MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL & MAIN OFFICE NEWS

The beautiful weather is here, and there are only 19 school days to go. Please see below for all of the important information going on in and around our school this coming week…

MCAS: We will be continuing with our MCAS testing this Tuesday with grade 8.  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.

Attendance: A reminder to all families that if your student will be absent for the day, please make sure to call the main office (978-374-5782) to notify the school. Thank you.

MEDICATIONS/INHALERS: A reminder to all parents that students cannot self carry medication of any kind without physician orders and an active administration plan in place developed with the school nurse. Please reach out to our nurse’s office with any questions.

Chromebooks: PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOUR STUDENT IS CHARGING THEIR CHROMEBOOKS EACH NIGHT. THANK YOU!!

Dress Code: As the weather is getting warmer, we would ask that all families please review the Haverhill Public Schools Dress Code Policy with their students in order to ensure that it is properly being followed. Thank you for your attention to this. Please find a copy of the HPS Dress Code Policy below:

PTO UPDATES

Our final PTO meeting of the year is scheduled for Wednesday, 6/9 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: 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

NJHS: As promised for reaching our goal selling popcorn, the national Junior honor Society served/to the entire school yesterday. Overall it was successful! Thank you again to all that participated. We will be having our induction ceremony next Tuesday, May 25 at 6 PM in the cafeteria. Members  are invited to attend and parents can watch live stream. All community service hours will be due by Friday June 4th. 

JR VIP: There will be a meeting scheduled for May 26th after school in the library from 2:45 to 3:45.

COMMUNITY RESOURCES

HYBRID MODEL

GRADE 5:

Ms. Sanguedolce: In math, we will move onto Topic 13: Write and Interpret Numerical Expressions. In social studies, we will continue to learn about Wagon Trains and the Oregon Trail.

Ms. Delong: Science – After a rich discussion this week about the different types of contaminants in the air, water, and soil, as well as testing different filter types, our scientists are ready to become engineers to clean some mystery contaminated water! Students will be creating filter designs, testing them, and determining the best solution through the engineering design process. Talk to your students about this project and the process this coming week!

Social Studies – So the United States is a country…now what? We will be exploring our need to move west and start the conclusion of the course which is the Civil War.

Ms. LaCoste: In grade 5 ELA we completed our poetry unit.  The students really surprised me with their creativity and inspired writing.  Be on the lookout for the poetry books that your students created.  Next week we’ll dive into traditional literature covering myths, folktales, and fables.  We’ll focus on identifying the theme of each and compare and contrast the different short stories. 

In Orange Social Studies we completed a short unit on the journey of Lewis and Clark.  Next week, we’ll explore how technological advances changed and helped America progress in the 1800s.

Ms. Lees: The fifth grade students did an amazing job completing their MCAS days successfully. Next week will measurements in Math and types of poetry in ELA. 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: Grade 6: We are so incredibly proud of how our students persevered through their MCAS testing. In a year where everything seemed to be inconsistent and even overwhelming- they truly showed up and gave it their all. WAY TO GO GRADE 6!!!!!!!!!!!!

SS: We continue our studies into the Galapagos Islands and those countries in the Tropical North. We are focusing on what makes a culture unique and diving into some of our own traditions and values. This focus of this lesson is helping us to see the importance of not only our own families, but truly understanding the world around us. Students are going to work on a Cultural Project and share them so we can see how diversity and uniqueness are what makes us so valuable.

Ms. Sargent: A huge thanks to all the children who worked so hard on their MCAS this week!!!!  Next week we will be finishing up ratios and rates by learning about percentages.  We will be changing percents to fractions and decimals.  Enjoy your weekend!

Mr. Taylor: We continue on our Mythology Journey with Percy Jackson. Things are heating up! We will continue to practice skills as we read together identifying themes and plot points throughout the book. 

Ms. Consolazio: In science, we are continuing our scope on evolutionary history and relationships.   Students will learn about cladograms, common ancestries, and phylogenetic trees. Please make sure Chromebooks are charged at night.   Chromebooks are utilized in class daily. 

Mrs. Guisti: Mrs. Guisti and Mrs. Cronin are so proud of all the sixth graders and their hard work on MCAS this week.  We have enjoyed some extra outdoor recess after testing on MCAS days.  We continue to read Percy Jackson and work on computation skills as well as MCAS practice problems.  Have a wonderful and restful weekend!

GRADE 7:

Mrs. Berthiaume: In ELA, we continue to read John Steinbeck’s The Red Pony. We are having great classroom discussions about the novel!  In Social Studies this week, we are focusing on the Colosseum as we study ancient Rome.

Mr. Yanoff: ​Red and Yellow teams are in the process of reviewing for their upcoming MCAS sessions. Many are working hard but I need everyone to give 100%. We have completed half the geometry chapter and should also complete this before the exam.  With just a short time to go in the school year, it is important to put in your best effort!

Mrs. MacKinnon/Mrs. Lane: Math: The students have moved onto Topic 4-5 and they are learning how to factor expressions . We will be doing some MCAS practice sheets next week to prepare for the MCAS.    Science:  The students have moved onto Kinetic Energy and they need to memorize the formula for Kinetic energy (KE) KE = ½ mass times the velocity squared.  Please make sure they are completing their assignments.

Ms. DiGloria: In Blue and Green Grade 7 Social Studies next week, we will be continuing to learn about Ancient Rome, with a look at some of their armed conflicts (the Punic Wars) and the transition from republic to empire. In English, we will be reading and discussing The Hobbit. We will get about halfway through by the end of next week, and students will write a short (1-2 paragraph) character study response based on their reading so far. 

Ms. Bilmazes: We are in the final stretch, so let’s work productively to finish the year with success. 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 for ELA, and practice problems for math, in preparation for upcoming testing on June 2nd and 3rd. 

GRADE 8:

Mr. Lewis: English has started Chapter 2 of The Outsiders. Our focus has been on who the major characters are and the stereotypes of both the gangs in the story. Students have discussed how there are positive and negative characteristics of certain stereotypes and it’s up to us to discern the differences.

Civics ran a small mock class election for class president. Students prepared speeches and powerpoints in order to persuade their classmates. We then had an election based off the electoral college.

Ms. Deblasis: Grade 8 Math & Science – Ms. Deblasis & Mrs. Sullivan

On Tuesday, May 25, students will be taking ELA MCAS.

On Wednesday, May 26, students will be taking Math MCAS.

On Thursday, May 27, students will be taking STEM MCAS.

Please be sure your child gets a good night’s sleep, a hearty breakfast, and is on time to school.

As always, please remind your child to take their time, check their work, and try their best!

Mr. Blaustein: Green & Blue ELA Green & Blue Civics

This week is 8th Grade MCAS. I would like everyone to rest up and do the best work they can! We will continue our course work around the three days of exams.

Ms. Sullivan: Grade 8 Math & Science – Ms. Deblasis & Mrs. Sullivan

On Tuesday, May 25, students will be taking ELA MCAS.

On Wednesday, May 26, students will be taking Math MCAS.

On Thursday, May 27, students will be taking STEM MCAS.

Please be sure your child gets a good night’s sleep, a hearty breakfast, and is on time to school.

As always, please remind your child to take their time, check their work, and try their best!

Mr. Harris: We will be taking MCAS, so students should be focused on getting a good night’s sleep, having a healthy breakfast, and trying their best during our 3 days of testing.  Good luck everyone!

Mr. Marinella: ELA-  ELA has been working double time. getting ready for MCAS, and reading The Outsiders. Next week, our hard work of preparation will pay off. Tuesday starts MCAS, and that will be the main focus of the 8th grade. We will try to continue reading our book, but defeating MCAS, with amazing reading and writing skills, is the priority! 

Civics– Civics has moved to a new branch of government that we will be dissecting, analyzing, and understanding. The Presidency is something that can impact our whole nation, but people know little about. We will hopefully change that!! 

Ms. Senior: “The Outsiders” book is coming along with vocabulary being studied plus ELA MCAS practice.  Mathematics involved Re-Writing Equations into Slope-Intercept Form.

SPECIALISTS:

Physical Education: (Mr. Demarais): We will continue with our outdoor team sports activities. As the weather warms up please dress accordingly and bring plenty of water to class.  We will be outside for the remainder of the school year.

Health (Mrs. Reynolds):

grade 5 – Ending Substance Abuse Unit and beginning Nutrition

grade 6 – Ending First Aid Unit and beginning Smoking/Vaping Unit

grade 7 – Beginning Cyberbullying Unit

grade 8 – Continuing on with Mental Health Unit

Students are encouraged to finish all work, even late assignments.  Late assignments will receive a grade up to a B.

Music (Mr. Gariepy): Hello JGW Friends and Families!!! The 3rd Annual JGW Talent Show will air on Thursday, May 27th at 6pm. This will be a virtual broadcast. To watch the show, please visit www.facebook.com/whittiermiddlemusic to like my Facebook page and get the link to the virtual performance!! In Music class, we are finishing a project on the musicals we’ve been watching in class. In Technology, we’ve been using our time in class as an independent study in order to catch up on any missing school work from any class.

REMOTE LEARNING ACADEMY

GRADE 5:

Ms. MacDonald: Science: It’s time to build!!! Students at home will be building and improving their water filters. Students will be working with water so the hope is that they will be responsible with their building, their building area, and their technology. I will stress the importance of being safe and responsible as we become environmental engineers! 

Social studies: Students dove deep into the writing of the Constitution last week. We will continue to spend time learning how our government was formed after the Revolutionary War. 

Ms. Duquette: We have finished our reading of Tuck Everlasting.  Students will be doing some end of novel assessments and activities.  We will be watching the movie and will discuss the similarities and differences between the novel and the movie at the beginning of next week.  I am planning on starting a nonfiction project-based study on the topic of honeybees.  This should begin sometime next week and will continue for a few weeks after.  Students will be reading, writing, discussing, researching, and will even have a guest speaker present information surrounding the topic.  Please make sure that independent reading is encouraged at home.  Reading for at least 20 minutes a day is crucial in your child’s reading development and progress.

Ms. Spadaro: This week, students reviewed adding and subtracting decimals and started using data to create graphs. Next week, students will continue to analyze and represent data. 

GRADE 6:

Mrs. Simes: A big shout out to your student, they worked hard and persevered through two days of ELA and Math MCAS.  In math this week, we will continue to work on learning our standards dealing with statistics.  To show understanding, students will be epidemiologists, investigating a zombie outbreak and use their statistical skills to answer statistical questions and create models.  Students will continue to work on their i-Ready math pathways on Monday and Wednesday during Success Block.  In science, students begin to wonder, “Are modern organisms different from organisms of the past?”  They will use their knowledge from their fossil unit, to be able to use evidence to explain the relationship between fossils and rocks in the dating process. After school help will be on Monday, 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: MCAS is done! The students worked so hard and I am proud of them. In ELA next week, we will be starting a novel that will last through the remainder of the year. This will be a nice change of pace for the students. I believe they will thoroughly enjoy it! Progress reports were available last week. Please be sure that you have accessed them via SchoolBrains. I will be accepting late assignments through the end of next week.  Please note these were from March and April and there was a lot of class time and teacher guidance dedicated to completing them.

In Social Studies, I have bounced around a bit. This was due to the large number of students that had not completed their DBQ essays. (Document Based Questioning) As this essay centered around the civilizations of Egypt and Mesopotamia, I continued with the curriculum in these areas. This way the students could add additional information to their essays. These, too, can be submitted until the end of next week. There will be a small quiz on the two civilizations next week as well. 

GRADE 7:

Ms. Marciano: ELA: We just completed a review on poetry. This week we will be reviewing elements of drama.

SCIENCE: We are working in Unit 12, which is about electric and magnetic forces. 

Mr. LeGrand: Math:  We are continuing our review in preparation for the upcoming MCAS test.  We are also concluding our study of solving problems using equations and inequalities.  Students will be taking their chapter test this week.   

Social Studies:  Students have gained new insight on the development of countries in Western Europe, from the time of the Roman Empire to today.  They have also learned about the rise and fall of many civilizations in the region.  This week, we will review and take our chapter test.   

GRADE 8:

Mr. Harris: We will be taking MCAS, so students should be focused on getting a good night’s sleep, having a healthy breakfast, and trying their best during our 3 days of testing.  Good luck everyone!

Mr. Marinella: ELA-  ELA has been working double time. getting ready for MCAS, and reading The Outsiders. Next week, our hard work of preparation will pay off. Tuesday starts MCAS, and that will be the main focus of the 8th grade. We will try to continue reading our book, but defeating MCAS, with amazing reading and writing skills, is the priority! 

Civics– Civics has moved to a new branch of government that we will be dissecting, analyzing, and understanding. The Presidency is something that can impact our whole nation, but people know little about. We will hopefully change that!! 

Ms. Blanchette: The middle school students have been engaged in grade level curriculum. 8th grade will take MCAS next week. 5th and 6th grade students worked hard to complete their MCAS over the past two weeks. Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns. Have a 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 we worked on “Enabling vs. Supporting”.  Enabling means taking steps that inadvertently reinforce avoidance of discomfort.  Enabling occurs when we allow others to completely avoid uncomfortable situations, provide excessive reassurance, “rescue” students when they feel distress, or provide short-term fixes that are consistent with steps to making long-term progress.

Supporting facilitates or empowers others to take steps toward facing their fears.

Middle School Support Program (Mrs. Leydon & Mr. Diffin): Great job for our 6th graders for completing the MCAS this past week! This coming week will be the 8th graders turn. Yet again, this will affect some of the MSSP groups but everyone will be told ahead of time of the changes or the possible changes. Reach out with any questions. 

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.  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): The SSC has been up and running full steam ahead. Students are adjusting well to the new routines of the classroom since we have returned to full in person learning. The momentum we have created should carry us well through to the end of the school year. Have a great weekend!

Reading Coach/Interventionist (Mrs. Guthrie): This week, 6th grade had MCAS testing.  It has been a very busy week. Next week 8th grade will be MCAS testing. 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!

MEDICATIONS/INHALERS: A reminder to all parents that students cannot self carry medication of any kind without physician orders and an active administration plan in place developed with the school nurse. Please reach out to our nurse’s office with any questions.