FEBRUARY VACATION: There will be NO school from 2/16/26-2/20/26.
SPIRIT WEEK: February 9th-13th
HUNKING’S 4TH ANNUAL MULTICULTURAL NIGHT:
SAVE THE DATE
We are excited to invite our Hunking families to one of our favorite community events of the year: MULTICULTURAL NIGHT! This special evening is a celebration of the many cultures, traditions, and backgrounds that make up our school community.
Families are invited to take part by hosting a cultural table, participating in the fashion show, volunteering, or simply attending to enjoy the celebration.
️ Event Date: Thursday, March 26, 2026
5:00-7:00 p.m.
C.D. Hunking School
️Family Sign Up Deadline: Thursday, March 5, 2026
Family sign-ups are available via the QR code or link below:
MULTICULTURAL NIGHT FAMILY SIGN UP LINK
More details will be shared as the event approaches. We look forward to celebrating together!
Theme of the Month: We will be embracing the theme of Friendship & Acceptance throughout the month of February. Acceptance is the action or process of being received as adequate or suitable, typically to be admitted into a group. It is the act of accepting something or someone. Acceptance involves acknowledging the unvarnished facts of ourselves and our situation…the good and the not so good, without judging ourselves or others. Acceptance is the foundation for growth and change. While friendship is a close, voluntary relationship between people that is built on trust, respect, and mutual care.
Food Services has changed the menus this year. When you go to FD MealPlanner, and type in “Hunking” for the school location, you will see a WEEKLY menu. You will see the main lunch and other options available for the day. You will still be able to filter according to food allergens. Any questions, please contact Food Services at justin.hodgkins@haverhill-ps.org.
PTO NEWS:
Chocolate Sales Continue on Friday’s for $1 a bar
Our Next meeting is Thursday, Feb. 12th @ 5:30. Babysitting and homework help is available through NJHS.
Coming this spring…..Music Bingo with an online auction!
NEWS FROM GUIDANCE
Terri Carney, School Counselor, grades 5-8
Selecting Electives for HHS
Eighth grade students are working on selecting electives for HHS. Students will choose a pool of 10 electives for their HHS schedules. Please be sure to ask your student about their choices or log in to the parent portal to view what your student chose.
HHS CTE and HHS Classical Academy schedule the classes once a student has accepted placement. WVT will schedule their own classes.
Below is the letter that was sent out to families. It also contains the program of studies to view the courses students may choose from. Please be aware that not all courses are offered to 9th graders. Some courses are grade level specific and some require a pre-requisite before taking the course.
If your student has been accepted to a private school or to WVT, please let us know so that we can direct records and transcript to the appropriate place at the end of the year and remove their enrollment to HHS. Thank you!
HHS
If you were accepted to HHS CTE, please be sure to follow the instructions in the email to accept or decline the offer based on the deadline they have given.
WVT
If you were accepted to WVT, please be sure to follow the instructions in the email to accept or decline the offer based on the deadline they have given.
Important: If you received an acceptance email, you have to submit residency verification. There are two parts to the verification piece. There is one part that is the responsibility of the parent/guardian. Please refer to WVT for guidance on what they require. There is another piece that I will upload. You do not need to make a request, I will automatically upload my part. Please upload by the deadline to reserve your student’s spot.
For all parents and caregivers!
Massachusetts Partners for Youth has a wonderful resource! Check out the Parenting Solutions Library! https://peaceathomeparenting.com/mpy-solution-libraries/
EDUCATIONAL HAPPENINGS:
Kindergarten: Kindergarten students celebrated the 100th day of school with families by showcasing the amazing projects they worked so hard on and showing off the adorable 100 year old costumes they wore to school. Students continued the day participating in fun and educational 100 day themed activities!
Grade 8: The second math benchmark, covering Modules 3 and 4, will take place on Monday and Tuesday. Students can find study materials in Google Classroom. Being engaged and participating in class each day is the best preparation. Students will conclude their reading of Refugee and examine how the three characters’ storylines intertwine. In Science, students are continuing their chemistry unit, focusing on elements, compounds, and mixtures. Students are continuing their study of the Holocaust in civics and will soon begin working on their Winter DBQ.
NEWS FROM OUR NURSES: Cold and flu season has arrived. Please make sure your child is wearing appropriate clothes for the weather and using good hand hygiene to prevent getting sick. Proper cough etiquette is important to keep from spreading germs so please sneeze or cough into your elbow or a tissue. If your child has an illness or medical issue, please let the health office know so we can make accommodations if needed for your child.
Mandatory Postural/Scoliosis screenings for students’ 5th-8th grade are wrapping this week during gym class. The Purpose of the screening is to detect possible curvature of the spine in children. If the condition is detected early and appropriately treated, progressive spinal deformity may be prevented. To assure a good view of the spine, we will request the students expose their backs during screening. It is recommended that boys wear a shirt that can be easily removed. Girls should wear a bathing suit top, or sport bra or halter under a shirt or sweater. Please make sure to have your child come dressed as recommended above on the day they are scheduled for gym. If your child is currently under active treatment for a spinal problem, or if you have any objection to having your child participate in the screening program, please inform the school nurse in writing. A report from your healthcare provider is requested.
If you have any questions or concerns, you may reach the health office at 978-420-1913.
ATHLETIC NEWS:
In order to participate in any Hunking sports a current physical exam (done within the last 12 months) needs to be provided to the health office. This is a Haverhill Public School policy.
Volleyball: Students interested in playing on the middle school Volleyball team. Tryouts are next week. Look in the Hunking Google Classroom for sign-ups. Code for the google classroom is t7ezqpi. Use the Google Form to sign up for volleyball tryouts.
Tryouts are only for students in grades 6-8th.
Tryouts for Boys are Monday Feb 9th 3-5pm. A second tryout will be Friday Feb 13 if needed.
Tryouts for Girls are Tues Feb 10th and Wed Feb 11th with call backs Thurs. Feb12th 3-5pm.
Before you will be allowed to come to a tryout or step on the court, you must have completed a Sport Packet and a copy of a current physical to be on file with nurses at Hunking school.
CLUB NEWS:
Academic Bowl: Junior team has practice on Monday and Thursday this week (Feb 9th and 12th). The Senior team has practice starting Monday and Wednesday this upcoming week (Feb 9th). Students only need to attend one practice a week for the senior team.
Meets will start the week after vacation during the school day. Please see the Remind group for more information. The meet schedule can be found here:Hunking Academic Bowl Schedule 2026
Guitar Ensemble: No rehearsal next Friday (2/13). Everyone, enjoy your vacation week and I will see you again on the 27th. Any questions please reach out to Mrs. Fairbrother for more information (kfairbrother@haverhill-ps.org).
Kindergarten, First and Second Grade Families: Save the date! The Hunking Music Dept is proud to present “A K-2 Concert: Music from Around the World!” More information to come. K-2 Concert 2026 MATW (1)
Chorus: Congratulations to everyone who performed at the UML Basketball game last weekend, and thank you to everyone who came out to support us! It was so fun to sing on the court, and some of the students got to participate in some fun on-court games! Please save the date for our concert, Thursday May 7th at 6:30pm. We will be resuming our usual schedule next week, if you have any questions at all, please reach out to Ms. Avalos.
Tri-M: Tri-M is hard at work getting ready for our presentation at the Multicultural Night in March! Our next meeting will be Wednesday February 25th from 2:45-3:30 in the music room.
Student Council: Monthly Meeting and Events Schedule can be found here.
NJHS: The NJHS calendar can be found here. Thank you for participating in our Someone Special Dance!
GSA: The GSA calendar can be found here.
Lego Club: The LEGO Club calendar can be found here.
Technology Resources:
DESE Learning Standards for Families: learning benchmarks for math and ELA per grade level.
Technology Webpage: How to Access Parent Portal (PDF), Google Classroom, Parent controls (Qustodio), and basic iPad and Chromebook usage tips.
Remind app: How to download and use Remind to communicate with teachers.
ODDS & ENDS:
-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 ensure 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. The HPS website (under technology) explains SDC and has instructions on how to sign up online.
-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 PROCEDURES: Please click on the link below to review Hunking procedures, including cell phone and pick up & drop off procedures:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1u0UOrpoO9vRnMMJuYpeJmaSGKcywt29SX94AQmSHFzQ/edit?usp=sharing