The EduGator

Dear GRSD team,

Well, we still haven't had a 5 day week, but this week has been very full! I hope we are all readying for a full week soon. Thanks to Littleville for the Welcome image here, as our PreK and K students started this week and to Bob Dylan for my title line.

As you've learned this week, we are preparing for a leadership transition at Gateway Regional School. We are so grateful for Will's leadership and his impact on our whole community. Please see below for some of how you could be involved in next steps, if you are interested. I want to reinforce with everyone who receives this newsletter that forward progress at GRS will continue, and the ambitious risk-taking and learning that staff have embarked upon in that school is valued and should continue. We will not waver from the pursuit of rigorous, engaging instruction for all students, designed and delivered by our excellent team. That is a commitment from your School Committee and me, as we seek a successor to Will.

This week, I'll use some sections below to provide an update on School Committee and our budget, the principal hiring process at GRS, and a reminder of the importance of extreme vigilance with spam emails. Here, I'll just highlight a couple of opportunities:

• Our Professional Development Committee, composed of teachers, IAs, and administrators, is looking for 2 more GEA reps. If you are interested, please contact Jim Duggan, GEA President.
• We are consistently in need of subs for our day and evening security monitor positions. If you are an hourly employee who would be interested in subbing for those roles outside of your typical work day, please contact me directly. The pay is $22 per hour.
• Your 2026-2027 Mandated Training is an important expectation to fulfill before September 30, if you have not yet done so.

• The Gateway Education Foundation is eager to hear your ideas for grant funded projects! You are free to submit your application ANY TIME YOU HAVE AN IDEA! Last year GEF gave over just under $10,000 to teachers for special projects! Small projects, big ideas, they love to hear it all!

Please have a smooth end to your week,
Melissa

The Gateway Regional School District School Committee had their 1st regular meeting of 2026-2027 on September 9th. We welcomed 3 new members:

• Katherine McDonough, Blandford (and Chester parent)
• Elizabeth Canedy, Huntington
• Jakob Wyman, Montgomery

The committee conducted reorganization and Jason Forgue will remain Chair with Peter DeGregorio remaining vice-chair. We used this meeting to update the committee on our new hires, and same faces/ new places with existing staff. We also shared important budget updates. As many of you may be aware that there was a flurry of decision-making at the state level that we did not predict last spring. Please take a look at the Superintendent's Report for more information about what's changed since the budget passed. I'd highlight:

• Federal and state grants mainly came in lower than anticipated due to decisions and formulas determined elsewhere, leaving us with some FTEs and other expenses to cover.
• Chapter 70 funding came in slightly higher than anticipated. Additional Chapter 70 funding has been proposed by the Governor but not approved by the legislature.
• The biggest shift we saw was from a projected $652K in Rural School Aid to an allocation of $1.1M. As a reminder, Rural School Aid is funded differently each year, and so this is a benefit for 2026-2027 that we may not see again.
• As a result of the additional Rural School Aid, we will be able to replace some of the missing grant funding noted above; in other cases we will simply scale back our activities. We will not, however, return positions that were cut for FY2027, as there is no guarantee that we'll receive similar funding in future years.
• Instead, the Committee directed us to investigate which capital improvements - specifically replacing aged boilers at our schools - we might be able to fund with the additional revenue. Many of you have experienced the challenges of our aging physical plant and we could save money currently dedicated to servicing and repairing these items to use in more beneficial ways. We will keep the community informed on that process.

The next School Committee meeting is on October 7, 2026.

September 14, 4:30 pm: Boys JV and Varsity Soccer @home

September 14, 6:00 pm: Girls Varsity Soccer @home

September 15, 4:30 pm: Girls JV Soccer @home

September 17, 6:00 pm: Boys Varsity Soccer @home

September 21, 6:00 pm: Girls Varsity Soccer @home

September 22: 1/2 day for Professional Development

September 22, 3:45 pm: Boys and Girls Cross Country @home

September 24, 3:45 pm: Induction Session

We have posted for 2 positions in preparation for our GRS transition. An interim principal role is available to support our school as we conduct a deeper and more intentional search for a permanent principal. I anticipate that I will appoint the interim principal based on my review of the available applicants. Ideally, this person would serve for 4-8 weeks.

For the permanent principal role, we will engage as follows (this schedule and activities are subject to change):

• 1st 2 weeks: Position posting and selection of a hiring committee to make recommendations to the superintendent. If you are interested in serving on this committee, please let me know by September 16. Please be prepared that this committee may need to meet 3-5 times in the weeks noted below, after school, for the selection process. Applicants to this committee will be selected by the Superintendent to represent a diversity of experiences and viewpoints.
• Next 2 weeks: Hiring Committee completes review of applicants for determining interviewees and interviews candidates to determine finalists to be presented to community for feedback.
• Next 2-3 weeks: Selected finalists will appear for a public presentation/ Q & A with our community, after which the hiring committee will make recommendations to the Superintendent. I'll then decide how to move forward with an offer, transition planning, etc.

An anticipated start date for this role will depend greatly on the anticipated principal's contractual availability for transition.

Recent news of cyber attacks in Springfield and Everett are keeping me up at night! Alongside that (and maybe related) we, like districts across the state, are experiencing an unusually high volume of SPAM, so much so that we cannot alert the community to every SPAM email that intrudes (No, I am not asking for you to complete a form on your in-service hours). As a result, here are some reminders of how YOU can help us stay safe from malicious attacks:

• We are undertaking a review of laptops that are not regularly updating to the newest, safest operating systems (due to low memory) to determine how to address these situations. In anticipation of this, please reduce your use of your desktop for saving files and remove personal applications or accounts from your work computer. If this issue impacts your computer, we will be in touch.

• Notice the Details: When an email looks suspicious or seems, "off," check the email address it was sent from. If that person is not familiar, or doesn't match the name identified in the body of the email, take the next action below. Also, look for strange spellings or word use, attachments or links to open, etc.

• Practice the "Two-Channel" Verification Rule: If you receive an urgent request—even from your "boss" or a "family member"—verify it through a different app. Send a quick text or make a phone call to confirm. Never use the contact info provided inside the suspicious message. Kudos to Mary Plumley for using this one!

• Don’t "Unsubscribe" from Spam. If you receive a random, unsolicited email, or even one that's suspicious, clicking "Unsubscribe" often does more harm than good. It tells the scammer your email is active and you are someone who clicks links. Instead, mark the email as Spam or Junk and delete it. This trains your email provider to block similar messages for everyone.

Please know that your Tech team is working diligently to address the onslaught, and we are so grateful when you are able to assist us.

Amplify CKLA Tips for Pacing and Planning

Making progress through CKLA (or other!) lessons at a pace that best supports students is one of the main challenges I hear from our team. Consider these tips:

• Start with your pacing plan: Before each lesson, review the Primary Focus Objectives so you know your destination. You can't make good in-the-moment calls about what to prioritize if you don't know where you're headed.
• When time is tight, clip—don’t skip: Trim activities rather than cutting them, prioritizing what supports student mastery. For Read-Aloud comprehension questions, reduce the count while keeping a mix of question types tied to your Primary Focus Objectives. Use response formats—such as quick call-and-response, Think-Pair-Share, and written response—to use your time strategically.
• Use classroom management to your advantage (a teacher tip)! “ I keep a ring of image cards on my teacher lanyard with simple pictures of behavioral cues—sit criss-cross, finger to lips, eyes looking, turn and talk. During read-alouds, when little bodies get wiggly, I can flash a cue card without stopping. Students get a clear visual reminder, and I keep teaching seamlessly. ” - Kathe McCormick-Evans, Virginia teacher

Need an SEI Endorsement or EL Learning?

2026-27 School Mental Health Leadership Institute (SMHLI)

Applications are open for the 2026-27 School Mental Health Leadership Institute (SMHLI). In partnership with the Rennie Center for Education Research and Policy and the Massachusetts School Mental Health Consortium (MASMHC) and sponsored by Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth, Inc., this professional development series aims to help district- or school-based staff grow their capacity to act as both clinical mental health leaders and change agents for building a comprehensive school mental health system.

Student support specialists, school leaders, counselors, adjustment counselors, social workers, school psychologists, and others are all welcome. The SMHLI includes ten hours of professional development divided across five sessions. Participants who attend all five sessions will be eligible to receive PDPs. Together, these sessions will cover the essential elements of a school mental health system, such as establishing a student support team and implementing tiered interventions. In addition to these PD sessions, the Institute also includes a learning cohort that will bring together participants to apply what they learn. Each learning cohort will meet five times during the year, with opportunities for members to hear from each other, share successes, and troubleshoot ongoing challenges. Apply here: https://lnkd.in/gszbtPUU.

HCGIT Wellness Initative: Organize Your Life

The HCGIT Wellness Initiative's Organize Your Life Challenge starts on September 21! Getting organized is an investment in your mental health—taking just ten minutes to declutter can reduce stress, boost energy, and leave you feeling empowered! This challenge provides an opportunity for you to learn the art of organization and achieve a sense of order in several areas of your life. During the challenge, you will earn Wellable Points for being physically active and practicing six different Organization Exercises.

To get ready for the challenge, learn about organization and explore strategies to prevent feeling overwhelmed by the process. During the challenge, you will earn Wellable Points for practicing six different Organization Exercises, which can be found on the Bulletin Board in your Wellable Account. There are prizes!

Free Prescriptions

Hampshire County Group Insurance Trust offers two voluntary international pharmacy programs that allow eligible non-Medicare members to obtain certain medications at ZERO COST. Medications are shipped in the original, factory-sealed manufacturer's packaging directly to the member's mailbox from certified pharmacies in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Members pay nothing — the savings each program generates for the plan cover the full cost. Increased participation in these programs directly reduces prescription drug spend for the Trust, which helps stabilize rates for the Trust. Please see below for more details.