October 2026 District Newsletter

October School Counseling Dept. Newsletter! 

Stay up to date on what’s happening in Counseling this month!

Key Dates: • Oct 8: Parent-Teacher Conferences • Oct 29: PSATs (Grade 11 & opt-in Grade 10) • Nov 5: Financial Aid Night @ 6 PM (Auditorium)

Highlights: • Check Naviance to sign up for college visits. • College trips to ULowell & UMass Amherst coming up! • Set up your FSA ID for the FAFSA. • Wear BLUE on Mondays to unite against bullying 

Full details & grade-level newsletters:

Scan the QR code on the flyer or visit School Counseling Newsletter

Get Loud for the Hillies! 

Fall sports season is in full swing, and our student-athletes are giving it their all out on the field, court, and course! Whether it's Friday night football under the lights, packed gymnasiums, or weekend meets, nothing beats the energy of a packed crowd cheering on Haverhill! 

Let’s show up in full force, pack the stands, and paint the town brown and gold! Bring your family, bring your friends, and bring the noise!

Check out the fall schedule, grab your gear, and come support our teams: Haverhill Hillie Athletics

Let's go, Hillies! 

Honoring, Remembering, and Representing

Our Haverhill High School cadets have had a powerful and eventful September! Here’s a look back at what our program has been up to this month:

9/11 Ceremony: On September 11th, our cadets joined students, staff, families, veterans, and community members to honor the lives affected by September 11, 2001, recognizing the immense courage and sacrifice of our nation's first responders and military members.

POW/MIA Ceremony: On September 18th, cadets gathered with veterans and families for a special moment of remembrance, reaffirming our commitment to never forget those who were prisoners of war or missing in action.

First Game of the Season: Our Color Guard was honored to present the colors at Haverhill High School’s first football game of the season—and to top it off, our Hillies brought home their first WIN! 

We remember. We honor. We will never forget. 

JGW Students Enjoy a Taste of Sabroso Tacos!

JGW students recently got to experience something special in the café with our Sabroso Tacos Pop-Up Shop! 

On September 29th, we brought the excitement of trendy food right into the JGW café. Students had the opportunity to enjoy the Sabroso Tacos experience without ever having to leave school!

Our Pop-Up Shops are a fun way to introduce exciting food themes and new flavors to our school community. Thank you to all of our JGW students who stopped by, participated, and helped make the event a success!

We’re already looking forward to bringing more exciting Pop-Up Shops to our cafés in the future. Stay tuned for what’s next! 

What a sweet start to the school year! 

It has been a busy week with back-to-school events across the district, and Tuesday night was no exception as Bradford Elementary hosted an incredible Ice Cream Social! 

Students and families had a blast enjoying games, dancing to music from the DJ, and eating plenty of ice cream! 

A special thank you to the Bradford PTO for coordinating such a fun event to bring our school community together! 

Build Confidence. Gain Independence. Hit the Road! 

Driver’s Education is back at Haverhill High School with Berkeley Auto School! Get your Driver's Ed finished right after school before summer rolls around.

Class Dates: • November: 2, 4, 5, 9, 10, 12, 16, 17, 18, 30 • December: 1, 2, 7, 8, 9

Time: 2:15 PM – 4:15 PM at HHS  Students are allowed to take the late bus!

Pricing & Enrollment: • Total Cost: $850 for Haverhill High students • Deposit: $350 required for enrollment • Note: Must be a current Haverhill High School student to attend.

Limited seats available! Don’t wait to sign up.

Enroll today at: berkeleyautoschool.com

Haverhill Special Ed. Families — Don’t Miss This!

Join Haverhill SEPAC for a virtual presentation about Haverhill Public Schools’ partnership with Cartwheel and learn more about the support and services available to students and families.

• Virtual Presentation
• October 15, 2026
• 7:00 PM
• RSVP is required

This presentation is for Haverhill Public School families and caregivers only.

Come learn more, ask questions, and find out how Cartwheel can support our Haverhill families!

That’s a wrap on the Grillin' for Great Minds Back-to-School BBQ at Tilton Elementary, and what an amazing success it was! 

A huge thank you to all the families, students, teachers, and community members who came out to help us kick off the school year. Delicious food, great conversations, and a wonderful community spirit filled the afternoon. Special thanks to everyone who helped grill, serve, and make this gathering so memorable for our Tilton family.

Together, we’re setting our students up for an incredible school year ahead! 

Happy PTO Appreciation Day to our incredible Haverhill Public Schools PTO/PTA members! 

From funding classroom grants and hosting unforgettable school events to volunteering endless hours and showing up for our teachers and students—our Parent Teacher Organizations make magic happen every day!

Our schools are stronger, brighter, and more connected because of your dedication, energy, and heart. We truly could not do it without you! 

Celebrating our Districts Parent Teacher Organizations, September 26, 2026

Congratulations to our Haverhill High School Career Technical Education Summer Interns!

On September 16, we continued celebrating our students who successfully completed summer internships and shared their experiences, skills, and what they learned throughout their internships. Our students gained valuable work-based learning experiences with:

Creative Haverhill
Haverhill Engineering
STEM Career Awareness
Merrimack Health Lawrence Hospital
Lowell General Hospital 

We are so proud of our students and grateful to our community partners for providing meaningful opportunities that help our students explore careers and gain real-world experience!

A HUGE Shoutout to our Haverhill Public Schools IT Department! 

Behind every working Chromebook, smooth Wi-Fi connection, secure network, and classroom technology wins, there’s an incredible IT team making it all happen.

Thank you for keeping our schools running smoothly, our data safe, and our staff and students connected every single day. We truly couldn't do what we do without you! 

Celebrating Educational Technology Day, September 23, 2026

Every student gets what they need to shine at Hunking!

Our first graders are gearing up for "WIN" time—a dedicated block where students move to different teachers for targeted, personalized instruction tailored just for them.

Whether it’s extra practice or a new challenge, students are never too young to get the exact support they need to succeed. The energy in the building is high, and our youngest learners are so excited to get started! 

Academic Excellence at Haverhill High School! 

Haverhill High School is proud to announce that Miles Stapel has been named a Commended Student in the 2027 National Merit® Scholarship Program!

Principal Michael Downs will present Miles with a Letter of Commendation from HHS and the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) in recognition of this outstanding achievement.

About 34,000 Commended Students nationwide are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Miles placed among the top 50,000 students out of the over 1.3 million who entered the 2027 competition by taking the 2025 PSAT/NMSQT®.

As an NMSC spokesperson noted, students receiving this honor have demonstrated outstanding potential for academic success and represent a valuable national resource.

Please join us in celebrating Miles for his hard work, dedication, and incredible academic achievement! 

Partnering for Digital Wellbeing & Student Safety

At Haverhill Public Schools, we are committed to providing a learning experience that allows your child to grow and flourish with technology—safely.

That’s why we’ve teamed up with Qustodio, a leading student safety and digital wellbeing platform! Qustodio is now active on your child’s school-issued devices to ensure they stay secure and focused during the school day.

Plus, with the free Qustodio Parent App, you can extend those safety tools home to keep your child's screen time safe and balanced. 

Visit the Qustodio webpage for more information!

Honoring and Remembering 9/11 at Nettle Middle School 

Nettle Middle School community came together to observe a solemn and meaningful moment of remembrance, the 25th Anniversary of the 9/11 Attacks.

The morning began with the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by a moment of quiet reflection to honor the 2,977 lives lost on September 11, 2001, as well as all those lost in the years since.

Our students also had the powerful opportunity to listen to a staff member share their personal story of living in New York City during 9/11—bringing history to life and teaching our Knights about unity, strength, and resilience.

We will never forget!

Free Support for Parents & Caregivers: Discover iCARE!

Navigating adolescent substance use can feel overwhelming, but you don't have to do it alone. iCARE (Caregivers Advancing Resilience and Empowerment) is a FREE, self-paced online program designed to give caregivers the knowledge, tools, and confidence to support their youth.

What You'll Learn Across 4 Easy Modules:

Neurobiology of Substance Use – Understand how substance use impacts the developing brain.

Industry Tactics & Media Literacy – Learn how youth are targeted and how to recognize subtle influences.

Risk and Protective Factors – Spot key warning signs and build strong protective habits at home.

Effective Communication – Practice tools for open, positive, and meaningful conversations with your child.

Program Features:

• 100% Free & funded by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health

• Flexible: Complete at your own pace on any computer, tablet, or smartphone

• Multilingual: Available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese

How to Get Started: Scan the QR codes on the flyer to watch a quick promo video or sign up directly!

Learn more: www.idecidemyfuture.org/icare/ Contact: idecide@mgh.harvard.edu

We are so proud of our young artists at Greenleaf Lower!

For their very first artwork, students focused on the first element of art: Line. They did an incredible job exploring creative paths, strokes, and shapes—and we could not be more pleased with what they created!

Keep up the amazing work, young Hillies! 

What an action-packed summer for our cadets! From leadership camps to community service, here is a look back at everything our cadets accomplished during Summer 2026:

Camp Edwards (June 29 – July 2): Four days of teamwork and challenges! Cadets earned 1st place in five events, took a flight in a Black Hawk helicopter, and conquered a 60-foot rappel tower.

Camp Outdoor Odyssey (July 11 – 18): Six cadets spent a week tackling new physical challenges, pushing their limits, and stepping outside their comfort zones.

Mount Washington Trip: After three practice hikes, cadets successfully conquered Mount Washington! They also had a blast at White Mountain Family Golf—a special trip making lasting memories for our graduating seniors.

Our Community & Service:

• Volunteer hours helping Consentino Middle School prepare for their new opening by moving boxes.

• Organizing and preparing items at our local food pantry for families in need.

• August 23: Our Color Guard was honored to present the colors at the Red Sox game at Fenway Park! 

Way to go, cadets! We couldn't be prouder of your hard work, dedication, and leadership. 

Exciting news is on the horizon for our young athletes! 

We are thrilled to announce that Middle School Field Hockey is officially coming in Spring 2027! We can't wait to see our future players build confidence, learn new skills, and make lifelong memories on the field.

To help us create the best possible experience for our team, we need a little help from you! Please take a moment to scan the QR code in the photo and complete our quick interest survey. Your feedback is essential as we prepare equipment, schedules, and program details.

Thank you for supporting our growing sports family!

The excitement is officially rolling as our grades 1–12 students jump into day two of the school year—and the students at JGW already made an amazing first-week discovery: a frog friend!

Whatcha think, future scientists in the making? Here’s to keeping that awesome energy going all day long! 

A huge THANK YOU to all of our amazing PTOs who went completely all out during Staff Day and Open Houses! From hosting Staff PD to creating such warm, exciting spaces for our families, your hard work and dedication truly set the tone for a fantastic year ahead.

A special shoutout to the PTO for sponsoring a nice breakfast complete with an iced coffee bar! We love seeing all the smiles from yesterday—it must have been those iced coffees! 

We are so grateful for our generous supporters and volunteers who make our school community feel like family. Wishing all of our students, teachers, and staff an incredible first day! Let’s make this school year the best one yet!