Student & Family Update
April 29, 2022
Good afternoon everyone,
I hope you have had a great week!
Scheduling and student class options
Students will be bringing home a hard copy of grade level course choices before the February break. We encourage all students and care givers to read this in advance of the week after the break when the guidance team will be working with students on making choices for classes in 9-12 for the 2024/5 academic year.
Please see below for more information related to upcoming events at MTRS:
- MCAS Semester 1 Biology assessments for G9 took place this week. More information on MCAS and AP testing can be found the testing calendar below and also in the Teaching and Learning section later in the newsletter.
- Semester 1 grades were published in Aspen on Monday of this week. If you are having trouble accessing your student's report card, please reach out to the guidance team.
- SEPAC is organizing a virtual meeting from 9-10am on Feb 14th - more info on the posters below
FREE Covid Antigen Test Kits: Once again our school is being provided with free at home Covid Antigen Test Kits for our students, families, and staff. Please stop by the front office to pick some up or email dweber@mtrsd.org or lharrison@mtrsd.org if you would like us to send test kits home with your student, now and for the rest of this school year.
- Graduation information for the Class of 2024 - please see below! As a reminder (in newsletters since August of 2023: Graduation will be on Friday 31st May, indoors in the MTRS Auditorium)
Franklin County Tech School interviews for G8: Feb 12th
FCTS will be coming to MTRS to interview students who have already applied to tech for next year. If your student is interested in applying to tech, you must reach out to the tech directly and ask for more details.
If you are reading this newsletter on a phone or laptop, don't forget to click on "read entire message" in order to see the complete newsletter.
Finally, we do our best to convey information to our community from a variety of sources, lots of them community rather than school based organizations. Unfortunately we are not able to share images and posters with live links through Smore but always ensure there is an email for inquiries. If you would like an e-copy of a poster with live links, please feel free to reach out to the office directly.
Have a nice weekend
Chris
Upcoming dates
Feb 19-23rd: Vacation
March 1st: 6:30-8:30pm: Student Council Winter Dance
March 27th: District Celebration of Learning
April 10th: Grade 6 ice cream and info meeting with G 7 teachers
April 10th: NHS Induction 6:30-7:30pm
April 11th: MTRS Spring Concert
April 12th: Middle School Career Speakers in Advisory
May 3 and 4th: Spring Musical: You're a good man, Charlie Brown
May 15 & 16th District Music Concert at BSE
May 11th: MTAA Spring Fling
May 18th: Prom
May 30th: Senior Awards evening
May 31st (Friday) -6-8pm: High School Graduation. Indoors at MTRS (This is a correction to the published date of June 1st)
June 3rd - Grade 6 Step up day
June 7th: Grade 8 Ice cream and Celebration: 5:30-7:30
District Calendar for 2023/24: Link
MTRS MCAS and AP testing schedule
Quarter 3 (45 Days)
First Day: January 29, 2024
Last Day: Friday April 5, 2024
Q3 progress report grades close on: Tuesday, February 27, 2024
Q3 progress report grading window: Monday, February 26 - Monday, March 4,
Q3 progress reports will be available in Aspen Tuesday, March 5,
Q3 grading window: Thursday, April 4 - Thursday April 11 at 11:59 pm
Q3 report cards will be available in Aspen: Friday, April 12, 2024
We are looking forward to meeting and speaking with current grade 6 students and families and wanted to let you know that the following events will be taking place after the February break:
Class visits: Counselor Ruggeri, Principal Buckland and former grade 6 students will be visiting and talking with grade 6 in each of our district elementary schools.
March 27th Celebration of Learning: 4-6pm. All current students and families will be invited to MTRS to see examples of student work, listen to the MTRS band, talk with teachers and enjoy some food. This is a great opportunity for current grade 6 students and families to visit and see the school.
April 10th: 5:30-7:30pm Ice cream and information event at MTRS for Grade 6 students and families - Grade 7 teachers will be providing specific information for rising grade 7 students and will be available to answer any questions or concerns
June 3rd: Grade 6 Step up Day - Students in grade 6 from all of our elementary schools will spend the day at MTRS. They will buddy up with a grade 7 student, meet the staff and get a taste of what it means to be a part of the MTRS community.
As a former school counselor, I can appreciate the time and effort our counselors, Mrs. Cairney and Mrs. Ruggeri put into their day! This week has been School Counselor Appreciation Week and they were both treated to yummy snacks and coffee! I know your students appreciate the work they do as well!
I had the pleasure of taking three students to Amherst High School this week for a Restorative Practices Circles training. In the past students may have participated in a “peer mediation” which is similar. This workshop is one of the early steps in our Restorative Practices process. The explanation that students received about the difference between restorative justice and practices are as follows:
Restorative Justice: Seeks to repair harm by bringing offenders and harmed parties together to come to a resolution.
Restorative Practices: Bringing a community together to repair harm and strengthen relationships.
Carol Foote, Communications and Outreach Coordinator, cfoote@mtrsd.org
Sustainability Study: Phase Two Underway
The Mohawk Trail and Hawlemont School Districts have been engaged in seeking resources, data, and direction in planning a path for our future. Phase 1 of the latest sustainability study was conducted in 2022 with findings reported in 2023. This study was led by the Massachusetts Association of Regional Schools (MARS) consulting group which collected information about current conditions within the districts and prepared estimates and projections in the critical areas of enrollment, fiscal conditions, educational programming and building infrastructure. The information collected was meant to help inform a long-term sustainability plan which would carry out best practices for educating Mohawk Trail and Hawlemont district students while understanding the challenges we face as a rural community.
Now partnered with BERK12 and fully funded by a Massachusetts Community Compact grant, Phase 2 of the sustainability study is underway. “The focus in Phase 2 examines all the data we have and identifies the data we need,” Sheryl Stanton, superintendent of the Mohawk Trail and Hawlemont Regional school districts, said in an interview. “We will have conversations with the community and staff about any changes and strategies we have that will lead us to sustainability in the district.” A website has been established for community members to check frequently for information and project updates: 2districts8towns.org. Also see a feature article recently printed in the Greenfield Recorder.
To start Phase 2, the districts established an advisory committee that includes representation from all member towns. With that task complete, in partnership with BERK12, they will consider the districts’ existing conditions and chart out initial community engagement until May. The steering committee members are as follow:
Ashfield – Open seat
Paula Consolo, Buckland, Finance Committee
Colrain – Jenny Van Wyk, Parent and Educator
Julie Talbot, Charlemont, Parent and Educator
Ellen Purinton, Hawley, Community Member
Elizabeth Finn, Heath, Parent
Judy Coles, Plainfield, Select Board
Paul Hollings, Shelburne, Community Member
Robin Pease, Mohawk Trail/Hawlemont Director of Facilities and Transportation
Kristen Tilona-Baker, Executive Director, Mary Lyon Foundation
Sheryl Stanton, Mohawk Trail/Hawlemont Superintendent of Schools
Martha Thurber, Chair, Mohawk Trail School Committee
Elizabeth Van Iderstine, Chair, Hawlemont School Committee
As the sustainability work gets underway, there will be multiple opportunities for everyone in our communities to participate – in subcommittees, focus groups, surveys, community forums and other events – and we encourage everyone to get involved!
In recent history, the two districts have faced level enrollment, level state aid and increasing expenses, placing the burden of funding the schools largely on the towns. This prompted the districts to embark on a multi-phase sustainability study to find ways to reorganize the schools and address rural hardships. And while the State’s solution to reducing costs has been to further regionalize, Superintendent Stanton argued that Mohawk Trail, now the largest district in the state geographically covering more than 250 square miles, cannot regionalize more. This sustainability study is ordered to explore solutions that do not include further regionalization.
Over the next many months, BERK12 will engage with the community, asking for input and insight into the realities of running a two-district school system. From August through February 2025, they will model and evaluate options. Then, through June 2025, BERK12 will develop a final report and plan for the next steps. Phase 3 will follow and will largely consist of carrying out recommendations based on the input from the community resulting in models from BERK12.
Please keep watch for opportunities to share your opinions, experiences, and wishes for the future of our school districts. And if you are willing to help spread the word and/or join a subcommittee or other group, please send an email to Carol Foote, Communications and Outreach Coordinator, noting your interest.
MCAS information & Attendance reminder
In the next few weeks we will start to share information in relation to MCAS and AP testing. For now, I wanted to share some very quick information:
Our school testing schedule is here: MTRS MCAS and AP testing schedule and general parent/ caregiver information about MCAS can be found here: MCAS Resources for parents.
Here is High School Graduation Requirement Information in relation to MCAS
Finally, information on the financial scholarships available as a result of MCAS performance can be found here:
Attendance Reminder As we are at the start of second semester, just a reminder of the attendance policy as found in the Student Handbook: For students in grades 7-12, absences exceeding 10% of class time will result in a loss of credit. Any student who misses ten (10) classes in any semester course (either a course that meets daily for one semester or meets every other day for a full year) will not receive credit for that course. The course must be retaken for credit. For a course that meets on alternating days for a semester, any student who misses five (5) classes will not receive credit for that course; missing 19 classes for a yearlong course (one that meets every day for the full year) will also result in loss of credit. Students in grades 7-12 who miss 30% or more of a class on a given day will be considered absent from that class. This is due to the requirements of the time on learning standards set by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as managed by our student attendance system. There is an appeals process through which a student may request a waiver under extenuating circumstances.
Energy Drink Dangers
Although Energy Drinks can seem like a great idea, we request they NOT be brought to school. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatric "adolescents should not consume energy drinks".
Some of the potential dangers of Energy Drinks include:
Dehydration (not enough water in the body)
Heart Complications (such as irregular heartbeats and heart failure)
Anxiety (feeling nervous and jittery)
Liver and/or Kidney damage
High Blood Pressure
Seizures
And the list goes on and on. For everyone's safety, Energy Drinks are not allowed in school.
Class meetings will take place in the next two weeks and the Class of 2024 will be planning their involvement in the following events:
Graduation
Prom - Saturday 18th May
Senior Send off - Weds 22nd May
Senior Soak - Thursday 23rd May
Last Day - Friday May 24th
Memorial Day - Mon 27th May
Finals and rehearsals for Awards/ Graduation - Tuesday 28th May and Wednesday May 29th
Elementary school visit and MTRS staff cookout - Wednesday 29th May
Awards Event - Thursday 30th May (5-7pm)
Graduation Celebration - Friday May 31st 6-8pm indoors at MTRS (auditorium)
Scholarships
Please keep checking the Student Services section of the website in order to stay on top of deadlines. Last year the Class of 2023 walked away with over $100,000 in scholarships from our MTRS community!
This section of the newsletter will be updated as we progress through the year, so please check back in regularly!
Check out what is new in the library!
Take a look at our MTRS Library February 2024 newsletter: Link
Also don't forget to be checking the Senior Scholarship Bulletin.
Students and parents, please reach out with any specific questions - happy to help! Mrs. Cairney acariney@mtrsd.org Students to book an appt visit: https://acairney.youcanbook.me/
Bus Schedules and Questions
Please make sure that you check the Bus routes on district site. Care providers can call Dawn at the bus company on 413-489-3195 at ext 3304 or call the school and ask to speak to Robin Pease.
We want to hear your voice!
Local Education Council (LEC)
This meets virtually every second Wednesday of the month between 3:45 and 4:30pm. More information can be found here. The next meeting will take place on February 14th
The virtual joining information is as follows:
Meeting ID
Phone Numbers
(US)+1 813-435-9650
PIN: 741 012 215#
Principal Drop-ins
As was the case last year, I will hold regular virtual office hours. You don’t need an appointment to come and talk with me and share your thoughts on what goes on at MTRS. I will try to be available for the whole 60 minutes but can't always guarantee it at our busy school. The next drop in will take place on March 8th.
Second Friday of each month: 8:00 to 9:00 a.m.
Meeting ID: meet.google.com/jtz-yhet-ipo
Phone Number: (US)+1 (813) 773-5581
PIN: 636 883 303
Welcome back Mohawk Trail sports fans! We had a VERY busy and fruitful week of athletics here in Buckland. However, before we dive into it, please remember to get your students signed up for spring sports as soon as possible! The sooner we have accurate numbers for participants, the sooner we post practice schedules and coach information! This spring we will be offering…
Boys and Girls Track and Field
Baseball
Softball
Tennis
The online registration process can be found HERE. Please reach out to District Athletic Director Greg Lilly with any questions at glillyAD@mtrsd.org
WILLIAM VANVLEET MAKES MOHAWK TRAIL WRESTLING HISTORY BY RECORDING 100TH CAREER VICTORY!
It was a special night at Mohawk Trail last Friday as Will VanVleet became the first Warrior wrestler in history to record 100 career victories. In front of a large crowd on his Senior Night, Will was able to pin his Northampton High School opponent in just a few seconds, and was rewarded with a standing ovation from everyone in attendance. VanVleet was able to accomplish this milestone even though he missed an entire season due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Congratulations to Will, Coaches Mastorakis and Biagini, and the rest of the Mohawk Trail wrestling family.
WARRIOR SENIOR HOOPERS GO OUT ON TOP WITH CONVINCING VICTORY OVER SMITH VOCATIONAL!
Mohawk Trail seniors Kaylin Sumner, Riley Giard, and Rachel Pease had a Senior Night to remember as they led their fellow Warriors to a 46-23 victory over visiting Smith Vocational of Northampton. Unlike the last three meetings between these clubs, two of which went into overtime, this matchup was almost over before it began as Mohawk Trail jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. Pease was hot from the start and paced her Warriors with a career high 23 points while playing suffocating defense. Junior Bella Pettengill had 8 points of her own, while freshman Natalie Lanoue chipped in with 7.
The Lady Warriors are still on the outside looking in as far as postseason goes, but still have two games remaining against TBD opponents to help bolster their case. Nice job ladies!
ALPINE SKI TEAMS LOOKING TO SHARPEN THEIR EDGES BEFORE POSTSEASON RUNS!
With Individuals and States right around the corner, both the boys and girls Alpine Ski Teams closed out their regular seasons with League Titles! The girls squad, led by Senior Emmy Sisum, Junior Sofiya Slocik-Gritzner, and Sophomore Addie Loomis went UNDEFEATED in league races, and are looking to take home their 3rd consecutive state championship! Not far behind, the boys won 6 of their 7 leagues races this winter behind the racing expertise of Seniors Weston Den Ouden and Gage Patenaude and are looking to have another top 5 finish at states at the end of the month! Good luck Warriors!
Chris Buckland
Email: cbuckland@mtrsd.org
Website: www.mtrs.mohawktrailschools.org
Phone: 413-625-9811
Facebook: facebook.com/mohawktrailregional