Team -
Harwood Hacks Learning Edge: Ask students where their “learning edge” currently is, a place where they are working to stretch and grow. |
This morning the 9th grade team met, as they do every other Thursday morning at 7:45 a.m.
On Tuesday, teachers met and dug deeply into instructional strategies and practices.
Throughout the week, creative learning and joyful moments happened - like during ELO when the Latin games were played.
High expectations and rigorous moments of learning occurred such as during Global Studies as students grappled with the question of if governments have the right to control what people wear.
And where else could you see staff and students dancing together to the assembly band!
At one of the hardest times of year when our tanks are running low and fatigue is great, powerful moments are happening across the Harwood community.
Thank you!
Meg, Laurie and Duane
Calendar:
02/09 - 7-9 p.m. Jazz Concert
02/10 - 3:30 - 6 p.m. Student Recital Series
02/16 - Rising 9th grade Family Transition Night
02/20 - 03/10 - Rwanda travel study
02/22 - 7-9 p.m Band Night grades 5-12
02/27 - 03/07 - No School - February Vacation
03/16 - 7-9 p.m. Choral Night grades 5-12
03/24 - No School
04/13 & 4/19 - Family/TA Conferences
Appreciations:
Staff Member | Appreciations |
Jason | For the genuine compassion and support you show your students - specifically during the IEP meeting you were in this week. |
Wendy M, Krista V, Sarah I, Jonah I, Matt H, Andrew R, Susannah C, Jeannie E, Chelsea T, Adam S, Paul K, Eve B, and Nathaniel F | For your powerful facilitation of the UDL workshops on Tuesday! |
Safe - seen, heard, respected & understood:
Topics | Information/Links |
Student Support Services Health Office Updates | Student Support Collective: THIS WEEK: We reviewed the upcoming Harwood School Community Survey. This Survey will take about 10 minutes to complete. More information to come, but we will be providing opportunities during TA on February 16th. Senior teachers - Melody will be reaching out to ask you all in helping with getting seniors to complete during your class time with them. WHY THIS SURVEY: As a school we are prioritizing creating a strong sense of belonging and pride in our community. Additionally, we are prioritizing creating a rigorous and robust academic experience for all. Your answers will help us to know what we are doing well, and what we can do to improve, to meet these goals. Please answer as honestly as possible so that we may use this information to work on improving as a school. NEXT WEEK - Starling joins us again on 2/13 to review and help us commit to a timeline for H1 process (to be shared at 2/21 Staff meeting) Please see our SSC Agenda and Notes - If you have any questions or want to learn more related to the notes/agenda items, please contact our team using this Email: hu-collectivess@huusd.org. Student Leadership Collective: Will meet the week of February 20th. More information and agenda to come. Daily Support Team Reminders: Phone Violation Procedures: **Teacher asks student to put phone away, if the student does not put the phone away then... **Teacher reminds student to put phone away, if the student still does not put the phone away then... **Teacher asks student to give them the phone/place it on the teacher's desk for the remainder of class, if student refuses to give the teacher the phone then... **Teacher sends email to HU Student Support or calls the office to have Student Support go to the classroom to take further action **Teacher emails home in regard to phone issues **If this continues to be an issue, teaching team and Student Support decide if a phone plan is needed moving forward - this can be done during the EST/Student Talk meeting In-School Suspension (Full and Half-Day) Roles/Responsibilities
https://info.totalwellnesshealth.com/blog/5-smart-health-reasons-to-cut-back-on-caffeine |
TA update | February’s Theme: Equity and inclusion Next week (2/13 and 2/14) we will be engaging in an activity that focuses on the video: “The Danger of Silence” by Clint Smith. The outline for this two-day activity can be found in this document or in your TA slideshow. The bulletin Board by the library will be the site for student and teacher post-its for day two of this activity. Materials to create the Pocket Cards for day two will be found in the staff lounge on Monday afternoon. Each TA teacher should take 4 copies for your TA group to share. Please review the instructions and let me know if you have any questions or need any support. TA SLIDESHOWS |
Safety Team Update | IMPORTANT REMINDER: Close your classroom and office windows February Drill Tuesday 2/14 @ 9:30
|
Rigorous & Robust Academic Program:
Topics | Information/Links |
Bell Schedule for 2023-24 Thank you to everyone who participated in the scheduling surveys in November and December. As noted in those surveys, we are approaching the 2023-24 final bell schedule with a lens of stability as we continue to work toward meeting the goals of PBL instructional time, TA, and ELO within a predictable schedule. As we do that we also have an eye to our long term planning (including future schedules) which is already happening with Department heads (and in collaboration with Mike, Aspirations, Teaching and Learning and Student Support Collective) and will be discussed and shared with the entire staff as we refine. You can find the working draft of next year's bell schedule here. | |
Academic Dishonesty Process: Please see the Student/Caregiver Handbook (PAGE 5) for clear procedures. Follow up with members of the daily support team for any questions. Consistency in upholding these procedures is important for students, so that we can help them with learning opportunities! Thank you for your partnership. In the past couple of weeks we have seen an uptick in student plagiarism incidents; whether it be copying another student’s written words, giving their own work to another student to copy, using words directly from a published work, or now - which is something new this year - using AI to create written work or generate answers to various math problems. If this is a first time issue for your student, please follow this process:
| |
Staff Meeting  | Objectives: To continue the work of creating a clear scope and sequence by Department. Where: Start in Library and transition to dep’t space When: 3:30 - 4:30 |
Did you know….
|
Positive school climate and culture:
Topics | Information/Links |
Congratulations to our 2023 HUMS Math Counts Team! They will be competing Saturday, February 11th at Northern Vermont University, Lyndon Campus. Good luck representing Harwood Middle School: Tarin Askew, William Clark, Jane Schaefer, Lev Ibson, Rowan Sexton, Caroline Cox, Cora Potts, Dahlia Jordan, Emily Hill, Harmony Devoe, Lena Tautfest and Sydney Schaller!! And our team alternates Trinity Mazzilli and Warren Rayburn!! | |
From The Living Tree: In addition, we are happy to schedule trips for the later spring that include planting and other life cycle / food / agriculture-based curriculum. Better yet, we can collaboratively build a farm-based lesson around a future unit's goals / learning objectives, regardless of the discipline! We hope to host you again in this coming season. Best wishes, Sephirah Stacey Oshkello Founding Director Living Tree Alliance | |
Hiring Update | This week:
Next week:
Posted positions:
We’re excited to formally announce Brian Boye’s acceptance of the Music position as well - see bio below:  As a trumpeter, composer, arranger and band leader, multi-instrumentalist Brian Boyes has worked in Vermont for over 20 years. As a member of a variety of award wining ensembles including the national touring jazz-funk act, viperHouse, he has been recognized for his soulful and intense approach to his trumpet. Most recently, Brian Boyes has been celebrated and recognized for his work as the composer and conductor of the 18-piece post-rock, big band, The Saturn People’s Sound Collective. As a recipient of a Vermont Community Foundation Arts Endowment grant and a Goddard College Concerts commission, Boyes and the Saturn Collective have sent shockwaves throughout the VT musical community leaving an indelible imprint amongst Vermont’s tastemakers and diverse music lovers alike. Says Seven Days of the group’s 2013 headlining Discover Jazz Festival performance, “Mind blowing radness . . . The Saturn People’s set at The FlynnSpace on Tuesday was simply transcendent, not merely a local highlight, but a festival topper, period.” Brian Boyes is no stranger when it comes to working with large ensemble; including The Big Bang Bhangra Brass Band and Movement of the People: The Fela Kuti Project - both projects exploring the intersection of global music and jazz improvisation. As an educator Brian Boyes has twice received special recognition from the Vermont Arts Alliance for his unique and creative approach to music education at Cabot School and is a three-time recipient of Cabot School’s Teacher of the Year award. In 2014, Brian was awarded a Rowland Foundation Fellowship to develop and implement a significant project of educational transformation in Vermont. Brian is the founder and creative director of SoundCheck - a band of select VT high school musicians writing and performing original music to fight for social justice. SoundCheck students work with music educators, prominent singer-songwriters and anti-racist educators to develop original material that tackles racism, injustice and hate. The band regularly performs and facilitates workshops at New England high schools using art and music as a catalyst to spark dialogue, action and awareness. Brian holds two degrees from Goddard College; BA Music Performance & Composition (with a minor in Ethnomusicology); MA Education (Infusing Performing Arts into Project Based Learning). |
No comments:
Post a Comment