Week of March 11th, 2024
Important Dates:
March 22nd - Half-Day Dismissal at 12:15 pm - Parent Conferences
April 5th - Half-Day Dismissal at 12:15 pm
April 8 & 10 - Grade 4 ELA MCAS
April 9 & 11 - Grade 3 ELA MCAS
April 11th - 2nd Grade Concert @ 6:00 pm
April 15th - 19th - Spring Vacation
April 25th - 3rd Grade Concert @ 6:00 pm
April 29th - Half-Day Dismissal at 12:15 pm
2024 MCAS Dates
April 9th and 11th - Grade 3 ELA
April 8th and 10th - Grade 4 ELA
May 14th and 16th - Grade 3 Math
May 13th and 15th - Grade 4 Math
Highlights
IXL Math Achievement Awards & Extra Recess
Our students recently completed their 3rd IXL math snapshot and we are truly amazed with the progress our students made. Whether it be with an individual growth score, class growth score, applying learned strategies, or demonstrating grit and perseverance, our data shows that ALL of our students have grown as mathematicians.
Each class received their own certificates!
This is truly something to highlight! Given all the ways we celebrate and honor the importance of Reading and Core Values, it was time to shine a little light on all the hard work our students and teachers put into being strong mathematicians. Each student has received an Individual IXL Achievement Award and each classroom was given an Extra Recess Certificate. Each grade level enjoyed some extra time outside in the beautiful sunshine to celebrate!
Ralph Masiello, Illustrator Visits SU!
Thank you to our PTO for bringing Mr. Masiello to our school! Each grade level had an opportunity to dive into their imaginations and draw along with him as they learn what it takes to illustrate your ideas into a creative and adventurous story!
Student Council ~ Collection Drive
New FloRo Presentation
On Monday evening, Administration from Florence Roche presented to all Groton families who will be entering into the new school in the fall of 2024. Mr. Brian O’Donahue, Principal and Mrs. Laura Taylor, Assistant Principal shared the building project details through a colorful and fun slide deck (attached HERE). The mic was then turned over to the audience and students & families had time to ask questions and learn more about the new school and the move.
Transition conversations were brought back at Swallow Union keeping at the forefront that this change impacts students who are transitioning to their home school and those who are staying. On Tuesday during student lunches, the presentation was shared with all the students. We firmly believe that the best way to support our Groton and Dunstable students who may be feeling nervous or unsure, is to continue to talk and answer questions, provide assurance that they will be okay, and to acknowledge their feelings. After each grade level presentation, there was a line of students with questions to help them make meaning. Please know we are mindful of supporting all of our students.
Lost & Found - Please claim!
In the coming weeks, we will be donating any unclaimed articles of clothing. Please check with your child(ren) to see if they are missing anything!
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.
Karter Fairbarn (4J) (above) is such a Responsible student in all areas! However, Mrs. Jankowski has been very impressed with her use of scrap paper on IXL. She decided to keep all her scrap paper clipped together as a reminder to herself of her own hard work and growth.
Henry Martin (3K) (above) has shown so much Growth in challenging himself when nervous! He did a great job with morning announcements knowing he was announcing to the whole school! Way to grow Henry!
Allison Reisberg (3K) (above) has shown Responsibility and Respect for her Kindergarten Reading Buddies! She reaches out to include them all and welcomes new students to our school.
Nolan McNamara (3K) (above) was very kind to another student in a younger grade by inviting him to play and be friends. Keep up the good work and modeling for others how to be inclusive!
Jack Archer (1S) (above) is such a kind friend and works so hard to be a good friend to others. He has shown amazing Resilience and Growth at all he does and is willing to be a problem solver and accept feedback!
Isabella Sullivan (2C) (above) Izzy is super cool when it comes to learning, especially in math! Even when things get really tricky, she doesn’t give up and she shows perseverance and Resilience! She keeps trying with a big smile and shows us all how our positive mindset helps us succeed when tackling hard things!
Ethan Wilson (3D) (above) cleaned up all of his friends' fractions tiles and is always being considerate and thoughtful to his peers! Way to show being Responsible for yourself, others and our classroom! You are appreciated!
Aliyah Arevalo (2B) (above) is a super hard worker and shows Perserverance in all things challenging. She demonstrates what it means to not give up and as a result, she has grown as a learner!
Stasia Murzycki (2B) (above) is one Resilient Ti-GRRR! She is Responsible with her work habits each and every day. She comes to school ready to learn with a smile on her face!
Molly Julian (2B) (above) is always a hard worker! When she is not sure yet of something, she asks questions and Perserveres through hard things. She has grown as a learner so much this year because of this!
SU Music Concerts will take place in April and May!
Grade 2 performs on April 11th at 6pm at SU.
Grade 3 performs on April 25th at 6pm at SU.
Grade 1 performs on May 2nd at 6pm at SU.
Grade 4 performs on May 30th at 6pm at SU.
4th Graders will also perform at the GDRSD Fine Arts Festival in the Middle School South PAC at 7pm on May 20th!
The Kindergarten "Informances" will take place in the music classroom from 11:30 - 12:00. KL is on June 4th, KM is on June 6th, and KO is on June 7th.
SEPAC Events
G-D Special Education Parent Advisory Council
GDEF's Trivia Night for Education is back! Join us March 23, 2024 at the Groton Country Club for a fun night out to support Groton-Dunstable schools with grants that directly benefit our GDRSD students. Advance tickets only. Please check out https://www.gdefinc.org/tnp for more information and to register your trivia team! Doors open at 7pm, trivia starts at 7:30pm...and the fun starts when YOU join us!
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!
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.
