APRIL VACATION: There will be NO SCHOOL from Monday, April 17th through Friday, April 21st.
MCAS Grade 3-8 Schedule: We are now in the midst of MCAS testing. Grades 3-8 have wrapped up ELA testing (except for make-ups). We will be continuing testing in the upcoming weeks with Math (Grades 3-8) and Science (Grades 5 & 8). Please see the MCAS schedule link below for specific details. With testing going on, please note that it is imperative that ALL students be respectful of the students testing each day, and what that means is that we will be utilizing all spaces throughout the building for testing, so please be mindful of moving throughout the building quietly and respectfully and do not disrupt or disturb students who are testing. Please be aware that on testing days, all cell phones AND apple watches will be collected while testing is going on in your particular grade. Thank you everyone. It should also be noted that attendance on testing days is of utmost importance. Please make sure your students get a good night’s sleep, eat a healthy breakfast, and are at school on time. We appreciate your support.
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.
Throughout the month of April, our theme will be Patience & Peace. Patience is the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset. Peace is freedom from disturbance; tranquility. Staff will be on the lookout this month as we are everyday for the students who personify patience and peace.
Congratulations to the following students for being the recipients of Hunking Heroes t-shirts for personifying the theme of Kindness & Respect throughout the month of March: Hazel L., Nathan S., Lilianna N., David O., Leyana D., Jadalyn K., Grace C., Andrew C., Isabella R., Cameron V., Sienna C., Andrew P., Jaydacee R., Adam M., Perry S., Cayden N., Victoria D., Jameson B.
Future themes will include:
May –Honesty:
June – Pride:
COMMUNITY HAPPENINGS:
KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION NEWS:
WELLNESS EVENTS:
MAKE IT HAVERHILL ELL CLASSES:
APRIL VACATION ACADEMY: April 2023 Vacation Academy
Spanish – April 2023 Vacation Academy.docx
PTO NEWS:
- Thanks to all who joined our hybrid PTO meeting this week! The format seemed to work and we’ll aim to do it again at our next meeting on Thursday, May 25th at 6:15. Only 2 meetings to go! We do need some new Board Members for the 2023-2024 school year…if you’re interested in learning more about our open positions, please plan to come to our next meeting or reach out to HunkingPTO28@gmail.com.
- The Read-A-Thon has officially ended and the students who participated read a total of 28,940 minutes and raised just under $8,000 for the school! Prize and raffle winners will be announced separately and all prizes will be distributed after break.
- Hunking has launched an official online spirit wear store. Choose from hundreds of designs and garments that are delivered to your home in days! To celebrate the grand opening, use code SPIRIT424 to receive 25% off and get free shipping on orders over $50. Shop at https://1stplace.sale/40727…the sale runs through April 24th!
- Hunking has been added as a city cleanup site for Earth Day on April 22 from 9:00-1:00. Sign up here by Fri., April 21 and you’ll be entered to win one of two new bikes! The PTO will provide gloves, but please bring your own non-motorized gardening tools (hand weeders, rakes, etc.). Hope to see you there!
NEWS FROM GUIDANCE:
Your School Counselors:
Sarah Petrick k-4 School Counselor sarah.petrick@haverhill-ps.org
Terri Carney 5-8 School Counselor terri.carney@haverhill-ps.org
FYI: The LOOP Program will not be taking place on May 16 and 17 because of MCAS testing.
Work Permits
Students are applying for their first jobs! Work permit information can be found here:
https://www.haverhill-ps.org/work-permit-information/
Guidance Information
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:
Our 2nd Annual Read-a-thon was a success! We raised just under $8,000 and Hunking students read 30,000 minutes! Prizes will be awarded after break, but we want to take a moment to recognize our winners:
Our 10 $25 raffle winners:
- Caleb G (4th Grade)
- Lucas B (1st Grade)
- Charlotte R (Kindergarten)
- Daniel T (3rd Grade)
- Emily B (6th Grade)
- James C (5th Grade)
- Robert S (5th Grade)
- Brooke N (7th Grade)
- Harper M (1st Grade)
- Carter J (2nd Grade)
Our top reading grade was 3rd Grade, our top classroom was Ms. Augusta’s 4th grade class, and our top 5 readers were:
- Andrew S (4th Grade, read 1,862 minutes!)
- Anissa R (Kindergarten, read 1,296 minutes!)
- Sadie P (3rd Grade, read 1,290n minutes!)
- Daniel S (2nd Grade, read 1,145 minutes!)
- Mia B (6th Grade, read 1,020 minutes!)
Our top fundraising grade was 2nd Grade, our top classroom was Ms. Wood’s 2nd grade class, and our top 5 fundraisers were:
- Riley R (2nd Grade, raised $690!)
- Isabella M (3rd Grade, raised $390!)
- Jacoby S (4th Grade, raised $363!)
- Joseph M (1st Grade, raised $295!)
- Andrew F (6th Grade, raised $240!)
2nd Grade News
2nd grade has been working on nonfiction books in both reading and writing. Each scholar chose an animal, did research on that animal, and now they are writing a book about that animal. On Wednesday, April 26, their families are able to come in between 9-10 for our Ties and Tiaras celebration and look at all their hard work. We are so proud of our students!
Hunking’s ST Math Puzzle Clubs!
i-Ready March Madness Winners!
Congratulations to Mrs. Masello’s 1st grade class and Mr. Santoro’s 5E class for winning this year’s i-Ready March Madness!
NEWS FROM OUR NURSES: With the warmer weather upon us, please make sure to send your child to school with a water bottle. If your child received a referral for vision or hearing, please send in any documentation you received. Have a wonderful spring break.
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:
Volleyball: Congratulations to both of our volleyball teams on great seasons. We are all proud of the effort and dedication displayed by all of the players!
Track: Friendly reminder to parents and staff: Please join our Remind Class for track this season; for updates in practices, meets and news! We are so proud of our athletes this week for showing up and working hard! Have a wonderful week off, get out and run and we’ll see you all the week we return from vacation!
Your kiddos biggest fans,
Coaches Law, Gallagher, Molina, Gibbs & Mazza
CLUB NEWS:
LEGO Club: There have been changes to the LEGO club schedule. Due to the high interest, a date has been added for both 4th and 5th grades. The 8th grade cohorts have been combined, meaning all 8th graders are now permitted to attend all dates. The current calendar containing all dates through the end of the year can be found here.
LEAD Program (Formerly VIP): There is a meeting on Thur. April 13 & Thur April 27.
GRIT: New round of GRIT starts on Monday, May 1 for any 7th or 8th grader who has not previously been a part of GRIT this school year. Students interested may reach out to Ms Curry or Mr Schaefer.
GSA: The final meetings of the GSA this year will be April 28, May 19, and June 9. All meetings will take place in room 300 until 4:00. Please see Mr. Molloy with any questions.
CHORUS: Junior and Senior chorus are busy preparing for their performance in Hunking’s spring concert on Tuesday, May 9th at 6:30PM! Chorus will continue to meet after vacation. Mrs. Rico can’t wait to see you!
NJHS: Members will be participating in the Earth Day Clean Up at Hunking on Saturday April 21 between 8:30am and 1pm. Members are asked to donate an hour or two of their time to meet at the school and help to clean the ground and make our school a better place to work and play. Members can register at https://haverhillrec.activityreg.com/selectactivity_t2.wcs?leaguesid=804#…can but registration is not needed to participate.
Our next all member meeting will be on Apr 25, 2023 in room 118 from 2:45 to 3:15.
DRAMA CLUB: There will be a rehearsal for Xanadu the Monday after vacation from 2:45 to 4:45.
GUITAR ENSEMBLE: We will continue to meet Thursdays at 8am to prepare for The Hunking/Tilton upper concert on May 9th (Call time and concert time TBD).
YEARBOOK: The deadline to design custom pages for the yearbook is May 26th. Please 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 more 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:
MORNING DROP OFF: To all families that drop their students off in the morning, please remember to drop your students off at the proper end of the building. All K-4 students should be dropped on the lower school side of the building. All 5-8 students should be dropped off on the upper school side of the building. Please be aware that there should be NO DROP OFFS AT THE FRONT OF THE BUILDING BETWEEN 8:00AM-8:30AM. This is for safety reasons. We appreciate everyone’s support and cooperation with this procedure. Thank you!
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. 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 phones 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.