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 5:30pm in the Hunking cafeteria. Representatives from Capitol Tours will also be present at the meeting.
** 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 only have one week to go, make sure you are showing up to school each day!
**Read-A-Thon: It is not too late to register for the read-a-thon! We need ALL students taking part in this. Don’t forget that information on how to register was emailed home to all families last week. The classes who raise the most money or read the most minutes will get a pizza party sponsored by the PTO. The read-a-thon will run through next Friday, September 29th.
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!
COMMUNITY HAPPENINGS:
YMCA: Below is our newsletter for this week! Just a reminder this coming wednesday 9/27/23 is a half day please pack extra snacks,water, and a lunch. I hope you all have a great rest of your week and weekend!
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:
- Thank you to everyone who came to our first PTO meeting of the year! If you couldn’t make it, but are interested in getting involved in fundraising, event planning and/or communication, please reach out to HunkingPTO28@gmail.com. And mark your calendars…the next meeting is scheduled for October 19th!
- We have one week left of the Read-a-thon! Register at: https://app.99pledges.com/fund/Bobcats23 and add your student(s) by clicking ‘Add Participant’ (on the bottom left and pair him/her to their homeroom classroom). All of the minutes tracked and the money raised will count toward their classroom’s totals and will help them win a special prize (incentives attached)!
- 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 5:30pm 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
What is the DCAP??
Haverhill Public Schools implemented a District Curriculum Accommodation Plan, referred to as the DCAP. The DCAP is required by Massachusetts General Law Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 71, Section 38Q1/2.
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 caseloads are as follows:
Terri Carney: K, 1st, 2nd, 7th and 8th
Sarah Petrick: 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th
The DCAP is being utilized to assist with 504s since many of the accommodations are already reflected in the DCAP.
Grades 7 and 8: Are you thinking about High School (YES!!!)? 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.
Any questions? Need help? See Ms. Carney, 8th grade floor, room 310
OPEN HOUSES
Whittier Tech Https://whittier tech.org/the-whittier-way
Sunday, November 5th from 1-3p.m.
Haverhill High School https://hhs.haverhill-ps.org/
For 7th & 8th grade students & parents: Thursday, November 16th (time TBD)
HHS Programs:
Classical Academy: https://hhs.haverhill-ps.org/classical-academy-3/
Career Technical Education (CTE): https://cte.haverhill-ps.org/
Early College: https://hhs.haverhill-ps.org/early-college/
Information on Private Schools
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 5:30pm in the Hunking cafeteria. Representatives from Capitol Tours will also be present at the meeting.
Math Drop-in Center
The math drop in center welcomes grades five and six students from 8:00 – 8:30 A.M. Monday – Friday in the library. (They do not have to come every day.) Some students come in for more challenging math, some for help with homework and some just to have fun. Please note that students must provide their own transportation.
Any questions please contact Kim Surette ksurette@haverhill-ps.org.
HEALTH CLASSES – Students in each grade have recently begun work on their curriculum unit for September. Following is what each grade is currently learning:
5th grade – Building Healthy Self Esteem ( self esteem’s impact on our health)
6th grade – Practicing Healthy Habits ( influences on physical, mental and social health)
7th grade – Setting Healthy Goals ( using the S.M.A.R.T goal format)
8th grade – Making Healthy Decisions ( learning a decision making model and applying
it to a variety of situations teens may face)
There is no homework in health classes so students’ grades are entirely based on what they do in the classroom. Students who are absent due to band, counseling, another activities or are absent from school the day they have health are still responsible for making up the assignment they missed in class. Check their Google classrooms for assignments if interested.
Kindergarten: All kindergarten classes worked hard on classifying objects in math this week. Next week we will begin our first science unit: Weather Conditions. We will keep a weather journal comparing the weather in our city and another city in the country.
Grade 3: Students have been working hard on multiplication and starting division using models. We are busy with our hands-on learning and getting into a routine for a successful year in math. We’ve started our weather unit in science and map skills in social studies. Students continue to work hard and their teachers are very pleased with their progress. Keep up the good work!
Grade 7: Students worked hard in their Social Studies class to create a google slides presentation incorporating the 5 themes of geography. Shout out Celinna Santiago for an amazing presentation.
Grade 7 (continued): During their science class, students went on a nature walk. Students are learning about specialized structures in plants and characteristics behaviors of animals. Next week students will dissect flowers.
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Grade 8: Shout out to all the trusted adults who joined our students in our first ELA poetry writing event. We look forward to more opportunities in the future to have you in the building. When you come in please stop by the office and complete a CORI form so you can be a Hunking volunteer. We also like to congratulate our LOOP students for taking on High School classes.
Music: I’m hoping to share what is happening in Music at least once a month as the students are doing amazing things.
8th Grade students have been working on C Major scales to improve their electronic keyboard skills and note recognition. Soon they will be working on playing the song “MaryAnne” using both hands and chords.
7th grade students have been learning how to sing the song “El Juego Chirimbolo” from Ecuador. In addition to learning the melody and rhythm they are also singing in Spanish! To top it off there is a game that accompanies the song so ask them to share.
4th grade students have been working on the ukulele and are already playing both the C chord and the A minor chord. We are enjoying using those chords in a play-along to the song “Sunflowers”. Plenty more chords and songs to come.
2nd grade students learned to sing “One Elephant” and then learned to play various notes on the xylophone to accompany their singing. We are also working on steady beat vs rhythm using different instruments and motion.
NEWS FROM OUR NURSES: There is an uptick in Covid cases in Massachusetts. If your child tests positive, please contact the school. Children who test positive will need to remain isolated for five days and may return on day 6. If they are still testing positive on day 6, they will need to wear a mask for an additional 5 days or until testing negative. US households can order four free tests from Covidtests.gov starting September 25. The link to order is Covidtests.gov .
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).
Lost & Found: The lost and found is filling up fast. If your child is missing a water bottle or lunch box, have them check the shelf in the cafe. All clothing items are in the boy’s locker room. We recommend putting your child’s name on water bottles, lunch boxes and jackets so we can easily return them.
ATHLETIC NEWS:
Soccer: The first week of soccer practice was a huge success! The boys and girls teams each practiced separately earlier in the week and yesterday, they competed against each other in a highly competitive, full field scrimmage. Shout out to both teams for their sportsmanship and positive attitudes.
Our first game is Tuesday, 9/26 @ Hunking. Games will start close to 315 and should end by 5. Please see the updated practice & game schedule to stay up to date on any changes or cancellations. Participation packets must be turned in prior to the game to be eligible to play.
Hunking Cross Country: We are happy to have had yet another great week in the books for our XC Crew! As always, we thank our families for their ongoing support! Secondly, if you have not yet joined our Remind class for XC you can easily do so by sending a text to 81010 with the message: @e68a8k8
It is via this app, you have instant access to Coach Law for any and all things XC!
We are looking forward to another week of practices which are as follows: (3-4:30pm) Tuesday 9/26 Gr. 4&5, Wednesday NO PRACTICE (Half Day), Thursday 9/28 Gr 6-8.
CLUB NEWS:
Model UN: Attention all 6th- 8th grade students, the Model UN club is starting this Coming Friday, the 29th. There will be an introductory meeting for anyone interested in joining after school from 2:55 – 3:30. If you are someone that can argue passionately about any topic this group may be just what you need. The first meeting will be in room 206, Mr. Ivancic’s room, Friday 9/29/23 after school from 2:55-3:30, please make sure you have a ride home.
Student Council – Student Council applicants (only students who passed in the application) will be required to attend one of two meetings next week in order to learn about the next steps on the campaign trail. Meetings are Monday 9/25 2:45-3:15 or Tuesday 9/26 2:45-3:15. If there’s a hardship, students should discuss options with Mrs Bielski, Mrs Mansour or Mrs Corkum.
Drama Club: It’s official the Broadway Bobcats have hoodies and other items available for purchase here. Mean Girls Jr. Fundraising shirts are still available, remember “We wear pink on Wednesday”
Our next meeting will be September 26, 2023 from 2:45 to 4:45 in the Music Room. Please make sure rides are ready at 4:45 and students are being picked up in the Upper School parking lot. Drama Club is still open to all students in grades 5-8. Our schedule and all information is available on our website here.
Mean Girls Jr. Round 1 of Auditions will begin October 16 and 17 from 3:00 to 5:00 in the Music Room. Please see Mr. K or Mrs. Fairbrother to sign-up.
GRIT: Students in GRIT were sent home with an informational letter for their parent/guardian that also included the calendar of meetings. Please check with your child if they are in GRIT and you have not seen the letter. In addition, GRIT will be attending a project adventure field trip on SATURDAY, OCT 28 from
9 am – 4pm and you will be receiving information on that soon.
Guitar Ensemble: Guitar Ensemble welcomed both new and old members on Thursday and it was great to see everyone! We are still welcoming new members so join us on Thursday morning (9/28) from 8-8:30 in Mrs Fairbrother’s room. You do not need to know how to play guitar to join. Hope to see you there!
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.”