Student & Family Update

We finally made it through a complete school week!!!

There is a lot coming up in the next few weeks for students and families. Please note the following highlights:

Family and care provider feedback from Q2: Thanks to everyone who participated and provided feedback. I will shared another opportunity for students and staff at the end of Q3 and families and care providers at the end of Q4. Q2 feedback can be seen here: link

College and Career information talk- Grade 11 students in the library with Counselor Fulton on Weds 8th Feb during advisory. Junior class students and families, please look out for more information following this meeting.

Course choices - Our course catalog for 23/24 will be shared on March 1st. Please see the course choices section of the smore for more info on how students pick their courses for next year.

Grade 9 Bio MCAS took place Weds and Thursday of this week. S2 Bio students will have their exams in June.

GCC Nursing Students will be at MTRS for their pediatric rotations again this year:

Samantha every Thursday at 8:00 AM 2/3/23-3/10/23

Keri every Thursday at 8:00 AM 3/24/23-5/5/23

Upcoming dates

• Feb 11th - MTRS to host MIAA D3 Western Mass Sectional Wrestling Event

• Feb 15th - College and Career Future Fair Event at MTRS

• Feb 20-24 - No School: February break

• March 29th - District Celebration of Learning

Early Release Wednesdays (12:50pm)

• Feb 8
• March 1,8,15,29
• April 5,12,26
• May 3,10,17,24

AP and MCAS Schedule :Link

Academic Calendar: Link (Please note that Q3 started on January 25th and subsequent dates have yet to be adjusted for snow days. Thanks for your understanding.)

Theatre Updates: For more information and news on Guys and Dolls: Link

MTEA and the Equity Council shared information with students at our weekly assembly on our new Equity Endorsement and plans for a Creative Arts endorsement. Link

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.

Narrowing down our options - seeing which courses and electives we can run in 23/24

Staff have created descriptions for proposed courses for 2023/24 . Students will make initial choices for 23/24 on the following dates:

• Feb 9 - Students in 9 & 11 to complete google forms in advisory
• Feb 10 - Students in 8 & 10 to complete google forms in advisory

Sharing Course Catalog with students and families

• Following the google form survey, the guidance and admin team will finalize the Course Catalog for 2023/24
• March 1st - Catalog shared with Families and Students

Course Selection presentation

• March 1st: Guidance team & Teachers to use the whole school assembly to explain courses to students

Grade 8-12 Students making choices in Aspen

• March 8th: In an assembly on March 8th, the Guidance team will talk through the process of how students in 8-11 make course selection choices in Aspen.

Grade 7 and Rising 7

• Current 7: We will communicate about course selection later in the Spring
• Rising 7: More information about choices will be given when we visit grade 6 schools after Feb break. Typically this is done via google form and completed on registration day in the summer.

Monthly update

The Partnership for Youth conducts an annual regional Student Health Survey of students in Grades 8, 10 & 12. The survey will ask about knowledge and behaviors that affect students’ health and well-being, including substance use, violence, mental health, diet, and exercise.

The purpose of the study is to gather the information needed to plan programs to support students and reduce problem behaviors in our schools and communities. It will also help us judge the effectiveness of our current prevention and intervention efforts.

The survey is entirely anonymous. Students will not put their names or any other identifying information on the survey. All results from the study will be presented only in group summary form, like many opinion polls.

Communities that care data from 2022

The 2023 survey is planned for Feb 9th during advisory. Passive consent information was shared with families on Jan 31st via email.

The most important part of a classroom experience isn't the setting or course materials, it is the talent of the teacher in front of the student.

Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program: Girls Who Code invites current high school students who identify as girls or non-binary to apply to their summer programs, which are available June 17-August 12. Students get priority consideration when they apply by Thursday, February 16, and other applications are due by Saturday, March 18. More information is available through the above link and in webinars.

Students in grades 7, 8, 9 and 10 will participate in hands-on learning designed to help them make the most of their time in high school and set themselves up for a bright future.

Through an expo-style fair, students will "choose their own adventure", exploring different pathways to college and career, and learn about opportunities in high school that will open doors to new pursuits.

The event will include a select panel of diverse college representatives that will answer everything from, "What kinds of colleges exist, and how do I choose the right one?" to "How do I pay for college?" to "What should I be doing now to figure out what I want to do later?"

Throughout the event students will have the chance to meet:

• Representatives from public, private, community and technical colleges

• Career professionals and nonprofit leaders from a wide-range of industries and government agencies

• High school teachers that will highlight impactful programming for student development, such as the Senior Capstone and Civics Project

• Guidance counselors to share about scholarships, course selection, and college-planning

• Coaches, club advisers and student leaders showcasing activities that enrich the secondary experience

• Vocational school representatives detailing secondary programs

• Junior Achievement to talk about financial planning

• MassHire to share internships and employment opportunities

• Arts' program leaders highlighting courses and activities in music, visual and performing arts

• Trailblazer leaders - to learn about specialized graduation endorsements and MTRS opportunities

• And more!

If you are interested in volunteering for the day to represent your organization or industry, please reach out to Carol Foote at cfoote@mtrsd.org

• Prom - Friday 19th May
• Senior Send off - Weds 24th May
• Senior Soak - Thursday 24th May
• Finals and rehearsals for Awards/ Graduation - Tuesday 30th May
• Elementary school visit and MTRS staff cookout - Wednesday 31st May
• Awards Event - Thursday 1st June (5-7pm)
• Graduation Celebration - Friday June 2nd, 6:30-8pm (Rain date: June 3rd: 1-3pm)

More information will be shared out in the next few weeks!

For scholarship information and deadlines, students should continue to reference the Student Services updates

Updates

There will be a COVID/flu vaccine clinic on Saturday Feb 4th from 12-3pm at Buckland Public Library, on Upper St in Buckland. Please see this flyer for more information.

Beginning on February 6th, the Health Office will begin conducting the mandated Massachusetts health screenings. This includes vision, hearing, postural, height & weight and SBIRT (a drug and tobacco screening and education program). Grades 7 and 10 will have all of the mentioned screenings done. Grades 8 and 9 will have postural screenings only. If you do not want your child to participate in these screenings, please notify the Health Office in writing.

Overweight and underweight children are at risk for a variety of health problems, making early identification of their weight status important. Eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia and binge eating can result in both serious long-term health problems and poor school performance. Overweight and obesity in children and adolescents are risk factors for a variety of serious health conditions such as Type 2 Diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The health office will email you if your child falls into one of the at risk categories so that you can follow up with their primary care provider.

Please call the Health Office at 413-625-9811 ext. 1318 with any questions.

CEEP

The 4H Babysitter course is back and open to students ages 12 and up. The program costs $35 and is offered Tuesdays March 7th, 14th, and 21st from 2:30-4:30 in the library. Check out the flyer below for more information.

4H Babysitter Flyer

We still have some space available in our Hilltown Scout Camp offered during February vacation to all our students in the district grades k-6. Click on the flyer below for more information.

February Scout Camp Flyer

Alia Woofenden "Mrs. Woof"

Liaison for Community Engagement and Enrichment Programs

Mohawk Trail Regional School District

24 Ashfield Road, Shelburne Falls, MA 01370

She/Her/Hers

https://www.mtrsd.org/ceep

https://www.facebook.com/MTRSDCEEP/

Jacob G, a Junior at MTRS, recently completed an independent study on Elvis Presley. As a culminating event, Jacob put on a concert celebrating many of the singer's greatest hits. Supported by Mr. Colbeck, Mr. Leowolf and Mr. Friday, over 80 guests enjoyed the sights and sounds of the late, great, "King" of rock and roll! Great job, Jacob!

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 be on Feb 8th.

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#‬

Outdoor Advisory Committee (OAC)

This meets every second Wednesday of the month between 5 and 6pm. In the winter we will be virtual. In the Spring and Fall we will be in-person. The next meeting will be on Feb 8th.

Outdoor Advisory Committee- Virtual

Wednesday, Feb 8th, 5:00 – 6:00pm

Google Meet joining info

Video call link: https://meet.google.com/ysh-dgqv-jvz

Or dial: ‪(US) +1 470-210-0524‬ PIN: ‪190 585 623‬#

Please explore the OAC page on the website and have a look at the list of initial projects we gathered from surveying students, staff and community as well as OAC priorities created from this initial list.

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.

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