Bobcat Bulletin 9/18/26
BOBCAT BULLETIN
9/18/26
MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL:
LOST & FOUND: Is your child missing their brand new sweatshirt you bought them for back to school? What about their water bottle or lunch box? The lost and found is already overflowing. Please have your child check if they are missing something. All items left will be donated at the end of each month.
SAFETY REMINDER: As a reminder, please help support us by following traffic patterns when dropping off and picking up your students, and please DO NOT park in the upper school lot when picking up your student. Please make sure to remain in the traffic line. Thank you for your continued support.
Hunking’s 2nd Annual “Fun Run”: Our Fun Run Fundraiser kicks off on 9/21 and your family has the chance to win big this year while helping our school! If you sign your student up at mybooster.com before Kickoff Day (9/21), your family will be in the running to win a $500 Great Wolf Lodge Gift Card! That's right, a full family trip JUST by signing up on mybooster.com. Sign up today! The fun is just beginning!
We’re excited to see our students, staff, and families come together to make this a success. Every bit of participation matters whether you’re donating, sharing, or volunteering! It all starts at MyBooster.com where you can connect with friends and family from all over the world to help us reach our goal of $25,000.
5th Annual Hunking Block Party: Please come and join us this Thursday, September 24, 2026 from 5-7pm as we welcome all Hunking students and families to our 5th annual Block party!
This is our opportunity to start the new school year off by bringing our whole Hunking community together for a fun night with a lot of great activities and food (cookout style)!
This is a very popular event which typically draws a great deal of people. Here are some important things that you should know if you are planning to attend:
Parking for our community events is very limited, so we ask that you please walk if able, carpool, or park in our surrounding neighborhood.
We ask that all pets be left at home.
No motorized bikes or scooters are allowed, and people should not be riding any other type of bike or scooter through the event (they may be locked up on the available bike racks)
The cookout style meal will be free for families
The ice cream truck will be on site for cost to families
PLEASE SEE THE ATTACHED FLYER!!
REMINDER: Please be advised that while I am a dog lover, we cannot have dogs on school grounds during school hours (including arrival & dismissal). Dogs are not permitted to be on school property. Thank you for your support with this.
PTO NEWS:
Thank you to everyone who attended our first PTO meeting Tuesday Sept. 15th at 4. The NEXT meeting is scheduled for Oct. 6th @ 4pm. All are welcome to attend and the NJHS offers free babysitting including homework help and play.
Coming up PTO is partnering to support the Block Party Thursday, Sept. 24th 5-7.
Our first fundraiser is coming! Join us in raising money by participating in our 2nd annual Booster Thon!
NEWS FROM GUIDANCE
Parents/Guardians of 8th Graders: This is going to be an exciting and important year for all 8th grade students! I have begun meeting with all 8th grade classes to discuss high school options this week and will continue meeting with the rest of the classes next week. 8th graders are in the process of joining my google classroom where I will be posting all high school information, updates, and deadlines. It is important for students to check this google classroom frequently throughout the school year. Haverhill High’s Career Technical Education (CTE) Program and Classical Academy are currently accepting applications!
HHS CTE Application
Classical Academy Application
Whittier Tech and Essex Tech will begin accepting applications online on November 1st. If your child is planning on applying to private high schools, please email me directly at jvlahos@haverhill-ps.org as soon as possible to ensure the application deadlines are adhered to. For any high schools/programs you and your child are considering, be sure to look at the websites for specific admissions requirements and timelines. Please let me know if you have any questions. - Mrs. Vlahos
EDUCATIONAL HAPPENINGS:
ML News: Welcome Back from the Multilingual Learner (ML) Team at Hunking!
Meet Your ML Team:
Ashley Sadrnoori: Grades K–2
Josi Clark: Grades 3–4
Michelle Saab: Grades 5–6
Maria Synodinos: Grades 7–8
What We Do
You might be wondering what the ESL/ML Program is and why your child was invited to participate. When you joined the district, you completed a state-required Home Language Survey. If you answered "yes" to either of these questions:
Does your child speak a language other than English?
Does anyone in your home speak a language other than English?
State guidelines require us to give your child a language screener test to determine if they qualify for ESL/ML support services. If your child qualified, a notification letter was sent home.
Summit K12
Our ML students are using Summit K12, an online program designed to advance reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills through interactive lessons, practice activities, and state-standard assessments.
Free Family Accounts: Families receive 4 free accounts for any family members who want to build or practice their English skills!
How to Access Your Family Account:
Log in to the student portal on the student launchpad and open Summit K12.
Click the "My Account" dropdown menu inside the student portal.
Select "Family Access".
Note the User ID and Password provided for your family account.
Head to lms.summitk12.com and log in with those credentials.
If you have any questions, please reach out to your child's ML teacher!
Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month
From September 15 to October 15, we are celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month! This is a special time to honor the history, culture, music, food, and traditions of people whose families come from Spanish-speaking countries, and to celebrate their many contributions to our community and country.
8th grade: Join the 8th grade, parent run Facebook page. Planning ahead, our next Fun Friday is scheduled for this Friday, Sept. 18th and on Sept. 30th we will be representing class colors at the Fun Run.
What I Need- WIN has begun 5 days a week. Students are grouped with similar academic skills during this time in order to further their learning and support any gaps.
NEWS FROM OUR NURSES: We are starting vision and hearing screening with our lower school students next week. First up is our new kindergarten class. Please ensure your child wears their glasses to school (if they need them). We will be sending home referrals for any child who has trouble seeing or hearing. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns.
If your child requires any medications at school, such as EpiPens or inhalers, please drop off the medication and necessary forms in the health office. The Health Office requires an order from the student’s provider and parental consent for medication administration. The medication must be in its original bottle/box with a pharmacy label. Please contact the Health Office if you did not receive an allergy/asthma packet.
If your child will be participating in any sports this year, they will need a current physical in order to play. Our fax number is 978-274-1944 if you would like the doctor to fax it to our office.
ATHLETICS
CROSS COUNTRY NEWS: It’s that wonderful time of the year again, for Cross Country!! We are excited to announce that grades 5-8 are welcome to participate this year! Coach Molina is excited for an amazing season!
Submissions of required forms have changed this year so please follow this link to complete all paperwork necessary to participate.
Signs ups for tryouts are found here: XC Sign Up Link
Try-out dates are as follows:
- Grades 5 & 6 are right after school on Tuesday 9/22 from 3:30-4:30. We will meet at the hightops for sign-in before going outside. As always, Students trying out should bring water, appropriate sneakers and athletic clothing and a ride ready to pick them up promptly at 4:30. There is no after school busing for these students.
- Grade 7 & 8 are right after school on Wednesday 9/23 from 3:30-4:30. We will meet at the hightops for sign-in before going outside. As always, Students trying out should bring water, appropriate sneakers, athletic clothing and a ride ready to pick them up promptly at 4:30. There is no after school busing for these students.
- Monday 9/28 We will have our first district-wide meet at Winnekinni Park in Haverhill with grades 5-8. The meet will start as close to 3:30pm as we can get it. Please keep in mind about traffic; so start times may be closer to 3:45pm as we share transportation with the other Haverhill schools. Please stay tuned for additional information regarding transportation for the meet, as well as other TBD meets as the season progresses via FinalForms.
CLUB NEWS:
MUN: Informational meeting for interested students in Grades 6-8 on Wednesday 9/24 from 2:45- 3:15 in room 112 with Ms. Kenneally.
Drama Club: There will be a drama club meeting on Monday, September 21, from 2:45 to 4:00. We will go over auditions. Auditions for 9 to 5 Jr. will take place on October 5 & 6, from 2:45 to 5:00. Students will not be required to stay the whole time on October 5th.
Mentor/Mentee: Applications will be posted in the Google health classrooms beginning of October for grade 7 & 8 students interested in being a mentor. This is NOT an after school program. It takes place during the school day. Grade 7 & 8 mentors will be selected (with input from staff) and will be assigned a student (mentee) from K - 4. Teachers in the lower grades give recommendations/referrals for students they have who they feel would benefit from a mentor. You will be notified if your child is referred to have a mentor. Program will begin end of October.
Band: 5th Grade Beginning Band signup forms are due back next Tuesday, September 22nd. Extra copies are available in the music rooms!
Chorus: Permission slips for chorus are due on Friday September 25th. Please reach out to Ms. Avalos with any questions or concerns. We are continuing with the schedule of Upper School (5-8th grade) Monday and Wednesday and Lower School (3rd-4th) Tuesday and Thursday.
Tri-M: Stop by the Tri-M Bake Sale at the Hunking Block Party! We will be selling water and baked goods to support the Tri-M students. Please help support these young musicians!
Bible Study Club: Our first meeting is Thursday, Oct. 1. We meet once a week on THURSDAYS.
Technology Resources:
HPS offers the opportunity to protect school-issued devices for the school year by paying a Device Waiver Fee. As outlined in the HPS Student Technology Device Policy, this $20 fee will help to cover the costs of potential damage, repair, or loss for the school year for the assigned device. Please note: issues of theft should still be reported to the police. The $20 covers 1 student for 1 school year. So families with more than one student will have to sign each student up separately. Some of the replacement costs are as follows:
Charger - $39
LCD Screen - $80
Top/Bottom Cover - $30-$35
Keyboard $70
Trackpad $15
Device Replacement Costs (when Chromebook is unrepairable) $199
You can find more information on our website:
https://www.haverhill-ps.org/technology/device-waiver-fee/
Technology Webpage: How to Access Parent Portal (PDF), Google Classroom, Parent controls (Qustodio), and basic iPad and Chromebook usage tips. https://www.haverhill-ps.org/technology
ODDS & ENDS:
-Please make sure that your student(s) are coming to school daily with a fully charged Chromebook.
-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