As we continue to persevere through COVID and the time of year where there is still more darkness then light - the need for some extra care and kindness has been great. Much gratitude to the YEW’s and Wellness center for their thoughtful gifts to the school community to encourage self care.
Harwood Families -
After the board’s decision on February 17th, to reduce Harwood’s Middle School to one team we immediately began the important work of supporting our community and preparing for the transition ahead. This work will continue in the coming months as we finalize the staffing plan and prepare for welcoming our new 7th graders.
With March’s arrival we have also begun discussing, considering and planning for the many different end of the year events. While there is much still unknown about how we’ll end the year the creative juices are flowing among staff and students to ensure we end strong and with much celebration.
We will excitedly share details as they are solidified!
We want to recognize that the news of educators being prioritized for vaccinations and the Governor’s continued focus to have schools back full time is impacting everyone differently. As we continue to charter what is ahead we will continue to prioritize the safety of our community and pivot as directed.
Thank you for your continued partnership,
Laurie, Duane and Meg
Curious
Student drivers
Now that our screening system is fully underway we invite student drivers to use the South entrance instead of the back entrance for screening.
Connected
Calendar Updates:
03/23 - 9th grade virtual Transition night - more details forthcoming
03/26 - No School
04/09 - End of Quarter 4
4/19 - 4/23 - April Vacation - NO School
06/11 - Last day of school
06/12 - Harwood Graduation *details forthcoming
HUUSD’s Annual Report is available here and on our website. then provide the link
IMPORTANT Please review the following School Bus Information
NOTICE: Harwood Union Middle/High School Bus riders will be asked to utilize the Harwood Transit cards (ZPass System) to assist school staff with identifying what students ride which bus each day regardless of any change in the bus they take to or from school. Students will be expected to swipe the card for both AM and PM bus routes - daily routes only. This is more important than ever given during this COVID school year. If students need a transit card please see Nancy Myrto. If you have questions contact Duane Pierson at dpierson@huusd.org.
Click on the link below to learn more about the Harwood Transit card system:
Caring
Everyone Eats and Share MRV Free Healthy Meals:
Free meals to anyone in the community who has been impacted in any way by the pandemic. Not only will you get a delicious meal, but you a re helping your local economy by supporting a valley restaurant and its employees. Come to the Big Picture Theater and grab a meal for you and your neighbor on Saturdays 11-1:00.
For more information, call 8802-505-9149 or send an email to ShareMRA @gmail.com.
Free Meals for Children 18 & Younger
Did you know you can get free breakfasts and lunches for your children 18 and under? That includes littles not yet enrolled in school! Sign up for meals here. Free meals are not only for families in need, and you won’t be “taking away” a meal from someone in need if you decide to get a meal for your child(ren). Please take advantage of this wonderful benefit, the more meals served, the better it is for the HUUSD Food & Nutrition Program.
Updates from our Health Office
Vermonters are still advised against any non-essential travel, including within Vermont, to prevent the spread of COVID-19. There is a mandatory quarantine for anyone returning or traveling to Vermont.
Please remember that if you travel out of Vermont whether for a day trip or longer, you must quarantine in Vermont when you return for 14 days. You can end your quarantine early if you haven't had any symptoms of COVID-19, get a PCR test on or after Day 7, get a negative test result, still do not have symptoms, and continue to monitor yourself for symptoms for the full 14 days.
If you are visiting outside Vermont for a longer period, and you will travel back to Vermont in a personal vehicle (including a rental vehicle or private plane), you may complete either a 14-day quarantine or if you have not had any symptoms of COVID-19, a 7-day quarantine followed by a negative PCR test in the state where you are visiting. Continue to quarantine from when you receive your test result until you travel to Vermont. You may then enter Vermont without further quarantine restrictions. You must continue to monitor yourself for symptoms for the full 14 days.
If your family plans to travel out of state and your child participates in sports, you must communicate your plan with the Harwood School Nurses, Athletic Department and Coaches and receive clearance from the school nurse before your student may return to sports. Please use email to communicate with the school nurses during February break when the school is closed.
Please monitor the Vermont Health Department web site https://www.healthvermont.gov/covid-19 for updates and changes to COVID-19 related guidance.
Tracy Taylor school nurse ttaylor@huusd.org
Amanda Brown school nurse abadgley@huusd.org
Thank you for doing your part in keeping our schools open and safe.
Nurses Office
Phone # 802-583-8151
Harwood High School Students Partner with Tree-Plenish to Offset Their School’s Paper Usage by Planting Trees
Calling Mad River Valley & Waterbury residents to action
MORETOWN, VT (January 19th, 2020) -- As of the week of 12/7/20, Tree-Plenish partnered with over 85 schools, including Harwood Union, to help build sustainable communities through youth engagement. Harwood students plan to plant 100+ trees on April 24th, 2021 to offset its school’s paper usage during one academic year.
Tree-Plenish mentors students through a step-by-step process to achieve their ultimate goal: hosting their own tree-planting event. With the help of Tree-Plenish, students calculate their school’s paper usage. In order to reach their goal number of trees, students rely on residents of the community to request trees to be planted by volunteers in their yard.
Throughout the winter and early spring, students and schools plan their tree-planting events. Students start in December to market their event to the community, with the goal of getting residents to request a tree to be planted in their yard on the day of the event. This tree request process continues until about one month before the event is to take place to allow time for the trees to be ordered and delivered. Students also reach out to their community to recruit volunteers to help plant trees on the day of the event. These events are a perfect opportunity for members of the community to stay connected and involved during the Covid-19 pandemic. Tree-Plenish has created specific guidelines to protect both the residents of the community as well as the volunteers for the event.
Residents of the community are able to help support the event starting now! If they live in the Mad River Valley, Waterbury, or Duxbury, they can request a tree to be planted in their yard or sign up to volunteer to plant trees on the day of the event. Homeowners can also arrange to pick up the saplings and plant them themselves if they prefer. The more homeowners that request trees, the faster the students are able to reach their goals. If homeowners are unable to request a tree or volunteer their time, they can also make a monetary contribution on the Tree-Plenish website.
Catalina, the public relations lead at Tree-Plenish, explains why she joined the Tree-Plenish team: “Throughout my high school career, I noticed the excessive amount of paper teachers, students, and administrators used. As a youth passionate about affecting change, I thought there must be a way we could give back to the community the resources we had taken. Tree-Plenish does this by empowering the youth in each community to stand up and make a difference.”
Tree-Plenish is a student-led 501(c)(3) non profit organization striving to build sustainable communities through youth engagement. Together with students from Harwood, Tree-Plenish hopes to drive the Mad River Valley and Waterbury towards a sustainable future.