Gator Bites
October 19, 2022
Homecoming Weekend at GRSD!
HOMECOMING FRIDAY
*Littleville and Chester Pep Rallies will be held in their gyms. The junior and senior soccer players, cross country players, and band members will be traveling to elementary schools to run a Homecoming Pep Rally, help our younger students celebrate Homecoming, and show their Gateway spirit!
*MS/HS Pep Rally will be held in the gym. We will be recognizing our Gators Fall sports teams, band members, September Golden Ticket winners, and seniors. We'll have some fun activities, a lot of cheering, and even more celebrating being a Gateway Gator.
*High School Homecoming Dance will be held in the High School gym from 6:30 pm- 8:30pm. We would appreciate volunteers to help decorate, set up and/or donate baked goods and drinks for the dance. Please email mclark@grsd.org if you are interested in helping us.
**We'd love donations for the dance - We need baked goods, pumpkins and decorations, drinks, etc. Here is a form to fill out if you'd like to donate: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4DADAB2AAAFBC16-grhs
Any donations are greatly appreciated and can be send to school with a GRSD student and given to Mrs. Clark or dropped off at security for Mrs. Clark. THANK YOU!!
HOMECOMING SATURDAY
*Alumni Band Get together, practice and concert on Homecoming Saturday, October 22!!
We are again offering an opportunity to play as a Gateway Alumni Band as part of the 2022 Homecoming Weekend! Rehearsals will take place on Saturday, October 22 with the concert at 2 p.m. in the Gateway Performing Arts Center. We are welcoming all GRSD band alums to sign-ups for this fun event. Please complete the form below, and music will be emailed to you! Please pass this along to any alums/siblings that you know.
Alumni Band Schedule for Saturday, October 22:
8 - 8:30: Meet & Greet/Coffee, followed by rehearsal
noon - lunch (provided) followed by rehearsal
2 p.m. - Alumni Band Concert (free admission but donations accepted at the door for the music program).
Here is the link to register: https://forms.gle/Q3xJFC39Dj8exS1Q7
*Homecoming 5K will be held on Saturday, October 22 at Littleville Dam. Registration for the race will start at 9:30am at Gateway Regional High School at the Gator Shack (in front of the soccer field) and the race will start at 10:15am. Maps of the course will also be available. Medals will be given for top and last place finishers! The race is open to everyone who would like to participate. We also need volunteers. If you're interested in volunteering please email mclark@grsd.org or ddostal@grsd.org. T-Shirts will be on sale at the event.
Cross Country alumni are encouraged to participate!
Please email mclark@grsd.org or ddostal@grsd.org for questions.
Upcoming Events at Gateway!
Tree Tapping at Chester-One of Chester's school goals is to increase agricultural education in our classroom curriculum. All students K-5 will be participating and more information about dates and times will be coming because the temperature has to be "just right" for tapping.
It's time for Chester's annual Boo Bash! This spookily fun Chester Elementary School family dance will be held on Friday, Oct. 28 from 5:30pm - 7:30pm in the school gym. Admission is $3 per person at the door. Pizza chips and drinks will be available as well as fun games ($1 to play each game) and music.
Fundraising Dinner at Shortstop Grill, Westfield, on Oct. 24th from 4pm - 9pm Come to Shortstop Grill (99 Springfield Rd, Westfield next Monday, the 24th and help support the Gateway class of 2023. The class is raising funds to graduation, the senior trip, senior T-shirts and more.
Chester's picture day is on October 24th and the Middle/High School's picture day is on October 20th.
Family Conferences:
All schools will have Family Conferences on October 25 and 26. These are HALF DAYS FOR STUDENTS. Each school is doing their conference sign-ups a little differently. Be sure to call your child's school with any questions about signing up for your conference.
On the GRSD fields
Senior Soccer Players - Our senior soccer players are (left to right) Jayden Santiago-Lopez, Aden Audet, Olivia Kanner, Owen Przybyla, and Shane Cooper (not pictured: Cole Chapman).
Unfortunately the season is coming to an end. All of our fall sports teams worked hard this year. The last girl's game was Tuesday, Oct. 18th and the last boys game is this Thursday, Oct. 20 at home against Putnam.
High School Seniors Learn about the Career of a Water Treatment Operator
Thank you to the Water Commissioners of Chester for bringing the idea of starting this career pathway at GRHS. We also want to thank the Blandford Water Commissioners for joining our "team". We currently have six seniors who are very interested in this field. Here we are visiting and learning about both the Chester and Blandford Water Treatment Plants.
Next week's College and Career Fairs
Our College and Career Fair for all high school students will be held on Oct. 26th from 8am - 10am. We will have several college representatives here to talk to students about their programs and schools. We will also have representatives from many industries, armed forces, and businesses to talk about the career opportunities available.
Also, St. Mary's in Westfield is having a college fair with 92 colleges on Oct. 26 as well. This fair is in the evening from 6-7:30pm at St Mary's. Gateway students and their families are welcome to attend.
Fun in Fifth Grade at Chester
The Littleville Holiday Bazaar is Back!
Come join us for a fun-filled day of crafts, food, and community building on Saturday, November 19th from 10am - 3pm in the halls of Littleville Elementary School. Events for this day will include: crafts, a variety of vendors with items for sale, a silent auction, raffles, a bake sale and baked potatoes and homemade hot soups for lunch
If you are a crafter or a vendor and would like to join us, please contact Anne Fisk at afisk@grsd.org for a registration form. Act quickly as spaces are limited and filling up fast.
We hope to see you there! 😊
GRSD SPED Parent Advisory Council
The Gateway Regional School District's SPED Parent Advisory Council met on Wednesday, October 19th. Topics included the parent advisory council and how we can support and assist you and your children. We are an advisory group to the school administrators, school officials and the school committee. We offer advice and resources to anyone navigating the special education process, regardless of their child's 504 or IEP status. For a meeting reminder send a quick RSVP email to Sepac_Chair@GRSD.org
Our Mission
To support and assist exceptional children in the Gateway Regional School District to reach their full potential. We offer guidance and resources to anyone with a child in special education.
Join us!
We are looking for one parent from each class to join us so that we can share new opportunities to all our families. Even a few minutes per month would help tremendously. Make a difference at Gateway!
Contact Sepac_Chair@GRSD.org for more information or to join our email list for updates.
Hope to see you at our next meeting! Our rules are simple, No one apologizes for arriving late or leaving early. Come if you can.
Did you know that we have a VIP Program at Gateway?
We are proud to announce that Gateway has opened up our program for students that are blind or visually impaired to students outside the district. The goal and mission of the program is to bring high quality opportunities to students who are blind or visually impaired within a nurturing, accepting educations environment. The program is intended to integrate students into a mainstream academic experience as full as possible and to challenge them to succeed as 21st century learners, thinkers and citizens.
We believe that students who are bind or visually impaired, including those with multiple disabilities, deserve an outstanding educational experience that meets their needs in academics, social opportunities, extra curricular participation, college/career readiness, and support for specific learning needs unique to this populations.
A unique advantage to this program is that the district currently has a full-time dually-certified TVI and COMS on staff, as well as a full-time trained braillist and several trained support paraprofessionals.
We currently have students from our district as well as students that apply and tuition in from neighboring districts.
Drive to help fill the Village Closet's satellite site at Gateway
The 7th grade Service Learning Class stepped up to the plate to help and is holding a drive through the end of October. Items on their wishlist include:
- deodorant
- new underwear/boxers
- new socks
- showering essentials
Please donate if you can. There is a box in the lobby for donations. Thank you in advance.
Attendance phone calls are back!
If you receive phone calls that are erroneous, please reach out to your school to report them. Please remember that all contact information relies on the accuracy of your information in PowerSchool. If your child was at Gateway last year and you have not completed your Returning Student Online Registration (see above) please do so ASAP so that we have correct phone numbers and other information for you. If you have already completed your registration or are new to the district, please log in to Powerschool and check your contact information to ensure it is accurate. If you have any questions or concerns please email the technology department at technology-department@grsd.org. Thank you!
What's happening in the community?
Trunk or Treat in Huntington
Trunk or Treat will be held from 5-6, Saturday, October 22nd in conjunction with the Huntington Fire Association's Bonfire next to the library. If you're interested in hosting a trunk, email the Huntington Recreation Dept. at recreation@huntingtonma.us.
Middlefield's Halloween Trick-or-Treat night will be held Saturday, Oct. 29 from 5-7. This same night and time Azure Green, 16 Bell Road Middlefield, will also be providing snacks and tables for families to gather, neighbors to chat, and for kids to play. Costumes are encouraged.
Drive-in movie and trick or treating in Huntington on Halloween night BTA Auto in Huntington is again having it's drive-in movie - The Charlie Brown Halloween movie and trick or treating on site. The movie starts at 6pm.
Middlefield Public library, in conjunction with The Children's Support Network, has set up a story walk of the book "Different Kinds of Hurts: Isaac's Story" along the walkway leading into the Middlefield Library. Any child who explores the story walk and also borrows a book can go to the treasure box and bring home a prize! Library hours are Monday 1-6, Tuesday 1-4, Wednesday 5:30-8 and Saturday 9-12.
October activities at the Russell Library
Are you a young, too young at heart Russell resident? Do you love raffles with great prizes? Come to the Russell Public Library for our “Rebooting our Russell Readership Raffle,” from October 1st through October 21st and receive a raffle ticket for every book you check out. The more books you read the more tickets you get toward gift cards, earbuds, Legos and more. Winners will be drawn at our "Creepy, Crawly Fall" event October 22nd
Parents, please join us with your little ones ages 1-5 every Tuesday at 11:00 AM or Thursday at 1:00 PM for "Merry Munchkins," an interactive story time with Ms. Dawne.
Kids join us from 4-5 pm on Wednesdays through October for fun Face paints. Choose a design and read or play a game at the library while you wait to be transformed with face paint by Ms. Dawne. Take that book home and earn a ticket to our fabulous raffle.
Families drop into the library for our "Creepy, Crawly Fall" event on Saturday, October 22nd between 10:00- 12:00. There will be stories and facts about bats and spiders, Creepy Crawly Crafts and face painting. Winners for the "Rebooting our Russell Readership Raffle” will be drawn at noon.
- Adults sign up at the Russell Public Library for Pastel Drawing with Greg Maichack on Thursday, November 17th at 6:30 pm . All materials and instruction will be provided to create a piece of art worthy of framing.
The Snowflake Holiday Craft Fair is back in Chester
This wonderful Holiday Craft Fair will be returning to the Chester Town Hall on Saturday, November 5th from 9am - 3pm.
GYAA Sports, Games, Sign-ups and Events
Soccer:
There are no GYAA rec. soccer games this weekend due to the holiday.
Basketball:
Gateway Youth Athletic Association (GYAA) has opened registration for suburban basketball. The suburban basketball league is the competitive travel team. The season starts in November and runs into early March. Registration is open for boys and girls, grades five through eight. If interested visit the GYAA website ( https://clubs.bluesombrero.com/gatewayyaa ) or the GYAA Facebook page for registration links.
The recreational basketball program for kindergarten through sixth will open soon. For questions or comments contact Nick Balboni at nick_balboni@yahoo.com.
What's GYAA and who runs it?
Gateway Youth Athletic Association is a distinctly volunteer, non-profit organization serving the towns of the Gateway Regional School District. We offer programs in soccer and basketball at both the recreational and competitive levels. Volunteers for the executive board and coaching positions are always needed.
Coming Up!
Contact Info!
Chester Elementary School:
Principal Vanna Maffuccio vmaffuccio@grsd.org
Littleville Elementary School:
Principal Andrew Samuelson asamuelson@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