Friday, December 22 , 2006
Dear Friends of Gateway:
Here is the holiday week installment of Gateway’s weekly e-newsletter. As always, your feedback and suggestions are invited.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "There is no subject so old that something new cannot be said about it" - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
COMING EVENTS: A schedule of activities for the week ending January 6, 2007 is now posted. (Items for this calendar should be submitted at least two weeks ahead of time!)
UPCOMING MEETINGS: The next meeting of the School Committee will be on January 10th at 7:30 p.m. in the Library Media Center (2nd floor) of the middle/high school campus. The Friends of Gateway will begin meeting the first Tuesday of every month, starting in January. Their next meeting will be January 2nd at 7 p.m. in the Superintendent’s Office. New members are needed and should feel welcome to attend. As always, the public is invited and encouraged to attend all meetings.
CONGRATULATIONS TO MS COMMUNITY SERVICE STUDENTS: Students from the Middle School Community Service class held a Skate-a-Thon and raised $4500 for local families undergoing hard times. The money provided 11 families (with 35 children) everything they needed for the holidays: gifts, food, clothes, and gift certificates. The receiving families attended a party hosted by students in their honor. “Our students got to see first hand what wonderful things they did,” said teacher Joseph Hough. Over 80 Middle School students worked on the project.
WORD POWER CHALLENGE: Middle School students have been sharpening their vocabulary skills in preparation for head-to-head grade level contests this week. Word Power Champions were named as a result of the activities; in January, the champs will take an on-line exam. Top 100 finalists in the state will head to Boston in March to compete for State Championship. Details in the complete article.
REINDEER GAMES: Despite a truly heroic effort by senior Colin Powers (and some suspiciously biased timekeeping by teacher Mike Mason) juniors Tyler Craig and Doug Messier were victorious in the “Snowball Fight”—aka dodge ball tournament—during the 2006 Reindeer Games! Read the complete article for highlights of the school-wide event.
EVIDENCE THAT ALCOHOL POLICY WORKS? LOOK AT DATA WHEN POLICIES ARE DISCARDED: Does increasing the price of alcohol and the minimum age for drinking really deter young people? Maybe the proof is in what happens when you undo such policies, says David Roseenbloom, director of a large drug/alcohol policy thinktank in the U.S. Two years ago, Finland slashed alcohol taxes and today alcohol-related illness and accidents have replaced heart disease as the leading cause of death among men. See the full report for the disastrous outcomes of similar social experiments in England and New Zealand.
REMINDERS:
- GATEWAY WELLNESS CENTER TO ADD YOGA, AEROBICS CLASSES; COLLEGE WINTER BREAK MEMBERSHIPS AVAILABLE: Making fitness a New Year’s resolution? Here’s one strategy: sign up now for new fitness classes at the Gateway Wellness Center. The Center is also offering discounted memberships for college students home on winter break. Details in the complete article.
- LITTLEVILLE CAN COLLECTION TO SUPPORT INJURED ATHLETES: A reminder that Littleville Elementary School will be collecting rinsed returnable beverage containers as a fundraiser to support two young athletes who were paralyzed while training. Cans may be brought to the building before 8:30 a.m. or after 3:15 p.m.; no alcoholic beverage containers please.
- WINTER WEATHER CLOSINGS AT GATEWAY: Although the month has been unseasonably warm, winter is nonetheless approaching and parents and students may wish to review our protocols for announcing school delays and cancellations. Whether you use the telephone, Internet, or other media—you’ll want to take note. Also, be advised that these same systems will be used in a school emergency. Click here for details.
- 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, March 14th at Littleville Elementary School. In the meantime, the School Committee will meet at the Gateway complex on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of January and February. Read the complete article for details.
- DISTRICT SAFETY HOTLINE: A reminder that the Gateway Regional School District has a confidential Safety Hotline in place, for students and community members to share their concerns. Just call 685-1050 and leave a message.
IN CLOSING, the Superintendent’s Corner for this week is attached. This week, Dr. Hopson reviews the criteria for calling a two-hour delay, early dismissal or canceling school due to bad weather. Read the entire column for details.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Wendy V. Long, Editor
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