February is Black History Month. The theme for 2024 is African Americans and the Arts. This covers the impacts Black Americans have had on visual arts, music, and cultural movements. Black History Month is in February because two great Americans who helped shape Black History have a birthday in February: Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.
2ND ANNUAL MULTICULTURAL NIGHT: It is that time of year again, where we are excited to announce our 2nd Annual Multicultural Night! Please save the date and stay tuned for ways to sign up to participate and also attend in the coming weeks. Please see some initial information below.
Hunking’s 2nd annual multicultural night is meant to celebrate our diverse community! This fun night will be family-facilitated—the idea is for students & families to volunteer to share pieces of their culture with others. Please join us on Thursday, March 14th from 5:00-7:00 p.m.
This could include but is not limited to:
- Presenting your country’s flag
- Sharing your favorite cuisine
- Music and/or dance
- Art
- Fashion
- Games
- Stories
- Traditions
- Anything else that showcases your heritage and culture
PROGRESS REPORTS: Progress reports will be issued/available on Tuesday, February 13th. Grades K-4 will receive printed copies of progress reports and grades 5-8 will be available online through the Student/Parent portal.
Parent/Teacher conferences will follow on Thursday, February 15th.
–Conferences for grades 5-8 will take place from 4:00-5:30pm
-Conferences for grades K-4 will take place from 5:00-6:30pm
-Conferences for specialists will take place from 4:30-6:00pm
Please stay tuned for more information from grade level teams on how to sign up for a conference.
HUNKING THEME OF THE MONTH: We are embracing the theme of FRIENDSHIP throughout the month of February. Being a good friend. A friend is someone who is always happy to help when you run into a problem. A friend is someone who brings out the best in you and has respect for you. A real friend is someone who cheers you up when you feel bad. A friend is someone who makes a positive difference in someone’s life. A friend is someone you can depend on and will never leave you out. A friend is someone that is always there for you.Staff will be on the look out this month for students who are personifying this theme.
Please stay tuned next week to find out who are students that personified Accountability throughout the month of January.
FEBRUARY BREAKFAST AND LUNCH MENUS
(if the links don’t work, please check out: https://www.haverhill-ps.org/food-services/, and type in “Hunking” for the school location)
COMMUNITY HAPPENINGS:
Before & After School YMCA Program:
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!! 2nd payment $225 due Feb. 9th
- February 12, 2024: Sign-ups for trip close. No exceptions. All registered students must have a signed District Permission Slip AND Student Participation Contract signed and returned to their homeroom teacher by 2/12.
- 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.
- 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. Last chance to reduce your payments is the Adrenaline Cookies-coming soon! Any family receiving financial assistance is encouraged to participate in fundraising.
- Rooming: Students will be provided with a google form in their google classroom homerooms on Monday February 5th 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. All groups will be reviewed by trip coordinator and/or admin and preferences will be taken into account, but can not be guaranteed.
Dates/Info to remember:
- 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 Online Auction is coming soon! Stay tuned for its launch next week! We have awesome Hunking experiences plus loads of other auction items!
- 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:
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 EXTENDED!!! Still accepting applications!!
Apply now if interested !!!
https://hhs.haverhill-ps.org/classical-academy-3/
Apply: CA One-Pager (updated fall 2020)
Career Technical Education (CTE): DEADLINE FEB 16th (Please allow 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 Next Steps: Application window is closed!! Interviews at the end of February.
Apply: https://whittiertech.go2cte.com/
Information on Private Schools-Most deadlines have passed. Please check the school’s admissions department to see if they are still accepting applications.
EDUCATIONAL HAPPENINGS:
ST Math News!
Classes earning four snowballs:
Mrs. Augusta
Ms. Crawford
Mrs. Driscoll
Mrs. Whittredge
Classes earning three snowballs:
Ms. Mastropiero
Mrs. Thibault
Mrs. Wood
Mrs. Reyes-Capitanio
Classes earning two snowballs:
Mrs. Caron
Ms. Kalashian
Ms. Yepes
Classes earning one snowball:
Mrs. Bair
Mrs. Archambault
Mrs. Silveira
Mrs. Pike
The Wheel of Names has spoken and here are our winners!
1st Place: Winter Craft – Ms. Crawford
2nd Place: Extra-Recess – Ms. Mastropiero
3rd Place: Sweet Treat – Mrs. Driscoll
Stay tuned for some BIG Jiji news coming on Pi Day – March 14th!
Grade 2: Grade 2 is so excited to take part in a nationwide Valentine’s Exchange! We have been sending and receiving letters from all over the United States including facts about their town/city. These are just a few examples of some of the valentines we have received this week. We can’t wait to get the mail every day!!!
7th Grade Social Studies: Students completed a gallery walk of other student posters to learn more about Ancient Greece. The posters were created by the current 8th grade students. Next week the current 7th grade students will be making their own posters about Ancient Greece. Pictured below is an example made by current 8th graders Henry S, Oscar T and Christian R.
7th Grade ELA: Students have settled into their book clubs. Each book club started with some activities to get their new groups. They will continue to read their books during WIN block.
8th Grade Smiles: There are many reasons to smile in grade 8. Lots of students made excellent progress on their iReady Diagnostics, students are conducting Chemistry labs, learning about slope and finding out the ending journeys of 3 characters in Refugee. And a huge shout out to our basketball teams for all their hard work and a successful ending of their season.
NEWS FROM OUR NURSES: It is the cold and flu season. We also have had a rise in stomach bug cases this week. If your child is out for an illness please reach out to the nurses at 978-420-1913. Your child must be fever free and/or vomit free for 24 hours without medication to return to school. Good hygiene such as washing hands and covering your mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing is a great way to prevent illness.
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.
If your child was given a vision or hearing referral, please make sure it is sent back to the health office after seeing an eye or hearing specialist. Stay healthy.
ATHLETIC NEWS:
Basketball: Congratulations to both of our basketball teams on great seasons! Our girls lost a tough battle to a very good Consentino team while our boys capped off a tremendous season with a dominant 47-16 victory over Sacred Hearts to become City Champs for 2023-2024!! Great Job!! Next up for both teams will be the Student/Teacher Basketball game on Friday, February 16th.
Girls Volleyball: Grade 6-8 girls tryouts will be Feb 7th & 8th from 3:30-5:00.
Boys Volleyball: Grade 6-8 girls tryouts will be Feb 12th & 13th 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: Practices will be held Mondays from 2:45 – 3:30. Seniors meet in Mrs. Bizeur’s room and Juniors meet in Mr. Ivancic’s room. The schedule for competitions can be found here.
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. Feb. 12-14th student will sell Valentine’s treats during all lunches for $1! Feb. 15th we will host our first BAKE SALE during PTC. If you would like to volunteer to bake, buy, donate please contact nicole.kelly@haverhill-ps.org.
Student Council: The next Student Council meeting is Tuesday February 6th in room 301 from 2:45-3:45. Please check Google Classroom for our meeting schedule and volunteering opportunities.
Guitar Ensemble: We will be meeting on Thursday, February 8th at 8am in Mrs. Fairbrother’s room.
Drama Club: The new rehearsal schedule has been posted in the Google Classroom and on our website. Students need to inform Mr. K or Mrs. Fairbrother if they are going to be absent from rehearsal or if they are leaving rehearsal early. Tickets will be going on sale soon.
GRIT: GRIT was proud to host our guest Chucky Rosa at our meeting this week on Jan 29. Chucky gave an inspiring and heartfelt presentation on the dangers of substance abuse and offered each GRIT member a “Chucky’s Fight” dog tag as a commitment to stay drug free. Check out his webpage www.chuckysfight.com
GRIT will be meeting again on Monday, Feb 5 & Feb 12
Mentor/Mentee: Check out some of our wonderful mentors and mentees in action
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