MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL & MAIN OFFICE NEWS
Hello J.G. Whittier Families. As we continue to settle in to this school year and recognize how exciting it is to have all of our students back in school, we still recognize that things are still not “normal”. The past 18 months have had some sort of significant impact on everyone, most importantly our children/students. It is important to us here at JGW that we create an environment that feels safe and supportive for ALL students. We recognize that the full transition back into school has been difficult for many, and we will continue to work on consistent structures and routines which students historically thrive on.
I am reaching out to our families and communities for some assistance. The most important message that we are trying to send & spread is one of kindness and respect. In order for ALL students to feel safe and supported, we as a school, student body, staff, and community must be kind and respectful to all. Middle School is a challenging four years if it did not involve a global pandemic in the middle of it, and we certainly understand that not all students are friends, but our message is and will continue to be that despite that, there is no excuse to be unkind or disrespectful to any other individual in our school community.
We will continue to work with and support our students through this transition. We would greatly appreciate any support from our families in reinforcing our message of kindness and respect of all.
Thank you,
Tim Betty
Principal
EARLY RELASE: Wednesday, September 29th is an early release day for all students. Dismissal time will be at 11:05am.
HAVERHILL PUBLIC SCHOOLS HANDBOOK (K-8): Please click on the link below to be connected to our up to date handbook for grades K-8: https://www.haverhill-ps.org/hps-student-handbook/
WATER BOTTLES: Please make sure that your student(s) are bringing a water bottle to school every day. We do have filling stations that you can use throughout the day. At this time we are out of cups due to the volume of students that are asking on a daily basis. It would be greatly appreciated if students brought in their own water bottles to make sure they remain hydrated throughout the day. Thank you.
MASKS: As we continue to adhere to the Massachusett’s State Mandate that all people (students, staff, visitors) are required to wear a mask in the school building, we ask that you please send your student’s to school with a spare mask. Many students have been breaking their masks and need new one’s throughout the school day. We would appreciate families sending students with an extra mask each day. Thank you!
Chromebooks: PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOUR STUDENT IS COMING TO SCHOOL DAILY WITH THEIR CHROMEBOOKS FULLY CHARGED. THANK YOU!!
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.
ATTENDANCE CONTEST: Don’t forget that a student in our school will win a prize for attending school every day this week. We know students get sick, so if you don’t feel well stay home and keep your classmates healthy too. You will have a chance to win each week throughout this month!
Buses: All students must produce a bus pass in order to ride a regular bus. We are no longer taking attendance in the afternoon upon students getting on the bus. That makes it very important that students are paying attention in the afternoon for their buses to be called in order to not miss their bus.
Dress Code: We receive many questions about our school’s dress code. 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
The JGW PTO had a successful 2020-2021 school year. We accomplished a lot! We had a successful cookie fundraiser, dress up days and JGW Apparel fundraiser. We also hosted two virtual Scholastic Book Fair which earned funds for the school library. We were able to sponsor and donate to the following: · $2,000 worth of books for the library · Library drop box · 6 digital scales for the STEM Closet · JGW Thanksgiving Feast · Staff Appreciation Luncheon · Teacher Appreciation Week · Yearbooks, balloons, Kona Ice and carnival for Grade 8 Promotion · 6th grade end of year celebration · NJHS 8th grade celebration
2001-2022 PTO Meeting Dates · September 8th · October 13th · November 10th · December 8th · January 12th · February 9th · March 9th · April 14th · May 11th · June 8th
SPORTS:
SOCCER: Girl’s Practices will be Tuesday & Friday from 3:00-4:30pm. Boy’s Practices will be Tuesday & Thursday from 3:00-4:30pm. JGW’s first game is scheduled for Thursday, September 30th vs. Consentino.
CROSS COUNTRY: There is still time to sign up for cross country! The next practice will be Tuesday morning, September 28th at 7:30am at JGW!
CLUB NEWS:
DANCE TEAM: I am so excited at the Awesome Response to Dance Team and I cannot wait to meet you all on Tuesday October 5th after school. We will discuss songs, costumes, and the overall path Dance Team will lead us down. We will be working on Jazz, Lyrical, Contemporary and Musical Theatre numbers…I can’t wait to start teaching choreography and to watch a group of students become a team. It’s not too late to sign up! Sign up forms are in front of the cafeteria.
See You All Soon Dancers
DISCOVERY CLUB:
Discovery Club Flyer 2021-2022
NATIONAL JUNIOR HONOR SOCIETY: Our first NJHS meeting will be the first in a week in October, Stay tuned for the exact day and time.
JR VIP: There is a Skateland Skate for Peace event planned for Tuesday, 9/28 from 5-7 pm. All Haverhill Public School students and their families are welcome to attend. VIP hopes to see many JGW students there.
Also, the City Wide Walk for Peace is happening Saturday, October 2 starting at 11:00 am. Our JGW Jr. VIP team will be there and invite all JGW students to walk with us behind our banner. Please see flyers around the school or see Mrs. Reynolds for details.
NEWS FROM OUR NURSES OFFICE:
Reminder: The school nurse will be performing BMI screenings beginning on Monday the 27th for all 7th graders! Please notify us if you would like your student to opt out of the screening. Also a reminder to pass in any medical forms that were sent home. 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.
CLASSROOM NEWS:
GRADE 5:
Ms. Simes: In math, students worked on understanding decimal place value and used models to compare and round decimals. This week, students will have a review day and then will complete their Topic 1 assessment. Then, using our Topic 1 knowledge, students will model and use strategies to add and subtract decimals. In science, students were introduced to the scientific writing of the CER. We also completed our observations to our Explore lab. Students will be assessed on Scope 1 this coming week and may use any of their materials from our scope that is organized in their INB. We will then wonder within scope 2, “How do plants keep getting bigger?” After school help will be Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday this week from 2:50 p.m. to 3:20 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. Marciano: ELA – We will continue reading Fish in a Tree. As we have moved through the chapters, students have realized that the characters are changing. We will be discussing the difference between dynamic vs. static characters, and discuss the changes each character is going through.
SS – We are finishing our review of Unit 1 by practicing the ACE strategy for answering short response questions using text evidence. We will move into Unit 2, “The Age of Exploration”.
Ms. Hogan: In social studies this week, we had our first quiz! The quiz was on basic geography, technological advancements, and reasons for exploration. Next week, we will be learning about how the European explorers changed the lives of the people in the Americas. We will be having some great conversations about how the Europeans treated the Native Americans.
Ms. LaCoste: In grade 5 ELA (red, orange, yellow, and green), students shared their long term book report book choices. We’ve reviewed expectations and looked at a sample project. The due date for the project is October 27, so your students still have plenty of time to work on them! On Thursday, students took their second reading quiz of the year. The quiz covered chapters 4-6 of How to Steal a Dog. Grades are recorded on your student’s Google Classroom. Next week, our reading instruction will shift a bit. We’ll continue to read our novel, but we’ll also integrate a few interactive read alouds and focus on “Empathy” as our theme. We will compare texts and students will practice developing written responses to the texts we’ve covered. As always, feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns! alacoste@haverhill-ps.org
Ms. Consolazio: In science, we are continuing to work on our first scope Energy Transfer. Students are learning about food webs and food chains and where they get their energy. We started our first experiment last week. Students observed plants with and without sunlight and saw what happens when plants are kept in the dark. Students are also beginning to learn about how to write claim, evidence, and reasoning for a topic. Also known as CER. This will help improve their writing skills.
Mr. Kelly: We will be going to working on adding and subtracting with decimals next week. This will be the last topic before we move into multiplication. The students will have homework every Monday through Thursday on GoogleClassroom. There are help videos in GoogleClassroom too. The homework will be due on Friday.
Ms. Lees: In fifth grade ELA the Orange and Green groups will continue to read How to Steal a Dog
discussing character traits and plot. In Math students will delve deeper to understand Place
Value and decimals with rounding and estimating. Work on individual goals inclusive.
Ms. Blanchette: The 5th graders are working with the place value system and are exploring decimal numbers and writing those numbers in standard form, expanded form, base ten form and word form in math. In ELA students continue to read the novel by Lynda Mullaly Hunt, “Fish in a Tree”. Students are exploring how the main character, Ally, develops and grows over the course of the story.
I will be offering extra help on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting next week. Please look out for an email from me with more details. If you have any questions please reach out to me.
GRADE 6:
6th Grade SS: We have taken a time machine back 2 million years to Prehistory (time before writing) and wondering if we could have survived. Students are learning what it was like to live as a Paleolithic Nomad in search of food and studying the effects of the Ice Age; our essential question being- How do People Adapt to their Environment? Students will be moving into the Paleolithic age and seeing how people’s lives changed dramatically after the Agricultural Revolution. Students will be creating their very own “Neolithic Cafe” creating dishes with only the foods our early ancestors were able to get. Looking forward to seeing what yummy creations they come up with!
Ms. Hamel: Students have really begun to catch on to how ELA class works! We are beginning chapters 4-6 reading and notetaking; focusing on Characters, References, Connections and Predictions (4 Q Notes). Students have received their second homework packet and are working on vocabulary from the story as well as answering comprehension questions that go along with each chapter.
We are really getting into Percy’s crazy ride from being a 6th grader to falling into the world of Greek Mythology where at every turn there is a new monster or god to deal with. I am proud of our students and how focused they are on the story and how engaged they are in class discussions… Way to God Greek God Go Getters!
Ms. Silveira: In science, we are discovering gravitational forces and what causes the amount of gravitational force to change. Next week in math, we are going back to work on becoming more fluent in adding, subtracting and multiplying decimals.
Mr. Taylor: We continue on in Percy Jackson.Chapters 7-9 this week as we move on. Vocabulary and comprehension are our main focuses going forward. Packets are out on Monday
Mr. LeGrand: This week we are focusing on multiplying and dividing with decimals. In grade 5 students divided whole numbers with two-digit divisors and divided decimals by whole numbers and decimals. In this lesson, students will divide multi-digit whole numbers and decimals through thousandths.
Ms. Lane: The students are finishing up the first Unit about Earth’s place in the universe with “Earth, Sun and Moon Systems”. They filled out a guided practice and phases of the moon practice sheet to learn these phases & it was followed by a quiz on the Phases of the Moon. This week they reviewed Rotation, Revolution and Eclipses for the Unit Test that will be on Tuesday 9/28. We used Phet Simulation and the students took great pleasure in using this simulation and were told that if they worked in Engineering, NASA or if they became Astronauts or Astronomers they might use equipment of this nature someday.
GRADE 7:
Mrs. Berthiaume: Students must bring a charged Chromebook to every class. We use apps in ClassLink for ELA and Social Studies. We really got into “Rikki-tkki-tavi” activities in ELA this week using StudySync, our new app. In Social Studies, we had a short vocabulary quiz and wrote our own proverbs after reading about Buddha. Please check Google Classroom and School Brains for updates. Thank you.
Mrs. Trombly: Mrs Trombly’s math classes have finished integers and will be moving onto rational numbers involving fractions, decimals, negatives and positives. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Please use the REMIND app or email if you need to get in touch with me.
Mrs. MacKinnon: We are already finished with the first month of school!! All students are getting into their routines. We just finished up our unit on plant and animal reproduction and the kids did excellent on their exam!!! We will begin Our BIG unit on ecosystems, we will be starting with competition in ecosystems and talking about invasive vs native species and including resource availability within the ecosystem.
Ms. DiGloria: In Grade 7 Blue and Green groups, students in English will be engaging with part of a graphic novel, Nimona. Students will then be completing a mini-project on a character of their choice from the graphic novel. In Social Studies, we will be moving deeper into Ancient India history. We will complete some textbook reading and practice reading timelines for the first time this year. Students will have an open-notes quiz on the timeline. Grades on the SchoolBrains portal are updated a few times weekly; please keep track of your student’s progress. If you have questions, please direct them to me via email: krista.digloria@haverhill-ps.org.
Mr. Auger: Hello everyone! This week in 7th grade science we completed our unit on plant and animal reproduction. We had our first test of the term on Friday. Next week will start with our next unit, Ecosystems. We will spend the next 2 months expanding our knowledge of this large topic. In my 7th grade Social Studies class we are wrapping up our first unit, South Asia, and we did our first writing assignment on the impact of Monsoons in the region. Next week we will transition into Central Asia, starting with the geography of the region.
Mr. Harris: Students have been working hard to build a lot of the foundational understanding that will carry them through the rest of their math careers, by learning the different rules for adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing integers. We will spiral through each of these operations again, this time using rational numbers – that is, positive and negative whole numbers, fractions, and decimals.
Ms. Bilmazes & Ms. Holmes: Mrs. Holmes and I have been meeting, during the success block, with those students who have pull-out support in Math and ELA. In addition, students are receiving support in the classroom from myself, Mrs. Holmes, and/or Ms. Credit. In ELA, students have finished reading the story Riki Tiki Tavi and are wrapping up activities in regards to the story. In Math, students are continuing to work on subtracting positive and negative integers. As always, feel free to reach out with any questions. Have a wonderful weekend!
GRADE 8:
Mr. Lewis: In English, we are continuing to read Flowers For Algernon. Our lessons are putting an emphasis on empathy. We also started our first writing assignment exploring a metaphor.
Ms. Deblasis: We are continuing to work on Topic 1: Real Numbers. This week we will be learning the properties for integer exponents.
Mr. Marinella: ELA– Hello! ELA is still trying to read and learn different types of stories, starting by exploring Mysteries!! Dissecting them in order to understand how authors craft spooky and suspenseful accounts. This unit will go through the spookiest time of the year, October. We start with a look at Edgar Allen Poe and how he creates elements of fear and suspense in his writing, and what we can learn from it! We are also going to focus on writing about what we read. Taking info from one or multiple sources and using that help convey our ideas and thoughts will be a recurring thing in room 15! I also encourage all students to have an independent reading book with them. We have time dedicated to learning and reading what we want to! But this works best if your student shows up to class with that already decided.
Civics– Civics is changing gears from looking at the people who make up this, how they got here and what they believe, to now looking at how the country itself got here. We begin by looking at the 13 colonies and what drove us to independence.
Ms. Sullivan: This week in science we will continue our unit on “Motion of Planets”. We will be learning vocabulary,reading and doing hands-on activities about gravity in our solar system. Please email me anytime with questions csullivan@haverhill-ps.org.
Mr. Harris: Students are continuing to learn about Real Numbers. We closed the week looking at how to solve equations that involve square and cube roots. This will transition into learning about all of the exponent rules – specifically how to multiply, and divide numbers that involve exponents (ex. 3^4 x 3^6 = 3^10)
Ms. MacKinnon: We are already finished with the first month of school!! All students are getting into their routines. We are starting on the second unit in astronomy and talking about the planets and how everything orbits around the sun. We will also be learning about the tides and how the moon affects them. Lastly we will be finishing up on asteroids, meteors, and comets.
Ms. Senior: Metaphors with visual support are helping the students conceptualize this important element of prose in the ELA classroom, as we continue to read “Flowers For Algernon” as a whole class. The human experience includes waves of empathy or lack of empathy…in this story students explore the consequences of both situations and it’s eye-opening. In Mathematics, students will delve into “Power of a Power Rule” in which a number is raised to a higher power and exponents are multiplied. The beginnings of algebra are being worked with, when students input variables vs. numbers.
Ms. Blanchette: In 8th grade students are continuing to learn topic 1 in math. They will be exploring square roots, cube roots and exponents with integers. In ELA students are learning about connotative words and how these connotations can impact the stories. The students will continue to read mysteries through short stories and poems.
I will be offering extra help on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting next week. Please look out for an email from me with more details. If you have any questions please reach out to me.
SPECIALISTS:
Physical Education: (Mr. Demarais): We are continuing to head outside as much as possible. We start with a warm up walk followed by team and individual games. We are currently focusing on soccer and lacrosse skills.
Art (Ms. Boulger): The students are working on various individual art projects based on written proposals at school. They are making amazing artwork!
We are looking for frames, old records, and empty containers to store mixed paint. If you have any of those items to donate, please send them in.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact Ms.Boulger at emily.boulger@haverhill-ps.org
Collaborative Artwork by Jade, Lanyia, Cynthia, and Riley
Red 8
Health (Ms. Reynolds): grade 5 finishing our unit on Safety with a review game.
grade 6 is learning good communication skills to improve our relationships with others
grade 7 will be starting our unit on Anger Management and
grade 8 is beginning their drug awareness slideshow project.
Music (Mr. Gariepy): JGW BOWLING NIGHT FUNDRAISER
Join Mr. Gariepy and a bunch of your friends for a fun afternoon of bowling and prizes!! On Friday, October 15th, $15 (or $20 for parents/immediate family members only) will get any participant a game of bowling (with shoes), 4 arcade tokens, a slice of pizza, a drink, and an afternoon of fun and games!! For every spare earned, the person who scores will receive 2 arcade tokens. For every strike, the person who scores will receive a raffle ticket for the gift cards that are being raffled off. There will also be concessions like chips, cookies, brownies, and extra pizza for sale. Whoever earns 1st place on Friday, October 15th will win a $25 Vanilla Visa gift card!!
RAFFLE PRIZES
Raffle tickets will be sold at the event for $10 and $25 gift cards to various places as well. Tickets will be sold for 1 for $1, 3 for $2, and 8 for $5. Prizes will be drawn around 5:15pm.
BEAT MR. G
Throughout the event, students will have the chance to “Beat Mr. G” by bowling “2 boxes” or 6 bowling balls against him. If they win, they will earn a raffle ticket for the gift cards and will also earn the opportunity to throw a whipped cream pie at Mr. G’s face at the end of the event.
RSVP
To participate, students must return the RSVP form NO LATER than Friday, October 8th. Payment is due upon turning in the form. Students can get the form from Mr. G at school.
RULES
Masks will be required by all attendees, regardless of vaccination status, or if they’re an adult or a child. School rules apply at this event, and anyone who is not in compliance with the school rules will be asked to leave the event without a refund.
Willy Wonka Jr.
Mr. Gariepy is super excited to announce the cast list of Willy Wonka Jr. has been posted!! We’re still looking for Oompa Loompas and ensemble cast members to join the cast. If you’re interested, please see Mr. Gariepy in the Cafeteria at school or email him at robert.gariepy@haverhill-ps.org
Library (Ms. Michitson): Hello JG Whittier families. The library classes are continuing with their reading programs and things are going well.
Next week I will be introducing the 8th grade, a few times per week the local paper. We will learn many things from the paper, such as Current events, jobs, services, what is going on in and around their city.
Please note that if the news is not positive on a particular day I will plan another assignment.
Technology (Mr. Gordon): Technology classes are continuing to work on Digital Literacy (internet safety, cyberbullying, etc.), with a little coding and digital art mixed in.
SCHOOL SUPPORT STAFF
Guidance (Ms. Vlahos): I continue to be available to connect with and support all students and families throughout the school week. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me at jvlahos@haverhill-ps.org. I look forward to our continued work in support of a healthy, safe, and successful school year!
Student Support Coordinator (Mr. Newell): I am available to help support students and their families in any way possible. Please email me with any questions, thank you.
Student Adjustment Counselor (Ms. Midolo): This week’s focus: Behavioral Activation. Behavioral activation in the school setting can take many forms, such as a quick mood-boosting activity. It is important for our students to learn that engaging in regular activities involves social interaction that in turn provides a sense of accomplishment. Behavioral activation means identifying activities and incorporating them into daily life with the goal of improving mood and quality of life. Have a great weekend!
Mental Health Awareness
In an effort to recognize that staff are doing well and emphasize self-care, JGW is designating Friday October 1st as a day to wear green for mental health awareness.
This is a great idea to extend district-wide for our support teams and for those champions of social emotional learning.
We invite all of YOU (staff, students and families) to please join us in wearing green for mental health awareness on Friday October 1st.
There is also a website that sells themed t-shirts but we don’t know how long it will take for items to arrive. The products are pretty cute and relevant. https://selfcareisforeveryone.com/. Amazon might have items too just as another thought..
Student Adjustment Counselor (Ms. White): Hello families! This year’s focus will be supporting the emotional health and wellness of the kids as we continue to navigate all of the ongoing changes and adjustments. We will also focus on managing our emotions, developing positive relationships with peers, setting and achieving positive goals and making responsible decisions. It has been nice to settle into a routine and begin this work! Please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns: shelby.white@haverhill-ps.org
Middle School Support Program (Mrs. Leydon & Mr. Diffin): We are off and running! Tests and quizzes have begun so it is critical students are studying and looking over their previous work. We continue to have our groups and working together as a group. Looking forward to ending the first full month of school on a great note!
Parent Liaison (Ms. Arias-Reyes): Si tienen una pregunta o preocupación y necesitan un intérprete no duden en contactarme. Estaré más que feliz de poder ayudarlos a comunicarse con los maestros de sus hijos y el personal de la escuela. Mi horario es de 8:30am a 3:30 pm y mi número es 781-666-4085 y mi correo electrónico es maria.ariasreyes@haverhill-ps.org, me pueden llamar, mandar un mensaje de texto o enviarme un correo electrónico. También tienen la opción de llamar a la escuela directamente para contactarme o usar la aplicación Remind, esta aplicación manda los mensajes directamente a mi computadora. ¡Que tengan un lindo fin de semana!
ELL (Ms. Khakali & Pepicelli-Raposo): This week our English language learners are working on identifying and color coding the parts of a paragraph using the Writing With Colors strategy. Our Newcomer class is working on greetings, colors, numbers and simple present tense verb To Be. TIP: A great way to practice a second language is Duolingo – download the free app or go to duolingo.com and have fun language learning!
Student Support Center (Mrs. Greenwood): Mrs. Greenwood and Miss House have SSC up and running. We are going to have a spectacular school year. All of the kids bring us happiness and optimism every day. Middle School kids are the best. Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns. We are here to make every child’s school day their best days.
Reading Intervention Team (Ms. Guthrie, Ms. Carney, Ms. Trovato): Hello from the Reading interventionist Team, We continue to administer Fountas and Pinnell benchmark assessments on all of our 5th grade students. We hope to have this done by next week. Our 6th, 7th and 8th grade have begun working with StudySync this week. The teachers have been working so hard to get this up and running and working out any kinks. Next week we will be pushing into the classrooms and are excited to get to know all of our students and their styles.
Math Coach (Mr. Stelzer): Most of our students have completed the first iReady diagnostic. Based on data gleaned from the iReady diagnostic, we are compiling small math intervention groups for the first six-week intervention cycle. The groups will meet during the Success block.