Wednesday, October 4, 2006
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: “Education: Being able to differentiate between what you do know and what you don't. It's knowing where to go to find out what you need to know; and it's knowing how to use the information once you get it.” - William Feather
COMING EVENTS: A schedule of activities for the week ending October 13, 2006 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 a discussion on the need to get more town boards of health involved in district-wide pandemic and all-hazards planning; materials on expanded learning time—under consideration for Gateway if a planning grant is funded; a budget update and early projections for next year; a vote to increase substitute pay; and a discussion and vote on hiring a new high school guidance counselor for the current year, to provide coverage while a staff member is on medical leave. The next meeting of the Gateway Regional School Committee will be on October 11th at 7:30 p.m. in the Gateway Cafeteria. The Friends of Gateway are scheduled to meet on Thursday, October 12th in the Superintendent’s Office. The public is invited and encouraged to attend all meetings.
TEACHER FEATURE: HEATHER BOWEN –ALL TIED UP… IN RIBBON PROJECTS: New High School teacher Heather Bowen is completely tied up for the next three months in, well, ribbons. She is taking the lead—but looking for lots of support from staff and students—in ribbon projects to acknowledge National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October, pink ribbons), our troops overseas (November, yellow ribbons) and Aides Awareness Month (December, red ribbons). She is taking the November project one step further, and spearheading a collection effort to send items to troops overseas in time for the holidays. Read more on her inspiration for this project and how you can help.
SCHOOL-BASED HEALTH CENTER OPENS DOORS FOR 9TH YEAR OF SERVICE: The Gateway School-Based Health Center has opened its doors for the 2006-2007 school year. The SBHC provides direct medical care to students: sports physicals, immunizations, physical exams, diagnosis and treatment of illnesses, limited lab work and prescriptions. We also provide Behavioral Health for students and families. In addition, the staff participates in classroom curriculums and other school events. Read on for more information.
SCHOOLS CLOSED FOR COLUMBUS DAY: All Gateway schools will be closed on Monday, October 9th for Columbus Day observances. The Gateway Wellness Center will be open from 3:30 – 8:30 p.m. only, on that day. The Littleville Wraparound program will be open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.; space is limited and parents must sign up in advance.
BLOOD PRESSURE CLINICS SCHEDULED AT SBHC: As a service to Gateway staff members and the community, the School-Based Health Center will be holding free blood pressure clinics once a month. The first clinic will be held on Wednesday, October 18th from 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. Upcoming dates include November 16th and December 13th, from 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.
SUBSTANCE ABUSE AMONG CHILDREN MAY START—AND MAY BE PREVENTED—AT HOME: Only 5% of parents think their children have tried inhalants, when in fact 20% of children actually have. As a matter of fact, inhalants are often the first substance that kids experiment with—starting around age 11. “Safeguarding Your Children” is a brochure for parents and guardians of late elementary through high school age children. This illustrated brochure demonstrates how parents can help prevent children from abusing substances commonly found in the home, such as inhalants, prescription drugs, and alcohol. It offers a "tour" of the home to help parents identify where substances may be found, and it provides suggestions for alternative household products to use as well as warning signs to watch for. Click here for this important family reference guide.
REMINDERS:
- 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, October 25th at R. H. Conwell Elementary School. Read the complete article for details.
- PSAT EXAMS ON OCTOBER 18: Juniors and sophomores will be taking the PSAT exams at Gateway Regional High School on October 18th, they must have signed-up by October 2nd in order to do so. The PSAT exam is a practice test for the SAT, a national admissions exam required by most 4-year colleges in the Northeast.
- SPRINGFIELD SYMPHONY SEEKS STUDENT PIANISTS/CONDUCTORS: Young pianists (ages 10 – 20) who live within 60 miles of Springfield, are invited to submit an audition CD of “Rhapsody in Blue”, to apply to perform with the Springfield Symphony Orchestra (SSO) during the annual Music Matters Youth Concerts in March, 2007. The CD, an application form and a $15 non-refundable application fee must be postmarked by December 1, 2006. Finalists will be notified by mail and invited to an audition at Holyoke Community College on January 16th. In addition, the SSO is seeking a teenage musician (aged 13 –17) with strong musical training, who is currently active with a band, chorus or orchestra and can read a piano or conductor’s score, to conduct a Christmas work at the Holiday Pops concert on December 2nd. For further information on either music opportunity, please see Mrs. Beauregard at the High School, or email jbeauregard@grsd.org .
IN CLOSING, the Superintendent’s Corner for this week is attached. This week, Dr. Hopson discusses some of the regulations that are being jointly proposed by the Department of Education and Department of Revenue, and their impact on regional school districts. Read the entire column for details.
Have a great week!
Wendy V. Long, Editor
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