HOLIDAY BREAK: There will be no school the week of December 26th. Students will return to school on Wednesday, January 4th 2023.
I just wanted to wish our whole Hunking community a Safe & Happy Holidays! It is my hope that everyone has time to enjoy the Holiday season with family and friends. I look forward to an amazing 2023 with everyone! Happy New Year!!
HUNKING’S 1ST ANNUAL MULTICULTURAL CELEBRATION: It has been a goal of ours to build a strong, connected, and inclusive community here at Hunking. With that being said, we would like to continue to build upon our first two community events, the Hunking Block Party and Thanksgiving Feast, by hosting our 1st Annual Multicultural Night!
We have the privilege here at Hunking to have a very diverse student and family community, and we want to take the opportunity to celebrate all of the different cultures here at Hunking.
With hosting this event, we would like to invite any and all of our families to come into Hunking and celebrate your culture and help teach our community what makes it great!
We are planning this event for either the end of February or beginning of March. This is just our first communication about this event, so that we can ask all of our families to start brainstorming and getting excited to take pride in where all of our students and families come from!
Hunking would like to host this event that will be primarily family facilitated. The idea is for students & families to volunteer and perhaps team together to present/represent your country/culture. This could include but is not limited to presenting your country’s flag, sharing cuisine, music, fashion, traditions, etc. We would also encourage families to collaborate and team up with Hunking staff because we would like our school building to represent a map of the world, and for those attending the event the ability to take tours throughout all of our different countries/cultures that are represented.
We are also hoping that this event can also include and showcase some of the great work that our students do here in regard to their cultures and different school assignments and projects.
Ultimately, we want this to be a celebration of our whole community and we are asking all of you to be a part of it and help us share and celebrate what makes our community so diverse and amazing!
Please stay tuned for more details when we return from Winter break. In the meantime, we hope this gets you excited and thinking about what you can share and celebrate about where you and your family originate!
Have an amazing holiday season and wonderful winter break!
HAT AND MITTEN TREE: Our hat and mitten tree has been set up in the lobby. We are accepting donations of NEW hats, mittens and gloves of all sizes. These items will be available to any Hunking student who may need them now that the cold weather is upon us.
HUNKING THEME OF THE MONTH: Hunking will be embracing a theme of the month which will be focused on in and around our School building throughout each month. Hunking staff will promote and nominate students each month who they feel have personified the monthly theme on a consistent basis. Based on those nominations, one boy and one girl in each grade will be recognized as a “Hunking Hero” and receive a t-shirt.
This month’s theme was Generosity which is the quality of being kind and generous. It is showing readiness to give more of something than is necessary or expected.
Congratulations to all of the students who won Hunking Hero t-shirts for personifying our theme of Gratitude for the month of November. Here are the winners: K- Ella L. & Christopher M. Gr. 1- Emilia B. & Jaxon T. Gr. 2-Aaliyah B. & Jaden C. Gr. 3- Sadie P. & Joey Z. Gr. 4- Jenializ F. & Jhonjadis F. Gr. 5- Carter T. & Kendall D. Gr. 6- Jannat H. & Jacob P. Gr. 7- Jomannah K. & William G. Gr. 8- Hannah D. & Georgios P.
Future themes will include:
January – Commitment:
February – Kindness and Respect:
March – Patience:
April – Peace:
May –Honesty:
June – Pride:
PTO NEWS:
- Mark your calendars…the next PTO meeting is scheduled for Thursday, January 12th at 6:00 p.m.!
- Those who have gone to the Celebration of Lights at Mann’s Orchard have loved it! See over 1 mile of roadway that has been transformed into a glittering display of over 1 million LED lights — featuring a 90′ Christmas Tree! Get tickets here!
- The PTO is looking for parent volunteers who are interested in transitioning to Board Members for the 2023-2024 school year. Specifically, we’ll need a new Vice President and Communications Secretary/social media guru. If you want to learn more, please reach out to HunkingPTO28@gmail.com.
NEWS FROM GUIDANCE:
We are introducing a new avenue for you to access all information regarding applications and the transition to high school. We recommend you utilize this resource as often as possible, as we will consistently update this site throughout the week. We at Hunking believe that working together to support student success is paramount.
https://sites.google.com/haverhill-ps.org/roadmaptohighschool/hunking-home-hnk
EDUCATIONAL HAPPENINGS:
5th-8th Grade Assembly: Our 5th-8th grade students will be attending an inspirational assembly here in our gym on Friday, January 6th with:
Dr. “The Machine” Jesse Green
AMERICAN CHAINSAW on NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNEL
ChainsawsCheeseburgersAndRockNRoll.com
ATTENDANCE CONTEST NEWS: Congratulations to all of our Attendance contest winners: Ryan M, Kalyaniz P, Colby B, Ryder K, Jared H, Sienna L, Murphy G, Italy S, Michael P, Tessa M, Nelson R, Whitney R, Hadley R, Charlotte E, Haley P, Dakota G, Sophie D, Kellen M, Thomas O, Joshua D
Remember that the first key to success in school is to Show Up!!
SPELLING BEE: Congratulations to our 6th grade classroom spelling bee finalists: 6A – Kiptyn Z & Jameson B; 6B – Yelianny G & Destiny R; 6C – Emily L & Justin C; 6D – Hadley R & MIa B; 6E – Knox M & Jade C; and 6F – Anthony T & Brayden P!
Who will represent their classes in Grades 5, 7 and 8? We’ll find out in January! Our school-wide spelling bee will be held the week of January 17th.
Hunking’s ST Math Puzzle Clubs!
Hunking’s Snowball Challenge!
Hunking’s Grades 6-8 i-Ready December Snowman Challenge!
Math Drop In Center – grade 5 & 6
| Congratulations to Sofia Hamidine grade 5 and Brian Richardson grade 6 for winning math problem of the week raffle for December.
Math problem of the week is available at the math drop in center, located in the library. Students get one raffle ticket for showing their work and an additional ticket for having the correct answer. |
NEWS FROM OUR NURSES: Happy Holidays from Ada, Karen and Karyn, nurses of Hunking! Hope you have a safe and wonderful holiday.
The nurses are aware there are several illnesses going around the school. Please communicate to the nurses if your child has been diagnosed with an illness such as influenza and COVID. If your child is sick at school, please have your child come to the health office. Students should not be calling parents on their cell phones for health issues. We wanted to take this opportunity to remind you of the basic protocols regularly used over the last two years in order to mitigate the spread of COVID and other illnesses. Masking (optional) continues to be one of the most effective mitigation measures to prevent illness. We also recommend you wash your hands regularly, use hand sanitizer when soap and water are not available, avoid touching your face, and cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze in order to stop the spread.
COVID Management Overview-Positive test
Management of Individuals who test positive for COVID-19
- Isolate at home for 5 days from symptom onset or date of positive test (considered day “zero”) whichever comes first.
Returning to school
If after 5 days you are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of medication and your symptoms are mostly resolved, or you never had symptoms, you may return. Please note:
- You must wear a well-fitting mask covering your nose and mouth at all times when you are with other people from days 6 to 10, and/or
- You may remove your mask prior to day 11, if you have had a negative test after day 5, as long as you have resolving symptoms or are asymptomatic.
If you have any questions or concerns, please call the health office at 978-420-1913
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 all unclaimed clothing at the end of each month is then donated by the school.
ATHLETIC NEWS:
HOME GAMES: Please be advised that Hunking is changing its home game protocols. Moving forward, for all home games, it is our expectation that students who plan to attend games go home or leave school grounds at dismissal time. They will be allowed to return to school for the games at 3:30pm. We are acting in a proactive manner to ensure the safety of all of our students and families. We appreciate your cooperation and support with this.
Boys Basketball: Practice Wednesday 1/4/23 from 3:15-5:15pm. Game on Thursday 1/5/23 at Nettle at 3:30pm. Transportation will be provided. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!! – Coach Jimenez
Girls Basketball: No practice or games next week! Next practice is Wednesday 1/4/23 from 3-4:15pm. Next game is 1/5/23 at Nettle at 4:30pm. We hope you have a relaxing and fun break. Happy Holidays! – Coach Gibbs and Coach Pellot
Cheerleading: Practice will start back up on 1/4/2023 from 3pm-5pm.
1/5/2023- game at Nettle. Please make sure your girls have a ride arranged either from Nettle or when the bus brings them back to Hunking!
Have a great holiday and New Year!
CLUB NEWS:
ACADEMIC BOWL: Our next meeting will be Monday, January 9th in Mr. Ivancic’s room (206). We are still looking for members to join the team! See Mr. I or Mrs. Seed (room 211) for more information.
LEAD Program (Formerly VIP): January meetings will be Jan. 12 and Jan 26.
GRIT: Monday, Dec 19, we will be attending an after school trip to Academy Lanes for a bowling activity. Students need to bring in permission slips and be picked up at Academy Lanes at 4:30.
GSA: The next meeting of the GSA will be Friday, January 13th until 4:00 in room 300. GSA members are invited to lunch with Mr. Molloy on Thursday, December 22nd.
CHORUS: Both junior and senior chorus had a FABULOUS performance at our Winter Concert! Rehearsals for both groups will resume after James and the Giant Peach performances are over. We are seeking new members – all are welcome! See you the week of January 16th!
NJHS: Invitations have been sent out to potential 7th grade members. If you are interested in joining NJHS, complete the application you received and return it to Mrs Sciuto in room 118 or put it in the folder outside the door. Once applications are received and final decisions are made, new members will be informed. An induction ceremony will follow shortly after.
The next meeting for 8th grade current members will be held in room 118 on Tuesday, Jan 10th. We will discuss the Bobcat Buddies roll out.
STUDENT COUNCIL (grades 6-8): A reminder that the student council will be hosting a Winter Warmth Drive to benefit Ruth’s House. If you are able to look in your closet and donate any gently used jackets, scarves or gloves, it would be greatly appreciated. This will run until mid January. Donations can be left in room 310. As always, thank you for your support! Listed below are the upcoming meetings:
1/10/23
2/7/23
3/14/23
4/11/23
5/16/23
Please be sure that transportation is arranged for 4:00 p.m. Have a great holiday and vacation!
DRAMA CLUB: Online Tickets are now available for James and the Giant Peach Jr.
https://james-and-the-giant-peach-jr.cheddarup.com
If any parents would like to volunteer with building sets or sewing costumes please contact Mr. K. at timothy.kowalewski@haverhill-ps.org
Please Join Our Remind for updates
January 13, 2023 @ 7pm and January 14, 2023 @ 12 pm and 4 pm.
Tickets are $5.00 per person
GUITAR ENSEMBLE: We are accepting new members after break. Anyone in grades 5-8 are welcome! Come check it out! Our tentative return date is 1/19 and please note our start time is changing from 7:45 to 8:00 am.
YEARBOOK: After the Winter Holiday, the Yearbook Committee will meet every Monday at 2:45 in Room 213.
Additionally, the Yearbook Committee needs your help gathering photos! Any and all throwbacks, candids, group shots or selfies of the graduating 8th grade class will be considered. There are two ways to upload:
- Students can use this Google drive folder – Instructions
- Anyone without an HPS email account can use this link to TreeRing
- Note: This method requires creating a username/password
- SCHOOL PASSCODE: 101663874693208
Lastly, if you would like to pre-order your yearbook, click this link to create an account and purchase a yearbook. Here’s an informational flyer with all the same information.
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.
SCHOOL POLICIES:
UPPER SCHOOL DROP OFF: Parents and Guardians, please be aware that the safety and security of our students is the number one priority. We kindly ask that all parents/guardians who drop students off in the morning on the upper school side of the building, please follow the proper traffic pattern to ensure everyone’s safety. Please do not cut across the parking lot. We ask that you drive slow while on school grounds, and we appreciate your patience as we are aware that many people have places to be after dropping off. Again, we appreciate you prioritizing the safety of our students. Thank you!
CAR PICK UP & DROP OFF: Safety and Security of our students, staff, and families is our number one priority, so we would like to ask that those families who utilize car pick up and drop off be cognizant of our security guards directing traffic. Security would like to emphasize the use of turn signals when picking-up or dropping-off your student. If you are not turning, please flash your headlights so that they are aware that you are continuing straight. We want to make sure everyone remains safe and unfortunately, we have had a couple of close calls very recently. We greatly appreciate your attention and support with this matter.
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.
Student Dress Code: 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 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 bearing 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:
-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.