HS News October 14th 2022

A Message from Stephen Sierpina


It is hard to believe that we are already halfway through October and right in the midst of the fall! As we continue to move full-speed through Term 1, the students and staff have been working extremely hard as evidenced by all the great things happening in and out of the classroom. I continue to be impressed, not only by the engaging teaching and learning happening daily, but also by the amount of activity that takes place after school. There are always students and staff participating in clubs, sports, and other afterschool activities. This creates such a positive culture of community and enhances everyone’s experience at GDRHS. I hope you all have a great weekend. As always, thank you for your continued support of GDRHS and our students.

Class of 2026 Fundraiser

The Class of 2026 will be holding an online fundraiser starting Today, 10/14 - 11/2 through Meadow Farms Fundraising. They have a variety of items including kitchen/storage, home decor, candles, holiday gifts, and more! The best part of this fundraiser is that it is all virtual! Anyone who wants to order can do this online and all items will be shipped directly to them! There are two ways to order:

  • Reach out to a member of the Class of 2026 for their individual page.
  • Use this link, which takes you to the Class page and allows you to order from the group page instead of the individual seller's page.

Both options will give the Class of 2026 the same amount of money. Questions can
be directed to the class of 2026 advisors, Ms. Harrington (charrington@gdrsd.org)
and Ms. Pratt (kpratt@gdrsd.org). Thank you in advance for your support!

MEFA – EVERYTHING FINANCIAL AID


Need an overview of the financial aid available from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts? Join us for a webinar on Wed, Nov 16th at 8:00 a.m. to hear from Clantha McCurdy, Senior Deputy Commissioner of Access and Student Financial Assistance at the MA Department of Higher Education. Dr. McCurdy will review all state financial aid programs and highlight some new initiatives.

Understanding MA State Financial Aid 

Register for the Webinar HERE

The FAFSA and CSS Profile both became available on October 1st, MEFA has plenty of resources that provide help, and they’re all free.

  • Our Understanding the FAFSA webinar for families walks through the application page by page, and includes general tips and helpful resources
  • The virtual FAFSA Festival on Oct 25th from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. will provide families with one-on-one assistance with completing the application
  • FAFSA Day Massachusetts is offering virtual events from November to February that allow families to meet with a financial aid expert and get FAFSA help
  • Our family webinar, What to Know about the CSS Profile, gives guidance specific to the application required by roughly 200 colleges and universities
  • Reporting Income on Financial Aid Applications and Defining Assets on Financial Aid Applications help students and families answer questions on the FAFSA and CSS Profile accurately

YEARBOOK Sales, Senior Tribute Ads and Senior Portraits

You can now purchase a copy of The Key yearbook. The yearbook is on sale until December 31 for $65. After that, the cost goes up to $75. To order your yearbook, follow this link to our Yearbook Order Center.

  1. Type in our school order number 6666 and click ENTER.
  2. You will be asked to confirm that "You have selected Groton-Dunstable High School - Groton, MA - Job#6666" by clicking CONTINUE.
  3. Then you will be brought to the GDRHS order page, where you can purchase a yearbook and build and buy a senior tribute ad.

The deadline for families and friends to purchase a senior tribute ad is also December 31. This allows our staff set aside the pages needed for these ads. After December 31, we cannot guarantee we will have any ad space left and can only accommodate ads in order of request and if space is still available

The deadline for senior portrait submissions is October 31. Specifications for senior portrait photos are as follows:

  • High resolution: Minimum of 300 dpi
  • File format: JPEG
  • Senior Portrait Print Specs: 2 x 3 inches
  • Senior Portrait Composition Spec: In color. Vertical orientation. Head and shoulders. Warning:  Extreme close-ups of the face often result in "big head syndrome" when placed into our portrait-sized rectangles. Be sure your photographer doesn't get a shot that is too tight.
  • Senior Portrait Content Specs: No props. No hats. Tasteful.
  • Naming Your Photo File: Last_First_Portrait_YOG, so Smith_Barbara_Portrait_2022

Special instructions for Senior Portrait submissions:

If you used Mark Lawrence, be sure to make an appointment to select your portrait from your proofs ASAP. Mark Lawrence will send the photo directly to us

If you used any other photographer, it is up to YOU, not the photographer, to submit your portrait. That said, we've noticed that many of our local senior portrait photographers do upload your photos for you. If that's your photographer's plan, be sure to give them the photo specifications information above, including how they should name each file, and upload your portrait to GDRHS's Herff Jones eShare page and use the code gdyearbook. If you have any questions about senior portraits, please direct them to Mr. Jon Adams (jadams@gdrsd.org). He tracks the senior photo submissions



        

Groton-Dunstable SEPAC – Upcoming Events

SEPAC is hosting Dr. Rachel Kramer to speak about fostering grit and perseverance in
our kids on November 3rd from 7 pm to 9 pm. Via Zoom. Click Here for event details.

All staff, families and community members are welcome to attend as the event is free
(thank you SEPAC!). Please go to the SEPAC website to RSVP. We hope to see you all
on November 3rd .

Click Here to see all upcoming SEPAC events.

Some events are there as a resource and others are events or meetings that our SEPAC is
hosting.

COVID Update:  For any person testing COVID-19 Positive:

  • Isolate from others for 5 days (symptom start date is Day Zero, or if no symptoms use test date as Day Zero)
  • Return to public activities on Day 6 with a mask through Day 10, if:
    •  you are asymptomatic or symptoms are resolving, and
    •  you have been fever free without the use of fever-reducing medicine for at least 24 hours

A COVID-19 home test is not required to return on Day 6 but can be done to test out of the mask requirement.

If the individual has a negative home antigen test on Day 5 or later, they do not need to mask.

These state protocols have been in effect since August 15, 2022


Important Dates to Remember

  • SATURDAY 10/15/22:  PSAT Exam
  • Friday, 10/21/22 Homecoming Dance 7 -9:30
  • Friday, 10/28/22:  Early Dismissal 10:50
  • Monday, 11/7/22 TERM 2 Begins
  • Friday, 11/11/22  V e t e r a n ’ s  D a y  N o  S c h o o l
  • Monday, 11/14/22 Term 1  Report Cards Published
  • Wednesday, 11/16/22 Early Dismissal 10:50
  • Thursday, 11/17/22 Early Dismissal 10:50
  • Wednesday, 11/23/22 Early Dismissal 10:50
  • Thursday, 11/24/22 through Friday, 11/25/22 Thanksgiving No School