Hello JG Whittier Families,
I hope that this finds you all having been able to “disconnect” from our remote learning for a little while during April Vacation. With that, I also hope you were able to get some fresh air and enjoy some rest and relaxation! Finally I hope that you are all remaining safe and well out there, and helping your students abide by the social distancing standards so that they too are safe and sound for the foreseeable future.
Speaking of the foreseeable future, I am sure you all received the same news that we received this week, that unfortunately our schools will remain closed for the rest of this school year. Based on this I am sure that most of you and your students will have several questions from retrieving belongings from lockers, to yearbook distribution, and 8th grade promotion, to name just a few. What I can promise all of you, is that when we have worked out plans and determined the safest and most appropriate way to handle all of these situations, I will be sure to share that information with you all.
In the meantime, on Monday 4/27 we will all be starting our third week of remote learning together. Now that we are sure that students will not be returning to school for the remainder of the year, it makes it even more pertinent that students begin engaging daily in their remote learning opportunities, and handing in assignments to all of their teachers.
Students will continue to be graded on a credit/no credit basis by their teachers. If you have specific questions about any assignments, or how to access those assignments, please reach out to the specific teachers with your questions. I am extremely proud to be working with such a great group of teachers that we have at the JGW, because I have witnessed all of the hard-work that they have been putting in to make sure that ALL students are able to have opportunities to succeed. They are also working hard to make sure that ALL students have a personal connection to at least one staff member in the building on close to a daily basis.
We continue to experience all of this together as a community, and will learn and grow together as a community. I am grateful for all of the words of encouragement and appreciation that you have all shown, and even more so the patience that you all continue to exhibit as we maneuver these unprecedented times together to provide the continued and best possible education for your students!
Please continue to refer to the previously distributed daily grade level schedules as a guide, but remember, the most important thing is that the school assignments are being completed at a time that is most convenient for you as a family. As you have all heard me state in person in the past, safety and security is our number one priority, and now it seems more prevalent than ever and will continue to be the focus.
Next week (5/4-5/8), I will get back to our weekly updates to include teacher/staff information.
Thank you, and stay well!
Tim Betty
Here is a reminder of some resources that could be useful to your family or others that you know:
For Technology: Basic login support for students and parents should always start with the classroom teacher. Then if there is something the teacher can not assist with please visit this webpage: https://sites.google.com/haverhill-ps.org/athome/ At the bottom of the webpage there are instructions on how students and parents can submit tickets for support. All you have to do is go to the Student Support Ticket system by visiting the HPS LaunchPad > ClassLink > HPS Tech Support and you can submit a ticket for support.
For Community Resources: The city has a 311 number https://www.cityofhaverhill.com/news_detail_T30_R35.php that can help families connect with services.
There is also information updated on the HPS website under community resources. https://www.haverhill-ps.org/haverhill-community-programs/. This includes food pantry and other resources as well as weekly updates on available therapeutic resources in the community including wait lists.