QRMHS Family Newsletter

Dear Families,

Happy New Year to all our families! I hope you had a restful and enjoyable holiday break, filled with cherished moments. As we step into January, I wanted to remind you that the end of the grading period is just a few weeks away. Now is a great time to encourage your student to stay focused, complete any outstanding assignments, and reach out to our staff if they need any support. Our teachers are always here to help, and we want to ensure that every student finishes the semester strong. Thank you for your continued support, and I wish you and your family a wonderful and successful month ahead!

With warm regards,

Purnima DeMorais, QRMHS Principal

01/15

01/29

01/31

02/01

02/03

Updates from Grade 10-12:

Seniors are working hard on finalizing their post-secondary plans! Many are applying to 4 year and 2 year colleges, while many others are pursuing the military and joining the workforce!

Reminder: there are many opportunities for seniors to apply to scholarships. They should access this document regularly to explore scholarship opportunities and financial aid information: QRMHS Scholarship Information 2024-25. Please note, this document is also available on the Guidance Google Classroom and on the QRHS website.

Heads up for all students in grades 8-11: course selection for the 2025-26 school year will be coming soon! Counselors will be coming into classrooms to teach students about their options and help students select their courses. More information will be provided soon!

Updates from Grade 8th and 9th:

Monty Tech. Applications are Due in the Blue House by January 10th, 2025

Monty Tech Application

Pathfinder Applications can be found on their website: https://pathfindertech.org/admissions/

Updates from the Middle School:

The middle school counseling department focused this month on highlighting the staff members who are here to support the students!

Every year, Quabbin selects 8th-grade students who exhibit "courage, compassion, and unlimited potential to lead positive change." These students are recognized through a program called Project 351 which emphasizes kindness, compassion, humility, and gratitude and acknowledges students who are unsung heroes and quiet leaders. We are proud to recognize the following students as one of this year's Quabbin Project 351 Ambassadors. Their presence makes our school a better place!

• Zoey Salvadore

• Chloe Richardson

• Robert Tobin

• Jacob Rosario

• Isabelle Wentworth

• Aiden Pagan

Banners for the 2023-24 League Champions and 2023-24 Class B CMASS Championships (field hockey and girls’ basketball) were unveiled in between games vs. Gardner last week. We welcomed back senior members from both field hockey and girls’ basketball championship teams to be recognized in front of a HUGE crowd. Kudos to the Pep Band for adding amazing energy to the gym all night. We look forward to the Pep Band joining us at many more home basketball games.

Senior nights will be here before we know it. Wrestling is Feb. 5th, girls’ basketball on Feb. 7th and boys’ basketball on Feb. 11th vs. Littleton.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) has observed a significant rise in cases of Bordetella pertussis (whooping cough) and Pneumonia across the Commonwealth in recent weeks, particularly among school-aged children and young adults.

Pneumonia and Pertussis are spread from person to person primarily via respiratory droplets; hand and respiratory hygiene are important for preventing spread. Students should be reminded to wash their hands with soap and water, or with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, and to cover one's mouth when coughing or sneezing. We can provide masks for students/staff upon request.

First and foremost, thank you to all who supported the NJROTC Holiday Spaghetti Dinner on 17 December. Nearly 700 tickets were sold and 600 meals were served in just two hours. Much thanks and appreciation for the superb efforts of the Cafeteria/Kitchen professionals for their very tasty spaghetti sauce, meatballs and sausage. Much thanks to the parents who supplied all the desserts for the evening. All your contributions will help to greatly defray the cost of upcoming events for the NJROTC Cadets. Thank you!

Congratulations to the Quabbin NJROTC Drill Team. On Saturday, 21 December the team of 46 ventured to Mattituck, Long Island for the final drill meet of the season. Competing with 12 teams, the Quabbin Cadets once again brought home the FIRST PLACE TROPHY and were met by a police escort crossing back into our hometown of Barre! Thank you to all who supported LT Frydel and her triumphant team of dedicated Cadets who practiced every day at 6:00 AM!

Quabbin Cadets are now preparing for the 5th Annual Dining In on the 24th of January at the Colonial Hotel in Gardner. This is a night filled with a sumptuous meal, many military traditions and great fun, just enjoying each other’s company. This evening was created as we were recovering from the pandemic but still couldn’t have our NJROTC Ball. So, this event allowed us to enjoy each other's company minus the dancing. Ask the Cadets on the 26th how it all went.

This past week marked the beginning of the Marksmanship Team season, with 6 Cadets qualifying for the team. We’ll keep you posted! Happy New Year!!

You could find the pep band at the Quabbin vs Gardner double header on Friday, January 10th supporting our varsity girls and boys teams through two tough games alongside the energetic student section. They will make a few more appearances this winter including January 16th, January 24th, January 31st and February 7th!

January and February are busy months for out of school music festivals and we are happy to announce that we have students working to participate in four different festivals around the state of Massachusetts.

-We have about 60 Quabbin students participating in the Quabbin Valley Music Educators Music Festival in January and February alongside students from about fifteen Central and Western Mass. We are excited that for the first time Quabbin will host about 300 musicians for one of the preparatory rehearsals for this festival concert!

-We have two students, Isabel Coviello and Benjamin Darcey, participating in the Sr Central District Massachusetts Music Educators Music Festival Chorus and Band this weekend at Mechanics Hall in Worcester. We are very proud of both of these students as they had to be accepted into this festival after a rigorous audition process.

-We have 21 middle and ninth grade students preparing to audition for the Jr Central District Massachusetts Music Educators Music Festival Band, Chorus and Orchestra on Saturday, February 1st.

-We have four students who have applied to the UMASS Honor Band Festival scheduled to take place in February and are waiting to hear their results during the next week.

At our High School December Winter Chamber Concert we welcomed two students from Pathfinder Technical High School and their music teacher, Dan Friedman, to join us on the stage to present two chamber pieces and join us for our community and alumni performance Sleigh Ride. Here are a few pictures from that event.

Here are some pictures from our December performances throughout the community. We are very proud of all of the work that these students put into each and every performance that they give!!

Learner Profile Attribute of the Month - Thinkers

The IB Learner Profile attribute of "thinkers" emphasizes using critical and creative thinking skills to solve complex problems and make ethical decisions. Thinkers approach challenges with logic, innovation, and a willingness to consider diverse perspectives. This mindset fosters independence, curiosity, and the ability to navigate global contexts thoughtfully.

Parents can nurture this skill by encouraging open-ended discussions at home and supporting problem-solving activities. By showing interest in their child’s learning and fostering curiosity, parents can help develop a thoughtful and reflective approach to challenges at school and beyond.

IB Global Politics Students Seek Community Collaboration

The junior class at Quabbin Regional High School is diving into an engaging and meaningful component of their IB Global Politics course: the Political Engagement Activity (PEA). This project challenges students to research and actively engage with a political topic, incorporating real-world perspectives to enhance their understanding.

As part of the PEA, students must participate in an activity related to their chosen topic and conduct interviews with two individuals who can provide insight into the issue. To support this initiative, we seek members of the Quabbin community willing to share their knowledge, experiences, or expertise.

We are particularly interested in individuals with professional or educational backgrounds in the following areas:

• Law and Justice

• Government and Public Policy

• Human Rights

• Environmental Issues

• Renewable Energy

• Business

• Health

• Poverty

• Computer Intelligence

• Technology

• Education

• Community Service

If you have expertise in any of these fields and are willing to connect with our students—whether in person, at your workplace, or via Google Meet—we would love to hear from you! This collaboration offers a valuable opportunity to guide our students while showcasing the wealth of knowledge within our community.

To participate, please fill out this form. Once responses are gathered, our IB Coordinator, Ms. Eleni Marinelli, will reach out with more details. Thank you for considering this opportunity to inspire and educate the next generation of global citizens!

PEA Interview Candidate Form

UPSTANDERS training will be held on Wednesday, January 15th from 10:30am-2:00pm, in room M206.

In this training students will learn how to identify and alter behaviors, practice upstander skills, and learn how to build community through engaging in conversation to create a safe and comfortable community for all students.

Students were recommended for this training as someone who has an impact on their peers and a positive influence on the Quabbin community.

Q-DRUG Vision: A Quabbin Region that is mentally, physically and emotionally healthy, allowing all to be addiction free.

Q-DRUG Mission: Quabbin Drug Response Unifying Group "Q-DRUG", works with our community to stand together to support youth substance use prevention. We seek to promote awareness and erase the stigma of substance use disorder to build a recovery supportive community.

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.

Most asked for items

Black leggings (sizes medium and large)

Sweatpants (sizes small, medium, large, and x-large)

Long sleeve plain shirts (sizes small to x-large)

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