FRIDAY, FEBUARY 2nd, 2024 IS THE 100TH DAY OF SCHOOL
SOMEONE SPECIAL DANCE (Grades K-4): Friday, February 2nd. Grades K-2 from 5:00-6:00pm and grades 3-4 from 6:30-7:30pm. Tickets are $5.00/each and can be purchased at:
my.cheddarup.com/c/2024-someone-special-dance. (Students and their “someone special” both require a ticket). Cash concessions will be available!
HUNKING THEME OF THE MONTH: We are embracing the theme of ACCOUNTABILITY throughout the month of January. Accountability is the act or condition of being responsible. Accountability is the acceptance of responsibility for honest and ethical conduct toward others. Finally it is an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one’s own actions. Staff will be on the look out this month for students who are holding themselves accountable for their own goals and actions.
COMMUNITY HAPPENINGS:
FEBRUARY VACATION ACADEMY: February 2024 Vacation Academy
February 2024 Vacation Academy – Portuguese
February 2024 Vacation Academy – Spanish (1)
February 2024 Vacation Academy – Haitian Creole
February 2024 Vacation Academy – Arabic
WASHINGTON, DC GRADE 8:
- NOTE!!! All registered students must have a signed District Permission Slip AND Student Participation Contract signed and returned to their homeroom teacher.
- Update: 107 students are registered! Once you have registered, your student will be added. However, just registering with no payment does not hold your spot. Chaperones, registration will be after Feb. 12th. Stay tuned.
- Fundraising deductions- Student accounts are being updated as fundraising efforts and funds have been sent to Capital Tours. Student accounts will show deductions on an individual level (Meadow Farms, Pee & Bee photo, Academy Lanes, Bradford Ski signs, & upcoming Adrenaline Cookies) and a group level (Crusttown, G’s and the 8th Grade Halloween Dance). Check your account frequently over the next few weeks. Those paid in full will receive a refund in April.
- Students will be provided with a google form in their google classroom homerooms in February to list 3 other students for their room preference. Accommodations will be made as best as we can for students to room with their preferred choices. They will also be able to list three students that they would like in their chaperoned group.
Dates/Info to remember:
- Feb. 9th-2nd payment $225
- February 12, 2024: Sign-ups for trip close. No exceptions.
- May 22, 2024: Parent/Guardian meeting @ 6pm, Hunking. Please attend specifically for those students who will have medication distributed on the trip. Nurses will be available. Medication and doctors orders (that match the district permission form) are to be brought to this meeting.
Questions????- Megan.arivella@haverhill-ps.org
PTO NEWS:
- The Someone Special Dance is next Friday, February 2nd in the Hunking cafeteria! K-2 is from 5:00-6:00pm; and grades 3-4 are from 6:30-7:30pm. Tickets are $5.00/each and can be purchased at:
my.cheddarup.com/c/2024-someone-special-dance. (Students and their “someone special” both require a ticket). Cash concessions will be available!
- The next PTO meeting is scheduled for Tuesday February 13th at 6:30pm in the Hunking conference room! We’re looking for more lower school parents to get involved, so grab a friend and bring your ideas!
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
NEED A WORK PERMIT?
https://www.haverhill-ps.org/work-permit-information/
Haverhill High School
HHS Programs:
Classical Academy: DEADLINE JAN 19th
https://hhs.haverhill-ps.org/classical-academy-3/
Apply: CA One-Pager (updated fall 2020)
Career Technical Education (CTE): DEADLINE FEB 16th (Please allow me time to process the application! Submit application as soon as possible!!)
Apply: https://haverhill.go2cte.com/
Early College Information: https://hhs.haverhill-ps.org/early-college/
Students can begin taking Early College Classes in 10th grade!
Whittier Tech DEADLINE FEB 1ST (Please allow me time to process the application. Submit application as soon as possible!!)
Apply: https://whittiertech.go2cte.com/
Information on Private Schools
EDUCATIONAL HAPPENINGS:
Kindergarten: Students are in the middle of a science experiment. We are collecting data on our four seedlings that are each receiving a different amount of water. Ask your child which ones are growing best!
In ELA, we are discussing different genres of books. Students are learning about fiction and nonfiction.
Grade 4: After reading the story A Reminder for Emily, students used what they know about the Engineering Design Process to create their very own electrical circuits. Students created a circuit to make a light bulb light. Once they were able to get the bulb to light, they added a buzzer to their circuits. Click here to see the 4th Grade Circuit Fun!
Grade 7 Social Studies: Students learned about the first Olympics from Ancient Greece. Students compared the Ancient Olympics to modern day Olympic games, which will take place this summer in Paris, France.
Grade 7 ELA: 7th Grade ELA students will be starting leveled book clubs to meet their current reading needs. Mr. Ott and Mr. Thornton’s students will be shared depending on their assigned book. Book clubs will run through March 15th
Mr. Ott’s book club= Call of the Wild by Jack London
Mr. Thornton’s book club= Ghost by Jason Reynolds
Ms. Sadrnoori’s book club= Star Girl by Jerry Spinelli
Grade 7 Science: Grade 7 Science students are making connections between air pollution between our Earth’s water cycles and the changing pH in our lakes and oceans. This week students made observations on a Water Cycle demonstration.
Grade 8: Grade 8 math students have been using their understanding of solutions to one variable equations to work with linear equations with two variables. This week we have been working with lines written in standard form and finding ordered pairs that can be used to create graphs of the equations. We have also talked about the x and y-intercept of a line. Want to check in with your child? Ask them, “What does it mean if an ordered pair is a solution to a linear equation written in standard form?” Hopefully, they can impress you!
Shout out to Joe Skarbek on earning his Eagle Scout Award. The Hunking Students and teachers were happy to celebrate him in this recognition. Please let us know if your student is doing something exceptional outside of school.
Mrs. Fairbrother’s Music Classes:
- 7th and 8th grade classes are wrapping up their keyboard units and will be switching to rhythm and drumming. We will explore percussion instruments and rhythms from different parts of the world through listening, watching and playing.
- 4th grade is wrapping up their ukulele lesson (they’ll still be used on occasion) and starting to create their own poison rhythms. This is a chance to relate everyday words and their syllables to the correct rhythmic notation. Plus-they’re fun to create and share!
- 2nd grade is learning to sing in a round and to accompany their singing by playing a ‘c’ chord on the ukulele. We will be adding xylophones and other instruments too.
ML News: Congratulations to all our Multilingual Learners! Access testing is coming to an end. The students were focused and worked very hard during testing. We look forward to receiving their test results this May.
NEWS FROM OUR NURSES: If your child is out for an illness please reach out to the nurses at 978-420-1913. Weather is getting really cold and we have had some snow recently. Please send your child in with proper attire including footwear. Many children are slipping and falling outside during recess.
Make up and repeat vision and hearing screening will be continued in January. If your child was given a referral, please make sure it is sent back in after seeing an eye or hearing specialist. Stay healthy.
ATHLETIC NEWS:
Basketball: Congratulations to both of our basketball teams on their victories in the semi-finals of the middle school tournament Thursday evening at HHS. Our girls won a tough battle against JGW and have now advanced to the Championship game against ABC. Our boys team dominated Nettle on their way to victory and will now face Sacred Hearts in the Championship game. Both teams will play in the finals next Thursday, February 1st at HHS. The schedule is as follows:
Girls: Hunking vs. Consentino @ 5:30pm. Girls will practice on Monday from 3:00-4:30pm
Boys: Hunking vs. Sacred Hearts @ 6:30pm** (start time is approximate) Boys will practice on Wednesday 1/31 from 3:00-4:30pm
Girls Volleyball: Grade 6-8 girls tryouts will be Feb 7th & 8th from 3:30-5:00.
EARLY SPRING TRACK SIGN UP
We know the snow has just begun, but we cannot wait for Spring! My fellow coaches and I are already excited for our upcoming 2024 track season! I am hoping to get a good idea as to how many kiddos are interested in joining us this year, so I wanted to create this form to make sign-ups easier. SPRING TRACK SIGN UP
(*This sign up link has also been added to our school website*)
Prior to the beginning of the season I will follow up with students/parents that have filled this form out to confirm if they are still interested. We will still have a “sign up” available in-person as we have in the past; however this form can expedite that process.
Last, but certainly not least, if your athlete took part in a school sport during this year (2023-2024) you do not need to fill out another health participation packet.Only the first and last page is needed. If not, the entire packet needs to be filled, current physical submitted, signed and returned before participation is permitted.
Our main office retains hard copies for students to take home, but I have also included the link below if you’d prefer to print out and return ahead of time.
HPS (Middle School) Sport Permission Packet
When our season officially commences I will provide practice dates, schedules, meet information and all things track via our Remind class link (see below).
As always thank you for your continued support and please reach out should you have any questions!
-Coach Law
CLUB NEWS:
Academic Bowl: Practice for the Junior & Senior Teams will be on Mondays from 2:45 – 3:30. Students received a permission slip to return to Mr. Ivancic or Mrs. Bizeur. Schedule for competitions is TBD.
GSA (Gender-Sexuality Alliance): The GSA calendar can be found here.
LEGO Club: The LEGO club calendar can be found here.
NJHS: The NJHS calendar can be found here. January 24th marked another excellent BobCat Buddies activity. Special shout out to our planning committee led by Graydon England. Coming ahead, NJHS can volunteer at the Someone Special dance Feb 2nd and will sell Valentine’s treats during lunches Feb. 12-14th
Student Council: Student Council met Tuesday 1/23 to discuss upcoming events including volunteering to help the PTO with the grades K-2 and 3-4 Sweetheart Dances on Friday February 2nd. Students can view meeting dates, notes, and volunteer sign-ups here (also posted on Google Classroom). Our next meeting is Tuesday February 6th in room 301 from 2:45-3:30 pm.
Guitar Ensemble: We will meet on Thursday, February 1st at 8:00am. Songs will be posted on Google classroom and copies are available if you need them! Excited to be back to practice!
Drama Club: Rehearsals will continue to be on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:45 to 4:45 for Mean Girls Jr, weather pending. Rehearsals are just for those cast in the show. Tickets will be going on sale at the end of January.
GRIT: GRIT will have its next meeting on Mon., Jan 29 and we are honored to have a presentation from Chucky Rosa, founder of the non- profit Chucky’s Fight. Chucky’s Fight is dedicated to helping prevent substance abuse.
YEARBOOK: The Hunking Yearbook Team needs your help! Do you have photos you would like to contribute to the yearbook? Please see attached flyer for instructions
ODDS & ENDS:
-All students have been issued school IDs. It is required that they bring and wear their ID badges each day. These badges are also used for breakfast and lunches as well as to “swipe” on & off the bus.
-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/
-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: Please click on the link below to review Hunking policies including cell phone, dress code, and pick up & drop off procedures:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OOOIPyskLX9WyYSuAWqfyQCB0ZJZ8JFsTTgB_sNW8d4/edit?usp=sharing