Student & Family Update

Background image of the MTRS Choir at our Celebration of Learning on Thursday night

Upcoming dates

• May 21 at 7:30 p.m. and May 22 at 7:30 p.m. - Bits of Broadway MTRS Musical

• May 26: Spring Concert @ BSE (Rain venue: Auditorium at MTRS)

• May 27: Prom

• June 2 - Awards Night: 5-7pm

• June 4 - Graduation 1-3pm

• June 13 - Step-Up Day

• June 22nd Student last day

• June 23rd Staff last day of school

• August 23 & 24: Family Registration events: 7:30-10:30, 3:00-6

Academic calendar for 2022/23 (some events like Graduation 2023 need to be confirmed)

Mask use extended through May 27th

Please be aware that on the advice of the Franklin Regional Council of Governments, the mask requirement will continue in the Mohawk Trail Regional District Schools until May 27th.

Thank you for wearing a mask in our schools.

We will update you on the 27th if the situation has changed.

Planning is underway for our Awards Night and Graduation and we hope you’ll join us!

Awards Night will be held on Thursday, June 2 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the MTRS auditorium.

Graduation will be held outside on Saturday, June 4 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. In the event of rain, graduation will take place in the gymnasium on the same day.

Our teaching staff have been asked to compile student awards. Students and caregivers please complete this survey by May 23 to help us plan these events.

We are working with the student council to help plan the above and would like to make you aware of the date and schedule for the event. Confirmed details will be shared by email to students and families next week.

Date: June 10th

Location: Cafeteria

Time: 6:30-9pm

Chaperones will be provided by the school

Schedule:

6:30-7: Caregivers are invited to take photos of their children and view the 8th grade slideshow

7-9: Semi-formal in the cafeteria

Mohawk Trail Regional School District families is that next school year we may return to the traditional system, where students receive free, reduced-price, or full-price meals based upon income status. In order to ensure we can provide free or reduced-price meals to as many families as possible, we will need families to complete the household Application for Free and Reduced Price Meals for 22-23 school year. Please note that this does not affect the remainder of the current school year. We will continue to offer free breakfast and lunch to ALL students until this school year ends June 22, 2022.

An email will be going out to all families on Monday 23rd with more information.

Live theater is back at MTRS and we would love for you to join us for an evening

of Broadway music and vignettes

A little something for everyone to enjoy!

~Performance Dates~

Friday May 20th & Saturday May 21, 2022 - 7:30 p.m.

Ticket information:

Tickets may be purchased in advance by

emailing stagemanager@mtrs.org, calling (413) 244-5904, or writing a check and leaving it at the front office.

Ticket prices:

Adults: $12

Seniors/Staff/Faculty/Students: $10

Please make checks payable to: MTRS and add Bits of Broadway in the Memo

Questions? Contact Miss Eva at stagemanager@mtrs.org

Please see the latest library news here

Equity Audit Needs Participants! Please share your experiences at MTRS!

At Mohawk Trail we are committed to centering equitable and inclusive practices in our school community and creating a welcoming and accepting environment for all. As such, we’ve made a commitment to take a close look at our everyday policies and practices as related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) this year and have begun a relationship with Firefly Worldwide Inc., an education consulting practice who will serve as a third party to help facilitate this work.

For us, equity means that all members of our community are valued, supported, and included. We see this work as an opportunity to celebrate our strengths and have an honest discussion about areas for growth. We want to invite you all to become a part of this conversation!

In the following weeks we will be conducting an Equity Audit with the purpose of assessing our school climate and culture to determine what’s working, identify areas for improvement, and have an honest conversation about people’s experiences with diversity, equity, and inclusion in our district.

The first part of this work is a community survey. Students, caregivers, and staff are invited to share insights about your own experiences within the MTRS community. This is a brief survey with a variety of questions. We truly hope to hear from everyone and to encourage participation, everyone who submits a survey will be entered into a prize drawing for an amazing prize!

How can I answer the community survey?

We will email the survey link to the community on Monday 16th May and community members will be able to take the survey at MTRS at the Equity Stand at the Spring Fling event on 5/15 from 11am-3pm. Additionally, community members will be able to take this survey in person at our Celebration of Learning on 5/19, 4-6pm.

How else can I get involved?

Additionally, focus groups will be taking place for Caregivers, Students, and Faculty/Staff with Firefly facilitators. Volunteers will have an opportunity to share more information in remote conversations with other participants and facilitators about these important issues. Use this form to be contacted about participating in our focus groups. There will be 3 meetings - one for staff, one for students, and one for caregivers - scheduled remotely during the week of 5/24-6/2. Please join us!!

We’re so proud about this opportunity for our community to become stronger, more inclusive, and more equitable. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Principal Buckland or Assistant Principal Zamer.

We look forward to beginning this conversation!

Dear Mohawk Trail Families,

This year, members of the Mohawk Trail Equity Alliance and our school community have been invited to march in the Franklin County Pride Parade in Greenfield on Saturday, June 11th.

Students, staff, and community members are invited to march with us! All participants must arrive at Greenfield Middle School at 11AM to lineup for the parade which begins at 12pm. The parade route goes down Federal Street and finishes at Energy Park where there will be celebration and rally until 3pm. The rally will feature performances and speakers, including some of our MTEA members.

During the rally, students will no longer be under school supervision and will be free to either 1) explore the events and vendors 2) be picked up or 3) return to their cars and travel home as pre-arranged with their families.

Because this is a club event, students are responsible for arranging their own transportation to and from the event. Students should bring appropriate and comfortable clothing and shoes, sun protection, water, snacks and/or money for food at the rally.

Please complete the attached permission slip and have your student return it to any of the MTEA advisors by Thursday, June 6th.

Thank you,

Mohawk Trail Equity Alliance

Leanne Blaszak

Tamara Brown

Nick Lawrence

Emergency Response Training

We are approaching the end of the year and students' thoughts often turn to enjoying the fine weather with celebrations and parties. Today we held an event for grade 11 and 12 students to help remind them of the importance of making responsible decisions when they are driving themselves or their friends.

Working with the local and state emergency response teams, students in grades 11 and 12 listened to a lecture on the dangers of driving under the influence and then observed a drill where Fire, Police and EMT responded to the scene of a mock accident at MTRS in the parking lot. Following the drill, students returned to the school auditorium for a Q and A follow up.

Please click here for the most recent Student Services updates

The Literacy Leadership Team is happy to announce that a decision has been made regarding our new English Language Arts program. Grades K-6 will be adopting the EL Education curriculum. Grades 7-8 will be adopting the Wit & Wisdom curriculum. Staff have already begun to unpack these new programs that will be rolled out in phases beginning next fall. For more information about the curricula and our selection process, please visit this summary report from the director of curriculum, Sarah Jetzon, that was presented to the school committee in May.

While staff are implementing a new literacy curriculum, they will continue to work on improving their knowledge of reading instruction as well as ways to make implementation more effective through data cycles, professional development about the science of reading and small group instruction, and adhering to a new schedule to address all components of literacy instruction. Stay tuned to learn more about these exciting developments.

The Literacy Leadership Team is looking for your feedback about our effectiveness in communicating important information about literacy in the district. Please take a few minutes to respond to this survey, so we can improve.

https://forms.gle/5AYXmTb92x2c24yBA

Field Biology and Hiking Class: Trip to Chapel Falls

Students from both classes joined together to take a field trip to Chapel Falls in Ashfield to look at wild flowers and get some exercise. Students completed a scavenger hunt and guide to work on identifying wild violets, trilliums, jack in the pulpit and hobblebush.

Starting with the graduating class of 2023, MTRS will be piloting two Graduation Endorsements, one in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion awarded by the Equity Council, and the other in Creative Arts, offered by the Art and Music Departments. An endorsement is kind of like a college minor, and is intended to recognize our students for their investment in an area of personal interest outside of traditional academics. Students will need to meet the requirements for each endorsement, and go through an application process during the winter of their senior year. Endorsements will be noted on their transcript, and recognized at Awards Night and Graduation. We’re very excited to be offering graduation endorsements to our students as another way to honor their individual choices and passions on their way to college and career!

For more information, please contact Rachel Hoogstraten - rhoogstraten@mtrsd.org - about the Equity Endorsement, and Rachel Silverman - rsilverman@mtrsd.org - about the Creative Arts Endorsement.

Semester 2 Finals

12th Grade Finals - no final schedule for 12th grade students, any assessment will take place in class prior to May 26th

Grade 10-11 Finals (timings coming soon)

• Wednesday, June 8th - Block 1 and 2 (Early Release)

• Thursday, June 9 - Block 3 and 4 (late start HS only)

• Friday, June 10 - Make up finals (late start HS only)

Grade 9 Finals (timings coming soon)

• BIO MCAS 7th June

• Weds, June 8 - Bio MCAS in Block 1, Block 2 (Early Release)

• Thursday, June 9 - Block 3 and 4 (late start HS only)

• Friday, June 10 - Make up finals ( Grade 9 Block 1 could take a final at this point or teachers may do an alternative assessment earlier in the week) (late start HS only)

Q4 grading window: Thursday, June 9- Friday 17th, June at midnight

Q4 report cards will be distributed on: Tuesday Weds 22nd

Community Updates

Here is the latest CEEP newsletter and we hope to see you at the youth field hockey scrimmage here at MTRS against Frontier on May 28th at 11:30 to cheer on our young athletes!

Also, the summer track series is back at MTRS. More information coming soon!

Are you interested in gardening or helping us pull invasive plants? Please contact Mrs. Woof at awoofenden@mtrsd.org to learn more about this opportunity.

We have a local Buckland family looking for a babysitter 2 days a week this summer, here is more information.

We are excited to announce that the Outdoor Advisory Committee will soon have its very own section of the MTRS website. As well as keeping you informed about OAC projects in the classroom and community, we will include a monthly update in the Smore. Here is the first update:

Field Biology: Invasive Species Project

This past Thursday students from the field biology class and a few students from the civics class had an invasive plant presentation from Cynthia Boettner, a former US Fish & Wildlife field biologist. Students learned why such work is important to diversity and how to manage a property. Then they learned how to ID garlic mustard and properly dispose of it. Then we went out on our campus and pulled 2 contractor bags worth of the plant!

Please click here for information on Mrs. Camarda’s trip to Italy and Greece in June of 2024. Email Mrs. Camarda for more information: lcamarda@mtrsd.org

Hosting a student from another country is a fantastic cultural experience. Please see the note below from Jada at CIEE and consider hosting a student for the 22/23 school year.

My name is Jada, I assist high school students from our global community with experience in international immersion. We have three amazing students from Brazil, Germany, and Spain who are coming to the Shelburne Falls area this August for the school year. I am working to connect them with an awesome volunteer host family. Would you be willing to share this information with your traveller’s families?

Our students are excited to embrace Shelburne Falls’ culture while sharing a piece of their own. They speak good English and have their own medical insurance as well as their own spending money to cover their personal expenses. Volunteer host families come in all shapes and sizes; retired, veterans, single parents, couples with or without children of any age, etc. A host simply welcomes the student as one of their own!

What is a CIEE host family? Link

Contact for more information: email jrogers@ciee.org

Click here to access this weeks MTRS Athletics Newsletter!

MTRS will once again host the Division 2 Track Championships THIS Saturday May 21 starting with field events at 9:30 AM!

Come and Celebrate MTRS Senior Days This Week!

Tuesday 5/24

Softball!

Download the APP via the App Store or Google Play and add MTRS as a favorite for quick access to all of our teams’ game schedules. You can also access our schedules by visiting the “Arbiter Live” website:

https://www.arbiterlive.com/Teams?entityId=14937

If you need any help or have any questions don't hesitate to reach out to Athletic Director Greg Vouros for more information at gvouros@mtrsd.org

Have a virtual coffee or tea with me! Pop-by and tell me about your experiences at MTRS and the Trailblazer model. Each month I'll host two virtual drop-in hours for caregivers and hope you'll stop by to say hello!

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

Third Friday of each month: 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Meeting ID: meet.google.com/sru-mshz-rht
Phone Number: (US)+1 (218) 301-2866
PIN: 136 064 523

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