MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL & MAIN OFFICE NEWS

 MCAS: Our MCAS Testing Season has officially arrived. You can see our schedule for when your student(s) are testing below.

We are asking families to help support your student(s) through MCAS testing by encouraging the following habits:

-A restful night’s sleep

-A healthy breakfast

-Students arriving to school on time on testing days

-Students taking their time on the test

-Students double checking their work

-Students putting in their best effort

The school and your students appreciate your support. Best of luck to all students on their upcoming MCAS test!

MCAS Testing Schedule 2022

Climate & Culture Survey: It is important for us at JGW to know how our community and families are feeling about the job that we are doing here at school. Please stay tuned within the next couple of weeks for a survey to be sent out to all families asking for your honest feedback.

Food & Drink: Please be advised that students will be reminded that food and drink are not allowed to be consumed anywhere other than the cafeteria. The exception to this rule is bottled water. Students should not be eating or drinking in the classrooms, hallways, gym, outside at recess, or any other area in the school other than the cafeteria without prior consent from Administration. Some major reasons for this rule include: Excessive littering, spills, insects, allergies, etc. We appreciate families support and reinforcement in regard to this rule.

April News: For the month of April, the new school theme will be positivity. Positivity doesn’t just affect one area of your life, it can affect all areas. Happiness matters! This month, JGW hopes to see students spreading positivity! April winners of the Star Poet Society will be selected based on this theme.

COMMUNITY NEWS:

April Vacation Academy:

April Vacation Academy 2022 (1)

April Vaca Academy English

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:

Spectator Announcement: We have been experiencing some issues with spectators, both students, and family members making negative remarks toward our officials at games. I would like people to understand,

1. These are our Haverhill High School volleyball players that are doing the best they can officiating our games. We are fortunate to have them available or we would be without officials.
2. Should any type of negative comments be directed toward any official about calls during matches, administrators and coaches have the right to stop the game and have that person removed. 

Officials are being empowered to stop the game and have individuals who are commenting negatively removed from the match.

If they do not feel comfortable doing so, we are asking coaches to intervene should this happen to any of our officials during a match.

Middle School Volleyball is a chance for students to grow their passion for the game, to have fun and learn the fundamentals of the game. We appreciate the support and understanding of our community to help support your student athletes and our volunteer officials.

Thank you.

Volleyball:

 Boys- Practice: Monday, 4/4

Girls- Practice: Tuesday, 4/5

Games- Wednesday, 4/6 @ Sacred Hearts (Girls play first) & Thursday, 4/7 vs. Nettle (Boys play first)

Track & Field Sign Ups: Track and Field sign ups are open for grades 5-8. Practices will be held at 7:20am. The first practice is scheduled for Tuesday, 4/12.

CLUB NEWS:

DANCE TEAM: DANCE TEAM will meet in the cafe on Monday after school. Dance team runs  until 4pm and students MUST be picked up on time. Thank you!

NATIONAL JUNIOR HONOR SOCIETY: Applications for NJHS are available in room 11 or online. Any 6th or 7th grade student can apply.

All popcorn orders will be in on April 6th.  Please pick up orders after school that week.

Next meeting will be Thursday April 14th from 3-4pm

JR VIP: Jr VIP will have a meeting on Thursday, 4/7 for members.  We are still accepting new students interested in joining.  Come see what it’s all about, join the fun and get ready to take part in the filming of our video on Diversity at JGW.

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.

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 past week in math, students focused their learning on using multiplication and division knowledge to convert customary units of length, capacity, and weight, as well as the conversion of metric units of length and capacity.  This week, students will convert units of time and metric units of weight.  We continue to practice past skills, as we prepare for MCAS Math – April 26 and 27. In science, students will continue to learn about safe and suitable drinking sources and learn about the drinking water treatment process.  After school help will be Monday 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: Happy April, everyone! The ELA MCAS IS HERE! We have been working hard over the last couple of weeks to review for this and I believe students are feeling confident and prepared going into next week. All 5th grade students will be taking the ELA MCAS assessments on Tuesday, April 5th and Wednesday, April 6th. Please remind your child that getting a good night of sleep and eating breakfast on these two days is especially important to their success! It is also important that students arrive to school on time.

SS: We have started Unit 6: Forming a New Government. This past week, we have discussed why the Articles of Confederation didn’t exactly make the United States “united” and what the leaders in the newly formed country decided to do about it. We will be discussing the Constitution next.

Ms. Hogan: At the beginning of this week, we took an assessment on the end of the Revolutionary War. During the rest of the week, we started to learn about the history of government in the United States. We watched videos in order to understand how the Articles of Confederation, the first governing document for the United States, was flawed. At the end of the week, we created a comic to help us better understand how the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation led to the Shays’ Rebellion. Next week, we will discuss the Constitution.

Ms. LaCoste: This week we’ve spent some extra time preparing for our upcoming MCAS ELA test, which will take place on Tuesday, April 5 and Wednesday, April 6 of next week.  Students have analyzed practice questions, used the process of elimination strategy, and scoured the text for evidence to help them choose the best answers.  They have also created basic graphic organizers to help them organize their essay writing.  Students are also continuing to develop their understanding of parts of speech and identify them within sentences.  As a reminder, book reports are due tomorrow, but I have given students permission to take the weekend to complete them if needed.  Be sure to have the information submitted by Monday at the latest.

Ms. Consolazio: In science, we are finishing up the hydrologic cycle and will be learning about different water sources this week.   In class this week, students played a review game and took a quiz.  On Friday, students will practice science MCAS questions.  I will be assigning MCAS questions for homework next week. Please make sure students bring their Chromebook charged every day for class.

Mr. Kelly: We have been working on Dividing using Fractions this week. We did Dividing a Whole Number by a Fraction and a Fraction by a Whole Number. Next week, we will have a test on these skills by the end of the week. Next week, we will be practicing word problems using Fractions. 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 will take MCAS for ELA on Tuesday and Wednesday. Orange and Green Groups will do a project based on their book reports in ELA. Book reports were due April 1^st but can be completed over the weekend for credit on Monday. In Math we will continue dividing fractions. 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 are working towards preparing for the MCAS which starts next week in ELA for grades 5 and 6. Please make sure students are getting enough sleep, eating breakfast and have a charged chromebook for the MCAS days! If you have any questions please let me know. Have a good week.

GRADE 6:

Ms. Hamel: ELA: Students are preparing to take MCAS on Thursday and Friday this week (April 7th and 8th). Students are well prepared and are ready to take on the challenge.

We have had a great year  so far: reading three novels, writing narrative/persuasive/expository, learning new vocabulary, breaking down words with Latin prefixes/suffixes, inferring, comprehension of various texts, and SO MUCH MORE! This is their time to Sine, time to Show What They Know, and to be Proud of all of their Achievements throughout this academic year.  LET’S DO THIS!

I ask for at home support with: getting a good night’s sleep, eating a healthy breakfast and taking time to relax!! THANK YOU!

SS: Students created some amazing maps of South America from free hand; labelling and bordering the 12 countries. We are now working on the Physical Features of South America. This beautiful continent is home to some of the most interesting landforms on Earth- including the Andes Mountains and the Amazon Rainforest. I look forward to exploring these areas with my travel buddies!!

Ms. Silveira: It is so good to be back and see all of my students’ smiling faces!

Next week starts MCAS! Please make sure that your child is getting enough sleep and eating a well balanced breakfast in the morning.

We will be taking a small quiz on percentages in the beginning of the week and then doing some MCAS practice for math.

In science we will be doing some exploration activities comparing different species to figure out if any have common ancestors.

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 and MCAS practice.

SS- Learning about South America and it’s political, cultural, geographical features while making a map.

Mr. LeGrand: Mathematics:  We are continuing 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:  This week in Social Studies we are continuing with our unit on South America.  ELA MCAS for grade 6th will be administered this week, Thursday, April 7, and Friday, April 8.  Please encourage your student to go to sleep on time, have a healthy breakfast, and do their best on the test.

Ms. Lane: Science: and Social Studies:

Please have your child get ready for the MCAS on Thursday and Friday, April 7th and 8th – Please have them get lots of sleep and eat healthy.

Ms. Tarbox: In ELA, both Yellow and Orange groups will continue with the novel study, “A Long Walk to Water.” This week grade 6 will take their ELA MCAS. It is important to get enough sleep, eat breakfast, and be ready to rock the test! In Math, both Yellow and Orange groups are working on 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 just read “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut.  We are having very interesting discussions about this short story!  In Social Studies, we continue to study ancient Greece.  This week, it’s Greek civilization.  Thank you for making sure your student is coming to school with a fully charged Chromebook each day.  Reminder:  ELA MCAS will be held on April 11 and 12.

Mrs. Trombly: We are finishing up percent this week and will be going into our geometry unit mixed with review of equations. Social studies class will be doing a fun unit on Greek mythology.

Mrs. MacKinnon: We have finished up our unit on Magnetism and Electricity, and are now starting on Energy. The students will begin by viewing a video of Newton’s cradle, and will participate in a teacher-led discussion about how the device shows kinetic and potential energy transforming back and forth. The teacher should then guide the discussion toward how kinetic and potential energy interact in a system.

Ms. DiGloria: This week in Green and Blue English, we are taking our final preparations for MCAS, which is next Monday and Tuesday, April 11 and 12. We will be working with context clues, narrative writing, and completing a final MCAS practice. Students have been doing well on these practices and showing growth. In Social Studies, we will be learning about Alexander the Great and then starting a small project that focuses on Greek mythology.

Mr. Auger: Hello Everyone! This week in my 7th grade science class, students completed our unit on electric and magnetic forces.  We discussed a lot of modern applications of electric and magnetic forces, including: hoverboards, MRIs, and the basic structure of electric wiring and circuit breakers.  Students finished the week with an exam on this unit.  Next week, we will begin our next unit, kinetic and potential energy.  In my 7th grade social studies class, students continued learning about Greece.  This week, we discussed the Persian and Peloponnesian Wars.  Next week, we will learn about the culture of Greece and begin Greek Mythology. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Mr. Harris: Students are working on Two-Step Equations.  Last week students worked on writing the equations, and began to learn how to solve them.  This week we will shift our focus to inequalities, which are solved through a similar process, but convey a different meaning, and require the use of a graph.

Ms. Bilmazes: In ELA , students are continuing with the Moment of Truth unit, exploring how one event in your life could change everything, as well as continuing to prepare for MCAS.  In Math, students are continuing to work on percent equations .   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 are continuing reading Anne Frank. At this point, Anne and the rest of the characters surviving in the secret annex are starting to feel the stress and tension of living there. Students are reading, discussing, and analyzing the different types of conflicts the characters face and how they can try to resolve them.

Ms. Deblasis: We will be continuing our Topic 6: Congruence & Similarity.  The topics we will be focusing on this week are dilations, congruent figures, and similar figures.

Mr. Marinella: ELA– Blue and Purple ELA have been working on a specific Element of Literature this month; 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– 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 led 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! We will also be making a “Road Map to the White House” where students will be creating a visual representation of how any one can become president and the steps needed to achieve that goal.

Ms. Sullivan: We finished our unit on Physical Science and will be starting Biology next week. The first topic we will be learning about are genes and proteins. We will be doing readings with comprehension questions, vocabulary and activities.

Mr. Blaustein: Our Ch 5 Test will be Monday April 4. After the test students will work on their Civics Projects for the rest of the period and the following Tuesday Projects are due before we leave for vacation April 14th. We will begin Ch 6 the Executive Branch in the on-line McGraw-Hill text Wednesday through Friday[April 6,7,and 8] that week. ELA MCAS is Monday and Tuesday April 10 and 11. I am giving my students the entire week to complete their Civics Projects.

Mr. Harris: Students are looking at Systems of Equations.  This can be a difficult topic as it combines the learning of about 3 different units we have previously studied.  We have learned how to find the number of solutions by inspection, and how to find a solution by graphing.  We will be taking a look at the substitution and elimination methods for solving this week.

Ms. MacKinnon: We have finished up Newtons Laws and are now moving into biology.  We will begin with genes and proteins with a small review on the cell.  Students will Communicate through writing and in diagrams that chromosomes contain many distinct genes and that each gene holds the instructions for the production of specific proteins, which in turn affects the traits of an individual.

Ms. Senior: ELA students are being wowed by their Anne Frank play readings and the attending expansion of the play via classroom discussions.  Math is hopping with translations, reflections and rotations on the geometric grid.

SPECIALISTS:

Physical Education: (Mr. Demarais): We are working on our net games unit.  Students should be prepared to walk at the beginning of every class weather permitting.

Art (Ms. Boulger): The students in the purple and yellow groups completed pre assessments to determine art preferences. They are working on 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 Jayslee

Health (Ms. Reynolds):

grade 5 – Safety at home and on-line will be the focus of our Safety Unit this week.’

grade 6 – Peer Pressure and Healthy Friendships are part of our Communication Unit.

grade 7 – We are finishing up the Alcohol Dangers Unit and moving on to the Harmful Effects of Vaping

grade 8 – Our Substance Abuse Unit is in full swing.  We will be looking at the dangers of Heroin and Prescription Opioids this week.

Library (Ms. Michitson): Hello Friends.  The 7th & 8th graders are learning more about NATO, Negotiations, Leadership styles and No fly Zones.

Our 5th and 6th graders continue to read, do homework and ask questions pertaining to the situation in the Ukraine.

If you have any questions or concerns please email me.  Thank you

Technology (Mr. Gordon): All grades finished Digital Citizenship and started an introduction to coding using various websites (code.org, codeacademy.com, etc.).

SCHOOL SUPPORT STAFF

Guidance (Ms. Vlahos): Mrs. Vlahos will be meeting with all 8th grade classes over the next couple of weeks to discuss the Haverhill High school course selection process.  The 8th grade teachers are in the process of recommending students for levels for their core academic classes for next year.  After 8th grade students meet with Mrs. Vlahos to review the course selection process, all 8th grade students will be responsible for completing a course request form to select electives.  Please review the links below for more information from Haverhill High School about this process.

HHS Course Selection Letter (English)

HHS Course Selection Letter (Spanish)

Guide to Choosing Electives (English)

Guide to Choosing Electives (Spanish)

All of the information presented in the 8th grade presentation on Course Selection will be posted in Mrs.Vlahos’s 8th Grade google classroom.  Please contact Mrs. Vlahos if you have any questions about this process.

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): The Balloon Pyramid Relay Race is a great cooperative team building activity.

In this game, each student has to help stack the cups into a pyramid by inflating and deflating a balloon.

Once they are finished with their task they stop and go to the end of the line.

Then it is the next student’s turn to continue the next step of the pyramid.

If a student knocks down a cup they must set the cup up where they found it, go to the end of the line and let another student try. (You can come up with your own rule here that best fits your class).

The team that creates the pyramid first wins.

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): Hope everyone has a restful weekend. Our 5th and 6th graders will be partaking in the MCAS this week which may affect some of our social group times. I will let everyone know ahead of time which groups will be affected and moved to a different day/time.

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.

ELL (Ms. Khakali & Corporan): Our Level 3-5 English learners will be finishing their justification paragraphs using evidence from the text. Students will be debating if video games are beneficial and harmful using academic language. Our newcomers (level 1 & 2), will be demonstrating mastery of past tense verbs, prepositions of place and unit 5 vocabulary: city sights on the unit test.

Student Support Center (Mrs. Greenwood): We are coming to the end of March already!  Looking forward to the upcoming talent show and Spring events that will be happening.  If you have any questions and or concerns please reach out to Mrs. Greenwood or Ms. House. We hope you all have a great weekend.

Reading Intervention Team (Ms. Guthrie, Ms. Carney, Ms. Trovato): In grades 6-8, classes are working on Unit 4 in Studysync. The students are reading short excerpts of novels to develop strong reading and comprehension strategies. The HPS has purchased class novels for the end of the year. Each teacher was able to choose a title that was of interest to them.

In grade 5, students and teachers are working with the Literacy Continuum in Fountas and Pinnell. Students are using read alouds, small group book clubs and word work stations to enable them to become strong, lifelong readers. The current focus is nonfiction text.