UPCOMING MEETINGS:  If you missed the January 23rd meeting of the Gateway Regional School Committee, you missed the presentation of Version 1.0 of the 2008-09 budget. Click here to view budget documents, presentations and related articles. The next meeting of the Gateway Regional School Committee will be February 13 at 7:30 p.m. in the MS/HS Library Resource Center (2nd floor). Agenda items include presentations on the Senior Class Trip to Walt Disney World for 2010, the high school dropout rate, and the 208-09 Program of Studies. Extra agendas and handouts will be available for visitors. The next meeting of the Friends of Gateway will be February 5 from 7 – 9 p.m. in the Superintendent’s Office. We will be putting finishing touches on the Volunteer Dinner and welcome new members. The public is invited and encouraged to attend all meetings.

GATEWAY CALENDAR CHANGES FOR PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCE AND EARLY RELEASE DAYS: Take note because there just might be a quiz on this one! This article outlines three major calendar changes that will be taking place in March, May and June. Read more about the dates in the complete article. Read more about the rationale in this week’s Superintendent’s Corner.

HIGH SCHOOL GUIDANCE CALENDAR FOR FEBRUARY: Make sure you check out the February Flyer of tests, deadlines, vacations and other items of interest from the Gateway Regional High School Guidance Office!

• MIDDLE/HIGH SCHOOL POSTER CONTEST FOR MASSACHUSETTS SCHOOL-BASED HEALTH CENTER DAY: The Massachusetts Coalition of School-Based Health Centers is sponsoring a poster contest with the theme “School-Based Health Centers: A Key to Student Success.” Students are invited to submit a design to the Gateway School-Based Health Center by February 13th. The Gateway Center staff will forward all student artwork to the Massachusetts Coalition, who will pick the winning design to be used in their annual logo. The Gateway School-Based Health Center will also hold a drawing and award a prize to one of our students who enter. All of the posters will be displayed at the State House on March 3, 2008, where the winning artist and finalists will be recognized. Click here to download a flyer of contest rules and additional details.
• GATEWAY VOLUNTEERS—SAVE THE DATE! This notice is for anyone who has served on a committee, council, PTO, booster club, volunteered in a classroom or parent center; anyone who made grinders for the Cabin Fever Concert or served up “Gator Tators” on Booster Field; anyone who read with or tutored students; anyone who chaperoned a field trip or donated items for a raffle. If you have done one or more of these activities for a Gateway school or student(s) in the past 12 months, you are warmly invited to attend our Fourth Annual Volunteer Appreciation Dinner on February 8, 2008. Click here for times, location and RSVP instructions.

• DEADLINE FOR VOCATIONAL SCHOOL APPLICATIONS IS LESS THAN ONE MONTH AWAY: Any Gateway 8th grade student or Gateway High School student who is interested in applying to Westfield Vocational-Technical High School or Smith Vocational-Agricultural High School program must apply before the cut-off date of March 1, 2008.  Applications received after this date will not be considered. Interested students should contact either the Middle School or High School Guidance Office for an application. Please contact Jeanene Iglesias at 413-685-1107 if you have questions or need any additional information.

• COLLEGE PLANNING WORKSHOP FOR JUNIORS AND THEIR PARENTS: Save the date for a special post-high school planning meeting for high school juniors and their parents. The GRHS Guidance Department is hosting an evening college and career planning workshop for juniors on February 5, 2008 from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. in the Gateway Performing Arts Center. Click here for a flyer.

• NEXT YEAR’S HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ARE SELECTING COURSES NOW: Students will begin meeting with teachers and guidance counselors over the next few weeks to make important course selections for next year. Students will be issued a Program of Studies and a 2008-09 Course Selection Sheet. The sheet will have teacher recommendations on it, and parents/guardians can also indicate their requests. Completed Course Selection Sheets should be returned to the Gateway Guidance Office by February 8, 2008.

• PARENTS/GUARDIANS OF 12TH GRADERS, TAKE NOTE: Gateway High School Seniors have received an important form, which must be returned by February 7th. The sheet will be used to order diplomas for the June graduation. As diplomas are legal documents, the form must give the student’s full legal name.

• FAFSA REMINDER FOR HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS: The Gateway Regional High School Guidance Office reminds parents and high school seniors that any student seeking federal financial aid can now fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online at www.fafsa.ed.gov (*only use this government site: don’t be fooled by ANY site that asks you to pay to fill the form out!) In addition, there is an opportunity to get FREE assistance in filling out the application on January 27th, 2008 at an event called College Goal Sunday:  see www.FAFSAday.org or call 877-4CGSMAS for more information! The Guidance Department can also assist with questions about the financial aid process.
• GATEWAY PHONE DIRECTORIES ON SALE AT ALL SCHOOL OFFICES! 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.
• 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.

                                                                                           Wendy V. Long, Editor