QRMHS Family Newsletter

Dear Families,

As we welcome the new month of November, we are excited to share a lineup of wonderful opportunities and activities for our students! This month is filled with enriching experiences, including a field trip to Harvard University, where students will have a unique chance to explore one of the nation’s most historic campuses. We’re also eagerly anticipating our middle school’s production of Beauty and the Beast, which promises to showcase the incredible talents of our young performers. Additionally, our middle school dance and several athletic events will bring students together for fun and school spirit.

I am grateful for your partnership and continued support in making these opportunities possible for our students. Together, we look forward to a fantastic November full of learning, growth, and memories that will last a lifetime!

With warm regards,

Ms. DeMorais, QRMHS Principal

11/1

11/4

11/6

11/7

11/8

11/10

• 12:00pm: Musical Tech Week - Auditorium

11/11

11/12

11/13

11/14

11/15

• 7:00pm: Musical: Beauty and the Beast - Auditorium

• 2:30pm: Musical: Beauty and the Beast-Auditorium

• 10:30 am: Early Release

• 6:00pm: Middle School Dance-Cafeteria

• Thanksgiving Break

At Quabbin, we are asked to be respectful, responsible, resilient, and innovative. However, politics and presidential elections can challenge everyone to uphold these traits. As we quickly approach the election and the subsequent counting of votes in the ensuing weeks, consider how you can apply these concepts when sharing your views and engaging in conversations with peers who hold different opinions than your own:

• Respect one another by thoughtfully choosing words, phrases, and tones rooted in civility.
• Be resilient when you feel others aren’t listening to your thoughts, and practice maturity if you need to end the conversation.
• Be innovative by segueing into other topics if you feel that the conversation is getting heated.
• And remember, although we may not all be able to vote, we all can practice our civic responsibilities by engaging in difficult conversations to learn from each other.

Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples Day offer differing perspectives on Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas. Columbus Day, traditionally observed on October 14th, originally commemorated the landing of Christopher Columbus and has since evolved into a celebration of Italian-American heritage. In contrast, Indigenous Peoples Day, also observed on the same day, seeks to acknowledge and celebrate the rich cultures and contributions of Indigenous peoples. Additionally, it aims to bring attention to the extensive history of suffering and injustices, such as the loss of land, forced assimilation, and oppression that Indigenous communities have endured as a result of colonization and the arrival of European settlers. These communities continue to face ongoing social and economic disparities. It's crucial to recognize the enduring suffering and challenges faced by Indigenous peoples and to strive towards creating a more just and equitable society.

On Monday, October 28, students attended the annual UMass Women in Engineering and Computing Day held on the campus of UMass-Amherst.

After a panel discussion with 6 current female UMass-Amherst Engineering majors, the keynote speaker took the audience through her engineering career journey. Each participant was able to participate in two hands-on engineering and computer science breakout activities and were treated to lunch provided by the award-winning UMass food services team. Additionally, students were able to meet high school women from across the Commonwealth, hear from industry about what engineers do, and see demonstrations of state-of-the-art technology.

Eight Quabbin students attended the event this year. We hope to bring even more to the next UMass Women in Engineering and Computing Day in 2025.

Report cards will be available to view on November 8th. 6th Grade report cards are a bit different from those you have seen in the past. This year you will see a numeric grade (1-100) and you will see Standards Based Grading similar to the past. The numeric grade will reflect the work that has been done and how they will be graded as they proceed through middle and high school. The Standards Based Grades (C, O, S, R) will reflect their work habits and give a closer look to how they are progressing towards subject standards.

Please note that athletic and club eligibility is based on the numeric grade and students that are failing more than 1 subject will not be eligible to participate in extracurricular activities until the next grading period.

The first middle school dance is fast approaching. The date of the dance is November 22nd and it will be held from 6-8pm. Students are encouraged to come enjoy music, food, dancing and activities in the gym! A reminder that all school rules and dress code apply at the dances, so students should not wear hats and they will not be allowed to be on their phones during the event.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for Financial Aid and Scholarship Night on 10/7/24. It was a very informative evening! If you were unable to attend the program and are looking for additional resources, MEFA (Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority) has a variety of pre-recorded videos with helpful content that you can find here- https://www.mefa.org/videos

The College & Career Center is available to all seniors looking for support with their college and scholarship applications! Students can make a SmartPass for the “C&C Center” and come on down during flex block on Thursdays. We are also hosting a number of colleges and universities in the College and Career Center as they visit with Quabbin students this fall. Juniors and Seniors can view the College Visit schedule and sign up for visits on Naviance. Each week we post in the Guidance Google Classrooms so that students are aware which colleges will be visiting that week.

In December, we will work with all sophomores in flex blocks to explore career interests!

In November, Mrs. Csorba and Mrs. Gaspar will be in all grade 11 flex blocks to deliver a lesson on Exploring College and Career Options.

Our counselors focused on encouraging students not to "ghost their mental health" in the month of October by reviewing important strategies to support students' mental health.

Applications for Monty Tech and Pathfinder are located in Google Classroom. All applications are due back to Mrs. Ward in the Blue House by December 14th, 2024.

Football and cheer senior night was this past Friday night before the 24-14 historic win over Narragansett.

Congrats to seniors (L-R): #65 - Zachary Zajac, #55 - Ryan Wreschinsky, #53/#36 - Cole Wilson, #73 - Travis Wells, #2 - Jaxon Warburton, #11 - Bryce Venne, #74 - Zeke Santoro, #23 - Luke Salvadore, #77 - Jack Fors, #51 - Adam Faulha. Missing from photo: #14 - Jake Thao

Cheerleaders (L-R): Rylee-Anne Harty, Thalia Hall, Amanda Samaha, Kyra Grummell

3 of the youth cheer teams joined our varsity cheer squad at the last home football game to perform at halftime. Nice job!

Girls’ soccer senior night was last Tuesday. There was a GREAT crowd in attendance to cheer them on and recognize (L-R): Angelina Feliciano, Sydney Gagne, Ruby Gatulis, Bella Smith, Brooke Austin, Rhyan Orr, Lianna Leger, Kaylee Shaw and Annie Carlson.

Last Wednesday was our final home meet and “senior day” for our lone XC senior on the boys’ and girls’ teams, Ryan Wing. Ryan placed first (if you zoom on the popsicle stick you’ll see that) in the meet. Ryan is an outstanding leader, role model for younger athletes, and 3 sport captain - XC, Indoor and Outdoor Track.

Last home golf match vs. Lunenburg: Quinn Geary and Cullan White

Benefit of getting a practice in on the Columbus Day holiday! Caught a giant rainbow at boys’ soccer practice.

Boys’ soccer senior night for Kevin Boles and Ethan Salvadore. Both are great leaders and role models.

There’s been lots of traffic through the weight room with Coach Jake this fall. Keep up the good work.

Here’s a few fun pics:

Congrats to varsity field hockey head coach, Shelly Zalneraitis, on her 400th career victory with the 3-0 win over St. Paul in the CMass semifinals. She is in her 31st season as head coach.

FLU SEASON is among us! CDC recommends everyone 6 months and older receive a Flu vaccine. Please contact your health provider or stop by a pharmacy to receive your Flu Vaccine if interested.

The results of the ASVAB Exam taken on 10 October are in! LT Frydel will be conducting a helpful analysis of the results during class and then Captain Brennock will have the NS II Cadets use them in their goal setting early in the second semester. There were some very impressive scores!!

The Quabbin NJROTC Drill Team picked up where they left off last season sweeping all the events at the drill meet at Massabesic High School in Westboro, ME on the 19th of October. A veteran team to be sure, still with only 14 days of practice, they won impressively in each event. The competition against 5 schools included victories in Armed Drill, Unarmed Drill, Color Guard, Personnel Inspection, Physical Fitness, and Academics. Of course, there were no veteran “drillers” on the NS1 Basic Team commanded by Cadet Catherine Tucker who led her team in a near flawless routine.

The competition between schools but the competition between Cadets as to who goes on the floor is just as impressive, but friendly and supportive.

The next drill meet will include 6 teams competing on the 2nd of November right here at Quabbin. Competition begins at 9:00 AM in both the High School and Middle School gyms. All are welcome to come and support this 9-time defending championship team.

The drill meet in Maine required Cadets to be up at 4:00 AM. And though the Drill meet ended at 2:00 the day was not over for five of the drill team members. Captain Brennock left Maine with Ben Bibik, Joshua Bibik, Luis Pagan, Aiden Fuller and RJ Tucker to perform Color Guard service at the semi-annual Veterans’, Inc Gala in Worcester. They performed magnificently at this $175/plate fundraiser for veterans in need of support. It was a long day for these five Cadets as they didn’t get back to Quabbin until 8:00 PM. Oh, by the way, the Liberty Bell from the Quabbin Memorial Day Ceremony in May was prominent at the Gala.

NJROTC is taking an educational field trip on Tuesday, the 5th of November to the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT and then taking a couple of classes at the Mystic Aquarium. It’s not a school day so the Cadets won’t have any tasks to make up! Permission slips can be accessed in the NJROTC General Google Calendar. The Trip will depart at 7:00 AM and return at 4:30.

All Cadets will be attending Veterans Day services on Barre Common on the 11th of November. Complete details will be put out in class.

22 November - NJROTC Area Manager Annual Inspection - This is mandatory for all Cadets and cannot be missed. There will be several practices during school hours to prepare for the ceremony. Parents are strongly encouraged to support their Cadet by attending. It is a very important aspect of the Inspection when the inspecting officer is grading school and community support. More details will come out in a letter home. But for now, the inspection starts at 8:00 and the Ceremony portion of the Inspection will commence at 9:30 in the HS Gym. Wouldn’t it be nice to fill the gym stands at Quabbin like the parents did in Newport for BLT??!!

17 December - NJROTC Winter Holiday Spaghetti Dinner - This fundraiser is what allows us to keep all our costs so reasonable so all can participate in what we do. Your support is important to us and very appreciated.

Our fall musical, Beauty and the Beast is steadily coming together for November 15 (7:00PM), 16 (7:00PM) & 17 (2:00PM) This week’s cast member to meet is….. BELLE, Isabel Coviello. Isabel is a senior at Quabbin. She is a veteran to our stage as she has been in Honk! The Wizard of Oz and who can forget her role as Trunchbull in Matilda!?!? We are so happy to have her on stage again this year as Belle.

Looking for tickets?? Look no further, go online here or use this QR code to get your tickets early because WE’RE GOING TO SELL OUT!!!!!!

The Pep Band returned this week for the Unified Basketball Game, the Pep Rally and the Homecoming football game.

Thank you to the 8th grade team for letting John Morello present his play “Dirt” to your students on the early release day, and taking the time to process with them after!

Thank you to everyone who supported the 8th Annual Homecoming Bonfire on Friday night. This event was initially started at the request of parents and students, who were looking for a way to bring students from across our large district together in a safe and fun way after the homecoming game. We are always looking for ideas and suggestions for new ways to support our students to be together with their friends in safe and supportive ways, so feel free to come share your ideas with us any time!

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.

The Q-Munity Closet is available for any student or family connected to Quabbin Regional School District. Resources such as food, clothing, and hygiene products are available free of charge. All referrals are confidential and the Q-munity Closet can be used by contacting Principal Demorais at: pdemorais@qrsd.org, Adjustment Counselor Shannon Harris at: sharris@qrsd.org, or School Social Worker Nicole Mooney at nmooney@qrsd.org.

We are currently seeking donations of warm clothing and food for the pantry.

Dear Families,

As the holiday season approaches, we want to extend our support and care to those who may need a little extra help this year. We understand that times can be challenging, and we want to ensure that every family has the opportunity to celebrate and enjoy the warmth and joy of the holidays.

If you or someone you know in the Quabbin District is in need of a Thanksgiving basket or holiday gifts for their family, we are here to help and all information will be confidential. Please don’t hesitate to reach out by November 8th to: Principal Demorais - pdemorias@qrsd.org, School Social Worker Nicky Mooney - nmooney@qrsd.org, or Adjustment Counselor Shannon Harris - sharris@qrsd.org.

Our Quabbin community is committed to making sure that no one is left out during this special time of year. Together, we can make the season brighter for all. If you would like to sponsor a family or provide gifts for the holidays please let us know. Wishing you peace, hope, and joy during this holiday season.

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