Dear Friends of Gateway:

Here is this week’s installment of Gateway’s weekly e-newsletter.  As always, your feedback and suggestions are welcome. 

AMERICAN EDUCATION WEEK

November 11 – 17

QUOTE OF THE WEEK:  “The good Education of Youth has been esteemed by wise Men in all Ages, as the surest Foundation of the Happiness both of private Families and of Commonwealths. Almost all Governments have therefore made it a principal Object of their Attention, to establish and endow with proper Revenues, such Seminaries of Learning, as might supply the succeeding Age with Men qualified to serve the Publick with Honour to themselves, and to their Country.” – Benjamin Franklin

COMING EVENTS:  A schedule of activities for the week ending November 24, 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 November 14 at 7:30 p.m. in the Learning Resource Center (2nd floor) of the MS/HS. The first half-hour of all School Committee meetings this year will be dedicated to planning for the future. Agenda items include a vote on the high school trip to see the Lion King; a vote on the potential change in date for the March Parent-Teacher Conferences; an update on the Blandford School Septic System; and review of a proposed policy on the distribution of flyers from non-town/non-school organizations. 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.  

FALL CONCERT SHOWCASES MUSIC PERFORMANCE, ARTISTIC RENDITION: The high school music department’s Fall Concert on November 1st melded visual and performing arts, showcasing student artistry on many levels. Click here for more information.

A work of art inspired by the “Promenade” movement of Mussorgsky’s "Pictures at an Exhibition", created by Gateway student Andrew S. Lynch of Huntington.

AMERICAN EDUCATION WEEK: Naming homes as “The Other Classroom”, the National Education Association’s 2007 theme for American Education Week is “Great Public Schools: A Basic Right and Our Responsibility”. Click here for 5 things the NEA recommends for parents to boost their child’s success in school and in life.

SHORT WEEK FULL OF ACTION—COLLEGE WEEK AT GRHS: The week of November 19 – 21 may only contain 2 ½ days of school, but students at Gateway Regional High School will be actively working toward their future during College Week. Workshops on writing the college essay, resume building, and searching for scholarships are just some of the events in place. The culminating event will be the Alumni-Hosted College Fair on Wednesday. Click here for more information.

NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY MEMBERS HELP LOCAL FAMILIES IN NEED: For over a dozen years, the Dana O. Webber Chapter of the National Honor Society has collaborated with the Southern Hilltowns Social Services Center to help low-income families with the holidays. Click here for details.

GATEWAY SCHOOLS CLOSE FOR THANKSGIVING RECESS: All students in the Gateway Regional School District will have a half-day on Wednesday, November 21st. Middle and High Schools will be dismissed at 10:45 a.m. Elementary and Preschool students will get out at 11:30 a.m. The Wellness Center and Littleville Wrap Around will remain open on the 21st, but will be closed on Thursday and Friday for the holiday. The Wellness Center will reopen 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, November 24.

AMERICAN EDUCATION WEEK: The National Education Association has a series of brochures on their website that can be downloaded free of charge, to guide parents in raising academically successful children.  From Raising Ready Readers to Helping Your Child Learn to Read you don’t want to miss the complete series covering early childhood through high school.

REMINDERS:

• ALUMNI SOUGHT FOR HS COLLEGE FAIR: Graduates of Gateway Regional High School are invited back to school for the Alumni College Fair on Wednesday, November 21, 2007 from 9:30 – 10:45 a.m. in the cafeteria. Speak with current Gateway students about why the college YOU attend was a great choice! Interested alumni should contact Jeanene Iglesias (jiglesias@grsd.org or 413-685-1107) by Tuesday, November 13th to let us know the college you will be representing. Breakfast will be served to all participating alumni. 
• 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.
• FINANCIAL AID NIGHT FOR PARENTS OF COLLEGE-BOUND STUDENTS: The Guidance Department at Gateway Regional High School will hold a Financial Aid Night for parents of students planning to attend college. The event will be held on Tuesday, November 20th from 6:30 – 8:30 in the Gateway Performing Arts Center. Click here for details.

• 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!
• HOLIDAY BAZAAR AT RUSSELL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: Shoppers rely on the annual Holiday Bazaar at Russell Elementary School as a way to shop locally for the holidays. This wonderful event includes fine handcrafts, a silent auction, raffles, and a bake sale. And for hungry shoppers, don’t miss the hot soup and baked potatoes! Read on for details.
• YOGA TEACHER SOUGHT: A number of Wellness Center members have requested a yoga class.  We have the students and space, we just need a yoga teacher! If you know of anybody who might be interested, please contact Gary St.Peter (gstpeter@grsd.org or 413.685.1040).

• LITTLEVILLE PTO HOLDING GIFT CENTS FUNDRAISER: If you order by November 19th, you can purchase all of your holiday gift certificates at face value, and the Littleville PTO will earn a percentage of the sales. Patrons simply order the gift card in its available denomination—for example, Barnes & Noble Gift Cards can be purchased at $10, $25 and $100 levels. If you select a $25 card, your payment is just that--$25. But the school will earn 7% of that sale through this program. To order, see a Littleville student or parent, or click these links for list of available cards and an order form. Return to Littleville School PTO with payment by November 19th.

• 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 shares two viewpoints on state funding for public education that were expressed in the Boston Globe recently. Read the entire column for details.

Have a great week!

Wendy V. Long, Editor