Harwood High School Newsletter

Harwood High School Families -

Last spring in a District Newsletter, our Superintendent Dr. Mike acknowledged the collective passion we have in our community for our music program. This stemmed from community members' desire to preserve opportunities for our students K-12. The HUUSD community at large has shown unwavering dedication over the years to the vital role the arts play in shaping our youth.

At Harwood, our music program stands as a powerhouse of talent and creative achievement, with authentic, high-caliber opportunities for students to perform for audiences both near and far, including our district elementary and middle schools. These extraordinary experiences and the rigorous preparation behind them foster indispensable transferable skills, including effective communication, creative problem-solving, integrative thinking, active citizenship, deep responsibility, self-direction, and empowering leadership that prepare our young musicians to excel in their next steps. A beautiful example of this includes the annual Battle of the Bands being hosted tonight! If you would like to pre-buy your admission fee, please click HERE.

We are continuing to actively seek your strong community support to maintain our vital music lesson program and the dedicated coordination required to sustain this invaluable gift. One way to do this is by supporting the Music Department’s annual fruit sale!

The Harwood Music Department is selling fresh citrus in support of our programs this year! We have done this fundraiser for decades and it’s a great way to bring delicious fruit and nuts to our communities during the cold months while supporting the Harwood Music program. Please consider purchasing Fresh Navel Oranges, Ruby Red Grapefruit, Butter Toffee Peanuts, and Honey Krunch Peanuts from your favorite Harwood musician this season.

We’re excited to share that you can now order online! Follow this link to place an order or scan the QR code.

Delivery is set for Monday, December 7, 2026.

Contact Molly Desrochers at HU Music with any questions at (802) 583-8178 or via email at mdesrochers@huusd.org.

Greetings Harwood Families, winter sports registration is now open, please click here to register.

Please come support our fall varsity teams as they are in the middle of the playoffs.

-Girls soccer home bs Rice Friday at 3pm

-Girls volleyball home vs Rice Friday at 6pm

-Field hockey at Mt Abe Friday at 4pm

-Boys soccer at Rice on Saturday at 10am.

-Cross Country at Thetford Saturday at 10:30am.

With the end of the Fall season we are looking ahead to our Winter sports and need an Alpine Head Coach. If you are interested please click here to apply.

Friendly reminders

• If you would like to nominate someone for the Harwood Hall of Fame please click here. Unlike many other halls of fame, our Hall of Fame is not limited to former athletes or coaches. Once nominated for the Hall of Fame, a nominee remains active for consideration for ten years.

• Caregivers can find all information related to Harwood Athletic programming here. Additionally, you can visit our website for up to date information and all team’s schedules.

Every year, the MRV Interfaith Council helps local families celebrate Thanksgiving with a full Thanksgiving meal. Available to MRV residents only, this is a completely FREE service. We provide all the food you need: turkey, stuffing, veggies, fruit, pie… and you cook and celebrate. Invite family and friends!

To participate, merely fill out a form with the number of folks for the meal and where to deliver it in the Valley (or you can pick it up).

Forms available:

• From Pastors in every valley church

• At the Waitsfield Community Pantry

• By calling the Mad River Community Fund at: 802-461-6241

• Or complete an on-line Google form: https://bit.ly/getMRVturkey or QR code

In 2025, we helped 122 families and their friends have a great meal. Please contact if you are interested. The deadline is Wednesday, November 18.

Next Week in TA:

Grade 9: On Tuesday students will be working on their time capsule or letter to my 12th grade self to be read during the last week of their senior year. It is important to encourage students to get into this activity as their 12th grade self may be disappointed when they open it a few years from now! Links to the three options are located in your TA slideshow.

Grades 10, 11 and 12: Will be re-introducing the Plan using this Slideshow. The following week grade 10 and 11 teachers will be meeting with students individually to work on their tracker. Grade 12 will be working on Plan activities a bit later in the year. All student Plans are located in your grade’s google classroom.

October’s Harvests of the Month are Apples and Kale!

During the last week of October, during lunch, Harwood’s Developing Sustainable Habits (DSH) course will be preparing a taste test for all HU students featuring Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies. Our featured ingredient were supplied by Hall’s Orchard, in Ilse La Motte, Vermont Pete’s Greens, in Craftbury, VT

Here are other recipes featured in DSH class this month:

• Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies

• Kale, Apple & Carrot Salad

• Mini Apple Crisps

We put on monthly taste tests to help students better understand and appreciate their regional food system. Make sure to buy local and help support our VT farms!

Apple Fun Facts:

• Apples are a good source of potassium, vitamin C, and fiber.

• In 1905, the U.S. The Department of Agriculture published a 400 page book listing more than 14,000 distinct types of apples grown in the United States.

• The only apples native to North America are crab apples.

• Apple trees must cross-pollinate in order to produce fruit; therefore, they need to be planted within approximately 100 feet of another cultivated apple tree variety, crab apple tree, or wild apple tree.

• Johnny Appleseed’s real name was John Chapman. He started several different tree nurseries and sold apple trees to other white settlers who were heading west.

• One bushel of apples produces about 3 gallons of cider.

Breakfast for high school students is available from 8:15 - 8:50 and again from 9:55 - 10:00am.

It’s here! The end of Quarter 1!

Today, October 23rd, is the official end of Quarter 1. What this means for high school students:

• JumpRope progress reports will be emailed to families next Friday, October 31.

• It is a great time to review progress in classes with your student(s). Here is a guide to Understanding JumpRope to help with interpreting scores.

• Note that teachers may have included individual comments, which you can see when you click on the report and can also see in the JumpRope portal.

If you have questions that are specific to a certain course, please reach out to the teacher. If you have general questions about JumpRope, you can reach out to Jess Deane (jdeane@huusd.org).

November 19th.

Harwood uses PTCFast to schedule conferences and will be hosting conferences for high school parents from 3:30-7pm on November 19th. (Please note, middle school conference are November 11th AND November 19th)

You can begin booking conference slots today!

Here is link to PTC Fast: https://ptcfast.com/schools/Harwood_Union_Middle_High_School

The FIRST step - you will be asked to enter identifying information specific to your child(ren) AND THEN you will be prompted to check your email account to schedule a SPECIFIC time. This email will come from PTCFast.

The SECOND step – when you receive an email from PTCFast, please click on the available time slot(s) for your child(ren). If you are booking for more than one student, please select that option when presented. You will then be able to select multiple conference times, one slot specific to each child and teacher.

You will book ONLY 1 conference slot (a 20 minute slot) for each child.

Seniors!

Your cap and gown form is due December 1st.

Don’t wait! Submit it now!

On Monday, October 19th, Julia Rogers from EnRoute Consulting joined the Career and Personal Planning class to provide an introduction to Gap Year planning. Julia is a local gap year counselor and nationally recognized expert on experiential education. She shared how gap years help students gain confidence, explore new interests, and prepare for what’s ahead. Julia provided some examples with students in the class on how they might chart a Gap Year plan based on their interests and goals.

We want to appreciate Julia for sharing her valuable time with Harwood students!

At Harwood Union High School, community is at the heart of who we are. The Harwood Way invites students to honor our community through respectful action and by caring for our shared environment, keeping it safe, clean, and welcoming for everyone—both on and off our campus.

To deepen this commitment, students are expected to fulfill an annual community service goal of 10 hours each school year. We define community service as any unpaid work that benefits others, happens outside of academic classes, and takes place on the HU campus or beyond. We encourage students to find opportunities that spark their passions and contribute to the well-being of our community.

HELP US EXPAND OUR REACH: Are you looking for enthusiastic student volunteers for an upcoming event or project? We are eager to collaborate with you! Please share your request through the survey below, and we will help get the word out to our students. (*We can not guarantee coverage, but we will do our best to promote and encourage students to reach out.)

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfnxrkUKLcJoh3N8k35CrQfEZ4jtg9bEV1C9QectH14T6vmAA/viewform

Election Day – Tuesday, November 3, 2026– once again could provide a big boost to

the Waterbury Common Market. This is the time of the year when supplies are low

and the need is increasing as cold weather approaches.

We are asking schools, churches and organizations to help get the word out to

voters to bring an item for the food shelf when they cast their vote. Polls are open

from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. Voting will take place in the gym at Brookside Primary School.

Volunteers will be there to collect canned goods, non-perishable food items or cash.

If you have voted early but still want to be part of this community effort, use the

donation bins at Village Market and Shaw’s for your bags. Monetary gifts can be

mailed to Waterbury Common Market, 57 S. Main Street, Waterbury 05676.

We appreciate and thank you for your help.

Mary Miller, Election Day Coordinator

It’s hard to believe, but it’s time to plan for spring soccer! MRVSA is holding tryouts for its spring 2027 travel teams on Saturday November 7th at 11am. Our travel teams will compete in the Vermont Soccer Association (VSL) Spring League. This is MRVSA’s only spring program for U10 through U16 players. Information on our U6 and U8 program will come out in the early Spring.

Any player interested in spring soccer must register for and attend the tryout. Team spots are limited, and not every player who tries out will be placed on a team. Register here.

About the season
The spring league is a local, affordable way for qualified players to have a more competitive experience and compete in the VSL. Each team will be placed in the division that best fits its skill level. Teams practice twice a week and play one or more matches weekly, with home games here and away games around the state. The season typically runs from the first weekend in May through the second weekend in June. Teams may also enter Vermont tournaments after the season for an additional fee. Additional information is available here.

The VSL sets all schedules and will release them in April. Games are typically on Sundays.

Age groups
Following US Soccer, the VSL now groups players by school year (August 1 – July 31) instead of birth year. Players may try out for an older age group but not a younger one (e.g. a 2nd grader ready for a more competitive experience can try out for U10).

• U10: born Aug 1, 2016 – July 31, 2018

• U12: born Aug 1, 2014 – July 31, 2016

• U14: born Aug 1, 2012 – July 31, 2014

• U16: born Aug 1, 2010 – July 31, 2012

Timeline

• Tryout registration is open now: link

• Tryouts: Saturday, November 7, 11 a.m.–1 p.m., at Mad River Park in Waitsfield. Please register in advance!

• Team invitations sent by Sunday, November 22

• Accept your invitation and complete registration by Sunday, December 6

• Uniform store opens in December

Scholarships are available. Contact registrar@madrivervalleysoccer.org for details.

Website: harwood.org

Facebook: facebook.com/HarwoodUnionHighSchool

Instagram: instagram.com/harwood_union_high_school/
Phone: 802-244-5186

Location: 458 Vermont Rte 100, Moretown, VT 05660

Office Hours: 7:45 - 3:45