Harwood Families -
The next HUUSD budget vote is on April 30th!
Currently we’ve been given approval to post for the following open positions at Harwood Union Middle High School:
Middle School Science
Art
Special Education
Math Interventionist
IF the budget does NOT pass we will not be able to hire for these positions.
Through retirements, resignations, unfilled positions and 1 year contracts we have already reduced our operating costs at HU through the following 9 positions:
Some of these positions have and will impact programming available to HUUSD students.
If our budget does not pass by July 1st we will have to reduce our operating costs as a district by 13%. This is equivalent to the operating costs of Crossett Brook Middle School.
The original budget that went to vote reflected level spending. The following drivers impacted the bottom line:
As we move towards the vote we encourage everyone to remain informed, encourage community members to do the same and to get out to vote.
In collaboration and ongoing partnership,
Meg, Laurie and Bethany
Calendar:
04/11 & 04/12 NGLC school visit 8:30-12 each day *more details below
04/18 - 5:30 - 7:00 - 7th grade Welcome Night (Class of 2030)
04/18 - 1:25 - 2:05 - Assembly
04/19 - Blood Drive
04/22 - 05/02 - Denmark Trip
04/22 - 04/26 - No School - April Vacation
Cultivating and maintaining a sense of belonging, pride and purpose:
Topics | Information/Links |
Athletics  | Greetings all! Spring is here and we are starting to get outside. Games have officially started, to see a teams schedule please click here. If you have not signed up for the Sportsyou app (team communication app) please reach out to me at ifraunfelder@huusd.org for your team specific instructions. |
Student Athlete Wellness Fair  | On March 28th, HUMHS held the Student Athlete Wellness fair for middle and high schoolers. Sheila Stawinski, Injury to Excellence/Fit2Excel, spoke to our participants, with a great keynote! We had multiple vendors, including One More Mile Substance Use Services (Carl Yalicki), Evergreen Sports Medicine, The Youth Enriching Student club, HUMHS Health Office (CPR), HUMHS Library, The Kahn Center (Eating and Nutrition), Mosaic, Hannah’s House, Washington County Mental Health, and Butterfly Moon Wellness. Over 100 student athletes attended, in addition to caregivers. THANK YOU to our Community Vendors, who came to share about their areas of expertise and topics. THANK YOU to Student Services and our Athletic Department for hosting! Students went to all the vendors and collected signatures to be eligible to win cool HU Winning Wellness items such as: backpack, hats, umbrellas, blankets, water bottle, therabands, lunch boxes, and journals. If you see your student or another student or staff wearing those items with the logo ask them about the fair! Ask them about what they learned! We will be back with another fair in the fall and will continue to support all our students with important mental skills for their success on the field and off, including
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Student Support Services  | This year we introduced the Harwood Way as a guide to co-create a school community that we aspire to. The Harwood Way states: I will...
We work to uphold this in our daily expectations and practices for everyone within the Harwood Community. One way we hold our students accountable for engaging in their academic program is through holding after school detentions 3 times a week. Detention is a system for students that creates a space for students to reflect and create a repair plan after these expectations have not been upheld. Detentions occur in situations when classes are cut (meaning a student leaves the classroom for over 10 minutes or is present at school and misses a class), when students are late without an excuse to any class 3 or more times in one week, or when there are classroom disruptions or disrespectful language (this is a sample of a list, please see out Student Acknowledgment of Expectations for more information). As we thrive to model respectful language, actions and maintain a learning environment that is comfortable for all we ask for your true collaboration. Only together can we meet our goals at Harwood Union Middle High School to strengthen and sustain a community where our children are supported in engaging in a rigorous and robust academic program that provides exploration and prepares students with knowledge, understanding, and skills for their next steps and cultivate and maintain a Harwood community where ALL students, staff, and families feel a sense of belonging, pride and purpose. We ask that if you receive communication from the school, and have questions about it, to reach out to Bethany Turnbaugh bturnbaugh@huusd.org, Laurie Greenberg lgreeberg@huusd.org or Megan McDonough mmcdonough@huusd.org. We are always happy to engage in respectful dialogue that is productive in supporting our students. To co-create the community that the Harwood Way aspires to, we need all of our members (parents included) to do their part. Grateful for your partnerships, Meg, Laurie and Bethany |
Health Office Updates  | Allergies vs. colds: A side-by-side look at the common signs While seasonal allergies and colds share some of the same symptoms, how your symptoms feel and how common they are can be unique. Here’s a side-by-side chart comparing allergy and cold symptoms that gives an overview of the similarities and differences.  |
TA Update  | Next Week we are going to explore the concept of “multi-tasking”. We have researched resources to help us explore this topic that we will be exploring during TA this week.
If you have questions about these activities or about Advisory, in general, please feel free to contact Ellen Berrings, Advisory Coordinator (eberrings@huusd.org). |
 | Dual Enrollment Open for Both Summer and Fall Courses All Vermont high school students are eligible to take 2 free college classes between the end of their sophomore year and high school graduation. All Sophomores and Juniors now have the ability to register for courses over the summer or fall semesters of 2024. If your student is interested in taking advantage of this opportunity they should reach out to their school counselor to enroll. Thank you to all who joined us for our Junior Family Night on Tuesday. For those of you who were unable to attend, here is the slideshow that we went through. Also please feel free to reach out to your student’s school counselor if you would like more information or have any questions. |
Mentor Program |  The mentor program hosted a breakfast for all of the mentors and mentees to gather, make food and play games. Students from Randolph Union High School also joined to learn about the program. Mentors joined their mentees on the ski/ride program last month, and are continuing to plan for an end of year celebration bowling trip, and an afternoon of field games.  |
Wellness Center  | The Wellness Center has been getting visitors from other Vermont schools to learn about how our work and how to implement similar support centers in their schools. A team of teachers, nurses and counselors came from Hazen School recently to check it out. Also, wellness student leaders toured 11 students and 2 staff members from Randolph School this week to learn about how the Wellness Center could fit in with their school.  |
Strengthening and sustaining a rigorous and robust academic program:
 Harwood Students Attend Youth Lobby Day! Harwood Union High School was proudly represented by dozens of students in the Vermont Statehouse at the recent Youth Lobby Day on Friday, March 29th. The goal of these events, which happen a few times each year, is for young people to see democracy in action and inspire them to become more responsible, active, and informed citizens. The Vermont Youth Lobby began right here at Harwood, almost a decade ago, in one of our Civics classes called Creating Sustainable Communities (CSC). Harwood students have been critically analyzing the arguments for and against numerous bills being considered in the legislature and were able to speak with a number of advocacy organizations including the Vermont Conservation Voters (VCV) and the Vermont Natural Resources Council (VNRC) among many others. Our students were recognized for their advocacy on the floor of the House of Representatives and engaged in small group dialogues with many of our lawmakers, including Lt. Governor Dave Zuckerman, Representative Dara Torre, Representative Kari Dolan, Senator Andrew Perchlik, and Senator Anne Watson. After participating in a Youth Lobby press conference, students also had the opportunity to watch the Senate in action as they deliberated and voted on at least two bills. It was a powerful and inspiring day for many of our students. We wanted to share our gratitude with the Harwood Youth Lobby students who helped organize the event, Rowan Clough, Janelle Hoskins, and Natalia Roscioli. Thank you!  |
Community Announcements:
Topics | Information/Links |
 | Reminder to bring your eclipse glasses into the library These glasses will be sent to Astronomers without borders who will pass them on to the communities in the path of the next eclipse. |
 | My name is Mia. I am part of Let´s Talk About It and every spring we do a BRA DRIVE to collect new and gently used bras to be donated to women's shelters. We have two boxes at Harwood, one at Brookside, one each at the Waterbury Public Library and the Warren Town Library, one at Stowe Street Cafe in Waterbury, one at Hannah´s House in Waitsfield, and one at Red Hen Bakery. We are looking for new and gently used bras, new-in-the-package underwear, and unopened menstrual products (pads, tampons, and period cups). If you have any questions please email: mdiller2024@huusd.org. Thank you, Mia Diller |
 | Harwood Prom is just around the corner!!! When? Saturday, May 12, 2024 Where? Sugarbush Gatehouse Lodge Who? Juniors and Seniors How? Tickets will be on sale during lunch every day next week. If a student is not in school, please contact Ellen Berrings (eberrings@huusd.org). Tickets are $40 and can be purchased by cash or check. Much appreciation to the members of the Junior Class Council for their hard work to organize this important event!!! |
 | The ShareMRV Farm Stand is heading into its fifth season offering fresh, healthy food based on a “take what you want, donate if you can” model. Anyone can come by the ShareMRV Farm Stand to help themselves without having to provide any personal information or demonstrate specific financial need. Open all day every day during growing season, the ShareMRV Farm Stand is located at Lareau Farm in Waitsfield. https://www.instagram.com/sharemrv/
Thanks so much & cheers to a great rest of the school year, Robin Cohen |
 | he yearbook is almost ready to ship! Be sure to remember to order by 5/31 to guarantee your yearbook this year. Order your 2024 yearbook: https://www.jostens.com/apps/store/productBrowse/1120491/HARWOOD-UNION-HIGH-SCHOOL/2024-Yearbook/2023071904255810058/CATALOG_SHOP " |
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Concert Band & Soldiers’ Chorus of the U.S. Army Field Band Free Concert at the Flynn April 17, 2024 @ 7pm The 60-member concert band and 29-member soldiers’ chorus perform regularly in some of the most famous concert halls in the world, and just as often in the humblest auditoriums in the smallest of communities. The joining of these two ensembles allows them to offer unparalleled versatility of programming, ranging from orchestral masterworks and operatic arias to Sousa marches, jazz classics, and Broadway musicals. The band and chorus also perform independently, and have recently shared the stage with such ensembles as the Boston Pops, the Cincinnati Pops, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and the National Symphony Orchestra. Click HERE for more information. Respectfully,
Mikel R. Arcovitch CPT, USA Public Affairs Officer Vermont National Guard 802-338-3434 (o) 802-734-1677 (m) | |
Teams of Educators and Students from 10 New England Communities Flock to Vermont to Explore Three School Districts’ Efforts to Transform Learning Last month, the total solar eclipse isn’t the only event bringing interested visitors to the Green Mountain State. Over April 11 and 12, Harwood’s Middle and High School hosted nearly 100 representatives from 10 New England communities. These visitors came to learn from Harwood’s decade-long implementation of Vermont’s Act 77, aimed at enhancing public school services for students. Organized by Next Generation Learning Challenges (NGLC) and funded by the Barr Foundation, the 2024 Innovative Schools Learning Excursion highlights Harwood’s efforts to offer a more personalized and meaningful learning experience for high school students. Representatives from the 10 communities include administrators, high school students, school board members, parents, and community partners. This trip is part of NGLC's ongoing series, supported by the Barr Foundation for the past seven years, marking its first exploration of Vermont's educational initiatives. The Vermont trip is supported by partners including the Vermont Agency of Education, whose leaders will address the assembly on the trip's first night, and UP for Learning, a nonprofit fostering youth-adult partnerships in Vermont and beyond. | |
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