September is Attendance Awareness Month. We continue to stress how important student attendance is each and every day. The first step to success in school is to show up. That is why we are running this contest! The homeroom with the best attendance for the month of September in both the lower school (K-4) & upper school (5-8) will win a special breakfast at school to thank them for making getting to school everyday a priority. So as we are halfway through the month, make sure you are showing up to school each day!

HUNKING THEME OF THE MONTH: The theme of the month is back! We will continue to carry on this new tradition throughout this school year. We will embrace a different theme together as a school community each month, and each month teachers will be asked to nominate one student from their class that has personified the theme for the month. Each nominated student will be recognized in a small grade level assembly. Out of each of the grade level nominees each month, one lucky student will win a Hunking Heroes t-shirt!

The theme we will begin with this school year, is one that is the Pillar to everything else that we do here at Hunking, and that is…Kindness! Being kind means being selfless, caring, compassionate, and treating others the way that you would like to be treated. Kind acts include a smile, a nice word or compliment, an unexpected deed, or selfless act. Hunking staff will be on the lookout this month for the students who are personifying this theme of kindness!

DROP OFF /PICK UP REMINDERS:

At dismissal, please DO NOT park in the gravel lot and have your child meet you there. The gravel lot is not used during dismissal as cars coming and going from that lot impedes the flow of traffic.

Lower School:

• When possible, it is safest for children exiting the car in the morning to be seated on the passenger side of the car so they are exiting onto the sidewalk. 
• The family member dropping off should remain in their car. There are staff outside to assist getting students out of the car that are unable to do so themself. This will help keep the flow of traffic moving. 

COMMUNITY HAPPENINGS: 

YMCA Before & After School Program: Playful School Email Newsletter (2).pdf

Fall Caregiver Series: Caregiver Series- Stanford University Vaping 101 Flyer.pptx

From the ML team: National Hispanic Heritage Month is annually celebrated from September 15 to October 15 in the United States for recognizing the contributions and influence of Hispanic Americans to the history, culture, and achievements for the United States.

HAPPY HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH !

PTO NEWS:  

• The Read-a-thon is officially underway, but there’s still plenty of time to get your student(s) registered! To add your student(s) to the 99pledges portal, please click ‘Add Participant’ here (on the bottom left and pair him/her to their homeroom classroom).
  Registration is completely free and we hope ALL STUDENTS will participate. Even if you don’t collect pledges (this part is optional), encourage your child to READ, READ, READ!  All of the minutes that they read will count toward their classroom’s total minutes and help them win a special prize (incentives attached)!

• The first PTO meeting of the year will be on Thurs., September 21st at 6:30 p.m. in the Hunking Conference Room! We have a lot of great things planned this year…and we need your help! We’re looking for volunteers who will largely help with (1) fundraising; (2) event planning; and (3) community outreach/communications. These meetings typically last an hour and we will have babysitters available. Please note that all school volunteers must have an up-to-date CORI Form on file!

• Only one week left for our back-to-school sale! Enjoy a 30% discount across our entire website with hundreds of designs and garment styles waiting for you! Orders ship direct to your home! Shop Now: https://1stplace.sale/40727!

• 8th Grade Washington D.C. Meeting: We will be holding an informational meeting here at Hunking for any 8th grade student & family who is interested in attending this year’s Grade 8 trip to Washington D.C. The meeting will be held on Thursday, September 28th at 6pm in the Hunking cafeteria. Representatives from Capitol Tours will also be present at the meeting.

NEWS FROM GUIDANCE:

Meet your school counselors!

Grades 5 and 6

Sarah Petrick  sarah.petrick@haverhill-ps.org    

Grades 7 and 8

Terri Carney terri.carney@haverhill-ps-org

Haverhill Public Schools utilizes a District Curriculum Accommodation Plan, referred to as the DCAP.  

The purpose of the DCAP is the following: 

• To assist general education teachers in analyzing, assessing, and accommodating diverse learners
• To highlight support services and instructional delivery options available within general education settings
• To document tiered academic and non-academic interventions available for struggling learners
• To delineate resources available to teachers in the areas of student support, mentoring, professional development, and coaching

To read more about the DCAP follow this link:

https://www.haverhill-ps.org/curriculum-department/district-curriculum-accommodation-plan-dcap/

Listed in the DCAP beginning on page 10, are accommodations and strategies used by every teacher and support staff, at every grade level, for every student. 

Additionally, In order to better align with counselor caseloads, 504 coordinator grade levels have been updated:

The 504 caseload is as follows:

Terri Carney: K, 1st, 2nd, 7th and 8th

Sarah Petrick: 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th

The DCAP is being utilized to assist with 504 since many of the accommodations are already reflected in the DCAP. 

Grades 7 and 8: Are you thinking about High School? Where would you like to apply? If a school other than HHS, begin your research!! Check the school of your choice’s website for deadlines.

OPEN HOUSE

-Whittier Tech:  Sunday, November 5th from 1-3p.m.

-Haverhill High School Open House for 7th and 8th grade students and parents: Thursday, November 16th (time to be determined)

EDUCATIONAL HAPPENINGS: 

8th Grade Washington D.C. Meeting: We will be holding an informational meeting here at Hunking for any 8th grade student & family who is interested in attending this year’s Grade 8 trip to Washington D.C. The meeting will be held on Thursday, September 28th at 6pm in the Hunking cafeteria. Representatives from Capitol Tours will also be present at the meeting. 

ST Math:

Congratulations to grades K-4 for 100% implementation of ST Math to kick off the school year!  Let the puzzle solving begin!

Kindergarten: Students participated in both reading and math iReady diagnostics. Next week we will dive into Eureka Math2 which is our new math program. 

Grade 5: All of our classes are finishing up the diagnostic assessments in Iready Math/Reading, and we are looking forward to getting this year started. We encourage families to have their children take advantage of all the extra curricular activities that open up to them now that they are in fifth grade.

Grade 8: Students have completed fall iReady diagnostic in Math and ELA, taken their first Eureka Squared quiz, and welcomed our newest family pets.  In Civics students are working through enlightenment figures and moving towards important documents that have influenced governments of the US. 

The Turtles names are up for vote.                     Here is a team working collaboratively in Health

                                                                                    on their decision making skills. 

NEWS FROM OUR NURSES: If your child has any medications that are needed at school such as Epipens and inhalers, please drop off the medication and forms in the health office. The Health Office needs an order from the student’s provider and parental consent for medication administration and the medication should be in the original bottle/box with a pharmacy label. If you have not yet completed the Health forms, please complete and send back to school as soon as possible. If you have any questions or concerns, please call the Health Office (978-420-1913).

ATHLETIC NEWS: 

Soccer: Rosters were posted in the gym this week for both Boys and Girls teams. All players should get a schedule of practices and games from the gym or in Room 213. The girls will practice on Mondays and Boys on Wednesdays (one Tuesday, 10/10). Athletes must return permission slips by next Friday, 9/22 to be eligible to play.

Note: If you are on the Boys practice squad, you can attend any practice. In the event that a spot opens up, you could join the Game squad. 

Hunking Cross Country: We are happy to announce we’ve had an incredible turnout once again this season, with over 100 runners! We encourage all parents to join our Remind class for up to date practice information, direct access to coaches, and announcements. You can do so by sending a text to: 81010 with this message: @e68a8k8 

Lastly, a friendly reminder to please ensure your student returns their permission/health packet before staying for practice. 

Next week practices are as follows: Tuesday 9/19 Gr 4&5, Wednesday 9/20 Gr. 6-8, Thursday 9/21 Gr. 4&5 (3:00-4:30pm) 

CLUB NEWS:

Student Council – Calling all 3rd-8th grade students! Do you want to represent your grade and be part of our Student Council? We are looking for motivated students who are willing to work together and are a positive member of the classroom. 

If this interests you, you can pick up the application in the following rooms. If you are in 3rd-5th grade, go to Mrs. Bielski’s room in 242. If you’re in 6th-8th grade go to Mrs. Corkum’s room in 315. They are due back to those rooms by Friday the 22nd. 

BAND: Beginning Band signups at Hunking have begun! 5th grade students had an instrument assembly on Wednesday and got to hear the six instruments offered in band: flute, clarinet, alto saxophone, trumpet, trombone and bell kit.

Registration forms and information packets were sent home on Wednesday to all 5th grade students and offered to any 6th grade student who wanted one. Signup forms are due back by Tuesday, September 19th.

Attached is the information packet and registration form in English & Spanish: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jZD-ZKkbHD8Kg-EMFAX_BUu1Lu2ggKDZGtP_Vw9pEWU/edit?usp=sharing

Looking forward to seeing your child in band!

Drama Club: We would like to thank everyone who came to our first meeting.  Mrs. Fairbrother and I are very excited to start the season. We are pleased to announce that we are producing Mean Girls Jr. this year.  Keep an eye out for some fun and exciting things.  

Show your support and purchase a Broadway Bobcats “Mean Girls Jr.” Pink shirt and wear it every wednesday. They can be purchased here.   

Our next meeting will be September 21, 2023 from 2:45 to 4:45 in room 216.  Still open to all students in grades 5-8. Our schedule and all information is available on our website here.

GRIT: First meeting of GRIT takes place on Monday, Sept. 18 from 2:45 – 4:30. All selected students have been notified via email. They will receive information at the meeting to take home regarding meeting dates, field trip etc.

Guitar Ensemble:  Our first meeting for the year will be this Thursday (9/21) from 8-8:30 am in Mrs. Fairbrother’s room.  Any students in  grades 5-8 are welcome regardless of skill level and guitars will be provided.  Looking forward to seeing you all. 

ODDS & ENDS: 

-All students 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. 

HPS has chosen School Device Coverage (SDC) to insure the Chromebooks that students have been issued. The cost of coverage for the year is $20 and includes accidental damage, loss, fire, and theft. As of right now, families have the option to sign up during the month of September (we will let you know if it extends). After sign up closes, only new students will be given a special code to sign up at registration. Our website explains SDC and has instructions on how to signing up online:

https://www.haverhill-ps.org/technology/device-insurance/

Qustodio: a FREE student safety, digital wellbeing platform that helps parents/guardians control their child’s access to the internet on their school issued devices. Qustodio is FREE for HPS Students/Families. More information and how to sign up for Qustodio can be found on our website at:

https://www.haverhill-ps.org/technology/athome/student-safety-and-digital-wellbeing-platform/

I have also attached two flyers for you to share this information with your families.

-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. 

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. 

STUDENT DRESS CODE: The student dress code is always a “hot button” topic. We recognize that this is a sensitive topic and one that includes a lot of “gray area”, so 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.”