Student Services Update
12/19/24
Thanks for reading the Student Services Update!
Questions about scheduling, the college process, scholarships, work permits, transcripts, or life? Would you like to speak with someone about an issue that is bothering you, do you need a place to talk about what is going on in your life or to figure out how you are feeling? Please feel free to contact us or stop by the office. The Student Services Office is here to help! We look forward to seeing you soon!
Let us know what kind of information you would like to read about in this newsletter: rjenkins@mtrsd.org
Progress Reports
Quarter 2 Progress Reports are available to view in Aspen until 1/3/25.
Progress Reports are a snapshot of a student's academic progress at the mid-point of each quarter. Report cards are the official report of the student's grades are are published at the end of each quarter. *Please be aware that progress grades (not term grades) from previous quarter appear on each progress report.
To view progress reports:
- login to Aspen
- look for "Published Reports" (right side of screen, mid-way down)
- click on the icon
Last Day Q2: Tuesday, January 21, 2025
First Day Q3: Wednesday, January 22, 2025
Q2 Report Cards are planned to be available: Monday, January 27, 2025
Aspen Login page can be found on the MTRS website under Quick Links
Middle School:
We are halfway through the second quarter, and students received Progress Reports last week. They should be checking Aspen weekly to monitor their academic progress and checking in with teachers and Ms Ruggeri if they are struggling.
College & Career Readiness lessons are in full swing! 7th Graders have completed the Career Cluster Finder and 8th graders have completed a Skills Assessment. The assessments are done through Naviance with each student developing their own profile. Ask them what career areas they have been matched with so far!
On December 19th Middle School students will meet with recent MTRS Alumni for “College Conversations”. The goal of this program is to help Middle School students learn what college is, what it’s like, and how it differs from middle/high school.
Navigating Teens and Screens
Looking for insight on navigating Teens and screens? The Screenagers website has valuable information, especially the “Blog” and “Resource” sections.
Alumni Panel
Ten colleges/Universities were represented by Mohawk Alumni on December 19th. Two assemblies were offered, one for middle school and one for high school. Alumni answered a range of questions, from "What is a typical day like for your?", "What is the food like?", "Is college hard or overwhelming?", "How do you pay for college?", to "What advice do you have for students who may be unsure of college or don't think it's an option for them?".
Both assemblies were well received and the Alumni were excited to be back and share their experiences.
UMass Amherst....Curry College....Suny ESF....Syracuse University....Lasell University....Emerson College UMass Dartmouth....Greenfield Community College....MassArt....Wesleyan University....
Way to go!!
Are you a high school junior or senior who is interested in taking college
courses?
Several Colleges have in person and online opportunities!!!
Dual Enrollment courses can:
- provide you the opportunity to take courses not offered at MTRS
- strengthen the rigor on your college applications
- give you a head start on college, allowing you to double major or graduate early
- provide you an opportunity to complete general education requirements for competitive majors
such as nursing, radiology, engineering and many others!
CSS Profile
In addition to FAFSA, some schools require the CSS Profile. Check your school's financial aid site to see if it is required. Be aware of the deadlines.
Click here for information: https://cssprofile.collegeboard.org/
Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts
Over 160 different scholarships available through our program, with most to residents of Franklin, Hampshire and Hampden counties. We give away over 1,000 individual awards. This equates to approximately $1.4 million in scholarships.
Our online application opens January 1, 2025 and closes on March 31, 2025
Student Services Scholarship Board
Hello, Class of 2025 Students and Families,
The 2025 scholarship season is in full swing! Last year, the class of 2024 received over $100,000 in scholarships!
This is the Official Student Services Scholarship Bulletin. Scholarships will be listed here as they become available. Many are still coming in, so please check the bulletin regularly. This bulletin is also on the Student Services website.
The Student Services office will meet with the seniors in February as more scholarships come in.
Please let us know if you have any questions. We are happy to help!
Western Massachusetts Colleges Fall Visit Opportunities
Amherst College, Amherst, MA
Campus Tours offered daily, by appointment
Berkshire Community College, Pittsfield, MA
Every Wednesday at 2:00 and Friday at 10:00
Greenfield Community College
- Campus Tours Every Tuesday at 1:00
- Online General Information Sessions Every Wednesday at 12:00
Click here to register for any GCC events
Holyoke Community College
Campus Tours and Information Sessions Every Wednesday at 11:00 and 5:00
Smith College, Northampton, MA
Campus Tours offered daily, by appointment
Springfield Technical Community College, Springfield, MA
Campus Tours Every Monday at 10 and Wednesday at 3:00
Williams College, Williamstown, MA
Campus Tours offered daily, by appointment
STARS College Network
About STARS
The STARS College Network, which partners with top colleges to ensure that students from rural and small-town America have the information and support they need to enroll and graduate from the college or university of their choice, is doubling its membership to include 32 of the nation’s most prominent institutions.
In its inaugural year, the STARS College Network opened doors to higher education for more than a quarter-million students. The expansion this summer will add flagship state schools, historically Black colleges, Ivy League universities, and other selective institutions, spreading STARS’ reach to more regions across the nation.
CAREER TRAILS
Career information, exploration, and opportunities.
This year students will be exposed to career speakers in their Academic and elective classes. These speakers will highlight careers that connect to the specific academic area or topic they are learning about in class. This allows students to connect the classroom to the real world. More to follow…
Career of the Month -Set and Exhibit Designers
What Set and Exhibit Designers Do
Set and exhibit designers prepare drawings by hand or using CAD programs.
Set and exhibit designers develop visual and tactile spaces for entertainment productions or for a variety of displays. Set designers work on movies, television, theater, and other productions. Exhibit designers create spaces to showcase products, art, artifacts, or other displays.
Duties
Set and exhibit designers typically do the following:
- Evaluate scripts or objects to be exhibited
- Collaborate with directors, curators, and others about intended audience in order to determine specific design features
- Design sets or exhibit spaces to tell a story based on factors such as narrative, budget, and location
- Prepare drawings by hand or using computer aided design (CAD) programs of proposed sets or exhibits
- Prepare budgets for all necessary sets or exhibits
- Coordinate with the design team and others to create sets or exhibits that include objects, graphics, and media
Set and exhibit designers create spaces that communicate a message to an audience. They may analyze scripts or other research documents to determine how these spaces can best support a story or theme.
In film, theater, and television, set or scenic designers communicate the author’s or director’s ideas to the audience through the look and feel of scenery, furniture, and props. They consider the scene’s historical period, time of day, season, and other aspects of the story.
Exhibit designers take into account the lighting, size of the space, message, and other qualities of a display. For interactive exhibits, they integrate multimedia effects, such as video and sound, into the space to create a multidimensional experience.
Set and exhibit designers may work on traveling shows and displays, such as concert tours and museum exhibits. These sets must be easily erected and dismantled for transport to new venues and must be flexible to accommodate performing or exhibit spaces of different sizes.
Set and exhibit designers may specialize in designing for a particular purpose. For example, set designers for performing arts companies develop stage sets for live shows, while those who work in television or movies design sets for live or recorded programs, in-studio broadcasts, or motion pictures. Exhibit designers may focus on a specific type of museum display, such as artifacts, or on trade shows or conventions to demonstrate products.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Set and Exhibit Designers,
at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/arts-and-design/set-and-exhibit-designers.htm
Aspen Access
Aspen is our student information system, which allows students and caregivers to view information such as grades, attendance, and report cards. It is important to remember that teachers typically update grades weekly or bi-weekly. If you have a question about a particular grade or assignment, please don't hesitate to contact the teacher.
If you need assistance with Aspen login and account information submit a ticket to: support@twinlakesconsulting.zendesk.com
School Counselor Grades 9-12
Book an appointment HERE
School Counselor Grades 7 & 8
Book an Appointment HERE
Registrar and Administrative Assistant
413-625-9811 ext. 1305
Website: https://mtrs.mohawktrailschools.org/Mohawk-Student-Services
Location: 26 Ashfield Road, Shelburne Falls, MA, USA
Phone: (413) 625-9811