Class of 2029

Dear Caregiver,

Welcome and congratulations again on your child’s Conditional Acceptance to Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical School as a member of our Class of 2029!  Our mission is academic, agricultural, and technical excellence, and we are thrilled to partner with you and your child to begin your child’s high school experience. We hope that before long, students new to Essex Tech will possess and exemplify the six qualities articulated in our Graduate Profile, as we expect our Hawks to be Collaborative, Culturally Proficient, Entrepreneurial, Kind, Perseverant, and Responsible.

We would like to share some important information to help us prepare to welcome your child in August. Please note that this information and future updates are available on the Class of 2029 Hawk Hub.

Placement Testing: Complete by Sunday, May 18, 2025      

All conditionally accepted students are REQUIRED to complete our Essex Tech Placement Tests in literacy and mathematics. This will assist us with placement in English, Mathematics, Biology, and World History. Students who wish to be considered for placement in Honors Spanish must complete the online Spanish placement test as well.      

These placement tests are offered online. Placement tests and directions on how to take them can be found HERE.  If you have any questions about accessing the placement tests, please our helpdesk@essextech.net.

Placement test scores DO NOT impact a child’s acceptance status. Test scores, course recommendations, and transcripts from your child’s middle school are considered for course placement.  

Enrollment Forms: Complete by May 30, 2025

Enrollment Forms are completed electronically/online using the PowerSchool Registration System. Please note that in order to complete these forms, you will need to create a new PowerSchool account on the Form page. You must create an account and complete the registration forms using this HERE. If you have any trouble accessing the PowerSchool Online Enrollment Forms, please contact the Essex North Shore Technology Office at helpdesk@essextech.net.  

To request a paper enrollment form, email admissions@essextech.net to obtain a printed form. Be sure to include your child’s name and your name. 

Final Acceptance

Your child’s Final Acceptance is contingent upon completing all requirements for promotion to Grade 9.  The Essex Tech Admissions team will make every effort to obtain your child’s final report card for early summer review at the end of this school year.  It is anticipated that Final Acceptance notifications will be forwarded to caregivers mid-late July after we receive and review all necessary documents.

Additional Documents from the Middle School

For those students who have an Individualized Education Program (IEP), 504 Accommodation Plan, Medical/Individual Health Care Plan, or ML/English Learner Plan, we must receive a signed copy of your child’s Plan(s) along with supporting documentation, evaluations, and reports as soon as possible.  Please contact your child’s middle school to request that these documents be forwarded to admissions@essextech.net as soon as possible. A representative from Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical School will contact you to schedule a transition meeting upon our receipt of these documents.

Technology

Technology is used in all aspects of our curriculum and programming. All of our students are required to use Google Chromebooks as their 1-to-1 device to access many technology-based resources and tools. Please read more information about our 1-to-1 Chromebook program HERE. 

Summer Reading

Summer is almost here, and summer reading is the expectation for all Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical School students, including incoming freshmen. This year, all students are required to read at least two books. The first book is an open-choice book and can be either fiction or nonfiction, but it must be written for young adults or adults. The second book that incoming Grade 9 students will read is Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life…and Maybe the World, by Admiral William H. McRaven. Please read more about our Summer Reading Requirement and where to purchase books HERE. 

SHOP 565 at Essex Tech and  Shop565.com

Merchandise from our  School Store, Shop 565, can be purchased online at Shop565.com or in person at our Main campus store on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday when school is in session from 8:30-11:45 am and 12:30-1:30 pm.  Share your Class of 2029 Acceptance letter in person at our Shop 565 store at checkout, or enter “NEWHAWK2025” when checking out online to receive a 10% discount.

Save the Dates*

New Caregiver Orientation: Tuesday, August 19, 2025, at 6:00 pm 

New Student Orientation: Thursday, August 21, 2025, 7:30 am-12:00 pm

First Day of School: Wednesday, August 27, 2025 

To access our School Year 2025  Calendar and Draft School Year 2026 School Calendar, please visit: https://essexnorthshore.org/calendar/ 

*Dates are tentative and subject to change.

We welcome you and your incoming freshman to our school.  Please let us know if you need any additional assistance.

*These required courses may be adjusted based on a student’s individualized education plan and/or other service plans.

English Grade 9         Course #: 1102,  1100 Level: Honors, CP

This course begins the four-year English Language Arts curriculum aligned with the Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for English Language Arts and Literacy. Students experience a broad range of literature, including non-fiction informational texts, fiction, drama, and poetry, with an emphasis on critical thinking and analysis. Each unit is anchored by a text that allows students to learn critical reading and various writing modes to establish a foundation for success in all subsequent years. Students will be expected to participate in class discussion, respond to daily in-class writing-to-learn activities, and deliver frequent oral presentations. MCAS close-reading sets and test-taking strategies are embedded into the curriculum, and all students will participate in quarterly common assessments.  Credits: 4

Mathematics I Course #: 2112, 2110 Level: Honors, CP

Mathematics I formalizes and extends the mathematics that students learned in Grade 8 and is based on the Massachusetts Mathematics Curriculum Frameworks (2017).  Mathematics I offers students the first sequence in what they are expected to learn in preparation for college and career. Instructional time focuses on six critical areas: (1) extend understanding of numerical manipulation to algebraic manipulation; (2) synthesize understanding of function; (3) deepen and extend understanding of linear relationships; (4) apply linear models to data that exhibit a linear trend; (5) establish criteria for congruence based on rigid motions; and (6) apply the Pythagorean Theorem to the coordinate planes. This course integrates Algebra I, Geometry, and Statistics and Probability with an emphasis on real-world applications.

Geometry Course #: 2122 Level: Honors        

This course transitions capable students who have successfully completed Algebra I in Grade 8 to introduce students to the Massachusetts Mathematics Curriculum Framework (2017) learning standards for Geometry. Geometry focuses on six critical areas: (1) establish criteria for congruence of triangles based on rigid motions; (2) establish criteria for similarity of triangles based on dilations and proportional reasoning; (3) informally develop explanations of circumference, area, and volume formulas; (4) apply the Pythagorean Theorem to the coordinate plane; (5) prove basic geometric theorems; and (6) extend work with probability.  As the year progresses, students explore more complex geometric situations and deepen their explanations of geometric relationships by presenting and hearing formal mathematical arguments. All students will participate in quarterly common assessments.  Credits: 4

World History Grade 9  Course #: 4102, 4100 Level: Honors, CP

This course examines the major changes that shaped the modern world, beginning with the development of early civilizations through the Age of Enlightenment.  Based upon the learning standards in the Massachusetts History and Social Science Curriculum Framework (2018), major units include the Dynamic Interactions of Early Civilizations, Major Religions of the World, Kingdoms and Empires, Middle Ages, Renaissance and Reformation, Scientific Revolution, Age of Exploration, and the Enlightenment.  The emphasis will be on the skills students need to become discerning historical thinkers: understanding geography; reading charts, graphs and tables; recognizing and understanding diverse viewpoints; comparing and contrasting information; conducting research, writing historical essays; working with primary and secondary source documents, and making presentations. Student learning will be assessed through homework, research, class participation, tests, quizzes, document-based questions, and historical analysis essays. All students will participate in quarterly common assessments.   Credits: 4

Biology I           Course #: 3102,  3100 Level: Honors,  CP

This course introduces students to a two-year sequence in the study of biological sciences and the specific terminology and methodology relating to the basic concepts of life and its processes. The course begins with a short, standards-based, introductory unit: Scientific Skills and Metrics that will be used to review and enhance student understanding of scientific investigation.  The remaining learning standards for Biology I provide the foundation for the following three units: Chemistry of Life; Cell Biology; DNA and Genetics and are based on the Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering Curriculum Framework.  All students will participate in quarterly common assessments.  Credits: 4

Advanced Placement Biology Part A Course #: 3103 Level: AP               

A.P. Biology is an introductory college-level course taken in a sequence over two years, and this is Part A or Year 1 in that sequence. Students cultivate their understanding of biology through inquiry-based investigations as they explore the following topics: evolution, cellular processes-energy and communication, genetics, information transfer, ecology, and interactions. Students are expected to take the College Board A.P. Biology Exam while enrolled in A.P. Biology (Part B) in May of their sophomore year.  College credit following successful completion of an A.P. exam will be determined by the receiving post-secondary institution. Credits: 4

Spanish I          Course #: 6100, 6102 Level: H, CP

This required course introduces students to the Spanish language by learning Spanish in preparation for the workplace. Students learn vocabulary and concepts of basic grammar acquisition, allowing them to communicate information about themselves and others using simple sentences, both orally and in writing. The practice of all four language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing, helps students solidify their acquisition of the Spanish language. Active participation in class activities and completion of homework assignments are required. Students placed in Spanish I Honors need to have successfully completed Spanish in middle school.  All students will participate in quarterly common assessments. Credits: 4

Advanced Spanish II (H) Course #: 6120 Level: H

Spanish II for entering grade 9 students builds upon middle school Spanish coursework or for heritage speakers who already possess more extended vocabulary and grammar concepts. While the focus for students will be on continuing to practice reading, writing, listening, and speaking in Spanish, the means to do so will be through the reading of authentic texts in Spanish. Meeting a proficiency benchmark on the ENSATS Spanish Placement Test is a prerequisite. Students must demonstrate proficiency (77 or better as a final grade) in order to progress to the next course in the sequence. (NOTE: This course offering will commence beginning with the Class of 2028).      Credits: 4                       

Freshman Seminar Course #: ps001 Level: CP   

This semester-based Pathway course begins with a common unit that introduces all grade 9 students to the Graduate Profile entitled: “What it means to be a Hawk?” This will familiarize freshmen with our expectations for them over the next four years at Essex Tech. Students will learn how to adapt a presentation for different occasions and audiences related to service learning, how to support ideas effectively, how to select and organize materials in preparation for a presentation, and how to utilize multimedia tools in presentations, among other skills. Credits: 2

Inquiry & Problem Solving I Course #: Level: CP         

This semester-based high school math course is designed to foster critical thinking and develop students’ problem-solving skills through exploration and inquiry-based learning. Students will engage in real-world mathematical challenges, collaborate on complex problems, and apply a variety of strategies to find solutions. The course emphasizes the process of inquiry, where students are encouraged to ask questions, make conjectures, and test their ideas in a supportive, hands-on environment. With a focus on both conceptual understanding and practical application, students will build confidence in tackling unfamiliar problems, preparing them for future academic pursuits and everyday decision-making. Grade 9 students will progress to Inquiry & Problem Solving II in their sophomore year. Credits: 2