MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL & MAIN OFFICE NEWS
KINDNESS WEEK:
Great job Poets! Kindness Week was a HUGE success!
For those that value kindness, Random Acts of Kindness Week encourages our students out there to be loud about how easy it is to give to others. This week, we as a school centered around making kindness a standard for others to follow to make society a better place to live in.
This week was all about showing appreciation for those around you, seeing others in need and taking action, and instilling kindness in today’s youth so the future can look a little brighter.
Thank you to all that helped support us in spreading kindness throughout our school!! Enjoy the video and pictures below
FIRST ANNUAL PUMPKIN WALK: I hope students and families are carving pumpkins for our upcoming 1st Annual Pumpkin walk next Thursday, October 28th at 7pm here at JGW. You can bring in your carved pumpkins between Tuesday and Thursday next week, and we will put them out and light them up on the night of the 28th for all to see. Make sure to put your name and homeroom number on the pumpkins. This is a homeroom contest, so the homeroom that brings in the most carved pumpkins will win a pizza party with cupcakes.
First Annual Whittier Pumpkin walk
KIMBALL FARM CORN MAZE: The National Junior honor society will be hosting a “Whittier corn maze night out” on November 4th. Please see the link for the flyer with all details: corn maze
PICTURE RETAKE DAY: Picture re-take day will be on Wednesday, November 10th. See attached flyer: https://www.barksdalestorefront.com/shop/login/?ac=1001092AR
PTO UPDATES
We have hit the 500 mark on the number of boxes of cookies sold! This is the last weekend to sell. All orders and payments are due Monday. Great job everyone. Keep selling and earning those prizes!!!
Please see below for instructions to sign up and all of this year’s prizes:
_ JG Whittier Cookie Fundraiser Instructions 2021
_ JG Whittier Cookie Fundraiser Prizes 2021
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
KIMBALL FARM CORN MAZE: corn maze
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/
MASKS: As we continue to adhere to the Massachusetts’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!!
JGW Chromebook Policy
We understand that “things happen” and from time-to-time students will forget to charge their Chromebook or leave it at home. Unfortunately, this is becoming a habit for some students and is happening far too often overall. Students were made aware at the beginning of the school year that the expectation is for ALL students to bring their fully-charged Chromebook to school each day.
The supply of extra Chromebooks is limited. Because of this, we are implementing a borrowing policy here at JGW for Chromebooks and chargers. Students who forget their Chromebooks, bring them to school uncharged, or do not return a borrowed Chromebook the same day will be given consequences as follows:
First Offense: Student will be issued a warning
Second Offense: Parents/Guardians will be called
Third Offense or More: Student will be given after-school detention
**These consequences will reset for all students each trimester.
If a student loses or damages a Chromebook or charger and the student needs to be issued another device, the family will be charged a fee for the replacement. Typically, the Chromebook replacement fee will be $199.00 and the charger replacement fee will be $39.00.
It is very important for students to come to school with charged and functioning Chromebooks. The devices are used in most, if not all classes; including music and art. We are asking families to be partners with the JGW in this, and remind your children to charge their Chromebooks and bring them to school every day.
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.
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:
SPORTS:
SOCCER: Tuesday, October 26th both the girl’s and boy’s teams will travel to Consentino to take on Nettle for the final game of the regular season.
Playoffs: Wednesday October 27th 3:30 game start
Consentino vs Nettle @ Consentino,girls first
Whittier vs Hunking @ Hunking, girls first
Winners will advance to the Finals
Finals will be played at the high school on Nov 4 game starting @ 3:30
CROSS COUNTRY: Congratulations to the grade 6-8 Cross Country team! The girls finished 3rd and the boys finished 4th in the City Championship!! Next up, grade 5 will compete on Monday at 4:45 at Winnekenni. The grade 6-8 Invitational against Methuen and North Andover will be after school on Thursday.
SKI CLUB: Ski Club takes place Fridays, starting on January 7th and runs for 6 weeks
-Lift tickets are valid from 3pm-7pm.
-Transportation to and from the mountain must be provided by parents
-Ski club members must be able to ride the ski lift and ski/snowboard independently in order to participate in the program.
-Parent Lodge Monitors will be onsite for the duration of Ski Club to assist the students in the lodge.
-Ski Club enrollment packets and payment will be due Friday, November 12th.
-Please email Ski Club Coordinator Amie Moscaritolo with any questions.
CLUB NEWS:
NATIONAL JUNIOR HONOR SOCIETY: The National Junior Honor society is putting on a helping hands drive, which will be running from now through November 12th. We are collecting canned goods and toiletries to families in need of these items and bringing them to the Universal Unitarian church.
JR VIP: Jr. VIP next meeting date Tuesday, November 9th after school in the art room from 245 -345
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS CLUB: Next meeting will be Tuesday, 10/26 after school.
Willy Wonka Jr.: WE ARE LOOKING FOR ANY AND ALL AVAILABLE HELP FOR THE FALL MUSICAL!
If this is something that might interest you, please follow this link: https://forms.gle/xVKhhAZkoA4Cyvj3A
NEWS FROM OUR NURSES OFFICE:
The nurses will begin working on our annual immunization review! If your student has any updated health forms or immunization records, please send a copy to us. 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: Grade 5 Math/Science (Blue/Purple Group) In math, students began Topic 3 – Fluently Multiply Multi-Digit Whole Numbers. They continue to make connections to past knowledge of place value, powers of ten, and rounding as we learn strategies to multiply multi-digit numbers by 1-digit numbers, as well as 2-digit numbers by 2-digit numbers. In science, students completed their Explore lab and completed their assessment for this scope. This week, we begin to wonder, “Do all organisms eat plants?” After school help will be Monday and Tuesday this week from 2:45 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. Hogan: This week in social studies, we spent the beginning of the week working on a trading card for a European explorer. Every student chose a European explorer, researched the explorer, and put the information together to make a trading card! So many of the trading cards came out awesome! I will be grading them soon and they will go home next week. On Thursday and Friday, we started to talk about our DBQ essay. This DBQ will be based on the most important reasons for European exploration. Next week, we will analyze the sources for the DBQ and we will start to organize our essays.
Ms. LaCoste: In fifth grade ELA we are almost finished with How to Steal a Dog. This past week we worked on the techniques foreshadowing and flashback and how they support our understanding of the texts. Next week, we’ll complete the last 3 chapters, review all of the vocabulary words and comprehension skills that we’ve covered so far and work on a cumulative activity.
Don’t forget, next Wednesday, October 27, the timeline book reports are due. Please contact me with any questions regarding the assignment. Directions and a checklist can be found on your student’s ELA Google Classroom.
Extra help sessions will be on Tuesday afternoons until 3:15. Please let me know if there is a week that your child will attend.
Ms. Consolazio: In science, we had our second quiz and will be moving on to food webs. Students will learn about producers, consumers, and decomposers. As one of our experiments we will make a classroom compost. For the experiment, I will need 2 liter bottles. If it is possible to donate them to the class that would be very helpful. Please make sure students bring their Chromebooks charged every day.
Mr. Kelly: We have been working through the beginning of Multi-Digit Multiplication. Next week, we will be working on using the Standard Algorithm. This strategy is the most efficient and the strategy all students use to multiply for the rest of their academic career. We will be using this strategy as we move into multiplying with Decimals. Reminder: There is homework every Monday through Thursday.
Ms. Lees: We are looking forward to our first annual pumpkin stroll!!Please let us know if anyone is in need of a pumpkin. In fifth grade ELA the Orange and Green groups will finish How to Steal a Dog using Reading is Thinking strategies – Summarizing, Connecting, Visualizing,Inferring, Predicting, and Questioning as well as exploring different ways of how to talk and write about their reading. This has been a fun book for the students to begin their year. We will be moving on to reading in small groups and sharing our thoughts in words and writing. In Math students will begin to learn the standard algorithm for multi-digit multiplication and strengthen math fact skills. Those students with individual goals will continue towards achievement. Please reach out if after school or before school help will support your student.
Ms. Blanchette: Students in blue group are exploring the different tools and strategies we can use to help us multiply multi digit numbers in math. In ELA students are reading short stories and answering comprehension questions in complete sentences. Extra help with Ms. Blanchette is after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:45-3:30. Please reach out with any questions. Have a great week!
GRADE 6:
GRADE 6 Social Studies: Students continue on their Document Based Question (DBQ) essay. Students are working on finding evidence in their 7 documents to answer the question “Why was the Neolithic Revolution an important era in history?” Using their own background knowledge combined with what they have read and learned in class, students are working hard on their essays.
We will be moving into Southwest Asia where the continents of Asia, Africa and Europe meet. Some of the world’s earliest civilizations started here and we will begin our journey where civilizations would rise and fall.
Ms. Hamel: This week our students worked on Nouns: common, proper and abstract. Students did a great job differentiating nouns and using them properly within context. We also read a great excerpt from the book The Mighty Miss Malone about a young girl who experiences racism during the Great Depression. Students were thoughtful in their writing responses and classroom discussions. Next week we will move into working with a drama (play) where students are able to read for parts and compare and contrast different types of readings. Students will understand the difference between being able to “hear and see” how a character feels and what they think compared to discovering these things through dialogue and stage directions. Students will also be working on Root words with the Latin prefixes of “tri and quad.” Homework packets are due on Friday.
Ms. Silveira: In science next week we will be looking at different types of materials and seeing what happens when we mix them together.
In math, we’re going to take everything we have learned from the last couple of weeks and work on multi-step word problems.
Please check School Brains weekly for your child’s grades! If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to email me.
Ashley.Silveira@haverhill-ps.org
Mr. Taylor: continuing to practice analyzing and predicting while reading Percy Jackson. Grammar and vocabulary will also be a focus.
Mr. LeGrand: Students have been learning how to use models and equations to divide with fractions. Students are able to show and explain how to use models and equations to represent fraction division. This week, students are learning to divide with mixed numbers and solve multistep problems with fractions and decimals.
Ms. Lane: The students are learning how to think like a Scientist by using the Claim Evidence and Reasoning (CER) discipline and learning how to use their Science packets filled with Experiments, Graphic Organizers and Explore Activities in order to learn how to record information on their CER Packets. Students will learn how to record their thoughts about the question during their investigations of important Science Discoveries, during their mission of Gravity and Planets. They learned how to make a claim about Gravitational Force, and provide evidence to support that claim with three different experiments. They also learned how to elaborate, expand their claim and evidence and then how to write about them with their own reasoning.
Ms. Tarbox: All students with ELA goals targeting fluency, decoding, and reading comprehension will have their levels tested soon using the Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment. Results will be emailed home to parents/guardians. All services have continued to be delivered consistently. Please reach out to Mrs. Tarbox with any questions at any time, mtarbox@haverhill-ps.org.
GRADE 7:
Mrs. Berthiaume: In ELA, we are reading “Seventh Grade” by Gary Soto. Students did a fantastic job with their comics based on the story! In Social Studies, we will be working on the fall DBQ (ancient China).
Mrs. Trombly: Students continue their work on rational numbers with multiplication and division. We will be testing the middle of next week on Topic one rational numbers.
Social studies will be working on our DBQ’s over the next few weeks.
Mrs. MacKinnon: In science classes, students are finishing up relationships and competition in ecosystems. They will be having a big test on both sections on Tuesday October 26th. From there the students will be going into the dynamic nature of ecosystems. Here they will be learning an organisms niche in the food chain. They will learn the difference between a food web and food chain. Hope everyone had a nice weekend
Ms. DiGloria: In Grade 7 Green and Blue ELA, students will be wrapping up our Conflict and Clashes unit by finishing a short essay on our essential question. Then, students will get some practice with spooky context clues task cards, and read a creepy story by Roald Dahl and think about foreshadowing. In Social Studies, students will be working on their district benchmark essay, the DBQ. Our DBQ is on Chinese inventions and their impact on our world. Please reach out with questions or concerns, and please check your child’s progress on Google Classroom or the portal frequently. Grades for report cards will be closing in about a month.
Mr. Auger: Hello everyone! This week in my 7th grade science class we are finishing our unit on relationships in ecosystems. Students engaged in various activities this week to learn about the different types of interactions that can be found in different ecosystems. Next week students will have their first test on ecosystems and we will be moving into our next unit which discusses the flow of energy in ecosystems. This unit will explore different types of food chains commonly seen in nature. In my social studies class, students have spent the week working on essays discussing the characteristics and accomplishments of the leader Ashoka in Ancient India. This will lead us into next week’s topic which is our first document based question (DBQ).
Mr. Harris: 7 Green Math – Students have completed Unit 1 on Rational Numbers and are jumping into Unit 2 – Analyze and Use Proportional Relationships. In this unit students will look at ratios, rates, and unit rates, as well as being able to describe relationships using a constant of proportionality. This will lead into solving percent based problems.
7 Blue Math – Students are nearing the end of Unit 1, having just finished working on multiplying and dividing positive and negative fractions and decimals. Students will finish this unit by using the skills they’ve built on all four operations with positive and negative numbers to solve word problems. Our Unit 1 test is just around the corner.
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 The Monsters are Due on Maple Street and are wrapping up the conflicts and clashes unit as well as writing paragraphs in regards to the story. In Math, students are continuing to work on rational numbers, having just completed a quiz on multiplying and dividing positive and negative decimals and fractions. As always, feel free to reach out with any questions.
GRADE 8:
Mr. Lewis: ELA class read Edgar Allan Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart. We used the story to reinforce and practice our thesis writing skills. We also talked about mood/atmosphere in stories and how writers create it.
Ms. Deblasis: We will begin Topic 2: Analyze and Solve Linear Equations. This topic will include: combining like terms, solving equations with variables on both sides, solving multi-step problems, equations with no solution & infinitely many solutions, comparing proportional relationships, connecting proportional relationships & slope, analyzing linear equations: y=mx, understanding the y-intercept of a line, and analyzing linear equations: y=mx + b.
Mr. Marinella: ELA- In English we have started a new Novel, A Night to Remember! This story is about the tragic first voyage of the Titanic. Students will be reading a collection of first hand accounts as well as a narrative overview of the story. We will be highlighting heroism from passengers and crew, and doing our best to understand a new literary technique called irony!
Civics– Civics is still trying to understand how the US government was created. The Founding Fathers didn’t just make it up as they went, they researched different governments throughout history in order to find the right pieces for the American people. Our class is currently doing the same. We are looking at the different roots the Founding Fathers explored, and researching what they researched. The culminating project for this unit is a DBQ. This is basically an essay that pulls from different historical documents to answer a question. This DBQ is a long assignment and an important one, be sure to ask your student questions about their progress so they don’t miss vital parts and due dates!
Ms. Sullivan: This week we will be working on Plate Tectonics and how it shaped our Earth. We will also be exploring volcanoes, earthquakes and tsunamis.
Mr. Harris: Purple and Blue – We have completed Unit 1 on Real Numbers and are beginning our work on Unit 2 – Analyze and Solve Linear Equations. In this unit students will learn how to solve complex equations which have variables on both sides, combine like terms, and how to graph a line and express that graph as an equation.
Ms. MacKinnon: The students are finishing up Earth’s materials. They have mastered the rock cycle, and Earth’s layers. We will be learning a bit more about plate tectonics and doing a graham cracker lab to show the movement of plates. They will be having a test on the material next Thursday or Friday. Hope everyone had a nice weekend
Mrs. Mackinnon
Ms. Senior: Visits from Mr. S were enjoyed by Math students as he showcased a novel way to learn working with like terms/thinking about algebra. Students will see Mr. S again for more fun lessons. Edgar Allen Poe’s spooky stories are being studied as students in ELA class get to interpret the themes artistically via their drawings. October’s lessons will continue with more horror stories!
Ms. Blanchette: Blue group is reading the novel “A Night to Remember” by Walter Lord. We are exploring new vocabulary and answering comprehension questions as we read in ELA class. Students just completed topic 1 in math about real numbers and will begin topic 2 next week about analyzing and solving linear equations. Extra help with Ms. Blanchette is after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:45-3:30. Please reach out with any questions. Have a great week!
SPECIALISTS:
Physical Education: (Mr. Demarais): Our classes are currently working on a net games unit. We will be working on skills for badminton, volleyball, and tennis. As always please be sure to dress for the weather as we will be outside for our 1/2 mile walk.
Art (Ms. Boulger): The students in 5,6,7,8 red and green groups have been working on a variety of assignments such as paintings, flip book drawings and murals.
The art department is looking for donations of the following:
new/ used sports equipment (specifically footballs, and basketballs)
new/used frames
new/used/ unused jars to store mixed paint.
Artwork by Evelyn
Health (Ms. Reynolds): Health grade 5- We are finishing our unit on Drug Awareness and will be starting a Nutrition Unit in late October. The Puberty Unit will begin in November and opt out permission slips will be available in 2 weeks.
Health grade 6- This week we are starting the Body Systems short unit before we begin the Puberty Unit that was missed last year. This will take place in November and we will end the unit and trimester with several classes on Body Changes and a Puberty overall review. Opt out permission slips will be available in 2 weeks.
Health grade 7 – A short unit on Advertising begins this week. We will be exploring alcohol and smoking ads as well as persuasive ads for items that target students. Permission slips will soon be available for the Reproductive System Unit that will end Term 1.
Health grade 8 – Our Violence Prevention Unit begins this week. We will look at Violence in our community and in our schools and how to stay safe and healthy. Ways to prevent violence will be discussed as well as de-escalating strategies to maintain a peaceful atmosphere. Permission slips to opt out of a Reproductive System review unit will be available in early November. The Reproductive System and Healthy Relationships will end our Health curriculum for grade 8 in Term 1.
Music (Mr. Gariepy): Hello JGW Friends and Families!! In Music class, we’ve been working on learning how to play the guitar. Students are able to obtain their own instrument and practice for almost the entire class. Right now, they are learning how to play E, F#, and G#, and next week we’ll start to learn how to play some chords.
Library (Ms. Michitson): Good day Whittier Friends. In the Library we are continuing with our reading contest, winners will be announced November 8th. Next week we will be focusing on circulars. Students will look into planning meals, following cost prices over a week and see differences in name brands vs store brands. Please reach out if you have any questions. Thank you
Technology (Mr. Gordon): This week the Technology classes we used the time to finish up existing assignments and to “test drive” new coding and design resources.
- CodeSpark Academy
- kleki.com
- Sumopaint.com
SCHOOL SUPPORT STAFF
Guidance (Ms. Vlahos): I will begin visiting all 7th grade classes to present important information on the high school options and important information regarding preparation for high school transition and admissions. I look forward to meeting with the 7th graders!
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): Great job Poets! Kindness Week was a HUGE success!
For those that value kindness, Random Acts of Kindness Week encourages our students out there to be loud about how easy it is to give to others. This week, we as a school centered around making kindness a standard for others to follow to make society a better place to live in.
This week was all about showing appreciation for those around you, seeing others in need and taking action, and instilling kindness in today’s youth so the future can look a little brighter.
Thank you to all that helped support us in spreading kindness throughout our school!!
Student Adjustment Counselor (Ms. White): It was so nice to see the students embrace Kindness Week. We continue to discuss the importance of being kind to one another and respecting each other! Please reach out with any questions or concerns: shelby.white@haverhill-ps.org
Middle School Support Program (Mrs. Leydon & Mr. Diffin): We had so many students showing kindness this week! Our groups are doing well, and we are continuing to work on being a friend and what that looks like. Please reach out with any questions or concerns.
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. RECORDATORIO: El miércoles 27 de octubre de 2021 es un mediodía para los estudiantes, serán despachados a las 11:05am.
ELL (Ms. Khakali & Corporan): This week we welcomed our new ELL teacher, Ms. Corporan! Our Level 3,4, & 5 ELs are reading about schools around the world. Next week we will compare and contrast schools around the world and write comparison paragraphs. Newcomer ELs, are finishing up Unit 1: “All About Me” and will be completing their Identity projects.
Student Support Center (Mrs. Greenwood): SSC is thankful for all the people who put together and participated in KINDNESS WEEK. We are here to support all students to make sure that they have a great year. If you have any questions please contact Mrs. Greenwood or Miss House. Have a great weekend.
Reading Intervention Team (Ms. Guthrie, Ms. Carney, Ms. Trovato): The literacy team is up and running! Interventionists and coaches are working with teachers, small groups, classes and individual students. Both Studycynch and Fountas and Pinnell (our ELA programs for middle school) are being implemented and we are making great strides. The teachers and students are working to create interesting lessons that incorporate higher order thinking. I am extremely proud of all their work and tenacity. Please remember to have your child charge their chromebook so that your child can participate in these platforms in school. Have a great weekend.