IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES:
Wednesday, November 27th - Thanksgiving Recess/Early Release (10:50)
Thursday/Friday, November 28/29th - No School Thanksgiving Recess
Thursday, December 5th - Self-Help Tour (In School Assembly)
Friday, December 6th - Mid-Point of Term 2
Friday, December 13th - PD Early Release (10:50)
December 23rd - January 3rd - Holiday Break
Link to school calendar - Calendar 2024 - 2025
MESSAGE FROM PRINCIPAL SIERPINA
It is hard to believe that we are already at Thanksgiving break. I hope you all have a great, long weekend and are able to relax and spend time with family and friends. First semester has been going very well and the students and staff continue to do great things in and out of the classroom. Thank you for your continued support of GDRHS and our students. See you next week. Happy Thanksgiving.
PEER LEADERS SPREADING HOLIDAY CHEER!
The Peer Leaders need your help to bring holiday cheer to nearly 80 children at Seven Hills in Groton! Stop by the fireplace display in the front commons and pick a mitten with a child’s requested book title. Buy the book, wrap it, attach the mitten, and drop it off with Ms. McManus in the library by December 18th. No time to shop? For $25, you can purchase a pre-wrapped gift that includes a book and a pair of cozy socks. Questions: kmcmanus@gdrsd.org
CHEERLEADER FUNDRAISER
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Florence Roche is hosting a Winter Fair and they are looking for student volunteers.
Date: December 7 / Time: 9a-2pm
Where: Marion Stoddart Bldg (MS South)
What: help sell baked goods, pizza, serve chili and manage kids craft area
If any students are interested, please email jenniferblount@hotmail.com
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
GrotonFest Winter will be held on Saturday, December 7th. They are looking for students to volunteer during any of the slots (set-up is preferred) as well as students who are interested in training to be volunteer coordinators for later GrotonFest events.
Here is the link to sign up (volunteers should do so with their personal / non-school email):
Anyone interested in the coordinator position should contact one of the current volunteer coordinators (brierviolet@gmail.com, arwa.syahya@gmail.com, mburm323@gmail.com, hannahegan113@gmail.com) or Lynne Burmeister (lynne@grotonfest.com).
CLASS OF 2027 FUNDRAISER
The Groton-Dunstable Class of 2027 is in need of food donations for our next fundraiser coming up in December. We will be providing and selling refreshments at Dunstbaleś jinglefest. If anyone would like to purchase and donate food or beverage items you can sign up here. Your support is greatly appreciated.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4EAAA82CA3FAC61-52189084-jinglefest#/
TOY DRIVE!
Let’s show our CRUSADER spirit and bring some holiday cheer to children in local hospitals and homeless shelters! This year GDRHS will be part of a TOY DRIVE to help For the Love of Erika, a local non-profit that provides disadvantaged children in hospitals and shelters with presents during the holiday season. After Thanksgiving break there will be a bin outside the main office for all toy donations. If you are donating gift cards, please bring them to Mr. Hennelly’s office. Let’s show other area schools what the CRUSADER spirit is all about and fill the bin over the top with toys! The toy drive will only last for two weeks and will end December 13th! Items of greatest need are: Fisher Price, Legos, Barbies and gift cards for older children.
All toy donations should be unwrapped (Please no stuffed animals)
GUIDANCE NEWS
SELF HELP TOUR COMING TO GD On December 5th, the guidance department is welcoming Kaleb Joseph to speak to staff and students during an end of day school wide assembly. Kaleb was a highly recruited basketball prospect at nearby Cushing Academy (Ashburnham), and went on to play at Syracuse University on a basketball scholarship. When things didn't pan out, Kaleb struggled to cope, but turned his pain into purpose, traveling the U.S. as a life coach and motivational speaker. His website description gives a sense of what his talk will consist of:
The Self-Help Tour is empowering champions in all aspects of their journey, including resilience of the mind. For too long, the unwritten rules of "toughing it out" have discouraged many talented individuals from acknowledging normal struggles and seeking help. By normalizing vulnerability and compassion through open dialogue, our aim is to reduce silent suffering due to misguided stigmas of weakness. We all contend with life's difficulties; together, through empathy and education, a braver environment emerges where no one feels alone or afraid to reach for needed support. Together, we aspire to share powerful stories of human triumphs over adversity until the stigma melts away. In its place, we are creating a shared understanding that we are all human and on a journey to become our best selves inside and out.
MEFA NEWS Our webinars for students and families offer detailed and timely information on a range of college planning topics. And we’ve recorded each one we’ve held this year. Visit our webinars page, where you can find all upcoming webinars listed at the top, with registration links, and all recorded webinars listed at the bottom. Recent topics include Financial Aid 101, What to Know about the CSS Profile, and College Admissions.
HOW TO ORDER A YEARBOOK, PLUS SENIOR PORTRAIT AND AD INFORMATION
The PRESALE cost for a yearbook is $75 until December 31, 2024. All presales are guaranteed. After that, the cost for a yearbook goes up to $85 on a first-come, first-serve basis, based on what we estimate our sales will be beyond our guaranteed presale number. We have sold out of yearbooks the past three years, so be sure to order now.
To purchase a book or buy your senior a tribute ad, go to GDRHS's Yearbook Order Center.