The Gates Newsletter
Volume XIII, Issue 4 Charting the course for excellence November 6, 2009
Scituate Public Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, or sexual orientation.
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Principal’s Corner
One of the groups in our building which does a consistently excellent job for our students and staff is our food service department. Ms. Louise Fitzgerald has been the kitchen/food service manager for several years at Gates and does a remarkable job with all the various duties this position demands. She is ably assisted by Ms. Denise Bowes and Ms. Christine Walker each day. This team serves hundreds of meals daily to our school community during three separate lunch periods, all within a tight time frame. So, students can order a regular lunch or submarine sandwich for $2.50, but also receive milk (3 choices), juice or fresh fruit, and a breadstick with their meals. There are snacks (of course!), but our emphasis now is on „healthy‟ snacks, such as the „100 calorie‟ snack packs, raisins and other products. As you know, regular lunches can range from pizza to chicken fajitas to nachos to a pasta selection. The menu changes daily and is available for your perusal online at our district website: www.scituate.k12.ma.us. It is important that a good selection of nutritious foods is available each day. There are always fresh salads, fresh fruit and various yogurts to choose from, and several of the dessert selections are made on the premises. There are also different snacks one can purchase, some of which are more nutritious than others. These include baked pretzels, potato chips, Rice Krispy treats, PowerAde, Fritos, etc. Water is always a good choice to quench thirsts. While many students partake in the regular lunch menu, there are also many students who are choosing to use their lunch money to purchase primarily (or exclusively) snacks. We are concerned that parents may not be aware of this. With 160 or so kids at each lunch, it may not be possible to monitor each child‟s food selection, but here are some proactive things we can do to discourage poor nutrition habits. Parents may purchase lunch „tickets‟ in advance, which are only good toward regular lunches and give no purchasing power for snacks. For example, one may purchase a 10-lunch ticket for $25.00, or any $25 increment ($50 for 20 lunches, etc). Each $2.50 ticket entitles the student to a lunch and milk. Also, we will continue to emphasize the short and long-term benefits of healthy eating habits in our Family & Consumer Science classes (7th and 8th grade) and in Health classes (both 7th/8th grades). Please check out our school website out at: www.scituate.k12.ma.us, under „schools‟, choose „Gates‟, and then click on „Teen Food and Fitness‟ under the left-hand column titled „Gates News & Announcements‟. This newsletter on healthy habits for teens is updated monthly, and has a wealth of information and useful tips about good nutrition for teens. Effective ways to help our students learn, gain confidence and stay fit include a sound nutritional program. Kids who are healthy do better in school. Thank you for encouraging your child to eat properly and to value a healthy lifestyle.
From the Literacy Corner
What is active reading? Every few years or so, different buzz words emerge. We now have MCAS, AYP, Process Writing, and Open-Response, to name a few. Active Reading is a term that you may now hear from your student when he/she is completing homework. You may ask your student, “What is your homework?” and the response may be, “I have to do active reading in my social studies textbook”. Active reading simply refers to responding to a text as you read it. It is the internal conversation you have in your head while you read a good book. For content area textbooks, active reading is reading the assigned pages and either answering questions, outlining, or taking specific notes as you read. Active reading can be looking at the headings, the words in bold, the main concepts and thinking about them and how they relate. Have you ever started reading something and then realized after a few minutes that you were not concentrating and you then had to read it again? Many students have not developed that internal mechanism or they simply want to finish their homework and just read the words, not the content. Asking students to actively read provides a way to slow their reading so that they can understand the text and the concepts. This then helps with the mastery of the content material. How can I support my student? Students should read first before they take notes, outline, answer questions, or complete worksheets. Students can read the assigned material in entirety and then go back and take notes or they can read part of the material, complete the notes, and then continue with the reading. Your student should not just search for the answer or take notes without first reading the material. When I ask students what their hardest class is in terms of reading, they always say Social Studies or Science. The text can be difficult if students don‟t actively read. I suggest to students to first try slowing down their reading to see if that helps or to read aloud quietly. Comprehension improves when a person sees and hears the word. Many times students will be a bit embarrassed to try this, but they then find that it definitely helps.
Student Government News:
Please review the dance rules in the Gates handbook with your child. Be reminded that if a student is not in school the day of a dance, he/she cannot attend. Dances are for Gates students only-not Scituate residents. Finally, if you need to pick up your child early, you must enter the gym and see an adult chaperone. You may not pick up another child along with your child unless it has been pre-approved. The cost for dances is $10.00. If you are experiencing financial difficulties, please contact a teacher of your child, a guidance counselor or Ms. Hendrickson and we will issue a free dance pass.
If you are interested in chaperoning a dance, you must contact Ms. Hendrickson prior to the dance to be sure more chaperones are needed. An assignment will be given to all chaperones by Ms. Hendrickson. All chaperones must have a CORY check prior to attending a dance. CORY forms are available in the Gates office.
Guidance Corner:
Interested in an Organization and Study Skills course for your 7th or 8th grader? Great program offered Wednesday afternoons at Gates. Session begins October 21. If interested, please contact Jen Fiske or visit www.corsefoundation.org South Shore Vocational Technical School comes to Gates: On November 5 & 6, all 8th graders met with Kate Schwabe, a guidance counselor from South Shore Vocational Technical School, to learn more about what it has to offer. We will be taking students on a tour on November 17th so they can see firsthand what South Shore Vo-Tech is all about. If students are interested in going on the tour, they should see Ms. Fiske to sign up and get a permission slip. There is also an open house at South Shore Vo-Tech on December 10 from 6:00-8:30pm. If you have any questions, please contact Jen Fiske. Thanks!
From the Nurse:
Please donate tissues, antibacterial wipes and hand sanitizer, we appreciate your help in keeping Gates a healthy place! Scituate Public Schools: Community Matters Please be advised that we are seeing an increase in the numbers of absenteeism in our school buildings this week. We are making every effort to track reporting of "InfluenzaLike- Illness". We continue to closely monitor updates from the CDC and MA Department of Public Health and will place these updates on our web site. We are promoting guidelines in order to minimize the impact of seasonal and H1N1 Flu on our entire school community. The preventive methods of hand washing and cough etiquette cannot be overemphasized. Please be advised that children who exhibit signs of illness are being evaluated in our health offices and sent home. It is important for you monitor the health of your children as well. As such, please do not send children to school if they are exhibiting flu-like symptoms. Per Scituate Public Schools Health and Safety Protocol, if you keep your child home you must call the school to report the reason for the absence. We are asking that you be specific in reporting "flu-like symptoms", which are defined as a fever greater than 100.4 and either a persistent cough or sore throat. The average duration of these symptoms is three to five days. Children must be kept home until they are symptom-free and they have been fever-free for 24 hours, without the use of fever-reducing medication. Fever-reducing medication is medication containing acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) should not be given to children or teenagers who have influenza, as this can cause a rare but serious illness called Reye's syndrome. It is important to realize that individuals with the flu can be contagious before symptoms appear. Therefore, as reports of the flu are on the rise, it may be prudent to limit social activities, such as sleepovers. We cannot avoid clustering of students in a school setting, however encouraging social distancing after school and on the weekends may prove helpful in decreasing the spread of the flu. There continues to be a shortage of both seasonal and H1N1 vaccine. Our planned clinics at the Gates School and Scituate High School have been postponed until we have an adequate supply of vaccine. We remain in constant contact with Jennifer Sullivan, Scituate's director of public health and Dr. Stephen Lane, our school physician, with regard
to any and all updates and protocols. This continues to be an evolving health issue and we will make every attempt to keep you informed. Please check our school web site for seasonal an H1N1 Flu updates. Smile Dr. Stephen Hoff, a Scituate dentist, is offering a wonderful opportunity for people who are in need of dental care and have no dental insurance. Dr. Hoff will make appointments for individuals who meet the following criteria: 1) Needs to be a Scituate resident 2) Has no dental insurance 3) Experiencing financial hardship Dr. Hoff has set aside November 24th and 25th for these appointments. If you are in need of dental care and meet the criteria, please call Dr. Hoff's office at 781-545-3703 Dr. Hoff suggests that if financially possible, in return of this dental care, the individual make a $25 donation to one of the following: The Scituate Food Pantry, The Scituate Animal Shelter or Scituate Community Christmas. Thank you Dr. Hoff for this generous offer.
From the METCO corner:
Just a reminder: The weekly METCO meetings take place immediately after school on Wednesdays.
Friendly reminders:
No locker decorating for birthdays! First Friday of every month: Students who bring in antibacterial wipes may wear a school-appropriate hat. The students may come into the office with their wipes and receive a sticker to wear on their hats.
Gates Dates:
November 11 Veteran‟s Day, No School November 12 Latin trip – Museum of Fine Arts November 13 Latin trip – Museum of Fine Arts November 20 Dance November 25 Early Dismissal November 26-27 Thanksgiving Recess December 3 Early Dismissal December 7 Faculty Meeting December 11 Term I Report Cards December 22 Winter Concert, Gym December 23 In-School Winter concert December 24-January 1 Winter Recess January 4 Faculty Meeting January 19 Professional Development, no school January 22 Dance January 26 Early Release Day January 27 Winter Open Mic Night January 29 Term II Progress Reports
PTO News:
Friday, November 6, 2009 8pm-midnight at the Satuit Bowlaway Tickets: $20 per person TICKETS ARE LIMITED so don’t STRIKE OUT!! To reserve your spot send ticket, money and form below in an envelope to GATES PTO BOWLING NIGHT Or mail it to Bridget Dunn 15 Christopher Lane Scituate, MA 02066 Bbdunn09@aol.com ——————————————————————————————————
Name:_________________________________________ Email:________________________Phone___________ #of tickets:_________________ Amount enclosed:__________ Payable to Gates PTO