance Company Performance - Spruce Peak Performing Arts
Host Home Needed for Spanish Exchange Student CIEE (Council for International Educational Exchange) is working with a fantastic exchange student, Pablo from Spain, who is currently attending Harwood Union HS. He has been living with a great host family but due to some unforeseen circumstances, are no longer able to host. We are eager to find Pablo a great new host family to continue his Spring 2020 semester at Harwood Union HS. Would you, or someone you know, have a space in your heart and home for Pablo?
Host families come in all shapes and sizes; retired, older children and younger children, single parents, single persons, or couples with no children. Host families live in apartments and houses and students can share a room with someone of the same gender within 4 years of age. A person can choose to host for a few months or the school year. A host simply puts another plate on the table and welcomes the student as one of their own! Students can take school transportation, walk, or carpool. Visit www.ciee.org/host for more information on hosting or contact Audra Murray at 207-210-3753 or 207-553-4000.
Little League Softball and Baseball Registration Mad River Valley Little League provides a safe and fun environment for Boys and Girls(Ages 4 to 12) to learn and develop the love for Baseball and Softball. Developing essential life skills of working in a team environment all while having a blast and building life long friendships. Registration is now open online at www.
Everybody Wins Pizza & Game Night March 12th 6-7pm in the Waitsfield School gym. All Everybody Wins families and mentors are invited to this free pizza dinner and game night.
Mad River Glen's Skiing for Scholars Program Free all-mountain lift tickets for students from 2-5pm, includes free ski, boot, and pole rentals(helmets not included). Parent or legal guardian must be present to sign forms. In addition there is a free Learn To Ski program featuring two 3-week sessions with Mad River Glen Ski School instructors. The Learn To Ski program is for new skiers only. Sessions are February 14, 21, 28, and March 6, 13, 20 , 3:30-5pm. Pre-registration is required, call 802-496-3551 ext 135 or email skischool@madriverglen.com. There is also a free "Fast Start", an introduction to racing for the more experienced skiers interested in learning basic ski race techniques and the thrill of running set courses with video analysis. This group will meet weekly 3:30-4:30, meet at the flag pole. To learn more visit: www.madriverglen.com/skiing-
TRIP Dance Company Performance Come watch TRIP’s passionate, competitive, local dancers hit the stage at Spruce Peak Performing Art Center on Friday, March 20 and Saturday, March 21 at 7pm. During the year, the dancers attend some of the industry’s leading dance competitions where they take challenging classes, learn new choreography, and get inspiration from the innovators and well-known choreographers of the dance industry. The Company will perform a variety of dance genres, all of which will be certain to entertain. Hope to see you there. See link below to view available seats, starting at $16 per ticket.TRIP Dance Company Performance - Spruce Peak Performing Arts
Host Home Needed for Spanish Exchange Student CIEE (Council for International Educational Exchange) is working with a fantastic exchange student, Pablo from Spain, who is currently attending Harwood Union HS. He has been living with a great host family but due to some unforeseen circumstances, are no longer able to host. We are eager to find Pablo a great new host family to continue his Spring 2020 semester at Harwood Union HS. Would you, or someone you know, have a space in your heart and home for Pablo?
Host families come in all shapes and sizes; retired, older children and younger children, single parents, single persons, or couples with no children. Host families live in apartments and houses and students can share a room with someone of the same gender within 4 years of age. A person can choose to host for a few months or the school year. A host simply puts another plate on the table and welcomes the student as one of their own! Students can take school transportation, walk, or carpool. Visit www.ciee.org/host for more information on hosting or contact Audra Murray at 207-210-3753 or 207-553-4000.
Little League Softball and Baseball Registration Mad River Valley Little League provides a safe and fun environment for Boys and Girls(Ages 4 to 12) to learn and develop the love for Baseball and Softball. Developing essential life skills of working in a team environment all while having a blast and building life long friendships. Registration is now open online at www.
Everybody Wins Pizza & Game Night March 12th 6-7pm in the Waitsfield School gym. All Everybody Wins families and mentors are invited to this free pizza dinner and game night.
