QRMHS Family Newsletter

Dear Families,

Welcome to our 1st monthly newsletter. I hope this platform provides the support needed for optimum communication of the wonderful things going on at QRMHS. It has been a fantastic start to our new school year. I couldn't be more proud of the way our staff and students have come together to ensure a smooth and successful beginning. Walking through the classrooms, it was clear that our students have been engaged and actively learning. I’m excited to see what we’ll accomplish together this year, and I’m confident that with such a strong start, we’re on track for an exceptional school year where every student has the supports they need to succeed to their highest potential. Thank you for your continued partnership!

With warm regards,

Ms. DeMorais, QRMHS Principal

• 6:00 pm: Music Rehearsal- Auditorium

• 6:00 pm: DC Parent Meeting-HS Gym

• 6:00 pm: Musical Rehearsal-Auditorium

• 6:00 pm: NYC FT: Luggage Check-Dance Room
• 6:00 pm: Pep Band Rehearsal-Auditorium

• Class of 2025 NYC FT
• 2:00 pm: Musical Rehearsal - Auditorium

• 6:00 pm: Musical Rehearsal-Auditorium

• 5:00 pm: Music Uniform Fittings-Chorus Room

• Early release: PD Day
• 5:15 pm: NJROTC Parent Brief for Basic Leadership Training-Auditorium
• 6:00 pm: Musical Rehearsal-Auditorium
• 6:00 pm: Open House Grades 7-12

• 6:00 pm: Pep Band Rehearsal-Auditorium

• 2:00 pm: Music Rehearsal-Auditorium

• 6:00 pm: Musical Rehearsal-Auditorium

• 6:00 pm: Musical Rehearsal-Auditorium

• 6:00 pm: Pep Band Rehearsal-Auditorium

• 2:00 pm: Musical Rehearsal-Auditorium

• 6:00 pm: Musical Rehearsal-Auditorium

General questions including social emotional concerns-Assistant Principal Steven Nicora, snicora@qrsd.org

Academics including 504s- Purnima Demorais, pdemorais@qrsd.org

Special Education- email Mrs. Sanelli dsanelli@qrsd.org

Health/Medical: Krystal Guertin kguertin@qrsd.org

General questions including social emotional concerns-Assistant Principal Janet Hicks, jhicks@qrsd.org

Academics including 504s- Purnima Demorais, pdemorais@qrsd.org

Special Education- email Mrs. Sanelli dsanelli@qrsd.org

Health/Medical: Krystal Guertin kguertin@qrsd.org

The Guidance Department is excited for a wonderful school year ahead! Please note that there have been some staffing changes in our department this school year. We are excited to welcome Mrs. Tesha Ward to Quabbin as our 8th and 9th grade counselor! The updated caseloads and contact information are listed below. Should you have any questions or concerns regarding your child throughout the school year please do not hesitate to reach out to your child's School Guidance Counselor so that we can work together to support your child!

School Guidance Counselor Caseloads:

Ashley Csorba

Director of Guidance 6-12

Grades 10-12, Last Names A-E

acsorba@qrsd.org

978-355-4651 x2110

Katie Gaspar

Grades 10-12, Last Names F-Z

kgaspar@qrsd.org

978-355-4651 x2109

Tesha Ward

Grades 8 & 9

tward@qrsd.org

978-355-4651 x1106

Jennie Breton

Grades 6 & 7

jbreton@qrsd.org

978-355-4651 x1107

Accessing School Guidance Counselors:

Students in grades 6-9 can access an appointment with their counselor by filling out the Google Form on the homepage of Aspen and their counselor will call them in when it is time for their appointment.

Students in grades 10-12 can access an appointment with their counselor by signing up for an available slot on their counselor's Google Calendar which can be found on the homepage of Aspen.

Any student that is in distress or in need of immediate assistance, should let their teacher know so that the student can be seen by a counselor promptly.

We also have a team of wonderful School Adjustment Counselors who are available to provide more ongoing social-emotional support to students at each grade level. Should you feel that your child may require the support of a School Adjustment Counselor, please reach out to your child's School Guidance Counselor and they will be happy to facilitate an introduction.

Guidance Google Classrooms:

Any important updates, forms, lessons, etc. from the Guidance Department are posted to our grade level Guidance Google Classrooms throughout the year. We encourage all students to invite their parent(s)/guardian(s) to the Google Classrooms to receive updates!

Most students are enrolled in their grade level Google Classroom. Grade 6 students will enroll with Ms. Breton during their first Guidance Lesson of the year. If your child is not in their grade level Guidance Google Classroom, they can join with the codes below:

Grade 6: ywzoy46

Grade 7: 2fmguoc

Grade 8: fnfwoij

Grade 9: f4n5oev

Grade 10: pli7blt

Grade 11: kt5d4gc

Grade 12: a7lu2ys

College & Career Planning:

SATs- Quabbin is an SAT Test site in November (11/2/24) and May (5/3/25). If your child is interested in taking the SAT they can sign up directly through collegeboard.org. If November or May is not convenient, there are other testing locations throughout the state in other months. All of this information is located on the CollegeBoard website. If your child qualifies for a fee waiver, please have them see their School Guidance Counselor to access it. If your child wishes to prepare for the exam, they can find resources here: https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/practice

Planning for Seniors- We will have Guidance Lessons during September for all seniors about the college application process and will discuss all the nuts and bolts of the process. We will be available for individual follow up appointments with students to discuss any specific questions they may have about college or career planning.

College Visits- We will begin having colleges visit us at Quabbin starting at the end of September! This is a great way for juniors and seniors to learn more about colleges that they may be interested in attending. College visit sign ups will be available in Naviance. We will post regularly in the Google Classrooms so that students are aware of which colleges will be coming.

Community College News- Have you heard? Massachusetts is making higher education accessible to everyone with free community college tuition for eligible residents! This is a great opportunity for students wishing to continue their education after graduation from Quabbin!

College and Career Center- We are excited to transform a space in the Gold Office into a College and Career Center where students can come to meet with Mrs. Csorba and Mrs. Gaspar to work on college applications, scholarship applications, and much more. It will house resources and will be a comfortable space for students to research and explore colleges and careers they may be interested in! We will start drop-in sessions for seniors on Thursdays during flex block at the end of September. Stay tuned for more information in the Senior Guidance Google Classroom!

Save the Date for the Guidance Department's Financial Aid and Scholarship Night on Monday, October 7, 2024 at 6 PM in the QRHS Auditorium. We will host a presenter from MEFA (Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority) who will provide a free informational session for students, families, and community members about college financing. We look forward to seeing you there for an informative evening!

We are underway with the fall athletic season for 21 teams and 330 or so student athletes on the following teams: MS/JV/V field hockey, MS/JV/V boys’ and girls’ soccer, JV/V football, MS/V boys’ and girls’ cross country, varsity boys’ golf, varsity cheer, and varsity unified basketball. Looking forward to seeing teachers and staff on the sidelines connecting with kids outside the classroom.

Link to registration: https://students.arbitersports.com/quabbin-regional-school-district

All schedules can be found at ArbiterLive.

My name is Krystal Guertin and I am your new School Nurse. I’m very excited to get to know everyone! This is my first time working in a school, however I’ve been a nurse for 12 years. I started my nursing career doing pediatric home care, then spent 8 years at Shrewsbury Pediatrics / Reliant Medical Group and ReadyMed Urgent Care in Worcester. The last 3 years I’ve been working at St Vincent Hospital Labor & Delivery. I will still be at St Vincent’s two weekends a month so if anyone is having a baby (or visiting) maybe I’ll see you there! I currently live in Holden with my 13 year old daughter, Emma. I am looking forward to a wonderful school year with you all!

It has been quite a first two weeks of school with lots of new Cadets (44) from the 9th and 10th grade. We are now an NJROTC unit of 103 Cadets. Of course this may change but it will be minimally. Thank you to all the faculty and staff that we have had to coordinate with to get the Cadets in the right class and in the proper block so all the new Cadets can benefit from the unit mentoring initiatives.

For those who participated in the New Cadet Orientation, they get the opportunity to participate in our Six Flags New England Field Trip on Saturday, 14 September.

Other emerging NJROTC Activities (more details to follow)

30 September - Drill Team Practice begins

10 October - ASVAB Exam for NS II Cadets and other interested students

19 October - Drill Meet at Massabesic, ME

2 November - Drill Meet at Quabbin

11 November - Veterans Day Ceremony at Barre Green

16 November - Drill Meet at Coventry, RI

22 November - NJROTC Area Manager Annual Inspection

7 December - Drill Meet at Oxford, MA

14 December - Drill Meet at Southold, NY (Long Island) (Maybe)

17 December - NJROTC Winter Holiday Spaghetti Dinner

We’re off to a great start this year in the music department!! We have HUGE numbers in our middle school music department and we are very excited about it. Thank you to all of you that support us as we maneuver our rehearsals during flex block. If an issue ever arises where you need to meet with a student during flex, please reach out to us.

Band- Toni Brown, Chorus- Julia Tuttle, Orchestra- Sean Kelly

We are happy to announce a new addition to our after school program this year. Our newly formed Pep Band met for the first time on Thursday night with seventeen musicians. We will perform for the first time at the October 5th football game against

Murdock.

Our fall musical, Beauty and the Beast will be presented in November. We have a lot of new and returning faces this year!! Once our rehearsals get underway, we will introduce a few of our cast members every week as we get closer.

September is Recovery Awareness Month! There are over 22 million people in the United States in recovery from substance use disorder. However only 6% of people with a substance use disorder receive treatment. Often people are afraid to seek treatment because of the stigma around their disease, fear of how others will view them, or the consequences they might face for seeking help (loss of jobs, children removed from the home, etc). By teaching our students now that there is support available, and caring people who will not judge them for where they find themselves, we can change this trajectory not only for them today but in the future. When 1 in 10 people in the US will struggle with substances, this is a vital message for our youth to learn. People with an addiction can and do recover, and there are people who can and will help them get there if they find themselves needing help, no matter when it might be an issue.

On Sept 25th, we will have a public speaker, Stephen Hill, coming to talk with our 10th, 11th and 12th graders. Students will go to their class for attendance at 8:56, then be called to the auditorium. The assembly will be from 9:05 to 10:15am. For more information on who Stephen Hill is, or what his talk is about, please visit his website at https://speaksobriety.com/services/

As always, Mary and Nekr are available to speak with students or staff about available resources and supports around substance use, mental health or other concerns. We are available in our office at H222, or around the building all throughout the day.

International Baccalaureate (IB) at Quabbin

We are thrilled to welcome our students back to school and excited to share news on our International Baccalaureate (IB) program here at Quabbin.

The International Baccalaureate (IB) education goes beyond traditional learning by fostering critical thinking, intercultural understanding, and respect. At its core, IB encourage students to become active, compassionate, and lifelong learners who are ready to make meaningful contributions to the world. The IB curriculum is globally recognized for its rigor and commitment to a holistic education that challenges students academically and nurtures personal growth.

There are exciting changes underway in the high school at Quabbin! This year, we are committed to enhancing experiences for our IB students by strengthening support systems, increasing collaboration with teachers, and embedding a positive culture across all grade levels.

This month we are focusing on IB Learner Profile attribute of being an “inquirer.” At Quabbin, we encourage our students to be curious, ask questions, and seek knowledge. Developing a love for inquiry can foster a passion for learning. Join us in celebrating our inquirers by engaging with your children about what they are curious about or what questions they are exploring in their classes!

If you have any questions about IB courses or the Diploma Program at Quabbin, please contact our IB Coordinator and Instructional Coach, Eleni Marinelli, at emarinelli@qrsd.org.

Quabbin Regional Middle/High School is a collaborative learning community, where all students have opportunities to achieve personal excellence in a safe and accepting environment.

Our mission is to prepare students to become self-reliant, life-long learners who are responsible and resourceful citizens in a global society.

Email: pdemorais@qrsd.org
Website: Home - Quabbin Regional School District (qrsd.org)
Location: South Street, Barre, MA 01005, USA
Phone: (978)355-4651