What’s Happening at Georgetown Middle/High School:


Parent/Guardians and Students,


I can hardly believe we are approaching the last week of Term One! The term closes November 7th so please expect your child’s report card to come home with them no later than November 14th. Also, as a reminder, conferences for both middle school and high school students are November 19th in the afternoon (early release at 11:02 for ALL GMHS students) and November 20th in the evening.


I want to take a moment to acknowledge all of the hard work the Key Club invested over Homecoming weekend. The Key Club sponsored a “Rock-a-thon.”  The club raised $802.00 for the Boys’ and Girls’ Club of Lawrence.  This was a terrific fund raiser and a great way to pull the community together! Thanks again to all the rockers and supporters!


Amy Morrison, a senior here at GMHS just came back from competing in the Grand National World Championships for Horse Back Riding. She won 4th in Worlds and 5th in Grand Nationals. Congratulations Amy!


The auditions for our second musical “Bye Bye Birdie” have been held. I am looking forward to another great musical production this winter. We are still looking for some additional help so if your child has an interest in the theatre, have them see Ms. Viera, Mrs. Laflamme or Ms. Grieb.


Our athletic teams are continuing on with their successes. The girls’ field hockey team made it to the second round of the state tournament. They had a terrific season! Both boy’s and girl’s soccer will begin state tournament play by week’s end. The cheerleaders came in 5th in the Halloween Classic and have the CAL competition this Thursday beginning at 6:30 PM at North Andover High School. Cross country has a big competition this Saturday and the football team remains undefeated! Go Royals!


We certainly have had a lot going on the month of October at GMHS and I continue to be impressed with both the staff and students for all of their hard work and efforts. If you have any questions, concerns or comments please feel free to contact me via email (luciap@georgetown.k12.ma.us or 978-352-5790.


Thanks for your continued support!


Peter D. Lucia

Principal








6th Grade

Our great year has continued into October.  We will be beginning our community service project mid November with the Kieve Fundraiser Grade 6 Turkey Raffle.  Along with deferring the cost of The Leadership School, food donations will be made to surrounding homeless shelters and food pantries. 


Please don’t forget to look at the Middle School Blog (gmscommunity.blogspot.com) daily to help your child stay on top of their schoolwork. This is a great tool for both our students and parents!


The 6th grade team is looking forward to seeing you all at Student Led Conferences! Please call the main office if you need to reschedule as these conferences are an important part of our student’s learning process.


7th Grade

We are proud of our grade 7 student Patrick Connolly who took place in 2 events at this year’s Topsfield Fair. He won a first and second place ribbon in the Flower Building categories!!!  


Grade 7 held our Second Annual Parent Speaker Career Fair on October 1. Thanks to our parent speakers, the students spent the morning learning about different careers and making a connection between their studies and their future. Our parent speakers put a great deal of time and effort into their presentations to help us reinforce the idea that the academic knowledge gained in each of our course subjects directly relates to the roles/specializations that our students will one day take on as adults. Thanks go to all of our parent volunteers for their participation!


8th Grade

The 8th grade is gearing up for student led conferences.  By now, you should have received your scheduled time for student led conferences.  It is a wonderful way for you and your child to truly discuss the strengths and weaknesses in his/her learning. Teachers will be on hand to answer any specific questions that you might have regarding your child’s performance this year.  We look forward to seeing you all on November 19th and 20th! 


Business Department

Computer Research – Students are currently researching for their papers. Students should pick up any books that they reserved from their library. Remember libraries only hold the books for a week. The final research paper is due on 11/24 or 11/25th depending on the student’s schedule.


Accounting students are going to explore using Google groups as a tool for communicating about their work.


The School Store had a booth at Georgetown Days and it was a great success, selling over $300 worth of Georgetown Logo items. “A Special Thank You” to Nick Valentini for managing the School Store Booth at the Georgetown Days Event!


English Department

The Senior Journalism class has produced three outstanding editions of The Blue Print since the school year began. Articles have focused on school news and activities, sports, and student and teacher profiles. In addition, Haley Botman and Taleeb Rosario wrote an in-depth article on diversity at GMHS, and Marissa D’Amato covered the assembly on Melanoma Awareness. Recently, Gina DeGenova and Haley Gisonno attended a Boston Celtics practice and will report on it in the future.


Mr. Goldberg and The Blue Print team continue to inform our high school community about issues most interesting to our students. The Blue Print continues to be a successful outlet for student voices.


Guidance Department

Here are some important dates to mark on your calendars at home:


All seniors should have met with his or her guidance counselor by early November for a senior college and career planning session. Seniors should also be in the process of completing college applications, essays, and should have asked teachers for college recommendations. Seniors should request that their records be sent by Guidance Office to colleges they are applying to at least ten working days in advance.


If there are any 8th graders applying to private schools please get your applications into Ms. Kelly Francis as soon as possible.


Math Department

All high school students who took the spring 2008 mandated MCAS Mathematics test passed the test as a requirement for graduation. We have had a 100% success rate since the law was enacted in 2001.

Our entire department, grade 6-12, has analyzed the MCAS data and is excited about continuing to work with the student’s in their areas of strength and need.


Music Department

The band has had a very busy month of October. We finally got our new band jackets to go with our T-shirts for our new football game outfits. The band did half-time shows at three football games. Some members will march in costume for this year’s Georgetown Horribles Parade on Oct. 25.

The Concert Choir began to work on the MMEA Northeastern District festival audition piece as a group. Several chorus and band students have registered for the auditions which will take place on Nov. 22.

Our private lesson program is completely up and running. We’d like to welcome flutist Kathy Garner and saxophonist Mario Perrett to teaching in Georgetown. If anyone is interested in after-school lessons on flute, clarinet, sax, trumpet, trombone, French horn, drums and percussion, guitar, or voice, please contact Dave Kaminski at 5790x623 or kaminski@georgetown.k12.ma.us.

Jazz Band and A Cappella got started in late October. Look for the Jazz Band at this year’s Georgetown Music Parents Auction taking place this Nov. 7 at the Georgetown Club. Anyone wishing to make last minute donations to the Music Parents Auction should contact Roberta Curtin or Lorna Scullin at themusicauction@yahoo.com.




Physical Education, Health and Consumer Science Department

In foods classes, 6th graders have had fun making “smoothies” and “hootenany pancakes”. Let them prepare these “unique” pancakes for you at home. The 7th graders enjoyed their “puffy apple pancakes” while the 8th graders have mastered the art of making crepes! Everyone has completed units on kitchen and food safety. Currently, we are working on practicing “recipe math” and measuring skills.

In Middle School Physical Education, students have completed the Presidential Testing. Students have displayed great effort and many have broken personal records. Students will test again in the spring and will hopefully see improvement in their scores. Keep up the outstanding effort!

In High School Physical Education, we have seen many students “crowned” as champions in activities such as Ultimate Frisbee, Soccer and Arena Football. We have been very impressed with the high percentages of student participation. Stay active and stay healthy!


Science Department

As we continue to enhance our instruction by using improved technology, the Environmental Science class has been using new stereoscopes.  While investigating pond water using the stereoscopes, many of the critters that had been observed as preserved specimens; we were able to see as living organisms. With the stereoscopes, we observed these organisms in their natural surroundings interacting with others, feeding and moving.  In addition to the stereoscope, the digital microscope was used.  This instrument allows for closer magnification of the organisms and can be put through the computer and the in focus projector, to be shown on a big screen.  This enables a more in depth study of the organisms by allowing the instructor to show the same specimen to a larger group. Videos and still pictures of the organisms can be saved on the computer for use at a later time.  We had some great pictures of the Hydra sp. with its tentacles and nematocysts.


Social Studies Department

The Social Studies department is continuing to develop student understanding and participation in the upcoming elections. These efforts will culminate with a school wide mock election held November 3rd. In addition, the department is working actively to make connections across the curriculum to current marketplace events in order to foster economic literacy. Exploration of historic events such as the Gilded Age and the Commercial Revolution has been used to draw parallels to current events and thus generate discussion. In addition the Contemporary Affairs class has begun a unit on financial literacy this week.


World Language Department 

The World Language Department is trying to plan a trip to Quebec, Canada for French students this coming January. We hope to attend the Winter Carnival. It is a great opportunity for the students to experience the culture and lifestyle that they have been learning about in class.

The 7th grade exploratory world languages will be switching languages December 1st. The rotation will be very smooth. At the end of this year the student’s will be asked what language they want to take in 8th grade so have your child save their work so they are able to reflect back on each language in May before they have to make their final decision.


Unified Arts Department

A special thank you to the High School ceramic class for the kind donation of a ceramic leaf for the Music Auction Night.


ATTENTION ALL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS – GREAT LOCAL ART OPPORTUNITY-

Unleash your Talents! The Georgetown PTA announces the 2008 Reflections Art Competition open to all students in the areas of film production, dance choreography, music composition, photography, visual arts and literature. The complete registration, rules and deadlines are listed on their website www.georgetownpta.org.  Project submission deadline is November 14. Good luck!


Juniors and seniors considering a career in the Visual Arts and Related Fields:

Boston National Portfolio Day is Sunday November 9 from 12- 4 o’clock at the Boston Marriott Copley Place. This event is free and open to the public.  National Portfolio Day is an opportunity for those wishing to pursue an education and career in the visual and related arts to meet with representatives from around the country from institutions offering professional programs accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design.  For more event information visit, www.aiboston.edu/npd and /or www.portfolioday.net .


Student of the Month

Every month each high school department chooses a student of the month based around academic achievement, dedication to the subject, work ethic and all around effort. We send a letter home to the family, display the student’s picture on the website and in the main lobby and they are all also invited to our awards breakfast at the end of the year. October’s students of the month are:


Administration: Deandre Lampert

Business Department: Jonathan Allen

English Department: Alyssa Rosenthal

Mathematics Department: Deanna Mueller

Music Department: Jay Martel

Physical Education, Health and Consumer Science: Amy Callahan

Science Department: Deanna Mueller

Social Studies Department: Hannah Gazunis

Unified Arts Department: John Boutin

World Language Department: Jeffrey Lynch