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IMPORTANT NEWS FROM OUR DISTRICT: Hello J.G. Whittier Families, please see below a letter from our Superintendent sent to all families yesterday in regard to the educational plan for all students starting on 11/30 through 12/11. I have attached an image of the calendar just below the letter.

November 24, 2020

Dear Families and Staff,

I am writing to inform you that last night the Haverhill School Committee voted in favor of a brief pause in our learning model following the Thanksgiving holiday. The Hybrid Learning Model will continue for the remainder of this week.  The Committee determined that the best way to keep our schools open for in-person learning long-term was to pivot to remote learning in the short-term.  This was done as a proactive measure, recognizing that some people will gather for the holidays despite the many public health warnings to celebrate with immediate family only. Given the current rate of virus transmission, these gatherings will cause virus spread, and the week following the holiday will be a high-risk time for transmission. 

The change in learning models will start the Monday following Thanksgiving.  Beginning next Monday, 11/30/20, the school district will move to all remote learning and will stay remote until Friday, 12/4/20. On Monday, 12/7/20 our Cohort C students (high needs students who attend 4 days per week) will return to in-person learning per their existing schedule; all other students will remain in remote learning for that week. Assuming no significant changes in virus spread or statewide mandates, all students will return to their existing hybrid schedule on Monday, 12/14/20 (see attached calendar). Please stay tuned to the 12/10/20 School Committee Meeting for any updates.

The school committee and administration are very aware that this decision impacts student learning and that for some families, remote learning causes significant issues with childcare. The decision was not taken lightly. The district has assembled a Joint Corona Virus Response Team (JCVRT) comprised of a variety of stakeholders, including teaching staff, family members, school nursing staff, community medical professionals, and school committee representation. Each week the JCVRT reviews state and local data. In recent weeks we have seen a significant change in the spread of the virus in our community and a slow rise incidence of infected people in our schools, which together have caused a rapid increase in the quarantining of both staff and students. The group determined that due to the increasing numbers of staff in quarantine (currently 54) we are nearing a point where we may not have sufficient staffing in some areas to operate in person safely. Last week the JCVRT determined that a meeting with School Committee was needed to review the changing data, particularly in light of the gathering warnings surrounding the upcoming Thanksgiving Holiday.

Last night a School Committee meeting was held to review the data. The School Committee heard from medical professionals, teachers, and families and reviewed the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Guidance around shifting to more restrictive learning models. The Committee decided that a proactive, brief, and planned shift to remote learning may help to slow the spread and avoid a longer-term emergency shutdown.

The shift to remote learning includes after-school events and activities until 12/14/20, with the exception of the upcoming SAT administration at Haverhill High School, which will occur as planned, in a safe and socially distanced manner.

Families with childcare hardships should contact their school and staff for support in exploring community options such as the YMCA, YWCA, or the Boys and Girls Clubs.

On behalf of the School Committee and all of Haverhill Public Schools, I wish you all a Thanksgiving filled with peace, joy, and pie.

Stay Well,

Margaret Marotta EdD
Superintendent of Schools 

THE 2nd ANNUAL THANKSGIVING FEAST: On November 24th we were able to conduct our 2nd Annual Thanksgiving Feast. I am very pleased to announce that we were able to distribute and deliver 560 meals to our families!

We want to give a special thanks to Covanta and Ocasio’s Martial Arts Studio for their generous donations. A special thanks also goes to our PTO and all other family and community members who donated to such a great cause. We would finally like to thank Market Basket for preparing all 560 individually packaged meals for easy distribution and delivery!

This event was an amazing success! I cannot wait for our 3rd Annual Thanksgiving Feast!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING:

I would like to wish a very safe and happy Thanksgiving to all of our JGW students and families from all of the staff at J.G. Whittier! This year I am thankful to be a part of a school and community that has risen to all of the challenges that we have been faced with over these past several months.

Thank you to all of our students, families, and staff for your continued perseverance through these challenging times. Without your continued patience, dedication, and support these past few months would have been much more difficult. While we still have a challenging road in front of us, I am confident that we will continue to rise to the challenge and get through this together as one team. We are here to provide the best possible learning environment for each and every student, and the safety, well-being, and success of our students is our number one priority.

I hope that everyone takes the chance to take a break and spend time with family over this Thanksgiving break. Whatever your plans are, I hope that you all stay safe and well.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Mr. Betty

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MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL & MAIN OFFICE NEWS

• Wednesday, November 25^th is an early release day for all students. Classes will be concluded at 11:05am.
• Thanksgiving Recess is Thursday, November 26^th through Sunday, November 29^th.

J.G. Whittier Families, the holiday season is already upon us! It is hard to believe that we are already here. We have all faced many challenges and weathered the storm together as a community. I am thankful to be a part of this community, and I want to state that I am grateful for everyone’s cooperation, hard work, patience, and understanding as we have all consistently worked to make this a successful school year for our students.

I hope that everyone has the opportunity to relax and enjoy their Thanksgiving with families. No matter what your plans may be, I hope that you all remain safe and well. With that being said, it is important to start off with news from our nurse in regard to travel guidelines and how it can impact our school. I ask that you all carefully read and consider these guidelines. Thank you and once again, I hope that you all have a Happy Thanksgiving!!

-Mr. Betty

NEWS FROM OUR NURSES OFFICE (Nurse Cartwright):

With Thanksgiving approaching, we wanted to make everyone aware of the Massachusetts travel guidelines and restrictions. 

If you are planning to travel outside of Massachusetts to a state that is considered “high risk”, you must comply with the rule that you must quarantine for 14 days unless 

• You can produce proof of negative test result for COVID-19 from a test administered on a sample taken not longer than 72 hours before your arrival in Massachusetts
• You can produce proof of a negative test result for COVID-19 from a test administered on a sample taken upon return to Massachusetts
• You meet exemption criteria noted at the link below 

For more detailed information on travel guidelines, and what states are considered low or high risk, please visit https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-travel-order

After receiving your results, please get a copy to your school nurse. These guidelines apply to any travel, not just thanksgiving. If you have any questions, please contact Nurse Kelsey at 978-374-5782 or kelsey.cartwright@haverhill-ps.org

• ATTENDANCE POLICY AND EXPECTATIONS: Here is a reminder of our attendance policy. In this new model of schooling where students are learning from both school and home, attendance and participation in all classes is one of our major concerns. Here are some things to know and we would greatly appreciate it if you reviewed all of these expectations and policies with your students:

• If you are absent for 10% of the school year, you are considered to be “chronically” absent. That means that if you have missed 4 or more days to this point.
• We have begun reaching out via mail with attendance letters for students that we are currently concerned are missing too much time.
• It is the expectation that all students are either present physically or signed on remotely at 8:30am each day.
• It is the requirement that students attend all of their classes for the duration of the class time. Leaving a meet/class early is equivalent to walking out of class without permission.
• In addition to sending home letters, we will also be setting up attendance meetings with students and families to address concerns and lend support, and in some cases we will be conducting home visits to do this as well.
• The first step toward school success is attendance. You cannot be successful in school if you are not showing up. Please reach out to us so that we can set up a plan to best support you and your student(s).
• Please note that while it is good practice to make your student’s homeroom teacher aware of any absences or appointments, it is most important that you are contacting the main office of the school each and any time that your student is going to be absent. Also, please make sure to forward all doctor’s notes and other absent notes to our main office. Thank you!
  • Please click the link here to be connected to an updated district attendance policy: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AWglC4E6i12t0XcDfnpZJtOtt-xb8V_RBq4djELxd5g/edit?usp=sharing

• DISCOVERY CLUB: Discovery club has begun this week. For anyone interested in signing their child up, please click on the link below to fill out the online application.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Tiffany Midolo @ tmidolo@haverhill-ps.org

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSev8FD-Sg_Xgam6NeTkYot_Y-Zcu-yHa8aV0gVHs4YeTGWZhQ/viewform

OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS

• MOVEMBER: We have some Movember updates! Currently we have Ms. DeLong OFFICIALLY in the lead with a total of 122 votes.

2nd Place: Mr. Blaustein: with 40 votes

3rd Place: Mr. Marinella: with 34 votes

4th Place: Mr. Taylor:   with 26 votes

5th place: Mr. Lewis: 13 votes

6th place: Mr. LeGrand: 7 votes

7^th place: Mr. Betty, Mr. Gariepy, and Mr. Harris: 5 votes

8^th place: Mr. Demarais 3 votes

9^th place: Mr. Newell 1 vote

You still have time to vote for your favorite (Check out the updated picture collage below)!! Students don’t forget to vote on the daily check in page. Remember that the staff member who wins will be doing something extremely embarrassing for the students! Stay tuned for more updates next week.

SPIRIT WEEK: We just concluded a fantastic Spirit Week. Thank you to all of the students and staff who participated and showed your school pride. Please click the link below to be connected to a great video highlighting our school’s spirit!

NATIONAL JUNIOR HONOR SOCIETY (NJHS): NJHS has started a virtual fundraiser for meadow farms which will run from November 13th and last through December 1st.  It will be 100% online. Links were sent out last week. If you did not receive it, you can find the link below. This is a great place to get wrapping paper and all holiday goodies, while helping out JGW. If anyone has any questions please email lmackinnon@haverhill-ps.org

https://shop.meadowfarms.com/index.asp?PID=3022288

Support a Fundraiser for WHITTIER MS NJHS Please support WHITTIER MS NJHS shop.meadowfarms.com

MODEL UN NEWS: We have finished our first paragraphs and should be completing our second paragraph by our return from Thanksgiving break. Remember that the first paragraph is about your country and the second paragraph is about your committee’s topic. Our upcoming meetings on Google meet are Tuesday, 11/24 and Tuesday, 12/1 from 3:15-4:15pm.

JGW CHORUS CLUB: Chorus meets every Wednesday after school from 3:00pm to 3:45pm on Mr. Gariepy’s Google Classroom. If your child is interested in joining Chorus please email him at robert.gariepy@haverhill-ps.org so he can add them to the Google Classroom.

SCHOOL NEWS: School News will be resuming very soon!! If your child is interested in joining the School News Club please email Mr. Gariepy at robert.gariepy@haverhill-ps.org. This is a club that is a part of Discovery Club, which meets after school on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays until 4:45pm.

PTO UPDATES

Our next PTO meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, 12/9 from 6:00-7:30pm.

Please click the link to be connected to the most recent PTO news:  JGW PTO November 4, 2020 Meeting Minutes

COOKIE FUNDRAISER-We are in the final push! Make sure to get those orders in! This fundraiser will end this coming Tuesday Nov. 24th. All sales and payments will go through the website so no money or order sheets will come into the school. Quick & Easy! The cookies will be delivered in mid-December. See the flyers below for more information including all of the great prizes that students can win for selling 5, 10, 15 or 25 boxes: Please note that the Student Code is: S7KW7A

COMMUNITY RESOURCES

Please click on the link in order to be connected to some community resources which may prove helpful during this holiday season: https://www.haverhill-ps.org/haverhill-community-programs/

HYBRID MODEL

GRADE 5:

Mrs. Sanguedolce: In math we are multiplying multi-digit whole numbers. Having a solid understanding of addition and multiplication math facts is one of the keys to being successful with this math work. Logging into XtraMath once a week helps with this work as well. In social studies, we will finish Chapter 3 where we have been learning about life in the colonies. We will prepare for our first test. Our computer incentive is off to a great start! Students are earning stickers for coming to school with fully charged computers that do not need to be plugged in during the school day. Some students are also earning stickers for participation during lessons and meets. There will be prizes for every five stickers earned.

Ms. Delong: Science – We are finishing our study of plants and moving on to food webs! At dinner, ask your student where the food might have gotten energy from…is it a plant that is a producer and can make its own food? Or is it an animal that is a consumer, eating plants and other animals for energy? The entire 5th grade has done an amazing job in science so far this year and I really enjoy all of our discussions!
Science All-Stars: Gianna DeLucca (Yellow), Paige McAteer (Red), Dean Rask (Orange).

Yellow Social Studies – Our class has had many excellent conversations about Jamestown and the Powhatans. Now we focus on history near to us: the Pilgrims! We will be comparing how the Pilgrims interactions were as opposed to the colonists of Jamestown. How are they similar? How were they different? Also we will talk about why the Pilgrims came to North America. This would be a great topic for Thanksgiving!
Social Studies All-Star: Ryan Mazza

Mrs. LaCoste: It’s hard to believe that Thanksgiving is already next week!  Your students have been working hard in ELA!  We’ve discussed different types of characters in stories (dynamic vs. static and round vs. flat).  They’ve done a great job identifying qualities that make a character important. In writing we’re working to “zoom in” to parts in our stories to really show the reader what we’re writing about, rather than just telling them.  In grammar practice, students have been identifying verbs.  
     In social studies we’re learning about how our country was settled by Europeans and how some groups cooperated with the Native Americans while others had big conflicts.  The focus has been on both positive and negative influences that the European settlers had our developing country.  

     The orange group welcomed two students who transferred from the Remote Learning Academy.  We’re so glad to have a few new faces to see on Thursdays and Fridays.  It’s also worth mentioning the huge improvement that students have made in coming to school with their Chromebooks charged!  Thank you!  

Ms. Lees: Ms. Kelly and Ms. Lees are with Orange and Red groups reading “How to Steal a Dog”, responding to text questions, and discussing character traits. Willy has won Georgina’s and our hearts. We continue to support the writing of personal narratives. Those students who have been given LexiaCore5 log-in with instructions how to use should be working at least 45 minutes a week in the program. In Math – We will continue Topic 3 and increase fluency with multi digit multiplication. Please remember that Ms. Lees posts on Stream Pages and announces in our subject classroom meets when she and Ms. Kelly are in a google classroom to help with assignments and clarify lessons on remote Wednesdays. Please join! Before and after school time is available too. HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO EVERYONE

GRADE 6:

Mrs. Hamel: Social Studies: Our grade 6 Historians have been reading and discussing Southwest Asia’s Religious groups as well as their Ethnic groups. As a class, we have been looking closely at how ethnicity and religion can play a big role on how people live their lives and how those lives compare to others. Students have been discussing their own religious and ethnic traditions with awesome open-minded curiosity of others. It has been an enlightening week!!!

Science:

Looking closely at the physical properties of substances, our grade 6 scientists have been concentrating on density and the formula of how to solve for density. We even read a great story of Archimedes and how water displacement was invented! Ask your students to show you how to find the volume of an irregular shaped object… just get ready to fill up the tub and clean up the mess!!! I’m so impressed at these young scientists and all that they have accomplished in three months’ time!!!

Mr. Taylor: Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy the holiday and stay safe!

Ms. Sargent: In math, grade 6 will be working on GCF and LCM.  We have gone over prime and composite numbers as well.  

There will not be any math packets for this coming week due to Thanksgiving Break.  I hope you all enjoy your holiday.

Mrs. Guisti: Grade six students that see Mrs. Guisti and Mrs. Cronin have been working on word attack skills (decoding) of vocabulary from the novel Ghost while identifying definitions, parts of speech, synonyms and antonyms.  Please remember that your students should be doing 45 minutes of reading iReady and can then also work on other reading programs such as Lexia.  In math, we continue to work on weekly computation packets to increase computation skills with the weekly math fact.  We have learned how to find the GCF of two numbers. Notes are posted on Ms. Sargent’s google classroom.  Don’t forget about the 45 minutes of math iReady also. Thank you grade six!

GRADE 7:

Mrs. Berthiaume: I hope everyone is getting excited for a little time off during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend! Students deserve it because they’ve been working so hard!  In Social Studies, students created diyas (festive lamps) on Google Drawing to celebrate the Indian holiday Diwali.  In ELA, we are still working on “All Summer in a Day” and learning a little bit about the planet Venus where the story takes place.

Mrs. Trombly: Mrs. Trombly’s math classes are currently going into Topic Three.  Please make sure that your child has a large notebook for math notes available daily.  We will be working on precents, expressions and equations throughout the next few weeks.  Science classes are continuing their work on ecosystems.  

Mr. Yanoff: Welcome to the world of math as seen through the eyes of the red and yellow groups.  We are in the process of using our knowledge of the first two chapters to turn simple math into word problems and reflect how they work in the real world. We are placing emphasis on MCAS.  Students are discovering that there is little, if anything, you can do without math. The classes are testing their knowledge to see what we need to review by Thanksgiving.  Stay safe, be smart!

Mrs. MacKinnon: Hello 7th grade families, this is going to be a short week.  

Math: we will be working on topic 1.7 dividing rational numbers.  Make sure your child remembers keep change flip.

Science: we will be finishing up relationships in ecosystems.  The kids will have a test on Monday and they will be doing a competition activity on Tuesday.  Wednesday will be a half day but I hope I can meet with each group to wish them a happy turkey day as well as all of you.  Thank you again for all your help and Happy Thanksgiving to you!

Ms. DiGloria: Week 11, folks – the shortest week of the year! For our shortened week, students in Green and Blue ELA will be generating some predictions about our upcoming story – A Christmas Carol: Scrooge and Marley. They will create their own storyboards to represent what they think will happen based off some pictures and a short summary. In Social Studies, students will be finishing up their magazine projects on East Asia that we started in Week 10. Wednesday will be a half day and students will have a chance to wrap up these projects and do some make-up work, if they have any. I hope everyone has a safe, happy, and healthy holiday! 

Ms. Bilmazes: My google classroom link for additional help on Wednesdays is posted. Look for “Ms. Bilmazes Academic Support”, Please log on at 11:30. Students have been working diligently to complete missing work. Please continue to do so.  Students in the yellow group have been learning about similes and metaphors, while the Green and Blue groups are working on pre-reading activities for The Christmas Carol. Students will continue to receive support in the classroom from myself and/or Ms. Credit.  Have a wonderful weekend and a Happy Thanksgiving.

GRADE 8:

Mr. Lewis: English class continues to study poetry. We have looked at poems by Robert Frost, Tupac, and Langston Hughes. As we read, we are learning about the Iceberg Theory, which states poets do not state things directly, but simply suggests them. By applying this reading strategy, students are trying to actively identify and explain metaphor and hopefully gaining meaning from what they read.

Civics class has a test this week on Chapter 1 (Lessons 1-4). The main topics being tested are: what it means to be an American, how one becomes a citizen and how they lose citizenship, what our civic responsibilities are, and the basic forms of government.

Ms. Deblasis:

Math: In math, we will be beginning our new concept on Properties of Exponents. 

Science: In science, the students will be working on a new unit on Weather Patterns. 

Mr. Blaustein: Blue and Green ELA

We are winding up our plot analysis of Flowers for Algernon. We will spend the remainder of our time before Thanksgiving completing our Study Guides and taking our final Test.

Blue and Green Civics

We are in the process of completing our Lesson 3 Duties and Responsibilities of American Citizens Guided Reading. I expect us to take the quiz on this section before break. We will begin the final lesson in Chapter One Lesson 4 Forms of Government next.

Ms. Sullivan:

Math: In math, we will be beginning our new concept on Properties of Exponents. 

Science: In science, the students will be working on a new unit on Weather Patterns. 

Ms. Senior: Grade 8 students are doing plot analysis and examining poetry in the ELA classes.  In Math, the distributive property is being applied to numbers with exponents, using all four operations.  

SPECIALISTS:

Physical Education: (Mr. Demarais): Our in-school classes will continue to work on our floor hockey unit while also playing field games like capture the flag.  Remote classes should continue to do the workouts I have been posting, as well as getting outside and logging mileage for their workout calendars.  

7 and 8 purple and orange RLA groups should be checking in with me on our google classroom using either the post box, or the turned in button in the grade section so I know that you have been getting my assignments.

With the weather turning colder in- school classes need to bring hats and gloves for class.  We will be heading outside unless it is raining/snowing, or extremely cold.  

Art (Ms. Boulger): In Person/ Hybrid ART classes 5,6,7,8 

All art classes are meeting synchronously (both online and in person) therefore if your child is at home please encourage and remind them to attend Google Meets as well as have art materials ready. We hold synchronous classes during their scheduled art classes on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. On Wednesdays they will have a-synchronous lessons to work on. 

RLA Art classes 7/8 Orange, 7/8 Purple 

Hello, this is the second week of being assigned the RLA Art classes for 7^th and 8^thgrade orange and purple groups. I will be providing a-synchronous lessons weekly. If your child does not have a google classroom for art feel free to contact me at emily.boulger@haverhill-ps.org

Health (Mrs. Reynolds): We will be reviewing concepts during this short week with games and activities.  Students will be informed of missing work and grades in Health so far this term.

Music (Mr. Gariepy): Hello Whittier Middle School!!! I hope everyone has had a safe and healthy return to the school year so far. We’ve been working very hard in music class this trimester and we’ve been having a great time!! Stay informed on what we do in class by visiting www.whittiermiddlemusic.webs.com where I post a weekly update on what we do in class.

REMOTE LEARNING ACADEMY

GRADE 5:

Ms. MacDonald: Although this is a short week, we will be wrapping up our “Matter and Energy in Plants” topic in science. Students should finish strong with their scientific writing this week before break. 

In social studies, we will also be wrapping up Chapter 2! Students should be able to tell you how European exploration influenced the Americas! A great topic for the Thanksgiving dinner table! Please enjoy a safe and relaxing holiday. 

Ms. Duquette: Students will be having an end of novel test on Monday.  Please be sure that all students are logged into their meets on time in order to be ready to take the test.  We spent some time today playing games to review the material for the test.  Students also completed their book review assignments today.  We will not be starting new material next week.  However, we will be working on some classroom community building activities and will also do an informational reading about Thanksgiving.  I hope you all have a wonderful, safe holiday!

Ms. Spadaro: This week, students completed Topic 4. They modeled and multiplied decimals by whole numbers and by decimals. Next week, they will review Topic 4 and complete the Topic 4 Assessment. Please remind your child to complete work when it is assigned. All missing work from Topic 4 should be completed prior to the assessment on Tuesday. 

GRADE 6:

Ms. Consolazio: In social studies class, the students are continuing with chapter 2 lesson 2.  They are learning all about maps and geographer’s tools.  This chapter has a lot of vocabulary words.   Next week, the students will play a Quizlet live game to review vocabulary words.  

In science class, we are learning about density and physical properties.   Reminder, if there is incomplete classwork there is still time to make up the work.   

Mrs. Simes: In math, we continue to work within Topic 2, Integers and Rational Numbers.  Students are really enjoying the element of absolute value and will begin looking at representing rational numbers and polygons on the coordinate plane.  In science, students continue with Unit 3, Density and Other Physical Properties, as we investigate the question of “What are some ways in which you can describe different materials?”  Students were able to perform the “Penny Boat Lab” learning about density and Archimedes’ principle.  Students continue to work on our writing skills for C-E-R writing, this past week, students worked on “E” with their prior 5 prompts for “C.”  I continue to ask, that you remind your student to continue to look in their math and science Google Classrooms daily at their interactive whiteboard for the day’s expectations, along with their schedule. After school help will be Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 2:45 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.  As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me at michele.simes@haverhill-ps.org.  Have a great weekend.

Ms. Riley: The students are working on the next unit in ELA class that is titled: “Monitoring Comprehension of Difficult Texts.” With a short week ahead, we will work on strategies to help students when they encounter challenging texts.  We will continue to work on the author’s craft as well, which includes analyzing illustrations and style of writing. Have a restful break. 

GRADE 7:

Ms. Marciano: ELA: We have started our nonfiction mini unit. Students have learned about the different text features and text structures. Students will be reading various nonfiction articles and citing text evidence.

Science: We are continuing with Unit 3: Relationships in Ecosystems. We have been discussing symbiotic relationships and how those relationships can benefit certain species. Students will be choosing two organisms and writing a short informational piece on what type of symbiotic relationship the organisms have: mutualism, commensalism, or parasitism.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving break!

Mr. LeGrand: Math :  Last week, we studied whether quantities are proportional by testing for equivalent ratios; this week we will focus on using the constant of proportionality to write equations that represent proportional relationships and use equations to solve problems involving proportional relationships.  Please remind your student to spend a minimum of 45 minutes per week working on i-Ready.   

Social Studies:  This week, we will spend some time reviewing chapter 2; Central Asia, the Caucasus and Siberian Russia and take the chapter test. Students need to study and review their notes in preparation for this test. 

GRADE 8:

Mr. Harris: Math – We are beginning linear equations.  This is a major unit of study for grade 8 and a foundational topic for much of the math these students will study in their high school careers.

Science – We have started the Role of Water on Climate.  Students will look at how water effects everything from the Earth itself, to plants and animals, to the weather.

Please make sure your student is completeing their assignments and attending classes.  Nothing is more important than being present, taking notes, and staying on top of their school work.  Many students are struggling right now with the freedom that online learning provides, and are falling behind.  A quick check-in each day with your student on what they learned, and having him/her show you the google classrooms can go a long way toward success.

Mr. Marinella: Hello everyone!! It seems like are getting the hang of this and finding a groove in the RLA!! I think we are getting more comfortable with remote learning and are making great progress!! A few quick reminders: make sure you are signing in to google meets on time (starting with HR and ending with success block), attendance matters. Remember the rules during google meets and be respectful of others. The expectations are much higher now, work is being accepted and graded, so make sure you get everything in on time and complete!! If you are ever curious about your grade, check school brains! This will tell you everything you neeed to know! And a message to students; No more submitting empty assignments! Do the work! Also, next week is a short week with class on Monday and Tuesday, as usual, and half-day on Wednesday to get us ready for Thanksgiving! 

ELA– We are still in our first novel, Johnny Tremaine, about a boy living in Boston during the American Revolution! Ask your students what we have learned about Johnny so far, and how they’d like living during that time. Johnny is undergoing some serous changes in personality and maturity. Ask your students how Johnny is growing and changing! The focus now is understanding why something was written, what is the central idea and how is the author using detail to support those ideas. I encourage all students to have a book or topic of what they like to read for down time, reading makes the brain stronger so more reading=more brain power!! 

History-

Civics is finishing the American Revolution! We finished learning all there was to learn about the causes of the Revolution, and now were looking at the creation of our government, starting with the Declaration! What is it? Who wrote it? Why did we need? Are all questions we will be answering. Then we will be moving on to the Constitution and building of American government! History is also doing our first presentationsnext week. Students have been working on research and creating google slides all week, and we just started making our speaking notes. Have your students practice at home before coming in on monday! Have them show you what they have been working hard on all week! 

Superstars– 

A superstar is a student who is always trying, never getting discouraged, working hard, taking risks, helping others, setting great examples, or exhibiting another amazing characteristic important to learning or general success! This week’s superstars are Rayan Kasbi and ​Cam Stevens of Orange, and Devin Cloyd ​and Almarys Lebron from purple!! Every student demonstrates superstar qualities, but these were the brightest shiners this week!

Ms. Blanchette: The remote learning middle school students here at JGW are hard at work learning grade level curriculum. As a reminder I have extra help every day from 11:20-11:50 for my students in grade 5-8. Please look at my google classroom to find information on extra help and small group times. Reach out to me with any questions or concerns. I look forward to another great week in the Remote Learning Academy. 

SCHOOL SUPPORT STAFF

Guidance (Mrs. Vlahos): As I reflect on what I am thankful for this Thanksgiving season, I am reminded of how grateful I am of all the amazing JG Whittier students and families.  Thank you for showing up like you do and inspiring me every day. 

Important 8th Grade Information:

–  All 8th graders are encouraged to join (if they haven’t already)  my  google classroom with the class code: 3zh5izw to stay up to date on high school information.   

-Haverhill High School will be holding a virtual Open House and the date will be announced shortly.  

-Whittier Tech – Virtual Open house can be accessed at www.whittiertech.org/openhouse2020.. Interested students can apply to Whittier Tech online (www.whittiertech.org) now through April 1, 2021.

-Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical School- Virtual Open House scheduled for November 21st, starting at 9am. It can be accessed at www.essexnorthshore.org.  Interested students can apply to Essex Tech online (www.essexnorthshore.org) now until the deadline of January 8, 2021.  

If your child is planning on applying to private high schools, please email me at jvlahos@haverhill-ps.org  directly as soon as possible.  The deadlines are quickly approaching.   Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions 

Student Adjustment Counselor (Mrs. Midolo): Next weeks topic will focus on “Differences between Good Friends and Toxic Friends”. Please be sure to have your child check Mrs. Midolo’s google Classroom Page and Look for assignments and updates on Social Groups, which are held on Wednesdays. Please make sure that your child attends in order to receive the proper credit.  Have a great weekend.

Student Support Coordinator (Mr. Newell): I am available for help with chrome books, attendance concerns and everything in general. Please contact me at jonathan.newell@haverhill-ps.org

Middle School Support Program (Mrs. Leydon & Mr. Diffin): It was great to see more faces in our social groups this week! Unfortunately, a few of our MSSP friends still have not joined our groups. Please continue to check your MSSP grade level Google Classroom for more information and on times. Reach out with any questions. 

Parent Liaison (Ms. Arias-Reyes): Cuando tenga una pregunta o preocupación, estaré encantada de ayudarle. Nunca dude en contactarme al 781-666-4085 o por correo  electrónico maria.ariasreyes@haverhill-ps.org

Student Support Center (Mrs. Greenwood): With Thanksgiving coming up next week, We in the SSC want to remember all the things in our lives that we can give thanks for, especially in the midst of these difficult times. We encourage all students,families, and staff members to share their words of gratitude with friends and family and neighbors. Students that get an A for effort this week are Joey Miller, Fiona Dacey, Zack Gaffney, Savannah Trongeau, and Gabe Durand.

Reading Coach/Interventionist (Mrs. Guthrie): This week I have been working in classrooms, getting to know the students and teachers. I am really enjoying the staff and students here! I am also offering some online extra help sessions for the students in the classes I work with. They will be after school Monday-Thursday from 2:30-3:00. If you child needs any extra help, they can email me at Heather.Guthrie@haverhill-ps.org.  Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions. Have a great weekend.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1efloZtW55AUkIoYCmQabyl1Rvqob7PDj/view?usp=sharing