Tuesday, August 16, 2007
Dear Friends of Gateway:
Welcome back to a new school year! Here is your BACK TO SCHOOL installment of Gateway’s e-newsletter. Breaking News is sent electronically every Tuesday of the school year. For vacation weeks, the newsletter usually goes out on the preceding Thursday. If you’ve missed an issue, don’t worry! Back issues of Breaking News and past Superintendent’s Corners are posted on the News Archive (under “general information” on the district website. As always, your feedback and any suggestions for improvements are welcome.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity.” – Dorothy Parker
UPCOMING MEETINGS: Upcoming meetings for the Gateway Regional School Committee are August 22, 2007 at 7:30 p.m. in the HS/MS Media Resource Center (2nd floor). The Friends of Gateway will meet on September 4 at 7 p.m. in the Superintendent’s Office. The public is invited and encouraged to attend all meetings.
THE 2007-2008 SCHOOL YEAR
GENERAL BACK TO SCHOOL INFO: Click here for general information about the first day back, school schedules, lunch prices, and other information about the new school year.
WELCOME TO NEW STAFF: The Gateway Regional School District not only welcomes members of the Class of 2020 as they report for Kindergarten next week, but also a number of new staff members throughout the district. We would like to welcome the following new employees to the Gateway Regional School District:
Blandford Elementary School: Kristine Dion, Grade 4 Teacher
Chester Elementary School: Shari Laurie, Paraprofessional
Littleville Elementary School: Noreen Ryan, Special Education Teacher
R. H. Conwell Elementary School: Catherine Hanks, Grade 3/ 4 Teacher
Russell Elementary School: Bethany Pacheco, Kindergarten Teacher
District-Wide: Leslie Macutkeiwicz, Elementary Itinerant Art Teacher
Middle School: Heather Dekarski, Grade 7 Literacy Teacher; Lori Steele, Grade 8 Mathematics; Gary Wallace, Middle School Behavior Teacher
High School: Diane DeFalco, Biology
We are still in the process of filling some positions and will welcome those staff upon hire!
HELPFUL INFORMATION FOR PARENTS AND STUDENTS:
The bus schedule for the 2007-2008 school year will be published in the August 30 edition of the Country Journal. It is also now posted on the district website at
Meal prices have not changed. Breakfast is served at all Gateway schools and costs $.85. Students who qualify can pay $.30 for breakfast. Elementary lunch is $1.50; Middle/High School lunches are $1.75. Milk is $.40. Students who qualify will pay $.40 for lunch. Like all other students at the MS/HS, free & reduced lunch students simply swipe their ID cards like everybody else to process their meals, to maintain privacy. Applications for free & reduced lunch have to be submitted each year (one per family). Paperwork will be sent home with all students on the first day of school, but they are already posted on-line for those who wish to get a head start. Most importantly, this program benefits children; secondarily, it is of benefit to the school district. The state gives Gateway additional funding based upon the number of families who qualify, and it increases our opportunities for additional grant funding. Click here for more information.
Middle and High School students may pre-pay into a cafeteria account in their name. Students will then scan their student I.D.s at each meal and their account will be deducted accordingly. Students will be told when their account is getting low so that they can make another deposit. Adults may also purchase meals at Gateway schools, with charges of $1.10 for breakfast, $2.85 for lunch, and $.45 for milk.
The monthly lunch menu will be posted posted on the district website. Please note that breakfast is not served on bad weather 2-hour late start days, and lunch is not served on half-days. Lunch WILL BE served on this year’s 2-hour early release days for professional development.
The district website continuously undergoes updates, and can be a primary source of information for students and parents. The Gateway Library, many Gateway schools, and a number of classroom teachers also have their own websites, which have valuable resources for student learning. Feel free to explore!
The Central Office maintains web pages that offer valuable information for parents, such as:
The School Year Calendar
School Addresses & Phone Numbers
Bus Schedule
Emergency Information
We will continue to build web pages as the year progresses, so keep checking back!
GATEWAY WELLNESS CENTER TO RESUME REGULAR HOURS: The Gateway Wellness Center will resume full operations on September 4th. It will continue to be open from 5:30 – 7:30 a.m., but the afternoon/evening hours will expand with the start of school to 2:30 – 9:00 p.m. Saturday hours will remain 8:00 a.m. to noon. The center includes cardio equipment such as bicycles, elliptical trainers and treadmills; free weights, and weight resistance machines. Minimum age for membership is 14. One-year membership rates are $100 for students and senior citizens (age 60+), $150 for staff (September to June), and $200 for community members. A family membership of $450 will cover a maximum of 4 persons, including children age 14 – 18. Check with your insurance carrier to see if you are qualified for a $150 fitness benefit refund after 4 months of membership. Wellness Center enrollment forms are available in the Gateway Superintendent’s Office or at the Wellness Center.
ATHLETIC DIRECTOR ANNOUNCES FALL SPORTS TRYOUTS: Gary St. Peter has released the starting days of tryouts for all fall sports, except gymnastics. (We are still in the process of securing a coach for gymnastics). Seventh and eighth grade students can tryout for all fall sports except for Girls’ Soccer. Click here for more information about the forms which must be in hand before attending tryouts.
HOW TO FIND THE FALL HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS SCHEDULE: The high school sports schedule for this fall is posted online and available by phone on the “Gator Line”. Home games are also posted in the “Week at a Glance” column of Breaking News (also printed on the Gateway page of the Country Journal). Read more for details.
BACK TO SCHOOL TIPS FOR PARENTS AND TEACHERS: Click here for age-appropriate tips for getting back into the school routine (or into the routine for the first time!) from the University of Colorado Extension Service website.
IN CLOSING, two Superintendent’s Corners are now posted. In the first, dated August 10, Dr. Hopson thanks the many parents who have returned Expanded Learning Time (ELT) schedules and corrects two misperceptions that many appear to share about ELT. In the second column, dated August 17, the superintendent offers his views on the “one size fits all” approach to education reform via the No Child Left Behind Act, and why it might not be realistic for small, rural school districts like Gateway. Click on each date for the full columns.
Have a great week!
Wendy V. Long, Editor
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