WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11TH IS AN EARLY RELEASE DAY FOR ALL STUDENTS. DISMISSAL WILL BE AT 11:05AM. PLEASE PLAN ACCORDINGLY.
Literacy & Math Night!
We are excited to invite our families to a K–8 Literacy and Math Family Game Night on Thursday, April 16th from 4:30pm – 6:00pm! Join us for an evening of Bingo for Books (K-5) and this year we’re adding hands-on games that support important literacy and math skills while bringing students and families together. This event is designed to show how learning can be engaging and playful, and it’s a great opportunity to connect with your child through interactive activities. We hope you can join us for a night of learning, laughter, and family fun! Since this is a fun event for the whole family, we kindly ask that parents stay with their children throughout the activities. We can’t wait to see you there! Stay tuned for a sign up link coming soon.
Safety & Security Reminder: Safety and security remain our top priority here at Hunking, and we need your help.
We very much appreciate that all parents and family members who drop off and pick up your students at school, please drive slowly and carefully on school grounds and in our surrounding neighborhoods.
With large snow piles that narrow streets and sidewalks, it is more important than ever that we all be mindful of students and families walking on school grounds and in our neighborhoods.
We ask that all drivers please drive slowly, obey all traffic signs, and be aware of pedestrians who may be walking along the road.
Again, we always want to maintain and prioritize safety, avoiding any and all potential accidents or injuries.
As always, we appreciate your continued cooperation and support with this.
HUNKING’S 4TH ANNUAL MULTICULTURAL NIGHT: We are getting very excited about our upcoming Multicultural Night which is just under 2 weeks away! We want to thank all of the families who have signed up to participate in order to make this an amazing evening! There is a lot to look forward to including but not limited to:
-A showcase of Hunking’s many cultures
-A cultural fashion show
-A showcase of student work
And so much more!!
🗓️ Event Date: Thursday, March 26, 2026
🕔 5:00-7:00 p.m.
📍C.D. Hunking School
Theme of the Month: We will be embracing the theme of GRIT throughout the month of March. Grit is courage or resolve; strength of character. Grit is courage and determination despite difficulty. Grit is a personality trait characterized by perseverance and passion for achieving long term goals. Grit entails working strenuously to overcome challenges and maintaining effort and interest over time despite failures, adversities, and plateaus in progress. Staff will be on the lookout throughout this month for the students who best personify this theme.
Food Services has changed the menus this year. When you go to FD MealPlanner, and type in “Hunking” for the school location, you will see a WEEKLY menu. You will see the main lunch and other options available for the day. You will still be able to filter according to food allergens. Any questions, please contact Food Services at justin.hodgkins@haverhill-ps.org.
COMMUNITY HAPPENINGS:
Avery Callagy, a Hunking third grader, has courageously battled Leukemia the past two years and is excited to announce she has completed treatment and is cancer free! Avery is outgoing, caring, and a great role model for all, as during this time, she has shown up to school with a big smile and a great attitude, even when not feeling like herself. She has and will always be #brAVERY so it’s time to celebrate her! Let’s show Avery our support by wearing her favorite color purple on Wednesday, March 11th.
PTO NEWS:
-Next meeting will be April 9th @ 5:30pm. Babysitting and homework help will be offered by NJHS.
-Chocolate sales continue during lunch on Friday’s for $1 each!
NEWS FROM GUIDANCE
Terri Carney, School Counselor, grades 5-8
Eighth Grade Parents: Was your student accepted to more than one school or program?
Please make a decision as soon as possible for one school! There are a lot of students on the wait list for all programs waiting for a spot to open up!
(This does not include students who were accepted to both CTE and Classical Academy and plan to do both programs at HHS.)
If your student has been accepted to a private school or to WVT, please let us know so that we can direct records and transcript to the appropriate place at the end of the year and remove their enrollment to HHS. Email address above. Thank you!
For all parents and caregivers!
Massachusetts Partners for Youth has a wonderful resource! Check out the Parenting Solutions Library! https://peaceathomeparenting.com/mpy-solution-libraries/
EDUCATIONAL HAPPENINGS:
Literacy News: Students in grades K-4 that have completed their reading logs for Read Across America, be sure to send them in to Mrs. Bisegna on Monday for your prize. Please remember to have your first and last name on the reading logs.
Kindergarten, First Grade, Second Grade: The Hunking Music Dept is proud to present: K-2 Concert: Music from Around the World! On Wednesday April 15th at 9:00am, we will gather in the gym for a lively concert of music from our littlest students. More information is coming soon from your child’s music teacher. Please save the date! K-2 Concert 2026 MATW (1) (1)
7th Grade: Students have been participating in cross-curricular learning in their science and social studies classes in collaboration with Buttonwoods Museum. In SS, students have learned about the effect industrialization had on the people of Haverhill. This includes the working conditions for immigrant and child workers. In science, students are studying the effect of Industrial pollution has had on the Merrimack River.
Health:
8th grade students are currently working on mental health projects where they are researching a variety of common mental health disorders and will be presenting their project to their class.
7th grade students have started a new unit on conflict resolution where they are exploring the ways we escalate conflicts and how we can choose de-escalating behaviors to help resolve them.
6th grade students have been studying peer pressure and how refusal skills can help them manage these issues during their adolescent years. Students are also performing skits that demonstrate the use of refusal skills in a variety of peer pressure situations.
5th grade students have started their unit on substance use/abuse. This unit is a basic introduction to the consequences of using and abusing the most common drugs like nicotine, alcohol & marijuana and the dangers of misusing prescription drugs.
NEWS FROM OUR NURSES: Winter and spring are clashing with each other so the weather is unpredictable. Please make sure your child is wearing appropriate clothes for the weather and using good hand hygiene to prevent getting sick. Proper cough etiquette is important to keep from spreading germs so please sneeze or cough into your elbow or a tissue. If your child has an illness or medical issue, please let the health office know so we can make accommodations if needed for your child.
We are hoping to finish with any students that were absent or not prepared for up postural screening this week. If you opted your child out and have not sent in the physical and/or note from you opting the child out please send in as soon as possible
If you have any questions or concerns, you may reach the health office at 978-420-1913.
ATHLETIC NEWS:
In order to participate in any Hunking sports a current physical exam (done within the last 12 months) needs to be provided to the health office. This is a Haverhill Public School policy.
Volleyball: Great start to the season! Both teams won their first game last week.
Schedule for next week is:
Monday 3/9 is Boys’ practice 3-5pm
Tuesday 3/10 Open gym 7:45am and Game at home vs Consentino (boys play 1st)
Wed 3/11 is early dismissal day therefore NO Practice
Thurs 3/12 is Girls’ practice 3-5pm
Friday 3/13 is Boys’ practice 3-5pm
CLUB NEWS:
Academic Bowl: The meet schedule can be found here:Hunking Academic Bowl Schedule 2026
Guitar Ensemble: Rehearsals will be every Friday after that from 2:45-3:30. Check the Google Classroom, Remind App or reach out to Mrs Fairbrother for more information. Concert information TBA
Hunking Talent Show: The talent show will be on March 19, time is to be announced. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Mr. K or Mrs. Fairbrother.
Mentor/Mentee: The mentor/mentee program gained two new mentees and therefore two new mentors this past week. We welcomed a new 2nd grader and a new 3rd grader to the program. The total number of students involved in the program is now over 80.
Chorus: We are busy at work preparing for our Spring events, including our Spring Concert on May 7th! Please save the date, and please notify Ms. Avalos if your child is unable to attend a rehearsal. Thank you!
Tri-M: Tri-M is busy getting ready for our part of the Multicultural Night on March 26th! We are in need of tissue boxes, elastics, paper towel tubes, egg cartons, and small tubs. If you have a cultural instrument you would like to add to our Instrument Display, please fill out the attached form! Multicultural Night Instrument Donation
Student Council: Monthly Meeting and Events Schedule can be found here.
NJHS: The NJHS calendar can be found here. Next Bobcat Buddies is March 11th!
GSA: The GSA calendar can be found here.
Lego Club: The LEGO Club calendar can be found here.
Yearbook: We are looking for any photos of the 8th Grade class, past or present, to use for the yearbook. Upload your pictures using this Google Drive link.
Technology Resources:
DESE Learning Standards for Families: learning benchmarks for math and ELA per grade level.
Technology Webpage: How to Access Parent Portal (PDF), Google Classroom, Parent controls (Qustodio), and basic iPad and Chromebook usage tips.
Remind app: How to download and use Remind to communicate with teachers.
ODDS & ENDS:
-Please make sure that your student(s) are coming to school daily with a fully charged Chromebook.
-HPS has chosen School Device Coverage (SDC) to ensure the Chromebooks that students have been issued. The cost of coverage for the year is $20 and includes accidental damage, loss, fire, and theft. As of right now, families have the option to sign up during the month of September (we will let you know if it extends). After sign-up closes, only new students will be given a special code to sign up at registration. The HPS website (under technology) explains SDC and has instructions on how to sign up online.
-Please make sure that you are sending your student(s) with a water bottle. We have a limited supply of cups, and we do not have access to water fountains, only water bottle filling stations.
SCHOOL PROCEDURES: Please click on the link below to review Hunking procedures, including cell phone and pick up & drop off procedures:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1u0UOrpoO9vRnMMJuYpeJmaSGKcywt29SX94AQmSHFzQ/edit?usp=sharing