Mar 25, 20221 min read

Family Newsletter - 3.25.2022

Harwood Families -

Early this fall a desire by the Harwood community to have student led dialogues was expressed by many. After months of planning led by students, over 50 students facilitated our first dialogue last week on a topic of their choosing - school safety.

Before sharing any more it’s essential to extend gratitude to the student leaders who made these conversations possible. The reflections and subsequent needs and requests from students were powerful and concrete. Below is a powerful summary of the dialogue by one of the student facilitators and the subsequent takeaways and next steps.

With deep gratitude to Maisie Franke (Student leader & facilitator)

The major takeaway from these discussions was that students across every grade recognized that Harwood doesn’t feel like a safe place for everyone, even if it does for most. The current school culture is affecting all students on some level and multiple spaces, such as the bathrooms, were identified as places of increased discomfort. A combination of the knowledge that some spaces act as avenues for increased social pressure and anxiety.
Needs and next steps as identified by students included creating more safe student spaces in Harwood, increased clarity and communication around rules and consequences, and building easily accessible student support systems. Students want places of comfort where they can go for a mental reset, or to get support in all areas surrounding emotional, physical, and mental health. Clear rules and consequences that are enforced throughout Harwood was another need brought to the table by students that would make school a safer place for all. This transparency and follow through demonstrates explicit communication between students and staff on expectations and values of our learning community.

Harwood students and staff moving forward need to strive to speak up and be advocates for others, collaborate with one another to create solutions, and be strong to our values as a community. Everyone of us holds the best intentions of making Harwood a safer place for all students and we will get there through direct communication on next steps and transparency on what we need to be able to learn and succeed in our school.

Please find Student Dialogue Needs & Next steps in detail here.

We are grateful for the continued collaboration and looking forward to moving forward as a community,

Meg, Laurie and Duane

Calendar:

April 1st - End of Quarter 3
April 7th, 8th and 9th - Freaky Friday Musical Production
April 18th - 22nd - NO School - April Vacation
May 2nd - 20th - SBAC testing window
May 23rd - 27th - Spirit week
May 12th - Family Conferences
May 18th - Family Conferences
June 11th - Graduation

Safe - seen, heard, respected & understood:

Topics	Information/Links
	As we continue to foster a school community where all feel safe, seen, respected and understood we seek your feedback by asking all Harwood families to complete the Comprehensive School Climate Inventory (CSCI) survey. Different versions of this survey will be given to students and staff, which will allow us to hear from every single member of our school community. The survey should take approximately 15 minutes to complete. We really value your feedback and will use it to help guide our continuing work on climate in our school. All responses are anonymous. There are no names or other personally identifying information attached to the survey. You can find the survey online here. All surveys must be completed no later than April 1. The NSCC will compile all of the results and conduct a thorough data analysis. When this process is completed, the NSCC will send us a detailed report with our results. These findings will be analyzed by the school’s leadership team, as well as the full staff, and will be used to inform future school planning initiatives. We plan to share the results with the community when the report is received. We will provide more information about this in the near future and hope you will join us in this effort to make our school an even better place to learn.
Resources that provide students help, healing and support	Hannah’s House - a nonprofit dedicated to promoting mental health for children, teens and families in rural central Vermont by providing local access to quality counseling, education, financial assistance and community outreach. Hannah’s House also sponsors a number of events and workshops Counsious Parenting Workshop starts 3/23 Psychology Today - a website features therapy and health professionals directories. You can filter and search directors based on therapeutic need, age and location 211 Family & Community Resources - Inquirers to Vermont 211 will connect with: “trained, empathetic Community Resource Specialists who assess their needs in a non-threatening, non-judgmental and confidential manner and help them understand their situations and make informed decisions about possible solutions. The I&R Specialist can, when necessary, assist people who are in crisis and emergency situations. I&R Specialists can also advocate on behalf of individuals who need additional support.” Washington County Youth Service Bureau - Our Mission is to provide a wide range of innovative and effective programs that empower and enrich the lives of youth and families in Washington County Country Roads provides individual and family counseling for youth experiencing family conflict, or who are homeless, have run away from home, or are at risk of running away. We offer temporary, short-term stays in shelter homes when needed. (Substance Use & Prevention) The Healthy Youth Program provides substance use education, prevention, and treatment that is geared specifically to the needs of adolescents and young adults ages 12 to 25 years old. The Basement Teen Center in Montpelier provides a safe space where teens can drop by to gather, have fun, attend workshops, learn leadership skills, and build supportive relationships with peers and adults. Washington County Mental Health
Emotional Resilience Training: Unlock The Prison Of Your Mind!	Harwood is excited to announce through our partnership with Hannah’s House, a new offering to any high school student run by Lou Bevacqui. Beginning Wednesday, March 16th, students may join Lou for the 6-week opportunity during ELOA (9:05-9:50am) in the Wellness Center. To sign up, please email Jon Berliner or Jessica Deane. Please see below for a description. Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed, frustrated, and not in control of what's going on in your life? Do you run stories in your mind that are more hurtful than helpful when you’re dealing with a difficult situation? Or do you simply allow fear to stop you when you are deciding to try something new that’s important to you? Here’s the truth… Your emotions may be making your decisions for you, and you may not even know it’s going on! Come join me, Lou Bevacqui for a START Right Emotional Resilience 6-week training program and learn how to change your emotions from dictators into your most trusted advisors. Learn how to use the original language of the Homo Sapiens that is over 200,000 years old to gain mastery over your life, and create tools to get the best possible outcomes out of any challenge you take on. More of what you can expect to come away with from this workshop… Learn how to use your mind to create your best emotional state. Lessen your Fear, Anxiety, and self doubt. Gain clarity of what people, places, and events actually bring you happiness. Strengthen your connection with the people in your life. Gain a greater sense and control over how you feel at any moment. Stop running stories in your mind that aren’t helping you.

Rigorous & Robust Academic Program:

Topics	Information/Links
Hiring Committee	The Hiring season for 2022-2023 is underway. We are seeking volunteers from our Family community to join as a representative. If you are interested please reach out to Megan McDonough mmcdonough@huusd.org
	Harwood Union HS Junior, Jeswin Antony takes First Place at prestigious American Legion Constitutional Speech Contest Mar. 5 at the Pavilion Auditorium, Montpelier Jeswin will represent the Department of Vermont at the National Oratorical Finals, April 22-24 in Indianapolis, IN. The Oratorical Program exists to develop deeper knowledge and appreciation for the U.S. Constitution amongst high school students.

Topics

Information/Links

Hiring Committee

The Hiring season for 2022-2023 is underway.

We are seeking volunteers from our Family community to join as a representative.

If you are interested please reach out to Megan McDonough mmcdonough@huusd.org

Harwood Union HS Junior, Jeswin Antony takes First Place at prestigious American Legion Constitutional Speech Contest Mar. 5 at the Pavilion Auditorium, Montpelier

Jeswin will represent the Department of Vermont at the National Oratorical Finals, April 22-24 in Indianapolis, IN.

The Oratorical Program exists to develop deeper knowledge and appreciation for the U.S. Constitution amongst high school students.

Positive school climate and culture:

Topics	Information/Links
	Students exploring learning opportunities and real life applications at HCLC.
	Students from the club ROC went to the Warren School to read Mama's Nightingale, a Story of Immigration and Separation to 3rd and 4th grade students. Our ROC students were able to teach Warren students about the immigration, refugees and the power of standing up for what you believe in!