Breaking News From Gateway
 
December 18, 2007

Dear Friends of Gateway:

Here is this week’s installment of Gateway’s weekly e-newsletter.  As always, your feedback and suggestions are welcome. 

QUOTE OF THE WEEK:  “All your life you are told the things you cannot do. All your life they will say you’re not good enough or strong enough or talented enough; they will say you’re the wrong height or the wrong weight or the wrong type to play this or be this or achieve this.  THEY WILL TELL YOU NO, a thousand times no, until all the no’s become meaningless. All your life they will tell you no, quite firmly and very quickly.  AND YOU WILL TELL THEM YES.” – Nike ad

COMING EVENTS:  A schedule of activities for the week ending December 28, 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 preliminary outlook for the 2008-09 budget, approval of a new flyer distribution policy, the first read of a new field trip policy, and a report on the behavior programs in place throughout the district. The next meeting of the Gateway Regional School Committee will be January 9th at 7:30 p.m. in the MS/HS Library Resource Center (2nd floor). Extra agendas and handouts are available for visitors.  The Friends of Gateway will meet on January 8th at 7 p.m. in the Superintendent’s Office. The public is invited and encouraged to attend all meetings.

FOUR GATEWAY STUDENTS RECEIVE JUNIOR DISTRICT HONORS: Four students from Gateway Regional Middle School were selected for the Western Massachusetts Music Educators Junior music Festival Concert, to be held on March 15th at the UMASS Fine Arts Center. Read on for details.

SCHOOL COMMITTEE APPROVES POLICY TO DISTRIBUTE FLYERS: Following weeks of discussing the merits and pitfalls of the proposed system, the Gateway Regional School Committee voted to approve a new policy on distributing flyers through the schools. Click here for more information.

STUDENT PSAT SCORES RELEASED: The Gateway High School Guidance Department is meeting with students who took the PSAT/NMSQT in October to review their score reports. Letters are going home to parents with this week’s progress reports, regarding the “My College QuickStart” on-line tool, available free to all students who took the exam. Click here for details on using this tool to practice for the SAT and explore college and career options.

HAMPSHIRE REGIONAL REPLICATES GATEWAY LAPTOP PROGRAM: Over 125 Hampshire Regional School District parents will be picking up laptops for their children on December 19th, as that district launches its 1 to 1 laptop leasing program. Replicating Gateway’s model, and with state grant funding supporting training to teachers from Gateway, Hampshire and Easthampton districts, students at Hampshire Regional will now enjoy wireless, high-speed Internet access in their school. Click here for more information.

BUS SAFETY REMINDER: Please be reminded that it is unlawful to pass a bus that is in the loading/unloading area of a school when the red lights are flashing. Parents are also reminded to acknowledge the No Parking signs at each Gateway school.

EASE HOLIDAY STRESS: The Massachusetts Children’s Trust Fund has a great website with topics of interest to parents of children of all ages. If you are looking for new information on being a sports parent, sibling rivalry, or traveling dads (plus anything in between) this website is for you.  They even have a page on Easing Holiday Stress and New Years Resolutions for Parents. (look for topic links on the sidebar)

REMINDERS:

  • SNOW DATES FOR HOLIDAY CONCERTS FOR MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOLS: The High School Concert will take place on December 18 at 7 p.m. in the Gateway Performing Arts Center. Admission will be $1 or a canned food item for the local pantry. The Middle School Concert will take place on Wednesday, December 19th at 7 p.m. in the Gateway Performing Arts Center.
  • VACATION WEEK: All Gateway schools will be closed from December 24 through January 1, for seasonal observances. The Littleville Wrap-Around program will be open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday through Friday of that week; parents must register their students ahead of time. Please contact Littleville Elementary School (685-1301) for more information. The Gateway Wellness Center will be closed on December 24, 25, December 31 and January 1. They will be open from 5:30 – 7:30 a.m. and 3:30 – 8:30 p.m. on December 26-28; they will also be open on their regular Saturday schedule for both weekends of the vacation. Schools will reopen on    January 2.
  • MID-TERM PROGRESS REPORTS: Principal Kathleen McSweeney has announced that the second term progress reports will be issued before the holiday break.
  • PARENT REMINDERS ON RECESS: Elementary school recesses are held out-of-doors except during bad weather or severely cold weather. To stay warm and dry, children should come to school with a hat, mittens, warm coat and waterproof snowpants (or a pair of pants to change into). Parents are also advised to have children wear boots, and bring sneakers or dry shoes in backpacks.  Snow boots are often too warm to wear all day indoors. Finally, families who have outgrown some of their hats and mittens might check with their town elementary school to see if they can use them for students who forget, or who don’t have, winter items.
  • CHESTER ELEMENTARY “GIVING TREE”: Students at Chester Elementary School are participating in the school’s annual “Giving Tree” event all month. Students are bringing nonperishable food items into school to be donated to the local food pantry. This program was a huge success last year, with the school providing a substantial donation of food.
  • GATEWAY CALENDAR CHANGE APPROVED: The Gateway Regional School Committee voted on November 14, 2007 to change the district calendar for the current school year.  The parent-teacher conference day initially scheduled for March 24, 2008 will now be held on March 20, 2008, which will be a day off for students. The change was made to accommodate MCAS testing.
  • R. H. CONWELL SCHOOL JOINS COMMUNITY FOOD DRIVE: Students at R. H. Conwell Elementary School are collecting non-perishable food as part of a community effort to collect 1000 food items for the Gateway Hilltown Food Pantry. The Food Drive will run until December 21st.
  • SEASON PASSES AVAILABLE FOR HS BASKETBALL GAMES: Hoops fans interested in saving some money this season should consider a Season Pass to all home Basketball Games this year!  Athletic Director Gary St.Peter has announced sales of Season Passes to Girls’ or Boys’ games for $30 (9 games), or a VIP PASS to both girls’ and boys’ games for $55 (savings of $17 on the season).  Click here for details.
  • GATEWAY PHONE DIRECTORIES ON SALE AT ALL SCHOOL OFFICES! Short of cash at the last Open House? You can still purchase a Gateway Phone Directory at any school office. Get one and keep it by your phone the next time you want to know if school is cancelled due to bad weather, report your child as absent, or follow-up with the school nurse on a playground injury. Read more in the complete article.
  • VOLUNTEERS  - SAVE THE DATE! This year’s annual Volunteer Appreciation Dinner will be held on February 8, 2008 from 5 – 7 p.m. in the Gateway MS/HS cafeteria. The volunteer dinner is free to anyone who volunteers in a Gateway school by chaperoning field trips, working in a parent center or library, sponsoring student interns, serving on PTO’s, school councils or other committees, or working on fundraisers/special events—to name just a few examples. The dinner is sponsored by the Friends of Gateway. More details to come!
  • HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS SCHEDULE ON THE WEB: The fall sports schedule for Gateway Regional High School can be found on the web.
  • GATEWAY SCHOOL SAFETY HOTLINE: As part of Gateway’s School Safety Plan, the school safety hotline (685-1050) will remain in place for the coming school year. Monitored by the district’s Security Monitor, the hotline is a voice mailbox that can be used to report harassment, drug or alcohol concerns, vandalism, and school safety issues. The purpose of the hotline is to help keep Gateway schools safe for all students.

IN CLOSING, the Superintendent’s Corner for this week is attached. In this week’s column, Dr. Hopson reflects back on a year marked by both triumphs and tragedy. Read the entire column for details.

Have a great week!

 

                                                                                           Wendy V. Long, Editor

 

 

 

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“Breaking News From Gateway”

Is published weekly by the Gateway Regional School District

12 Littleville Rd.

Huntington, MA  01050

For questions or feedback, please contact Wendy Long @ (413) 685-1003 or email wlong@grsd.org

© 2007, Gateway Regional School District