July 23, 2024

Dear Families of GHS Freshmen,

I am excited to welcome the GHS Class of 2028 to Gorham High School! 

While I hope that our students are enjoying a fun summer vacation, I am sure that the incoming 9th graders are filled with nervous excitement about their transition to high school. With that in mind, I am writing today to share some information about the start of the new school year. 

We will host our open house before school starts on Tuesday, August 27th from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. Students and their families are invited to tour the building, find their classes, meet teachers, ask questions, and more. 

Then, on Wednesday, August 28th, all incoming 9th graders will be here for their first day of school when they will have a chance to go through their schedules, get to know their teachers, and learn to navigate GHS before all the other students in grades 10-12 arrive the following day.  

On the 28th, we will begin the day with an assembly where students will be introduced to the GHS staff followed by time in advisories where students will have a chance to get to know each other, see old friends, and meet new ones.  After the advisory period, students will be divided into book groups where they will discuss the summer reading texts they received before leaving the middle school.  Students should be sure to bring their summer reading book to school on the 28th.  Following book groups, students will go to each of their classes, meet their teachers, have lunch, and learn how to get from one class to the next. The purpose of “Freshmen Day” is to help the 9th graders feel more comfortable in their new school.  

GHS is an excellent high school with tremendous academic programs that prepare students for the most rigorous colleges in America; abundant academic and social-emotional supports for students; many opportunities for students to be involved in athletics or extracurricular activities, including over 27 varsity programs and more than 40 school clubs; and a wonderfully supportive culture. While we are proud of all that GHS has to offer students, this does not discount the effort that each student must invest in his or her own education to be successful. Research shows that students who have good attendance, who get involved in the school community, and who do their homework do well in school. So, to all the 9th grade students, we call upon you to come to school every day, get involved in a club or on a sports team, and do your homework.  

Research also shows just how important the freshman year is: Students who attain at least five credits their freshman year go on to graduate while those who do not earn at least five credits are at a substantially higher risk of not graduating. For this reason, we ask all parents and guardians to stay involved in your son or daughter's education. Working together – home and school – we can ensure a successful high school experience.

Please note that you can contact any GHS staff member by calling 207-222-1100 or sending an email to firstname.lastname@gorhamschools.org.  For more specific contact information, please see below:

Please also review our website at ghs.gorhamschools.org or check us out on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/gorhamhighschool/, Instagram @gorhamhighschool, and on X @gorhamrams.

In closing, we wish you all a fun-filled final month of summer vacation. We will be at GHS getting ready for the 2024-2025 school year, so please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or wish to discuss GHS.

Sincerely,

Brian Jandreau, Principal 

PS It is important that we have the most up-to-date contact information in Infinite Campus for our students. Between now and the start of school, please review your student’s Infinite Campus portal to review what we have on file. If you need to make any changes or update information, please contact Amy Sullivan in the Guidance Office at 207-222-1140 or amy.sullivan@gorhamschools.org.

PPS On Wednesday the 28th, students should plan to bring a pen or pencil, a notebook, and lunch (or plan to get lunch at GHS from the cafeteria). We do not have a comprehensive list of school supplies like the other schools do. Each teacher may provide a list of supplies when they meet their students on the first day of school. With that said, Mr. Parvanta, one of our technology gurus, has put together a list of items students may want to purchase for school (please click on the following link): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1g_7SDk3C_cpkscQSA76upMVMOQeZ-YZ_a4Br6vHRRo0/edit