Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Dear Friends of Gateway:
Here is this week’s installment of Gateway’s weekly e-newsletter. As always, your feedback and suggestions are invited.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “Humankind cannot stand very much reality.” – T. S. Elliot
COMING EVENTS: A schedule of activities for the week ending April 14, 2007 is now posted. (Items for this calendar should be submitted at least two weeks ahead of time!)
UPCOMING MEETINGS: If you missed last week’s school committee meeting, you missed a presentation on the high school advisory program by coordinator Kara Kitchen; a look at discrepancies between district and DOE graduation rate data; proposed changes to fees for school use; and discussion on asking the legislature to set forth a law capping school choice at 2% (with families who exceed the 2% mark paying their own tuition). The next regular meeting of the Gateway Regional School Committee will be on April 11th at 7:30 p.m. at Montgomery Town Hall. The Friends of Gateway are now meeting the first Tuesday of every month. Their next meeting will be April 3 at 7 p.m. in the Superintendent’s Office. They are working on a fundraiser for the new foundation. New members are needed and should feel welcome to attend. As always, the public is invited and encouraged to attend all meetings.
FOUR GATEWAY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS BECOME “DR. FOR A DAY”: While Gateway High School has participated in the Dr. For a Day program for a number of years, this is the first time that FOUR students have qualified for one of the most prestigious job shadowing opportunities available. Read more in the complete article.
GATEWAY ACTING COMPANY TO PRESENT YOUTH-WRITTEN PLAYS: The award-winning Playwright Program—in partnership with the Chester Theatre—will present a series of plays written by sixth grade students and performed by the Gateway Acting Company (a troupe of professional actors aligned with Chester Theatre) on April 13th and 14th. Click here for details.
LATE START ON APRIL 12: All schools in the Gateway Regional School District will have a two-hour delayed start on April 12th for staff professional development. There will be one additional late-start for training this year on May 24th. High School students in grades 9, 11 and 12 will also have late-start days on May 22 and May 23, while sophomores complete the MCAS Exam.
SPRING SPORTS BANQUET: The Gateway Athletic Booster Club is pleased to announce that the annual sports banquet will take place on Tuesday, May 29th from 6 – 10 p.m. at the Clarion Hotel in Northampton. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children under age 12. Tickets are available through Patti Trzasko at the high school or by calling Deb Lariviere at 667-3121. Athletes, coaches and families are invited.
8TH GRADE MOVING UP CEREMONY: For parents of 8th graders looking for information on the Moving Up Ceremony, Principal Peter Curro reports that it will take place the final day of school and will be scheduled for 8:30 – 10:30 a.m. The School Committee will be verifying the final day of school later this spring, and the exact date will be released at that time.
BLANDFORD STUDENTS EXCEED FUNDRAISING GOAL: After 3 weeks of collecting spare change, Blandford students raised $271.49 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Renee Wiater, school nurse and health educator led the drive. Details are outlined in the full article.
ANOTHER REASON TO “KICK BUTTS”—AGING SKIN: And research is proving that it’s not just the skin on your face, which can also age due to sun. As reported on CNN, the Archives of Dermatology have published a study showing that smoking causes aging and wrinkling of skin all over the body, which was proven by testing skin that was not exposed to the sun. Researchers believe that smoking causes blood vessels underneath the skin to shrink, reducing the blood supply needed to prevent wrinkling. National “Kick Butts” day was last week (March 28), but quitting today works too!
REMINDERS:
- GRHS TEESHIRTS ON SALE: $10 in the student store, immediately after school (until 2:30 p.m.). Makes a great spring gift! See related article for info on the artist.
- SCHOOLS CLOSED FOR GOOD FRIDAY OBSERVANCES: Gateway schools and the Gateway Wellness Center will be closed on Friday, April 6, 2007 for Good Friday. The Littleville Wraparound program will be open to pre-registered students from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- MIDDLE SCHOOL BOOSTER CLUB TO MEET: The Middle School Band Boosters will meet on Thursday, April 5th at 6 p.m. in the band room. All band parents are invited to attend and help plan fundraisers, the Memorial Day parades, and other upcoming events.
- SPRING SPORTS SCHEDULE ON THE INTERNET: Opening games for this season’s sports teams start next week. Click here for details on finding the spring sports schedule and other items of interest to athletes, their families and fans.
- BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND: Gateway alum and former teacher Janine Modestow is back at the Country Journal with her weekly column “Where are they now?” This column looks at graduates and what they have done since leaving Gateway. Look for it on the Gateway page of the Country Journal, each week. Janine would love to hear from more graduates or their families, so email her at jmowdestow@grsd.org or call (413) 238-0296 with contact information.
- GATEWAY SCHOOL COMMITTEE COMING TO A TOWN NEAR YOU: The Gateway Regional School Committee has announced that it will again hold meetings in all seven district towns during this school year, so that town officials and area residents will have greater access to those meetings. The next “town” meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 11 in Montgomery Town Hall. Read the complete article for details.
- GATEWAY SCHOOL SAFETY REMINDER: Did you know that in the final report compiled by the United States Secret Service and the United States Department of Education (“Implications for the Prevention of School Attacks in the United States”) researchers found that in 81% of instances of school violence studied, at least one person had information that the attacker was planning the school attack? In nearly two thirds of the incidents, more than one person had information. That’s why the Gateway Regional School District has a School Safety Hotline, which is monitored regularly by security monitor Jen Dubiel. We hope we never need it, but if you have critical information please know where to direct it. Read more in the complete article.
IN CLOSING, the Superintendent’s Corner for this week is attached. This week, Dr. Hopson outlines strategies that the state could take to relieve the economic woes of rural schools that are experiencing declining enrollments. Includes information on what YOU can do to help. Read the entire column for details.
Have a great week!
Wendy V. Long, Editor
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