Breaking News From Gateway

 

Tuesday, December 4, 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:  "One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings. The curriculum is so much necessary new material, but the warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child." 
– Carl Jung

COMING EVENTS:  A schedule of activities for the week ending December 14, 2007 is now posted.  (Items for this calendar should be submitted at least two weeks ahead of time!)

UPCOMING MEETINGS:  If you missed the November 28 School Committee meeting, you missed a rousing discussion of the proposed flyer distribution policy (see this week’s Superintendent’s Corner, below). The next meeting of the Gateway Regional School Committee will be December 12th at 7:30 p.m. at Montgomery Town Hall. The first half-hour of all School Committee meetings this year will be dedicated to planning for the future. The Friends of Gateway will meet on December 4th at 7 p.m. in the Superintendent’s Office. The public is invited and encouraged to attend all meetings.

GATEWAY BLOOD DRIVE OPEN TO THE COMMUNITY: The Gateway Regional High School Student Council is sponsoring a Blood Drive on Friday, December 14 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the high school gymnasium. The public is invited to participate. Read on for information on scheduling and becoming a blood donor.

The High School Student Council is sponsoring a Blood Drive on December 14th. Community members who wish to participate can leave a message at 685-1149, and Advisor Diane Uliana will return your call and schedule an appointment.

HOLIDAY CONCERTS FOR MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOLS: Our student musicians and their teachers are making their final preparations for the holiday concert season, which officially kicks off tomorrow (December 5) with the annual Sr. Citizen Holiday Concert & Luncheon. Click here for details on the upcoming schedule.

HIGH SCHOOL FIRST QUARTER HONOR ROLL: Click here to see the first quarter Honor Roll for Gateway Regional High School’s 2007-08 school year.

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.

CHEERING FOR CHARITY!: The Gateway Regional High School Cheerleaders would like to announce a kick-off event for the Basketball season! All Gator fans attending the boys’ home game on Friday Dec. 14th (JV @ 6:00 and Varsity @ 7:30) will get 1/2 price admission fee with the donation of one unwrapped toy to be donated to Toys For Tots, or four food items for the Food Pantry. Adults will pay only $2 and students will pay only $1 with either of these donations! So come support your Gateway Gators and contribute to the giving spirit of the holiday season! Go Gators!!

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.

R. H. CONWELL PICTURE RETAKE DAY: Picture retakes will be on Wednesday, December 5th at school. Questions?  Call 685-1370 and speak with Mrs. Barnard.

HAPPY HOLIDAY (A.K.A. COLD AND FLU) SEASON: It may be a combination of stress, poor eating habits and/or lack of sleep, so perhaps its no coincidence that the holidays also seem to kickoff Cold and Flu season. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration has helpful information on identifying and treating cold and flu symptoms. Also, our diligent school nurses would like to remind you that children should not come to school if they have: a fever, an active infection such as step or conjunctivitis (and have been on antibiotics for less than 24 hours), are vomiting or have diarrhea. Also, please remember to contact your child’s school for any absence due to illness.  (Need phone numbers? Purchase a Friends of Gateway Phone Directory! See below).

REMINDERS:

  • GATEWAY TO HOST AREA SR. CITIZENS FOR ANNUAL CONCERT/LUNCHEON: The Gateway Regional School District extends a warm invitation to area senior citizens for its Annual Holiday Luncheon and Concert at the Gateway Performing Arts Center on December 5th. Click here for additional details.
  • STUDENT-WRITTEN PLAYS WILL BE PERFORMED BY PROS: Professional actors who are part of the Chester Theatre Company will present an evening of one-act plays at the Gateway Performing Arts Center on December 7th and 8th. Six plays—written by sixth grade students—will be performed.  Not only is this an amazing and charming event, but your attendance will help support this program for future students! Click here for details on the plays, which all follow the theme “Desperate Measures”.
  • EXTRA ASSISTANCE FOR COLLEGE-BOUND SENIORS:  It’s crunch time for high school seniors, who are busy filling out college and scholarship applications. To assist, the Gateway HS Guidance Department has opened the Career Center during lunch and advisory each day. Guidance counselors Celeste Cianfrani and Pauline McCarthy will also be available on Mondays from 2:15 to 2:55 in the Career Center for seniors needing assistance with college applications, financial aide, and scholarships.
  • 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.
  • WINTER WEATHER CLOSINGS AT GATEWAY SCHOOLS; HOW WILL YOU KNOW? With winter fast approaching, it is time for parents and students to review how to find out if school is delayed or cancelled due to winter weather. Click here for details on radio and television, telephone and Internet options for finding out if school is open!
  • 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.
  • SCHOOL COMMITTEE HITS THE ROAD AGAIN THIS YEAR; WILL MEET IN ALL SEVEN TOWNS: Huntington is covered, with the majority of School Committee meetings taking place at the Gateway complex on Littleville Rd. The school committee will meet in the other six member towns this year, in keeping with practice over the past several years. This is done to make it easier for community members and town officials to attend at least one school committee meeting a year. It also allows school committee members to visit the outlying Gateway schools.  Additional information is in the complete article, or go to the School Committee Calendar on the district website.
  • 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!
  • 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 seeks public input on the proposed flyer distribution policy under consideration by the School Committee. Read the entire column for details

Have a great week!

 

Wendy V. Long, Editor

To subscribe or unsubscribe to this newsletter, please send an email request to gatewaynews@grsd.org

"Breaking News From Gateway"
Is published weekly when school is in session 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