FRIDAY FOCUS

When we return from break on Friday, January 2 it will be a Day 4 at the high school.

Join MRSD and Children's Cove for a special session focused on keeping youth safe online. Presenter Richard Guerry, author of multiple cyber safety books, will share information on how to promote responsible use of digital tools while preventing negative, irresponsible, and malicious digital activities. Parents/Caregivers, Faculty/Staff, and students age 11 and up are invited to attend this important event on January 6, 2026, 6:00pm, at Monomoy Middle School.

We want to hear from you! Students and families, tell us about a staff member who has gone above and beyond by nominating them for a Staff Shoutout at https://www.monomoy.edu/staffshoutout.

Our district is a member of the Federation for Children with Special Needs and we have access to monthly workshops under an All-Access Pass. You can find the full calendar of events, as well as links to register, at https://fcsn.org/events/. You can register for multiple workshops at that link. Once registered, you will receive a link for the virtual session.

https://www.capecodtimes.com/picture-gallery/entertainment/holiday/christmas/2025/12/17/monomoy-select-choir-carol-harwich-elementary-school-ma/87814859007/

Many thanks to Amy Saunders and little Nickerson for visiting our Animal Welfare Club meeting this week. Nickerson lives at WildCare in Eastham and Amy is her guardian. Amy taught the club about the great work WildCare does for injured, sick, and abandoned wildlife. We also learned what to do if we find wildlife in distress. She may be little but Nickerson’s anatomy is fascinating!!

The students of Monomoy Interact and the Dennis Harwich Rotary club collaborated on a moving ceremony for Wreaths Across America on Saturday at Liberty Field in South Dennis. This special ceremony took place in over 5,000 locations at noon on Saturday and the mission is to "Remember the fallen. Honor those who serve. Teach the next generation the value of freedom."

Thank you to our Interact volunteers who participated. Pictured here (left to right): Ryan Casey (class of 2025), Rhyden Welsh, Tommy Carey, Colin Cote, 3 students from DY, Thomas McCaffrey (Rotary Club), Paulette Torres-Chughtai, Sofia Duguay, Maddie Gray, and Hayden Sweeney.

For more information about this organization, click here: https://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/About/OurMission

The SHELLS and SAIL Programs celebrated their annual Holiday Party on Wednesday! Students prepared lunch and festive treats to share with one another. They also exchanged handmade, personalized gifts thoughtfully created to reflect each recipient’s interests and favorites.

The celebration included a variety of creative, homemade games such as a holiday-themed Would You Rather, tossing snowballs into the snowman’s mouth, pin the nose on Rudolph, bobbing for candy canes, decorating your friend, and much more. The room was filled with laughter, love, and holiday cheer—truly a joyful celebration for everyone involved!

Today, the two sections of Uncovered China turned the Faculty Dinner room into a lively Chinese Classroom, as 44 students across A and B blocks rolled up their sleeves and took part in a hands-on cultural cooking experience — making three classic styles of Chinese fried rice.

As part of this semester’s Chinese Food Project, several student groups researched and presented on the cultural significance of fried rice in Chinese cuisine. To bring learning to life, students put theory into practice by cooking:

• Pork & Preserved Mustard Greens fried rice

• Ground chicken fried rice

• Classic egg fried rice

What followed was an energetic, joyful, and surprisingly professional cooking session. Students took turns at the wok with great focus and enthusiasm, eagerly volunteering to stir, season, and taste. Their teamwork, attention to detail, and pride in the process were on full display — and the results spoke for themselves.

All three dishes were completely finished by the end of class. Not a single grain of rice was left behind.

Beyond the delicious outcome, the experience gave students a deeper appreciation for Chinese food culture, everyday culinary traditions, and the idea that language and culture are best learned through doing. The room was filled with laughter, curiosity, and the unmistakable aroma of success.

It was a memorable day in Uncovered China — one that students will likely remember long after the last bite.

To celebrate the completion of the unit “De fiesta en familia” in Spanish II, students participated in an authentic learning experience in partnership with the local restaurant Heart of the Sea.

Throughout this unit, students learned—among many other skills—, the vocabulary for the items that go on the table as well as how to place an order in a restaurant. As a culminating activity, students were able to put their learning into practice in a real-life context:

• Day 1: Students placed a complete order in Spanish using a menu specially designed for the class.

• Day 2: The restaurant delivered the order, allowing students to experience the full cycle of ordering from a real restaurant.

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Experiences like this greatly enhance language learning by giving students meaningful, contextualized, and memorable opportunities to use Spanish. They also help build confidence, increase motivation, and strengthen the connection between classroom learning and the local community.

We would like to highlight Heart of the Sea as a local restaurant that offers a Hispanic-inspired menu based on Peruvian and Colombian cuisine, and we are very grateful for their collaboration and support of our students.

We would also like to thank the parents and guardians for their support of this activity, and congratulate all Spanish II students for their positive energy, strong performance, and consistent effort throughout the school year so far. It has been a joy to see their growth and enthusiasm for learning Spanish.

Special shoutouts

A special note of congratulations goes to the students of Spanish III Honors classes for the incredibly engaging and thought provoking debates on topics related to the “Shopping - De compras” unit, which were conducted primarily in Spanish. Their critical thinking, preparation, and language use were truly impressive.

We also congratulate the students of Spanish IV Honors class for their excellent work during the unit “Helping the Community - Ayudando a la comunidad”, including the meaningful interviews they conducted with local community leader Marly Pereda, and hispanohablantes students. Their commitment, maturity, and strong language skills were evident throughout the unit.

A special shoutout to all the students who participate in the Spanish Club – Let’s Fiesta. It is wonderful to share this space with you, where we speak Spanish most of the time and celebrate our culture through food, music, games, and shared experiences. You make the Spanish classroom come alive and vibrate with your wonderful energy. Thank you, students, for your incredible enthusiasm, your voices, and your kindness.

Miss Carey and Profe Berbeo are very proud of all our students, their efforts, and their continued growth in language proficiency and cultural understanding.

¡Feliz Navidad y próspero año nuevo para todos!

Students from Monomoy's Interact Club visited the Harwich Council on Aging again this week to bring some holiday cheer during their annual luncheon. The students filled the room with festive spirit as they sang Christmas carols, handed out homemade cards, shared laughter and even played a few lively rounds of bingo. Their visit brightened the day for everyone in attendance and the students celebrated the simple joy of giving back during the holiday season.

Thank you to Lisa Forte-Doyle and Kerri Robinson for sharing their festive hats and headbands for the field trip. Merry Christmas to all!

Cooking club students spent this week creating brigaderios for the holiday and learning about recipe substitutions. Thank you to the administration for supporting this student-created activity!

• Go to YBpay.lifetouch.com
• Enter code 9900726
• Enter your student info

If you require financial assistance to purchase a yearbook please reach out to Mrs. Katie Francesconi at kfrancesconi@monomoy.edu

Attention Class of 2026 caregivers: We still have senior ads available for purchase!

• 1/4 page ad is $25
• 1/2 page ad is $50
• Full page ad is $100

Purchase yours today and the yearbook team will design your ad in January. A great way to include a personal message to your senior and include more photos. Reach out to Mrs. Katie Francesconi if you have any questions.

Learn more about the Monomoy SEPAC at https://www.monomoy.edu/sepac

MRHS is on Instagram at @monomoyhighschool!

Sign up to be a vendor: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe3-qR8lBDqRzlpdkJ9qlgaTmDlwEewjXMRYqubqw_dQsu46A/viewform?pli=1

Dear Students and Parents/Guardians

As your student navigates the college application process, it is critical to focus on the next major step: securing financial aid and scholarships. It is important for students to be active in this process, track deadlines, and complete all necessary applications as soon as possible.

Below is a breakdown of the essential applications, key deadlines, and next steps.

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

FAFSA is a free application used by the government to determine your Student Aid Index (SAI), which colleges use to calculate your eligibility for need-based aid.

Start at studentaid.gov. Both the student and one parent need an FSA ID to complete the application. While the federal deadline is in June, many states and colleges have priority deadlines much earlier (often in January or February). You will never need to pay to create a FAFSA account - please be cautious of scams.

If you need support filling out your FAFSA, please consider attending the MEFA FAFSA Festival on January 15th where you will be paired up virtually with a financial advisor to support completion and answer any of your questions.

CSS Profile

The CSS Profile is a more detailed financial aid application through College Board that provides colleges with a deeper look into your family's finances. It may be required by certain colleges to be considered for institutional financial aid. A full list of schools that require the CSS Profile is also available on the College Board website.

Scholarships

Institutional Scholarships (Merit-Based): Many colleges automatically consider students for merit-based aid based on their application - GPA, test scores, etc. Check if the college requires a separate application or essay for their biggest scholarships. Missing a deadline means a missed opportunity! When in doubt, please contact the college/university's financial aid office for questions as they have the most current information.

External/Private Scholarships: These are scholarships offered by private organizations, businesses, and community groups. We encourage students to actively search for these using reliable, free scholarship databases.

• Naviance: Local and community scholarships are posted in Naviance as we receive information. All seniors have an account and should check under the “Colleges,” then “Scholarship Search” tabs.

• Monomoy Dollars for Scholars and Cape Cod Foundation/Cape Cod Association: There will be presentations for the seniors in January on these programs.

• Mrs. Casey can mail transcripts and letters of recommendation to the scholarship organizations. Letters of recommendation are confidential and will not be given directly to the students. Please allow adequate time for items to be gathered and mailed as appropriate.

Additional Resources

• The Financial Aid 101 Presentation is posted on the MRHS Website. Please reference the video here for more information.

• MEFA has a broad range of financial aid information available on their website, as well as frequent webinars/virtual presentations in the evenings and on-demand. Click here to sign up for their newsletter.

Sincerely,

MRHS Guidance and School Counseling Department

The Cape Cod Foundation and Cape Cod Association online applications are open. Review the information seen here to learn more. Please help spread the word to other students and families across Barnstable County!

APPLY TODAY: https://www.grantinterface.com/Home/Logon?urlkey=capecodfoundationscholarships

Reminder: Please use a personal email address you check frequently and have access to permanently, NOT a high school email address.

The Brazilian Resource Center is the leading 501(c)(3) non-profit organization fully focused on assisting the low-income, homeless and immigrant community on Cape Cod and the Islands. We provide direct services, collaboration with governmental and non-profit organizations, and community-building activities to over 8000 residents, many of whom use multiple services many times a year.

https://brazilianresourcecenter.org/

The Cape Cod Tech Field Trip for Grade 8 went well! Our interested students were able to take a look at the different shops that are offered and learn more about their enrollment process with their new weighted lottery system. If your student has any interest in applying or if you are curious about their enrollment process, send an email to abrewer@monomoy.edu

Please apply early - https://www.capecod.edu/apply/

Hello All- You will be receiving a letter towards the end of November. This message is to serve as advanced notice. Full payment will be expected by March 1, 2026.

All students enrolled in AP classes are expected to take the culminating exams in May 2026. Earning scores high enough on these tests could potentially lead to college credit. In addition, this exam takes the place of the course final. Exam fees are determined by the College Board; each exam is $99.00 (For those who are eligible based on household income, the cost is $40.00 per exam)

• One exam: $99.00

• Two exams: $198.00

• Three (or more) exams: $297.00

Audrey Brewer, Grade 8, abrewer@monomoy.edu

Lindsay Ginnetty, Instructional Leader, Grades 9-12 (last names A-F), lginnetty@monomoy.edu

Caitlyn Hall, Grades 9-12 (last names G-N), chall@monomoy.edu

Jonathan Bennett, Grades 9-12 (last names O-Z), jbennett@monomoy.edu

Follow us on Instagram: @MonomoyGuidance

Wishing you health and safety, The MRHS Counseling Team

The Monomoy Booster Club is hosting a Comedy Night Fundraiser to support our student-athletes! The event will be held Friday, March 20, 2026, at the Pelham House Resort. Find more information and get tickets at https://www.funny4funds.com/events/monomoy-booster-club-comedy-show-fundraiser/1636. We hope you can join us!

Follow us on Instagram for game results, scores, updates, and more!: @monomoyathletics

Check out these offerings from Harwich Youth and Family Services!

To report your child's absence, tardy, or upcoming dismissal please use the following link:

https://mrhs.monomoy.edu/attendance

Did you know? Past issues of the Friday Focus can be found on our website:

https://mrhs.monomoy.edu/news/friday-focus

Monomoy Regional High School operations and activities are guided by Monomoy Regional School District policies and school-specific procedures. The MRHS Handbook is a resource for families and students, providing information and guidelines for a variety of topics. If you have additional questions not covered here, contact MRHS at (508) 430-7200.

https://mrhs.monomoy.edu/parent-caregiver-resources/school-handbook

Email: mrhs@monomoy.edu
Website: mrhs.monomoy.edu
Location: 75 Oak Street, Harwich, MA, USA
Phone: 508-430-7200

MRSD Latest News/Updates: https://www.monomoy.edu/our-district/latest-news

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/monomoyschools

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/monomoyregion

Threads: https://www.threads.net/@monomoyschools

Official Monomoy Regional SD App: Download from App Store or Google Play