Groton-Dunstable Regional Middle School

Through the generosity of the Groton-Dunstable Education Fund (GDEF), 8th grade PLTW students were able to make working motors.

Is your middle school student missing their sweatshirt, snow pants, boots, water bottle or mittens? Here is just a sampling of some of the lost and found items in the Stoddart building (there are more in the North!) Unclaimed items will be donated to charity at the end of this week, so if you notice anything familiar, please feel free to come take a look or have your student collect it. You can also contact Sarah Dutton or Lynette Fisher and we can put the item aside for you. Many thanks!

Here are some examples of our Middle School students spreading kindness and filling each other's buckets. Some 7th grade students spread positive messages and cheer this month by leaving mini ducks around the North building. The 7th grade also decorated their doors taking inspiration from a goal word they chose for 2026. Take a look!

Registration is now open for the second annual Middle School Science Fair! The fair will be held in the MS North Gym on Saturday, March 28th. Students in grades 5-8 are invited to participate. Space is limited to 75 students and the deadline to register is February 13th. For questions, please contact gdrmssciencefair@gmail.com

After finishing the Therapeutic Toy project for PLTW, 7th grade students were asked to look at classmates' solutions to the challenge. They also got the opportunity to play with the toy to see if it met the challenge criteria. The Project Lead the Way (PLTW) Therapeutic Toy project is a design and modeling challenge where students apply the engineering design process to create, sketch, model, and prototype a custom toy for a child with cerebral palsy or similar motor skill needs. The project emphasizes empathy and innovation.

Our 8th-grade Project Lead The Way (PLTW) engineers are officially "touching down" on the Red Planet!

Using a specialized inventory of "aerospace materials"—including balloons, cardstock, straws, and string—students are tasked with designing, prototyping, and testing custom Mars Landers. This hands-on challenge pushes them to think like NASA engineers as they balance structural integrity with aerodynamic precision.

We wanted to share some photos of a few fun things happening at the Middle School lately! Project Mitten, Fill Your Bucket, Comfy Feet Friday and a new Winter oak tree.

Mattie and Emma, two high school students, are hosting a Winter Food Drive with Project 351 to benefit Loaves and Fishes! Donation boxes are outside of the main offices of the North and Stoddart buildings until Friday, January 23rd. If you'd like to donate, please see flyers below for items needed.

7th grade students in PLTW are working collaboratively on a Therapeutic Toy to help a child with cerebral palsy (CP) improve specific motor skills. The project emphasizes applying the engineering design process to a real-world, community-focused problem. #PLTW #STEM #STEAM

In PLTW, 8th graders are learning about Universal Systems Model by making working motors. Once completed, the students then have to identify the input, process, output and feedback of their motor. I would like to thank the G-D Education Fund for sponsoring this activity.

In PLTW, 7th grade students have created wooden puzzles with 27 wooden cubes. Once completed, they were to ask various classmates to put the puzzles together.

Join us March 28th for the GDRMS Science Fair! Grades 5-8 are welcome to participate. Register by February 28th, see flyer below for more information!

Happy Holidays Middle School Families! Students had a door decorating contest this month in the Stoddart building, take a look at their creative and festive doors!

7th grade students were challenged to design and construct a three-dimensional puzzle cube made from 27 wooden blocks. They began their puzzle using plastic interlocking cubes, allowing them to experiment with structure, spatial reasoning, and problem-solving before committing to a final design. Once their designs were finalized, students recreated each puzzle piece digitally using TinkerCAD. After completing their digital designs, students built their final puzzle cubes using wooden blocks. #PLTW, #STEM, #STEAM

Our Student Council inspired Spirit Week continued today with students bringing in "Anything But A Backpack"! Teachers participated by bringing in "Anything But A Mug." Tomorrow will be "Teacher vs. Student Dress Swap Day!

Project Mitten is well underway here at the Middle School, with students coming together to embrace the spirit of giving! Project Mitten is our annual student-led holiday fundraising initiative where students raise money to benefit the Groton Community Children's Fund which assists families in our community. The 6th grade has been holding a book drive, see pictures below of their raffle today! The 5th grade held a Read-a-Thon and Math-a-Thon today and earned donation money by doing a chore for someone at home. Grade 7 is holding a Munchie Market to raise funds and grade 8 is holding a basket raffle (see Ms. Salvatore's parent memo for a chance to bid on one the fabulous baskets the 8th graders made!)

Are you looking for a unique way to recognize a Teacher, Administrator, or Other Staff/Community Member for their hard work and impact they’ve had on your child? GDEF Teaching Stars are the perfect (easy!) gift! They are a great way to say "Thank You" while helping to enrich the schools in the form of a donation to the Groton-Dunstable Education Foundation (GDEF). Learn more here about how to show an educator how much they are appreciated with a Teaching Star: https://www.gdefinc.org/teaching-star.

We are having a "Week Before Winter Vacation" Spirit Week! Please see below for details.