Friday, April 30, 2021

Harwood Staff Blog Update, April 30, 2021

Team Harwood;


Your care, understanding, resilience, flexibility and partnership shined bright this week, when we all needed it the most.   THANK YOU!


Crank up your speakers - sit back and immerse yourself with an amazing version of Shine On You Crazy Diamond from Pink Floyd Live at Pompeii (David Gilmour - crazy amazing! The  sax and organ solos are mind blowing..  ) …   Shine On     This one is for Taggert! 


  • The work ahead of us is to continue to be vigilant in order to ensure ALL feel safe - seen, heard, respected and understood. We will continue to do this by focusing on:

  • Taking attendance during each block in the 1st 10 min. of class time.  Please make sure this includes Flex Block and both ELOs.

  • Calling the front desk when any student is missing from your class - even if it is during a walk around the building.

  • Ensuring only 1 student leaves the classroom at a time.

  • All students have a pass in the hallway.

  •  

  • Dismissing students at the bell or Nancy’s announcement *Please flag to Duane if you can’t hear Nancy or the bell.

  • Booking students for ELO to provide necessary support and prioritizing meaningful learning time.

Gratitudes for the week:

  • Patience by ALL as we transition to the new Flex/ELO schedule.

  • Mari, Jason and Chelsea for ensuring student’s feel safe and heard.

  • Honest feedback regarding and follow up to ensure students and staff feel safe with the 6 ft. spacing during lunch.

  • Bernadette, John and Eric for their continued work around supporting all of our students. 

  • Michael Woods for continued commitment to our students who need it the most. 


Curious  

Topics 

Information/Links

Tasks/Point people 

Have a question - need an answer?

Add it to the Q&A.


Laurie, Meg and Duane  

Gazebo accessibility 

Please use this sign up doc. if you are interested in using the Gazebo during Block 2 and 3 when the music dep’t is not using it.

Meg, Laurie and Duane 

SBAC Reminders

SBAC update

Mandatory State testing will begin shortly at Harwood starting on Mon 5/3.

SBAC: Math & ELA testing grades 7, 8 & 9 and VTSA (Vermont Science Assessment) : Science testing grades 8 & 11


If you have any students in these grades, encourage them to do their best.


Some 9th & 11th grade students had their math or science courses 1st semester so cannot be tested in class. They have been scheduled and assigned testing rooms during select block 4 ELO & Flex Blocks in the coming weeks. These will be clearly labeled in Adaptive Scheduler and you will not be able to override their scheduled test appointment.


Duane, Curtis and  Lisa T.

Hiring Update

Accepted hires for the year to date - stay tuned for formal introductions!

  • MS English Teacher

  • HS English Teacher

  • Science teacher 

  • Reading interventionist

  • Speech & Language Therapist

  • Chorus teacher

  • Language teacher

 

This week:

  • Initial hiring committee meeting for Social Worker 

    • Innovative Teacher posted 

    • HCLC teacher initial interview

In the next 2 weeks:

  • Reading interventionist - sample lesson 

  • Social Worker initial interview

  • Special Educator - coordinator/team lead initial hiring committee meeting

  • Innovation Teacher initial hiring committee meeting

Meg and Laurie 


Caring 

Topics 

Information/Links

Tasks/Point people 

Reminders from the Nurses’ office

  • Call the nurses office BEFORE sending student’s unless it is an emergency, AND send the student with a pass. To reach us, push the nurse button on your phone or call 8151. This call allows us to maintain student and staff safety and minimize possible exposure to illness.

  • The nurse's office will provide premade kits with extra masks and bandaids for your classrooms. These items will be available by mid-day Friday 4/16, and placed in the front office by the mail boxes.

  • Contact Rick if you need hand sanitizer. 

  • Review powerschool for important student health alerts and update your sub binders as needed. Call the nurses office with questions.

  • IMPORTANT-many of our families have not provided their student’s annual health form, emergency action plans or emergency medications. Please assist us in keeping students safe by following our current protocols when going outside. 

Tracy and Amanda 

HHB reminders

As we will have a full student body back at Harwood beginning April 26 please remember to log any discipline challenges into powerschool  that rise above what a classroom teacher would typically handle.  


It is very important that challenges/conflicts that are not handled within your classroom are investigated and handled by the student support specialists and admin.  Please do not classify challenges as bullying or harassment as this is a formal claim that must be made through a clearly outlined process.   Thank you!  

Student Support Specialist team 

Teacher Advisory

With the move to 4 days in person, questions of the week will now be adapted to include ideas for CASEL’s 3 signature Practices Playbook:

  1. Welcoming/Inclusion Activities

  2. Engaging Strategies

  3. Optimistic Closing


Welcoming/Inclusion Strategies:

One, Two Three Clap

~The purpose of this activity is to help a group quickly bond in preparation for collaboration, especially when you want to encourage innovation during the engagement. 

Stand in a circle

Round 1

Count to three taking turns around the circle. Start slowly and then pick up the pace. 

Round 2

Count the three but replace the one with a clap. Start slowly and pick up the pace

Round 3

Count to three and replace the one with a clap and the two with a stomp. Start slowly and pick up the pace

For a fun twist: Any time a member of the group makes a mistake everyone raises their hands in the air and proclaims: Tah Dah!!!


Engaging Strategies:

Affinity Mapping for Meaning

Give each student 3-6 post-its (teacher should also participate!)

Pose this question: What are some ways that we can support each other as a group? (TA) 

What are some ways we can all support each other’s learning? (Classroom)

One at a time place the post-its on a wall or whiteboard. Once all of the post-its are up, begin to sort according to similarity or category.

Debrief by summarizing the strategies/ideas of the group. This can also be made into agreements and posted if desired.


Optimistic Closing:

2 Minute Accolade

Pose a reflective question s/a

What is something that:

...you learned today/this week

...appreciated about today/this week 

...went well today/this week

...you want to thank someone for

...you are grateful for

Give 1 minute of quiet think time. Ask students to raise their hand when they have an idea. When everyone is ready, start the timer. Ask one student to start and then the group proceeds in popcorn format until the timer sounds. 


End of Year Reflection (EOYR)


We are continuing the process of engaging in the reflection with our students. Here is a link to the slideshow from our staff meeting should you need the questions. These questions are intended to support your work with your TA groups and you are encouraged to adapt your process to meet your students’ needs. 


A BIG thank you to Rachael Wells who shared her approach to this reflection with advisory. Check out her guiding slideshow. Rachael completed one with her responses to the prompts. 


As a reminder of another way to personalize this reflection process here is the  link to the document Alex shared with me. 


For Staff Meeting next week we will be in our small groups again for a portion of the meeting to follow up from our last small group gathering.  

  • Consider your skill, strength or area of growth that you highlighted in your groups during the April staff meeting and create some form of representation that demonstrates it (visual, audio, poetry, video, etc…). We will be asking this of our students for their final presentation in advisory groups in June! 

  • Be prepared to share your representative item with your small group. Please consider sharing this item to seed the COVID Museum!


The dates for the conferences are May 25 and 27th.

Next week email or mail the letter to invite and schedule with parents/caregivers. Remember to include a google doc link for scheduling. (sample doc if you would like to copy)



Ellen Berrings 




Connected 

Topics 

Information/Links

Tasks/Point people 

Harwood Athletics

As of May 1st, the size of outdoor events will increase from 150 to 300. As of June 1st the number will increase from 300 to 900 for both participants and spectators. As long as spectators are distanced from participants, you could potentially have 300 participants and 300 spectators as of May 1st and 900 participants and 900 spectators as of June 1st. 

 

As of May 1st, we will begin to allow community, student, and staff spectators to come to the games as well!

 

It is also noted that any vaccinated individuals do not count against the 150/300/900 limits. This is in accordance with the governor’s “VT Step Forward” plan. 


  • Masks MUST be worn by ALL spectators upon exiting their vehicle and kept on for the duration of the contest.

  • Appropriate social distancing should happen on the sidelines. All spectators will sit away from the team benches (across from the team benches for Lacrosse)

  • Indoor facilities are closed to all visiting teams and spectators.  

  • There are no animals allowed at games. Please leave all pets at home.

Chris 

ELO / FLEX

Use of Adaptive Scheduler - includes teacher screen casts for how-tos and the link to the updated student demo


Flex - happens during block 4 on Monday and Thursday

ELO - happens during block 4 on Tuesday and Friday

Mon

Tues

Wed

Thur

Fri

FLEX


Round 3 begins May 3 and stays the same through June 4.

ELO part A

1:27 - 2:01


Signed up by the end of TA on Tues.

ELOs on Wednesday are set up to match the class block.

ELO 4 matches Flex Block.

FLEX


Round 3 begins May 3 and stays the same through June 4.

ELO part A

1:27 - 2:01


Signed up by the end of TA on Fri.

ELO part B

2:06 - dismissal


Signed up by the end of TA on Tues.

ELO part B

2:06 - dismissal


Signed up by the end of TA on Fri.


FLEX - I’ll take your BRIGHT PINK scoring sheets as soon as possible but due by 5/10


ELO 

  • Please make sure ALL your students are signed up before leaving TA on Tuesday and Friday.

  • Please don’t use Special Educators as “a spot for a student to go”; they are providing specific services during that time.

  • Please use the session notes option to describe your focus for the day and help students make good choices.

  • Note that each student is limited to twice a week for a  “quiet study” option. 

  • Please 

Lisa T

May conference details 

Harwood Unions family conferences will be held May 25 nd 27. As we did in November, please send a letter (by email unless the family does not have access to digital communication) to your TA students’ parents/caregivers by May 7th to schedule a time to meet. This letter has been created to facilitate the scheduling process. Feel free to personalize it. Please create a google doc (sample doc if you would like to copy) for parents/caregivers to sign up for a meeting time with you. If a family does not sign up by May 14th please follow up with an email or phone call to ensure that a time is scheduled for all of your students. 


Timeline:

Week of May 3-7

Email or mail letters home

Week of May 10-14 

Monitor sign ups

Week of May 17-21

Follow up with any families who have not scheduled their conference

May 25 and 27th

Student led conferences


 

Meg, Laurie, Duane

Q4 lunch schedule

There are only a few adjustments for Q4 lunches based on a change in quarter classes.  This begins on Monday, April 12.  Make sure you click to the Quarter 4 tab on this spreadsheet.

 

Duane

Student Support Team Update

Bernadette, John, Eric, Melody, Laurie, Meg, Duane

Highlights from The Week: Students have had a good return back, have been following our guidelines as a whole, and have been responsive to feedback and redirection. 

Next week - please look out for data from the first week back! Thank you all for your support. 


Cell Phones

As students are adjusting and acclimating, we may see increased use of cell phones. As a non-negotiable, the first time we address it is a reminder, the second we remove the phone for the block, and the third is removed for the day. Feel free to have a Student Support Team member hold on to the phone for the day. If you need additional support with cell phones, don’t hesitate to reach out to John or Bernadette. 


Here is a Script to encourage students in advance of class starting, if they are struggling with expectations:


Script: Hey “Student,” I’ve noticed that you have been struggling with the phone in the class lately. I’m wondering if you think it would be helpful for me to hold your phone for the block so it’s not an issue? I’ll give it back at the end of class. I know it’s been hard for many students so you are not alone, and want to support you, Just a reminder that if I have to address it again, I will ask Student Support to keep it for the day. I really don’t want that for you. What do you think? Do you think that would be helpful? What do you think you can manage for today?

Attendance: Important Reminders For Staff

  1. If a student is tardy or not present in your class within the first 10 minutes (unexcused) and was noted as being present earlier in the day, please immediately call Nancy (who will connect with student support)

  2. Please mark all students - either P (present) or UX (absent). This will allow us to ensure accountability of all students in the building

    1. Nancy will be running attendance after each block. 

  3. If a student leaves your class without permission (Class cut), please immediately call Nancy

  4. If a student is out for an unusual amount of time, please immediately call Nancy


Log Entries For Class Cut or Behavior:

  1. Please complete a log entry for any: 

  1. Class cuts (leaving after class has begun, without permission; or absent for an unacceptable amount of time)

  2. Behaviors

  1. Student Support will connect with students, and with staff. If appropriate, teachers should follow up with parent/caregiver

  2. Melody will be setting up a time when we return from break for any new or returning staff to review how to complete a log entry on PowerSchool

    1. Log Entries are our documentation and allows the Support team to make sure we are closing the follow up loop with students and teachers.


Accountability and Safety

  • We recognize it takes time to create Log Entries and calls to Nancy can interrupt class flow. Thank you for taking the time to do this!! 

  • These are important because they enable us to respond immediately, account for the safety of all our students, and allow us to hold students accountable. 

  • We will be communicating with Chris L. (AD) regarding students in Co-Curriculars to continue to hold them accountable for their attendance, academic engagement, and behavior.

This is a team effort!

**If you have not received follow up from a Log Entry or call to Nancy, please let a member of the Student Support team know. We are working hard to follow up on all student support needs as they arise.

Melody

Upcoming Dates 

  • 05/24 & 5/27 - Parent/TA conferences 

  • 06/07 - 06/11 - Spirit week

  • 06/04 - All Summatives for S2/Q4 need to be complete 

  • 06/11 - Last day of school

  • 06/12 - Harwood Graduation *details forthcoming

Staff Meeting Calendar

Duane and Laurie, Meg






5/5 Staff 

Objective: 

  1. To connect after 10 days back as an entire Harwood community

  2. To review next steps in the EYO Reflection

Running Agenda

Zoom Information:  

Meeting ID: 858 1626 1603

Passcode: 9M1Hus

Laurie, Meg and Duane

Tech Updates

To continue to meet the tech support needs at HU moving forward (and to support Justin with any increased demands for his assistance), please submit all tech-related requests through our new "ticket" system. Technicians from across the district access all requests and will be able to support as needed.  The link to the site is: https://huusd.freshdesk.com/support/home

Justin

 

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