1ST ANNUAL THANKSGIVING FEAST: We continue to plan our 1st Annual Thanksgiving Feast. Please join us on Thursday, November 17th at 5:00 p.m. in the Hunking cafeteria/gymnasium.
Due to the sheer size of the school, seats are going to be limited, so please RSVP by Friday, November 4th by clicking the following link and signing up: https://hunking-thanksgiving-feast.cheddarup.com.
Here is the menu for the event:
- Stuffed chicken breast w/ cornbread stuffing
- Mashed potato with gravy (gluten)
- Peas and carrots
- Garden salad
- Cranberry sauce
- Assorted rolls and butter
- Mac & cheese
For those who can make it and for all who can’t, we want to let you know how grateful we are to have you in our Hunking community. It is our goal to learn from and continue to grow each of our annual events each year. Thank you for making our school so amazing!
*This event is free, although DONATIONS are appreciated.
ALICE DRILL: Please click on the appropriate link below to read information regarding our upcoming ALICE drill:
DWARFISM AWARENESS MONTH: Many of you may have heard in morning announcements this week that October is dwarfism awareness month. We also had a very special guest speaker, our very own 6th grader, Braden in Wednesday’s announcements. Here is an opportunity to learn a little more about his story:
Here are 3 Fun Facts about Dwarfism…
– There are over 200 different types of Dwarfism.
– 80% of people with dwarfism have average height parents.
– Dwarfism occurs in all races and ethic backgrounds, both male and female.
One of the most important things about Dwarfism Awareness month is to remind us to be kind to everyone and anyone every day regardless of their appearance.
COMMUNITY HAPPENINGS:
-Free Craft/Art & Activism class opportunity:
ODDS & ENDS:
-All students in grades 5-8 have been issued school IDs. It is required that they bring and wear their ID badges each day.
-Please make sure that your student(s) are coming to school daily with a fully charged chromebook.
-Please make sure that you are sending your student(s) with a water bottle. We have a limited supply of cups and we do not have access to water fountains, only water bottle filling stations.
PTO NEWS:
- Mann’s OrchardsThanksgiving Pie Sale is running until Nov 1st: my.cheddarup.com/c/2022-thanksgiving-pies
- The next PTO meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, November 1st at 6:00 p.m. in the school library. This meeting will last an hour and babysitters will be available.
- Middle School Halloween Dances are this Friday, October 28th: Grades 5 & 6 will take place from 4:00pm – 5:30pm; and Grades 7 & 8 will be from 6:00pm – 7:30pm in the school gym. Tickets can be purchased at: my.cheddarup.com/c/2022-halloween-dance-77177 or at the door. Bring cash for concessions.
- Don’t forget to purchase your Rock & Roll Bingo at my.cheddarup.com/c/rock-n-roll-bingo-2022-88200! This fun adult-only night out is on Friday, November 18th and will include Bingo, late-night snacks, and plenty of raffle and auction items to help raise money for Hunking! There will be a cash bar. We’re still looking for donations for raffles and auction items (at least $20 values). If you’d like to donate to the cause, please drop any items off at the school. All questions can be directed to varaftery@comcast.net.
EDUCATIONAL HAPPENINGS:
PROGRESS REPORTS: Your student’s progress report is available to view online through the student/parent portal. Please follow these directions to gain access:
- Go to HPS main page: https://www.haverhill-ps.org/
- Click on Parent & Student Resources
- Click on Parent & Student Portal Login
- Click Log-in
- Use your student’s username & password to login
- Click on Student Portal (top of page)
- Select Report Cards/Progress Reports
- Click Download
ST Math News!
- Check out our ST Math 500 Puzzles Club! Hunking’s Puzzle 500 Club
- ST Math Support for Families:
- Help.stmath.com
- 1-888-491-6603
- support@mindresearch.org
8TH GRADE UPDATES: As the year moves along, Mrs. Gallagher will upload all important high school/8th grade important topics in an 8th Grade Communication Google Classroom. Class code is as follows:7rq7j6r
NEWS FROM OUR NURSES: We continue to work on vision screenings this week for 5th and 7th grade. Kindly send your child to school with glasses if they wear them. We will refer students who did not meet vision standards for an evaluation from an eye doctor . Please call 978-420-41913 if you have any questions or concerns.
LOST AND FOUND: Our lost and found for any clothing items is located in the locker room area in the main hallway of the school. Any lost lunch boxes or water bottles can be found on the shelves in our cafeteria. We encourage you to have your students check frequently as we plan to donate clothing that is unclaimed at the end of each month.
ATHLETIC NEWS:
Soccer: On Tuesday November 1st both teams will play Nettle (girls play first). On Thursday November 3rd both teams play Consentino (Boys play first). Both games are at Hunking.
Cross Country: Our City Wide Championship meet for grades 6-8 will be held on November 2, 2022 @ Winnekenni!! (*This is the rescheduled date of the meet that was originally planned for October 18,2022*) Bussing will be provided as previously arranged.
CLUB NEWS:
LEAD Program (Formerly VIP): Next meeting is Thursday, Nov. 3 until 4:00
GRIT: Next meeting is Mon.Oct. 31 until 4:30. GRIT members will be building two picnic tables that will be given to the school for use. Also, GRIT members will be attending an all day Project Adventure field trip on Friday, Nov. 4. Permission slips and waivers will be going home next week. Please make sure to check with your child.
MODEL UN: Model UN will meet on Fridays 2:45 to 3:30. We have four delegates from HHS joining us! Students will be learning debate skills as well as current events/world issues.
CHORUS: Junior Bobcat Singers have had a great first two rehearsals. We are still seeking more students to join Senior Bobcat Singers! Students in grades 6-8 can come to rehearsal on Thursdays after school if they are interested in joining. Looking forward to making beautiful music together!
ART CLUB: The first meeting of the Art Club will take place on Monday, 10/31 from 3:00-4:00pm. You must attend this meeting to participate in the club. Please see Ms. Marte or Ms. Cerullo with any questions.
DRAMA CLUB: Rehearsals for James and the Giant Peach are underway. The students are doing an amazing job so far learning some very difficult numbers. We will be sending out an updated schedule this weekend through Remind and Google Classroom.
NJHS: The NJHS will be conducting a food drive to benefit the Sacred Hearts food bank. Hunking has had a close relationship with this organization over the years and we look forward to paying it forward as we enter the holiday season. This food drive will run from Monday Oct 31st through Tuesday Nov 15th. Please consider donating non-perishable items during these dates.
SCHOOL POLICIES:
Lower school pick up: If you are walking to pick up your K student please wait near the kindergarten doors and if you are walking to pick up your grade 1-4 student please wait at the lower school walker pick up door. DO NOT come to the lower school playground to pick up your child. The students in the playground area are waiting for car pick up only.
Chromebook Insurance Policy: Haverhill Public Schools has chosen School Device Coverage (SDC) to insure the devices that will be given to your student as part of this year’s 1:1 device program. For only $20 per student, this insurance program will protect you and your student(s) in the event that your device is lost, stolen, or damaged accidentally over the course of the school year. Please follow this link for more information and to sign up. Haverhill Student Device Insurance
This information is also posted on the Parent and Student Resources page, Our Technology page, and the HPS Student Technology Device Policy (Spanish Version) document.
https://www.haverhill-ps.org/technology/device-insurance/
Student Dress Code: We have had several questions this week about the dress code policy at Hunking. I have attached the dress code policy that can be found on page 23 of the HPS student handbook for all families to review:
“The responsibility for the dress and appearance of the students will rest with individual students and parents.
They have the right to determine how the student will dress providing that attire is not destructive to school property, complies with requirements for health and safety, and does not cause disorder or disruption. The administration is authorized to take action in instances where individual dress does not meet the stated requirements.
This does not mean that student, faculty, or parent groups may not recommend appropriate dress for school or special occasions. It means that students will not be prevented from attending school or a school function, or otherwise be discriminated against, so long as their dress and appearance meet the requirements set forth above.
Students are not permitted to dress in any manner that is distracting to teaching or learning, to other students or disrupting to the educational process or environment of the school. Clothing that is considered to be distracting includes but may not be limited to the following:
- Extremely short skirts or shorts rising more than 7″ above the knee.
- Shirts or blouses baring midriffs.
- See-through clothing.
- Halters or tank tops with less than 1″ straps, tube-tops, or blouses with excessively low cut tops.
- Low rider pants and pants that do not cover underwear.
- Clothing or jewelry that advertises or promotes products or activities that are illegal.
- Clothing containing inappropriate or suggestive language or pictures.
- Clothing that identifies students as members of a gang or an imitation of gang paraphernalia will not be permitted. This includes but is not limited to bandanas, pins, insignias, colors, jewelry, emblems, wave caps, etc.
- Studded accessories such as belt buckles, bracelets, chains, etc. are not permitted.
- Any other dress that distracts, disrupts, intimidates or provokes can be deemed inappropriate by the Principal or Assistant Principal.
The Principal and Assistant Principal have the final decision in making the determination that there has been a violation of the dress code policy. In the event that the Principal is unavailable, the Assistant Principal has the full authority to make the final determination on whether a student’s clothing is in violation of the dress code policy.”
CELL PHONE POLICY:
We would like to remind all students and families of our cell phone policy.
-Cell phones are not allowed to be used throughout the school day. The expectation is that the phone is turned off and put away.
-If students are found to be using their cell phone for any purpose the following policy will be followed:
-1st offense: Cell phone will be confiscated and submitted to the main office where the student can get the phone back at the end of the day with a warning.
-2nd offense: Cell phone will be confiscated and submitted to the main office where a parent/guardian will need to pick up the phone.
-3rd offense: Cell phone will be confiscated and submitted to the main office where a parent/guardian will need to pick up the phone and the student will be issued an office detention.
-4th offense: Cell phone will be confiscated and submitted to the main office where a parent/guardian will need to pick up the phone and a meeting will need to take place in order to establish a contract where phone can either be dropped off at arrival time and picked up at dismissal, or the phone is not allowed in school.
-Students will not be allowed to have cell phones in the bathroom. Students will need to leave their phones face down on their desk when leaving for the bathroom.
We recognize the importance for students to have cell phones, but we respectfully ask for your support in reinforcing the cell phone rules. If there is ever a reason for a student to call home, I am happy to allow them to utilize my office phone. Also, if you have to get in touch with your student, we would ask that you please contact the main office during school hours.