MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL & MAIN OFFICE NEWS

Only 29 school days to go! It is hard to believe. We hope that all of the Mothers out there have a wonderful weekend and a very Happy Mother’s Day!! Please see below for some very important news and information going on in and around our school:

MCAS: We will be starting our MCAS testing this Tuesday with Grade 5 (Please see schedule below).  On MCAS test days, please make sure your student has a good breakfast, brings a water bottle, and arrives at school on time (by 8:30 AM) with a FULLY CHARGED Chromebook.  Please note that all cell phones will be collected prior to testing and returned at the end of the school day.  If you do not want us to collect your student’s phone, please do not have them bring it to school on testing days.  There will be no exceptions to this policy.

A few special notes for RLA students:

1. You and your student(s) will receive an email the day before they are scheduled to take a test that includes their username and password for accessing the MCAS testing site. 
2. Students must not open any browser windows or tabs on their devices. They should only have Pearson Testnav and their Google meet open on their Chromebook. In some cases they may be instructed to have their email open as well.
3. Students will be expected to show their workspace before testing. Students cannot have anything in their workspace besides their Chromebook, scratch paper, and a pencil or pen.
4. NO CELL PHONES are permitted. 
5. Students must keep their camera on during testing. 
6. Students should not leave their testing area while they are testing, unless approved by their teacher. 
7. Students will not be able to use the chat feature in Google meet during testing, except to communicate with their teacher privately.
8. Please provide a quiet, distraction free space for your child to test.  At no time should students receive assistance of any kind from someone at home, this is considered cheating.  If your child has a technical issue that you cannot resolve, please contact the school.

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. Feel free to begin dropping students off at any time after 8:05am. We appreciate your attention to this matter.

Progress Reports: 3^rd trimester progress reports will be available on the Student/Parent portal beginning on the afternoon of Thursday, May 13^th.

RLA Survey: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ed2Nz6zsN5zXsifAHbPyo3ti__sFInPngzOV2XDdbtc/edit?usp=sharing RLA families, please take the time to fill out this quick survey if you have not already. Thank you!

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!

WEAR YOUR PAJAMAS TO CLASS WITH A $2.00 PASS

When: Friday, May 14th

Donate $2.00 to the JGW PTO

and come to school

dressed in your favorite pajamas.

Donations can be given to your homeroom teacher

or paid to the PTO’s PayPal Account

paypal.me/JGWhittierPTO

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: We have started 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

JR VIP: Jr. VIP will have a meeting on Wednesday, 5/12 from 2:45 to 3:45 in the library.

COMMUNITY RESOURCES

HYBRID MODEL

GRADE 5:

Next week is an important week for fifth graders.  We will be administering our MCAS tests on Tuesday (ELA), Wednesday (Math), and Thursday (Science).  We’ve discussed the importance of the tests, but don’t want students to stress over them.  To help lessen the stress and to help students prepare, please encourage your child to get a good night’s sleep, eat breakfast, bring a quiet reading book and a FULLY charged Chromebook every day next week. 

Also, please be aware of the schedule changes for the Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday for our grade.  Students will be with their homeroom teachers for the entire day.  They will not have their typical ELA, Math, and Science classes, as these periods will be dedicated to letting all students complete each portion of their MCAS test.  Lunch will take place at 12:15-12:45 on testing days.  Their specials period (Art, Music, Phys. Ed., Tech. etc) will remain last period (1:45-2:45).  

As a fifth-grade team we’d also like to send out a few general reminders outside of MCAS.  First, many students are coming to school without their Chromebooks charged or without their Chromebooks altogether.  Because we have a limited number of devices to borrow and outlets to charge, we need students to bring them charged each and every day.  Next, many reminders have been given many warnings about wearing hoods and hats in class.  It is a school rule that head coverings are not allowed without special permission.  Please help us reinforce this rule by discussing and supporting at home.  Last, many students have been keeping drinks at their desks that are not water (Gatorade, juice, soda).  The only permissible drink during learning time is water.  

We are in the home stretch of our unpredictable 2020-2021 school year.  The students have certainly shown their resiliency and desire for normalcy.  Let’s work together and continue to support their academic and social/emotional learning for the last 6 weeks of school!

GRADE 6:

Mrs. Hamel: Our grade 6 geographers will take in the unique landscapes of The Tropical North while also taking notice of the various climates in this region. We will study the amazing Galapagos Islands and the many unusual lizards, birds, and other animals who find their home here. We will also stop at the majestic Angel Falls and mine for some beautiful emeralds, diamonds, sapphires and rubies found in The Tropical North of South America.

Away we goooooo……

Mr. Taylor: This week we are continuing our read in Percy Jackson, Lightening Thief.  We are working on vocabulary words for Chapters 7- 9 and as always, we focus on our comprehension of the readings. Class discussions are strong, and the students are enjoying the story. I can see their engagement through their predictions and questions about the story line.

Ms. Sargent: I am hopeful that many of you have noticed your child working on weekly math packets.  Just a reminder that the packets need to be completed by Thursday to get credit for the work.  We go over the packet each Thursday and this is what Friday’s Computation Test is based on.  

There are many different concepts woven into the packet (number sense, algebra, geometry) so it is very important for students to get the work done using paper and pencil (no calculators).  Thank you for your help with this.

Ms. Consolazio: In science, we are finishing up with fossils. Students learned about the evolution of whales, diversity and extinction of fossils.  There will be a science assessment this week.  The day before the assessment, students will use Blooket to review for the test.  Students may use their notes as well. In class, I use Pear Deck with Google slides to keep students engaged.  Please make sure Chromebooks are charged at night.   Chromebooks are utilized in class daily. 

Mrs. Guisti: This week Mrs. Guisti’s and Mrs. Cronin’s small group continue to work on unit rate in math as well as computation skills using the weekly math packet homework. In small group we have specifically focused on the steps of multiplying multi-digit numbers as well as working on long division. In ELA we continue to develop our vocabulary using words from the novel Percy Jackson.  Students should be working on a social studies project each night that has been assigned by Mrs. Hamel.  Please understand that I continue to have difficulty with receiving emails from parents and I have put in a ticket to technology to (hopefully) get that fixed as soon as possible.  If you are in great need of contacting me please call the school and I will get right back to you.  

GRADE 7:

Mrs. Berthiaume: In ELA, we are beginning to read The Red Pony by John Steinbeck.  If students would like to read the book outside of class, they may go to https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.264621/mode/2up for the full text.  We do have copies of the book that will remain at school.  In Social Studies, we are studying Ancient Rome.  Students created mosaics using an online site (we were inspired by one that was found in the lost city of Pompeii).  They did an outstanding job!

Mrs. Trombly: Mrs. Trombly‘s math classes will be going into our accelerated curriculum. Where we will be working on scientific notation, linear equations, and functions. Science classes will be moving onto kinetic and potential energy. 

Mr. Yanoff: ​ So close! Finish strong.  Red and Yellow classes continue to work on Geometry as they prepare for MCAS.  We are studying triangles and how to compare them to other triangles, determine similarity and congruency.  Some of you need to put some effort into homework, some into I-Ready, others into note taking.  Those of you who are doing all the right things will always be successful.  Practice should always be 100%!!!!! 

Mrs. MacKinnon/Mrs. Lane: Math: The students have moved onto Topic 4-3 and they are still developing on how to combine like terms. Several of them are catching on and they are all showing fantastic promise in this lesson .  Science:  The students had a test on the Water Cycle on May3rd. They had fun on their nature walks to learn more about the water cycle in this last section. Hopefully, we can continue more nature walks in the nice weather as they will move onto Magnetism. Please make sure they are completing their assignments.

Ms. DiGloria: Next week in Blue and Green ELA, students will continue to practice MCAS skills and questions. Then, we will jump into reading the first chapter of The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien! In Social Studies, we are wrapping up Greek civilization by studying their mythology, and then opening up our unit on Rome by learning about Roman geography. 

Ms. Bilmazes: Progress reports will be issued soon,  so let’s work productively to be successful. Keep up with assignments, work diligently and ask for help.  All groups are continuing to work on MCAS practice, consisting of multiple choice and essays, in preparation for upcoming testing on June 2nd and 3rd. 

GRADE 8:

Mr. Lewis: English class has finally finished The Pearl! Students seemed to have many things to say about its conclusion. We will finish the week discussing the end as well as tracking the specific ways Kino, the main character, changes over the course of the novella due to his possession of the pearl.

Civics are finishing their spring DBQ, which is having them analyzing why having a government with checks and balances is crucial to preventing a single person or group from obtaining too much power. While we are completing the DBQ packets, we are practicing writing skills, mainly those concerning the introduction paragraph, that students can use next year in high school.

Ms. Deblasis: In Math, we will be completing our lesson on using linear models to make predictions.  We will be starting our unit on interpreting 2-way frequency tables. 

In Science, we will be studying Newton’s Third Law of Motion… which states, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. 

Mr. Blaustein: ELA: We spent this week doing research and making presentations on a variety of different cultural issues from 1960’s as preparation for our Reading of “The Outsiders”.

Civics: This week our class time was occupied with studying the 5 Freedoms included in the First Amendment. Our quiz will be early next week. After our quiz, we will be analyzing the Supreme Court case of Tinker v. Des Moines, a historic Supreme Court ruling from 1969 that cemented students’ rights to free speech in public schools. 

Ms. Sullivan: In Math, we will be completing our lesson on using linear models to make predictions.  We will be starting our unit on interpreting 2-way frequency tables. 

In Science, we will be studying Newton’s Third Law of Motion… which states, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. 

Mr. Harris: Math – We will be taking our mid-chapter 4 test on Tuesday 5/11.  This test will be covering outliers, gaps, and clusters, positive/negative and strong/weak associations, no associations and nonlinear associations, as well as making predictions based on the trend line of a scatter plot

Science – We are wrapping up our look at physical and chemical properties.  Students are finishing up their CER, where they explained the changes that happened when a creme brule dessert was cooked.  Next week we will be looking at the conservation of mass.

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! We are also working on getting prepared for the upcoming MCAS using practice tests and discussions about what we may see come late May. 

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! Once this is wrapped up, we are going to take a deep dive into the 3 branches of government, with an emphasis on exploring what each branch can and cannot do! 

Ms. Senior: If May is here, can June be far behind?  Students are scatter plot experts in Mathematics and in ELA, students began exploring the background of “The Outsiders” as other ELA students continued reading “The Pearl”.

SPECIALISTS:

Physical Education: (Mr. Demarais): We are attempting to begin our soccer/football unit but the weather hasn’t been cooperating.  With all of the rain our field has been too wet to use so far this spring.  We will continue to adapt and find the driest areas to play. 

Health (Mrs. Reynolds):

grade 5 – we will be finishing our unit on Bullying and begin our Drug Awareness Unit

grade 6 – we will be finishing our Communication Unit and begin our First Aid Unit

grade 7 – We are beginning our unit on Anger Management

grade 8 – We are beginning our unit on Mental Health

Music (Mr. Gariepy): Hello JGW Friends and Families!!! We have been having a great time in music class learning about musicals, and in technology class our older kids are watching The Imitation Game (WWII true story on breaking the Nazi Enigma code) and our younger kids are watching Hidden Figures (1960s true story on a group of African-American mathematicians that helped us get to space). In the coming weeks we will move on to music history, and we will also be spending more time outside.

REMOTE LEARNING ACADEMY

GRADE 5:

Ms. MacDonald: It is finally time to start our engineering project! Students will spend the next two weeks working on creating a water filter with their science materials. We will read a story to understand the need for clean water in other areas of the world, as well as identify major sources of pollution. Students will create a filter to clean their “mystery water”. I can’t wait!!! 

While science will include a lot of hands-on engineering, there will be no social studies this week, as we will be administering MCAS on our social studies days. Please make sure students are on time, well rested, and have a good breakfast! 

Ms. Spadaro: This week students reviewed adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing fractions.  Growing confidence in their fact fluency is evident as we review these complex topics. 

GRADE 6:

Mrs. Simes: In math, students have learned, how we can derive the formula for a parallelogram, rhombus, and triangle from the formula for a rectangle.  This week, students will take this knowledge and apply it to finding the area of other shaped polygons by composing and decomposing shapes.  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 be 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 begun to wonder, “How long does it take to become a fossil?”  Students continue to work on their note taking skills, as we have all year and will complete a “fun with fossils” activity.  A special “shout out” for all my students who shared their Human Body Systems Project with the class and for a respectful audience.  After school help will be on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 2:45 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.  Finally, students will be completing their ELA MCAS on Wednesday, May 12th virtually, using their Chromebooks.  Math MCAS will be taken on Wednesday, May 19th.  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: Next week In ELA we will finish up MCAS prep and non-fiction. We will then be finishing the year with a whole class novel and some poetry if time allows. 

Next week in social studies we will continue studying Southwest Asia. We had to step away from it to work on a Document Based Question (DBQ) writing assignment.  

GRADE 7:

Ms. Marciano: ELA: We have started our MCAS Review and are working with realistic fiction.

SCIENCE: We are finishing Unit 11 and will be working on the CER. We will have an assessment on Unit 11, which will be open notes, at some point later in the week.

PARENTS:

For 7th grade MCAS at the beginning of June, your child will need to be working in a space at home that is quiet with no distractions. Please do your best to accommodate this. Students will need the following materials at home while testing, so please let me know if you need any of these materials.

*notebook with scratch paper

*pencils

Mr. LeGrand: Math: Students were introduced to solving inequalities last week.  This week we will continue graphing the solution of inequalities on a number line, solving inequalities using the Addition and Subtraction Properties of inequality.  Students will also learn to solve inequalities using Multiplication or Division. 

Social Studies:  Our focus this week will be on the history of Western Europe.  Students will learn about the influence of the Roman Empire and Christianity on the region; the transitional period known as the Middle Ages and the Hundred Years’ War. We will also discuss impact of World I and World War II. 

GRADE 8:

Mr. Harris: Math – We will be taking our mid-chapter 4 test on Tuesday 5/11.  This test will be covering outliers, gaps, and clusters, positive/negative and strong/weak associations, no associations and nonlinear associations, as well as making predictions based on the trend line of a scatter plot

Science – We are wrapping up our look at physical and chemical properties.  Students are finishing up their CER, where they explained the changes that happened when a creme brule dessert was cooked.  Next week we will be looking at the conservation of mass.

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! We are also working on getting prepared for the upcoming MCAS using practice tests and discussions about what we may see come late May. 

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! Once this is wrapped up, we are going to take a deep dive into the 3 branches of government, with an emphasis on exploring what each branch can and cannot do! 

Ms. Blanchette: Students are preparing for the MCAS which will be starting next week with grade 5. Please see Mr. Betty’s email and information for exact dates of when each grade will be taking MCAS. If you have any questions or concerns please reach out to me or another teacher. I look forward to another great week! 

SCHOOL SUPPORT STAFF

Guidance (Mrs. Vlahos): 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): MCAS will be starting this week for our 5th graders. This can be a very stressful time for some students, so we will do everything in the MSSP to help lessen their stress. A good nights sleep is very important! Our schedules and MSSP groups may be affected a little during MCAS testing periods, but we will do our best to get it in! Please reach out with any questions or concerns. 

Parent Liaison (Ms. Arias-Reyes): Estaré fuera el 7 de mayo y regresaré el 11 de mayo. Responderé a todos los correos electrónicos/preguntas a mi regreso.

¡Gracias por su comprensión! Manténganse seguros y saludables! 

ELL (Ms. Pepicelli-Raposo): Hello from Mrs. Raposo’s EL Classroom! This week the students will be gearing up for their writing assessment with me. We will break it down into manageable pieces to ensure that all of our students are successful. We have also incorporated breathing techniques to help them focus and concentrate on their work. I look forward to a great week! 

Student Support Center (Mrs. Greenwood): The SSC is up and running full force! Ms Greenwood and Ms. Christine are here to support students with whatever needs may come up. We will finish the year strong!

Reading Coach/Interventionist (Mrs. Guthrie): With MCAS testing fast approaching, students in all grades are practicing how to take the MCAS. They are applying strategies and skills they have been learning throughout the year. Please make sure your child gets to school on time so they are ready to begin promptly. Have a wonderful 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!