“You become unstoppable when you work on things people can’t take away from you. Things like your mindset, character, and personality.” – Unknown.

In education, true success is not just measured by grades or test scores, but by the development of qualities that no one can take away—mindset, character, and personality. These traits shape how students approach challenges, build relationships, and pursue their goals. When schools prioritize these internal strengths, they empower students to become lifelong learners and resilient individuals, prepared to thrive in an ever-changing world which is aligned with our Vision at SBRSD.

Student choice and voice are essential in fostering these qualities. When students are given opportunities to make decisions about their learning—whether through project-based work, personalized learning paths, or leadership roles—they develop confidence in their abilities and a sense of ownership over their education. This autonomy nurtures a growth mindset, where setbacks become learning opportunities rather than failures. By listening to student voices, schools create environments where learners feel valued and understood, reinforcing their character and self-worth.

By focusing on what students can control—their mindset, character, and personality—education becomes a place to empower students rather than a place to deliver instructional content. When students believe in themselves, develop integrity, and cultivate their unique strengths, they truly become unstoppable. Schools that champion student choice and voice help shape not just academically proficient students, but individuals who are confident, prepared to lead, adapt, and contribute meaningfully to their communities.

SBRSD is Committed to Kindness & Safety –

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

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 plan to lean in to 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.

We are actively working on an FAQ around 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 also use this as an opportunity to point families to resources already available. We are hoping to have the FAQ done in time for next week’s edition.

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

Our students spread the love on Valentine's Day with some beautiful serenades for classmates and staff!

The state budget process is in full swing, and now is the time for Districts, Cities and Towns to be submitting legislative platforms and to advocate on behalf of our school community.

The Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents (MASS) has finalized the organization’s legislative and advocacy platform. The priorities highlighted this legislative session include special education funding reform, establishment of the Promise Commission, student discipline policies, and revisions to the education funding formula. The committee also adopted a series of advocacy priorities related to DESE policies, procedures, regulations, and State funding.

The Berkshire County Superintendent’s Roundtable will also be hosting a Legislative Advocacy Session in early April and plan to address our collective concerns about funding challenges and legislative priorities for FY26 and beyond including funding shortfalls, inflation impact, special education costs, transportation costs, rural and regional school challenges, failed overrides, etc.

The next meeting of the Finance Subcommittee is scheduled for February 26th at 5:30 pm where the Preliminary Budget Proposal will be presented.

Here are some other important items to highlight:

Task Force Initiatives ~

Please see this week’s updates to these ongoing initiatives:

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

On Friday, the Superintendent Advisory Councils (SACs) will meet and begin our work with the Sandy Hook Promise initiative which is grant funded in partnership with the Attorney General’s Office in Massachusetts. We registered our team with the AG’s office in preparation for the Advisors and some student leaders to participate in a training in Plymouth, MA with other member Districts in the state to take place on March 4th!

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!

The Core Team meets tomorrow to review the list of those who have volunteered to be actively engaged in research of the four identified areas where the District needs community support. The goal is to finalize the requests of each group over the next 5 weeks, and to encourage the members to recruit key contacts to join them in these efforts with a goal of reporting on their research at the next Community Team Meeting in early April.

I’m excited to share that at next week’s AASA, The School Superintendents Association National Conference on Education, I will be part of a panel discussion with other Superintendent colleagues and our partners from Transcend titled: Career-Connected Innovation in Rural America: Re-designing for Student Success in the 21st Century. This panel will explore how rural communities are leading the way in career-connected learning, aligning education with local economic needs, and shifting to student-directed, competency-based models to prepare students for real-world success. We plan to share creative solutions for overcoming challenges and ensuring all students have access to meaningful career pathways. I am so incredibly proud of the work we have done here at SBRSD, the support and coaching from Transcend, and I can’t wait to highlight our incredible school community at the national level!

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!

Students in Mrs. Retzel's fifth grade class used their knowledge of electrical energy to build with basic circuit materials last week!

Elementary students at NMC and UME enjoyed a science assembly before winter break.

The assembly, facilitated by Science Heroes Inc., was interactive, entertaining, and inspiring! This event was generously sponsored by the NMC PTA and the UME PTO!

A huge thank you to Dale Alden for sharing his time and expertise as a "Veteran in the Classroom" in Mr. Rapport's middle school History and Civics classes.

We appreciate your dedication to the students of SBRSD, and thank you for sharing your wealth of constitutional knowledge.

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 still happening and Spring Sports registration is underway! Please continue to support our athletes when you can! We have many other events happening including Grade 8 Field Trip to Old Parish Church, Flying Cloud – Girls Science Club, Girl Scouts, College Experience, Vex Robotics, and Drama Rehearsals - just to name a few!

- Middle School Fundraiser –

Spaghetti Dinner – February 28th in the Mount Everett Cafeteria at 5:00 pm. $15 per person ($10 seniors or students)

Cabaret at 7pm $10 ticket or discounted $3 if you attend the dinner!

All proceeds go toward the 8th grade trip to Washington D.C., and the 7th grade Oceanography and Sailing Experience!

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