Host Family Needed

Host Family Needed

We have Paulo, a 17 year old senior boy from Brazil, coming to Groton Dunstable Regional high school at the end of January 2015 to complete his spring semester there.  

He is a very active, friendly, outgoing young man who loves volleyball, sports, and other things that typical teens like, such as movies, music, and hanging out with friends.  He also loves travel, and has already completed a 2 month exchange in Scotland.

At home in Sao Paolo, Brazil, he lives with his mother and father, his older sister, and his pet dog.  Unfortunately, Paulo is allergic to cat fur, and cannot live in a home with pet cats.

Host families are asked to provide Paulo with a bedroom (can be shared with a similarly-aged host brother or 1 other international student) and 2-3 meals a day.  If Paulo chooses to eat lunch at school, he will purchase it.  Paulo will take the school bus to and from school, as long as the host family lives within the district.  Families outside of Groton/Dunstable are welcome to host (Nashua, Littleton, Pepperell, Ayer, etc), but would have to help in providing more rides to and from the nearest school bus stop.

  

Host families must complete a simple online application, as well as a criminal background check for all adult members of the home. 

We have a local coordinator in the area, Ann, who can come and help the family through this process, as well as complete the home visit and interview.

Educatius international pays host families in the Groton Dunstable area $700 per month, per student, as a tax-free reimbursement.  We also pay a $100 referral bonus to you, if you can recommend a family or friend who then becomes Paulo’s host family.

Furthermore, we are happy to work with “welcome families,” which are host families who would only like to commit to hosting for 8 weeks, while we continue to find his more permanent placement.

Thank you for considering this opportunity,

Ann Northup

International Coordinator

Educatius International 

Nicki Wilkinson & Happy Holidays

Nicki Wilkinson

Nicki Wilkinson has been named one of six finalists for Lowell Sun Female Athlete of the Year.  Based on public voting the six will be reduced until only two remain.  

To vote for Nicki just click this link - http://lowellsun.upickem.net/engine/Details.aspx?contestid=154112&pagetype=VOTING&SubmissionID=72884631.  You will be required to complete a quick registration on the site after which you can vote once a day until voting closes on the 5th of January.

On behalf of Groton-Dunstable Regional High School, I would like to wish all students and families a safe and happy holiday season.  

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Principal's Notes

Progress Reports

Please review the image below for detailed information on how best to access student grade information.  

GD Student Artwork

By Rebecca Kostich

Our Artsonia gallery is up and running for its second year! You can view students' artwork, and you can also purchase a variety of items and gifts (like mugs, magnets, and keychains) printed with their artwork! When you purchase these items, not only are you getting great keepsakes and gifts, but 20% of the proceeds come right back to the Art Department! Our gallery is here: http://www.artsonia.com/schools/school.asp?id=43465

You can get your gifts in time for Christmas using Priority Postal Mail or UPS Ground. (December 21st is the deadline for orders using UPS Express). 

MHA Field Trip

By Jon O'Conner

On Friday, December 12th GDRHS had an interdisciplinary field trip to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.  The visit included upper level students from French, Spanish, Studio Art and Design.   (French IV, Spanish V, Design III and Studio Art III-V)

A key draw was a major exhibit of paintings and illustrations by Francisco Goya (1746-1828), widely held as one of the most influential painters of all time.   A Spanish Romantic Master who specialized in royal portraiture and tapestry design, Goya is now best known for his subversive political pieces criticizing ignorance and violence and for his expressive painting style that was a precursor to essential Twentieth century artists such as Matisse and Picasso.

Students then broke into smaller tour groups and explored the Museum: American Art, Contemporary Art, Impressionism, Art of the South Pacific, Mummies of Ancient Egypt and a special exhibit on Transportation were some of the highlights.  

Special thanks to Madame Sutherland for organizing and to Ms Durst for chaperoning.

Host Families Needed

Educatius International is still seeking host families for two of GDRHS’s incoming spring semester students. Eric is from China, and will be a freshman this spring.  He loves biology, chemistry, the outdoors, hiking, ping pong, swimming, and cooking.  

Paulo is from Brazil, and will be a senior this spring.  He describes himself as a very happy, friendly, and active person, who loves volleyball and drawing.  Unfortunately, Paulo has an allergy to cats, so cannot live with a host family who has cats.

Hosts are asked to provide the student with a bedroom, 3 meals a day, and a friendly family atmosphere.  They are also asked to complete an online application and background check, as well as a home meeting with the local coordinator.  There is a monthly stipend to help offset the costs of having the student in your home.

Rebecca, a representative of Educatius International will be at the high school Christmas concert at the middle school in Groton this upcoming Wednesday December 10^th.  Come and visit her table to learn more about hosting one (or both) of these students. Students coming for spring semester arrive in Groton from mid to end of January, so home placements are to be confirmed before Christmas.

If you have questions please contact high school principal, Michael Mastrullo.  He can be reached at (978) 448-6362.

Progress Reports & More

Progress Reports
Progress reports are available for viewing in both iStudent and iParent.  The first semester ends on the 23rd of January and report cards will be published on the 30th of January.

Army Bound
Congratulations to Parker Blodgett as he officially signed with the United States Army. Parker departs for boot camp this summer.

PSAT Information
PSAT scores have arrived.  They can be picked up in the Guidance office.

Host Families Needed

Educatius International is still seeking host families for two of GDRHS’s incoming spring semester students. Eric is from China, and will be a freshman this spring.  He loves biology, chemistry, the outdoors, hiking, ping pong, swimming, and cooking.  

Paulo is from Brazil, and will be a senior this spring.  He describes himself as a very happy, friendly, and active person, who loves volleyball and drawing.  Unfortunately, Paulo has an allergy to cats, so cannot live with a host family who has cats.

Hosts are asked to provide the student with a bedroom, 3 meals a day, and a friendly family atmosphere.  They are also asked to complete an online application and background check, as well as a home meeting with the local coordinator.  There is a monthly stipend to help offset the costs of having the student in your home.

Rebecca, a representative of Educatius International will be at the high school Christmas concert at the middle school in Groton this upcoming Wednesday December 10^th.  Come and visit her table to learn more about hosting one (or both) of these students. Students coming for spring semester arrive in Groton from mid to end of January, so home placements are to be confirmed before Christmas.

If you have questions please contact high school principal, Michael Mastrullo.  He can be reached at (978) 448-6362.

Winter Concert/Host Families Needed

Host Families Needed

Educatius International is still seeking host families for two of GDRHS’s incoming spring semester students. Eric is from China, and will be a freshman this spring.  He loves biology, chemistry, the outdoors, hiking, ping pong, swimming, and cooking.  

Paulo is from Brazil, and will be a senior this spring.  He describes himself as a very happy, friendly, and active person, who loves volleyball and drawing.  Unfortunately, Paulo has an allergy to cats, so cannot live with a host family who has cats.

Hosts are asked to provide the student with a bedroom, 3 meals a day, and a friendly family atmosphere.  They are also asked to complete an online application and background check, as well as a home meeting with the local coordinator.  There is a monthly stipend to help offset the costs of having the student in your home.

Rebecca, a representative of Educatius International will be at the high school Christmas concert at the middle school in Groton this upcoming Wednesday December 10^th.  Come and visit her table to learn more about hosting one (or both) of these students. Students coming for spring semester arrive in Groton from mid to end of January, so home placements are to be confirmed before Christmas.

If you have questions please contact high school principal, Michael Mastrullo.  He can be reached at (978) 448-6362.

Winter Concert

This Wednesday is the High School Winter Concert & Art Exhibit.

The art exhibit starts at 6:00 PM and the Winter Concert starts at 7:00 pm

Members from the High school Drama Guild will be serving refreshments.

Come and enjoy a night out.

School Assemblies: Appropriate Use Of Technology

Today we met with all students during school assemblies.  We discussed several topics regarding the appropriate use of technology.  Being mindful of your digital footprint and reinforcing the notion that words and images posted online are potentially permanent were two of the topics discussed.  In addition, we recently discovered that students are not only engaging in improper internet searches, but many students are involved in the dissemination of inappropriate images of students.  Furthermore, students are using anonymous digital resources to post comments aimed at humiliating, teasing, bullying, and spreading rumors about students.

Yik Yak is a common application they are using to engage in such behavior. Yik Yak allows for anonymous, and often hurtful messages to be communicated to a large audience.  We discovered that the posting and sharing of inappropriate images is more prevalent than we anticipated.  Lastly, it became abundantly clear that some students were communicating about using and selling drugs.

We sent a very clear message to students.  We are all proud of the climate and culture that is present in our building.  We take pride in the respectful manner in which students and staff interact.  In addition, we take pride in the manner in which students treat one other.  So needless to say we were alarmed to witness such a high level of cyber bullying between GD students.  We informed students that engaging in such activity would not be tolerated, and students willfully humiliating one another is not acceptable.  

It has come to our attention that students are frequently using their phones during class without permission. We recognize it is our responsibility to police such behavior; however, if the problem persists more drastic action might be needed.  Students often claim that the messages are from parents.  Please use discretion when sending messages to your son or daughter during school knowing that it may cause an issue during class.  

We would urge you to discuss the appropriate use of technology with your son or daughter, and reinforce the important concept that one digital mistake can carry with it severe and lasting consequences.  Although much of this behavior transpires outside of school we are asking for your help and support to reinforce the important concept of using technology appropriately. 

Principal's Notes (Taylor White)

You may have heard that a farmhouse in Lunenburg was destroyed by fire a few weeks ago.  That home is owned by the Mcleod family of Lunenburg.  Although not students at GD, the impact of that tragedy was felt at our school.  

Taylor White, a senior at GD, was in the home when the fire erupted.  She won’t admit it but Taylor proved to be hero that day.  Taylor kept a level head and acted quickly.  She physically removed David Mcleod from the home as he initially attempted to go rescue the family dog.  Taylor and David jumped from a second story window to escape the flames.  The Mcleod family has endured a difficult few months.  Not only did they lose their dog, their home, and all of their possessions in the recent fire, but they also lost their mother this past summer.  A tragic story.

In an effort to help a family in a neighboring town Taylor spearheaded an effort to raise much needed funds for the family.  Through bake sales and donations we raised nearly 1,000 dollars.  I have included a link to a donation page dedicated to help the family.  

 http://www.gofundme.com/h52btg. 

Taylor White

HS Quiz Show/Hour of Code/ITS

High School Quiz Show

Last Sunday Ms. Brisson and I accompanied four students to take part in the qualifying round for the WGBH High School Quiz Show that is hosted by Billy Costa from 107.9.  One-hundred and twenty schools competed and sixteen will qualify for the televised competition. The students performed brilliantly scoring 940 points out of a total of 1275. We will be notified soon if we qualify for the televised portion of the competition. 

Fiona Henry

Eric Yenchenko

Dan Evans

Ben Navetta

From Left: Ben Navetta, Eric Yenchenko, Dan Evans, Fiona Henry

Hour of Code

GDRHS plans to participate in the Hour of Code in early December.  Last year our  students participated alongside some 10 million students world wide.  This year the Hour of Code 

has the audacious goal of reaching more than 100 millions students.  During the Hour of Code event high school students will present and assist with a variety of programming activities in classrooms across the district.   Thanks to the hard work and effort of the tech team, staff members, and our student ambassadors, we will reach every student in the district.  Each building will have a series of coding activities.  Information about these activities can be found at code.org.  

The Benefits of the Hour of Code

• Creativity, Communication, Collaboration & Critical Thinking Skills
• Build awareness of student opportunities
• Peer to peer teaching and modeling
• Foster computational thinking
• Demystify the belief that coding is only for smart, white and Asian men
• Get kids excited and engaged…. have fun!

The following short video "What is code?" provides an informative, albeit brief, introduction to coding.  

Additional Resources

CS Ed Weeks startling infographic.

CS Ed Weeks "What is Computer Science and What do People Do Once They Know It?"

International Thespian Society

GDRHS drama students demonstrated their commitment to theater at the high school as well as their lives when they joined the International Thespian Society.  To join this international drama society each student must play an active role in GD drama productions.  In addition,  they are required to demonstrate a commitment to community service.  Students in the honor society act, design sets and costumes, manage front of house, build sets, produce, and direct GD theater productions.   Many of the students also volunteer at the high school and community theater projects.  Collectively these students have volunteered literally hundreds of hours.  Congratulations and welcome to our new inductees.  

Veterans Day, Girls Cross Country & More

Veterans Day Ceremony 

Today we held our Veterans Day Ceremony that featured several members of the military.  The assembly began with a wonderful rendition of our National Anthem performed by Rebecca Stark.  I want to thank all members of the armed forces for their service, and for the few who were kind enough to join us today: Petty Officer Keith Woods, Petty Officer Duncan Graham, Sgt. Chris McLaughlin, Captain Bob Johnson, and Captain Joe Dean.   A special thank you for our guest speakers, Lt. Col John Giger and Lt. Col Tamara Scwhartz.

Lt. Col. John Giger

Lt. Col. Tamara Schwartz

Rebecca Stark

Girls CC News
Congratulations to the Girls Cross Country team for taking second place in the Central Massachusetts District Championship this past weekend. The team qualified for the State Championship this coming Saturday at Franklin Park. Freshman sensation Emily Willson finished in second place in Central Massachusetts District Championships.

Winter Sports Registration
2014-15 Winter Sports Registration for high school and middle school is now open. Please visit the following website to register. Please note, registrations after the 16th of November will be subject to a $25.00 late fee.
http://www.gdrsd.org/District/Department/119-Crusader-Athletics … 

Football Playoffs
After a convincing 38-7 victory over Nipmuc this past weekend GD will travel to Holy Name High School on Saturday, November 15th.  The game will start at noon.  

Noises Off
Congratulations to the cast of Noises Off.  The production was well attended and the show was hilarious.  

Grades/Playoff Football/Noises Off/Girls CC

Grades
First quarter grades will be available in both iStudent and iParent at 3:00 this afternoon.  

Playoff Football 
GDRHS Football is playing host to Nipmuc in a playoff football game tonight starting at 7pm.


Girls Cross Country
Girls Cross Country won the Mid-Wach championship. Freshman Emily Willson was first, Emily MacAuliffe was fifth, and Meghan O'Dell finished 9th. Congrats to everyone!
Emily Willson completed a sensational freshman season. A season that featured a new GDRHS course record. Congratulations Emily!

Noises Off

Please come and see the production of Noises Off.  Tickets are available at the door.  

Friday November 7th @ 7 PM
Saturday November 8th @ 2 PM and 7 PM
BBX - GDRHS

Girls Volleyball, Boys Soccer & All-Star Honors

Girls Volleyball
The dominant lady Crusaders suffered a difficult loss to Westboro yesterday in the Central MA Division 2 Semifinal. It was a valiant effort and a remarkable season. The team finished the season with nineteen wins and two losses. The volleyball program is less than ten years old and to witness such a stratospheric rise to prominence is a testament to the hard work and effort of the players, led by the captains pictured below, and coaches Lisa LaPierre,Lori Herberich, and Adam Snodgrass. Congratulations girls!

Jamie Debreceni & Aley Pray

Taylor White 

Boys Soccer
Boys Soccer lost a hard fought game in the quarterfinals to Westboro yesterday afternoon. The game was 2-2 after two overtime periods. The outcome was eventually decided by penalty kicks. Great season boys!

Congratulations to Meghan Colantuoni for being named to the Mid-Wach B Field Hockey All-Star Team. Congratulations to Brittany Belanger and Lindsay Werner for earning Mid-Wach B Soccer All-Star Team honors.

Meghan Colantuoni

Brittany Belanger

Lindsay Werner

GDEF/Noises Off/Best Buddies

GDEF Information

GDEF Seeks Volunteers….Annual Giving Campaign Launching this Month

Our district schools rely on the Groton Dunstable Education Foundation to fill a critical need by funding grants for innovative programs, materials and professional development that fall outside the regular budget and help foster our teachers’ creativity and improve student achievement.   GDEF’s mini-grant cycle for amounts up to $500 is currently open, and GDEF recently awarded a grant to Danielle Patenaude-Dumont to enhance grammar instruction for her 9^th grade students.  GDEF needs more volunteers in many areas, including grants review and administration, school relations, website maintenance, and annual giving.  If you can help, please complete the attached volunteer form and email it to info@gdefinc.org. 

Last year GDEF received so many wonderful applications that it had to dip into reserves to fund more than the $29,000 raised through its Annual Giving Campaign (AGC).  This year GDEF is counting on your support to reach its new goal of $35,000.  In mid-November, be on the lookout for AGC information coming in newsletters and local media, as well as through emails and the mail.  For more information, visit www.gdefinc.org.

Please view our website for additional information.  

Noises Off

Please come and see the production of Noises Off.  Tickets are available at the door.  

Friday November 7th @ 7 PM
Saturday November 8th @ 2 PM and 7 PM
BBX - GDRHS

Yankee Candle Fundraiser

Members of the PAVE program are currently running a fundraiser to benefit our Crusader Pals initiative.  The goal is to partner with Best Buddies.  I have included some information about Best Buddies below. The Yankee Candle Fund Raiser for Crusader Pals will benefit both the Crusader Plans and Best Buddies initiatives.  Sales close on Friday.  Below is a link to the website.  Please use the group number provided. 

The Link is :  www.yankeecandlefundraising.com

Group Number is:  990072197

Checks can be made out to :  GDRHS/Crusader Pals

http://www.bestbuddies.org/

Best Buddies® is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

Founded in 1989 by Anthony K. Shriver, Best Buddies is a vibrant, international organization that has grown from one original chapter to almost 1,700 middle school, high school, and college chapters worldwide. Best Buddies programs engage participants in each of the 50 United States, and in 50 countries around the world.

Best Buddies’ eight formal programs — Middle Schools, High Schools, Colleges, Citizens, e-Buddies®, Jobs, Ambassadors, and Promoters — positively impact nearly 800,000 individuals with and without disabilities worldwide. Best Buddies volunteers annually contribute, at no cost to their communities, support services that equate to more than $168 million USD.

As a result of their involvement with Best Buddies, people with IDD secure rewarding jobs, live on their own, become inspirational leaders, and make lifelong friendships. Although Best Buddies has advanced tremendously in its short existence, many areas of the country and many regions of the world still lack programs to help people with IDD become part of mainstream society. With that in mind, Best Buddies is systematically implementing its 2020 Initiative, which will witness the organization’s continued significant growth, both domestically and overseas.

Students Of The Month

Featured below are the GDRHS students of the month. They are being recognized and honored for their academic achievements along with other significant contributions to the school. All of them scored in the top 50,000 out of more than 1.5 million on the PSATs. Ben Navetta and Nick Freiter scored in the top 16,000. Furthermore, their biographies not only showcase their impressive talents and interests, but they also represent amazing potential. Congratulations to all!


Drew Cartier
My name is Andrew, or Drew, Cartier. I am a senior at Groton-Dunstable Regional High School. I am honored to be named student of the month and would like to thank all my teachers for helping me realize my potential. My plans for the future likely include attending college, which, while a financial burden, is essential for a productive career. I am debating what to study; chemical engineering sits atop a list that also includes macroeconomics, political science, and music theory and composition. Wherever my education and professional path leads, I aim to better society in some way through my actions. This is my goal. I would like to thank my parents for teaching me the value of hard work and determination, and my sister for teaching me how to take life less seriously at times.

Jacqulyn Cernak

I am Jacqulyn Cernak, a senior at GDRHS.  I am interested in art, biology, and psychology, and plan to pursue one of these in college.  One thing that has had an impact on my life is my work in community service and public art.  For a number of years, I have worked as the project manager for historical murals on the Nashua River Rail Trail.  This combines my passion with art along with local history.  I work on a design team with other students and have greatly enjoyed my time on this ongoing project.

Far Right: Jacqulyn Cernak 

Jen Fells

I am 17 and currently a senior in high school. I have lived in Groton my entire life. I live with my parents and my two brothers. My younger brother, Jared, is 11 and in sixth grade while my older brother, Craig, is 20 and an art student at Middlesex Community College. I am in the process of applying to colleges in the Northeast. As a person fascinated with numbers, I have an interest in the field mathematics. My plans are to obtain either a general mathematics degree or a statistics degree. Currently, I am considering pursuing a career in actuarial science, but nothing is set, and I know that there is a good possibility that I will change my mind after I go off to college.

Nick Freiter
I am not entirely sure what to say about myself. Sadly even students of the month can be boring. I wish I had some interesting story to share about how my life was changed by some influential figures. Realistically my parents are those influential figures, but unfortunately that doesn’t make for an interesting story in a Student of the Month short biography. I’ll just talk about my life and some plans for the future. If this gets dull, you can stop reading, I won’t be angry, and I’ll never know anyway. I’m not psychic (see, now you already know a little bit about me). Alright here we go. I live in Dunstable, and my name is Nick Freiter. I have an older sister in college, a younger sister attending the high school, and two parents. Pretty typical family stuff. I’m planning to study mathematics or biomedical engineering in college, I may eventually decide to go to medical school but we’ll just have to wait and see how that goes. Things that I enjoy include basketball, reading, naps, and breaking the fourth wall. This feels like a good place to sign off. If anyone is still reading, I would like to thank you for staying with me.

Fiona Henry
First, I would like to congratulate my peers on doing a stellar job on the PSATs.  I have enjoyed working with you guys immensely the past four years. Throughout high school, I have played for both the field hockey and lacrosse teams, and this year I was fortunate enough to be nominated as field hockey captain. Next year, I hope to go on and study biochemistry in college, an aspiration which would not have been possible without the amazing faculty at GD. Finally, I’d like to thank my parents and brother for their constant love and support.

Katherine Horrigan

I am a senior this year and I am planning on studying biology and Spanish in college next year with hopes of continuing on to medical school when I graduate. During the school year I am a member of the varsity field hockey team and the unified track and field team. I participate in many school activities including the biology club, Spanish club and math team. Outside of school I enjoy spending time outdoors camping, rock climbing and hiking. I spend my summers as a counselor at a resident camp.

Julia Martorano

I am a seventeen-year-old senior here at GD.  I've lived in Dunstable my whole life, and I have loved these past (almost) four years at the high school.  I enjoy coming in to school every day, taking classes that are fun and interesting, and seeing my friends, even if all that starts a bit too early in the morning.  Outside of school, I have studied martial arts at Neil Stone's Karate Academy for nine years and I am a second degree black belt.  I am also very interested in music; I play flute in the school's concert band, spend a lot of my free time transcribing music pieces, and enjoy singing (though I never got up the courage to sing in the chorus).  As for the future, I hope to study biology in college, focusing on genetics, hopefully getting a job in and contributing to that field.  I am honored to be named a student of the month.

Ben Navetta
I’m a senior here at Groton-Dunstable. I’ve been on the robotics team for the past four years, and we’re getting ready for a great season! I’m also on the Math Team and Latin Club. Next year I hope to major in computer science. I have two younger brothers, one at the middle school and one here at GDRHS. I’ve really enjoyed my years at GD and know that the school has prepared me well for the future.

Jack Phelps
I am Jack Phelps, a senior at Groton-Dunstable. I have been in the Drama Guild for all four of my years here, and the knowledge and experiences there will last me a lifetime. Comedy has always been very important to me, and the only thing that feels better than a good laugh is getting others to laugh harder. I also love games of all kinds, some of my earliest memories are of playing chess with my father and cards with my grandma. Games offer me a chance to improve myself and compete against others, in a structured and clear environment. I’d like to thank the American public school system for preparing me for this excellent fake standardized test, and Texas Instruments for making a machine that does the math for me. My dream is to wait tables or serve coffee in L.A.

Eric Yanchenko

Walking into calculus class with Mr. Asadoorian, you never know what to expect.  One second he might be jumping into class to wake us up (BOOM!), the next he might be yelling about some cool math concept (the derivative of e^x is e^x, WOW!).  It is this great experience, along with all the other teachers I have had for math in the high school that certainly led me to want to pursue math in college.  And I know that because of our excellent math program I will be set up for success at whatever school I eventually choose.