About HCSD Arts

HCSD's Fine and Performing Arts Department affords all students the opportunity to study music, visual art, dance, and theatre, providing every child with experiences that promote life-long participation and enjoyment of the arts. We embrace the cooperative work of parents, teachers, students, and the community, and are invested in a collaborative approach to support student development and success.

About HCSD Athletics

The Harrison Athletics program is built on the principles of Rigor, Development, Communication, and Accountability. Harrison coaches work to develop programs based on communication, clear expectations, ongoing feedback, accountability and developing self-advocacy in our student athletes. We are committed to meeting the standards of high expectation and maximum effort on and off the field.

Professional Development/Learning Laboratory

COVID-19 Protocol Training

In order to support the transition to a return to school in a hybrid model, faculty and staff will participate in an orientation to our new protocols (e.g., social distancing, mask wearing, handwashing, etc.) as well as a review of familiar protocols that will still be in place on their first in-person day of school. Orientation for faculty and staff will include:

Two days of training focused on the safe reopening of school including protocols for social distancing, wearing face coverings, recognizing symptoms of COVID-19 as well as trauma-informed and trauma-responsive practices led by building psychologists.
Teachers will be afforded time in classrooms prior to the return of students to ensure that the configurations meet social distancing guidelines and create welcoming learning spaces.
Additionally, formal social-emotional support will be provided to faculty and staff during preparations for opening and throughout the school year.
All Faculty and staff will be oriented to these protocols on the Superintendent Conference Days held prior to the opening of school.

Professional Development for Teachers

Harrison’s summer professional development program has prepared teachers to meet student needs during the pandemic with courses designed to improve proficiency in hybrid and fully-online teaching and learning. The training is comprehensive, practical and research-based with a focus on fostering pedagogical practices for synchronous and asynchronous instructionThis year, enrollment reached a new high, with over 1,400 registrants, with more than 70% of teachers participating in one or more in-service workshops.

At the elementary level, the district has implemented an innovative model for high quality, asynchronous student learning experiences aligned to New York Standards in English Language Arts and mathematics. A team consisting of more than two dozen experienced elementary teachers were trained as experts in online instructional design and will be supporting colleagues throughout the school year. In total, over 500 lessons were developed during the first phase of implementation, with more than 80 lessons per grade level that have been field tested through the district’s summer student extension program. All of these asynchronous lessons are available to students through the Learn From Home website.

Professional Development courses this summer provided teachers the opportunity to collaborate and build proficiency in virtual teaching and learning:

Summer Professional Development Supports Virtual Learning
The District offered courses to faculty and staff to improve hybrid and virtual teaching skills and trauma informed teaching practices.

Summer Professional Development Courses
Shared Reading in a Virtual Platform
Assessing Readers Virtually
Virtual Book Clubs
Virtual Reading Conferences
Virtual Writing Conferences
Guiding Young Readers in Our New Reality

Connections Matter, Prioritizing Social-Emotional Learning in the Virtual Classroom

Designing Quality Math Instruction in a Virtual World
Developing Quality Pre-Recorded Lessons
Developing Quality Pre-Recorded Lessons for Curriculum Writing

Digital Tricks of the Trade - Teaching in the Remote Learning Environment
Digitized Literacy Choice Boards to Support Student Learning

Learning to use Asynchronous Teaching/Learning Digital Tools
Learning to use Synchronous Teaching/Learning Digital Tools

Maximizing Student Engagement in the Classroom and Virtually
Maximizing Student Engagement in the Primary Classroom

Post-Pandemic Pedagogy: Trauma-informed Teaching Practices
Dialectical Behavior Therapy: Skills for the Classroom

Supporting ELLs in the Remote Learning Environment
Applying Trauma Sensitive Practices in Our New World

Universal Design for Learning: Meeting the Needs of Diverse Learners in a Virtual World 6-12
Universal Design for Learning: Meeting the Needs of Diverse Learners in a Virtual World K-5

Seesaw 2.0 - Kick It Up!
Collecting, Organizing, and Analyzing Data to Drive Instruction in the Classroom and Virtually
Online/Tele-Assessment During COVID-19: Ethical and Practical Consideration

View the full Professional Development offerings for teachers

Learning Laboratory

Beyond in-service workshops, Harrison teachers are developing real-time pedagogical expertise through the district’s online summer programs and learning laboratories. The district has utilized the summer learning laboratories to develop prototypes for highly effective online instructional design models that will be implemented throughout the school year. Serving more than 700 students from grades 1 through 12, the district offered a wide range of summer programs for students:

K-5 Summer Extension Program (reading, writing, mathematics)
6-12 Summer Enrichment Seminars (humanities, science, mathematics)
9-12 Summer School for Credit Recovery (English, science, mathematics)
AP World, IB Economics, IB Extended Essay, & College Essay Workshops
K-12 Special Education Program for FASE students
K-12 Program for English Language Learners

Student Summer Resources

Learning from Home Summer Resources offers a wide range of lessons to prepare students for their return to school.