Happy Sunday Groton Dunstable Regional Middle School Families. I hope you had a lovely weekend.
This is a picture of our two Project 351 Ambassadors and all of the clothes you helped to donate to make their Cradles to Crayons event a success. Thank you and Thank you Danielle and Emma
POW Corner: Belonging, This is a little story I got from a teacher about a week ago. I knew right away I wanted to share it here. “One of my friends told me about a powerful lesson in her daughter's high school class this winter. They're learning about the Salem Witch Trials, and their teacher told them they were going to play a game. “I'm going to come around and whisper to each of you whether you're a witch or a regular person. Your goal is to build the largest group possible that does NOT have a witch in it. At the end, any group found to include a witch gets a failing grade.’
The teens dove into grilling each other. One fairly large group formed, but most of the students broke into small, exclusive groups, turning away anyone they thought gave off even a hint of guilt.
"Okay," the teacher said. "You've got your groups. Time to find out which ones fail. All witches, please raise your hands." No one raised a hand. The kids were confused and told him he'd messed up the game.
"Did I? Was anyone in Salem an actual witch? Or did everyone just believe what they'd been told?"
And that is how you teach kids how easy it is to divide a community.
Keep being welcoming, beautiful people. Shunning, scapegoating and dividing destroy far more than they protect. We're all in this together.” I thought this was a good example of the Power of Our Words. What we say about people to people matters.
A+B+C+D=E Corner: Community, A community is a social unit with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. A feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals. This is what we strive for everyday at GDRMS. While we are all different we should be sharing a common goal. Common norms and this is what we work on everyday with your help and support.
New Topics to be aware of:
REMINDER: This year, beginning in May, we will be able to present our Growth and Human Development curriculum to fifth, sixth and seventh grade students, who last year did not get this information due to changes that had occurred in our scheduling as a result of COVID 19. We invite you to attend a Parent Informational Meeting on April 12 or 14 regarding the curriculum being delivered. We are providing two opportunities for your convenience. Our first informational meeting will occur on April 12th from 7pm-8pm in the PAC and our second will occur on April 14th 9am-10am in the PAC. For more information please view the invitation HERE. Prior to attending we would love to hear about your fears, questions and concerns. You may anonymously present any of those by filling out a quick survey HERE. We hope that you will be able to attend either of these webinars but if you are unable please do not hesitate to reach out to Nicole Pelletier, K-12 PE/Health Coordinator npelletier@grdrsd.org .
7th Grade families, Reminder the SBIRT screener is this Wednesday.
We have a 7th grade student who is part of 4H. 4H stands for head, hands, heart, and health. Her troop is doing a community service project. They are going to be donating pet foods and supplies to animal shelters. The student was wondering if we’d be willing to inform the students and staff here at GDMS about this and maybe ask for some donations! If you are interested the collections will start this week. She is decorating boxes for old blankets and sheets to support Nevins Farm in Methuen Ma. Please see the flier for more information: 4H Flier We will start our collection after April Vacation.
MCAS started this week. Our MCAS schedule is at the bottom of this memo and is on our website at the bottom, on the events calendar.
8TH GRADE STUDENTS: Please keep in mind that all course selections for next year are due on Monday, April 11th. If you have any questions about scheduling, please reach out to your high school counselor. The high school counselors will be visiting the middle school during the week of May 2nd to review all course selections and answer any questions you may have. Thank you!
Throughout Autism Awareness Month, we want to recognize the autism community by spotlighting books with autistic characters which also speak to the importance of diversity and inclusion. We would like to shout out the Special Education Parent Advisory Council for suggesting books and this fantastic idea!
The first book we are spotlighting is Can You See Me? By Libby Scott and Rebecca Westcott Can You See Me?: 9781407195674: Scott, Libby, Westcott, Rebecca: Books
“Tally isn't ashamed of being autistic -- even if it complicates life sometimes, it's part of who she is. But this is her first year at Kingswood Academy, and her best friend, Layla, is the only one who knows. And while a lot of other people are uncomfortable around Tally, Layla has never been one of them . . . until now.
Something is different about sixth grade, and Tally now feels like she has to act "normal." But as Tally hides her true self, she starts to wonder what "normal" means after all and whether fitting in is really what matters most.
Inspired by young coauthor Libby Scott's own experiences with autism, this is an honest and moving middle-school story of friends, family, and finding one's place.”
Reminders:
3rd quarter ended on April 5th and teachers should have grades in school brains by April 12th.
The yearbook committee is looking for photos of students engaging in various school-related activities throughout the year! Examples include first day photos, spirit day pictures, sports (especially football), after school clubs etc. If you have any photos and would like to submit them, please send them here: link.entourageyearbooks.com
All photos are due by April 30th, 2022. Please feel free to email the yearbook advisors, Clare O’Neill coneill@gdrsd.org or Caroline Keras ckeras@gdrsd.org for questions.
For 8th grade families:
We have scheduled our grade 8 Promotion ceremony for Wednesday June 15th. Mark your calendars
Ms. Stone is looking for some 8th grade students to sing the National Anthem at our promotion ceremony.
MCAS/SBIRT SCHEDULE there is a 5th grade schedule change
ELA | SBIRT | ELA Makeups | Science | Science Makeups | Math | Math Makeups | |
Grade 5 | April 7 & 8 | N/A | April 26-28 | May 3 & 4 | May 5 & 6 | May 10 & 11 | May 12 & 13 |
Grade 6 | April 7 & 8 | N/A | April 26-28 | N/A | N/A | May 10 & 11 | May 12 & 13 |
Grade 7 | April 11 & 12 | April 13 | April 14; April 26-28 | N/A | N/A | May 17 & 18 | May 19 & 20 |
Grade 8 | April 11 & 12 | N/A | April 14; April 26-28 | May 3 & 4 | May 5 & 6 | May 17 & 18 | May 19 & 20 |
Athletics
Practices
Track: Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 2:45 to 4:30....until we move to the high school....then it'll be 2:45 to 4:45.
Softball: Monday/Tuesday/Thursday 2:45-4:15pm (subject to change?)
Volleyball: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday 2:45-4:15
https://www.familyid.com/programs/crusader-baseball-clinic-2022 |
Community Activities:
Below find the link for the Community Youth Wellness Programs
Sincerely, your Groton Dunstable Regional Middle School Principal Ms. Wendy Salvatore