MTRSD S'Update
January 14, 2022
February 11, 2022
Dear Mohawk Trail & Hawlemont Families,
Budget season is fully upon us and I want to take a moment to thank everyone who has worked alongside us at the Mohawk Trail budget subcommittee--our school committee representatives, members from our towns' finance and select boards, community members, the district leadership team, and TMS--for providing valuable feedback as we prepare our final reports for the public hearing next week. Your partnership has been appreciated and we stand proud in the budget that we will put forward next week in its support of our district's strategic plan and what we hold valuable for our school community.
It's been another busy week, so here's what's happening:
* COVID-19 and mask mandate updates for schools
* MTRSD FY23 budget public hearing slated for Feb. 16
* Virtual event for current and future MTRS students and caregivers
* In the News
* School Spotlights
COVID-19 and mask mandate updates for schools
Earlier this week, Gov. Charlie Baker announced the state would be lifting its mask mandate for schools starting Feb. 28. However, the governor's lift on this mandate does not take precedent over the local town/city mask mandates that may still remain in effect.
What does this mean?
Cities and towns may still require indoor masking for their communities. Lifting the mask mandate in those cities and towns is up to their discretion and typically overseen by their local Boards of Health. Schools must abide by the guidelines set forth by their towns, but may continue to mask if/when those city and town restrictions are also lifted. In the Mohawk Trail Regional School District, masking policies are overseen by our school committee, with guidance from our COVID-19 School Planning Task Force. Our current policy includes masking while indoors for the remainder of the school year.
At this time, there will be no adjustments to our current masking procedures. Masking while indoors for all students, staff, and visitors will continue in all of our school buildings.
The COVID-19 School Planning Task Force will continue to examine our COVID-19 caseload data. The task force this week recommended keeping masking in place and will monitor the COVID-19 case counts post February break to determine next steps in our mitigation strategies. As we have throughout this pandemic, we continue to use data, science, and the guidance of our experts at FRCOG, the local board of health, Department of Public Health, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to make recommendations regarding our COVID-19 procedures.
As we have seen with the Omicron variant, layering our mitigation strategies is essential when dealing with a highly contagious virus. Masking is just one of the ways in which we help to keep our students, staff, and community healthy and safe--which means more time learning, teaching, and growing! We will continue to follow our FAB FIVE and encourage you to sign-up for your COVID-19 vaccine or booster at any of the local, free clinics available in the area.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to reach out to Superintendent Stanton at sstanton@mtrsd.org or our COVID-19 Nurse Leader Donna Weber at dweber@mtrsd.org.
FY 2023 budget updates
The Mohawk Trail Regional School Committee budget subcommittee met on Wednesday, Feb. 9 to hear Superintendent Stanton's FY23 budget presentation and provide one last round of feedback before the public hearing slated for next week (Feb. 16). A copy of the budget presentation can be found on our website at www.mtrsd.org/business-services.
The public is invited to attend the annual budget public hearing on Wednesday, Feb. 16 at 6:30 p.m. The meeting will be held virtually and in-person at Mohawk Trail Regional School.
Again, a big THANK YOU to TMS, our district leadership team, our budget subcommittee and community members for their hard work on this year's budget!
Are you a current or prospective family interested in learning more about the MTRS Trailblazer work? Do you wonder, "What is the Trailblazer model?" and how it prepares students for the future? Are you a caregiver to elementary-aged children who will attend MTRS in the future?
JOIN US for this virtual event and hear directly from current students about how they are blazing *their* trails at MTRS! Our students will answer questions about what it means to BE a Trailblazer; and discuss our innovative, hands-on learning opportunities, internships, Capstone work, and more!
WHEN: Tuesday, Feb. 15
6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Don't forget to RSVP by Feb. 11! CLICK HERE to submit your RSVP and ask a question in advance.
Questions? Please contact MTRS Principal Chris Buckland at cbuckland@mtrsd.org.
Event details can be found HERE or visit www.mtrs.mohawktrailschools.org/News
MTRS honors school counselors
February 7-11 marked National School Counseling Week, a national focus on the contributions of school counselors within the United States and sponsored by the American School Counselor Association. National School Counseling Week is celebrated annually during the first week of February and highlights the tremendous impact school counselors can have on helping students to achieve their school success and plan for their careers.
Earlier this week we surprised our incredible counseling team and thanked them for all the ways in which they help to support our students. THANK YOU Student Services team!
From left: MTRS College and Career Counselor Sara Neunschwander; School Counselor Brian Cipoletta; MTRS student Leila; Assistant Principal Diane Zamer, School Counselor Taffy Ruggeri; Registrar/Student Services Shana Garcia; and Principal Buckland.
Assistant Principal Diane Zamer (right) takes a selfie with School Adjustment Counselor Heather Skutnik-Sheffield during National School Counseling Week.
In the News . . .
SCHOOL SPOTLIGHTS
Elementary students celebrate 100th Day of School
Sanderson Kindergarteners celebrate the 100th day of school and decorated their own hats.
The beauty and wonders of winter -- the icy trees provided a beautiful winter backdrop earlier this week at Sanderson Academy.