Tuesday, June 12, 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:  “You told them that the world could not do without them – You told them they could do anything they set their minds to – You told them they could be the brightest, shiniest stars in the sky – And the world would be a better place because of them.” – Leah Becks

COMING EVENTS:  A schedule of activities for the week ending June 22, 2007 is now posted.  (Items for this calendar should be submitted at least two weeks ahead of time!)

WE HAVE A BUDGET! The town of Chester voted down the budget on June 9th. But Montgomery Town Meeting was held last night and voted to approve the district budget for the 2007-08 school year—by a slim margin. As the budget had already passed in the towns of Blandford, Middlefield, Worthington and Russell, last night’s vote provided the fifth approval needed to ratify the budget. This means that all 5 elementary schools will remain open next year; however, the state either has to rebuild its support of Gateway’s budget or we have to look at issues like consolidating elementary schools for the future, as the towns cannot continue to raise and appropriate at levels needed to cover the state's increasing shortfall. Two issues are on the immediate horizon: the budget passed in Huntington, contingent upon an $83,334 Proposition 2 ½ override, which is scheduled for June 21st. Passing the override will increase taxes but help the town in the coming year.  Whatever your position on this issue, Huntington voters are encouraged to get out and weigh in.  Second, the Friends of Gateway are organizing a UNITE & WRITE campaign to ensure that state legislators understand our plight. Please see the related article below for more information, and consider registering with FOG as an educational advocate.

UPCOMING MEETINGS:  The next regular meeting of the Gateway Regional School Committee will be on June 13th at 7:30 p.m. at Middlefield Town Hall. The Friends of Gateway are now meeting the first Tuesday of every month, but will not hold a July meeting. Their next meeting is August 7th to complete activities for the September fundraiser. New members are needed and should feel welcome to attend. As always, the public is invited and encouraged to attend all meetings.  

HOWE WINS GOLDEN ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Click for the complete list of senior awards, -- which were also published on the Hilltowns Online website-- and the official press release on the top awards.

CLASS OF 2007 GRADUATES IN OUTDOOR CEREMONY: The weather cooperated and members of the Class of 2007 gave speeches, received diplomas and tossed their caps in the air when Dr. David B. Hopson conferred their degrees. Class President Hannah Hart, Salutatorian Erin Judge, Valedictorian Erika Howe guest speaker Mary Ann Shipman and Principal Kathleen McSweeney shared their hopes and dreams for those assembled. Click here for photos.

FRIENDS OF GATEWAY LAUNCH EDUCATIONAL ADVOCACY EFFORT: Elementary parents received a request in their red folders from the Friends of Gateway last week, urging them to advocate at the state level for increased funding for education—especially for small, rural, regional districts like Gateway, who’ve been hard hit by declining enrollment and reduced state funding.  “Both schools and towns have been hamstrung by the lack of state funding,” said Friends of Gateway (FOG) President Deb Carnes. “It’s time to take a stand to keep our schools strong, our towns viable, and our tax rates affordable for everybody.”  FOG has launched it’s UNITE & WRITE campaign and is collecting email addresses of volunteers who are willing to contact state officials. Parents and all interested community members can click here for the flyer and instructions on participating. (TIP: you know if you wait, you aren’t going to do it—so follow-through TODAY!).

CAMP OPTIONS ABOUND AT GATEWAY THIS SUMMER: Typically, one thinks of summer camps as being geared for the 10 and under crowd. But the Gateway Regional School District is offering a number of camps this year for students attending the Middle School and High School next year.  There’s even a camp for adults! Click here for details. Additional downloads:

Girls Biotech Camp Enrollment Form

Digital Film Camp Flyer and Enrollment Form

Middle School Summer Camp Registration Form

WELLNESS CENTER OFFERS STAFF RENEWAL & COLLEGE SPECIALS; SUMMER HOURS START JUNE 25: The Wellness Center will move to summer hours starting June 25.  Morning and Saturday hours will remain the same through the summer (Weekdays 5:30 – 7:30 a.m.; Saturdays 8 – noon); afternoon hours during the week will change to 3:30 – 8:30 p.m. As in the past, college students who are home for the Summer can join at the special rate of $60 for the summer, by presenting their college ID. Finally, any Gateway staff member who joins or renews their annual membership before June 30th will save $50 on their annual membership fee.  An Adult Annual Membership will be available for $150, rather than $200 for early-bird sign-ups. Those with Blue Cross Blue Shield or Health New England can receive up to $150 reimbursement every year. You can also have the membership fee taken out of your paycheck.  Email Gary St. Peter (GStPeter@grsd.org) if you need additional information.

8TH GRADERS SEEK SPONSORS FOR EMC2:  Nope, nothing to do with Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. EMC2 is shorthand for a second fundraising event in memory of Eric M. Champiney (EMC) to raise money for a scholarship in his memory.  Read the complete article for details.

GRADE 8 TRANSITION CEREMON ON JUNE 22: Gateway Middle School will recognize 8th grade students at their annual ceremony on June 22, starting at 8:45 a.m.  The school will present its traditional awards to the entire student body following the grade 8 ceremony.

APPLAUSE, APPLAUSE!: A simple photo from Gateway’s prom by Westfield Evening News photographer Fred Gore was picked up by the Associated Press and the story and photo ran across the country.  Ariana Rizzitano and Josh Oleksak posed in their self-designed and constructed prom gear—made out of duct tape.  It was a creative response to a scholarship challenge from Duck brand Tape, and Rizzitano went all out with a 60’s theme—including an artistic image of Andy Warhol and accessories (hairband, banana purse and mod earrings) completely made of duct tape. Here’s a link to a Connecticut story on tux rentals that included the duo. As if that isn’t enough, Rizzitano was named this weekend as 1 of 5 Western Massachusetts seniors to receive a Valley Press Club scholarship of $1,000.  (Applause, Applause is a new feature for Breaking News that celebrates student and staff successes outside of school. Send your good news to wlong@grsd.org)

TRASH TALK - NEARLY 2 MILLION POUNDS OF CIGARETTE BUTTS SCOOPED OFF OF BEACHES: Think of how much one cigarette butt weighs.  Now imagine how many it would take to create 2 million pounds of garbage—almost 1/3 of all of the debris coastal cleanup crews collected last year. The Ocean Conservancy released its Annual Report on marine debris, calling for a …  “Shared Responsibility for the Care of the Ocean.”  Bad for humans, bad for wildlife. World Ocean Day was June 8.

REMINDERS:

IN CLOSING, the Superintendent’s Corner for this week is attached. This week Dr. Hopson talks about the choices made by the Class of 2007. Read the entire column for details.

Have a great week!

Wendy V. Long, Editor