Family Newsletter- April 8, 2022

Harwood Families -

The beaming sun from the first 3 days of this week were a beautiful backdrop to the

that shined in many ways at Harwood this week. Including:

• Harwood 7-12 being all together for Assembly and watching our assembly band perform

• Freaky Friday performance - in person - in our own auditorium and including grades 7-12 at Harwood

• The latest edition of Common Ground and learning about Harwood’s past

• Spring sports starting (regardless of mud season)

• Student advocacy and support shining through from our Sexual Awareness club *please see details below!

• Student Drug & Alcohol awareness advocacy at the State level

With gratitude,

Laurie, Meg and Duane

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Calendar:

• 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

• May 30th week schedule:

  • Monday - NO school (Memorial Day)

  • Tuesday – Gold Day

  • Wed – Black

  • Thurs – Gold

  • Fri – Black

June 11th - Graduation

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Safe - seen, heard, respected & understood:

Topics	Information/Links
	​Bringing Awareness to Sexual Violence “Let’s Talk About It” is a student-led Harwood club whose mission is to initiate and maintain sexual respect norms within each of Harwood’s distinctive communities, while seeking to uphold values of respect, conversation, and empathy. In alignment with this mission, we are excited to announce a month of action in support of sexual respect during April, the global Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Throughout the course of this month, various events are taking place to support survivors and seek justice in our community and beyond. These events include: A Day of Action on April 5th. Members of the Harwood community were invited to wear teal - the color of sexual violence prevention - on this day, in order to display support for survivors of sexual violence. This day also included tabling at school lunches with club information, resources, stickers, and pins. A month-long Bra Drive to support “Free the Girls,” an organization that uses donations of bras to create a “world in which previously enslaved women are leading vibrant, successful, integrated lives.” The more bras our community donates, the more survivors this organization is able to support, financially and emotionally. The bra drive will help a woman in the developing world by supplying inventory for her business; selling bras on the second-hand market! The more bras our community donates, the more survivors this organization is able to support; financially and emotionally. Community members are invited to donate new or gently used bras during the month of April that are in good condition. They can be any size or style, with or without tags. Donation boxes can be found in the community at Stowe St. Cafe, Red Hen Bakery, & The Green Closet. Consent trainings for middle-school students at HUMS and CBMS, took place in late March and early April during health classes with the goal of normalizing sexual respect. Participated in the All-School Assembly by bringing awareness to the Day of Action, Bra Drive, and interviewing representatives from CIRCLE and MOSAIC, Central Vermont’s local organizations working to end sexual violence. Updated “Stall St Journals,” the flyers staged in all the bathroom stalls of the school. These are providing information about healthy relationships and consent. If you have any questions, please contact “Let’s Talk About It: Students for Sexual Respect” club advisor and teacher, Tara Cariano at tcariano@huusd.org
Harwood Union Middle and High School Wellness and Hygiene Program (WAHP)	The WAHP program offers dental (toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash), physical/body (private shower with all products needed), laundry services for students, and clothing If you are in need of any of these supports please complete here.
	Explore the lived experience of our LGBTQ+ youth with a discussion hosted by Outright VT and MRV Libraries. This program will take place at the Moretown Town Hall, with an online option as well. Please register below for the meeting link if you’d prefer to attend virtually. Generously sponsored by the Vermont Humanities Council as part of the Vermont Reads program. Virtual Attendance Registration: https://forms.gle/PjgWBg7Vu5qU4TTf7 Learn more about Outright Vermont's mission to build a Vermont where all LGBTQ+ youth have hope, equity, and power: https://www.outrightvt.org/

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Rigorous & Robust Academic Program:

Topics	Information/Links
Quarter 3 Progress Reports	Friday April 1st marked the end of Quarter 3 in our school year and an important time to review academic progress. Progress reports are emailed to students and families from Jen Schaub (our registrar) through JumpRope. The email includes some guidance on how to interpret scores, but here is an additional resource to help explain the information in the progress report. Feel free to reach out to Jess Deane at jdeane@huusd.org with general questions, or email teachers for course-specific details.
Quarter 4 Flex Block	Flex Blocks for quarter 4 are underway! The intention of Flex Block is to provide students the time to practice a skill, pursue a passion, or complete a course or support a Learning Expectation from the previous semester or school year. Students have chosen options including Junior Jumpstart (starting to work on post-secondary application essays), the Cook Up (cooking with the Harvest of the Month), STEAM, and Graphic Novel Workshop.

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Positive school climate and culture:

Topics	Information/Links
Friendly Dismissal Reminder	At dismissal please line up to pick your students up at the South entrance. For the safety of all please do not park along the edge of the lawn but rather wait in line in the parking lot. Thank you for your collaboration!