Student & Family Update

Welcome to the first newsletter of the school year, 2023/4!

We are looking forward to welcoming students into the building on Wednesday 30th. I hope that this newsletter outlines some of the things students and families need to do before the first day and also explains what students will be doing on their first day.

Please see below for information relating to:

• Start of year packets
• Chrome book use
• What to do on day 1
• Important upcoming dates

Students in grades 8-12, please note that if you have a question in relation to schedules, please contact your guidance counselor by email in the first instance:

Grade 8 - Ms. Ruggeri: truggeri@mtrsd.org

Grade 9-12 - Ms. Cairney: acairney@mtrsd.org

Please note that we are in the process of confirming bus routes and hope to reach out to families before the end of Friday 25th.

Please reach out to the office with any questions or concerns.

Enjoy your weekend

Best wishes

Chris

Upcoming dates

• First day of school: August 30th, 7:45-11:30am (Breakfast available from 7:20)

• Labor day: Sept 4th (No school)

• MTRS Open House: Sept 12th, 4:30-6:30pm (Grades 7,8 and Middle School Exploratory teachers)

• School photographs: Oct 11th (Retakes, Nov 25th)

District Calendar for 2023/24: Link

Returning students 9-12 Start of the Year Welcome Packet

• Welcome Letter

• School Calendar

• Student Info sheet from Aspen

• Athletics Letter

• Parent Signature form

• Health Update

• Free and Reduced Lunch Application

• Chromebook Form

• 23/24 Bus routes

Juniors and Seniors:

• Armed Forces

Grade 8: Start of the Year Welcome Packet

• Welcome Letter

• Supply list

• School Calendar

• Student Info sheet from Aspen

• Athletics Letter

• Parent Signature form

• Health Update

• Free and Reduced Lunch Application

• Chromebook Form

• 23/24 Bus routes

Juniors and Seniors:

• Armed Forces

New Student 7-12 Welcome Packet

• Welcome Letter

• FAQ

• Grade 7 Supply List

• School Calendar

• Map of building

• Bell Schedule

• New Student Registration Packet

• Parent Signature form

• Health Update

• Graduation Requirements

• Free and Reduced Lunch Application

• Chromebook Form

• Athletics letter

• 23/24 Bus routes

Juniors and Seniors only

• Armed Forces

Grade 7: Students will go to the gym when they arrive. Once in the gym, the 7th grade team does introductions and students will receive schedules and locker combinations.

8th graders meet the 8th grade team in the cafeteria. This is when they will be given locker combinations and schedules.

Grade 9: The first day of school the 9th grade students meet in the auditorium after they arrive. They are welcomed by the Administration and their Advisors before receiving schedules.

Grades 10, 11, 12 all received their schedules in Aspen already and should report to advisory as soon as they enter the building.

Chrome books will be distributed to Grade 12 on 8/30 and to grades 8,9,10 & 11 on 9/30.

Please make sure that you have completed the user form and made a payment for the protection fee (check, cash or online) before this time.

This year Grade 7 will not be issued chrome books at the start of the school year. Instead, grade 7 will access have access to chrome books which are stored in their content classes. We hope that in the second semester we will be able to issue chrome books to grade 7.

I am delighted that we have several new staff joining us this year. Thanks in advance for making them feel welcome and part of the MTRS family!

• Christie Niles - Reception and Sub-coordinator

• Carol Foote (Communication and Outreach Director/ Coordinator - see below)

• Aimee Cairney (HS Guidance)

• Paula Brault (Dean of Culture)

• Sam Bill (HS Math)

• Brennan Tierney (MS Social Studies)

• Tom Weinreich (MS Science)

• Lily Margola (MS Exploratory Drama)

• Brittainy Simpson (ASL)

We are continuing to recruit and hope to have all staffing in place for the start of the year.

Students, if you are interested in participating in the Play and/or the Musical, please complete this form: link

For those who participated in the 22-23 school year- there will be an informal meeting at school in the auditorium on Friday 8/25 at 2pm. This should last about an hour.

Upcoming events- There will be a meet and greet meeting on Wednesday September 13th for anyone who is interested in learning about Performing Arts at Mohawk Trail and those returning to Performing Arts. This meeting will be held in the auditorium directly after school. This is an early release day and you will need transportation home or wait for the late bus. If you can not attend please contact Miss Eva -stagemanager@mtrsd.org.

This meeting will last about an hour.

Auditions for the fall play ( non musical) will be held on Wednesday 9/20 (not an early release day!) in the auditorium. If you are unable to make the meeting on the 13th please contact Miss Eva for information on auditions. If necessary 9/22 will be added for auditions as well.

For those who need to plan- rehearsals will typically be held on Wednesdays & Fridays this year for both the fall play and the spring musical. If you have regular conflicts on these days of the week contact Miss Eva prior to auditions.

Looking forward to a great 23/24 season!! Miss Eva

We are looking at getting your feedback on possible changes to the schedule for MTRS. We would like to have your input into what you think is working/ not working/ could be improved or added to our schedule.

This is your chance to let us know about anything to do with the schedule. As we are gathering initial feedback, anything really does mean anything and could include: Start times, course offerings, elective offerings, technology, outdoor learning, block schedules... Whatever you would like to comment on in relation to the schedule, we want to hear about it!

Thanks in advance for sharing your feedback.

Your feedback will help with our next steps in looking at possible schedule changes and we will keep students and families updated in the process.

Dear Friends,

We blazed into summer with a Reach for the Stars launch party supporting our Campaign for Student Success. The well-attended event was at the Crazy Horse Bar and Grill at Berkshire East in Charlemont, MA, and featured local musicians Greg Smith and Tory Hanna and the Mohawk Trail High School Chorus. The band played well into the evening as the Mary Lyon Foundation announced a comprehensive campaign to support the Mohawk Trail and Hawlemont Regional School District students, families, and educators.

Our Campaign for Student Success is about reaching for the stars. We are deeply committed to expanding the boundaries of what is possible in West County. Our campaign goals reflect our unwavering dedication to supporting our community's students, families, and educators, helping everyone reach their full potential and ensuring their limitless growth trajectory.

Your support over the last two and a half years has given us a solid foundation to move into the next phase of our campaign. We are on the way to meeting our fundraising goals and need your help during the final stretch. We can ensure that the future of our community and our students is limitless. Working together, we are building a better future for our community, enabling our students to blaze their trail to the stars and fulfill their dreams. We are the only organization in western Franklin County that provides on-the-ground, comprehensive services to our youth and families. Social service agencies in Greenfield rely on the Foundation to help deliver their services to our students and families.

The Mary Lyon Foundation has provided:

• Thousands of winter coats, hats, mittens, and boots;

• Hundreds of pairs of eyeglasses;

• Thousands of bags of groceries and fresh produce, dairy, and fruit;

• Hundreds of backpacks filled with school supplies;

• Tens of thousands of dollars in emergency assistance for families in crisis so that children are warm and have safe housing and transportation;

• Thousands in medical support for students;

• Thousands in summer camps, childcare, and before- and after-school care for children so parents can go to work;

• Tens of thousands in scholarship support for students pursuing post-secondary training in the trades or agriculture, or college;

• Tens of thousands in grant dollars to educators for innovative teaching practices;

• Thousands in computer hardware and internet access to facilitate the learning process;

• And so much more!

The Foundation is doing its part to remove the barriers imposed by poverty so that our children learn, succeed and thrive. And YOU are making that possible through your giving! Because of your generosity, our Campaign for Student Success has raised $3.8 million in the last 2.5 years. As a result, our program and service delivery has tripled in size. Each initiative is well endowed through gifts for specific purposes such as scholarships, student assistance, family assistance, emergency assistance, literacy, childcare, internships, and so on.

While our programs have tripled, our operating budget has not kept pace with our growth in service delivery. We’ve relied on our trustees and volunteers to help us live our mission. As we launch the next phase of our campaign, we need to focus on guaranteeing the Foundation’s future. We are seeking to raise an additional $1.2 million to increase the size of our operating endowment. This will generate a stable source of operating revenue in perpetuity and allow us to expand our staff and infrastructure to meet the growing needs of our programming.

When our children and families thrive, we all benefit. Investing in the Foundation’s operations is an investment in our collective future. To help inspire generosity for this critical endeavor, we’ve received a new pledge of $100,000 for our operating endowment if we can raise another $100,000. This challenge is a dollar-for-dollar match, resulting in $200,000 to our operating endowment.

Fundraising for the challenge begins now, and we need your help. Please consider making a gift to our operating endowment. We count on the community to help us meet this challenge and reach our goal. Together, we will ensure that our students, families, and educators have the tools and resources to succeed. Thank you for seeing the value of the Mary Lyon Foundation. We appreciate your support. Be sure to check out our Summer Newsletter: The Lion Roars for updates on programming and exciting initiatives!

With deepest appreciation,

Kristen Tillona-Baker
Executive Director

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 first meeting will take place on September 13th.

The virtual joining information is as follows:

Meeting ID

meet.google.com/gzo-toke-ibz

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 first drop in will take place on September 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

Official practices for all sports begin on AUGUST 21st!!! Please make sure that your student is registered prior to 8/21/23 and has an up to date physical (last 12 months) on file with the school nurse. You can register your child online at https://mtrs.mohawktrailschools.org/Athletics. The official registration deadline will not be until September 8th, but please note that no athlete will be allowed to participate until their registration is complete.

This fall we will be offering…

Volleyball

Field Hockey

Cross Country

Middle School Football

Middle School Soccer

High School Soccer (Cooperative Team w/ Greenfield High School)

High School Football (Cooperative Team w/ Greenfield High School)

If your child is interested in participating on one of our Cooperative Teams, please reach out to District Athletic Director Greg Lilly at glillyAD@mtrsd.org for more information.

Mohawk Trail SEPAC Member and Parent

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Do you have a question about your child, their services, or resources specific to your needs? If you or someone you know would like to be added to the private list and receive emails and event notifications, please send an email to: MOHAWKSEPAC@gmail.com Please indicate your email, title (such as parent of a student with IEP/504), District, Interested Party or other)

Disclosure: SEPAC maintains the list of contacts and keeps the information private. This email is maintained by a parent and volunteer. Our goal is to respond in a timely manner. We will get back to you as soon as we can. Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding.

Email: cbuckland@mtrsd.org
Website: www.mtrs.mohawktrailschools.org
Phone: 413-625-9811
Facebook: facebook.com/mohawktrailregional