MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL & MAIN OFFICE NEWS

We are pleased to have all students who have elected to return to 5 days of in-person learning in grades 5-8 back! It is hard to believe that we are starting the Month of May and that there are only 34 school days to go! There is still a lot going on in and around JGW over these next several weeks, and here are some important notices & reminders:

MCAS Schedule: As you are all probably aware, your students are currently preparing for our upcoming MCAS testing. Below you can find the schedule for when students will be taking their portion of the MCAS test. This schedule is for in person students ONLY. We will have the RLA schedule out next week. It is very important that students are in school on time during their testing days. Thank you all for your cooperation with that.

School Start Time: Please be aware that the school day begins at 8:30am sharp. If you drop your students off to school please make sure that they are arriving by 8:25am to avoid being late. We appreciate your attention to this matter.

Working Remotely: Now that all students that have elected to return to in-person learning are back in school 5 days per week, we are no longer utilizing the hybrid model. Specifically what this means is that if a student who is supposed to be physically in school cannot be, there is NOT an option to participate remotely during that/those day(s). The ONLY exception to this rule is if the student is excluded from school due to a COVID related exposure (positive or quarantining). Our school will communicate directly with families in these instances to ensure that the student(s) are properly accommodated.

Water Bottles: A reminder that students should consider bringing water bottles to school each day. We have not had access to any of our water fountains this year, but we do have a water bottle filling station outside of our cafeteria, and students are allowed to have a water bottle with them in class. For those that do not have or bring a water bottle, we do have cups available.

JGW 3^rd ANNUAL TALENT SHOW: We are still looking for students to participate in the talent show!! Anyone who would still like to participate can send in a video using this link by Friday, May 7th the very latest: https://forms.gle/nuQWdzWjz2U4uCGbA

PTO UPDATES

Our next PTO meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, 5/12 from 6:00-7:30pm via Zoom. We are always looking to welcome new members!

JG Whittier PTO is now listed as a charity on AmazonSmile.  What does this mean?  You shop. Amazon gives. Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to the charitable organization of your choice. AmazonSmile is the same Amazon you know. Same products, same prices, same service. Support your charitable organization by starting your shopping at smile.amazon.com. Please support JG Whittier PTO by using the following link when you shop,  https://smile.amazon.com/ch/90-0135139 or by selecting John Greenleaf Whittier PTO as your charity of choice.

AmazonSmile customers can now support John Greenleaf Whittier Middle School PTO in the Amazon shopping app on iOS and Android mobile phones! Simply follow these instructions to turn on AmazonSmile and start generating donations.

1. Open the Amazon Shopping app on your device
2. Go into the main menu of the Amazon Shopping app and tap into ‘Settings’
3. Tap ‘AmazonSmile’ and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process

If you do not have the latest version of the Amazon Shopping app, update your app. Click here for instructions.

To see the impact of your marketing, visit the AmazonSmile Metrics Dashboard for John Greenleaf Whittier Middle School PTO. Simply log in at org.amazon.com and click the “View metrics” button.

CLUB NEWS:

NEW GSA CLUB: Starting Wednesday, May 5 from 4 -5PM we will be offering an online JGW GSA Club for all students at our school. The club will be student lead with two advisors, Ms. Boulger and Ms. St Pierre. The purpose of this club is to provide a safe supportive environment and network for people and friends in the LGBTQ+ community. Here is a link for more information on DESE guidelines and resources https://www.mass.gov/info-details/safe-schools-program-for-lgbtq-students

If you would like to join or for any questions contact emily.boulger@haverhill-ps.org

NJHS: The deadline to apply for NJHS will be extended till Friday May 7th at 2:30 pm.  There will be a few 8th graders at all lunches handing out applications.  When you are finished please bring all applications to the office and hand in to Mrs. Habib. 

YEARBOOK:

COMMUNITY RESOURCES

HYBRID MODEL

GRADE 5:

Mrs. Sanguedolce: We are still using the computers for our classes. All students need to come to school each day with fully charged computers. Earbuds or headphones would be very helpful too. 

In Math, we will begin Topic 10: Represent and Interpret Data. In Social Studies, we will complete our DBQ (Document Based Question) writing assignments.

Ms. Delong: Science: This week we are identifying the water sources on Earth and will be using that as a jumping off point to connect to the human impact on the environment. Students will be asked to identify one area where they can limit/reduce their water usage to help with the global water shortage and prove it through data collection. We will also be starting to review Grades 3 and 4 science standards in preparation for the upcoming MCAS Science test that students will take in a couple of weeks.

Social Studies: It’s DBQ time (round 2)! Students are working on their second Document-Based Question of the year, this time based on the United States government and the rights and responsibilities of citizens. The documents are more picture-based this time, meaning that students will be working more independently in crafting their essays. At home, families can have discussions about what they feel are the responsibilities of citizens? How do we partake in our government? 

Mrs. LaCoste: This week in fifth grade ELA students have been working on poetry.  We’ve analyzed the structure and language of poems including lines, stanzas, rhythm, beat, and rhyme.  We’ve learned about and practiced identifying and creating imagery and figurative language and how they are used to write poems. We’ve talked about mood and theme of poems as well. I hope to take advantage of some nice weather next week and use nature as an inspiration to write some spring poems.  

In Orange SS, students are working hard to complete their spring DBQ.  This time, they are writing about how the rights and responsibilities of a U.S. citizen developed and have changed over time.  We’ve had some interesting conversations!  Ask your student about what they’re learning!

Reminders:   Please remind your student to charge their Chromebook each night.  We don’t have the outlets to support many daytime charges.  Thank you!

Ms. Lees: In ELA our groups are working on understanding and writing all kinds of poetry. Math is all about dividing fractions and will bring in measurements to go along with fractions. Those 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 terrific programs to use in free time to build skills. Remember that Ms. Lees is available before and after school for help – remember to ask!

GRADE 6:

Mrs. Hamel: SS: Our grade six geographers have landed in Brazil. We are currently studying the physical geography and climate of this vast and beautiful country (the fifth largest in the world in fact). We took a “field trip” to the Amazon and learned about some very interesting (and frightening animals). We also learned took some time to learn about Brazil’s natural resources- ask your student about how coffee is made!

We will now take some time to learn about the history of Brazil and the very diverse languages, religions, arts, and foods. We will even take some time outside to play a little “football” which is a very important sport to Brazilians. Maybe we have a future World Cup Star in our class.

Our next stop on the map is The Tropical North (Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana). 

Mr. Taylor: We will continue reading Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. Students should anticipate a vocabulary and comprehension quiz early next week.

Ms. Sargent: Welcome to the home stretch!!!!  In math we are working on unit rates and ratios.  Test your child on their knowledge of unit rates when you are out shopping.  If there is a sale at the grocery store for lemons….4 for $1.00 ask them how much you are paying for 7.  Real life experiences make the math we do in school seem more relevant. As always if you have any questions please feel free to email me.
Have a great weekend!!!

Ms. Consolazio: In science, students are learning about the different types of fossils, how to tell their age, and what fossils were like millions of years ago.   In class, I use Pear Deck with Google slides to keep students engaged.  Students will have an assessment on fossils in a couple of weeks.   Before each assessment I will do a review using for example: Kahoot.   

Mrs. Guisti: Welcome back from April break Mrs. Guisti’s and Mrs. Cronin’s small group!  We are so happy to see you as we continue to work on answering comprehension questions and learn vocabulary based on the novel The Lightening Thief.  We are also working on unit rates (Mrs. Guisti’s FAVORITE!!).  Students now have weekly packets for math class. Mrs. Guisti’s students receive modified packets and students should be working on the packet Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights and bring them in to be corrected on Thursdays. Students continue to work on reading skills using iReady, Lexia, Read Live and weekly word work in small groups.  Have a wonderful weekend!

GRADE 7:

Mrs. Berthiaume: I hope everyone had an enjoyable vacation last week!  In ELA, we’re practicing for the MCAS (narrative essay this week).  In Social Studies, students are writing the spring DBQ essay, which is about the fall of the Roman Empire.  

Mrs. Trombly: Mrs. Trombly‘s math classes will be finishing up topic eight this week and testing earlier next week. We will be diving into scientific notation and doing some work with linear equations and functions as we finish out the year. 

Science classes will be continuing magnetism throughout next week. 

Mr. Yanoff: ​ Welcome back to both the new students and their current classmates as we head down the stretch. We have just started our geometry portion of seventh-grade math, so everyone is at the same level. Take notes, pay attention and work hard. You will be studying geometry for three years! Get off to a good start and it will be easy. 

Mrs. MacKinnon/Mrs. Lane: Math: The students have moved onto Topic 4-3 and they are learning how to combine like terms. They learned how to write equivalent expressions and they will have a quiz next week.    Science:  The students are coming to a close with the water cycle and will have a test on this topic on Tuesday May 4th. Next, they will move onto Magnetism. Please make sure they are completing their assignments.

Ms. DiGloria: Next week for Blue and Green Grade 7 students in ELA, we will begin to practice for MCAS. We will complete a practice in groups/partners (as best as we can) and then delve deeper into main idea reading skills. Our date for MCAS for ELA is June 2nd, so we will be preparing for that. In Social Studies, we will be jumping back to Greece to learn about Greek culture with a station activity that covers a variety of different topics from the golden age of Greece. Then, we will begin to learn about Greek mythology. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please reach out. 

Ms. Bilmazes: I hope everyone had an enjoyable vacation. Welcome back! This is the last trimester, so let’s work productively to end the year successfully. Keep up with assignments, work diligently and ask for help.  Yellow group is continuing to work on MCAS practice, consisting of multiple choice and essays, in preparation for upcoming testing.   Green group is working on DBQs on Ancient Rome.

GRADE 8:

Mr. Lewis: In ELA, students are midway through The Pearl. We are focusing on the main character’s decision to keep the pearl, and how these decisions affect his life. Students will most likely finish the text by the middle of next week.

In Civics, we continue our studies on Congress and the legislative branch of government. We have discussed the powers they have and the basic lawmaking process. In addition, students have created their own laws, debated with their peers, and have passed/rejected each other’s laws.

Ms. Deblasis:  Math: This week we will be starting a lesson on Analyzing Linear Associations. Please be sure to check School Brains to check for missing assignments. Please email with any questions.

Science: This week we will be continuing our unit on the Heat and Matter.  Please be sure to check School Brains for missing assignments. Please email with any questions.

Mr. Blaustein: Green & Blue ELA: During the week of April 26 -30 we are winding up our study of Mark Twain’s “Cub Pilot on the Mississippi: with our test and essay. Next week we will begin to read the novel “The Outsiders” by S.E. Hinton.

Green and Blue Civics: We spent the week back from vacation finishing our DBQ’s. We will begin to study the Bill of Rights in the coming week.

Ms. Sullivan: Math: This week we will be starting a lesson on Analyzing Linear Associations. Please be sure to check School Brains to check for missing assignments. Please email with any questions.

Science: This week we will be continuing our unit on the Heat and Matter.  Please be sure to check School Brains for missing assignments. Please email with any questions.

Mr. Harris: Math – we are working on looking at and analyzing Bivariate data with two variables.  We are starting the unit off by examining the possible relationships between paired measurement data graphed on scatter plots to identify clusters, gaps, and outliers.

Science – we are examining the physical and chemical properties of elements and matter.  We are looking at the differences between extensive and intensive physical properties, as well as how chemical reactions reveal chemical properties of matter.

Mr. Marinella: ELA- Recently in ELA we have been reading “The Outsiders”, which is an incredible book about rival groups of high schools in rural Oklahoma. The book is narrated by the main character, Ponyboy, and explores important themes and messages such as family and friendship, identity, being a member of a group, and the lengths people will go to protect those they care about. We are taking this book chapter by chapter to pull out the important lessons that are being told. Each chapter has an assignment that goes with it, and the PDF of the full novel is available on my Google Classroom! 

Civics– Civics has moved into another project designed to test our skills as historians and writers. This week we started a DBQ, or document-based question. Basically, this is a research project that pulls from multiple sources to answer an important question. This DBQ is focused on identifying how the government is set up to avoid one group or person becoming too powerful. We will be examining primary and secondary sources, pictures, and articles and Amendments to help us discover the answer. The project will end in a 5-paragraph essay! 

Ms. Senior: Eighth graders are continuing their reading of “The Pearl” and creating CPM study guides in ELA classes.  Mathematics groups are becoming experts at constructing, critiquing, and translating scatter plots.

SPECIALISTS:

Physical Education: (Mr. Demarais): Hello everyone, we are into the home stretch!  Our PE classes will be outside as much as possible to end the year. We will start each class with a 1-mile walk, followed by some field games.  Please dress for the weather, coat, hat, umbrella if it’s lightly raining.

Some of the sports will be soccer, football, hockey, badminton, volleyball ,and ultimate style games.

Health (Mrs. Reynolds):

grade 5   We are finishing our Safety Unit and will begin our Anti-Bullying unit.  

grade 6 – Friendship and Communicating with others Unit

grade 7 – Beginning the Vaping Unit and discussing the differences/similarities of tobacco and vape products

grade 8 – Continuing on with Substance Abuse.  Focusing on Opioids and Heroin abuse

Students are welcome to do work that is past due for credit up to 80%.  

Music (Mr. Gariepy): Hello Whittier friends and families!! Welcome back from vacation. We’ve off to a good start in Trimester 3, and the excitement of having everyone back in school is nothing short of electric!! Here’s what we’re doing this trimester. I’m teaching Music to all Yellow group classes in the school, and I am also teaching Technology classes to 8-Blue, 6-Orange, and 5-Orange. In Music class, everyone is watching a movie-musical. 7th grade is watching The Sound of Music, 8th grade is watching Hamilton, 6th grade is watching Mary Poppins, and 5th grade is watching Aladdin. We are answering questions about those shows that we’ll use to do a project after it’s over. In Technology, after learning about cyberbullying and online etiquette, the students are now learning how to program using code on a website called Scratch.

REMOTE LEARNING ACADEMY

GRADE 5:

Ms. MacDonald: In science next week, students will be finishing up their topic about the Hydrologic cycle! As students continue to understand how much freshwater we have on Earth, and how humans can impact the freshwater we have on Earth, students will start to think about how they can solve our planet’s water problems! 

A big thank you to all families to have picked up science materials. We will begin our engineering project on May 10th! There is still time to pick up materials if you haven’t already! Please email me. 

In social studies, we will be wrapping up the students Spring DBQ or Document- Based Question. Students spent last week analyzing different documents and gathering information to write a 5- paragraph essay. 

Ms. Spadaro: This week, students reviewed dividing whole numbers by one-digit and two-digit divisors. In addition, students reviewed dividing decimals by whole numbers and divisors with decimals. 

GRADE 6:

Mrs. Simes: In math, students have been working diligently, as we continue to connect to past topics, domains, and grades.  We have finished Topic 5 – Ratios and Rates and Topic 6 – Percent.  Your student will now delve into the world of polygons, as we find area, surface area, and volume of these “plane” figures.  All students should continue to access their i-Ready individualized paths on Monday and Wednesday during Success Block; they should be logged into their meet and completing their required minutes.  Also, intervention groups continue to meet during the week, please remind your student the importance of attending consistently.  In science, students have completed their unit dealing with the human body systems.  Students have completed a project that had them picking a major system we covered and describing how another body system works together with it.  I am excited to see what they have created and learned. Students will then begin to wonder, “How long does it take to become a fossil?”  After school help will be on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, 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.  Have a wonderful weekend!

Ms. Riley: It is hard to believe it is May! MCAS is coming too in the next few weeks. I know it has been crazy with technology the past few weeks. It does look that everything is up and running. Students will be expected to access i-Ready reading weekly as usual. Please remember to check Google Classroom AND School Brains consistently.  Also, please ensure that your child attends homeroom daily. We have been working on essays in ELA. At this point, two should have been submitted and many students have not passed in any.  It is important that these are completed ASAP.  We have been working on MCAS prep and another essay is expected to be submitted next week. Next, we will move into non-fiction.

In social studies, we will continue to work on document-based questioning with passages about Egypt and Mesopotamia. When those are complete, we will circle back to Southwest Asia.

GRADE 7:

Ms. Marciano: ELA – We are finishing up our argumentative essays and working on creating a Works Cited page.

SCIENCE – We have started Unit 11: Human Impact on the Environment. We will be learning about different things human beings can do in order to help the environment.

Mr. LeGrand: Math:  We have started a new chapter on solving problems using equations and inequalities.  Last week, students learned to analyze word problems to write two-step equations; interpret the quantities in an equation and learned to solve those equations.  This week, we will build on those skills and learn to solve equations using the distributive property. Students will also be introduced to solving inequalities using addition and subtraction. 

Social Studies:  We have transitioned from our study of the Asian continent to the European continent.  Students will explore a physical map of Europe identifying landforms and waterways, analyze the political boundaries and make generalizations about population density in Europe. 

GRADE 8:

Mr. Harris: Math – we are working on looking at and analyzing Bivariate data with two variables.  We are starting the unit off by examining the possible relationships between paired measurement data graphed on scatter plots to identify clusters, gaps, and outliers.

Science – we are examining the physical and chemical properties of elements and matter.  We are looking at the differences between extensive and intensive physical properties, as well as how chemical reactions reveal chemical properties of matter.

Mr. Marinella: ELA- Recently in ELA we have been reading “The Outsiders”, which is an incredible book about rival groups of high schools in rural Oklahoma. The book is narrated by the main character, Ponyboy, and explores important themes and messages such as family and friendship, identity, being a member of a group, and the lengths people will go to protect those they care about. We are taking this book chapter by chapter to pull out the important lessons that are being told. Each chapter has an assignment that goes with it, and the PDF of the full novel is available on my Google Classroom! 

Civics– Civics has moved into another project designed to test our skills as historians and writers. This week we started a DBQ, or document-based question. Basically, this is a research project that pulls from multiple sources to answer an important question. This DBQ is focused on identifying how the government is set up to avoid one group or person becoming too powerful. We will be examining primary and secondary sources, pictures, and articles and Amendments to help us discover the answer. The project will end in a 5-paragraph essay! 

Ms. Blanchette: Middle schoolers are continuing to learn grade level curriculum. Students should continue to attend google meet classes and complete their online assignments. Please check my google classroom for updates. Reach out for any questions or extra help. I look forward to another great week in the Remote Learning Academy!

SCHOOL SUPPORT STAFF

Guidance (Mrs. Vlahos): It has been great welcoming back so many students to the building; I have really enjoyed seeing all the familiar faces and meeting several new students!  I know with the return to school, many of us may feel mixed emotions – possibly some excitement and a bit of anxiety, as well.  It is completely understandable, as I can relate.  Please know that I continue to be available to connect with and support all students and families throughout the school week via Google Meet, 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 commend everyone for all the hard work you have put in thus far.  We are in the homestretch and will finish strong together!  I look forward to continued work with you in support of a healthy, safe, and successful rest of the 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): This week’s focus is on mindfulness (meditation).  What is mindfulness you ask? Mindfulness helps you live in the moment.  It is a type of meditation in which you focus on being intensely aware of what you’re sensing and feeling in the moment, without interpretation or judgment. Practicing mindfulness involves breathing methods, guided imagery, and other practices to relax the body and mind and help reduce stress.

Mindfulness Meditation helps with: Stress, Anxiety, Pain, Depression, Insomnia, High blood pressure (hypertension).  

Middle School Support Program (Mrs. Leydon & Mr. Diffin): Great to see some of our MSSP friends seeing in each other socially distanced, but in person again! Due to some schedule changes, some MSSP groups had to be changed but everyone is aware and doing great with the changes. Please reach out with any questions or concerns! 

Parent Liaison (Ms. Arias-Reyes): Quería hacerles saber que estoy teniendo algunos problemas de conexión con mi teléfono del trabajo (781)666-4805. Si me llaman y no respondo y la llamada va al buzón de voz, por favor llamen a la oficina principal al (978) 374- 5782. Pidan hablar con alguien que hable español o pueden decir que quieren hablar con María. Una de las secretarias me hará saber que están en la línea y será más efectivo, para que no pierda su llamada. ¡Gracias, que tengan un lindo fin de semana!

Student Support Center (Mrs. Greenwood): We are so happy to have you all back for in-person learning! It has been a tough year on everyone but now we can put that all behind us and move forward together! We had a great week in the SSC!

Reading Coach/Interventionist (Mrs. Guthrie): Welcome back everyone! This week I have been checking in with teachers and students to make sure everyone is adjusting to being back. New intervention groups will start next week, and I am looking forward to meeting some new faces! Have a great weekend! 

NEWS FROM OUR NURSES OFFICE:

As we welcome back more students into the building we ask that you continue to exercise physical distancing as well as other COVID precautions. We have done a great job in school and should be proud of the hard work we have put in!  Pool testing continues to take place weekly at school, you can opt in at any time by signing a consent form. Please remember to keep your child home if they are exhibiting any COVID symptoms and as always, reach out to the nurse with any questions or concerns. Together we can do this!