Gator Bites
August 24, 2023
Welcome to the 2023-2024 School Year!
This is going to be an incredible year of learning and growth at Gateway Regional School District. I am excited to see the students next week--I know their staff here have been hard at work planning for a wonderful year.
The two priorities for Gateway Regional School District this year are:
- Gateway educators deliver excellent, culturally responsive learning experiences grounded in our high quality instructional materials and review data to make adjustments to their practice so that students make their thinking and reasoning public while engaged in rigorous, grade-appropriate tasks.
- All staff in the Gateway Regional School District will intentionally build positive, caring relationships and uphold clear, equitable systems and policies so students are respected, feel safe to learn, take risks, and make progress towards their goals every day.
Also, our district was recently awarded with a grant from the Barr Foundation that will support our community to come together around how to empower our students to meet their goals. More information will be shared about this unique opportunity soon, and I can't wait to jump into this work with students, staff, families, and community partners.
Please reach out to me or any of our school principals if you have ideas or questions about this upcoming school year.
Chester Elementary School: Principal Vanna Maffuccio vmaffuccio@grsd.org
Littleville Elementary School: Principal Melissa McCaul mmccaul@grsd.org
Middle School/High School: Principal Jason Finnie jfinnie@grsd.org
Thank you for your partnership as we kick off a wonderful school year!
Sincerely,
Kristen Smidy
Superintendent
Important Dates at Gateway this Month:
Wednesday, August 30 - K-12 First Day of School
Friday. September 1 - Half Day for Students, Professional Development for staff
Monday, September 4 - Labor Day NO SCHOOL
Tuesday, September 5- First day for PreK
Tuesday, September 19 - Half Day for Students, Professional Development for staff
Tuesday, September 26 - Elementary Schools Open Houses
Bus Routes for the 2023-24 School Year
Click here to see this year's bus routes!
Supply Lists!!!
Chester Elementary School
All grades are in this link. Scroll through to find your grades supply list.
Littleville Elementary School
All grades are in this link. Scroll through to find your grades supply list.
Middle School
Safety Drills
Per Massachusetts General Law, safety drills must be conducted four times a year, the first drill taking place within the first three days of school. Therefore, a fire drill will take place On or before September 1st for all buildings.
Gateway Regional School District Offers Meals at NO COST to Students!
The Gateway Regional School District will be continuing participation in the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program. As part of this program, all schools will offer healthy and delicious meals every school day at NO COST to the students due to the State of Massachusetts PERMANENTLY implementing Universal Free Meals for all!
Students will be able to get one breakfast and one lunch per day at school without having to pay a fee or submit a household application. Any extra servings, meals, or milk only to supplement lunches brought from home will be charged to student accounts. Due to increased food costs, second student meals will need to be increased in price. Elementary will be $3.25 and MSHS will be $3.75 per meal.
In order to be eligible for other programs such as, free or reduced school fees, SNAP, MassHealth, TANF, Summer EBT, etc. families are still encouraged to fill out the Free & Reduced Meal Application along with other forms found on the GRSD website. Just click on the Food Services page for the info, print and fill out the forms, and send them to GRSD at 12 Littleville Rd. Huntington, MA 01050 or drop them off in any of the school business offices. If you have any questions or concerns, or would like copies of the Free and Reduced Application or other forms sent to you directly, please call or email Tasha Hartley, FSD at (413)685-1005 or thartley@grsd.org.
August/September Lunch Menu
Click here for our Aug/Sept lunch menu!
Important Information from our School Secretaries:
Attention Gateway Parents of Returning Students
Watch your inbox for an important email from Powerschool Registration Support!
Please follow the instructions so you can register your returning student online. This is the time to update important information for your student, including new phone numbers, email, emergency contacts, etc.
How do I get started?
Follow the link in the email that was sent to you. This includes a special snap code. (If you did not receive an email, please check your spam folder or call the building secretary to verify the email address we have on file).
If you do not have internet or you are having trouble completing the registration or to ask any general questions about the form or the Returning Student Registration process, please contact:
Kayla Turner for Littleville Elementary at (413) 685-1300
Donna Morrissey for Chester Elementary (413) 685-1361
Karen Malinowski for MS & HS (413) 685-1102
Bullying Prevention Plan
Last year, the bullying prevention plan for Gateway Regional was revised and approved by the school committee. You can review it here.
Events in the Community
Contact Information:
Chester Elementary School:
Principal Vanna Maffuccio vmaffuccio@grsd.org
Littleville Elementary School:
Principal Melissa McCaul mmccaul@grsd.org
Principal Jason Finnie jfinnie@grsd.org
Assistant Principal Will Sullivan wsullivan@grsd.org
Athletic Director Matt Bonenfant mbonenfant@grsd.org
Superintendent Kristen Smidy, ksmidy@grsd.org
Gateway Regional School District
Website: grsd.org
Location: 12 Littleville Road, Huntington, MA, USA
Phone: 413-685-1100
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GatewayRegionalMA?mibextid=LQQJ4d