News&Notes from the Superintendent

“Even when life challenges us, it’s a gift beyond all measure.” – Parker Palmer

This week’s quote offers wonderful perspective as it serves as a reminder that the obstacles students face are not setbacks, but rather valuable opportunities for growth. When educators nurture environments that embrace these challenges, students learn resilience and adaptability skills which go above and beyond academics. By emphasizing student choice and voice, teachers empower students to take ownership of their learning, reflect on their challenges, and develop personal strategies for success. This approach cultivates a learning experience that values each student's journey, making education a truly transformative gift.

UME Playground Dedication Ceremony! –

Today, students from the Superintendent’s Advisory Council, members of the PIC (Playground Improvement Committee), Administration, and officers of the UME PTO were present for the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new swings and slide added to the current playground! This idea was the vision of 4th and 5th grade students and took just about a year to come to fruition, but it was definitely worth the wait! After research, planning and a presentation to the School Committee, the project was approved unanimously and was paid for with available capital funding.

Thank you to SBRSD Director of Facilities and team for getting the area ready and the equipment in place earlier than anticipated. Also, an enormous thank you to the UME PTO who have donated $5500 to the project with the hopes of a second donation which will be about 25% of the total project cost. The PTO was moved by the student presentations, and they wanted to help them achieve their goal! This is another amazing example of elevating student choice and voice, and of our communities’ commitment to our schools! I am so very proud of our students and our school community.

Please find below this week’s updates & events happening in our District ~

MARS Research Analyst, Julie Kelley, reported that the 3rd quarter numbers are released, and the projected inflation factor increase for the FY26 foundation budget looks like it will be 2.06%. The inflation factor is an important one in the state funding formula and can be capped at 4.5%. As of late, the actual inflation rate has well exceeded what has been used as the inflation factor in the formula the last few years, and that contributes to the pressure to fund the schools adequately at the local level. It is important to note that the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) will not run this calculation until December, so this number might fluctuate.

Our goals at SBRSD are still a work in progress and we are submitting our End of Year Report as well as starting to prepare to get our Excess and Deficiency Funds certified - all part of closing process and information we need for preparation of the FY26 budget.

I will continue to monitor the state budget information and share as information becomes available.

Here are some other important items to highlight:

SBRSD and The United States of Readers ~

I am so pleased to announce our partnership with the Scholastic United States of Readers™, a first-of-its-kind literacy program that will be providing access to books for 10,000 Pre-K-8 grade students attending five Title I school districts across Massachusetts. This innovative partnership will allow students to choose two books, five times a year, for a total of 10 books at no cost to families to add to their at-home libraries. Teachers at the participating schools will receive 25 books for their classroom library, further expanding book choice and access for the entire school community.

Our official launch took place on October 30th, and featured a presentation by Jerry Pallotta, a Massachusetts native and award-winning author of the Scholastic book series Who Would Win. At the all-Elementary assembly, every student received a special edition copy of Jerry Pallotta's Who Would Win: Lobster vs. Crab in recognition of the program launch in the Commonwealth!

A special thank you to Scholastic’s Chief Impact Officer, Judy Newman, Anne Gobi, Director of Rural Affairs in the Executive Office of Economic Development, State Representative Smitty Pignatelli for joining us on this special day and taking the time to tour the schools and speak to the students. Also, a big thank you to E. Bonnie Silvers and Arthur Batacchi, Chair and Vice Chair of the SBRSD School Committee, for being part of this amazing day!

My hope is that by funding this program with our federal rural aid and state rural aid we will be an example for all rural school communities in Massachusetts, New England, and across the country. Providing equal access to resources in rural schools is a constant challenge, and we want to use this partnership with Scholastic as a platform to say, “We are here!” This joyful literacy program is essential to our community. We are often overlooked, but being part of the first schools in the country to launch the United States of Readers is a step toward changing that.

Task Force Initiatives ~

• Improving Attendance Task Force – (Facilitators: Julie Steuernagle and Paul Sullivan, with support from Sandi Hubbard.)
  

• This group had a second meeting that included discussions on surveys, the use of Wayfinder, a social emotional platform available to our Secondary students, student engagement feedback, health concerns and attendance, and encouraging student involvement. The next meeting will be scheduled to discuss progress on the initiatives that were defined from the topics of conversation above.
  

• Cell Phone Policy Task Force – (Facilitators: Jesse Carpenter and Charles Miller, with support from Julie Dolan.) Next Meeting: November 20th!
  

• The group met and had a productive discussion. They shared some additional resources for the group’s consideration and set their next meeting date in November!
  

School Committee Members & Superintendent Professional Development ~

This week is the MASS/MASC Conference hosted annually by these organizations where members of the School Committee and the Superintendent meet with colleagues of those same cohorts from across the state. The conference has a vast selection of offerings and training available, as well as keynote speakers providing the most up to date information and data to support educational initiatives and outcomes. This time to meet together as a collective leadership team for the District is both necessary and incredibly valuable. We look forward to sharing all we learn this week throughout the year.

To review the documentation presented at the SBRSD hearing, please see the District website at https://www.sbrsd.org/documents/district/budgets/fy25-budget/716623

As a follow-up to the initial meetings of the Superintendent Advisory Councils, the Elementary Council followed through on their plans on World Kindness Day, October 30th, even though it was a very busy day as we launched the United States of Readers program that day as well! The Kindness Subcommittee was introduced and shared words of kindness at the all-Elementary assembly and received thunderous applause! With their words, they started the first link of the kindness chain that will be completed by the students to be displayed throughout the school as a reminder!

The Middle and High School Councils are currently planning a fundraising event with the goal of donating the proceeds to a local children’s hospital or charity. Stay tuned for their announcements!

Last Friday, I had the honor of presenting with my visionary rural partners Melissa Harris from Transcend and Audra Pittman of Calistoga at the National Forum to Advance Rural Education in Savannah. I was able to share how our partnership with Transcend started and has continued to grow, and some of the strategies we have used to leverage learner-centered leadership to redesign school experiences that provide all students with a relevant, rigorous, and affirming education. It was also a wonderful opportunity to learn from other school districts, philanthropic organizations, and higher education partners on how they are incorporating innovative and 21st century experiences in rural school districts. I will post a copy of our presentation on the website.

Our Core Team meetings are happening weekly, and we continue to work on our planning and implementation of this year’s phase of the project. We have been updating the website so that members of the community can interact with all the happenings from the events we hold throughout the year! A link to the Transcend Partnership page can be found here - https://www.sbrsd.org/page/transcend-partnership We encourage other members of our school community to join us in this work and share their thoughts and expertise as we continue our journey forward!

To learn or become a part of this incredible community focused initiative please find the link here at https://www.sbrsd.org/page/transcend-partnership.

This time of year, there are fabulous things happening in our schools and we would like nothing more than to have you here to support our students alongside us!

Reminders:

· There is no school on Tuesday, November 5th for students, and there is a full day of Professional Development scheduled for Faculty and Staff.

· There will be no school on Monday, November 11, 2024 in observance of Veteran’s Day.

You still have a chance to head to the athletic competitions going on as the fall seasons wind down and the sign-ups for winter are underway! We have many other events happening including Berkshire Art Center After School Program, Shakespeare & Company, Vex Robotics, College Resource Lab, UME PTO Meeting, Berkshire Health Coalition, Technical Sergeant L. Dixon Visit, and Girl Scouts, and the Homecoming Dance - just to name a few!

Please check the event calendar regularly as it will keep you up to date as will the weekly notes from the Principals.

Take a look at our Early College course offerings below! Do you see a class that interests you? Talk with our Early College Coordinator, Lindy Marcel, and enroll now!

Interested in learning more about our Early College program? Visit our website!

Innovation Pathways offers opportunities for students to explore cutting-edge technology and in-demand fields! The program emphasizes real-world skills through career-focused experiential learning. Participants connect with industry mentors, go on field trips, get set up with internships in their areas of interest, and more!

Mount Everett currently offers two technical pathways in Advanced Manufacturing and Information Technology.

To learn more about our Innovation Career Pathways please use the links below! To express interest in learning more about Innovation Pathways please use our form - Expression of Interest Form

Please feel free to reach out with questions or concerns as I welcome the opportunity to hear from you.

Best,

~ Dr. Beth Regulbuto, Superintendent of Schools