Team -
Recently, a conversation occurred in which a teacher received accolades about the inclusive nature of her classroom. Her inclusivity was evidenced by her talk time vs. students talk time and the manner in which all students were safely challenged to participate in discussion. When given praise for this work, the teacher responded by saying, “it all begins with the culture of the classroom and fostering trust.”
Staff feedback from last Friday’s session with Starling Collaborative were consistent with this teacher’s brilliant response:
Restorative communities aren’t just circles - it’s a practice focused on fostering strong relationships and connections in order to foster a classroom where students are accessible for learning.
Intersectionality of all our work - past and present (UDL, equity, Student leadership, RP and SEL) is about creating an inclusive Harwood community where ALL our students feel a sense of belonging and find meaning.
Below, please find the BIG takeaways from the survey, and know that we are taking them into consideration as we continue to move forward:
Appreciations | Feedback and considerations for next steps |
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As asked for in the feedback - please find the slideshow from Friday’s session here.
In partnership,
Duane, Laurie and Meg
Calendar:
10/14 - Flu Clinic 11 - 2:00
10/15 - Homecoming
10/15 - PSAT
10/18 - Photo Retake 8:30 - 9:30
10/18 - Assembly 2:45 - 3:20
10/19 - Stepping Stone Leadership Retreat
10/28 - End of Quarter 1
11/04 - Stepping Stone Leadership Retreat
11/9 & 11/15 - 3:30 - 7p.m. Family Conferences
11/11 - NO school for students (staff in service day)
11/20 - National Honors Society Induction ceremony
11/21 - Blood Drive
11/23 - 11/25 - NO School Thanksgiving Break
12/06 - Socrates Cafe 6 p.m. (led by Harkness leaders)
Appreciations:
Staff Member | Appreciations |
History dep’t - Rob, Jane, Phil, Matt and Adam | For your ongoing collaboration to create a solid course a-like US history class - it takes patience and dedication to find the time and come to consensus. |
Science and Math dep’ts - Heather, Susannah, Kristie, Chelsea, Andrew, Alison, Sarah, Tara, Tom, Jason, Kendra, Tari, Becky, and Darcy | For inviting the English dep’t into your department time to consider cross disciplinary literacy skill building. |
Jason, Tom, Kendra, Maggie Weintraub and Magge Stone | For your participation in speed dating with Special Education case managers! |
Chris Rivers | For jumping in to support with making tonight’s Community assembly possible. |
Paul Kramer, Paul Morris, Gary McCafferty | For making tonight’s community dinner possible - what a HUGE lift and such a wonderful opportunity for us all to come together. |
Jonah, Jess, and Genevieve | For staying late on a Friday evening to complete the PBL video for Open House - thank you for continuing to help our community understand Proficiency Based Learning. |
Safe - seen, heard, respected & understood:
Topics | Information/Links |
Safety Team Update
| IMPORTANT REMINDER: Close your classroom and office windows
Oct Drills: October 21, 2022 at 10:30  Fire Drill AND Bus Evacuation/safety Drill October 21 10:30am (should take approx 20 minutes) Fire Alarm will be set off at 10:30 TA will go to their assigned locations Early next week - busses will be assigned to TA’s for the bus drill We should have enough Busses to host all students at one time
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| Student Support Leadership: Please check out the October Belonging Calendar. The Student Support Collective is creating monthly calendars to highlight the major events happening at Harwood. This coming week the collective will discuss a process for staff to share and/or add events to the calendar. Look out for next week's blog for more details on the process and highlights from the calendar. Open House Presentation: Check out the Tri-Fold we put together for the Open House. We are asking all attendees to answer the question: What does it mean for your student to feel a sense of belonging at Harwood? We will share the results in next week's newsletter. October 25th Staff Meeting: Our collective will be presenting information on our new and continuing programs: mental health, restorative practices, TA, Wellness Center, and School Counseling. It takes a collective effort, all of us, to create an environment in which all students, staff, and community members feel safe, seen, heard, understood, and respected. Coming Soon: DESSA - Framing, opportunity to complete, and a timeline for the intentional work this year, related to our goals and benchmarks. |
Health Office Updates
| The health office is looking for specific clothes donations. We are in need of clean socks, T-shirts, sweatshirts, and easy on bottoms such as sweatpants and joggers. We will take any size. If you have any of these items at home to donate, save yourself a trip to the Salvation Army and just bring them with you to work. Vaccine clinic tomorrow: Sign up if you want your Covid booster and/or flu shot! The location is in front of the auditorium. If you test positive for COVID-19, isolate as soon as you receive your test result – even if you are vaccinated or never have symptoms. Isolation means staying home and away from other people for at least 5 days from the date of your positive test or the start of your symptoms, whichever is earlier. Day 0 is the onset of symptoms, or if you do not have symptoms, day 0 is the day of your positive test. The health office has tests available for symptomatic staff. You can end isolation after day 5 if your symptoms have improved AND you have had no fever for at least 24 hours without the use of medicine that reduces fevers. AND, there is a documented spike in many viral illnesses especially in children. https://www.npr.org/2022/10/11/1127873967/respiratory-illness-covid-children-hospitalizations-health OK, on to more fun things, like soup! This Greek Lemon Soup made in an Instapot was a big hit. Lemons contain about 50 mg of Vitamin C, which is over half the amount of Vitamin C needed in your daily diet. Along with boosting immunity, this burst of Vitamin C can reduce your risk of stroke and heart disease with regular consumption. |
TA update 
| This month we have two areas of focus: Letters will be going out to families to inform them about the conference content and dates as well as the process to sign up. Families can meet in person or virtually. They will be informed in the letter that they need to reach out to the TA teacher if they prefer a virtual meeting in order for you to send a link and plan accordingly. Slideshows: |
Rigorous & Robust Academic Program:
Topics | Information/Links |
Staff Meeting
 | Objectives: Department time to work on new course proposals for 23-24’
Staff Meeting Calendar Where: Department heads will let you know room When: 3:30 - 4:30 |
Substitute prioritization 
| Out of respect to your work to prepare for your absence - April will prioritize a substitute in your classroom IF you have sub plans. Those without sub plans (because it’s an unexpected absence) will go to a study hall as needed.
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JumpRope and formative assessments | At the beginning of the year inservice, we went over the assessment plan for this year with regards to formative and summative assessments. As a reminder:
Formative assessments in each unit of study give feedback on the same Performance Indicators that will be summatively assessed. Formative assessments will be weighted at 0.1 (10%) in JumpRope calculations. All formative assessments will be reported in JumpRope. Upon completion of a summative assessment, preceding formative assessment scores may be removed at the teacher’s discretion. A missing formative assessment will be scored in JumpRope as M for each Performance Indicator assessed, which is used as a 0 in calculations.  Each summative assessment will have at least one scored formative assessment in order to provide students feedback. Formative assessments are introduced and some work time is provided during class.
A quick trick (thanks to Sarah Butler!) for if you enter a formative assessment but want to remove it later after a summative has been entered: Rather than deleting the assignment or scores from JumpRope, simply “unpublish” the assignment by editing it in the plan tab (see screenshot). This removes the scores from calculation, and they are no longer visible to students, but they are still visible to you in the grade tab.
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Positive school climate and culture:
Topics | Information/Links |
Gym Floor Update
| As you might have already heard we will be replacing the gym floor due to the water damage from a few weeks ago. Best case scenario it will be completed by the end of December. VISBIT is covering the full cost of the new floor. The PO for necessary construction materials has already been placed.
PE will be allowed to use the space in marked areas until the construction work begins. The upstairs gym will be fixed up in order to make it usable during the time of construction.
A HUGE shout out to Chris Langevin, Peter and Katie for their flexibility during this time! As we know more details we will share with you. |
| Welcome Laura Ladieu! Laura is a para who will be working in the LRC. She has worked with young children for over 10 years and is excited to start a new chapter in her life working with teenagers! She was most recently a Middle School Summer Camp Director. |
| Welcome Scott Guyette! Scott is our new Maintenance Supervisor. He was the Water Plant Chief Operator in Waterbury for 7 years and is looking forward to getting experience working in a school. |
| Due to the survey results, one of our PATH events will be the Mason Jar Kits and a Mason Jar Salads or Grain Bowl potluck! We will be offering this on Tuesday, November 15th during Inservice as a way for folks to make their lunch for the next school day (Dinner will be provided that night), so you do not need to worry about making lunch when you get home OR it can save you $5 the next day if you usually buy lunch. :) Folks who sign up will receive a Mason Jar Kit including a regular mouth lid and insert (for salad dressings and other items). The kits DO NOT include a Mason Jar, so you would need to bring your own to the potluck. SIGN-UP FOR YOUR MASON JAR KIT HERE! *Reminder: This does NOT include a Mason Jar!* The event on Tuesday, November 15th will be a potluck, so we will send out a sign-up sheet later on to all folks who are participating to bring one salad/grain bowl item to share. 10 PATH Points will be rewarded to all folks who participate. We hope you will consider joining in! REMINDER: During the month of October, PATH participants who complete the Healthy Life Survey will earn 10 additional points - for 60pts total. After October 31st, participants will earn 50pts through the end of March 2023. Please reach out to Tara Cariano, Nick Gordon, or Meghan McCarthy if you have any questions! |
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