Dear SBRSD Families -
“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” – Socrates
This week’s quote resonates deeply with the ever-changing landscape of education. For decades, traditional education systems were structured as rigid models focused on standardization and uniformity. While these systems served their purpose in a different era, they often limited the ability to adapt to the diverse needs, aspirations, and talents of our students today. It is a reminder that instead of resisting the shifts that are reshaping education, we should try to embrace a forward-focused mindset allowing educators, administrators, and communities to re-imagine what learning can and should look like.
A critical element of this transformation is prioritizing student choice and voice. We know that when students are empowered to take ownership of their learning journey, they engage more deeply and develop the critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills essential for success beyond the classroom. As we continue to build new systems and practices that place students at the center of decision-making—whether through personalized learning plans, project-based experiences, or authentic opportunities to influence school culture—our goal is to create an educational environment where learners thrive. This shift isn’t about abandoning the valuable aspects of traditional education but rather about channeling energy into designing pathways that are inclusive, innovative, and relevant to the challenges of the 21st century.
Public schools have the unique responsibility of preparing all students for a future that is both unpredictable and full of potential. By focusing on “building the new,” our schools can continue foster environments where students are not just passive recipients of knowledge but active contributors to their education and communities. This work directly aligns with our Strategy for Continuous Improvement, and the principles of leadership are rooted in trust and inspiration, as highlighted in Stephen Covey’s Trust and Inspire. When schools empower students to share their voices, make choices, and pursue passions, they become partners in their own development, it creates a ripple effect of growth and positive change. What we have come to know is that school systems built around innovation and student agency, where we honor student choice and voice, not only make our schools better, but will make a better society.
Please find below this week’s updates & events happening in our District ~
The Superintendent Advisory Councils (SACs) will resume at the end of January or first week of February, but today was the introductory on-boarding call for our new opportunity with Sandy Hook Promise which is grant funded in partnership with the Attorney General’s Office in Massachusetts. We look forward to putting together a student-led team from SBRSD that will share their learnings with other students, participate in and facilitate activities around school culture and belonging, and help to bring assemblies to school as part of this effort.
Last Friday, members of the Design Team and Core Team met to help with the preparations for the upcoming Community Team Meeting scheduled for January 28th! It was a chance for us to reground ourselves in our “why,” get us back to our north star, and clarify the important role of the community teams have in supporting our District goals. There is much work to do and the tremendous support from our school community is what will sustain our work and keep educational innovation as a cornerstone of the work in the District!
On January 30th, at Transcend’s next Board meeting, the CEO, has asked to highlight Southern Berkshire’s story to the Board in an effort to highlight the incredible work happening on the ground in practice and the importance of continuing to move this work forward because of the results we have seen! Tomorrow is the planning meeting with our coach and other partners from Transcend to collaborate and assemble our presentation to share the incredible work our District has done to date and our hopes and plans for the future!
The website is updated 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!
Digital Photography students demonstrated their creativity by producing multi-media or sculptural portraits for their "Photographing People" unit. This project challenged students to think outside the box, moving beyond simple photographs and using diverse media to express their unique interpretations of their subjects.
Congratulations to our co-op hockey players and their Taconic teammates on their victory against Chicopee last week!
