Family Newsletter - 10.28.22

Harwood Families -

Harwood felt the Bern last Thursday when Senator Sanders and Ambassador Huatala from Finland held a Student Town Hall for grades 7-12. This opportunity provided a powerful opportunity for our community to learn facts and hear stories from those who live outside the United States. Students were encouraged to ask questions and also share their personal experiences and perspectives throughout the Town Hall, providing the opportunity for learning around our Personal and Global Engagement learning expectation that challenges students to

• demonstrate understanding of customs, beliefs, cultural differences, and traditions worldwide.

• demonstrate respect for others including diverse/differing points of view.

Grateful,

Laurie, Duane and Meg

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Calendar:

• 10/28 - End of Quarter 1

• 11/1 - VSAC Managing College Costs

• 11/4 - Stepping Stone Leadership Retreat

• 11/9 & 11/15 - 3:30 - 7p.m. Family Conferences

• 11/11 - NO school for students (staff in service day)

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Safe - seen, heard, respected & understood:

Topics	Information/Links
Managing College Costs with VSAC 11/11	​You are invited to join VSAC Aspirations School Specialist, Ellen Bagnato, for a free Financial Aid & Managing College Costs presentation on November 1st from 6-7:30 pm at HUHS. At this presentation, we will provide an overview of how families pay for college costs and the different types of financial aid, as well as the application process and timelines. We will also share with you several websites that can help you research the true cost of colleges and get ready to file financial aid forms.
Central VT Career Center Open House 11/17	Are you interested in exploring a trade or technical field of study? Does a hands-on educational environment sound like something you would enjoy? Would you like to earn certifications in high school that will prepare you for a job after high school? The Central Vermont Career Center (CVCC) may have just what you're looking for. Your chance to find out is now! On Thursday, November 17, 2022, CVCC will be hosting an Open House and College Fair from 5:30 to 7:30pm. This event will explain more about the programs offered by CVCC which can help you take your first step toward an exciting career. The Open House will be held at the Central Vermont Career Center located at 155 Ayers Street, Suite 2 in Barre Vermont. For more information please visit their website at www.cvtcc.org
TA conferences	​Harwood is holding our November check in and goal setting conferences. The purpose of this meeting is to check in on the school year so far by sharing bright spots and possible challenges. Students will also be sharing a goal for the year with a focus related to their grade in school. As with our Welcome meetings earlier in the year, conferences will be in person or through a video meeting (Google or Zoom) and booked through Canyon Creek (HS conferences only). MS conferences will be booked through Google and teachers will reach out to you soon. If you prefer a video conference for your HS or MS child, please contact your child’s TA teacher so they can send you a link. MS and HS conferences will be held Wednesday, November 9th or Tuesday, November 15th, from 3:30-7:00. How do I sign up? For middle school conferences; teachers will be using Google to schedule. Be on the lookout for the message with the link. For high school conferences; Please refer to the directions below to schedule your conference through Canyon Creek. If you have any questions with scheduling a Canyon Creek meeting, please contact Liz Hepp at lhepp@huusd.org. Step-By-Step Parent/Guardian Instructions for High School (only) conferences through Canyon Creek: Visit Harwood’s homepage (www.harwood.org) and click on the link: - Harwood HS and MS conference meetings. 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 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 conference 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.

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Rigorous & Robust Academic Program:

Topics	Information/Links
Quarter 1 comes to an end!	It’s here! The end of Quarter 1! This Friday, October 28th, is the official end of Quarter 1. What this means for both the high school and middle school: JumpRope progress reports will be emailed to families next Friday, November 4. It is a great time to review progress in classes with your student(s). Here is a guide to Understanding JumpRope to help with interpreting scores. If you have questions that are specific to a certain course, please reach out to the teacher. If you have general questions about JumpRope, you can reach out to Jess Deane (jdeane@huusd.org).
	What can families see in Google Classroom? Guardians can be added in Google Classroom to receive “Google Classroom email summaries”. These typically come each week, and give a summary of any posts the teacher has made in Google Classroom, as well as anything that has been assigned. These summaries can be helpful in generally tracking what is going on in a class. If you haven’t already been added, you can reach out to any of your student’s teachers to be added as a guardian in Google Classroom. Once one teacher adds you as a guardian for a student, the email summaries you receive will contain all classes that student is in. How can I see more information in Google Classroom? Unfortunately, google limits access to Google Classrooms and email summaries don’t give the full picture. Guardians are unable to access class documents, and not all assignments are always posted in Google Classroom. In order to see the class in more detail, we recommend asking your student to show you Google Classroom from their view. From there, you can see documents that are linked to any posts and assignments, and you can ask questions about the class, such as Does this teacher put all assignments in Google Classroom? Why is this assignment missing? Did you turn it in on paper, or are you still working on it? What kinds of resources are you using for learning in this unit? Can you show me the notes or slideshow? Even with this information, if you ever have questions about a class or your student’s progress, please reach out to the teacher! *We found this youtube video helpful in understanding the options that parents and teachers have in Google Classroom.*

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Positive school climate and culture:

Topics	Information/Links
	Snowboard with Green Mountain Academy Green Mountain Academy, a non-profit snowboard and freeski club, has openings for snowboarders on our Team (ages 10+) and in our Jr. Development (7-9) program. Build fundamental skills, learn new tricks, compete, and have fun with our highly skilled coaches. Scholarships available. Register at www.greenmountainacademy.com.
	Save the Date - MountainFilm is back on When: November 5th at 7pm Where: Big Picture - Waitsfield, VT Tickets available here. This event sells out so get your tickets early!​
River of Light Lantern Parade	Please join us for lantern building workshops for the 13th annual River of Light Lantern Parade, held on Saturday, December 3rd. MARVELOUS MAGIC is the theme this year! The event is made possible by our sponsors: Waterbury Winterfest, The Alchemist, Billings Mobil, and the HUUSD. All workshops are free to attend and space is limited. Pre-registration is required. Large Scale Lantern Building - November 5th and 6th 10:00-4:00 - Brookside Primary School Gymnasium - These lanterns are made from willow, rattan, and paper and take two full days to complete. Previous experience is recommended. NEW THIS YEAR: Family Large Scale Lantern Building - November 12th 10:00-3:00 - Brookside Primary School Gymnasium - These lanterns are made from willow, rattan, and paper - and will take the entire time to create. Community Lantern Building - November 13th 10:00-12:00 or 1:00-3:00 - These lanterns are made from vellum paper and take approximately 2 hours to complete.