MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL & MAIN OFFICE NEWS

Trivia Night: Thank you to all of the families and staff that attended our 1^st virtual trivia night on Thursday, March 4^th. It was a huge success!! Congratulations to the 4 families who won Family Game Night themed baskets, and the 4 families who won gift cards for winning trivia rounds. Please stay tuned for another event like this later in the spring!

Spirit Week: March 8th-12th….

School Pictures: Picture retake day will be on Tuesday, March 23^rd (Cohort A) and Thursday, March 25^th (Cohort B). Any RLA students who want to have their pictures taken can come in between 3pm-4pm on either of those days.

NEWS FROM OUR NURSES OFFICE (Nurse Cartwright):

I want to encourage anyone who is interested to participate in covid-19 pool testing here at J. G. Whittier.  Each week, we continue with our covid-19 pool testing for any staff and student who are interested. For those who have turned in a consent form, Cohort A and C are pool tested every Tuesday morning and Cohort B is pool tested every Thursday morning. Pool testing is a tool to help detect any asymptomatic covid cases within our school. Students are able to self-swab in the lower portion of thier nose. So far, students are doing a great job of participating each week, and thanks to family and staff vigilance, we have not identified any positive cases. Should a pool of swab come back positive, students/staff would be retested with our covid antigen testing in the school to determine who in the pool was positive. If you have not completed a consent form but are interested in having your child tested, please fill out both consent forms below, and turn them in to Nurse Kelsey. If you have any questions, I can be reached via email at kelsey.cartwright@haverhill-ps.org

Consent form 1

Consent form 2

With April break approaching, please be advised of the Massachusetts travel guidelines if you plan on travelling outside of the state at all to a high risk state. All guidance can be found at https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-travel-order These guidelines are subject to change so please visit this link for the most up to date guidance 

All visitors entering Massachusetts, including returning residents, who do not meet an exemption, are required to:

• Complete the Massachusetts travel form at the link below prior to arrival, unless you are visiting from a lower risk state designated by the Department of Public Health. As of right now, there are no lower risk states, but this is subject to change.
  • https://www.mass.gov/forms/massachusetts-travel-form

• Quarantine for 10 days or produce a negative COVID-19 test result that has been administered up to 72-hours prior to your arrival in Massachusetts.

If your COVID-19 test result has not been received prior to arrival, visitors, and residents must quarantine until they receive a negative test result. If you have received a COVID-19 test result, please send results to the school nurse at kelsey.cartwright@haverhill-ps.org. It can also be faxed to 978-372-5999. 

ATTENDANCE:

CONTEST: JGW is running an Attendance Contest which began on Monday, March 1^st and will be running through Wednesday, March 31^st. The homeroom in each grade (5-8) with the highest attendance percentage for the month will win, and EACH student who has perfect attendance within that homeroom will win an individual prize from the Principal (ie: Large Pizza, Container of their favorite Ice-cream, box of donuts). For students who show major improvement in their attendance throughout the month of March, they can become eligible for prizes as well.

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, 3/10 from 6:00-7:30pm via Zoom. We are always looking to welcome new members!

CLUB NEWS:

NATIONAL JUNIOR HONOR SOCIETY (NJHS): The NJHS is holding a Popcorn Fundraiser from now until March 16th. Please see the link below, so you can sign yourself up, and help us reach the goal of $1,000. If we reach the goal, The National Junior Honor Society will give the whole school FREE slush at lunch. Also the top 3 sellers will win a $50, $25, or $10 visa gift card. The orders will be delivered on April 5th. If you have any questions before, please email Mrs. MacKinnon. Here is the link where you would register your son/daughter: https://your.mcmfundraising.com/signup/VDF5 

COMMUNITY RESOURCES

HYBRID MODEL

GRADE 5:

Mrs. Sanguedolce: In math, we will finish Topic 6 (Use Models and Strategies to Divide Decimals) and have our test.  In social studies, we will finish Chapter 6 (Forming a New Government). We will play some Kahoot games to review for the test.

Ms. Delong: Science – Students are wrapping up their study on Changes to Matter and will be tested on the topic this week. In class, we have completed 2 labs identifying the Law of Conservation of Matter, simply, that matter cannot be created or destroyed. We observed substances in their solid and liquid forms and proved that the weight does not change when phases change. We also mixed matter together to show that weight of a solution is the sum of the individual ingredient’s weights. As a test prep, ask your student about the labs we completed and have them explain what they learned and the process!

Science All-Stars: Aubriella Corcoran (Yellow), Callie McLain (Red), Lillian DesOrmeaux

Social Studies – Yellow Group is doing a phenomenal job working with primary sources and analyzing them like historians! Their attention to detail is impressive and demonstrates their love for history. As we work through the Revolution and Constitution, students are being tasked with making connections to present-day America. We are targeting higher order thinking skills within this unit.

Social Studies All-Star: Hunter Dyment (Yellow)

Mrs. LaCoste: Fifth grade ELA students began our biography studies this week.  We began with the Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh, Ramses II.  Students identified elements of biography, such as timelines, dates, and important events that took place in the person’s life.  Monday, they’ll be quizzed on important vocabulary, basic facts from the story, and elements of biography.  After studying our next person, we’ll work to compare the two people and their accomplishments.  

In Orange Social Studies, we completed our studies of the Revolutionary War.  Over the next week, we’ll review important people, battles, events, and people involved in the war.  We’ll have a test (on chapter 5) next Thursday or Friday.  

Ms. Lees: Miss Kelly and Miss Lees hope a fifth grade homeroom wins the attendance contest! Students who have been given a LexiaCore5 log-in should be working at least 45 minutes a week in the program. Parents- iReady Math and Reading are also terrific programs use in free time. 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 – remember to ask! Happy almost Spring!

GRADE 6:

Mrs. Hamel: SCIENCE: We will be starting a new area within our scope of Body Functions: THE CELL! We will be diving into this basic unit of structure of all living things and wondering about the CELL THEORY- explaining the relationship between CELLS and living organisms. We may even create our own CELLS out of yummy things we find at home. Be wary of students raiding your kitchen cabinets!!!

SOCIAL STUDIES: We continue our journey through Southern Africa. We will continue to learn about the people and the history of this wonderous area. As we continue to watch videos and read, we will see the beauty of the wildlife of Africa and notice why people save their money to someday take a Safari through this magnificent part of our World.

Mr. Taylor: Things we hope to accomplish, but as we know, plans can always change. 
We finished our book, Ghost, this week. Onto different things! We will be working on some grammar and starting some persuasive essays. 

Ms. Sargent: We are working on solving simple algebraic equations using multiplication and division. I have also added a Math Antics link to our meets.  This program has amazing videos, practice problems, and answer keys with video explanations.  Students can use this link if they are confused on a topic, or just need some extra practice.  

Mrs. Guisti: Mrs. Guisti and Mrs. Cronin’s students continue to sharpen math and reading skills using iReady, Lexia, and Read Live.  Please make sure your student is doing 45 minutes online for each: reading and for math each week.  In ELA, we finished reading Ghost and are comparing characters in writing.  Small group discussions about the novel have been amazing!  We love hearing our students’ perspectives. In math, we have working on isolating a variable to find the value of the unknown number.  Students are reminded that they are to be working on weekly computation packets for homework.  These packets should be handed in after one week of working on them.  Keep up the good work and we love seeing you attend our 12:05 small group google meet!

GRADE 7:

Mrs. Berthiaume: In ELA, we celebrated our 100th day of school by writing our own personal newsletters, describing what we’d do with $100 and how we would look at age 100 (among other “100” themes).  So much fun!  In Social Studies, we celebrated Dr. Seuss’s birthday by reading/watching “Oh, the Places You’ll Go” and creating suitcases in Google Drawing, showing where we would like to visit, what we would pack, and why we would want to visit that destination.  An overwhelming amount of us chose warmer climates, of course, since the weather has been so cold!

Mrs. Trombly: Mrs. Trombly’s math classes are finishing up topic 5.  We will be jumping to geometry Topic 8 and concentrating on our priority standards for the year.  Science Classes will be working on Natural disasters.  

Mr. Yanoff: ​Hello to my red and yellow phenomenal groups!  The great news is that teachers are eligible to be vaccinated.  What does that mean for you?  Soon our school and classrooms may begin to look normal.  

Our groups are working on adding and subtracting like terms.  Time to make a huge push to the finish line! We are almost there. Get your notebooks up to date because they will soon be graded.  Work with someone to make sure they are complete. And…remember, I-READY!!!!!

Mrs. MacKinnon/Mrs. Lane: Math: The students are still working on Topic 3.  They have moved onto Lesson 3-2 – Connect Percent and Proportion. They will Solve and Discuss how percent and proportion work together. They will use a proportion to find a percent, the part and the whole.  

Science: The students are working on natural hazards and predictions. For example, the geological events include earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods and landslides. These examples of this data are typically analyzed and can include the locations, magnitudes, and frequencies of the natural hazard. The students will study which countries are most predisposed to natural disasters, and what extra precautions they can take ahead of time to try and prevent destruction. They will learn how to inference locations while categorizing hazards. 

Ms. DiGloria: This week in Green and Blue English Language Arts, we will. continue with our poem – The Highwayman. We will be focusing on analyzing the poem for its story and poetic elements. In Social Studies, students will be learning about Greek government, including the rise and spread of democracy. Grades close on March 25th, so keep an eye on the Parent/Student portal and check the status of your student’s missing work. 

Ms. Bilmazes: Students have been working diligently in their classes. Make sure to keep up on assignments and ask for help. Yellow group will begin MCAS practice, in preparation for upcoming testing   Green group is completing the annotation of The Highwayman in preparation for a quiz next week.

GRADE 8:

Mr. Lewis: In ELA, we’ve been practicing iReady as well as creative writing. We have been crafting our own stories and have primarily been focusing on perspective and adding relevant detail to make our stories come to life.

In Civics, the students continue to learn about their first amendment rights, specifically freedom of speech. They are completing a small project in which they are expressing their voices appropriately about whether or not they agree with school uniforms.

Ms. Deblasis: In Math, we will be completing our unit on Analyzing and Solving Linear Equations.  The next unit we will be learning is Using Functions to Model Relationships.

In Science, we will be continuing our unit on Structure of Matter.  Specifically, learning about atoms, elements, molecules, and compounds more deeply.  As well as, beginning to study mixtures and pure substances. 

Mr. Blaustein: Green and Blue Civics: We just completed the CH 3 Lesson 1 Our Country’s First Governments in their online text. So, in the coming week we will complete the accompanying Guided Reading as well as take the Quiz. our next Lesson is “Creating a New Constitution”.

Green and Blue ELA: We have begun to read Toni Cade Bambara’s “Raymond’s Run”. We are focusing on using our Claims/Evidence/ Reasoning format for our literary analysis. Remember to check to see if your student is completing their 55 minutes of iReady work each week to be successful in ELA!

Ms. Sullivan: In Math, we will be completing our unit on Analyzing and Solving Linear Equations.  The next unit we will be learning is Using Functions to Model Relationships.

In Science, we will be continuing our unit on Structure of Matter.  Specifically, learning about atoms, elements, molecules, and compounds more deeply.  As well as, beginning to study mixtures and pure substances. 

Ms. Senior: NO UPDATE PROVIDED

SPECIALISTS:

Physical Education: (Mr. Demarais): We will be transitioning from racket skills to volleyball beginning next week.  We will be working on the bump, set, overhand and underhand serve, and overhead hit.  We will also continue to log mileage for our calendars.

Art (Ms. Boulger): NO UPDATE PROVIDED

Health (Mrs. Reynolds):

5th grade – nutrition lessons continue with My Plate activities

6th grade – Tobacco and Vape Unit with a focus on Vape Education

7th grade- Cyberbullying Laws

8th grade – Teen Suicide Prevention

Music (Mr. Gariepy): Hello JGW Friends and Families!! We are just wrapping up watching musicals in all of our classes, and we will be moving on to review games and a final project over the next few weeks. As trimester 2 comes to a close, please remind your child that specials are equally important as all of their other classes. Have a great weekend!!

REMOTE LEARNING ACADEMY

GRADE 5:

Ms. MacDonald: In science this week, students will finish up their topic on changing states of matter. Students will complete their CER (Claim, Evidence, Reasoning) assessment for this topic at the end of the week. 

In social studies, students will take their test on chapter 4. We will review on Tuesday and take our test on Thursday. Please encourage your student to use their assignments, notes, and resources on Google Classroom to study. 

Ms. Duquette: Reading: We are wrapping up our reading of the novel, Hatchet, and will be preparing for the end of novel test.  Students will be provided with a review activity before the test.  We have also been listening to some short stories to celebrate diversity and Women’s History month.

Writing: Students have used their two column notes to write a response to reading essay for the novel.  Students were asked to think about what they had learned about the mistakes that the character, Brian, had made in the novel, that would help them to have a better chance at surviving in the wilderness.  Students are also being challenged to use vocabulary terms that we discuss in class in their writing.

Grammar: We continue to spiral through all of the parts of speech that we have already covered this year.  We will be talking about homophones this week.

Please make sure students are keeping up with their independent work assignments and that they are turning them in. Simple reminders about this at home can help! Also, all students should be putting time into independent reading daily. 

Ms. Spadaro: This week, students reviewed Topic 8 and completed the Topic 8 Assessment. Students were able to complete the assessment over two days and use any notes and resources from our google classroom on the assessment. Scores can be found under “view my work” on google classroom.

Next week, students will continue studying fractions and how they are related to division. Please check in with your child to make sure that they have completed this week’s assignments and that they have posted their notes and work to their virtual notebook. If you child is missing any notes from class, they are also posted on the stream for them to copy!

GRADE 6:

Ms. Consolazio: In social studies class, we will begin a new chapter on early humans and the agricultural revolution.   The first lesson is about hunter-gatherers.  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 cells.  Student are learning about stem cells in humans and animals and how to sort organisms based on the types of cells living things contain.  Just a reminder, participation and attendance are very important to be successful in class.  

Mrs. Simes: In math, students continue to work within Topic 4.  This week we will be writing and solving equations that involve fractions, decimals, and mixed numbers, as well as understand and write inequalities.  All students should continue to access their i-Ready individualized paths on Monday and Thursday during Success Block.  Intervention groups continue to meet during the week.  In science, students proudly presented their edible animal cell project. They did a wonderful job!  We have begun to explore our body systems and learn how they work together to maintain homeostasis.  After school help will be on Monday and Thursday from 2:45 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.  As always, if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me at michele.simes@haverhill-ps.org.  

Ms. Riley: In ELA next week we will continue to work on argument/persuasive writing. We have worked on some different prompts this past week. In a couple of weeks, we will move into a biography unit. 

Please continue to stress to your child the importance of accessing i-Ready every week. The participation with it has been improving! This is a great program and an intricate part of ELA. Class time is also given for the students to work on it to meet the weekly requirement. 

GRADE 7:

Ms. Marciano: ELA: We are finishing our POETRY unit and will have an assessment mid-week. We will be moving into our next unit, NON-FICTION, at the end of the week!

SCIENCE: We are moving into the final unit of Earth and Space Science: Natural Hazards. Students will learn which countries are most predisposed to natural disasters, and what extra precautions they can take ahead of time. 

Mr. LeGrand: Math:  Students will use properties of operations to write equivalent expressions.  They will also learn to combine like terms with integer and rational coefficients. 

Social Studies: We are studying the history of South East Asia.  Students will explore the role trade has played in South East Asia’s history and the impact European colonization has had on the development of South East Asia? 

GRADE 8:

Mr. Harris: Math – We are continuing our dive into linear and non-linear functions.  We are looking at what a function is, and how to tell if you have a function through various representations (tables, graphs, etc).  We will be having a test on Functions at the end of the week of March 8th-March 12th.

Science – We have begun looking at our unit on Human Interaction and Climate Change.  Students are getting a background on Climate Change from everyone’s favorite scientists, Bill Nye!  Students will be able to dive into data to see the effects of climate change on the Earth.

Mr. Marinella: ELA– ELA has been pulling double duty, splitting our focus on two very important things. First, we are still reading “Flowers for Algernon”. Charlie has started to make some growth that we are tracking, but we are also thinking about how he is being treated by others. This week we have also started to look at a new style of writing, Argumentative writing. This is all about making a claim, providing a reason, and supporting that with evidence. We started by thinking about things we are passionate about and arguing for or against an issue. We will continue by looking at how to create a strong argument, how to pick the best evidence, and how to package it up into a great piece of writing. 

Civics– Civics is currently looking at the new additions to the Constitution. The US Constitution is a living document, things are being added/changed/removed all the time. We are focusing on several Amendments that were added to the Constitution that extended rights to many of the different people in the country. Starting with the Amendments that grew from the Civil War, and others that came from the Civil Rights movements. Both groups sought to help give rights to people who needed them, but they also had some unintended consequences that we will be exploring, as well. 

Ms. Blanchette: Students are hard at work learning grade level content. Please note that grades for trimester 2 are closing on March 25. Reach out to a teacher if you have any questions regarding your student’s assignments and grades this trimester. As a reminder, I have extra help sessions throughout the week. You can find more information on my google classroom including extra help session times and schedules. Students should be attending all their google meet classes and completing online assignments. I look forward to another great week in the Remote Learning Academy!

ART: NO UPDATE PROVIDED

Health:

RLA 7th grade – Cyberbullying Unit begins

RLA 8th grade – Violence Prevention Unit begins

SCHOOL SUPPORT STAFF

Guidance (Mrs. Vlahos): I am so happy the weather seems to be getting a little more tolerable and it is staying lighter later in the day; I hope you all have been able to get outside each day for some sunshine and vitamin D.  This week is Kindness Week at JG Whittier – what acts of kindness can you share to show your spirit each day?  I continue to be available to connect with and support all students and families throughout the school week via Google Meet, by email and by phone.  If desired, please email me to connect and request a check in and I will coordinate a meeting with you.  I look forward to working with you all in supporting you in 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

Student Adjustment Counselor (Mrs. Midolo): Next week topic will be on “Conflict Resolution”.

 Whether it’s with friends, siblings, classmates or adults, sometimes when you disagree with someone, you can feel angry, or frustrated and the disagreement can turn ugly and hurtful very quickly. 

Next week’s lesson will cover true-to-life, age- appropriate scenarios, demonstrating five ways to disagree and be respectful: Stay calm, don’t make it personal, be considerate of other’s feelings and ideas and communicate by using I-statements and good listening skills.

Have a great weekend!

Middle School Support Program (Mrs. Leydon & Mr. Diffin): Hard to believe that we have already passed 100 days of school! As always please keep checking Google Classrooms for all classes to ensure all work is being completed and to continue coming to our MSSP groups! We are continuing to talk about the importance of going to classes on time and leaving classes on time while working remotely. Google has timers that can be set from the Chromebook to set between classes as a prompt. Please reach out with any questions or concerns!

Parent Liaison (Ms. Arias-Reyes): Quiero dejarles saber que continúo estando disponible para ayudar a las familias de JGW. Si tienen alguna pregunta o preocupación no duden en contactarme.  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): We had another busy week here in the SSC. Students are utilizing the supports and we love to see it! The SSC is available for both in school and remote learning days. Please log on the classroom page for more details. Have a great weekend!

Reading Coach/Interventionist (Mrs. Guthrie): Welcome back!! We are so excited to welcome back Mrs. Leslie Hecht as our Title 1 Reading teacher. Leslie is a veteran teacher from JG Whittier who decided to come out of retirement. She is working with the students in ELA and Social Studies on their writing and comprehension skills. She is a wonderful addition to our school.