News&Notes from the Superintendent

“Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood.” – Helen Keller

This week’s quote underscores the essential role of experiential learning in our schools. It emphasizes that knowledge is not merely acquired through textbooks or lectures; rather, it is through lived experiences that students truly grasp and internalize lessons. This perspective encourages teachers to create environments where students can engage in hands-on activities, collaborative projects, and real-world problem-solving, allowing them to connect theoretical concepts to practical applications.

The importance of choice and voice in education cannot be overstated. When students are given the opportunity to make choices about their learning paths and express their thoughts and opinions, they become more invested in their education. This empowerment fosters a sense of ownership and responsibility, enabling students to steer their own learning journeys. By incorporating the idea that life’s lessons are best understood through practice, public education can cultivate a more dynamic and responsive learning environment that values each student's unique perspective and encourages them to be active participants in their educational experiences.

Happy National Principals Month! –

I want to acknowledge our four amazing Principals for their immense dedication to the students, our families, the faculty and staff, and the District. They work tirelessly on behalf of us all and I could not do this work without them. Thank you, Mr. Carpenter, Mrs. Steuernagle, Mr. Miller, and Mr. Sullivan – you are simply the best!

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

For this week, there is no news coming from our analysts to report on the current or the upcoming budget. However, I am seeing concerning reports from my colleagues in cities and towns who are ahead of us in the process, that they have grave concerns, and many are projecting overrides and devastating budget cuts.

At SBRSD, we are working to complete our End of Year Report as well as the preparations for getting our Excess and Deficiency Funds certified, which is 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:

Reading is Awesome – Thank you Mrs. Krom and my Pre-K Reading Buddies!

I had the opportunity to visit Mrs. Krom’s Pre-K classroom at NMC last week and the chance to read a “spooky” story about colors with some of our youngest learners! These are some of the best moments of the job, and I take every opportunity to be in the classrooms and to get to know your amazing kids! I had so many offers from the students who told me “that nothing scares them” and that they were going to protect me from the monsters in the book! I could not feel safer! Looking forward to my next visit this winter.

District Strategy for Continuous Improvement Approved by School Committee!

This year’s Strategy for Continuous Improvement was presented by the Administrative Team at last week’s School Committee meeting and was approved unanimously by a vote of the committee. The document will be made available this week on our website at:

https://www.sbrsd.org/documents/district/strategy-for-continuous-improvement/241898

Task Force Initiatives ~ Please feel free to join either group – as all are welcome!

• 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: TOMORROW - Tuesday, October 29th, from 5:30 to 6:30 pm in the Mt. Everett Library.

School Committee Members & Superintendent Professional Development ~

Coming up right after the elections 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 our learnings 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

Last Friday we the 2024 – 2025 Superintendent Advisory Councils met! There is an incredible positive energy that is contagious when these groups get together and it is simply awesome! We began with thinking about World Kindness Day, October 30, 2024, and how we could use this as the theme for our first session of work together! And they are off!

Right away the Grade 4 – 5 Council formed a Kindness Subcommittee and are planning school-wide events for October 30th of course with the help of Principal Miller and Vice Principal Sullivan! The older students on the Middle and High School Councils will be putting together a fundraising event with the goal of donating the proceeds to a local children’s hospital or charity. I cannot be prouder of our students! Stay tuned for their announcements!

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!

This week I will be 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. Our hope is to share how we are leveraging learner-centered leadership to redesign school experiences that provide all students with a relevant, rigorous, and affirming education.

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.

The Mount Everett Interact Club lent a hand at Truck Day, supporting the Great Barrington Rotary Club's efforts to raise funds for community projects and student scholarships. It was a fun day for all!

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!

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 STEM Students Field Trip to Onyx Papers, Berkshire Art Center After School Program, Shakespeare & Company, Vex Robotics, Superintendent’s Regional Roundtable Meeting, Elementary Assembly United States of Readers and Author Visit, Girl Scouts, Food Science Field Trip, and the Spanish IV Field Trip- 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