Principal’s Weekly Update (11/15-11/19

MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL & MAIN OFFICE NEWS

November News: JGW is proud of all students who were selected as October winners in our newly formed Star Poet Society. These students were recognized by their teachers for being positive members of our school community and standout students during the month of October. For the month of November, our school theme is generosity. Throughout the month (and beyond), we hope to see students be kind, be helpful, and be willing to share and support others. November winners will be students who embody this theme.

 

3rd ANNUAL JGW THANKSGIVING FEAST: We are hosting our 3rd Annual Thanksgiving Day Feast, Drive Thru style on Thursday, November 18th from 4:00pm-7:00pm. All families should have signed up through the link that was emailed each day the week of 11/8-11/12. We will send out an email with details for the night of the event by the middle of the week. We hope to see you all there!!

 

COMMUNITY/HOLIDAY RESOURCES: https://www.haverhill-ps.org/haverhill-community-programs/

 

VACCINE CLINIC: HPS GLFHC Vaccine Clinics

 

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/

 

HPS NEWS:

Parent Coaching Flyer –

Parent Coaching Flyer- Spanish

 

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: Dress Code Policy (HPS)

 

PTO UPDATES

The PTO has agreed to change future meeting dates to the 2nd Thursday of each month from 6:00pm-7:00pm in the JGW Teacher’s Room. The dates are as follows:

2001-2022 PTO Meeting Dates · December 9th · January 13th · February 10th · March 10th · April 14th · May 12th · June 9th

 

SPORTS:

BASKETBALL: The Boys Basketball team has been finalized. Practice will start next week. They will be Monday and Wednesdays from 2:45 pm – 4:00 pm. The boys will be coming home with a contract with expectations that will need to be signed. Our first game will be December 1st.

It is not too late to sign up for anyone interested in girl’s basketball! The next meeting/practice will be Tuesday, November 16th after school. If you have not already passed in your participant packet you can bring it with you on Tuesday!

 

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 will continue collecting canned goods and toiletries through this week.  We will be delivering them to the UU church  before Thanksgiving to help less fortunate families during the colder months.  Thank you to all who have donated for this great cause. Also not sure if I said this last week but also wanted to thank all the families and the NJHS kids for coming out to the corn maze and volunteering their time at the PLS fall festival.  Both were successful events and wouldn’t have been without all of you being there.

 

JR VIP: There is a Leadership field trip on Thursday, November 18 at NECC.  The trip is free of charge for Jr. VIP members.  Bagged lunches need to be brought from home.  There will also be some cold lunches available from the cafeteria.  Students will be brought back to school in time for last period.

 

MODEL UN: Model UN will meet next Thursday after school. The students will be working on their first and second paragraphs for their paper. The first paragraph should be complete by Thursday so it can be reviewed. This Thursday will be our last meeting in November with the following Thursday being Thanksgiving. We will have our Conference the second week of December.

 

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS CLUB: Next Meeting will be on Tuesday, 11/16/21 after school until 3:45pm

 

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:

With a recent uptick in COVID19 cases, we want to thank everyone for being so patient and understanding. Please reach out to the nurses if you have any questions or seek clarification on quarantine or testing protocols. If possible, please send students to school with their own masks. We do have masks here but our supply is going fast!

 

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 are beginning Topic 4 – Use Models and Strategies to Multiply Decimals.  We will begin by multiplying decimals by powers of 10 and estimate the product of decimals by using whole numbers when rounding.  In science, students begin to wonder, “can plants live without air?”  They will make and record observations of their compost column, as we learn how matter moves through an ecosystem. After school help will be Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday 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. Marciano: ELA: We are starting our NonFiction unit. Students will review the elements of nonfiction before diving into our first text, “Look Up!”. Students will be working on identifying text features and answering text dependent questions with evidence.

SS: We just finished our first DBQ of the year & students worked very hard on this! We will be moving into Unit 3: A Changing Continent. During Unit 3, students will learn about England’s first permanent colony in North America, competition among European nations, how religious freedom was found in the colonies, and what shaped life in the middle colonies. Students will also be completing an inquiry project at the end of the unit, which will probably be discussed sometime after Christmas.

 

Ms. Hogan: This week in social studies we learned all about the Jamestown colony! We watched videos and analyzed the relationship that the Jamestown settlers had with the Native American tribes in the area. Next week, we will investigate the French and Spanish settlements in North America.We will find out how Spanish and French settlements traded with and fought with the Native Americans.

 

Ms. LaCoste: This week, in grade 5 ELA students have completed a variety of assignments.  They read their first nonfiction book, about Veterans Day, while using text features to help them understand the content.  They also listened to a Japanese folktale, identified the theme, and even wrote a haiku (a traditional Japanese 3 lined poem) about one of the main characters in the story.  Next week we’ll begin with our small groups, word study, writing, and grammar lessons.  Sending a special thank you to all of the veterans out there!

 

Ms. Consolazio: In science, we will be moving on to our next scope Matter Cycles.  Students will continue to learn about composting, the cycle of carbon dioxide and oxygen, and the water cycle. If you have 2-liter bottles please continue to donate them.   We will be using them next month to make water filters. Please make sure students bring their Chromebooks charged every day.

 

Mr. Kelly: We have finished working on multiplying with the Standard Algorithm using whole numbers. We will now be going into working with the Standard Algorithm and multiplying with Decimals. The students will start receiving paper homework next week. It will be due on Friday. The students will be doing homework practicing multiplication to reinforce their skills.

 

Ms. Lees: In Fifth grade Orange and Green Groups we will share in small groups 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. In Math students continue to use their new skill with the standard algorithm to multiply multi-digit numbers with decimals  and strengthen math fact skills.  Those students with individual goals working towards achievement.  Students who have LEXIA accounts are encouraged to work at home with their reading online as well as to read everyday out loud with someone at home or to themselves. Please reach out if after school or before school help will support your student.

 

Ms. Blanchette: Grade 5 students have just completed topic 3 in math about multiplying whole digits and will begin topic 4 next week which involves multiplying decimals. In ELA, students finished reading fiction stories and will be exploring non-fiction literature in the next few weeks.

 

 

GRADE 6:

 

Ms. Hamel: ELA: As we are wrapping up Walk Two Moons lesson plan, we are moving into poetry and continuing our discussions on How Do Relationships Affect our Daily Lives? We are also paying close attention to Conflict in a story and working on the four main types of Conflict. Students will work as teams to create  posters that deal with conflict within story lines. Students have been working hard and I am impressed with their academic achievements.

Social Studies: We have been working on the Ethnicity and Religions of the early civilizations of Southwest Asia focusing on the Kurds, Persians and Arabs. We will continue to work through this area moving into Northern Africa with a concentration on Egypt. Students will be creating their own Pyramid Tomb- filling it with all the items that are important to them!

I want to congratulate Aubriella (Ellie) Corcoran on receiving Student Of The Month from our classroom- WAY TO GO ELLIE!!!

 

Ms. Silveira: In science this week we have done multiple activities that allowed us to differentiate between solutions and mixtures. Next week we will be completing our CER for the topic and taking an exam to test our knowledge.

In math, we will be looking at rational numbers on a number line and differentiating them from integers. We then will begin to order and compare them.

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: ELA- Continue Study sync unit on relationships practicing critical thinking and vocabulary skills.

SS – Studying ethnic groups in SW Asia and their religions.

 

Mr. LeGrand: Mathematics:  Previously in this topic students developed an understanding of positive and negative rational numbers.  In this lesson, students will extend their understanding of numbers to include absolute value; interpret the meaning of absolute values in real-world situations and distinguish comparisons of absolute value from statements about order.

Social Studies: We are currently exploring Asia in Social Studies.  Students will identify how physical geography affected the locations of settlements in Asia, discuss the value of the natural resources in various regions in Asia and explain how powerful kingdoms and empires developed in Asia.

 

Ms. Lane: In Science the students are learning that Mixtures can be separated. Solutions are substances that are mixed at a microscopic level and cannot be so easily separated. Mixtures are heterogeneous and solutions are Homogeneous. They will be greeted by a guest speaker Wednesday 11/10/21 by a former JGW Stellar Teacher, Meghan DeLong, who will be demonstrating how to reinforce and write a Claim Evidence and Reasoning (CER) document during Science.

In Social Studies they are learning about Southwest Asia. The students are learning about how geography influences the way people live? They are also asking themselves, why do civilizations rise and fall and about their ethnicity?

 

Ms. Tarbox: In ELA, the Yellow and Orange groups are working on finding textual evidence to support their ideas when responding to inferential questions. They have taken a close look at the four types of conflict–character vs. character, character vs. self, character vs. society, and character vs. nature. In Math, the Yellow and Orange groups are working their way through Topic 2. They have learned about integers, opposites, and rational numbers. Students are learning that all rational numbers can be placed on a number line. Additionally, Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark assessments have continued for all students with reading goals in grade 6 and emails have continued to go out with results to families. I hope to work with these families regularly throughout the year to support students with strengthening their reading fluency, decoding, and comprehension skills so that all being assessed find success. Success means individual improvement in these areas, excitement about their progress, and increased enthusiasm when it comes to reading. As always, please reach out at anytime, mtarbox@haverhill-ps.org

 

 

GRADE 7:

 

Mrs. Berthiaume:. In ELA, we are continuing our work in Unit 2.  In Social Studies, students have completed their DBQ essays. We are learning about East Asia this week.  Everyone did a great job labeling their maps this past Tuesday!

 

Mrs. Trombly: DBQs for social studies are done and are being graded.  We will be starting Ancient China on Friday.  In math topic 2-1 and 2-2 will be reviewed with rates and ratios,  before we go to Topic 4 for expressions and equations.  Happy Veterans Day to all those who served our country.  We thank you.

 

Mrs. MacKinnon: We just finished up the flow of energy in ecosystems and are now moving onto the Dynamic Nature of Ecosystems.  In this unit the students will be answering How can the increase in the population of an organism affect an entire ecosystem? We will be doing this by Analyzing data to provide evidence that disruptions (natural or human-made) to any physical or biological component of an ecosystem can lead to shifts in all its populations. Hope everyone had a nice weekend!

 

Ms. DiGloria: In Grade 7 Blue and Green groups next week, students in Social Studies will be embarking on a virtual field trip down the Silk Road! Students will engage with videos, slides, and Google Earth to discover the many stops along the Silk Road. Then, students will dive deeper into China’s culture. In English, students will be reading a long narrative poem titled The Highwayman, and practicing their annotation of figurative language, rhyme scheme, and sound devices. Grades close on November 30th, so students should be catching up on any missing work! Please reach out if you have any questions.

 

Mr. Auger: Hello Everyone! This week in my 7th grade science class, we finished our flow of energy in ecosystems unit and finished the week with a quiz on the topic.  Next week, we will begin discussing our next unit, the dynamic nature of ecosystems.  In this unit, students will learn how changes in one population of organisms can have effects throughout an entire ecosystem.  In my 7th grade social studies class, students finished their DBQs this week.  Next week, we will begin learning about the many different dynasties that were established throughout the history of China.

 

Mr. Harris: Green – Students are switching over into solving equations.  This is a big foundational skill, and something they will use for the rest of their math careers.  Students will start by reviewing one step equations, before moving into writing equations of their own, as well as two step equations.

Blue – Students are going to push forward with their understanding of ratios, rates, and unit rates.  They will take the knowledge they have gained and push it to a new level by working with fractional values.

 

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. This time is spent working on a variety of  interventions, such as iReady, additional practice, help with homework and classwork support. In addition, students are receiving support in the classroom from myself, Mrs. Holmes, and/or Ms. Credit. In ELA, students are continuing with the Highs and Lows unit in StudySync, which includes several thought provoking stories. The students just finished reading “My Mother Pieced Quilts”, and began annotating the poem.  In Math, students have begun working on Unit 2-1: Rates and Ratios. As always, feel free to reach out with any questions.

 

 

GRADE 8:

 

Ms. Deblasis: We will continue Topic 2 this week.  Specifically, learning to compare and connect proportional relationships and slope.

 

Mr. Marinella: ELA- In English we are reading a new story, “The Outsiders”! This is a favorite of past 8th grade classes and a story that many can identify with. This book is part of a unit centered on understanding who you are and learning deep truths about yourself.

Civics– Civics is moving on to our next big topic, understanding the document that created our government, AKA the Constitution. This is massively important document that many do not understand. We will be trying to understand the historical context of the document (how it was written and received) and the modern implications and use.

 

Ms. Sullivan: We are working on ocean currents and will be finishing the unit up this week.  Students have learned that colder water is more dense and sinks along with salt levels.  They will be having a test on these ocean currents on Thursday this week.

 

Mr. Harris: Purple & Blue – Students are still working on solving equations.  We have been looking at equations that have the same variable on both sides, and will be moving into multi-step equations.  This will involve bringing back the 6th grade knowledge of the distributive property, as well as working with fractions and decimals.

 

Ms. MacKinnon: We just finished our unit on ocean currents and how the oceans affect weather and climate.  We are now moving onto weather where we will be discussing and answering the big picture of what causes changes in weather conditions?  Students will do this by Interpreting basic weather data to identify patterns in air mass interactions and the relationship of those patterns to local weather.  Hope everyone has a nice weekend

 

Ms. Senior: Salute to our veterans. Mathematics students are being challenged by more complex expressions at this time. Lots of support is needed and they’ll be fine. In ELA our exploration into poetry is producing some powerful student work, along with intellectual responses to our whole-class poem readings.

 

Ms. Blanchette: In Grade 8, students have been evaluating and solving linear equations in math. Next week we will be connecting linear equations to a coordinate plane and slope. In ELA students will continue to explore vocabulary and character traits as we read “The Outsiders” by S.E. Hinton

 

 

SPECIALISTS:

Physical Education: (Mr. Demarais): We are wrapping up our net games unit soon.  Our next unit will be basketball.  Please make sure to bring your coats with you to class as our weather is getting colder for our half mile warm up 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.

new/used T-shirts to use as smocks

 

Artwork by Emmanuel

 

Health (Ms. Reynolds): Grades 5-8 Health: We are continuing on with the Reproductive System unit for grades 7-8 and the Puberty Unit for grades 5-6.  Students are able to opt out of this unit with a signed permission slip that was distributed last week and is also available on my website at jgwhealth.weebly.com  and in your student’s google classroom.

 

Music (Mr. Gariepy): Hello JGW Friends and Families!! We have begun watching Movie-Musicals in class this week. Grade 8 is watching Hamilton and drawing connections between the show and what they are learning in Civics class. Grade 7 is watching The Sound of Music, grade 6 is watching Mary Poppins, and grade 5 is watching Aladdin. We will also be posting more information about the upcoming musical, Willy Wonka Jr. Stay tuned!!

 

Library (Ms. Michitson): Hello Whittier Families;  All winners of our First book contest have been notified and we will begin celebrations next week.  Focusing on the paper this week,top stories,opinion page etc.  Students have discussed the meaning of Veterans day, and wrote a page on their opinion..

 

Technology (Mr. Gordon): All grades have been showing their knowledge of all things technology using applications like Kahoot, Blooket, and Quizizz.  Students have enjoyed some friendly competition to show me (and their peers) who truly know their stuff.

 

SCHOOL SUPPORT STAFF

 

Guidance (Ms. Vlahos): Important Grade 8 Dates:

November 18, 2021 – HHS Classical Academy Virtual Information Session

Whittier CA info night

Thursday, November 18 · 7:00 – 8:00pm

Google Meet joining info

Video call link: https://meet.google.com/tsq-osxm-ngk

November 19, 2021 – Permission slips for the Whittier Tech and Haverhill High School tours due back to 8th grade homeroom teachers. Permission slips were distributed to all 8th grade students in their homerooms the first week of November. Students must return their signed permission slips to attend the high school tours.

November 20, 2021 – Essex Tech Open House – pre-registration required: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/open-house-essex-north-shore-agricultural-technical-school-tickets-185704807077

November 23, 2021 – Gr. 8 Whittier Tech Tour

December 7, 2021 – Gr. 8 HHS Tour

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 in both group and individual counseling, students focused on identifying what triggers their emotions, analyze the beliefs they have about those situations, explore their reactions and look for ways to change their thought patterns.  Some of the emotions we focused on were anger, sadness, worry, fear and jealousy.

Also, a week from this Thursday, we are hosting our 3rd annual Thanksgiving Dinner  here at JGW.  Please be sure to sign up that will allow you to participate in receiving a DELICIOUS MEAL from Boston Market that includes…Turkey, Chicken, stuffing, and all the fixings.

 

Student Adjustment Counselor (Ms. White): We continue to work on good decision-making and surrounding ourselves with positive peer role models.  We also have been discussing how everyone can be a positive role model and not give into peer pressure.  Please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns @ shelby.white@haverhill-ps.org

 

Middle School Support Program (Mrs. Leydon & Mr. Diffin): Groups have been going well! We have been focusing a lot on what it takes to be a good friend by showing interest in others by asking questions or making comments when they speak, as well as compromising with our peers. Reach out to us 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. RECORDATORIONO HAY ESCUELA el 11 de noviembre de 2021 ya que es un día feriado.

 

ELL (Ms. Khakali & Corporan): Newcomer ELs are continuing to work on Unit 2: Set the Table. They will be building on their vocabulary of food, colors, shapes, and sizes. They will also be learning how to conjugate action verbs in the present tense and express their likes and dislikes and use prepositions in, on, under, next to. Level 3,4, & 5 ELs will be reading, investigating and writing about the the benefits of being bilingual.

 

Student Support Center (Mrs. Greenwood): We had a short week in SSC. Thank you to all the Veterans who have served, are serving and have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. Have a great weekend Poets.

 

Reading Intervention Team (Ms. Guthrie, Ms. Carney, Ms. Trovato): Thank you to all Veterans for your service! Did you know that JGW has tutoring available every morning for our students? Our experienced staff is available Monday- Friday from 8:05-8:25 in the library.

All teachers grades 6-8 are working on Unit 2 in Study Synch. In grade 5, students are working on mini-lessons and read alouds from the Fountas and Pinnell reading program. Have a great weekend!