Weekly News
February 26, 2020
Calendar of Events
March 4, 2020: Junior Parent/Student - College Information Meeting with GDRHS Guidance
March 5, 2020: Best Buddies Talent Show @ 7pm in the Black Box Theatre
March 5, 2020: Parent /Teacher sign up link becomes active:
March 12, 2020: Spring Open House (6:30 - 8:00)
March 12, 2020: AP Registration Deadline
March 19, 2020: Scheduling Presentation for parents.
March 20, 2020: Parent Teacher Conferences
March 20, 2020: Student Scheduling Presentations (during school)
April 3 - 4, 2020: A Midsummer Night's Dream
April 3, 2020: Course selection forms(hard copy) are due in Guidance Office.
April 7, 2020: End Quarter 3
April 18 - 26, 2020: April Vacation
May 15, 2020: Junior Senior Prom (early release day)
May 27, 2020: Senior Class Dinner at Gibbet Hill
May 29, 2020: Graduation (6pm)
June 17, 2020: Scheduled last day of school
Open House
Thursday, March 12th
6:30 - 8:00pm
*Please print out a copy of your student's schedule to follow.
Parent Teacher Conferences: March 20th
To schedule parent teacher conferences please use our online sign up which can be located at www.signupgenius.com. At the main screen then click on the tab at the top of the page that says "Find a Sign up". You will search for parentconferences@gdrsd.org. You will then enter the random code that appears and the list of teachers should appear. Search for the appropriate teachers and click on the Sign up button next to the time slot you would like. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click "Submit and Sign Up". You can then fill in your information and submit this to confirm your time. If you are not able to access the sign up genius system, please call the main office at 978-448-6362 to get assistance.
Best Buddies Talent Show
Senior Spotlight
Sara Larsen '20 and Abby Eisenklam '20 have received Regional Gold Keys in the regional 2020 Boston Globe Scholastic Awards and are currently in the running for National Medals, which will be announced on March 16th. Their paintings will be displayed in the 2020 Scholastic Gold Key Exhibit at Tufts University from March 14th - March 22nd with a ceremony on March 14th. Additionally, Sara's artwork was selected to be featured in the juried Emerging Young Artists and MAEA Amazing Emerging Artists Recognitions exhibits. The MAEA Recognitions exhibit is currently on display at the Transportation Building in Boston until March 26th with a Family Celebration on Sunday, March 1st from 12:00 to 4:00 p.m.
MA Scholastic Awards: https://www.artandwriting.org/affiliate/MA001A/
MAEA Recognitions: https://massarted.com/events/maea-recognitions/
"Night Moves" by Abby Eisenklam
"Tangerine" by Sara Larson
From the Guidance Office
College Information Night 3/4/20
On March 4th at the high school our Guidance Department will be hosting an information night for parents (students are welcome too) who would like to learn more about the college application process.
The evening will begin at 6:00pm in the Black Box Theater at the high school.
Scholarships for Seniors
Local scholarships are now available in Naviance Student and by clicking here.
If you need a copy of your transcript for a scholarship it is now available in your SchoolBrains Portal under reports.
Click here to see other scholarships that are sent to guidance and available to our students.
AP Registration Deadline: March 12, 2020
Time to order AP Exams. Emails have been sent out to all students/parents currently in an AP class. If you have not received an email, check with your AP Teacher or Guidance Counselor.
New AP Test Preparation Resources..... FREE!!!!
Faculty Spotlight
Sr. Bissonnette
Mr. Bissonette, or simply "Señor" as most of his students refer to him, resides in our Spanish/World Language Department at GDRHS. Mr. Bissonette is a graduate of Framingham State College where he was awarded the Modern Language student of the year. Mr. Bissonette is currently pursuing his Masters degree in Spanish at Worcester State University. For fun, Mr. Bissonette provides a "lunch bunch"or "palmuerzo" for students during his prep time. He creates a space for students to come and practice casual Spanish conversation and eat lunch.
Mr. Bissonette loves literature, travel and teaching. He has been published twice. One book review (#NewLatinoBoom: Retrato de Nubia) was published on Suburbano.net, a digital literary magazine based out of Miami and the other review (Habilidad narrativa en la novela ‘Americana’ de Pedro Medina León) was published on El BeiSMan.
Community Outreach
Camp Sunshine 2020
Over February vacation, ten students accompanied Ms. Pratt and Mrs. Smyth to Camp Sunshine in Casco, ME. On their five day trip, students volunteered their time to help families who have children with life threatening illnesses. Camp Sunshine provides a retreat for not only the child with the illness, but also the entire family, including siblings and parents.
Our students worked in various groups throughout the week including the tot lot/nursery, the 6-8 group, the 9-12 group, the kitchen, arts and crafts and lifeguarding. They also helped out with the talent show and danced the night away at a dance party! I am so proud of the work our students did and I am looking forward to future trips to Camp Sunshine!
Check out the student's thoughts on their experience below!
"Volunteering at Camp Sunshine has been one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had. The bonds and connections I have made with the children there has allowed me to view life in a whole new way. The kids are incredibly happy, positive, strong, and I am always amazed by their bravery. Whenever I am struggling with something, I think of them and remind myself that even in the toughest of times, you should never give up hope." - Amanda Taylor, Class of 2020
"Camp Sunshine will always have a place in my heart forever. Being with the kids and the families affected by tragedies like having a child with a life-threatening illness has taught me so much about how I should be grateful for the things I have. These families endure through the toughest of times and still they find the fun in such a bad situation. Camp Sunshine allowed me to meet new parents, children, and fellow volunteers with the same goal of loving and caring for the families, which I enjoyed and will look towards another chance to be at Camp Sunshine." - Joseph Pang, Class of 2021
"My experience at camp sunshine was amazing. I was able to make new friends and really have fun. I got to see just how strong these families are and meet some incredible people. I also felt like I was able to truly help these kids. As much as they have had some very tough times in their lives, I feel like I helped to distract them from what was happening and let them just have fun. It was an eye-opening experience to understand what these families have gone through and help them to just enjoy themselves." - Nick Towle, Class of 2021
Donate a Dress!
Thanks to Gabbi Lewis for this submission...
The GD Peer leaders are hosting the first-ever prom dress drive. If you have any gently used prom/homecoming/formal dresses laying around your house, please bring them to the high school Monday through Friday until March 25th. Drop-offs of your old prom dresses can be taken to Mrs. Erickson room 124. These dresses will be donated to the Belle of the Ball project, sponsored by Jordan’s Furniture and Anton's Cleaners, and will be given to teens that can’t afford to buy dresses. It will be amazing to help teens have an amazing prom experience in the perfect dress.
If you’d like more information click the link below:
or contact Gabbi Lewis by email at gabbi.lewis@icloud.com
Our New Water Bottle Filling Station
We have already saved over 430 plastic bottles this week!
UML Manning School of Business at GD
On Tuesday, February 25, Ashwin Mahta, from the Manning School of Business visited GDRHS to present about their business school as well as a summer program for HS students called the Global Entrepreneurship Exchange Junior.
Thanks to Mr. Snodgrass and his marketing class for sponsoring this visit.
Travel Opportunities
Don't Miss Your Opportunity to Participate in German Exchange!
Participating in a student exchange can be a life changing experience!
If you have never considered participating in an exchange, you should. Not only will you see an amazing country but you will meet amazing people who may change your life!
Space is limited. Please check out the links below for more information on the opportunity and how to sign up.
GAPP/ German Exchange:
email gapp@gdrsd.org
Mr. Schulingkamp
or Ms. McManus
link to the letter:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KggNPcrfhhBKW4LARWWbk2pusfD1qIdjreS5Ek6kpXM/edit?usp=sharing
link to powerpoint presentation:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1CHaJ3q2fYOWpJ61KrU18VyIOwgHAijZ1KThSNfI7VL0/edit?usp=sharing
GKTW 2020; Make a Difference!
Only a few spots left!!!
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