MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL & MAIN OFFICE NEWS

MCAS: MCAS Testing Schedule 2022

March News: This month, the school theme is grit. When you work hard toward a goal, overcome challenges, and stick with it even when it’s hard…that’s grit! Star Poet Society winners for the month of March will be selected based on this theme.

 April Vacation Academy: April Vaca Academy English

April Vacation Academy 2022 (1)

Community News/Opportunities: Don’t miss your chance to get involved in planning Haverhill’s next Multicultural Festival. Please click the link for more information!

A.B. Consentino Building Project:  Invitation Public meeting 2022-04-13 – Updated (1)

Merrimack Valley Virtual Transition Fair: Merrimack Valley Virtual Transition Fair

The Helping Hillies: English_ Helping Hillie

Spanish _ Helping Hillie

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/

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: Please be aware that students are not allowed to wear pajamas or pajama pants to school. 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 meets on the 2^nd 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 · April 14th · May 12th · June 9^th

SPORTS:

Volleyball:

Girl’s Practice: Mon, 3/28 & Fri, 4/1

Boy’s Practice: Tues, 3/29 & Thurs 3/31

GAME – vs. Consentino on Wednesday, 3/30 (Girls play first)

CLUB NEWS:

NATIONAL JUNIOR HONOR SOCIETY: National Junior Honor Society applications are being distributed to all 6th and 7th graders if they are interested.  Applications can be downloaded and printed on here, or they can come to room 11 and pick up a hard copy.  All Applications are due April 29th.

Popcorn orders will be in to our school on April 6th.

Earth day all current members will be asked to help decorate and plant flowers in front of the school and around the building.  It will be Saturday April 23rd from 9 am -noon.  We will have hot cocoa, water and donuts.  This will also count for hours.

 2021 NJHS New Member Applications

JR VIP: Our Diversity video is in full swing with students filming staff and peers around the school.  The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 7 after school in the Art room until 4:00 pm.

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS CLUB: We have started our second campaign!! We are still meeting on Tuesdays and Thursdays depending on availability and which groups students have been assigned. All players will need is a pencil, and preferably a notebook. If they have their own dice sets, now would be the time to use them! There are extras that will be made available to those who need them, and parents do not need to purchase anything for their child to be in DnD club!

DRAMA CLUB: JGW TALENT SHOW FRIDAY, APRIL 8th @ 3:30pm

MOANA JR. AUDITIONS GRADES 3-9

Mon. April 11th – Wednesday April 13th

For more information, please visit:

www.jgwdrama.com

NEWS FROM OUR NURSES OFFICE:

Hello JGW Families!

Due to the pandemic, our office has been behind on immunization review and necessary screenings for our students. We will be reviewing immunization records more intently. If you have any updated immunization records or physical exam paperwork, please send a copy to me or send it to school with your student to the nurse’s office.

We are also looking for any clothing donations to keep in our office in case students are in need of a change of clothes. Any contribution is greatly appreciated! Sizing preference varies: Pants, sweatpants, jeans, leggings, tshirts (long sleeve or short sleeve) and socks are needed. We have students from grades 5 to 8, therefore any sizing that may be appropriate for this age group is welcome! Thank you.

Have a wonderful weekend!

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: This week in math, students worked diligently to understand volume concepts.  This week, students will focus on using multiplication and division to convert measurements of length, capacity, weight, and mass within the customary or metric measurement system.  This knowledge will be such a great tool for your student to use in science in middle school.  All students should continue to work on their math facts fluency, as this continues to be an important component to our lessons.  In science, students continue to wonder, “What role does water play on our Earth, and what steps can be taken to conserve it?”   Students will show their understanding of the water cycle and water sources with a quiz this week.  We will then further delve into reducing the human imprint.  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: The countdown to ELA MCAS continues! We have 7 more school days until students take the assessment. As a reminder, ELA MCAS will be administered on Tuesday, April 5th and Wednesday, April 6th. If any student is absent for either of those days, there are make-up days built into the weeks after the test.

SS: We have completed the Spring DBQ and will be using Writing with Colors to highlight our essays. Then, we will move into Unit 6: Forming a New Government. Over the next couple of weeks, students will learn about the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution, the three branches of government, and the Bill of Rights.

Ms. Hogan: This week we finished our unit on the Revolutionary War. We discussed the Battle of Yorktown, and the Treaty of Paris. Next Tuesday, we will be having a quiz on the end of the Revolutionary War. We will review on Monday and a study guide will be posted on Google Classroom. After our quiz, we will move on to learning about how the United States government works.

Ms. LaCoste: Our study of nonfiction text continues.  This week, we took a nonfiction text and broke it up into sections based on the headings listed in the table of contents.  As a class we read some of the sections and took notes on each.  Then, students worked in small groups to do the note taking on some more of the sections.  Finally, students will work alone to take notes on the last 3 sections of the text to show mastery of the skill.  We have also continued to work on written reading responses to show comprehension of central ideas.  Students took a quiz on basic parts of speech as well.  Don’t forget that book report books should be completed soon as the written assignment is due next Friday.

Ms. Consolazio: In science, we continue learning about the hydrologic cycle.   In class this week, students read about watersheds, drew a picture and learned the components of the hydrologic cycle.   Next Wednesday, students will have a quiz. Please make sure students bring their Chromebook charged every day for class.

Mr. Kelly: We took a test on Multiplying Fractions last week. We will continue to keep practicing this skill as we go forward to make sure we are prepared for MCAS. The new skill we are starting will be Dividing a Fraction by a Whole Number and Dividing a Whole Number by a Fraction. We will be working on this over the next few weeks. Reminder: There is homework due every Friday. Also, I am available to stay after school for extra support. I am staying on Wednesday but can do another day if necessary.

Ms. Lees: Students in Fifth grade Orange and Green Groups will work on testing strategies and move on to division of fractions. In ELA students will read more informational texts and write about the text. Book Reports are due April 1st. Those students with individual goals continue 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. It will help all students to log into iReady for reading or math to strengthen their skills. Please reach out if after school or before school help will support your student.

Ms. Blanchette: Students will continue to learn grade level curriculum. Students should be completing homework and accessing iReady at home each week. Extra help will be offered on Tuesday and Thursday next week from 2:45-3:30. Please reach out with any questions or concerns. Have a great week!

GRADE 6:

Ms. Hamel: With ELA MCAS fast approaching- I urge families to assure that students are working on their homework packets as these are common Greek and Latin Prefixes that will undoubtedly be helpful to our students as they test. Having the ability to break down unknown words is a strong skill set and I am positive our students will do AMAZING on their testing this year! WE ARE READY!!

ELA: Students continue to work on Greek and Latin prefixes for homework and Friday assessments. We have finished our persuasive/argument writing and are now moving into higher level comprehension. Students are working on Study Sync vocabulary and think questions- this format is closely related to what our students will be seeing on the MCAS tests and are persevering through these assignments. I am so proud of these students!

SS: Students have presented their technology projects to the class and I am in awe of how their computer abilities have heightened the level of google slide presentations… I guess screen time isn’t always negative!!! Students have also been working on free hand South American maps and seeing how map distortion is real!  Students are moving into the Physical Features of this beautiful continent…ask them about the new song they learned!!!

Ms. Silveira: I’M BACK!!! I am so excited to be back from maternity leave and back to a somewhat normal schedule! I want to send a huge thank you to Mr. Blanchette for taking care of my class while I was gone!

Next week in science, we are going to begin learning about fossils. We’ll play around with different fossils in different layers of sedimentary rock, trying to figure out what the fossils tell us.

In math, we will continue to work with rates and ratios but in the aspect of percentages. Then we will be converting percentages to decimals and fractions.

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to email me.

Ashley.Silveira@haverhill-ps.org

Mr. Taylor: ELA – Continuing on in Unit 4  in Study sync answering the question; Which character traits matter most?

SS-Exploring different aspects of South America in preparation for our min-research project.

Mr. LeGrand: Mathematics:  We are starting our unit on percent.  In our last unit, students learned to use ratio and rate reasoning to solve real-world problems.  In this unit, students are learning to represent and find the percent of a whole.  They are learning that a percent is a special type of ratio comparing a part to a whole in which the whole is 100.

Social Studies: We are continuing our unit on South America.  Students are learning how the regions differ in size and population and study data about the largest countries and cities within each region.

Ms. Lane: Science:  The students have been exploring the Human Body! Their emphasis in this unit is on the functions and interactions of the body systems, not specific body parts or organs. They completed a Claim Evidence and Reasoning (CER) document. Their arguments should convey the different types of cells that can join together to form specialized tissues, which in turn may form organs that work together as body systems. Body systems to be included are the circulatory, digestive, respiratory, excretory, muscular, skeletal, and nervous systems. They will focus on the essential functions of life to include obtaining food and other nutrients (water, oxygen, minerals), releasing energy from food, removing wastes, responding to stimuli, maintaining internal conditions, and growing/developing.

Social Studies: The students finished their spring Document Based Question (DBQ). They had an exam about Africa. They are moving onto South America

Ms. Tarbox: In ELA, both Yellow and Orange groups will continue with the novel study, “A Long Walk to Water.” During small group pull out sessions, students will engage in MCAS test taking strategies while continuing to support progress toward individual goals. We will practice strategies such as using context clues to help build meaning.  In Math, both Yellow and Orange groups are wrapping up Topic 5 and starting Topic 6, understanding and using percentages. As always, please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns, mtarbox@haverhill-ps.org.

GRADE 7:

Mrs. Berthiaume: In ELA, students really enjoyed the paired readings of An American Plague and Fever 1793.  In Social Studies, everyone did a great job creating their postcards from ancient Athens and Sparta!  The class had a blast competing in our classroom Olympic games on Thursday!  Although we didn’t have the same events as they did in ancient Greece, students had top-spinning contests, they balanced stacked cups and saucers in a labyrinth, they carried a ball in a spoon–while blindfolded!–from one end of the room to the other, and finally, they tried to hit a bull’s eye with mini Frisbees!  We even had a student carry the Olympic “torch” into the room!  Everyone proudly wore their earned medals!

Mrs. Trombly: We are finishing up percent proportions and moving on to percent equations in math classes. There will be two quizzes coming up in the next few days. Students will be allowed to use calculators on percent work, With teacher’s discretion. Please get online and look at your child’s report card. If you have any questions please email me at strombly@haverhilldashps.org.

Mrs. MacKinnon: We are finishing up our unit on Electricity and Magnetism.  The kids have done some great activities and labs on this topic.  Some have included searching the magnetic fields, using balloons and wool to show static charge and doing a simulation on electric shocks, called John Travoltage.  We have also done a PHET simulation on the electromagnetic spectrum and introduced how the new MCAS in science are going to be starting in 2025.

Ms. DiGloria: In Green and Blue English next week, students will be workshopping different points of view and tenses in writing. Then they will practice their narrative writing in preparation for MCAS, before taking another MCAS practice. A reminder that our ELA MCAS is just three short weeks away. In Social Studies, students will engage in a webquest about the Peloponnesian War and then learn more about Greek culture by participating in a stations activity with partners. Our goal will be to finish the Greece unit before April break. If you have any questions or concerns please let me know.

Mr. Auger: Hello Everyone! This week in my 7th grade science class, students furthered their knowledge of magnetic forces and magnetic fields.  Students were also introduced to electric charges and electric forces.  We completed two hands-on lab activities in the classroom this week, which allowed students to visualize the basic principles of electric forces.  Next week, we will work to complete this unit on electric and magnetic forces and have our first exam of the third trimester.  In my 7th grade social studies class, students learned about the Persian Wars and how the outcomes of those battles affected the Persian Empire and the Greek city states. Have a great weekend!

Mr. Harris: students have finished up their unit on Percents, and we are headed into Equations and Inequalities.  This is a foundational unit for students, as it is a skill used frequently throughout 8th grade and into high school.  This is also a unit that is all about coming up with ways to solve problems, so a great life skill!

Ms. Bilmazes & Ms. Holmes: Happy Spring!  In ELA , students are continuing with the Moment of Truth unit, working on narrative writing  in preparation for MCAS. In Math, students are working on percent equations, having just completed a quiz on proportions.   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, I am supporting students within the classroom.  As always, feel free to reach out with any questions.

GRADE 8:

Mr. Lewis: We continue to read The Diary of Anne Frank. During this unit, students will spend a significant amount of time studying the different forms of conflict (external v. internal) and the development of themes. We are currently discussing the sacrifices Anne and her family made while going into hiding as well as the risks and consequences of potential actions they take.

Ms. Deblasis: This week we will begin Topic 6: Congruence and Similarity.  Our lessons will include analyzing translations, reflections, and rotations.

Mr. Marinella: ELA– Blue and Purple ELA have been working on a specific Element of Literature this week; Theme. Theme is the message, moral, or lesson that each story, or book is trying to teach the reader. We have been talking about movies and the themes they have, reading short stories and pulling out their themes. We have also begun reading a short story called /HUG and will be analyzing it for its theme. Much of this work is done on the Chromebooks, please make sure students are arriving everyday with their devices charged and ready!

Civics– Civics has completed the class time for working on our DBQ, all un completed DBQ must be finished and handed in ASAP! We have also moved in our latest unit, Article II of the Constitution, the Executive Branch. Many people are in awe of this large, and overwhelming branch that is lead by the President, but few know the true inner workings, members, and jobs of it. In Civics, we are aiming at finding that understanding, and looking at why we actually need a president and where the job originated. This unit will culminate in a research project where students will be picking a president from  our nation’s history and teaching the class about them!

Ms. Sullivan: This week we will be completing Newton’s Laws of Motion and will have a test at the end of the week.Please email me with any questions.

Mr. Blaustein: We are just completing the materials for Ch 5 Lesson 4 How A Bill Becomes A Law. The Quiz is on Friday 3/25. We will be working on our Civics Projects on Thursday and after the quiz on Friday. I will be giving students a checklist to help them organize their slideshows.

Next week we will begin lessons designed to help prepare for the upcoming Chapter 5 Test.

Mr. Harris: students have finished up their unit on Bivariate Data, and we are jumping into Systems of Equations.  This section will refocus on some skills learned earlier this year (solving equations) while introducing new concepts.  This is the type of math that gets programmed into a lot of video games, so I am hopeful students will find something to connect with!

Ms. MacKinnon: The students have been working hard on Newtons three Laws.  They have mastered Newtons first law. “For every action there is an equal and opposite reation” and the formula Speed = Distance / Time.  They also have mastered newton’s second law where F=MA.  We are currently working on Newton’s third law “for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.  We will be testing on all three laws next week.

Ms. Senior: Eighth graders in ELA are doing choral reading of The Diary of Anne Frank and in Mathematics they’re going into geometric thinking.

Ms. Blanchette: Students will continue to learn grade level curriculum. Students should be completing homework and accessing iReady at home each week. Extra help will be offered on Tuesday and Thursday next week from 2:45-3:30. Please reach out with any questions or concerns. Have a great week!

SPECIALISTS:

Physical Education: (Mr. Demarais): Our classes will be continuing with our net games unit.  We are also walking a 1/2 mile to begin each class. As always dress for the weather and bring a water bottle to class.

Art (Ms. Boulger): The students in the purple and yellow groups are finishing up their art folder that they designed and fully colored to store their art assignments in. They are also in the process of completing pre assessments to determine art preferences. They will be starting a variety of art projects in the upcoming week such as drawings, sculptures, clay tea cups 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 plastic or glass jars of any size to store mixed paint and glazes.

new/used T-shirts to use as smocks.

Artwork by Khadijah

Health (Ms. Reynolds):

grade 5 – We have begun our Safety Unit and this week we will focus on Fire Safety and Personal Safety when alone or without supervision.

grade 6 – We have finished the Healthy Habits Unit with a focus on the Health Triangle, and are now starting Peer Pressure and its effects on students’ behaviors

grade 7 – All students have made a Goal for the year and our focus now is on the Alcohol and Vape unit

grade 8 – We have begun the Substance Abuse Unit and are learning about drugs that are commonly misused and abused

Music (Mr. Gariepy): Hello JGW Friends and Families!!

We’re wrapping up music vocabulary games in music class this week, while starting our movie musicals on days we can’t be in the classroom with instruments. 8th grade is watching Hamilton, 7th is watching The Sound of Music, and 6th and 5th are watching Encanto. We start pianos next week!!

Library (Ms. Michitson): Hello Whittier Friends;  This week’s current events lesson  we looked into NATO and the G summitt, a lot of questions from 7th & 8th graders pertaining to the war.   I was able to help them understand what NATO was and why.  We covered other countries that are in NATO,  what are sanctions and who are Oligarchs.

5th and 6th graders were shown where Russia and Ukraine were on a world map.  We also discussed sanctions and Oligarchs.

Please know all grades were not shown war footage throughout this week’s lesson.

Technology (Mr. Gordon): All grades are finishing up Digital Citizenship and getting ready to jump into coding/computer science.

SCHOOL SUPPORT STAFF

Guidance (Ms. Vlahos): The 8th grade course registration process is underway for Haverhill High School. Eighth grade teachers are inputting course level recommendations and then Mrs Vlahos will be meeting with students to help them choose electives.

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 we participated in a  high-energy activity that focused on helping groups set goals, strategize, communicate and support each other in order to complete a task.

Student Adjustment Counselor (Ms. White): Students continue to build upon their self-esteem and accessing their coping strategies during this busy time of the school year!  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 shelby.white@haverhill-ps.org.  I look forward to our continued work in support of a healthy, safe, and successful school year!  We continue to work on developing coping strategies and how we can utilize them across our day!

Middle School Support Program (Mrs. Leydon & Mr. Diffin): Great to see everyone working hard and starting their trimester off right. We continue to have our groups and work on our skills and our binder checks (8th and 6th grade will be this coming week). Please reach out with any questions or concerns.

Parent Liaison (Ms. Arias-Reyes): Estaré fuera el lunes 28 de marzo, no tendré acceso a mi teléfono o correo electrónico. Si necesitan ayuda no duden en contactar la escuela o contactar a mi compañera Maria Gomez. Pueden comunicarse con Maria al (978) 384- 6225, por favor de informarle el nombre de su estudiante y el nombre de la escuela, ya que estará cubriendo mis 3 escuelas. Este domingo 27 de marzo hay un evento de boliche para recaudar fondos, se llevará a cabo en el Acadamy Lane, 725 South Main St, Haverhill, MA 01835, será desde las 11:00 am hasta las 2:00pm. Cuesta 20 dólares, el precio incluye los zapatos de boliche, 2 juegos, pizza y bebidas. Es patrocinado por el departamento de policía de Haverhill y American Cancer Society. ¡Vengan y diviértanse con sus familias y amigos mientras ayudan una buena causa! ¡Muchas gracias y que tengan un buen fin de semana!

ELL (Ms. Khakali & Corporan): Our Level 3-5 English learners have finished reading and analyzing “Can Video Games Take Your Brain to the Next Level?” Next week our students will be writing about their opinions and using text evidence to support their opinions. Our newcomers will be starting Unit 5 and learning past tense verbs.

Student Support Center (Mrs. Greenwood): We are almost through the month of March! Spring is here.  SSC hopes for a great Spring!.  We are here to support all students. Please reach out to Mrs. Greenwood or Ms. House if you have any questions and or concerns. Have a great weekend.

Reading Intervention Team (Ms. Guthrie, Ms. Carney, Ms. Trovato): We have settled in with our new intervention groups. In addition to explicitly teaching reading comprehension strategies,   we are focusing on reading Informational text and teaching tiered vocabulary. We continue to push into classrooms to support all content areas as well as pulling small groups when needed.  Happy Spring!