Monthly Parent Newsletter

NMRHS Community,

As we approach the end of the school year—with just nine days remaining—I wanted to take a moment to reflect on all that has transpired in our classrooms. Departments have prepared a summary of the incredible work accomplished this year, and as you’ll see, our students have gained a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience.

The 2024–2025 school year has had its share of ups and downs for both students and faculty, but together, we’ve persevered—and we’re all better for it. I want to sincerely thank you for walking this journey with us. Your partnership and support mean everything. As the saying goes, it truly does take a village—and the NM school community is grateful for yours.

My next newsletter will be sent on August 1, 2025, and will include important information for the upcoming 2025–2026 school year. Until then, I wish you a restful and relaxing summer. If you need anything, please note that the school’s main office will be open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.

Sincerely,
Laurie Smith, Principal

A note from Kristi Montolio - Special Education Department Chair

Student WIN in Inclusion ELA 9: Students read the Hunger Games. One specific student, who has an SLD in Reading, found this unit particularly interesting and engaging. With the supports available to him, he was able to not only access this material, but really understand and enjoy the material. This student consistently raised his hand to answer questions (Something rarely seen in other units throughout the year) and engaged with the text on a deep and meaningful level. He made accurate inferences, displayed emotional investment in the plot, and demonstrated an understanding of the novel's subtext. His academic confidence was undeniably strengthened, and after a year of ups and downs in English class, this opportunity for him to love English class was really great to see.

STEPS+ ELA: We are finishing a unit on the memoir The Glass Castle; the students will compose their own vignettes as the final exam project. This year we read Lord of the Flies, and The Hunger Games and we saw a lot of improvement in the students' essay writing skills.

Essentials Geometry: Congratulations to these 10th graders for completing the Math MCAS last week! These students have worked hard all year on learning geometry formulae while also continuing to practice and build on their algebra skills. We are looking forward to the final exam project which will be to design and build a 3D house!

Over the course of the school year the Special Education department has seen large numbers of students who have made gains in all academic, behavioral and social emotional areas. We have had huge wins in all areas of our Unified Sports programs and seen a successful uptick in student engagement and enrollment in our new Unified course offerings for next school year. With the division of our Academic Support Center course into Academic Essentials, the focus can be driven towards meeting IEP goals and benchmarks and building upon those skills in the general education classes in the 2025-2026 school year.

The Special Education department wants to congratulate the 2025 graduates who we have seen make incredible gains over the last 4 years. May your futures be bright and you always look back on NMRHS as a special time in your life! Congratulations Class of 2025, YOU DID IT!"

A note from Christy Kervin - Science Department Chair

The Science Department ended the year with some excellent experiences for our students. Students in Biomedical Innovations attended the 2025 Applied Learning Student Showcase held at The Track at New Balance on Friday, May 9th. Here students presented their capstone projects to industry professionals including those from biomedical, engineering, and computer science fields. The professionals provided both verbal and written feedback to students regarding their projects. Capstone projects developed and presented by students included: Medical Interpretation App, Autism Geared Watch, Virtual Reality in Stroke Rehabilitation, The Stem Cell Education Initiative, Seasonal Allergen Tracking Wristwatch with Antihistamine Patch, ACL Tear Prevention in Female Athletes, Stress & Success: Mental Health Game, and The Digital Stethoscope.

On Thursday, May 22, 2025, the AP Chemistry students attended the second annual STEM Symposium. The panelists all have STEM careers, including electrical and civil engineering, computer science, nursing, and a PhD student. The panelists discuss their educational experiences, the pathways to their careers, the cost of college and student loan debt, salaries and earning potential, continuing education, and their "roses and thorns" about their current positions. It is a wonderful opportunity for the students to see themselves reflected in the panelists, and to get a better idea of the journey experienced by STEM majors. It was a fun and engaging afternoon!

Students in AP Biology concluded the year by designing and implementing their own experiments. Students will be presenting their results on the day of their final exam. One group completed an experiment on osmosis using gummy bears, another tested the idea that when estimating the number of items, discussing the contents of a container influences the accuracy of the estimate, and a third group evaluated if diet influences a person's athletic performance. The students had some amazing ideas and well researched and experiments.

(Pictures 1-4 are from the showcase, pic 5 is from AP Bio)

A note from Jeff Waldron - Physical Education/Wellness Department Chair

Students in Personal/Group Fitness Training were able to review fundamental exercises from their previous Fundamentals of Fitness course (freshman year), learn more advanced exercises, and then successfully develop their upper level Personal Fitness programs. Students in Fundamentals of Fitness (freshman) were able to learn fundamental fitness exercises and components of fitness (strength training, cardiovascular training, mobility/flexibility), and then exercise in pre-made workouts, student made workouts, and circuit training. Students in both the Lifetime Fitness and Mind/Body Fitness course offerings were able to exercise in a variety of activities including yoga, barre, pilates, walking for fitness, net games such as volleyball, badminton, and pickleball, in a fun, cooperative manner. Last, but certainly not least, for the Wellness course, students focused on building a solid foundation for lifelong physical, mental, and emotional well-being. In Wellness, by using a variety of activities, discussions, and projects, students gained a deeper understanding of how to care for themselves and others in a healthy and responsible way.

Overall, it was a very successful year in our department and we are looking forward to making more growth next year!!

A note from Anissa Plante - Visual Art Department Chair

This year's Photography students had the opportunity to learn how to use a Nikon DSLR digital camera for Photography class. The projects ranged from action sports photos to high key low key studio portraiture. Graphic Design students at NM are fortunate to use the latest Adobe software for their graphic design experience. Students in Graphic Design learn how to use software that creates unique images and text used in marketing and packaging design.

Students in Foundations of Art created a variety of projects based around the principles and elements of design. These projects prepared students for taking higher level art courses. Drawing & Painting 1 students learned how to use new art materials such as charcoal, watercolor, acrylics, pen & ink & learned how to stretch their own canvas. Drawing & Painting 2 students tackled more advanced challenges such as self portraits & oil painting. Drawing & Painting 3 worked on more conceptual pieces and a mini series of work. Both D&P 2 and 3 wrote about their art and prepared art portfolios if needed for art school applications. Pepperell students' work will be delivered to the Lawrence Library in Pepperell for a summer show.

Students in Ceramics 1 learned how to make functional and decorative pottery focusing on the 3 main hand-building methods (pinch-maraca, slab-mug, coil-jar, 3 combined-planter), and glazes. Learning centered on technical proficiency and craftsmanship, while encouraging personal creativity and expression. Ceramics 2 learned alternative hand-building methods (press molds and templates) while experimenting with various surface decoration techniques and created more complex works (lanterns, themed shaker sets) and learned how to throw a bowl on the pottery wheel.

Ceramics 3 learned to make more challenging wheel thrown forms such as duplicate works, series of tall vessels and plates. Students researched and used various surface applications to create thematic works.

Finally, student art work was showcased in our very successful annual art exhibit on May 1st. Thank you to all students, families, staff and community members for showing up to celebrate our student artists! Also at the same event, the unveiling of a student mural by Ambrianna C and Emma L, and the National Art Honor Society (NAHS) held a Silent Art Auction fundraiser which raised $680 for a donation to the Red Cross for California wildfire relief.

A note from Katie Maly - Department Chair

This year in English, students explored a wide range of literature, sharpened their writing skills, and deepened their understanding of language and communication. From classic novels and contemporary texts to poetry and drama, students analyzed themes, developed critical thinking, and engaged in meaningful discussions. Writing assignments focused on argumentative, narrative, and analytical styles, helping students build strong, structured, and expressive writing. Vocabulary and grammar study supported this growth, while collaborative projects and presentations encouraged confidence and creativity. It’s been a year of insight, expression, and connection through the power of words. All of the hands-on, creative projects helped students develop skills in writing, critical thinking, creativity, and communication throughout the year. It has been a successful year, and we as an English department commend all the students we were lucky to have, and we look forward to next year!

* Monday 6/2 - Spring Sports Awards - PAC - 6pm

* Tuesday 6/3 - Senior Awards Night - PAC - 6pm

* Wednesday 6/4 - MCAS Biology - Freshman

* Thursday 6/5 - MCAS Biology - Freshman

* Thursday 6/5 - Graduation Rehearsal - Turf(🤞for the weather) 8am-10am

• Senior BBQ & Yearbook Distribution - 5:30pm - 8:30pm

* Friday 6/6 - GRADUATION - 7pm

* Monday 6/9 - Underclass Awards Night - PAC - 6pm

Friday - 6/6 - FINALS A & B

Monday - 6/9 - FINALS C & D

Tuesday - 6/10 - FINALS E & F

Wednesday - 6/11 - FINALS G & Makeups

Thursday - 6/12 - LAST DAY OF SCHOOL

* All days for FINALS are HALF Days - Buses depart NMRHS @ 10:25am.

All students will be leaving the building at 10:25am

Please click on the NM Literary Magazine for the Spring edition.

My name is Brady Dunbar, Campbell Devine, Sullivan Richards, and myself are working on supporting the homeless community for our Civics Action Project. We have chosen this topic because we have learned that homelessness is a big problem in Central Massachusetts.

After researching support services for homeless families, we decided that Northstar Family Services in Leominster, MA was a great fit for our support. They are an organization dedicated to helping families in need in the Greater Leominster area. After discussing the topic with Northstar Services, they suggested helping them gather items for their families. They sent us an Amazon Wish List and suggested that we provide the link for people that wanted to donate.

Also, we wanted to thank Mr. Karl Edmands, the custodial department's day lead. He has been a great help and provided a generous supply of socks for us to donate to another homeless shelter in Worcester.

"Hello, my name is Mollie and I am working alongside my partner Faith on our junior year Civic Action Project. With homelessness in Massachusetts being on the rise and about 70% of that population being families, we felt compelled to focus on this issue. We found an amazing local shelter in Lowell called House of Hope. This shelter has both a temporary shelter and finds affordable permanent housing. The infographic includes their contact information, location, and donation needs. Please consider donating to this cause."

As we wrap up the 2024–2025 school year, we're asking for your feedback to help us strengthen our family engagement efforts across the district. Please take a few minutes to complete our Family Engagement Survey—your input will help us plan meaningful events, improve communication, and better support students and families next year.
Elementary School Survey
Middle School Survey
High School Survey
Thank you for being an important part of our school community!

To contact your students school counselor, please call the counseling department at 978-597-8196 to speak with the counseling secretary, Mrs. Tiana Babin or contact your students counselor directly.

School Counselors

A - F - Mrs. Julia Mancini - jmancini@nmrsd.org X2453

G - M - Ms. Beth Romano - bromano@nmrsd.org X2454

N - Z - Mr. Tim Robertson - trobertson@nmrsd.org X2452

• Email: nmrhs@nmrsd.org
• Website: https://www.nmrsd.org/Page/9
• Location: 19 Main St. Townsend, MA 01469
• Phone: 978-597-8721
• Fax: 978-597-3180