Hello Middle School families,
I hope you had a great weekend. Do you enjoy the snow? I do. I don’t know about you but my weekends have become very busy catching up with friends and family along with the day to day curve balls that come our way. This time of year can be super busy and stressful. We have spent some time as a team talking about how we can make sure we check in on each other as staff and on our students. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to your student’s advisory teacher or counselor if your family needs anything. We are here to support you and in turn please show our teachers some patience also. We all have stuff going on outside of school and we are all doing our best.
What does community look, feel and sound like? Today’s answer is sponsored by Ms. Lefebvre’s class: Community is made of students who are passionate about their work and those around them. We are now sharing which Advisory these come from so that students can see their voices being used.
There is a lot of new information this week. I tried to bold the key words for easier scanning.
New Information:
Our fundraising for Project Mitten is in full swing. So far the middle school has raised 1,522.56. Thank you to all the families that have been able to donate and support the community.
Project 351, Our current 8th grade ambassadors in partnership with last year's ambassadors are running a food drive to collect nonperishable goods for Loaves and Fishes. Anything your family can contribute would be greatly appreciated. We have boxes in both the North and South lobbies.
The YearBook Committee will begin January 20th. They will meet on Tuesdays. We will have announcements in our morning announcements for your students to see. There is no fee.
Drinks, Students should only have water in school. Monster drinks, smoothies, soda and soda water is not something we allow in school. Empty cans and containers left in lockers can lead to ants or mice, and smelly or sticky spills. Also, as a school we should only be allowing our students to drink liquids from the A-List Healthy school snacks. You can find this list on our district website. We would appreciate your partnership with this.
Attendance Calls: We are ready to make the switch for our attendance notifications to be going out through Apptegy/Thrillshare. There are a few changes/updates. There will be NO VOICE CALL at this time. Voice Calls are not part of the recurring alert setup. Messages will be sent via text and email. The district is doing a test run with Swallow Union on Monday and if they have success the rest of us will be a go for Tuesday. More information was shared on our website.
The Groton Dunstable Education Foundation (GDEF) is looking for your support! Please visit the GDEF website if you are interested in making a year-end donation to the Annual Giving Campaign, or, support GDEF with the purchase of a Teaching Star. Teaching Stars are the perfect way to recognize a Teacher, Administrator, or other Staff/Community Member for their hard work and the impact they’ve had on your child. They say "Thank You" while helping to enrich the schools in the form of a donation to GDEF. Certificates are great holiday gifts! https://www.gdefinc.org/teaching-star
Bicycle helmets- Thank you! We have noticed that students have been better at wearing helmets on school grounds. Thank you for sharing our message with your students.
Scholarships and Clubs. We want to make sure that all families know that if you wish for your student to participate in an after school club there is always opportunities for assistance. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me or your student’s school counselor if you need some financial assistance. We would never want a student to not play because of cost.
SEPAC:
The workshop scheduled for 12/8 has been rescheduled to 1/12. Please see the updated information and flyer on our website.
Join the SEPAC Coffee and Conversation on Weds, 12/14 at 9:30 at the Twomey Center.
SEPAC General Meeting on Thursday, Dec 15th @ 7pm via Zoom. link below to RSVP.
https://www.gdsepac.com/meetings-events
SEPAC is hosting a workshop with the Federation for Children with Special Needs on January 19th, 2023 at 7pm . Please see the flyer on our website for additional information and register for the event using the registration link noted on the poster. If you have any questions, please email gdsepac2@gmail.com.
Reminders:
Upcoming Middle School Concerts - In the PAC
Chorus Concert Tuesday December 20, 7 - 8:30pm
Band Concert Thursday December 22, 7 - 8:30pm
Fall and Winter assistance - If you are a family that could use some assistance during this upcoming season please see the Assistance letter. All letters should go to your student’s school counselor.
Dates to remember:
For term 2 teachers will be updating their grade books on 11/18 12/2 12/16 1/6
Week on December 19th is our Middle School Band and Chorus Concerts, see above.
Friday December 23rd is a full day of school and the start of winter break. Students return to school Tuesday January 3rd.
Sincerely your Groton Dunstable Regional Middle School Principal
Wendy Salvatore wsalvatore@gdrsd.org