Tuesday, January 23, 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: “Never regard study as a duty, but as the enviable opportunity to learn to know the liberating influence of beauty in the realm of the spirit for your own personal joy and to the profit of the community to which your later work belongs.” – Albert Einstein
COMING EVENTS: A schedule of activities for the week ending February 3, 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 January 24th at 7:30 p.m. in the Library Media Center (2nd floor) of the middle/high school campus. The conclusion of the Mass One to One initiative presentation, setting MS Principal salary range, field trip approval and budget discussions will be part of this meeting. The Friends of Gateway are now meeting the first Tuesday of every month. Their next meeting will be February 6th 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.
FALL SPORTS AWARDS: Ten Gateway scholar-athletes received fall sports honors from The Republican newspaper last week. Two seniors – Erika Howe and Colin Powers – were named to the prestigious All Academic Sports Team, winning two of just twenty four available slots on that team, which names students from Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin counties. Full details in the complete article.
27 ATTEND FIRST EXPANDED LEARNING TIME COMMITTEE MEETING: Students, parents, staff and community members came out for the first Expanded Learning Time Committee Meeting on January 9th. Read the complete article for more details. Also, please visit the ELT website for additional information.
PARENTS NEEDED FOR DENTAL PLANNING: Hilltown Community Health Centers won a grant to provide dental services to Gateway students. We need parents to help plan these services in a way that makes sense for our community! Read on for details and contact information.
JANUARY HIGH SCHOOL FORUM: The January forum to discuss high school issues, answer questions, and to obtain input from the public will be held on Monday, January 29th from 5 – 6 pm in the Principal’s Office. Principal Kathleen McSweeney and Assistant Principal Laurie Marvel will be on hand to meet with parents and community members.
FINAL EXAMS/GRADES CLOSE: As we approach the end of our first 90 days of school for students (out of 180 total), grades for the second marking period are about to close at the Middle and High School. Grades for first semester will close on January 29, 2007.
MYSPACE TO OFFER FREE SOFTWARE FOR PARENT MONITORING: The teen social-networking Web Site MySpace.com will give “Zephyr” software to parents and enable them to determine what age, location and name their children are using on their web pages. This move takes place as 33 state attorney generals are moving toward legal action against the site, which has been allegedly linked to stalking, sexual assault and even murder cases throughout the country. The software would alert children to the request for information, and would not allow parents to view profile pages or emails. In December 2006, 47% of people who logged onto MySpace were aged 35 or older. Read more in the Wall Street Journal article.
REMINDERS:
- HIGH SCHOOL ORIENTATION ON FEBRUARY 1ST: An orientation to the academic and enrichment programs at Gateway Regional High School will take place on Thursday, February 1, 2007 at 6 p.m. Students who are currently attending 8th grade, high school students considering a transfer to Gateway, and their parents are invited to attend. The orientation will begin at 6:00 p.m. in the Gateway Performing Arts Center, and will include an overview of academic programs, enrichment activities, and athletics. Students will receive a program of studies and information about selecting their 2007-2008 school year classes.
- HIGH SCHOOL SCHEDULES DUE FEBRUARY 1ST: All current Gateway students must return their course selections for the 2007-2008 school year by February 1st. Course selection forms will be going home with students later this week.
- MYSTERY DINNER THEATRE EVENT TO BENEFIT ALPINE SKI TEAM: If you can’t get away on that dream cruise this winter, consider the next best thing. Come to the “Murder on the High Seas” mystery dinner at The Rapids restaurant on Friday, March 2, 2007. The play will be presented by the Comical Mystery Tour, which describes this play as having a “love boat gone awry” plot. Read on for details.
- HALF-DAYS COMING UP FOR STUDENTS: Students in the Gateway Regional School District will have two half-days of school on January 25th and 26th, to provide time for staff professional development. Dismissal times are detailed in the complete article.
- CALLING ALL GATEWAY VOLUNTEERS: Our Third Annual Volunteer Appreciation Dinner will be held on Friday, February 9th from 5 – 7 p.m. in the Gateway MS/HS Cafeteria. This event is free to all Gateway volunteers and their guests. So we can be sure to have enough food, please rsvp to your school office or to 685-1003 and leave your name, phone number and the number of people attending with you. Read the complete article for more information.
- IMPORTANT: VOCATIONAL SCHOOL DEADLINE: Any 8th grade or high school student interested in applying to vocational school for next fall needs to do so before March 1, 2007. Please read the entire article for additional information.
- DID YOU MISS A PREVIOUS ISSUE OF BREAKING NEWS? Don’t worry, they are all on the district website. Click News Archive under the “General Information” tab on the website.
- WINTER WEATHER CLOSINGS AT GATEWAY: Many are starting to wonder if we will even need these protocols this year! Nonetheless, parents and students may wish to review our procedure 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 details the budget development process and timeline. Don’t miss the public hearing on March 7, 2007! Read the entire column for details.
Have a great week!
Wendy V. Long, Editor
|
