The EduGator
October 2nd, 2026
Dear GRSD team,
A whirlwind of weeks as October arrives! I don't know about you but I am very glad to see the sun today; the return of fall leaves is also one of my favorite times of year. I also loved this "growing" themed board I saw at Chester Elementary last night.
Congrats to Chester and Littleville on joyful, well-attended Open Houses last night, and many thanks to all staff who supported our students and families to get to know our schools even better. I know we'll have a great event at GRS next week as well!
Many thanks to all of you who provided feedback formally and informally on our professional development sessions last week. We learned that safe and engaging conversations occurred to lay the groundwork for our focus on addressing hate and bias across the district, and that our team would like to move next into learning about disrupting toxic speech. Please look forward to more information about next steps soon. Our Instructional Assistants had important learning opportunities as well, and provided insight into what would be most helpful next, which we'll try to integrate into our 1/2 day on 10/27.
Below you'll see our School Committee agenda for 10/7/26. Our GRS Principal Search Committee will kick off next week. It is a bustling time of year!
The Gateway Education Foundation is off to an awesome start, awarding 2 grants to teachers to enrich student learning experiences. Congratulations to Michael Marchetti, GRS, who was awarded $750 to build a comic book library! Also congrats to Chris Mosher, GRS, who will have $1450 to defray costs for 8th grade students who attend the annual overnight field trip to Boston. Well done! If you are interested in applying for a GEF grant, click here.
All that we have to celebrate as a community depends on you and the commitment you demonstrate, every day, to building the Connected Culture we want students and staff to feel when they show up each morning. Thanks so much for all you do,
Melissa
Shout out to:
- Taylor Simpson has been going out of her way and collaborate to support some challenging kiddos and meet them where they are at! - Kylie Crawford
- Many thanks to Kurt Zinnack for setting me up with an incredibly helpful tool that will save me time and energy! - Todd Gazda
October 6: GRS Home Cross Country Meet
October 7: Boys Soccer Home Game
October 7, 6:00 pm: Policy Subcommittee Meeting
October 7, 7:00 pm: School Committee Meeting
October 8: GRS Open House
October 12: NO SCHOOL
- Joan Tuttle, Director of Accountability & Grants
- Val Zeh, Assistant Principal
- Jen Jakubasz, Parent, School Secretary
- Jessica Armitage, School Adjustment Counselor
- Alexis Batra, Spanish Teacher
- Ben Just, 8th grade teacher
- Karen Leis, Instructional Assistant, GEA Executive Board Member
- Jennifer Pappas, Parent, School Committee Member
- Jessica Martel, Parent
- Melissa Green, Parent
- Jason Ballou, Parent
- Avery Grant, Student
- Connor Bryant, Student
Our first meeting will focus on desired capacities, available candidates, and interview plans.
At the GRS Open House, I will be soliciting input on desired characteristics of our next principal from families in attendance.
Free Classroom Tool for QUIET
Check this screen out, at this link, students earn animals for working quietly, and animals disappear if they get too loud. https://www.shysafari.com/. Thanks, Linda Hyjek, for the option.
Amplify Free Educator Webinars
There’s still time to save your seat for our upcoming Educator Quarterly Professional Learning sessions! Sessions kick off next week, starting Oct. 5. October is Master Planning and Pacing to discover time-saving strategies, review essential planning practices, and learn how to comfortably manage your pacing to enhance student outcomes. Connect with other educators and unlock the full potential of your Amplify program. (And don’t forget to submit your questions for our facilitators when you sign up!)
Free iReady Support
- September 29, 2026, 9:30am: Kickstart Success by Analyzing Fall i-Ready Inform Data
- November 10, 2026, 9:30am: Best Practices to Support Personalized Instruction
- January 20, 2027, 9:30am: Find Mid-Year Momentum with your i-Ready Inform Data
- June 8, 2027, 9:30am: Wrapping Up with Purpose: Using your Spring i-Ready Inform Data
Register here: i-Ready Northeast Virtual Year of Support . Access recordings since the times make it difficult to attend.
High-Quality PD Courses on Inclusive Practice! Earn PDPs or Graduate Credit
MA DESE sponsors two Foundations for Inclusive Practice courses: one for Educators and one for Administrators. These engaging, self-paced online courses offer interactive activities, videos, readings, and other resources for professional learning. You can earn 15 PDPs in "effective schooling for students with disabilities and instruction of students with diverse learning styles," which are required for renewing a professional license. It’s free to take the course for PDPs, and you can start anytime. You also have the option to enroll for one graduate credit for a cost of $250. Registration for the Fall Semester graduate credit option is due Friday, September 25, 2026. If you have questions, contact Amy at abrodesky@edc.org.
Early Literacy Book Club (for $$$ and learning)
Pioneer Valley Early Literacy Consortium is offering a book club you can join if you are a PreK-3 teacher. Key points:
- Meet virtually Tuesday, Nov. 10 and Wed. Dec. 9, both sessions are from 4:00-5:00
- Book: Next Steps in Literacy Instruction By Deb Glaser and Susan M. Smartt
- The book looks closely at the 5 Pillars of reading and matches assessments to them.
- Receive the book for free
- Earn 10 PDPs and a $200 stipend if full attendance and completion of activities
- Must submit a final product: Write about the results of an assessment you administered to a student
Access free, nonpartisan, standards-aligned resources from iCivics. From a ready-to-use lesson for tomorrow, a quick bell ringer to kick off a new topic, or a game to reinforce learning, they’ll find practical materials to bring civic concepts to life.
A free educator account unlocks lesson materials, including teacher guides, student readings, and classroom activities, with instructions to help teachers put them to use.
DESE AI Resources
The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) offers a growing collection of resources to help educators and school leaders navigate artificial intelligence thoughtfully and responsibly. The Artificial Intelligence in K–12 Schools resource hub includes Massachusetts Guidance for AI in K-12 implementation and policy development, an AI Literacy for Educators course with a certificate-of-completion option, recorded webinars, and ready-to-use facilitation guides and slides for professional learning. Educators can also explore curated resources focused on AI readiness, classroom integration, accessibility, data privacy, academic integrity, policy development, and AI literacy instruction.
Learn to Live Webinars
The Price of Silence: How to Talk About Your Mental Health: If you are struggling with anxiety, depression, or a related concern, you know that is when you feel the least like discussing what you are going through. Join us as we discuss effective strategies, guidance in seeking help, and ways we can support those close to us who may be struggling.
Friday, October 9 th : 11-11:30am CT/12-12:30pm ET
Public Speaking: What to Do When the Spotlight’s on You: Does the thought of stepping up to the podium make your heart race? Whether it’s presenting in front of a crowd or just speaking up in a small meeting - the fear of public speaking is such a common human experience. In this webinar, the Learn to Live Clinical Team will discuss why you may fear public speaking and equip you with powerful tools to communicate in the spotlight without getting pushed around by fear.
Tuesday, October 13 th : 12-12:30pm CT/1-1:30pm ET
Finding Hope and Healing in the Face of Trauma: Hard things happen in life and sometimes, when we get knocked down, it’s harder to get back on our feet than we would like. We’ll explain the commonly used terms ‘trauma’ and ‘PTSD’ and how they impact our lives. The Preparation and Growth Model will be introduced, and we’ll share important steps for healing in the face of trauma and strategies to build resilience should challenges come your way.
Friday, October 16 th : 12-12:30pm CT/1-1:30pm ET
*NEW* Conquering Financial Stress: Proven Tools for Resilience: Financial stress isn't just a money problem. From our sleep and relationships to our ability to think clearly and solve problems, financial concerns can significantly interfere with our mental and emotional health. In this webinar, our clinical team will explore the psychological challenges that can arise from difficult financial situations and how we can take advantage of Learn to Live's online programs to overcome pressing concerns and develop powerful coping skills for the future.
