If you have not already, please check your child(ren)'s backpack(s). There should be a PTO seed order form in there. If not, it is coming home the next time they are in school.

BSE PTO is selling organic seeds to fundraise for outdoor playground equipment; Nothing says outdoors like a spring garden! The seeds are from High Mowing Farm. It is an organic seed company located in Wolcott, Vermont. By purchasing these certified organic seeds, you are helping BSE students raise money to purchase new playground equipment. BSE receives 50% of all proceeds for seed orders. Orders will be sent home with students early March, plenty of time to start plants indoors. Students will bring all orders home mid March; families are then expected to deliver to the individuals on the order forms. Please make sure to put your child's name and teacher on the form!

We are right in the middle of the year and are wrapping up our winter benchmarks. All students were assessed in Reading and Math. We are able to measure how many skills each student has acquired and which skills they are still working on. Please congratulate your student on their efforts thus far. We are so proud of the growth in all students!

Please enjoy the pictures below from our last snowy day at BSE. Photos courtesy of David Conlon.

Wednesday, January 25th 1:50 Release

Wednesday, January 25th Set Design Enrichment Begins (sign up below)

Wednesday, February 1st 1:50 Release

Tuesday, February 7th 7:30 PTO Virtual PTO Meeting

Wednesday, February 8th 1:50 Release

Check out this awesome resource called Math at Home! Math at Home is offered from our math program, Bridges in Mathematics. This free website is filled with fun daily math activities, family activities, and online games.

Mrs. Aiken and Mrs. Roberts are ready to get creative with you! Are you ready to get messy with paper mache and paint? Would you like to roll your sleeves up and construct Priderock? Come join us as we build the set for the upcoming musical The Lion King KIDS!

Wednesdays 1/25, 2/1, 2/8, 2/15 & 3/1 from 2:30-3:30 or 3:30-4:30, depending on the release time.

Grades 4-6 Cost $30.00 Checks to BSE ASP

The Mohawk Trail Regional School District/Hawlemont Regional School District sent a heartfelt yet direct letter to Governor Maura Healey this week seeking state funding for educational programming.

As the newly-elected governor settles into her role, school officials are cautiously optimistic Ms. Healey will allocate the resources school systems in western Massachusetts need to continue to provide a quality education to all students.

The letter, signed by both School Committee Chair Martha Thurber and Superintendent Sheryl Stanton, outlines the state’s prior oversight in pledged support of western Massachusetts schools. The Student Opportunity Act, signed into law in 2019, promised an additional $1.5 billion in added state aid to K-12 education over seven years. To date, however, none of that money has made its way to Mohawk Trail, Hawlemont, or most other small rural districts.

“Our district has received $0 from the Student Opportunity Act,” the letter reads. “Indeed, our Chapter 70 state education funding has remained virtually flat for more than 20 years, while fixed costs – many of which do not decline in tandem with student enrollment – have pushed our operating budgets up by about 65% over that period. This has left our small towns and their beleaguered property taxpayers to make up the difference.”

School officials are hopeful that the letter as well as support from Representative Natalie Blais, Senator Paul Mark, and Senator Jo Comerford will open new dialogue and revenue to Mohawk Trail and other school districts.

“The governor has made it clear she is committed to fully funding the Student Opportunity Act and we are confident that she will deliver,” Ms. Thurber said.

School officials reference both the Student Opportunity Act and the legislature’s Special Commission on the Fiscal Health of Rural Schools as proof western Massachusetts schools need the governor’s attention.

“We have done an amazing job for our students here,” Superintendent Stanton said “Our staff is top notch and our students go on to do amazing things, but our community should not be paying more to do this than towns in other parts of the state. That’s not fair to our taxpayers or our students.”

The full report can be read here. School officials and state lawmakers intend to continue work to level the playing field when it comes to funding and educational opportunity, ensuring that Mohawk Trail is supported by the state the same way in which other cities and towns are supported.

Mohawk Trail News Flash is a courtesy of the Mohawk Trail/Hawlemont Regional School Districts

The LEC at BSE is rolling out a new program to support classroom teachers and show our appreciation for all they do. We are seeking parents/guardians to act as “room parents” who would like to donate time and/or supplies. We’re hoping to find one to two guardians per class who can take on this role.

What does this volunteer opportunity entail? It varies by class but here are some possible ways you might be involved:

• Create a class directory

• Act as a point person for classroom needs

• Solicit and collect supply donations from other families and/or the community

• Coordinate with other parents/guardians to express appreciation for the teacher through thank you notes, holiday/end of year gifts

• Prepare materials for classroom activities (make play dough, cut out shapes, make photocopies, etc)

• Help the teacher with special events or projects by being an extra set of hands (set up, activity, clean up)*

• Recruit other volunteers

• Serve as a resource for new families

• Organize playground playdates over the summer

At the start of the school year, you will meet with the teacher and they will fill out a short survey describing their preferences and how we can best support them. As a room parent, you could commit to as much or as little as you would like. If you can only do some coordination from home, that is very helpful!

*Please note anyone who is participating in classroom activities needs to be CORI-checked.