News&Notes from the Superintendent

"Progress is impossible without change; and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything." – George Bernard Shaw

This week’s quote is particularly relevant in schools, where the landscape is constantly evolving to meet the needs of students in an ever-changing world. We recognize that schools cannot remain at status quo and expect to prepare students for success beyond graduation. Instead, Districts must embrace change by rethinking traditional approaches, incorporating new ideas, and allowing flexibility in learning experiences. This requires a shift in mindset—not just among educators and administrators, but also within the broader community—to recognize that meaningful progress comes from adapting to the needs, interests, and aspirations of students.

A key component of this transformation is student choice and voice. When students are given opportunities to actively participate in their education, they become more engaged, motivated, and invested in their learning. By providing choices in coursework, projects, and pathways beyond the K-12 system, schools acknowledge that learning is not one-size-fits-all. Also, when Districts create programming and structures for students to share their perspectives—whether through leadership roles, feedback mechanisms, or collaborative decision-making—schools cultivate an environment of innovation and responsiveness. This cultural shift requires educators and administrators to reconsider the traditional roles in education, and to consider changing the dynamic from a system of compliance to one of empowerment.

Ultimately, Districts that embrace change by elevating student voice and choice create a culture where progress is possible. They move beyond rigid structures and outdated models to design learning environments that are flexible, inclusive, and aligned with real-world opportunities. By fostering a mindset of growth and adaptability, schools prepare students not only to succeed academically but also to become lifelong learners and leaders who are capable of driving change in their own futures.

Last week students received a special visit from the Pittsfield Police Department! Thank you Officer Winston and Officer Derby for showing kindness to our students by stopping by for this special visit!

We strive to build a culture of kindness that reflects the values of the Southern Berkshire Regional School District, where all members of our school community feel safe and supported.

We will continue to work together to encourage all members of our community to lead with compassion, inclusion, and respect for all. Our goal is to provide our school community with information, resources, and updates on our newly developed webpage as well as a weekly feature in my Newsletter.

Our community partners have been amazing, and we are leaning into these partnerships to see how, together, we can provide the best support for our students, staff, and families. This is ongoing work that is never done, and we remain fully committed to prioritizing it within our District.

Added to our resources this week are a one-page document – School Emergency Information Guide – that reviews some key safety terms and procedures, and an FAQ about safety and security here at SBRSD based on questions received from our school community. The intent is to provide as much information as we can without compromising the integrity of our processes and procedures and use this as an opportunity to point families to resources already available. Both documents can be found on our Kindness & Safety webpage.

At the request of the Legislative Delegation, the Berkshire County Superintendent’s Roundtable met on Monday with Senator Mark and Representatives Farley-Bouvier, Davis, and Barrett for a discussion of our shared challenges and to collaborate on how best to advocate for our collective needs. Clearly, the fiscal issues took center stage and included the areas of funding shortfalls, inflation impact, special education costs, transportation costs, rural and regional school challenges, failed overrides, and the need for Rural Aid to be fully funded, etc. The biggest concern for everyone is just the uncertainty at both the federal and state level.

The House Budget will be released in April and the Senate is expected in May. The hope is that there will be a clearer picture of the status of the economy; however, we will have proposed the FY26 Budget based on what we know now to meet our statutory timelines. The District is being diligent as this year is incredibly challenging with the additional projections associated with the negotiations of all bargaining unit contracts, the need to bid for bus transportation, significant increases to health insurance costs to factor into the calculations! These and many other factors contributed to the decision to postpone the Preliminary Budget hearing and highlights to Thursday, March 6, 2025, at 5:30 pm. The Annual Hearing on the Proposed Budget will be on Thursday, March 13, 2025, at 5:30 pm followed by a School Committee Meeting at 6:30 pm.

Tonight, there is a Meeting – Project 211+21: Uniting to Advocate for Increased K-12 Education Funding! We have included the information and where to register if you can attend!

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

Survey for Families – Please use this link to complete the survey: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1NOmqPwNLrsHkxKb-c5Zf0gVTKPBXmi4BMC6NbzMy3aE/edit?usp=sharing_eil&ts=6785e0bf

Cell Phone Policy Task Force – (Facilitators: Jesse Carpenter and Charles Miller, with support from Julie Dolan.)

Survey for Families – Please use this updated link to complete the survey: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeQt1LYzDM8uon-ZtM5cq9kckWBTxAk5vrOr6uIRwJoUC71pw/viewform?usp=header

To review the documentation presented at the SBRSD hearing, please see the District website at https://www.sbrsd.org/page/budget

The Superintendent Advisory Councils (SACs) met last week and had lively discussions about the school budget, safety, and acts of kindness. Three of our SAC’s have been chosen as Ambassadors and will lead our work with the Sandy Hook Promise initiative. This 2-year journey for SBRSD is a grant funded partnership with the Attorney General’s Office in Massachusetts. Our team participated in a training in Plymouth, MA today, with 70+ other member Districts in the state and we look forward to hearing about our next steps when they return!

The first year of this program is Start With Hello : Teaching empathy and empowering students to end social isolation by following three easy steps. Start With Hello is one of Sandy Hook Promise’s no-cost Know the Signs programs and teaches students to be more socially inclusive and connected to each other. With activities and curricula available for all ages, students are empowered to end social isolation in three easy steps.

We look forward to incorporating this initiative into our District with student ambassadors leading us all in the work!

4th grade student Mckinley Piser did a fantastic job acting as Principal for the day last week! Mckinley's responsibilities for the day included,

• making morning announcements
• visiting each classroom
• giving out the Staff Effort Award
• participating in the Superintendent's Advisory Council
• designing and ordering customized toothbrushes for a 2nd grade class
• supervising 1st grade lunch and running Trivia
• introducing our Girls on The Run representative
• Inspecting each room to see who would be awarded the coveted Cleanest Classroom Eagle Bobblehead Recognition
• and met with our Central Office Admin Assistant and the Superintendent

She was also able to extend recess for all! Thank you for your hard work, Principal Mckinley!

It is expected that the Core Team will send out the four Community Lead Initiatives tomorrow with the goal of beginning the research needed in the development of these key areas and recruiting key contacts to join them in these efforts. The research outcomes and next steps will be shared at the next Community Team Meeting in early April.

The website is updated so that members of the community can interact with all 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!

7th and 8th graders worked hard preparing for the Spaghetti Dinner fundraiser last week, and it was a huge success! We're so grateful to our incredible community for their amazing support of Mt. Everett Middle School.

The performances at the Cabaret were incredible. Thank you to all who came out to support the Music Department!

UConn was the destination for The New Day Club last week! Students enjoyed a college tour and a men's basketball game.

The Literacy Night at UME was a hit, with enthusiastic participation from all!

Our amazing aerospace engineering students are putting their hard work to the test with their first set of trial flights for the American Rocketry Challenge.

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

The Winter Sports season is coming to a close and Spring Sports registration is underway! Please continue to support our athletes when you can! We have many other events happening in District this week including Drone Team Practice, Culinary Field Trip, Flying Cloud – Girls Science Club, UME PTO Meeting, College Experience, Vex Robotics, Drama Rehearsals, and Berkshire Arts Center After School Program - 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

We have gathered the following resources to help families navigate conversations with their children about school safety and procedures. These resources can also be found using the link to the webpage. https://www.sbrsd.org/o/sbrsd/page/commitment-to-kindness-and-safety

• https://www.kidsmentalhealthfoundation.org/mental-health-resources/school/how-to-talk-to-your-child-about-school-safety
• https://parents-together.org/how-to-talk-to-kids-about-school-lockdown-drills-an-age-by-age-guide/
• https://tinybeans.com/5-tips-for-talking-to-your-child-about-lockdown-drills/
• https://www.nasponline.org/resources-and-publications/resources-and-podcasts/school-safety-and-crisis/school-violence-resources/talking-to-children-about-violence-tips-for-families-and-educators