Tuesday, February 20, 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: “The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he’s always doing both.” – James A. Michener
COMING EVENTS: A schedule of activities for the week ending March 2, 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 Gateway Regional School Committee will be on February 28 at 7:30 p.m. in the Library Media Center (2nd floor) of the middle/high school campus. Version 1.0 of the 2007-2008 budget will be presented. Other agenda items include a presentation on the High School Advisory program, and consideration for changing the parent-teacher conference date from 3/19 to 3/26. We wish to hold school on 3/19 because the state has scheduled the composition portion of the MCAS exam for March 20th, and we want to do everything possible to ensure the best possible performance by our students. The Friends of Gateway are now meeting the first Tuesday of every month. Their next meeting will be March 6th at 7 p.m. in the Superintendent’s Office. They will begin working on Articles of Incorporation to become an education foundation for Gateway. New members are needed and should feel welcome to attend. As always, the public is invited and encouraged to attend all meetings.
GARY W. BOISSEAU IS SEMI-FINALIST IN INTERNATIONAL TEACHER PROGRAM: High School social studies teacher Gary Boisseau has been named a semi-finalist in the Toyota International Teacher Program. If approved by the National Selection Panel, he will embark on a two-week trip to Japan in June to study the history, education, environment and industry of the country. Read more in the complete article.
CHANGE IN GATEWAY CALENDAR UNDER CONSIDERATION: Parents are advised that the Gateway Regional School Committee will be considering a change in the date of the March Parent-Teacher Conference day at their 2.28.06 meeting, to avoid a conflict with the MCAS Composition examination. This is important information for any parent who needs to arrange supervision or childcare for their student. Click here for details.
MIDDLE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL SEARCH MOVES FORWARD: Superintendent David Hopson has announced that the search process for a new Middle School Principal is progressing as scheduled. Click here to learn more about the upcoming steps in the process, with a final decision expected in mid to late March.
SAVE THE DATE FOR BLANDFORD SPAGHETTI SUPPER: Help Blandford Elementary School “Shade the Gym” by attending a special fundraiser on March 10th. The event will include a silent auction, dinner, and student performances. Adult tickets are $7; tickets for children 12 and under are $4; kids under age 5 are free. Proceeds will be used to purchase shades for the gymnasium, to improve assemblies that involve films, speakers, or performances. More details in next week’s Breaking News.
HIGH SCHOOL FORUM ON FEBRUARY 26TH: Gateway Principal Kathleen McSweeney and Assistant Principal Laurie Marvel will hold their February Forum on Monday, 2/26/07 at 5 p.m. in the High School office. This is a great opportunity for parents and community members to speak with the high school administrators about issues of concern. Members of the public are invited and encouraged to attend.
GATEWAY ATHLETIC BOOSTERS TO MEET: The next meeting of the Gateway Athletic Booster Club will be Sunday, March 4th at Stanton Hall. New members are needed, and there are several positions that still need to be filled to support high school athletics at Gateway. If you cannot attend the meeting but are interested in helping the club, please call Deb Lariviere at 667-3121.
NEW AEROBICS & YOGA CLASSES TO BEGIN SHORTLY: Registration will begin this week for a new session of yoga and aerobics classes, offered by the Gateway Wellness Center. Aerobic Classes will run for 7 weeks and will begin March 20th. Yoga classes will also run for 7 weeks, but will begin March 7th. Fees are reduced for members of the Gateway Wellness Center, but classes are open to non-members as well. More information in next week’s Breaking News.
VOKE SCHOOLS APPLICATION DEADLINE IS MARCH 1ST: Students and parents are reminded that the deadline for applying to Westfield Vocational-Technical High School or Smith Vocational Agricultural High School is March 1, 2007. Applications received after this date will not be considered. Applications are available in the Guidance Office; please contact Jeanene Iglesias at 685-1107 for more information.
GOOD NEIGHBORS HELP PREVENT MORE THAN JUST CRIME, STUDY FINDS: A study funded by the National Institute of Health has found that teens who live in a close-knit neighborhood are more likely to delay having sex for the first time. The study took place with interviews of 431 boys and 476 girls ages 11 to 16, and the adults responsible for them, in Chicago. While watchful adults have long been known to prevent or reduce crime, this is the first study to show how good neighbors might affect teen dating behavior. The full report is posted on the Ohio State University website.
REMINDERS:
- REGISTRATION NOW OPEN FOR KINDERGARTEN SCREENING: Parents of children who will be five years old on or before September 1, 2007 are advised to call the Pupil Services Office (685-1017) by Friday, March 2nd to schedule an appointment for Kindergarten screening. Read the complete article for the schedule.
- DENTAL OUTREACH TASKFORCE UNDERWAY: Did you know that approximately 400 children in the Hilltown Community Health Centers’ service area have never received any dental services? Want to know what they are doing to address this? Read on for more information.
- MUSIC DEPARTMENT EASTER PLANTS SALE: Easter lilies, tulips, hyacinths and pansies are all on sale through February 26th to benefit the Gateway Music Department. Plants may be picked up in the choral room (room 125) on April 2nd from 2:30 – 5:00. Click here for a printable order form and instructions.
- 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 strategies that are underway to improve the health and wellbeing of students and staff, and residents of the Gateway hilltowns! Read the entire column for details.
Have a great week!
Wendy V. Long, Editor
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