MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL & MAIN OFFICE NEWS
RETURN TO SCHOOL: We look forward to welcoming our full hybrid model back starting on Monday, January 25th. Please see the plan and reminder of expectations below…
The return to school plan is as follows for JGW students:
- Monday, January 25, 2021 – All Cohorts will be welcomed back to in-person learning on their scheduled days (Cohort A on Monday’s & Tuesdays and Cohort B on Thursday’s & Fridays with Cohort C students attending 4 days per week)
- Remote Learning Academy will continue as scheduled
We are committed to the success of all of our students at JGW, and we have appreciated the continued support of our families and community. When we are working together toward the same goal of your student’s success, we are all at our best! With that being said, I would like to remind everyone of some general guidelines and expectations for students to follow while at school and when they are at home on remote learning days (whether in the RLA or on their off cohort days):
**The number one rule is for all students to treat their remote learning days as they would a regular in-person school day, and behavior should reflect that.
-Students should sign into homeroom and all classes on time. There are consequences for being late to school and class, so it should be no different during remote learning.
-Students should be dressed appropriately. We appreciate students being fully dressed and not wearing pajamas, hats, hoods, etc.
-Students should have an appropriate remote work space. It is encouraged that students are sitting at a table or desk (if possible). Please do not be laying down in bed or on the couch, or under blankets during class time. We want to promote proper work habits, and this would not be allowed at school or a place of business, so we appreciate it not occurring during class time.
-Students are expected to remain signed into their classroom for the duration of their lesson. Leaving a google meet during a lesson is the same as walking out of class without permission. Please do not do this.
-The use of the “chat” on google meets is for students to participate in the class, ask and answer questions, etc. This is not a tool to socialize with classmates. We expect that students be respectful and only utilize the chat for appropriate classroom purposes.
-While cameras are encouraged to remain on during class, it is not a requirement. If a camera is not on during class, it is expected that students respond verbally or through the chat when called upon by their teacher. If students do not have a camera on and are unresponsive, they will be considered absent from that class.
-We ask that parents not participate in your student’s classes. We would not allow you into a classroom at J.G. Whittier without prior approval and arrangements, so we ask that you not participate with your student remotely. If you have a concern about something your student reports to you or you overhear during a remote class, we ask that you contact the teacher via email to address the situation.
In-Person Learning (Hybrid):
When students are in person at J.G. Whittier I would like to remind everyone to follow all expectations and safety procedures to include but not limited to:
-Coming to school each day with your school issued chromebook fully charged.
-Making sure that you are appropriately wearing your face mask over your mouth AND nose.
-Continue to maintain appropriate physical distancing of at least 6 feet from all other individuals.
-Utilize proper hand hygiene, washing your hands upon entering class and before leaving class.
-Sit at only your assigned desk in both the classroom and during lunch.
-Hats and hoods are not permitted in school this year.
-Please dress warm (in layers) because students will go outside for mask breaks and windows will be open in classrooms.
Following these as well as other expectations will allow us as a school to safely and successfully operate. We appreciate all of your continued support to ensure that your students are following these expectations so that we as a staff can focus on providing them with their education.
NEWS FROM OUR NURSES OFFICE (Nurse Cartwright):
We have begun pool testing for all students and staff. Pool testing is a covid-19 testing method that allows for widespread testing by increasing the number of tests that can be run at the same time. A large number of samples are combined in the same test tube and sent to the lab together instead of individual samples being sent one at a time. This dramatically decreases the cost per test while maintaining reliability of the test.
Pool testing will be offered each week, and moving forward will be offered for students while in school. Students will only be tested if they feel comfortable and if parents/guardians have filled out consent.
If a pool of test results comes back positive, families will be notified and rapid covid testing will be offered for all students in the pool.
Attached are the links for consents. The first consent is for pool testing and the second consent is for the rapid testing if a pool is positive. Students will be sent home with physical copies next week as well.
Consent Form 1 -Pool Testing – ALL students and adults – final.docx
Consent Form 2 – Positive Pool Individual Re-Test – ALL students and adults.docx
Please feel free to reach out to Nurse Kelsey if you have any questions at 978-374-5782 or kelsey.cartwright@haverhill-ps.org
JGW UPDATE LETTER SENT OUT 1/21/2021:
Dear parents, caregivers, and guardians,
Today we were informed that a person who was in attendance on Wednesday, 1/20/2021 and was without symptoms in our school community has tested positive for COVID-19. Our first responsibility is to keep our students and staff safe. We have continued to plan for this scenario during our reopening planning process and have a comprehensive plan in place to sanitize the school, inform any parties who were at risk of exposure or in close contact, and support the affected family as they navigate this stressful experience.
Our student body and staff have continued to closely adhere to the safety protocols including mask wearing, hand washing, and physical distancing. Even though our staff has been vigilant we have identified a few close contacts. We are grateful to our families for their continued efforts to keep lines of communication open and students home at the first sign of symptoms. These measures, taken in combination, greatly reduce the risk of additional transmission.
Though we cannot provide specific information about our school community member who tested positive, your child was not a close contact (defined as being within 6 feet of the person for at least 15 minutes) of the affected school member. Please continue to monitor your child for symptoms, and keep your child home if he/she/they shows any symptoms or is not feeling well.
Individuals who were in close contact with the community member were notified privately. All close contacts should be tested but must self-quarantine for 14 days after the last exposure to the person who tested positive, regardless of test result. We are also following all Department of Health protocols, including collaborating with our local board of health to complete contact tracing. Additionally, we are asking those parents whose students are tested for COVID-19 to please report the results to the school nurse. We are working hard to understand the impact of the virus on our school community and this information is a critical piece of that puzzle.
To further prevent transmission of the virus to other staff and students, we are sanitizing the school with a focus on those areas frequented by the community member that tested positive. We will continue to be vigilant in adhering to all of the protocols that have been put in place in an effort to continue our plan for in person learning. We are also providing remote learning for all students required to quarantine at home to continue to provide instruction, structure, and an emotional connection to the classroom during a time that we know will be challenging for those children and families involved. This process is designed to keep everyone in our community safe, as opposed to assuming that they have contracted the virus.
I wanted to let you know that I have been identified as one of the close contacts. I will be physically out of the building through Wednesday, 2/3/21. During this time, I will be fully accessible via phone and email, and in regular communication with school staff.
Our Assistant Principal, Cathy Koch, will be the building-based administrator while I am quarantining. Please feel free to reach out to Mrs. Koch or me at any time. We have also identified a few other office personnel as close contacts as well. We will have staff supporting us from within the building and around the district to ensure the ongoing safety and operation of the school.
I am confident that J.G. Whittier will continue to operate safely and normally during the absence of the few of us. I would just ask that our families please be patient and supportive of the office staff who will be filling in temporarily as they work to assist you with any of your needs.
For more information on COVID-19 symptoms and testing, visit: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/about-covid-19-testing#where-can-get-a-test?-.
You can also find a map of testing sites at https://memamaps.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=eba3f0395451430b9f631cb095febf13. Please contact us immediately should you or someone in your home begin to show symptoms.
We are committed to continuous communication with and support of our families. If you have any additional questions or concerns, please contact Director of Nursing Services, Katie Vozeolas at (kvozeolas@haverhill-ps.org or 978-478-8579). If there is additional transmission as a result of this case or a separate case, we will send out another message immediately. Thank you for your continued support.
I am also only an email or phone call away (tbetty@haverhill-ps.org)
Sincerely,
Tim Betty
Principal
J.G. Whittier Middle School
FAMILY ENGAGEMENT SURVEY: It is not too late to fill out our Family Survey if you have not already done so (see the link below)..
We would be greatly appreciative if you took a couple of minutes to fill out this brief survey which is attached to share your thoughts, and have your voice heard with both concerns and ideas for our school moving forward.
We continue to be in this together, and want to support all of our students in the best way possible. Hearing from you is an integral piece of this puzzle. We thank you in advance for taking the time to complete this survey.
School Pictures: Please remember that school pictures can be picked up in the office any day from 8:30 – 3:30?
ATTENDANCE:
POSSIBLE STRATEGIES FOR GOOD ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION
Please review the list and choose strategies that fit your daily schedule.
- I will make attending and participating in school every day a priority.
- I will post my class schedule of classes and log-in information in a visible location near my desk or on the refrigerator.
- I will set alarms / alerts to remind myself to wake up on time and participate in classes.
- I will try to find a quiet place at home where I can participate in class and complete my school work. If I cannot, I will ask my school or community organization if they have a safe place where I can study and log into class.
- I will keep track of my attendance and absences.
- I will find a relative, friend or neighbor who can help me resolve a problem keeping me from attending or participating in school.
- If I am absent, I will contact my teachers to find out what I missed.
- I will keep healthy by wearing a mask, as needed, and getting a flu shot.
- I will set up non-sick medical and dental appointments for weekdays after school. If I must make a non-urgent medical appointment during the school day, I will try to attend school for the majority of the day.
- When I am struggling with a challenge that is keeping me from attending or participating in school I will confide in an adult at school and seek help.
- 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
- Wi-Fi Issues: If you are having WiFi issues at home and your student cannot log onto a Google Meet at the moment, please email the teacher or call the school so an office staff member can pass the info onto the teacher. Teachers take attendance every period and when a student does not show up for class, they don’t necessarily know that the student is having a tech issue.
PTO UPDATES
Our next PTO meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, 2/10 from 6:00-7:30pm via Zoom. We are always looking to welcome new members!
CLUB NEWS:
NATIONAL JUNIOR HONOR SOCIETY (NJHS): NJHS is going to begin a blanket drive for the animals. If anyone has any gently used blankets, towels, or sheets NJHS will have a collection box out in front of the school and people can drop off. We will be running this through the month of February. Thank you
NJHS is also going to have a fundraiser coming out shortly for the spring holiday. We are also looking into the possibility of having pennies for patients this year. Stay tuned.
MODEL UN NEWS: Congratulations to Whittier for claiming the Best Delegation (School) award at this past Wednesday’s Hillie Model UN Conference! It truly was a team effort with over half of the team winning individual awards. Our members were all very active in writing the resolutions for their committees and spoke so eloquently about their assigned topics. The following students won individual awards: Honorable Delegates – Donovan Carroll, Delia Evans, Ryan Hatch, Jude Oosting; Outstanding Delegates – Keira Drouin, Ainsley Rousseau, George Patras; and Best Delegates – Natalie Delano, Cameron Morse. Ms. DeLong would like to thank all members for all of their hard work and hours of research, as well as acknowledge Angelina Lucia for being a fantastic club president this year, and JGW-alum Noelle Gregoire for her assistance with the club. Ms. DeLong already is counting down the days until next year’s conference. Congratulations again Whittier Delegates!!!
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.
YEARBOOK: *****CALLING ALL 8TH GRADE ARTISTS… Any 8th grader interested in designing the yearbook cover should submit their drawing to Ms. Deblasis by Monday, February 1st. Your drawing must be on plain white paper size 8 ½ by 11. It must be outlined in blue or black ink or a fine tipped black sharpie marker. If you have any questions, please email Ms. Deblasis. The winning cover will be selected by JGW staff members prior to February vacation. Good Luck!
COMMUNITY RESOURCES
HYBRID MODEL
GRADE 5:
Mrs. Sanguedolce: In math, we will continue with Topic 5: Use Models and Strategies to Divide Whole Numbers. In social studies, we will continue to read Chapter 5 about the American Revolution.
Ms. Delong: Science – Our scientists have completed their introduction to matter and have discovered that matter truly is everywhere! Next up, students will make observations and measurements of substances to describe characteristic properties of each, including color, hardness, reflectivity, electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, response to magnetic forces, and solubility. No All Stars this week due to iReady testing.
Social Studies (Yellow) – We are wrapping up our Civil Rights Movement unit and will be returning to the original colonies as the country of the United States starts to form. Our conversations during our Civil Rights movement have been excellent, and it has been great to hear the ideas of the future generation!
Social Studies All-Star: Briana Gigliotti
Mrs. LaCoste: Given our i-Ready testing schedule, fifth grade ELA classes met sporadically this week. However, we were able to complete the reading of our nonficiton text, Dawn of the Doughnut. Ask your student where the doughnut was “invented” or for other details about these tasty treats. We are also studying cause and effect relationships as well as continuing to build our vocabularies with book specific words. Students were also asked to identify the different text features within the book.
Our homeroom (rm. 4 Orange group) and Social Studies group spent a lot of time together to accomplish our i-Ready tests. When testing was complete, we spent time learning about Martin Luther King Jr. and his impact on our world. We also covered what a presidential inauguration is, where it takes place, and I encouraged students to learn more about our country’s leadership change at home with their families. Our studies of the topic, “The Road to War” which covers events leading up to the Revolutionary War, began late in the week.
Ms. Lees: Ms. Kelly and Ms. Lees are really proud of how hard students worked on their iReady tests this week. We learned how much they are all growing with their skills. Next week we will continue working with students in Orange group supporting reading of non-fiction text and its features; dividing; understanding how the early colonies became independent, and in Science we will begin a new Unit. Those students who have been given a LexiaCore5 log-in should be working at least 45 minutes a week in the program. Remember that Ms. Lees posts on Classroom Pages when she and Ms. Kelly are in a google classroom to help complete assignments and clarify lessons on remote Wednesdays. Please join! Before and after school time is available too – just ask!
GRADE 6:
Mrs. Hamel: SS: This week in Social Studies we covered the United States Inauguration of our 46th President of the United States. We also covered many issues surrounding Civil Rights in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Next week, we will move our exploration of Africa into Central Africa.
Science: We will be diving even deeper into Waves; using diagrams and other models to show that both light rays and mechanical waves are reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through various materials. I look forward to seeing what our students continue to discover!
Mr. Taylor: In ELA we will do ELA things! We dive back into our book, Ghost, after a mini-break from diagnostic testing. We will continue to work on the story’s character development, themes, and vocabulary, along with discussing some ways to improve our writing on different topics.
Ms. Sargent: Next week we will begin writing expressions and equations. You will all be surprised at how much you already know about equations from our weekly packets. Speaking of weekly packets…..those will be sent home again starting next week when Hybrid A and B start back to school. Looking forward to seeing you all!!!
Mrs. Guisti: Mrs. Guisti and Mrs. Cronin’s students continue to have a set aside time available to check in and receive support. Please come to our Guisti/Cronin online support class at 12:05 each day. This week the iReady diagnostic has taken up much of the focus for students but online reding programs such as Read Live and Lexia are still accessible for students to log in and do work at any time. We look forward to seeing hybrid students in person next week!
GRADE 7:
Mrs. Berthiaume: In ELA, we are beginning our poetry unit. In Social Studies, students are continuing to learn about early China. I can’t wait to see all cohorts next week! It will be great to be together in person again! See you soon!
Mrs. Trombly: Mrs. Trombly‘s math classes will be starting the second half of topic for next week as we tested the first half already. Science classes will be starting with weathering and erosion.
Mr. Yanoff: This week we have started Simple Interest with my Red and Yellow Teams. These real-life math problems will get them ready not only for learning how interest works but will help them understand how they are charged when using credit cards and how to compare what are better choices, such as what bank to use. We are continuously working on I-Ready and many students basic knowledge of math is showing improvement. Work hard, work smart, progress reports soon!
Mrs. MacKinnon: Math – we will be working on Proportions. We will be learning how to compare proportions, how to write proportions and how to solve proportions. We will also be learning how to graph x and y once we have solved for proportions. Your kids can use a calculator for this section, which will help. They will be finishing up proportions this week and moving onto Unit 3.
Science– The students began learning about weathering and erosion. We have talked about the history of Earth and the tectonic plates. The kids learned about Pangea and where Haverhill was 750 million years ago all the way to 20 million years ago. They found that very interesting. We will continue with weathering and erosion this week and next.
Good afternoon Grade 7 families,
I must take a leave of absence from Whittier Middle School, due to a family circumstance. It is certainly not an easy decision, but I need to promptly attend to a situation.
I hope this will be a brief period of absence. Ms. Lane will be the teacher of Math and Science, whom I know very well. We have worked together in the past, so I can assure you that the students are in exceptional hands! She is going to start this Monday, January 25th. I will attend all Google Meets that day to introduce her to the students and assist in the curriculum.
Thank you so much,
Mrs. MacKinnon
Ms. DiGloria: Students in Green and Blue ELA will continue working on our poetry unit next week. We will begin working on our own Poetry Books while learning about different types of poems. In Social Studies, we will be studying different types of Chinese philosophies with a variety of different activities. Students working remotely will be doing the same work and follow the same schedule as those who are in-person; please ensure your student is logging into the class meets on time so they do not miss a lesson.
Ms. Bilmazes: Students have been working diligently, completing iReady assessments in ELA and Math. Make sure to keep up with assignments, so that you can have a successful term. Yellow group and Green group will continue working on poetry, practicing the elements they have learned as well as writing some of their own. Reach out for help, as we are always here!
GRADE 8:
Mr. Lewis: Students are continuing their study of Anne Frank in English and The Constitution in Civics. In addition, we are taking the iReady reading and math test. Due to this, students have had an extra day to complete any missing assignments.
Ms. Deblasis: In math, we will be continuing our Topic 2 unit on Solving Linear Equations. Specifically, we will be using the distributive property to solve multi-step equations.
In science, we will be using the data from last week’s Climate Change project to complete a CER (claim-evidence-reasoning) essay.
Mr. Blaustein:
Blue & Green ELA
We are finishing up out look at “A History of Cinderella” and should be submitting our paragraphs by Tuesday. Next, we will examine how to write a recipe! Students will write a few! We will then begin reading, Oh Henry’s ” A Retrieved Reformation”.
Blue & Green Civics
We will take our Ch 2 Lesson 1 Quiz Friday. Students should practice with the Tic-Tac-Toe game and the practice quiz in the McGraw-Hill online text. I will post the completed Ch 2 Lesson 1 Guided Reading in the stream of our google classroom. Next, we begin the online textbook Ch 2 Lesson 2 Settlement, Culture, and Government of the Colonies.
Ms. Sullivan: In math, we will be continuing our Topic 2 unit on Solving Linear Equations. Specifically, we will be using the distributive property to solve multi-step equations.
In science, we will be using the data from last week’s Climate Change project to complete a CER (claim-evidence-reasoning) essay.
Ms. Senior: Inaugural Week in the USA brought with it our ELA eighth graders studying the poem by Amanda Gorman, youngest Poet Lauriat to share her work at an inauguration. Students were able to access it via News ELA. Cinderella was charted by ELA students as well, using evidence from “The History of Cinderella”. Mathematics was populated with expressions/equations of the multi-step variety and students explored these concepts through viewing videos, engaging in their own practice, and learning through interactive instruction.
Winter iReady testing also occurred this week in both ELA and Mathematics.
SPECIALISTS:
Physical Education: (Mr. Demarais): Next Week we will be getting back to our hybrid model. For those that are in person please dress for the weather. If there is no snow on the ground, I want to be outside. Be prepared with a warm coat, hat , gloves, and winter shoes.
We will be focusing on stick/racket skill games.
Art (Ms. Boulger):
Red Grades 5/6/7/8
ART classes Orange 5/6, Blue 7/8, Green 7/8
The students are working on individual art projects based off of written proposals and pieces are coming out amazing! If your child needs supplies such as paper, watercolors, crayons, markers, please contact her and she will arrange to have art supplies available.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact Ms.Boulger at emily.boulger@haverhill-ps.org
Artwork created by Dillan Davenport and Samantha Keston
Health (Mrs. Reynolds):
grade 5 will begin our Bullying Unit. We will learn why kids bully, how kids bully and what to do if you see bullying or get bullied.
grade 6 will be finishing up our unit on Peer Pressure and we will be discussing friendship and healthy communication with our friends/peers.
grade 7 will finish our Alcohol and Vaping Unit and begin our unit on Anger Management.
grade 8 will continue on with our Substance Abuse Unit, this week focusing on the drug Marijuana.
Music (Mr. Gariepy): Hello JGW families!! All students are required to check in with their specialist teachers at least twice a week. New schedules have been posted in all classrooms but students have still been absent from class. Make sure your child is aware that we are in Trimester 2 and therefore everyone has new specials this time. Attached is a schedule for each grade level. Please share this schedule with your child to ensure that they are attending their required classes.
Techonology (Ms. Boulger): Yellow Grades 7/8
Students are currently learning about safety and technology as well as working on skills. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Ms. Boulger at emily.boulger@haverhill-ps.org
REMOTE LEARNING ACADEMY
GRADE 5:
Ms. MacDonald: This week in science, students will be finishing up their first topic in our second unit about matter. We’ve learned that matter makes up everything around us, even if we can’t always see it. The kids have been encouraged to experiment on their own by observing phase changes. We will be wrapping up by writing a CER (claim, evidence, reasoning) about matter. As we move into the next topic, Properties of Matter, there is still time to pick up lab materials from either school for their lesson on solubility. It would be great if the kids could do it themselves at home!
In social studies, we will be reviewing chapter 3 on Tuesday and completing our Chapter 3 test on Thursday. The kids have learned about the colonization of America. They have been able to hear stories of how the thirteen original colonies began so they can form their own opinions about the beliefs and choices of early colonists and the regions they lived in. The discussions have been really insightful!
Ms. Duquette: Students took the winter benchmark for the Reading iReady assessment. This will show any growth that students have made up to this point in their reading skills. I am confident that students will continue to grow with hard work. Part of our daily routine is logging in to iReady Reading each day to work through individualized learning paths based on the results of the iReady assessment.
We also took some time to review what pronouns are and how they are used in sentences.
Our reading of the novel, Hatchet. continues and we are beginning to discuss types of conflict. Students are having great conversations about the book that show their understanding and ability to analyze the text. I am proud of them. Please remind your child that work completion is important. I have noticed some improvements but want to continue to stress the importance of student responsibility in meeting deadlines and making sure assignments are completed with quality.
Ms. Spadaro: This week, students added and subtracted fractions with unlike denominators. Next week, students will add and subtract mixed numbers.
On Wednesday, students will take the Winter iReady Diagnostic. It is important that they get a good night’s sleep, have a good breakfast, and are logged in ready to show what they know at 8:30!
GRADE 6:
Ms. Consolazio: In social studies class, we have moved on to chapter 3 lesson 2. We are learning about a changing Earth and the seven continents. Reminder, to access the textbook please go into ClassLink. The textbook is red and labeled McGraw Hill.
In science class, we will continue learning about waves. We will be learning about mechanical and electromagnetic waves. Just a reminder, participation and attendance is very important to be successful in class.
Mrs. Simes: In math, students are working on writing and evaluating algebraic expressions. Just a reminder, all students should be accessing their i-Ready individualized paths on Monday and Thursday during Success Block. This past Thursday, January 21st, students were asked to complete their Winter Diagnostic with their homeroom.
In science, students continue to wonder about the phenomena of “What is the
relationship between the amplitude and energy of waves?” Students completed an experiment with common household items related to this phenomenon. They will have a quiz this week and will continue their scientific writing of the CER. After school help continues on 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: Next week in ELA we will be continuing our work with characters. In addition, we will touch base on argument writing, which will include making & supporting a claim. As a reminder, students should be utilizing the i-Ready reading program. As previously mentioned, this is an individualized program for each child and it adjusts itself to their needs. They have time dedicated to this during the school week to work on it and are expected to participate for a certain amount of time each week. If they are accessing this during the school day and fulfilling the time requirement, there is no need for the students to complete assignments at home, unless they desire to. Please have a conversation with your student reiterating the importance of this program and to use the class time offered to finish the assignments. In addition, there is the Learning A-Z program offered by the district. As mentioned before, this allows students to read books at thier own level. As always, feel free to reach out with any questions you may have.
GRADE 7:
Ms. Marciano: ELA: We will begin a new unit on Poetry next week! Students will learn common poetry terms and begin annotating a poem by Robert Frost.
Science: Next week, we will be finishing with our Biodiversity unit. Students will have an assessment on Thursday or Friday.
Mr. LeGrand: Math: This week we are resuming our lesson on solving simple interest problems and solving markup and markdown problems. Please encourage your student to complete all their assignments on time, and to make up any missing assignments and remind your student to spend a minimum of 45 minutes per week working on i-Ready.
Social Studies: Last week, students took their ELA and Math Diagnostic Assessment, but this week we will continue our study on the history of countries located in East Asia.
GRADE 8:
Mr. Harris: Math – we will be continuing our look at linear equations, getting into putting slope into equations and into slope-intercept form.
Science – we have finished our Predicting Weather unit and students are writing their Claim-Evidence-Reasoning papers (about a paragraph or so in length). Next week we will begin our look at Earth’s Minerals.
As always, please make sure you are checking in with your student, that they are consistently in meets, attentive and participating. Also, check schoolbrains to make sure your student is completing their work!
Mr. Marinella: ELA– As often as I can, I try to use this class to discuss modern and topical things. With MLK day coming up, we have been focusing on the man behind that day off. As a class, we are exploring 3 questions; Who was Martine Luther King Jr.? What did he believe in? And did that dream come true? We will be reading speeches and biographies, primary and secondary sources in order to better understand why Monday is much more than just a day we get to sleep in! We are also starting a new story this week. “Flowers for Algernon” is a short story that tackles important scientific and moral issues!
Civics– Civics is still working on understanding our Bill of Rights! We have examined and translated the rights and have begun to look at different cases and circumstances involving those first ten amendments. We are working on and will be presenting a project on the importance of a certain right in the Bill of Rights. Each student chose a right and is exploring the history and modern impacts of that right. Have your student show it to you and give a practice presentation before next week!
Ms. Blanchette: Students in the Remote Learning Academy are hard at work learning grade level curriculum. Attendance and work completion are large parts of the grade. Please check in with your student to ensure they are present on the google meets and their assignments on google classroom are submitted. Please reach out with any questions or concerns. As a reminder there is have extra help with Ms. Kaiser or myself on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 11:20-11:50 and on Wednesdays from 11:00-12:00. I hope everyone has a great week!
ART:
Orange and Purple Grades 7/8
The students are working on individual art projects based off written proposals and pieces are coming out amazing! If your child needs supplies such as paper, watercolors, crayons, markers, please contact her and she will arrange to have art supplies available. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Ms.Boulger at emily.boulger@haverhill-ps.org
Artwork created by Niuris Ramirez and Evey Mansour
HEALTH:
grade 7 We are looking at our values and how they affect the way we live.
grade 8 We are continuing on with our Mental Health Unit, looking at the many faces of depression.
SCHOOL SUPPORT STAFF
Guidance (Mrs. Vlahos): I continue to be available to connect with and support all students and families. If any 8th grade student/family has questions about the high school transition and/or applications, please do not hesitate to reach out via email at jvlahos@haverhill-ps.org. I look forward to continued work with all students in support of having a healthy, safe, and successful school year!
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): Hope everyone is working hard and enjoyed their shorter week. We look forward to seeing our hybrid students again in person! Please remember to still log on and check your MSSP Google classrooms while you are working remotely.
Parent Liaison (Ms. Arias-Reyes): Intérprete y traductora para los padres hispanos de JGW. Aquí para ayudar con cualquier pregunta y/o preocupación que pueda tener. Mi número de teléfono es (781) 666-4085 y la dirección de correo electrónico es maria.ariasreyes@haverhill-ps.org.
Student Support Center (Mrs. Greenwood): Student Support Center DAILY CHECK-IN UP AND RUNNING! .
Students should use the following guidelines (listed below) to take a break 9:00-11:30 and 1:00-2:30.
1.Student will request a break from their teacher and receive permission to access the SSC
2. Student will then create a SMARTPASS from the main classroom page
3. Student will log out of the classroom and immediately log into the SSC classroom (also on google classroom page shown here below)
4. SSC Staff will assess and address student needs in real time and ensure they return to class in a timely manner.
5. SSC students may request a break or receive academic support during this time.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU
Reading Coach/Interventionist (Mrs. Guthrie): Intervention Classes have been making significant growth, and the attendance rate has been fantastic. In the classroom, we are implementing strategies and graphic organizers to support students’ writing. Persuasive Essay writing will be the 6th grade focus in February. The 5th grade classes enjoyed learning about Civil Rights and Martin Luther King Jr through Caldecott Award winning picture books. We will be continuing our book discovery over the next week.