Harwood Families -
One can’t underestimate the power of coming together to share laughter and space - especially after 2 years of relative isolation. This past Tuesday facility staff, students grades 7-12, Administrative Assistants and the Harwood faculty collectively enjoyed the performance of Cirque Us. The energy was magnetic, the skill and strength drew much applause.
A HUGE thanks to Jasper Mayone who initiated the idea early this fall and to Molly Clark, Steve Rand, Ray Daigle and Ryan Alger who made the logistics possible.
We are looking forward to more community gatherings/celebrations as Spring arrives,
Meg, Laurie and Duane
Calendar:
May 2nd - 20th - SBAC testing window
May 12th - Family Conferences
May 14th - Jr/Sr. Prom
May 18th - Student Dialogue during ELO
May 18th - Family Conferences
May 23rd - 27th - Spirit week
May 25th - Award Ceremony
Where: Auditorium
When: 9 - 9:45 (ELO A)
Who: recipients & parents will be invited
May 30th - NO school (Memorial Day)
June 11th - Graduation
Safe - seen, heard, respected & understood:
Topics | Information/Links |
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Health Office Updates  |  Prom Pop-up Shop is this Saturday, 10-2 in the cafeteria.
Help spread the word! |
 | We are excited to announce that Erin Dezell was awarded the UVM outstanding school counselor award. She demonstrates true compassion when working with her students. She takes the time to know them both as a person and as a student. The trusting relationships she forms with each of her students allows them to feel supported during their time at Harwood. She gives all her students a voice and shares their needs with others when necessary. |
Rigorous & Robust Academic Program:
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Family/ Teacher Advisor conferences  | End of Year Reflection Conferences! When: May 12th or 18th between 3:30 and 7:00PM Where: In person or virtually (the choice is up to what works best for each family) Why? Reflection is an essential part of the learning process. These conferences provide a space for students to share successes and challenges from the year, consider progress toward the goal they shared in November and look ahead to their hopes for the future. It provides an opportunity for the TA teacher to partner with parents/caregivers to support the academic and personal growth of each student. What to Expect: You should have received an email with a letter sharing the process to sign up for a time that works for your family this week. If you choose to meet virtually, you will receive a confirmation with a meeting link. If you choose to meet in person, your student’s TA teacher will confirm the location with them. If you have questions, please feel free to contact Ellen Berrings, Advisory Coordinator (eberrings@huusd.org) |
7th grade Oratoricals | What would happen if humans disappeared from the Earth? How did the covid pandemic impact the mental health of teens? What is the history of book banning? It's presentation week and the students have been sharing their Oratoricals over the past few weeks. It's been awesome! Topics range wildly from Plastics in the Ocean to BIPOC Farmers in Vermont. Top Tier presentations were presented this past week to their classmates and HUMS families. Thanks to all that participated and supported this excellent opportunity.  |
 | Congratulations to Winn Gillen and Astrid Kahn who both placed in the top 10% of the STATE for their work on the UVM math contest! |
Vermont Virtual Learning Cooperative (VTVLC) Online Courses  | Class registration for the Fall Semester's online courses offered through the Vermont Virtual Learning Cooperative (VTVLC) is now open. If you have an interest in pursuing an online course through VTVLC please reach out to your school counselor to discuss your options. Harwood Union High School has a limited number of spaces available for our students to participate in their offerings and these are distributed on a first come, first serve basis. Check out VTVLC's course offeringshere (https://www.vtvlc.org/course-catalog/). Please keep in mind that Harwood only has funding for Traditional course offerings. We will, however, accept transfer credits from VTVLC if families elect to pursue On Demand offering on their own. |
Positive school climate and culture:
Topics | Information/Links |
|---|---|
Our Voice Exposed (OVX) Club | The OVX Club had a successful field trip to the state house this month and spoke to legislators in regards to vaping issues within schools. We had a total of 13 students present for this day. These students have been meeting weekly during ELO time and having open dialogues in regards to tough topics like addictions and mental health. This week we put together Quit Kits for students here at Harwood. These student leaders will be bringing these discussions of addictions to the 8th grade and leading a circle discussion for the core classes. We are very proud of these student leaders we have here at Harwood!   |
Community Announcements:
Rotary Invite  | Harwood Rotary Interact and Mad River Valley Rotary Club invite you to join the Rise Against Hunger Event! We will be meeting at the Harwood Union Middle and High School cafeteria to package meals for communities in need. This event is in support of Rise Against Hunger, an organization working to end hunger around the world. They’ve packaged over 540 million meals since 2005 with the help of volunteers like you! Anyone is welcome to come; students, teachers, community members, etc.! This is a great event for the whole family! The Mad River Valley Rotary Club has put together a website where you can sign up to volunteer. You can find the website here <https://rah.secure.force.com/events/homepage?id=7013Z000002vqnRQAQ>. To learn more about Rise Against Hunger’s mission, you can visit their website <https://www.riseagainsthunger.org/>. When: May 21, 2022 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM Where: Harwood Union Middle and High School Cafeteria |
 | Warren, Waitsfield & Fayston residents, How is the Mad River Valley doing? Have your voice heard on important community issues by taking the 2022 MRV Wellbeing Survey (bit.ly/2022-MRV-Wellbeing)! The second annual Wellbeing Survey is a tool to help our community better understand how the MRV’s people, economy, and environment are doing. By asking questions such as your satisfaction with your personal health or access to recreational opportunities, decisionmakers can gain important insight into what the MRV is doing well – and how we can do better. Results will be shared on the MRV Community Dashboard in summer 2022, and will be used to improve data-driven decision making, strengthen Valley-wide wellbeing and resilience, and provide transparency between MRV residents and officials. The survey will run until May 30 and takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. At the end of the survey, participants will have the option to enter to win gift cards to Valley businesses! You can take the survey online at: bit.ly/2022-MRV-Wellbeing. The Wellbeing Survey is being conducted by the MRV Planning District as a part of theMRV Community Dashboard, an exciting effort to enhance the accessibility and relevance of local data. For questions or more |