December 2025 MRMHS Newsletter

December 1

• 6:30pm — MRMHS Family Touch-Base Zoom

December 4

• 6:00pm — NHS Induction Day

December 5

• Progress Report Grades Close

December 12 (Friday)

• 7:00pm — Music Dept. Holiday Show (Evening Performance)

December 13 (Saturday)

• 2:00pm — Music Dept. Holiday Show (Matinee)

• 7:00pm — Music Dept. Holiday Show (Evening)

December 16

• 7:30am — Key Club / Red Cross Blood Drive

December 22 – January 2

• Winter Break (No School)

Come cheer on our student-athletes and show your school spirit. Be sure to check out the MRMHS Athletics Calendar for the most updated dates throughout the year!

🐾 Winter Sports Are Underway at MRMHS!

We’re excited to share that all winter sports are officially underway at Monadnock! Thank you to Ms. Topa for the update and for launching our brand-new Monadnock Huskies Athletics Facebook page—be sure to give it a follow to stay connected:

👉 Monadnock Huskies Athletics (Facebook): New Facebook Page!
👉 Game schedules: https://monadnockathletics.com

❄️ Winter Sports Update

• Ice Hockey and Indoor Track begin on Monday, December 1st

• Basketball, Wrestling, and Swimming have already kicked off their seasons

• If your student is still interested in joining a winter sport, please reach out to our Athletic Director Mrs. Topa—it’s not too late!
  
  

🏆 Come Cheer On the Huskies!

We encourage families and community members to come out and support our athletes. Let’s fill the stands and show our Husky pride this winter!

Go Huskies! 🐺💙

As we head into December, I want to thank you for the partnership you bring to our school. Students do their best when the support at home and the support at school work together, and we see the benefits of that every day at MRMHS.

Supporting Students Together

This time of year can get busy quickly. Checking in at home, even briefly, goes a long way. A quick look at upcoming assignments, asking how classes are going, or talking through what feels challenging can help students stay grounded and confident.

And please don’t ever hesitate to reach out! Teachers, counselors, and our assistant principals are all here to help. Early communication almost always leads to better outcomes for students.

We Need Your Voice! NEASC Family Survey

As part of our ongoing NEASC reaccreditation process, we’re collecting feedback from families to help us understand what we’re doing well and where we can continue to grow. NEASC (the New England Association of Schools and Colleges) is the organization that reviews schools to ensure we meet rigorous standards and continue improving for all students.

Your perspective matters. Please take a few minutes to complete the Family Survey linked below—your input directly supports our accreditation work and helps guide future decisions at MRMHS.

👉 Family Survey Link: https://surveys.neasc.org/s3/CPS-2028-Family-Survey?id=42

Thank you for partnering with us!

A Positive Note

Even in the December rush, we see so many positive moments: students helping each other, taking pride in their work, and pushing through challenges. These small, everyday wins are what make Monadnock such a strong community.

Join Us Monday

We’ll be talking about some of these ideas during our Family Zoom this Monday, December 1st, at 6:30 PM. If you’re able to join, we’d love to have you there. Thank you for your continued support and partnership.

Brett Gottheimer
Principal
Monadnock Regional Middle High School

Monadnock Regional Middle High School is proud to recognize our Advanced Placement students in grades 10–12, who are engaging in rigorous, college-level coursework across multiple content areas.

We currently have nearly 60 students enrolled in AP classes, with 89 exams scheduled for May. Notably, 24 of these students are taking more than one AP exam—a tremendous accomplishment that highlights their drive and dedication. Each passed AP exam provides the opportunity to earn college credit, helping students build confidence while potentially saving families thousands of dollars in future tuition costs.

We extend sincere appreciation to our AP faculty, who consistently set high expectations and provide the expert instruction and encouragement that help our students thrive.

As we begin discussions about scheduling and course requests for next year, families may find the following conversation prompts helpful when talking with their student:

A Conversation to Have With Your Child About AP Courses

• What work are they doing now that will prepare them for AP-level rigor?
  
  

• How can they talk with their teachers about whether an AP course might be a good fit?
  
  

• What study habits, organizational skills, or routines could they strengthen to be ready for AP coursework?
  
  

We are proud of our AP students and the commitment they show each day. Thank you for supporting them as they strive for academic excellence!

In Ms. Alexander’s Chemistry class, students recently took on a creative challenge: writing their own children’s book to teach 6–8-year-olds about atoms.

Each student crafted an educational and engaging story explaining:

• What an atom is

• The parts of an atom and their roles

• How those parts give an atom its identity and properties

To do this, students had to break down complex ideas into simple, kid-friendly language, finding creative ways to make science understandable and fun. This project strengthened their understanding of our current chemistry content while also building important skills such as creativity, clarity, and problem-solving.

Projects like this help students not only learn content but demonstrate real understanding in meaningful, authentic ways.
Every book is unique—just like the students who created them.

We hope you’ll take a moment to explore and enjoy these wonderful stories!

As part of our ongoing NEASC reaccreditation process, we’re collecting feedback from families to help us understand what we’re doing well and where we can continue to grow. NEASC (the New England Association of Schools and Colleges) is the organization that reviews schools to ensure we meet rigorous standards and continue improving for all students.

Your perspective matters. Please take a few minutes to complete the Family Survey linked below—your input directly supports our accreditation work and helps guide future decisions at MRMHS.

👉 Family Survey Link: https://surveys.neasc.org/s3/CPS-2028-Family-Survey?id=42

Thank you for partnering with us!

As we move through the season of increased respiratory and gastrointestinal viruses, we ask families to help keep our school community healthy. Please keep your child home if they have a fever, a persistent cough, vomiting, or diarrhea. A day of rest at home helps them recover and helps prevent spreading illness to others. Encourage good handwashing, covering coughs and sneezes, and avoiding sharing drinks or snacks. Extra sleep and keeping frequently touched surfaces clean at home also make big difference. Thank you for helping us keep our school community well!

Sincerely,

Lisa Brooks, RN
MRMHS School Nurse
603-903-6701

In case you missed it, on Wednesday 11/5, Granite Edvance had a presentation for parents and students about the FAFSA and Financial Aid. They are a fantastic resource for all things paying for college/trade school related. Kirsten Lavigne is our liaison for our area and you can feel free to reach out to her with any direct questions at: klavigne@graniteedvance.org

If you missed the presentation, here is a link to the webinar from Wednesday, 11/5. The passcode is: w*7QDg.m

The Granite Edvance Financial Aid Insider is a great tool to support your understanding of the financial aid process. You can access that PDF here. https://graniteedvance.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/FinancialAidInsider-Web.pdf

Granite Edvance also offers additional webinars can be found on their website and anyone is welcome to attend these public forums. https://graniteedvance.org/find-your-direction/upcoming-events/ They also offer one on one support for New Hampshire families. A complete schedule and links to make appointments through their calendar can be found here: https://calendly.com/graniteedvance

While our school counseling department will support Monadnock students however we can with the college application and selection process, financial aid is going to be more individualized to families and their unique situations. We recommend Granite Edvance as a resource and organization to help you navigate this process.

Please feel free to reach out to the school counseling department for any assistance with resources for financial aid. We are happy to help in any way we can.

Not considering College? There is a Webinar on December 3rd about Exploring Workforce Pathways from 6-7PM through Granite Edvance.

Register here if interested.

Whether you are getting ready to enter the world of work for

the first time, or are considering a career change, there are seemingly limitless career pathways to choose from. If you are unsure which direction to take your career, this webinar is for you! We’ll discuss how a career assessment can help you to identify how your work style, skills and interests can help you find a great career fit. You’ll discover the best training option for your learning style, budget, and career goal, and learn about funding options from grants and scholarships to paid apprenticeships. By the end of this webinar, you will be able to identify the important questions to ask about training programs, what considerations may be unique to your circumstances and how to address them to set yourself up for success!

To help prevent middle schoolers from vaping, parents should have open, ongoing conversations, set clear expectations, and model healthy, vape/smoke-free behavior. Educate your child on the health risks, such as nicotine addiction affecting brain development, and talk to them about peer pressure. Stay involved.

Have open and ongoing conversations:

• Start early and talk often: Ideally, starting the conversation about vaping before they enter middle school and continuing it throughout their teen years. However, it is never too late to start these conversations.

• Listen and ask questions: Ask your child what they think about vaping to understand their perspective. Be prepared to hear that they may have tried it and approach the conversation without judgment.

• Use natural conversation starters: Use current events or a news story about vaping as an opportunity to talk about the topic.
  
  

Educate and set expectations:

• Explain the health risks: Emphasize that most e-cigarettes contain addictive nicotine, which can negatively impact concentration, mood, and impulse control, especially since the brain develops until around age 25.

• Discuss the dangers of chemicals: Inform your child that e-cigarette vapor contains harmful chemicals that have a lasting impact.

• Set clear expectations: Make it clear that you don't allow vaping in your home, just as you don't allow other drug use.

Model healthy behavior and set a good example:

• Be a role model: If you smoke or vape, consider quitting. Your behavior is a powerful example.

• Make your home vape-free: Create a healthy environment by not allowing any vaping or smoking in your house.

• Quit with them: If your child vapes and wants to quit, quitting together can provide mutual support.

Get involved and seek support:

• Encourage positive activities: Involve your teen in positive activities that provide good alternatives to vaping.

• Seek professional help: If your child is already vaping, talk to their healthcare provider about getting help to quit.

• Resources are available to support teens. You can also call 1-800-QUIT-NOW or visit Teen.smokefree.gov.

🔥 Fire Team

🌎 Earth Team

TWO NEW STAFF

Welcome to Karen Monti Hertzog who joins the Fire Team as a case manager. She comes from New Jersey with a number of years of experience in education. We are also very happy to welcome Jeffery Russell who joins the Water Team as a Social Studies Teacher. He comes to us from Florida with years of experience teaching Middle School.

🌟 START OF QUARTER 2 🌟

We are officially well into Quarter 2. Some things to remember as we forge ahead.

• All assignments are important assignments no matter what they are weighted. Formative Assignments help students to get ready for Summative Assignments, so although they count as less, they are just as important to complete.

• When your child is absent from school, they miss class instruction and assignments. It is your child’s responsibility to make sure they catch up with whatever they miss at an appropriate time (WIN, after school, activity or lunch if the teacher is available).

🥶 OUTDOOR ACTIVITY 🥶

The temperatures are beginning to drop but we are still going outside for activity time. There is no inside option for students so be sure they have appropriate dress for being outside.

(sent from Superintendent Rathbun on November 7th)

Dear Families,

At this week’s School Board meeting, the Board approved a change to our academic calendar. Monday, January 20, will now be a Professional Development Day for staff, and there will be no school for students on that day.

On this day, all Monadnock staff will participate in a districtwide training led by the New Hampshire Department of Homeland Security. This training is part of our ongoing efforts to ensure we are prepared to respond effectively in any type of emergency.

The updated calendar is attached for your reference.

We hope this advance notice gives you plenty of time to plan and adjust your schedules.

Sincerely,
Jeremy Rathbun