Gateway Family News

Friday, November 1st

LIF + Advisory Bell Schedule

Monday, October 28th - Friday, November 8th

ASB Fundraiser

Monday, November 4th

No School - Conferences

Tuesday, November 5th

No School - Conferences

Friday, November 8th

Early Release Bell Schedule - ASB Read-A-Thon

Monday, November 11th

No School - Veteran's Day

Friday, November 15th

LIF + Advisory Bell Schedule

Friday, November 22nd

LIF + Advisory Bell Schedule

Monday, November 25th

Fall Band Concert - Gateway Gym 7:00 - 8:00pm

Wednesday, November 27th - Friday, November 29th

No School - Thanksgiving Break including Native American Heritage Day

As we prepare for our Veterans Day assembly, we’d love to honor family and friends in the U.S. military. If you have a loved one who has served, please consider sending us a photo along with their Name, Branch of Service, Dates of Service, and Rank (if known). Please send all submissions by Wednesday, November 13th to Mrs. Weaver at: pweaver@everettsd.org

Thank you for helping us recognize and celebrate those who have served our country!

The Year-Round Updates (YRU) Form, previously known as the Short Update Form, is now available for families to complete in the Home Access Center. Guardians and parents can access the YRU Form from November through June to complete essential updates, including:

• Signing annual agreement forms
• Updating Guaranteed Admissions Release to colleges/universities
• Updating release to ASB/Athletics
• Changing contact priority order
• Removing emergency contacts

More than a meal! There is an 8.25% increase in the threshold to help address the challenges of inflation. Families that meet designated income levels may qualify for more than just free meals.

1. Increased funding to support student education
2. Additional funding for technology and discounts for internet and some utilities
3. Waived fees for extracurricular activities (ASB card and athletic fees)
4. Free healthy, nutritious student meals
5. We also have financial assistance available for things that are not waived. Please reach out to Mrs. Seifert or your student's counselor if you have any questions.

If your student has a Provider One card, they qualify for Free & Reduced lunch. Please complete this online form to complete the paperwork.

Is your student missing a lunch box, jacket, umbrella, etc.? Our Lost & Found bin is getting very full. Please have your student check for any missing items!

The lost & found is located near the doors that lead out to the bus loop.

Students should not be using their cell phone or smart watch for texting while they are in the building. Please do not text your student to let them know you are dropping something off or are here to pick them up while they are in school.

Middle School Winter 1 Sports start in November! Now is the time for your student to start thinking about whether they want to participate in Boys Basketball, Girls Volleyball, or Soccer.

Winter 1 Sports

• Soccer tryouts started on November 6th

• Boys Basketball and Girls Volleyball tryouts start on November 12th

Students can register for sports at any time during the school year, so they can also look ahead to the following sports and select them now in Final Forms:

Winter 2

• Girls Basketball starts on January 21st

• Wrestling starts on February 19th

Spring

• Track & Field starts on April 14th

If you haven't already, please have your student get their physical done now - it is valid for 2 years. Register your athlete now on FinalForms. If you don't have an account in FinalForms, follow the directions in the Parent Play Book to create your account, register your student(s), and sign your forms. Your student will also need a current physical on file, which can be uploaded directly to FinalForms. If your student is already registered, be sure to check your student's email for messages from FinalForms that may require their attention.

There is an activity bus available at 5:00 PM for students who need a ride home. Students can sign up at the Office if they need to ride the Sports Activity Bus. If you have any questions about Sports at Gateway, please contact Peggy Trachte, our Athletic Secretary, at 425-385-6604 or mtrachte@everettsd.org.

Course fees were assigned in InTouch, and have automatically converted to fines if they were not paid:

• Band Fee, Choir Fee, Orchestra Fee - $20.00 (per school year)
• Art 6, 7, 8 Fee - $10.00 (per Semester - fees for students in Semester 2 Art won't show up until sometime in February)

The easiest way to make a payment is online via InTouch. Instructions are below, but they are also on the InTouch login screen:

Log into InTouch using your student's ID number
Click on your student’s name
On the next screen, under your student's name, you will see in red your student has $amount in unpaid fines/fees.
Click on the red "View" button
Click on “Buy” to add the item(s) to your cart that you would like to purchase
You can then continue on to finalize the checkout process

For other items listed above for purchase, once you are logged in, click on "Items at Students School." ASB cards are under the category for Registration/Orientation, and some of the other items are only available to purchase in the Main Office. Please reach out to the Main Office 425-385-6600 if we can help navigate this. We also accept cash/check in the Main Office. Please bring exact change if it is cash please!

*The final round of Yearbook sales will happen sometime around Winter Break. We will notify families when they are available.*

Amazing work to our 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students from last year, and to each of their teachers and the entire support staff!

Every grade exceeded the State of Washington and Everett Public Schools average assessment scores in ELA, Math, and Science! Gateway continues to rank in the top 25 middle schools in the state! Thanks Gateway Family!

If you drop your student off after the 8:10 late bell, students must check in through the main office. If they do not come in with a note, the tardy will not be excused.

We know that middle school students are still young and learning routines. We know that sometimes students forget items such as lunches or instruments. We will not interrupt classes to deliver items, as it creates a distraction to the learning environment. There is a cart to drop labeled items off to students outside the front door. Thank you for your understanding!

At Gateway, we encourage students to be present in class every day possible so that they can maximize the learning they get in our classes.

Curriculum in content areas is planned out in advance, and teachers adjust their instruction based on the responses of students from day to day. So, while teachers know what they will be teaching from week to week, they may not have completely solidified all of the supporting instructional activities and materials in time to prepare a packet in advance of your trip. Teachers use a Canvas Page or other electronic storage method and will share activities for all students equally. Any summatives/assessments will made-up upon return. We know it is your hope that you would be able to get materials prior to your trip to help minimize the impact on you student’s absence, unfortunately a packet of work likely will not off-set the missing instructional experiences in the classroom.

Furthermore, upon their return to class, your student will inevitably be behind in the course because they have missed instructional experiences that cannot be replicated outside of the classroom setting. Students will have to seek extra help from friends or see teachers on available days. Teachers are not expected to re-teach the instructional components missed due to travel.

By policy, the principal may excuse up to 5 days of pre-arranged absences per year for travel. Additional days will not be excused. Per state law, students missing more than 20 consecutive days will be withdrawn from school until they return.

Mr. Bennett, Principal

Ms. Renee, Assistant Principal

Gateway Instructional Leadership Team

The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Department is excited to share that eligible students can receive free year-long haircuts through the Kutz 4 Kidz program! This incredible program is sponsored by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Snohomish County and the Coverson Family.

Who’s eligible?
Kutz 4 Kidz supports homeless, low-income families, and students receiving free or reduced lunch, with a special focus on African American students and those facing economic hardships.

How to get vouchers?
Visit your school’s front office or speak to your school counselor, family specialist, or KIT coordinator for more information.

Students will complete the Panorama SEL survey. Please click here for parent information.

We are using a new communication platform that should help streamline communication to families. Here is a link on our website with more info Parents Overview / ParentSquare (everettsd.org). ParentSquare is a great tool that helps our district, schools, and families stay connected. It makes it easy to communicate in different languages, sends quick notifications, and has a single newsfeed for all important updates. If you want to have the app on your phone, there are QR codes below to scan.

Please complete your Annual Update ASAP!

The Annual Update must be completed every year to ensure your student's information is correct and current, including:

• Contact information for student, guardians and emergency contacts
• Priority setting of contacts
• Health and transportation updates
• Agreements, document updates, etc.

Even if you haven't had any changes, please login to review and submit.

The online process is quick and easy. Simply sign into Home Access Center (HAC). Click here to sign in to HAC. The image below displays how you will find the Annual Updates: under Registration, Update Enrollment...

..., and then click start next to the 2024-2025 Annual Student Update Form.

If you need your HAC login info, send an email to LMS@everettsd.org with your name, student name(s), student ID# and school they attend. They will respond with your login/password by email.

This link Annual Update in Home Access Center includes further instructions on completing the Annual Update.

Everett Public Schools Board of Directors adopted a policy on use of Personal Electronic Devices in 2019.

Elementary and Middle School Students

Elementary and middle school students who choose to bring cell phones and other PEDs to school may only use them before or after the school day. During the school day, all cell phones and other PEDs must be powered off and stored (e.g., in the student’s backpack, locker, other district provided storage). Please click here to access the policy.

Parents, if you need to reach your student, please contact the office. We regularly have parents sending text messages to students during the school day. This is a distraction to learning for your student and sometimes those around them, and sometimes disrupts teaching as well. If your student is not feeling well, they should report to the health office and we will notify you. If a family emergency arises, please call the office and we will assist in retrieving your student.

We do not allow use of PEDs at anytime. ChromeBooks should only be used for academic purposes. To reduce the duration students are on screens and to encourage socialization, school ChromeBooks are not allowed to be used during lunchtime, unless a student is in the library or working with a staff member on schoolwork.

As a parent, we always want to protect our students. If you have a concern, please take a look at the district policy on HIB. If you need to report a concern, please click here.

District Policy 3204 P

As defined in legislation, “Harassment, intimidation or bullying” means any intentional electronic, written, verbal, or physical act including but not limited to, one shown to be motivated by any characteristic in RCW 28A.640.010 and RCW 28A 642.010, or other distinguishing characteristics, when the act:

A. Physically harms a student or damages the student’s property;

B. Has the effect of substantially interfering with a student’s education;

C. Is so severe, persistent, or pervasive that it creates an intimidating or threatening educational environment; or

D. Has the effect of substantially disrupting the orderly operation of the school.

HAC (Home Access Center) is Everett School District's official gradebook. No other platform has official grades. Teachers should update this platform every two weeks. You will find that most teachers update more often. Click here to access your students grades.

Google Classroom may be used by teachers to turn in assignments and give students feedback. Teachers may grade in this platform, but the grade is not official, unless it is placed in the HAC gradebook. Teachers that use this platform will send a link to the students in their classroom.

Canvas has multiple purposes. One of these purposes is to allow students to keep up with their work when absent. If your child is ever absent, please check this platform to see what your student has missed. Teachers may have students submit work on this platform, but once again the final grade will be placed in LMS. Click here to find out how you can access Canvas.

Please take a moment to review the Student Handbook with your student. All students are expected to follow the expectations outlined in the handbook. When your student signs into their laptop, they are agreeing to these expectation.

Have a tech issue, please place a request for support by clicking here.

Need to change a password? Click here.

Want to check your student's grades? Click here.

​Our Mission: The PTSA strengthens our schools and benefits our children. Gateway PTSA provides programs and activities that enhance the educational opportunities of Gateway’s students, teachers, and the surrounding community. Gateway PTSA is an advocate for all students attending Gateway Middle School and Everett Public Schools.

Please consider joining our PTA (link was updated, PTSA is using Givebacks starting this year). Attendance at meetings is not required, but your support allows our students to have more opportunities. Click this link to find out more information! Click here to order Gateway spirit gear!