Weekly News
September 13, 2019
Calendar of Events
September 26, 2019: Open House (6-8pm)
October 14, 2019: No School (Columbus Day)
October 15, 2019: No School (District Professional Development Day)
October 15, 2019: Travel Information Night. 6pm
TBD: Open Mic Night
November 1 & 2, 2019: Fall Theater; You Can't Take It With You
November 14, 2019: Parent / Teacher Conferences (Day 1/2)
November 15 -19, 2019: Give Kids the World Service Trip (Orlando, FL)
November 21, 2019: Parent / Teacher Conferences (Day 2/2)
November 28, 2019: Happy Thanksgiving (10am Annual Football Game at Tyngsborough)
December 2, 2019: Winter Sports Begin.
December 21, 2019 - January 5, 2020: Winter Vacation
January 20, 2020: No School (MLK Day)
January 24, 2020: End Quarter 2 / Semester 1
February 15 - 23, 2020: February Vacation
March 12, 2020: Spring Open House (6:00 - 7:30)
April 3, 2020: End Quarter 3
April 18 - 26, 2020: April Vacation
May 15, 2020: Junior Senior Prom (early release day)
May 29, 2020: Graduation (6pm)
June 12, 2020: Scheduled last day of school
Open House
Please join us for our Fall Open House which will take place from 6-8pm on Thursday, September 26th. During the Open House parents will have the opportunity to hear about programs offered at GDRHS and meet with their student's teachers as they follow their schedules. Administration and Guidance Counselors will be on hand to answer questions as well. Hope to see you there!
Each year groups associated with the High School (boosters, community groups) set up tables during our open house in the fall in order to make all parents aware of the opportunities to participate or benefits that these groups provide. If you would like to reserve a table at this year's Open House, please email me to let me know. Thanks.
Guidance Department News
Our Guidance Website:
Check out our GDRHS Guidance site!
PSAT Dates and Registration
The PSAT will be proctored at the high school on Saturday, October 19th at 7:00 am. Registration is now open, please register by September 30, 2019. Cash/Checks payable to GDRHS are due in guidance by October 4th.
Click here for registration page.
AP Testing
All AP students are required to have a college board account.
for registration (AP teacher will provide an access code for each AP class).
for access to digital resources (New this year)
for receiving AP scores
Earlier AP test registration (moved from spring to fall semester)
Students taking a semester one AP or a full year AP are required to order their exams by November 1, 2019
Students taking a semester two AP are required to order by March 10, 2020
Exams are $100 for each exam
Registrations after the deadline will be assessed a $40 per exam late fee
More information will be provided by your student's AP teacher. If you have further questions email mcain@gdrsd.org.
Yearbook Information

SENIOR PORTRAIT DEADLINE
Reminder to the SENIORS of the Class of 2020 and their PARENTS: SENIOR PORTRAITS are due on OCTOBER 25. If you haven’t scheduled your photo session, do so as soon as possible.
Here is our information sheet containing PORTRAIT PHOTO SPECIFICATIONS to give to your photographer as well as SENIOR TRIBUTE AD design and purchasing information for PARENTS and FRIENDS of SENIORS.
Our official school photographer is MARK LAWRENCE PHOTOGRAPHERS. They offer affordable portrait rates for GD seniors.
FALL TEAM PHOTOS AND ORDER FORMS
Our Mark Lawrence school rep, Lisa Dipalma, is working with our new Athletic Department to set the TEAM PHOTO date for our fall teams. ANY PARENT WISHING TO PURCHASE A SPORTS PHOTO PACKAGE for their child should open this link to open and print a pdf order form.
PARENT PHOTOGRAPHERS OF JV TEAMS
Although Mark Lawrence Photographers take team photos and action photos of varsity teams for us, we only contract with them to take the team photos for our JV teams. IF YOU ARE A PARENT WHO TAKES ACTION PHOTOS of your child's JV games, please share your best action photos with us. One of our goals this year is to get more complete coverage of our JV teams, and your photos would help us do that. You can email your photos as attachments to hsyearbook@gdrsd.org or drag them into this shared folder: JV Teams Parent Photo Submissions. Thank you in advance for sharing!
Travel Opportunities for this Year

It is not too late to sign up for travel opportunities this school year but time is running out.
We still have limited spots available for the following trips....
Peru (Language Immersion)... To register or get more information visit https://www.eftours.com/tour-website/2139392MX or
see Ms. Penchansky
South Africa (Science, Culture, & History)... https://www.eftours.com/tour-website/2149969EE or see Mr. Reid or Ms. McHugh
France / Italy (Art Focus)... See Ms. Kostich if interested... https://rsvp.eftours.com/xs4dcny
Panama (Science and Technology)... - To register or get more information visit https://www.eftours.com/tour-website/2137917MH or
see Mr. Rocheleau or Ms. Salemme
Europe; Summer 2020 (with Homestay experience)... To register or get more information visit https://www.explorica.com/My-Account/My-Tours/TourCenter.aspx
or see Mr. Arena.
Travel Information Night for 2020-2021 School Year

Please join us at our annual Travel Information Night which will take place on Tuesday, October 15th at 6pm. We have a number of opportunities for students currently in grades 8-11. We will have a variety of travel experiences available for our students.
GDRHS Student Participates in Regional Athletic Event

18 Years Ago this Week
As a former history teacher who created a class on 9/11 following this event in order to make sure that students understood the gravity, impact and historical relevance of it, I find it a positive thing that many in our school community are unwilling to let the date pass without solemnly reminding ourselves of how troubling and terrifying that day was for those of us that were going about our daily lives when it happened.
I have a reminder of this day behind my desk and will never forget the impact it had on my life and how the world changed on that day. I hope that this explanation clears up any concerns that some had with the decisions that were made regarding this issue.
My daily 9/11 Reminder

National Honor Society Invitations
Application forms can be accessed under the student tab on the website under forms.
Volunteers Wanted
Big Book: Pages for Peace is coming to Groton for exhibit! Student and adult volunteers are needed on Sunday, September 15 from 10 - 2 to help load and install the pages. We need lots of help and this is a great way to get community service credit and work to support a more peaceful world. Any amount time you can help is appreciated! Please text Anne Polaski 978-877-8172 if you can help or have any questions about this project.