Harwood High School Families -

As Vinny’s family, friends and community prepare for his funeral service this Saturday, we want to acknowledge that as adults, most of us have been to a funeral or memorial service before, but for your child or teen, this might be their very first time.

Learning of Vinny’s death is being processed differently by everyone. Some might feel shocked, sad, confused, angry, or numb. Some may not know how they feel yet, or may not have known Vinny personally. All of these reactions are normal and valid; there is no right or wrong way to feel.

It is also natural to have a lot of questions about attending the funeral. The resources below are being shared to support these considerations and share a few ideas for how to find our own way to honor Vinny Viola.

Provide Choices: When it comes to helping children and teens who are grieving, one of the most important things we can do is give them choices. Having the chance to say goodbye in a way that feels right to them can be a meaningful experience. Should my child attend? To make a choice, children and teens first need to know what to expect.
Understand What the Event Is: There are many types of events to honor someone's life: funeral, celebration of life, memorial service, wake/viewing, homegoing. Regardless of the type of event, it’s important to explain what the term means to your child or teen. Try to be as clear and honest as possible when explaining what will happen at the service. If you don’t have all the answers, that's okay. It’s perfectly fine to say, “I’m not sure, but let's try to find out together.”
Be Flexible: Remind your child that they can change their mind about attending or helping out, even once they’ve arrived. Make a back up plan so you’re both prepared if they decide they aren’t up for it after all.
Check Back In: In the days and weeks after the service, try to find a moment to check in. You might ask how they’re feeling about everything now that it’s over.

If you or your child needs immediate help, please reach out to these resources:

Washington County Mental Health Services: 802-229-0591

Students can be referred to Children’s Access if they need additional supports quickly
Adults can access Home Health & Hospice Grief Group. Diane Moore is the contact: 802-224-2241 or dmoore@cvhh.org

The NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) has a helpline that provides emotional support, and mental information for non-urgent help. Call: 800-950-6264; Text NAMI to 62640; Email at helpline@nami.org
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Dial 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
Or visit the nearest Crisis Center or Emergency Department.

Some resources that may feel helpful for you:

Grief Resources for Parents & Caregivers

Tips for Teens Who are Grieving

***Adapted from The Dougy Center resource

With care and in support,

Meg, Jess, Randy, Erin and Maggie

There have been a few emails sent out since the start of school with paperwork reminders -

If your student carries an inhaler at school, please fill out this form and send this one to the nurses
If your student is filing a religious exemption form for vaccines, please send in the documentation that was emailed to you
We are hosting a dental clinic with 802 Smiles and reached out to families that indicated they were interested, please get the paperwork to the nurses by 10/1, date of clinic is TBD in October.

There is the typical back-to-school ick going around - reminder to wash your hands with soap and water and cover your cough! We have masks available if students want to wear one during the day.

We are doing our best to keep kids in school and help them manage their symptoms while they are here - our mantra for making decisions about going home is “Are they able to access their education?” Definitely keep your students home if:

they have a temperature greater than 100.4
if vomiting or diarrhea, wait until 24 hours after its resolved

If you have questions or concerns about sending your student in, call the nurse at 802-582-8151 or reach out via email at HUHS-nurses@huusd.org

This week is the midpoint of quarter 1. We have been focussing on our initial academic check-ins with students. This is a good time to gauge how students are settling back into school and to celebrate successes as well as providing early intervention for challenges.

We held our club fair this week. Students were able to review the list of clubs in TA prior to attending the fair. At the fair, they were able to meet with student club leaders and sign up if they had an interest in joining a club.

Next week we will be reviewing options based drills and practicing during a TA session. This will provide an opportunity to review responses to various drills while focussing on one of the options. TA teachers will support students and debrief following the drill.

Harwood High School Counselors are dedicated to fostering student success by providing comprehensive support to all students. Each student is assigned to a specific counselor based on their TA assignment, ensuring a consistent, trusted relationship throughout their years at Harwood. School counselors focus on:

📝 Academic Success

Academic Advising: Designing courseloads that match your student's unique strengths and interests.
Graduation Tracking: Keeping a close eye on credits and progress toward earning a diploma.
Student Transcripts: Managing and providing official academic records.
Targeted Interventions: Determining specific supports for students who may be struggling academically.

🚀 Future Planning

Pathways & Planning: Providing college, career, and transitional planning for life after high school.
Flexible Pathways: Helping students access and navigate non-traditional learning paths through Dual Enrollment, Tech Center, Virtual Courses, HCLC, etc.
Hands-on Exposure: Advising students on experiential and exposure opportunities like career labs and job shadows.
Life Skills: Fostering personal readiness, independence, and strong self-advocacy skills.

🌱 Social & Emotional Well-Being

Healthy Identity: Helping students develop a healthy, confident sense of self.
Emotional Regulation: Teaching tools to manage stress, regulate emotions, and communicate effectively.
Goal Setting: Supporting students in achieving both their personal and collective goals.
Healthy Relationships: Guiding students to establish and maintain positive, supportive connections.
Responsible Decisions: Promoting thoughtful, caring, and responsible decision-making.

🤝 How We Deliver Support

We meet students and families right where they are, utilizing a variety of connection points:

Group Learning: Workshops, TA (Teacher Advisory), and ELO (Extended Learning Opportunity) presentations.
1:1 Goal Setting: Individual student planning tailored to their unique academic, social, and future goals.
Responsive Services: Short-term individual counseling, group counseling, and immediate crisis support.
Team Collaboration: Continuous consultation with teachers, staff, administrators, and guardians.
Community Bridges: Streamlined referrals for specialized outside academic or mental health support.

Feel free to reach out to your child’s school counselor with any questions, concerns or needs.

As part of our commitment to keeping students safe, our school practices safety drills throughout the year. These include both fire (evacuation) and intruder drills, which are designed to be age-appropriate and trauma-informed.

We are required to let families know in advance when a drill will take place. To maintain the effectiveness of the practice, we provide a general notice several days ahead. Please be aware that our school will hold an options-based drill sometime next week.

Annual Barn Dance and Fall Harvest Fest

Description: A family fall event with activities galore to raise funds for The Children's Room, a free play space based in Brookside Primary School.

Volunteer Roles: setting up activities and outdoor space, face painting, crafts, food monitoring, clean up

Location: 1601 Barnes Hill Road in Waterbury Center

Date: 9/26 + 9/27

Barn Dance Volunteer Sign Up

Throttle up for Hockey

Local youth hockey organization is hosting a motorcycle porker run. After the motorcycle ride we will host a free family event with food, music and kids activities. 10/3/26. Megan Clouatre: (802) 355-3749, fundraising@blackbearhockey.org

For all of our Community Service opportunities, click HERE.

Harwood Travel Study to India in April

Live with Indian high school students at a boarding school in the mountains, trek in the Himalayas, explore Old Delhi, and visit the Taj Mahal! If you are interested in applying to join this trip and you did NOT attend the informational meeting last spring, you and a guardian must attend the info night on Tuesday, 9/29, from 6 to 7 in the library. Attendance at this meeting is your ticket to apply! Applications are due by October 9th. Please see Erin in the school counseling office or Tedin in the LRC if you have questions.

Wednesday, September 23th marks the half-way point of Quarter 1 in our school year and a good time to start monitoring academic progress. Yesterday, progress reports were emailed to students and families from Jennifer Shaub through JumpRope. These progress reports will be sent at the midpoint and end of every quarter, with the intention of helping students, families, and TAs monitor progress. This guide also includes a few graphics that give more information. Make sure to look at both sections of the report, and keep in mind that for high schoolers:

In order for a course to count toward graduation, the course score must fall in the Proficient range or above (2.6 or greater). These are seen in the first section of the progress report.
In order for Learning Expectations to be on track for graduation, the scores must fall in the Proficient range or above (2.6 or greater). These are seen in the second section of the progress report.

Course scores and Learning Expectation scores will change as assessments are added throughout the semester or year (depending on the course) and scores are not final until that time. Feel free to reach out to Jess Deane at jdeane@huusd.org with general questions, or email teachers for course-specific details.

Once again this year, Harwood Union High School students will be taking the STAR 360 as a Universal Screener for reading in grades 9 & 10, and for math in IM1 and IM2. Students will be taking these two screeners during their English and math classes over the next two weeks.

STAR 360 is a relatively short (20-30 minutes) adaptive test, meaning that the questions “adapt” and adjust depending on the student’s responses. Middle School students will take this in the fall, winter, and spring, and the results are used internally to help us identify students who may benefit from additional support in specific skills, as well as identify possible gaps across groups of students that could be addressed through learning in classes. While we don’t want students to stress over these tests (the results do not affect their course scores, and are not reported externally at all), we do want them to take them seriously so that we can have an accurate picture of their skills as individuals, and where we are at as a school and district.

It will be very helpful if over the next month (and every day!), students come to school well rested, with charged Chromebooks, ready to go. Thanks!

Save the Date! The Ski & Skate Sale is ON!

When: Saturday, November 14, 2026, 9AM-4PM

● Volunteer Shop > 7-8 AM

● Ticketed Early Shop > 8-9 AM

● General Public > 9AM - 4PM

Where: Waitsfield Elementary School, 3951 Main Street, Waitsfield, VT

What: New and Used Gear: Alpine, Nordic, Skate, Backcountry, and hard/soft goods

More Info: http://www.waitsfieldpta.org/ski-and-skate-sale.html

Consignment Registration is Open!

Consignors are required to pre-register items online to receive item tags; no unregistered or untagged merchandise will be accepted onsite. You can register online to consign at https://sale.waitsfieldpta.org/register.

● Consignment registration deadline: Monday, Nov. 9th at 11pm

● Consignment tag pick up: Wednesday, Nov. 11th -Friday, Nov. 13th at WES

● Pre-registered consignment drop off: Friday, Nov. 13th from 4pm to 7pm at WES

Volunteer for the Earliest Shopping Access!

Volunteers get first dibs! We need support from all families to make this a success! This is the school’s only fundraiser for the year, and all proceeds support educational and enrichment programs for students, including our Winter Ski & Ride Program, ECO, and field trips.