Gator Bites

Wednesday, May 3 - Chester's Art Gala

Friday, May 5 - School Lunch Hero Day

Friday, May 5 - 6:00pm Gateway MS/HS play - The Bros. Grimm Spectaculathon

Saturday, May 6 - 1:00pm Gateway MS/HS play - The Bros. Grimm Spectaculathon

Thursday, May 11 - 6:30. High School Band, MS/HS Jazz Band and Chorus concert

Saturday, May 13 - 5:00 TRIVIA NIGHT - a Gateway Education Foundation Fundraiser

Saturday, May 20 - Chester on Track - 7th - 12th grade band will be marching in the parade

Friday, May 26 - High School Prom

Monday, May 29 - Blandford and Russell Memorial Day Parades - 7th - 12th grade band will be marching in the parades

Tuesday, May 30th 6:30-8:30 - Gators 2022-23 Sports Banquet. The banquet will be held in the GRHS cafeteria and more details will be coming out soon. Please send sports photos to the Gateway Athletics Booster Committee: gateway.athletics.booster@gmail.com

Friday, June 2 - High School GRADUATION

Banking Day

• GRMS and Littleville Elementary - the first and third Tuesday of the month.
• Chester Elementary - the first and third Wednesday of the month.

The Gateway Education Foundation is thrilled to invite you to our 2nd annual Trivia Night Fundraiser that will be held on Saturday, May 13th at Strathmore Park in Russell. Doors open at 4:00 PM. Trivia at 5:00 PM. There will be an exciting trivia competition, a penny social, a 50/50 auction, music and adult-style humor by announcer Matt Collins. Pack a picnic, bring your beverages of choice and join us for an adult night of fun.

Pre-paid Tickets are $25 each or get your friends and family together! Book a table of 8 for just $175!

We can’t wait to see you there!

Click: BUY TICKETS HERE! to purchase tickets.

All proceeds support the Funds for Learning (FFL) Program

THANK YOU to all of our fabulous cafeteria workers in the district! You are all a superhero!!

The Massachusetts House passed a budget earlier this week that does not include fully funding Rural School Aid. On Thursday, May 4 the Massachusetts Association of School Committees will hold its annual Day on the Hill legislative advocacy event. This year the Day on the Hill will be devoted to advocate for additional rural aid. There will also be a read of the bill filed by Representative Natalie Blais that includes funding rural school aid along with a number of other supports for education. A bus trip this event has been organized by Mohawk Trail Regional School and they have invited Gateway to join them. A huge thank you goes out to Mohawk Regional. We look forward to traveling to Boston again and advocating for our rural schools to be fully funded.

Principal Jason Finnie has announced the honor roll for the Third Term of the 2022-2023 school year. In accordance with the student handbook, honor roll status is granted to students with high academic achievement for a marking quarter. First honors are awarded to students who receive A’s in all courses taken. Second honors are awarded to students who receive a minimum of two A’s and receive B’s in all other courses taken. Third honors are granted to students who receive a minimum of one A, with B’s and no more than one C in all courses taken.

Student Name - Honor Designation

McEwan, Heather Ann - First Honors

Sharrow, William Anthony - First Honors

Audet, Ayden Michael - First Honors

Austin, Rachael Alecia - First Honors

Dame, Olivia Ann - First Honors

Heeter, Rylie Robert - First Honors

McKellick, Liam Joseph - First Honors

Mueller, Nancy Elizabeth Hull - First Honors

Pitoniak, Lucy Evelyn - First Honors

Bonenfant, Alexi Christine - First Honors

Gilbert, Elijah Seth - First Honors

Harding, Jackson William - First Honors

Madru, Abigail Hart - First Honors

Morawiec, Reeghan Kate - First Honors

Wilkinson, Sawyer Alida - First Honors

Balboni, Jesse Martin - First Honors

Chepurenko, Ivan - First Honors

Fisk, Ashley Judith - First Honors

Forgue, Evan Francis - First Honors

MacIver, Olivia Kaye - First Honors

Papillon, Cynthea Grace - First Honors

Pritchard, Benjamin Jacob Gustafson - First Honors

Robbins, Abigail A - First Honors

DeAngelis-Page, Theodore Lee - First Honors

Henrichon, Alexandra Grace - First Honors

Marchbanks, Jake Joseph - First Honors

Mueller, Eliza Jane Hull - First Honors

Peloquin, Lily Katharine - First Honors

Rucki, Justin Dinglasa - First Honors

St Martin, Desmond Thomas - First Honors

Whitaker, Michael Braden - First Honors

Balboni, Cecelia Carmie - Second Honors

Bowler, Liam Daniel - Second Honors

Brown, Natalie Elisabeth - Second Honors

Chapman, Cole Matthew - Second Honors

Cooper, Shane Christopher - Second Honors

Forgue, Sean Patrick - Second Honors

Gallagher, Aaron Joseph - Second Honors

Hamblin, Azades Nicole - Second Honors

Harding, Edward James - Second Honors

Kanner, Olivia Rose - Second Honors

Krassler, Hailey May - Second Honors

Saalfrank, Audrey Brianna - Second Honors

Fitzgerald, Rachael Isabelle - Second Honors

Kadzik, Matthew Howard - Second Honors

Loiselle, Natalie Marie - Second Honors

Maynard, Kaitlyn Grace - Second Honors

Pisani, Joseph Robert - Second Honors

Rahilly, Kai Maylin - Second Honors

Santiago, Issabella Skye - Second Honors

Savoy, Dalton Owen - Second Honors

Tacke, Ryan James - Second Honors

Beneway, Madilyn Rose - Second Honors

LaBranche, Mason Edward - Second Honors

Mann, Caleb John - Second Honors

Precanico, Joel Emerson - Second Honors

Antonellis, Jeffrey Louis - Second Honors

Briggs, Bow Ricci - Second Honors

Chepurenko, Andrew - Second Honors

Harding, Kathryn Joy - Second Honors

Holmes, Ana Marie - Second Honors

Renaud, Aaron William - Second Honors

Renauld, Grace Campbell - Second Honors

Tacke, Ashley Lynn - Second Honors

Vera-Ortiz, Isabella - Second Honors

Judson, Nevaeh Ellen - Third Honors

Laurie, Gage William - Third Honors

Wallace, Amelia Sofia - Third Honors

Daggett, Molly Beth-Ann - Third Honors

Gilman, Meghan Elizabeth - Third Honors

Lewandowski, Kylie Marie - Third Honors

Sakaske, Anna Paige - Third Honors

Zajko, Alexandra Nmn - Third Honors

Hourihan, Liam Philip - Third Honors

Lewis, Kate Elizabeth - Third Honors

McCaul, Rylan Ann - Third Honors

Rivera, Jayliana Aurora - Third Honors

Velazquez Arnaldi, Shedaliz Michelle - Third Honors

On Friday, April 28th parents, teachers, students and friends celebrated the end of a fabulous 5-week program of environmental education delivered by Kelly at the Mass Audubon/Arcadia Wildlife. This program provided our students with a broader understanding of their local, natural environment. At the ceremony students shared information from the nature journals that they kept during the entirety of the program.

Mrs. Provost’s class has been reducing food waste at Chester through composting!

On Saturday, April 22 at 2PM Littleville and Chester Elementary School students participated in special workshops where they learned about the fish, birds and mammals who live in the National Park Service designated Wild & Scenic Westfield River, created puppets of some of those animals. The students then lead a parade at Strathmore park after the Wildwater Races on Saturday, April 22. The event was part of the 68th running of the Westfield River Wildwater Races, the country's oldest whitewater kayak and canoe races.

The fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm are turned on their heads in this fast-paced, rollicking ride as two narrators and several actors attempt to combine all 209 stories ranging from classics like Snow White, Cinderella, and Hansel and Gretel to more bizarre, obscure stories like The Devil's Grandmother and The Girl Without Hands. A wild, free-form comedy with lots of audience participation and madcap fun.

May 20, 2023 will mark the 33rd anniversary of Chester on Track. This awesome event will be held from 9am - 4pm. There will be a massive parade, Revolutionary War, CCC Camp and Irish railroad re-enactors, blacksmith demos, a train show, and a craft fair. The National Historic Landmark Chester Railroad Station will be open as well. Also happening during Chester on Track will be the garden tractor pulls, 'one-lug' steam & gas engine demos, a classic car show, the infamous duck race, a petting zoo and so much more!!! Live music will start at 11 at the Station will also be live streamed to You Tube and will be shown live on the Chester on Track site. The site includes all of the activities, shows, etc. for the day as well as other important information. Click here for the site: http://www.chesterontrack.com/

3:30 Monday, May 1 -Varsity Softball vx. Westfield Tech - AWAY

• 4:30 Junior Varsity Softball vs. Holyoke High School - HOME

4:00 Tuesday, May 2 -Junior Varsity Softball vs.Franklin Tech - AWAY

4:00 Wednesday, May 3 -Baseball vs. High School of Commerce - AWAY

• 4:00 Varsity Softball vs. St. Mary's - AWAY

4:00 Thursday, May 4 - Junior Varsity Softball vs. Westfield Tech - AWAY

Get your ticket today! Tickets are $10 each and you can purchase as many tickets as you would like to in order to increase your chances of winning. Winning names will be drawn over the course of 23 days, as shown on the calendar below. Each day we will announce the winner on the parents of Chester Facebook page in addition to calling the winner. Please be sure that your name and phone number are on each ticket that you purchase. Please return the form by April 27th. All of the money raised will go towards our upcoming school field trips. Please call Chester Elementary School at (413) 685-1360 to purchase a ticket.

Please see the attached Field Trip Fact Sheet to answer any questions that you have about medications, etc. on field trips.

You can still purchase a Middle School Memory Book, the yearbook for our middle school. The cost is $13. Make checks payable to Gateway Regional School District and reserve your Memory Book today with Mrs. O'Malley.

If you have a student ready for Kindergarten next year, please click on the link below to schedule a time for Kindergarten Screening.

Chester Elementary School: https://forms.gle/BQPwidUh8v3hwXUy7

Littleville Elementary School: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSceUUHAO2IHxE8p4tEKsf4tAClkJrJlrlYbuKFyTeG4t7MgDQ/viewform

• Gateway Regional School District is looking for substitute teachers and nurses

• Gateway's Special Education Summer Camp is hiring for:
• Special Education Teachers: $50/hour (Sped and/or Early Childhood certified
• preferred)
• Special Education Paras: $25/hour
• Summer Camp Nurse
• Contact Kurt Garivaltis at 413-685-1019 if you are interested or for more information

• The Springfield Water and Sewer Commission is hiring laborers at the treatment plant the reservoir and on Provin Mountain. The Commission runs a treatment plant on the Blandford/Westfield line and also manages property at Cobble Mountain reservoir and on Provin Mountain in Feeding Hills. They are currently hiring Labors at the treatment plant, the reservoir, and Provin. Often, people who are interested in getting into the water treatment industry start as Laborers while they are working on getting their treatment plant operator license. These are full time positions. To apply click here: https://waterandsewer.org/about-the-commission/careers/
  

The Appalachian Mountain Club Western MA Chapter, The Russell Public Library & The Hilltown Family Center Event:

Saturday, April 29 10am-12pm An Underwater World: Creatures & Critter in the Stream Come Splash in the Stream behind the Russell Public Library for some Earth Month FUN! With nets and magnifying field microscopes, we’ll see the water creatures up close and personal. If wading is not for you, we’ll have white examination trays with rocks and mud for your investigation. Also included will be a guided Storywalk® of “Over and Under the Pond” by Hilltown Family Center staff. A copy of the book and a RAFFLE for 2 FREE books will be available at the library!

Upcoming Russell Library Events:

Saturday, May 20 10:00am Signs of Spring! Come to Storytime, eat "ants on a log", create a bug and flower craft, and enjoy the fun!! Open to everyone, no registration required.

Saturday, May 13 2pm-4pm Adult book talk with Robert R. Madison: General George Washington’s Secret Armory,“Biography of Lt. Richard Falley, Jr., Revolutionary Soldier, Patriot & Armorer” Join us as Robert speaks about the long military career of Lt. Falley and his secret Revolutionary War armory built along Moose Meadow Brook on the southern slope of Mt. Tekoa in Montgomery, Massachusetts. Register by email rpldirector@townofrussell.us, call 413-862-6221.

Ongoing Activities:

Adult Coffee and Community Hour, Thursdays 10-11

Southern Hills Domestic Violence Task Force Letter

April is sexual assault awareness month, and the Southern Hilltown Domestic Violence Task

Force has some tips for how to talk to children about safety. See the letter below from the Southern Hills Domestic Violence Task Force for tips and strategies.

Past Gator Bites

April 6: https://www.smore.com/e63ps

March 20: https://www.smore.com/92xwb

March 2: https://www.smore.com/fwybx

February 10: https://www.smore.com/3n2tj

February 3: https://www.smore.com/ubjsq

January 9: https://www.smore.com/mu6h0

December 19: https://www.smore.com/hm943

December 7: https://www.smore.com/5yn3t

November 29: https://www.smore.com/4zs6ax

November 14: https://www.smore.com/u49t2

November 7: https://www.smore.com/mb78u

October 26: https://www.smore.com/gmqb5

October 19: https://www.smore.com/w2fk5

October 10: https://www.smore.com/m9uke

October 3: https://www.smore.com/pnds3

September 23: https://www.smore.com/q0x4c

September 16: https://www.smore.com/bkwp3

September 9: https://www.smore.com/uyc4m

September 1: https://www.smore.com/vu28z

August 25: https://www.smore.com/k2jehc

Please reach out to us if you have questions or concerns!

Chester Elementary School:
Principal Vanna Maffuccio vmaffuccio@grsd.org

Littleville Elementary School:

Interim Principal Mark Folta mailto:mfolta@grsd.org

Middle School/High School:
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

Website: grsd.org
Location: 12 Littleville Road, Huntington, MA, USA
Phone: 413-685-1100
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GatewayRegionalMA?mibextid=LQQJ4d