Greetings!
I hope everyone enjoyed a nice snowy weekend. It is finally starting to feel like winter in New England.
As we turn the page from 2023 into 2024, I wanted to share some of the awesome things that took place during the month of December. We had our annual Reindeer Games for the high school and our newly annual Snowperson Games for the middle school (pictures below). Our band and chorus were incredible in their concerts. The Middle School PTO had a very successful movie night that brought in many students and families from the community.
This month, Semester 1 is coming to an end. The week of January 22-January 26 will be midterms/final in the high school and the start of Semester 2. Students should be able to see their Semester 2 schedule on PowerSchool. If there are any problems, please see either Ms. Johnson (A-K) or Ms. Allen (L-Z).
We have a new staff member joining our middle school. Mrs. Jessica Barrett will be taking over as the middle school, school adjustment counselor. She started last week and we are thrilled to have her! Welcome Mrs. Barrett!
Calling Attendance Line:
If your student is going to be out of school, please be sure to call the attendance line at 413-685-1100. It is very helpful for us to know when a student is going to be out so we can update attendance more efficiently. Attendance calls go out at 9:00am from the school if your student is absent. If you call in an absence you will not receive this call.
Lost and Found:
Our lost and found is very full of hoodies, water bottles, hats, gloves, and more. If your student left something behind at school, please encourage them to stop by the lost and found located in the front lobby.
Important Notes and Upcoming Events:
-On January 4, VIP students celebrated World Braille Day! Students at the elementary and middle schools participated in learning about World Braille Day. Ms. Mason and 6th grader Sophia Zenchenko visited Mr. Rotenberg's grade 5 classroom and Mrs. Hyjek's grade 2 classroom to talk about Louis Braille, the Frenchman who developed the braille code for reading and writing we use today. Braille is based on a system used by the French army in the 1800s. Students had an opportunity to try writing out braille dots, learned about how people can read and write braille, and had a chance to get their names written out in braille on a Perkins brailler. We also got to talk about how languages all over the world have developed braille writing systems unique to their countries.
-On January 13th, Mrs Sullivan will venture to Boston with 6, 8th graders representing each of our district towns for the start of their year as an ambassador for Project 351.
-A team of 8 Gateway staff are headed to CA and AZ on January 22nd to visit a few innovative schools for the BARR Grant.
-The Culture Committee is organizing a student led presentation and discussion for students at the middle level that will be taught by middle and high school students.
-A team, led by Anne-Marie Fant is meeting Jan. 8 to begin planning this year’s open house on March 7, with the goal of creating a full community event.
Please make sure that students are charging their chromebooks at home or bringing their chargers to school. Most of our classes use computers regularly, so students need to be able to use their technology.
If you have questions please do not hesitate to reach out to me, at wsullivan@grsd.org or 413-685-1109, or Interim Assistant Principal Crawford at kcrawford@grsd.org.
Best,
Dr. Sullivan, Interim Principal
Important dates this month
-Half day on Tuesday, January 16
-Middle/High School Council Thursday, January 18
-Midterms 1/22-1/26
-PTO Meeting Wednesday, January 24
Past Editions
December Newsletter
November Newsletter
October Newsletter
September Newsletter
