Instructional Vision at Open House
With elementary open houses this week and high school now on October 10 (the date switched from October 3 being Rosh Hashanah), we will be using this opportunity to introduce the instructional vision to families.
The student interns on the Barr School teams will be asking families to fill out a feedback form about our instructional vision. Once a family completes the form, they will be given a $10 amazon gift card (one per household) on the spot. The students will have a big banner with the instructional vision, a stack of feedback forms, pens, and the gift cards.
Please encourage families to visit the student interns and give feedback about the Instructional Vision at Open House.
The Student Interns are:
Littleville: Ana Holmes and Erica Madru
Chester: Vendi Keier and Tricia Thieme
Gateway Regional School: Jesse Balboni and Amelia Steward-Frey
These students were selected out of a large number of applicants, so please welcome them to your team!
Lockdown Drill Reminders
Sometime this week, we will have a lockdown drill.
Here are the recommended steps to a successful drill our state police partners:
- Do a quick peek and call any known and trusted students/staff in from the hallway (vocalize “LOCK-DOWN DRILL! LOCK-DOWN DRILL!”)
- Lock and close the classroom doors promptly.
- Ensure that the students are staged in the room’s safe spot in a posture that they can move from readily such as standing, kneeling, or crouching. Please do NOT have the students sitting on the ground or under their desks.
- Turn off all sources of light (including monitors/projectors/etc.)
- Close blinds and shades (where available) in addition to closing and locking any windows.
- Teachers should also be poised for quick movement. At least one teacher per room should be on their feet and in closer proximity to the classroom door then their students.
- Take attendance when the circumstances permit.
- Refrain from answering a knock or request to open your door.
- Remain vigilant.
- Be ready to MOVE!
- Be ready to ACT!
- Constantly RE-ASSESS your circumstances!
Thank you.
Attn: Educators with Emergency License and on Waivers
Westfield State University (WSU) and Mass College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) have been working to build out resources for individuals working under Emergency Licenses. DESE has entrusted the Western Mass Regional center to us and we are looking forward to supporting the many schools and districts in our area.
Here is the DESE page if you are looking for more information: https://www.doe.mass.edu/edeffectiveness/regional-centers/default.html and our webpage is: https://www.westfield.ma.edu/WesternMassRegionalCenter
We are pleased to share that we have an extensive selection of MTEL workshops designed to support your emergency licensure educators (ELE) at no cost to the individuals. In the brochure attached to this email, you will find many workshops highlighted and a clickable link taking you to our website where the workshops are listed. You will also find an intake survey which will allow us to send a personalized selection of resources to your ELEs. This way, they only receive resources relevant to the license they are pursuing.
We also have hired a collection of coaches to offer support to ELE's as we know the challenges of navigating the process of licensure. We look forward to connecting them with individuals and supporting your districts in keeping these fantastic educators.
Last Chance! Site Visit Sign Up Link
As we discussed at the district professional development day, the Barr Foundation and other grants will be allocated for staff professional development through exceptional site visits to other schools that have high quality instruction for us to observe.
When planning trips, the district (through Barr and other grants) will fund your accommodations including food, travel to and from the location, as well as single occupancy hotel accommodations.
In return, we ask that you fully commit to the process which may include participating in pre and post trip meetings, student shadowing, and reflections, be present for the trip in order to get lots of great ideas from the schools that are allowing us to "peek under their hood", and be ready to implement new ideas and present to your colleagues about your learning from these experiences.
Here is a link to sign up for the site visits. If you signed up at the end of the year last year, you don't need to sign up again. However, you can fill out the form again if you wish.
Please sign up by October 1 so we can begin planning these awesome opportunities!
Gateway Education Foundation Learning Fund Application available!
As presented on the district PD day, the Gateway Education Foundation has its application for the fall round of mini-grants available now!
What is it? Free money for enrichment activities!
How do you get it? An easy application!
What’s the catch? There isn’t one–you just have to submit photos and an impact statement (a couple of sentences)
Each school has a liaison if you have questions.
Here is the link: Fall Funds for Learning Application
Mass Cultural Council Grant Available
If you have a project in mind, you may want to consider applying for a Mass Cultural Council Grant!
Creative Projects for Schools supports creative learning experiences in the arts, sciences, and humanities where K-12 students can uncover hidden talents, discover and express their own ideas, build confidence, explore the natural world, and connect to their history and community.
The program provides one-year grants of $5,000 to fund school-based projects for students taking place between September 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025.
How to Apply
Review the program guidelines below, the Frequently Asked Questions, and a sample application (PDF).
Register for an information session on September 10 and September 12. Drop-in on virtual office hours to ask staff questions. One-on-one support is also available.
Learn more about requesting an accommodation for accessibility or requesting translation services.
Create a user profile or login to your account in the grants management system. (See details under ‘Grants Management System’ below.)
Complete the online application which opens on September 5, 2024 and submit it by 11:59pm (ET) on October 10, 2024.
PLCs offered through the Collaborative for Educational Services
The Collaborative for Educational Services is offering a number of opportunities for PLCs. Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) are for any educator in a school setting in Massachusetts. They are a place for educators to share in problems of practice, develop ideas, and learn together on developments in the field.
Our PLCs are very participant-driven and session dates (after the first) as well as topics will be decided by the group with the facilitator(s). PDPs, depending on the attendance and assignment specifications for each PLC, may be available.
Offerings starting this fall are:
- AI in the Classroom PLC
- Art PLC
- Bridging to Belonging: Working with Polarization in Schools PLC
- Early Childhood Educators PLC
- Educators of ELLs PLCS
- ELA Educators PLC
- Empowering Health/PE Educators PLC
- Ethnic Studies Educators PLC
- Foreign Language Educators PLC
- Librarian PLC
- Math Educators PLC
- N8tive Education Practices PLC
- Social Studies & Civics Educators PLC
- Tech in Ed Community of Practice
See attached flier for information on how to enroll.
Free PDP/CEU Professional Development Opportunities through Mass Partnership For Youth
If you are looking to earn PDPs, CEUs, or just engage in some additional learning, Gateway has a membership to the Massachusetts Partnership for Youth! They offer a number of supportive webinars and conferences that are free since we have a membership.
If you are interested in reviewing the different options for courses, you can check out the website here:
https://massachusettspartnershipsforyouth.com/
If you are interested in enrolling in any of the workshops, you can create a profile at this link and then register for the course.
A few things to note:
- This form is to create an account only; it does not register users for webinars or conferences.
- Users must enter their work email addresses. Members who use personal email addresses will be notified their accounts have been removed and they must re-register with the school email address.
- Once all the required information is entered, at the bottom click on “Register.” Please
leave the "Login" section blank.
You will then be logged into your account. To register for a webinar or conference, use the "Webinars & Conferences" tab at the top of the website.
Reminder: Staff Laptop Insurance
We will be offering a staff laptops repair deductible again this year for $50 per device for teacher/faculty MacBook Air and HP laptops. As in the past, this deductible will cover accidental damages as well as manufacturer defects. Staff who decline to contribute towards to deductible will be responsible for all costs associated with repairs to their devices. Staff who would like to opt in should write a check made out to GRSD by October 4 and give to Technology Director Chris Parker.
Para chromebook insurance will be free of charge.
A message from the School Based Health Center
Flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses that infect the nose, throat, and sometimes the lungs. It can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death.
The best way to prevent flu is by getting a flu vaccine each year. Flu vaccine is available at the School Based Health Center. High dose vaccine for those 65 and older is also available upon request. Call or stop in today to get your immunization or for more information. School ext. 2134 or (413) 667-0142.
Although flu season lasts for months, experts say it’s best to get a flu vaccine by the end of
October.
