“Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow,” ~ Anthony J. D'Angelo

This week’s quote highlights the transformative power of education when fueled by genuine enthusiasm and engagement. In schools, fostering this passion requires empowering students through choice and voice. By giving students opportunities to explore their interests, express their opinions, and take ownership of their learning journey, schools can cultivate environments where curiosity thrives. This approach not only enhances motivation but also equips students with the skills and confidence to continue growing beyond the classroom, aligning with our collective goal of preparing them for a lifetime of learning and success.

To Cancel or Not to Cancel?

It’s that time of year again, and right out of the gate with the first real snow of the season, Mother Nature opened with a challenging call. To top it off, we had a half day scheduled due to Professional Development Training for faculty and staff in the afternoon, which added to the complexity of the decision! It comes with the territory as a Superintendent that no matter what call you make, there are those that are pleased and those that are not, and I truly understand. I and the team of people who are part of the decision-making group strive to make the best decision possible based on the information we have at the time. I thought this would be a good time to share the process as we head into the winter season!

In a regional school district, the decision to cancel school due to snow or severe weather is a collaborative process that prioritizes the safety of students and staff. This process involves close coordination with our local school districts, town public works departments, our first responders, SBRSD Buildings and Grounds personnel, and our transportation providers to assess road conditions, forecasts, and the feasibility of safe travel. The planning and consideration often begins in the early hours, monitoring real-time updates and consulting with our district team and with neighboring districts to ensure a consistent and well-informed decision. The initial decision to delay or cancel must be made before 6:00 am. Ultimately, the guiding principle is an abundance of caution; when there is any doubt about the safety of transporting students or staff, the priority must be their well-being. While the decision to close school may pose challenges for some, please know it is done with thoughtful consideration and care, as it reflects the district's unwavering commitment to safeguarding its community.

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

Some news from Julie Kelley, Research Analyst, Massachusetts Association of Regional Schools:

The Department of Revenue has released the November state revenue report and revenue came in 2.4% above benchmark. It is important to note that while total revenue for the fiscal year remains .8% under benchmark, this is welcome news that we hope continues.

Important upcoming dates:

* The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is set to run the final calculation for the FY26 Chapter 70 Foundation Budget based on language in the Student Opportunity Act sometime in December

* Also, sometime this month the Governor will come to an agreement on a FY26 consensus state revenue number with the House and Senate, which each will use to develop their state budget

* The first formal session of the 194th General Court will be held on January 1st, 2025, where members-elect will be sworn in by the Governor

* Deadline for bills to be filed in the House and Senate for the new two-year legislative term is Friday, January 17th

* Governor to file the FY26 state budget (H.1) on Wednesday, January 22nd.

Here at SBRSD, the draft schedule for the Finance Subcommittee of the School Committee will be presented at this week’s meeting for review and adoption. Some of the early work is underway as the FY26 Budget Development process has begun. Each year it seems we say that it’s going to be a difficult one, and that is true – it is such important work to build a budget that supports the needs of the District and a financial proposal that is manageable for our member towns. But this year has a lot of hurdles to clear that will put our planning and problem-solving skills to the test as the state and federal financial picture is difficult, the District is entering into negotiations with all bargaining units, the current bus contract expires in June and needs to go out to bid, and our communities have competing needs that they need to address.

We will continue to advocate for the need to fully fund Rural Aid as well as for the formation of a Foundation Budget Formula Review Committee to examine and improve the equity of funding across the Commonwealth.

Here are some other important items to highlight:

Task Force Initiatives ~

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

• Follow up work in progress: In the process of developing a parent/family survey, exploring the use of Wayfinder which supports Social Emotional learning for students, obtaining student feedback, and creating data and fact sheets on progress with attendance. 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.)
  

• The group met on November 20th, and they are in the process of circulating the first draft of a policy for review by the Task Force members. Next, the proposed policy will be made available District-wide for feedback. Finally, when the Task Force has incorporated the input from all stakeholders, the proposed cell phone policy will be sent to the Policy Subcommittee for review and a vote to be recommended to the full School Committee.
  

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

The Superintendent Advisory Councils at all levels will meet this Friday to carry out their proposed ideas to spread kindness to many throughout the holiday season!

The younger students had lots of ideas and wanted to work together with the older councils for the greater good, and the Middle and High School groups were totally on board! Friday’s session will bring these plans to fruition, and we look forward to bringing smiles and joy to many in the coming weeks!

Our Core Team meetings continue to happen weekly, and we have scheduled our next Desing Team meeting for December 11th! The Design Team will be working through how their role has evolved from the Design Journey phase to the Implementation Phase and discovering what action steps are next in this innovative work. We continue to update the website so that members of the community can interact with all the happenings from the events we hold throughout the year!

If you have a chance, check out the wonderful article from the New Marlborough 5 Village News written by Jane Burke, former School Committee member and Transcend Design Team member, on the new BerkStudio experience and Transcend Partnership. It really captured how the experience has been for students, staff, and the Administration involved and has such an inspiring feel to it!

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!

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 band performed at Sheffield's annual tree-lighting ceremony Sunday night!

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!

The winter sport seasons have begun, and we have many other events happening including Grade 7 Field Trip to The Unicorn Theater, Middle School Concert tonight, High School Concert tomorrow evening, College Resource Lab, Girl Scouts, Vex Robotics, School Committee Meeting, and the UME PTO Cookie Walk on Sunday December 15th! - 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.

Calling All Alumni!

Now that you've taken the next steps—whether you're in the workforce, serving in the military, or pursuing higher education—we want to hear from YOU!

Your journey could inspire and guide others as they prepare to take their own steps into the world. Share your wisdom, experiences, and advice with our students and help them see the endless possibilities ahead!

If you're interested in attending our annual Alumni Day on Friday, December 20th, please contact Mr. Barbieri for more information.

Let's show our future grads what being part of the Mt. Everett family means. Together, we can make a difference!

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