Week of October 2nd, 2023
Important Dates:
October 9th - Indigenous People’s Day - No School
October 13th - Grade 4 Mount Wachusett Field Trip
October 17th - School Picture Day
October 20th - Half-Day Dismissal at 12:15 pm
October 23rd-27rd - Scholastic Book Fair
October 27th - Half Day Dismissal at 12:15 pm & PTO Monster Mash
Substitute Nurses Needed:
The Groton-Dunstable Regional School District is looking for substitute School Nurses. Must be an RN. Please get in touch with Lorinda Dishington Ortiz, District Nursing Coordinator, at lortiz@gdrsd.org for more information. Thank you!
Highlights
This week Mrs. Jarvis and Mrs. Moreau, the School Counselor, met with each grade level to discuss what is expected of them as students in relation to how they contribute to our school community. This is directly related to Swallow Union’s Core Values and what it means to be a Ti-GRRR (Growth, Respect, Responsible, and Resilient). Please check out the Live Feed Section of our website where we’ve posted some pictures.
During these assemblies, emphasis was placed on making good choices for those who ride the school bus. We are asking for families to have similar conversations with your children at home about safe bus behavior. While we know the majority are doing what is expected of them, there are several buses with students (there is often more than one involved) that are not making good decisions and in turn, are creating safety concerns. These include, not limited to the following:
Standing, jumping over seats, changing seats, in the aisle while the bus is in motion
Hands and head out the window of the bus
Hands/feet on others, hitting, kicking, tripping
Throwing water bottles, spraying them on others
Gum chewing, sticking gum to seats
Yelling, swearing
We talk extensively with students when concerns are brought to our attention about how this impacts the driver’s ability to attend to the road. We remind them that riding the bus is a privilege. The bus drivers are patient and give lots of verbal reminders and will eventually write up those who are not adhering to the rules/expected behaviors. When a write-up occurs, it always involves meeting with Mrs. Jarvis to problem solve, make reparations, and a logical consequence (when appropriate). Families can expect communication from Mrs. Jarvis when this occurs so you are aware and can support these conversations at home.
Please take a moment to talk with your child(ren) about the importance of sitting in their seat, being kind to their peers, and keeping their hands and feet to themselves.
Ti-GRRR Awards
G = Growth, R = Respect, R = Responsible, R = Resilient
This week we are highlighting several students who have earned Ti-GRRR Awards!
Finley Murphy in 3rd grade, is being recognized with a Ti-GRRR Award for her Resilience. Finley consistently works hard when learning new things and uses taught strategies to get to the answer. Mrs. Prescott has recognized her for her dedication to learning and says that Finley is unstoppable! Well done, Finley!
In fourth grade, Mrs. Jankowski nominated Lila Sheldon for showing us what it means to be a Responsible student. After she realized she left her homework at school, rather than coming in the next day without it, she took responsibility and called a classmate who was able to share with her the problems so she could get it done!
This student stands out for showing what it means to be Responsible when it comes to finding something valuable and turning it in in the hopes it gets returned to the rightful owner. Pearl Keeney found money on the bus and turned it in to Mrs. Dzwonek in the school office. Way to be responsible!
Congratulations to Christopher Belley for being nominated for showing Responsibility with a classmate. He noticed a classmate needed some help with getting started on their work because they missed some of the instructions. Christopher helped by giving step-by-step directions and giving some positive and kind words of encouragement.
I particularly love this photograph because as soon as Christopher's classmates saw me congratulating him for earning the Award, they were so proud and excited for him that they immediately rallied into a group hug around him.
Second Step Curriculum ~ Message from Mrs. Durling & Mrs. Jarvis
Dear Groton-Dunstable Families,
We want your child to be successful in school and that means supporting and encouraging their whole development. While excelling in academic classes is important, children also need skills to take on learning challenges, make good decisions, manage strong emotions, and get along with others.
This school year, we will implement Second Step Elementary, a research-based social-emotional learning program designed to improve children’s social-emotional skills. Second Step skills and concepts are designed to help children both in and out of school. This year, we will utilize the Second Step Bullying Prevention Unit and three Second Step units that cover the following:
Emotion Management: Children learn how to identify and label emotions and use emotion-management strategies- including stress management for older students - to calm strong feelings.
Empathy and Kindness: Children learn how to recognize kindness and act kindly, have empathy for others and take others’ perspectives, and recognize kind acts and empathy as important elements of building and maintaining relationships.
Problem-Solving: Children learn how to identify and state a problem, recognize if a problem is an accident, and use the STEP problem-solving process:
S: Say the problem
T: Think of solutions
E: Explore the outcomes
P: Pick a solution
We will also be utilizing Second Step’s Bullying Prevention Unit.
You will receive regular communication from your child’s teacher to help you reinforce Second Step language, skills, and goals at home. If you have any questions about Second Step Elementary, please don't hesitate to contact me, your school principal, or your child’s teacher for more information. Thank you for your support.
Sincerely,
Jess Durling
MTSS Tier I Coordinator, PreK-12
and
Jill Jarvis, Swallow Union Principal
PTO Updates
Monster Mash October 27th
K & Grade 2: 5:00 to 6:30 pm
Grades 3 & 4: 6:30 to 8:00 pm
School Picture Day ~ October 17th, 2023
This year we are excited to announce that we are working with Geskus Studios for our student pictures this year! All students will be photographed individually and as a class. One of the benefits is a family discount if you have more than two children at Swallow Union or GD Middle School. Flyers were sent home with your child last week. Online pre-ordering is recommended!
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.
SEPAC Events
G-D Special Education Parent Advisory Council
Community Education Fall Offerings
Groton Dunstable Community Education is proud to offer a variety of Fall Programs for all ages and interests:
-Click here to view our catalog.
-Visit our website for details, account creation, and registration.
-Have any program ideas? We would love to hear from you. Please contact the GDCE office