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Tuesday, October 30, 2007 |
Dear Friends of Gateway:
Here is this week’s installment of Gateway’s weekly e-newsletter. As always, your feedback and suggestions are welcome.
TODAY’S BREAKING NEWS: Blandford Elementary School is closed today due to repairs to the town water system.
QUOTES OF THE WEEK:
"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers."
- Thomas Watson (1874-1956), Chairman of IBM, 1943
There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home."
- Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977
"The concept is interesting and well-formed, but in order to earn better than a 'C', the idea must be feasible."
- A Yale University management professor in response to student Fred Smith's paper proposing reliable overnight delivery service (Smith went on to found Federal Express Corp.)
COMING EVENTS: A schedule of activities for the week ending November 10, 2007 is now posted. (Items for this calendar should be submitted at least two weeks ahead of time!)
UPCOMING MEETINGS: If you missed last week’s School Committee meeting, you missed an accreditation presentation by high school Principal Kathleen McSweeney (see related article, below) and the announcement that Technology Director Paul Facteau has resigned to accept a position with Apple Computer. 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. The Friends of Gateway will meet on November 6th at 7 p.m. in the Superintendent’s Office. The public is invited and encouraged to attend all meetings.
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HIGH SCHOOL EARNS FULL ACCREDITATION:
Principal Kathleen McSweeney announced that the high school has earned “Continued Accreditation, No Warning Status”—the highest accreditation status offered by the Commission on Public Secondary Schools. Read the complete article for key information, including places that you can go to read the full accreditation report. |
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"The student-designed mnemonic statement...(GRHS)..is well understood
by all members of the school community." - CPSS report
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GATEWAY SCHOOLS CLOSED NEXT MONDAY FOR PARENT CONFERENCES: There will be no school for students on Monday, November 5th so that teachers in the elementary and middle schools can hold parent-teacher conferences. (High school teachers will be working on curriculum that day). The Littleville Wrap-Around program will be open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.; pre-registration is required and parents must pack a lunch. The Gateway Wellness Center will be open on its regular schedule.
GATEWAY COMPLEX HOLDS PRACTICE LOCKDOWN: Students at Gateway Regional High School got more than lunch on Thursday, October 25th. They got to participate in a lockdown that was timed to occur just as 11th and 12th graders were reporting for lunch, and 9th and 10th graders were finishing up. It was chaotic, it had never been practiced before, and most of the high school staff were having their own lunch upstairs. Nonetheless, the cafeteria was quickly secured and nearly all students accounted for within 37 minutes. Read the complete article for details.
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.
HOLIDAY BAZAAR AT RUSSELL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL/BOOTH SPACE STILL AVAILABLE: Crafters and shoppers alike are relying 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.
NOVEMBER ATHLETIC BOOSTERS MEET IN DIFFERENT PLACE AT DIFFERENT TIME: Although it is customary for the High School Athletic Boosters to meet the first Sunday of the month at Stanton Hall (7 p.m.), the November meeting will be at 7 p.m. on Monday, November 5th at the Gateway Regional High School Gym. Booster Club meetings will resume their usual schedule in December. New members are still needed to help support the high school athletic program. If you are interested, please contact Deb Lariviere @ 667-3121.
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!
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).
GATEWAY ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT UPDATE: Click here for updates on the Step Aerobics Class (starting next Tuesday) and winter sports sign-ups (REQUIRED) for high school athletes. Seventh and eighth grade students may tryout for boys and girls skiing and JV wrestling.
CONWELL PTO SEEKS GENTLY USED ITEMS: R. H. Conwell Elementary School is having a Christmas Gift Exchange in December, and asks anyone who is cleaning out closets, attics and basements to think about donating gently used items to the school. Jill McCarthy (238-5944) writes that there is a desparate need for items for teenagers and men!
DID YOU KNOW V 2.0: Did you know that over 70% of 4 year-olds in the United States have used a computer? Did you know that 1 in 8 couples who married in 2005 met online? “Did you know” was created in August 2006 to start a conversation among 150 staff in a Colorado school system about building 21st century skills in students. By June 2007, it had started over 5 million additional conversations on the future of education in the United States. See what everybody—including the Gateway Regional School Committee—is talking about. Shift happens. |
REMINDERS:
- FALL CONCERT AND PASTA SUPPER FUNDRAISER AT HIGH SCHOOL: Students, parents, faculty and community members are all invited to attend a fall concert at Gateway Regional High School on Thursday, November 1st at 7 p.m. Want to make it a complete evening out? Attend the pasta dinner before the concert to benefit the high school concert band and jazz band. Read the complete article for details on time, location and admission prices.
- RAISING FUNDS FOR SOLDIER’S SON: The Student Council at Gateway Regional High School is taking up a collection for Jeremy Bouffard’s son, Caleb. Jeremy, his widow, and his sisters all attended Gateway. Jeremy was killed in Iraq on August 22. Members of the Student Council will be collecting donations during lunch on Tuesdays and Thursdays for the next two weeks. The jar will also be in the School Store through the month of October; the school store is open Monday through Thursday from 2:10 until 2:30 p.m. If donating by check, checks should be made out to the Jeremy Bouffard Memorial Fund for the Benefit of Caleb Bouffard c/o Citizens Bank.
- ATTORNEY TO SPEAK WITH PARENTS OF YOUNG ADULTS WHO HAVE DISABILITIES: Attorney Hyman G. Darling will address parents of young adult students with disabilities about legal issues that should be considered as students age out of public school. Topics will include guardianship, durable power of attorney, health care proxy, SSI benefits and financial planning for adulthood. Click here for details.
- 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.
- STEP-AEROBIC CLASSES AVAILABLE THROUGH GATEWAY WELLNESS CENTER: Classes have been scheduled for beginner/intermediate and intermediate/advanced levels. Click here for schedules, prices and enrollment information.
- 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.
- PRUDENTIAL SPIRIT OF COMMUNITY AWARDS: The high school guidance office has announced that applications are now available for the Prudential Spirit of Community Award. Students who have made a difference in their community over the past year could win $1000 and a trip to Washington D.C. next May. These prestigious awards are sponsored by Prudential Financial and the National Association of Secondary School Principals; over 75,000 students have been honored in the past 12 years. If you are a high school student and feel you’ve recently made a positive difference by volunteering, visit www.prudential.com/spirit and submit your printed application to the high school guidance office no later than October 31, 2007. Contact the Guidance Office (685-1107) for more information.
- 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.
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IN CLOSING, the Superintendent’s Corner for this week is attached. In this week’s column, Dr. Hopson shares some of the information that the Gateway Regional School Committee has been reviewing as part of their futures planning, including the ways in which technology is changing education AND future workforces. Read the entire column for details.
Have a great week!
Wendy V. Long, Editor
To subscribe or unsubscribe to this newsletter, please send an email request to gatewaynews@grsd.org
"Breaking News From Gateway"
Is published weekly when school is in session by the Gateway Regional School District
12 Littleville Rd.
Huntington, MA 01050
For questions or feedback, please contact Wendy Long @ (413) 685-1003 or email wlong@grsd.org
© 2007, Gateway Regional School District |
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