Week of January 1st, 2024
Important Dates:
January 12th - Half-Day 12:05 pm
January 15th - MLK Jr. Day - No School
January 19th - Half-Day Dismissal 12:15 pm
Highlights
Welcome to 2024! Our first week of the new year is off to a fantastic start. Staff and students stepped right back into routines and we were excited to welcome everyone back. I am thrilled that we continue to notice and recognize our students who are demonstrating our Core Values and being an SU Ti-GRRR - you make a difference in our school and are making us all so very proud!
Some things that parents and caregivers can do at home to help reinforce expectations in school are:
Please keep toys and electronic devices at home - they are a distraction to the learning environment and have caused some issues during class, lunch, recess, and on the bus.
Please remind your children of the importance of practicing healthy habits, particularly, handwashing. We have so much sickness around us and this is a great way to combat the spread of germs.
For our younger students, encourage them to try things on their own before asking for help from an adult. This ranges from tasks such as opening their snack and lunch items, cleaning up after snack/lunch, tying their shoes, to cleaning up the materials/toys they are using before walking away. All these habits will lead to greater independence and self-confidence.
Additionally, parents and caregivers please slow down when driving on school grounds. I have received concerns about the speeding that is happening, specifically during parent pick-up and drop-off. Thank you for helping keep our students and families safe during these busy times of the day.
Ti-GRRR Awards
G ~ We believe that one can develop a GROWTH mindset and learn new things.
R ~ A RESPECTFUL school community member is considerate of others.
R ~ A RESPONSIBLE school community member takes care of themselves, others and their environment.
R ~ A RESILIENT school community member takes on challenges, learns from mistakes and experiences growth through this process.
Jacob Hebert (K0) is working hard on being an independent learner during work time. He is showing his peers what it means to try on your own and how to be responsible with his classroom materials. Fantastic!
Scarlett Shannon (1S) knows how to show respect and responsibility by always offering to help others! Recently, she noticed that Mrs. Schott was helping another student clean out their desk and she came over and asked to help out. So sweet Shannon!
Lylah, Leah, Ellie, and Hazel (KO) are showing off their Ti-GRRR skills in Mrs. Olson’s Kindergarten class! Well done ladies - working hard, being responsible, and showing perseverance are very important skills. Keep up the good work!
Jazelin Gardner (2C) showed Growth and tremendous kindness with a friend in PE class. She helped a friend learn the rules of the game and made sure that friend felt included and was having fun!
Owen Barry (4F) showed maturity and Growth by graciously accepting a gift that was not a great match for him and did it with grace and kindness. Well done Owen!
Sawyer Reinhart (4J) is a kind and Respectful member of 4J - he is always ready and willing to work with any member of his class and treats everyone with respect. Way to go!
Kelan Dowd (4J) displayed the epitome of resilience when working on a challenging math problem. He never gave up and continued to persevere until he finally solved it!
Sarah Cardosa (4J) is emulating Respect in her class. He is an unbelievable classmate, works well with all 4J’ers, and does a great job supporting, encouraging, and helping her classmates (especially during math group work)!
Charles Donovan (4F) showed Responsibility when he volunteered to clean up paint spilled in the art classroom. He helped his fellow students without complaint. Thanks for being so responsible, Charles!
SEPAC Events
G-D Special Education Parent Advisory Council
Message from GDEF ~ Please consider a donation.
The Groton Dunstable Education Foundation (GDEF) is a local nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting innovative and inspiring grants to enhance the quality of our students’ education. In the last academic year, GDEF awarded 12 grants across district schools totaling over $16,000 (information about all funded projects can be found here). If you or any loved ones are looking to make a year-end donation that will have an impact on your children's education, please consider donating to GDEF here. Your donations are directly returned to the hands and minds of students in the form of science, arts, technology, math, literacy, social-emotional learning, and civics programming.
Thank you for your support, The GDEF Board of Directors
The GDEF recently and graciously granted us funding to buy 16 wordless picture books for each of our Kindergarten classrooms. These books are an example of all the ways GDEF supports our students! Thank you for enriching our learning community!
Bear, GD Therapy Dog Visits Swallow Union in the New Year
Bear and Zoey
Dear Groton-Dunstable Regional School District Students, Families, and Staff,
I am pleased to announce that my Golden Retriever, Zoey, will be joining Bear as a second therapy dog who will be available to visit the Groton-Dunstable School District. I will usually bring one of them one or two days each week. Although I am primarily based in the middle and high schools, I do work throughout the district, and in my travels I may bring Zoey or Bear to Florence Roche, Swallow Union, or Boutwell for a meeting or consultation, so you might see us around.
Bear and Zoey are both certified with the Alliance of Therapy Dogs (ATD). They have completed basic and advanced obedience courses and passed the ATD’s testing and observation process. They are insured through their ATD membership, as well as through an additional liability policy that provides coverage for them when they come to work with me. Bear and Zoey are NOT hypoallergenic. They have lots of fluffy fur and shed a lot. If anyone does not wish to have an encounter with one of the therapy dogs, either because of allergies or uncertainty around animals, they are both well-trained and will not approach anyone unless I give them permission. A therapy dog’s purpose is to provide comfort and support for students and staff.
If you see us walking in the halls and you do want to interact with them, they are sweet and friendly and will most likely be excited to meet you and get patted. However, don’t be offended if we are on our way somewhere and don’t have time to stop to say hi. Also, they are extremely tolerant, but sometimes they get overwhelmed when too many people try to approach them at once. If you’re not sure, feel free to ask whether it’s a good time to greet them.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me or to your building principal.
Jennifer Schultz Bray, MA ET, LMHC, LSAC, REAT
jschultzbray@gdrsd.org
she/her/hers (why I share my pronouns)
District Social Worker/Adjustment Counselor
Groton-Dunstable Regional School District
School Start Time
The school day begins right at 8:55 am and both bus and parent drop off areas are completed at this time as well. If you bring your child to school after this time, please park in the parking lot and walk your child into the office to be signed in. Please do not drop your child off at the front door alone and please refrain from parking in the fire lane for safety reasons.
Absences
If your child(ren) will be absent for any reason, parents/guardians are responsible for notifying the school by calling in the absence. All student absences must be reported by 8:55 am by calling (978) 649-7281, choose option #1 and provide your child(rens) name, teacher, and reason for absence. Anyone who calls after this timeframe may receive an automated call regarding your child’s absence from school without notification. This is in place to ensure all students are accounted for either at home or in school.
Wellness Policy
Below please find the District’s Wellness Policy that we follow in order to ensure we are reinforcing healthy habits as well as student allergies. Teachers will be working with their Room Parents, School Administration, School Nurses and our PTO to ensure food that comes into school for school sponsored events (not including PTO sponsored events) such as special classroom events and school-wide gatherings, adhere to this policy. Thank you in advance for helping us with this throughout the school year.
