Student & Family Update
March 18, 2022
March 18, 2022
Hello Everyone!
It was great to have Amy Donovan from the Franklin County Solid Waste Management District here this week to relaunch our school composting program with students in grades 9-12. We are excited to play our part in helping sustain our environment! Amy will be back at MTRS in April to talk to our middle school students.
Please take a look at news and information in relation to the many things going on in our busy school!
Best,
Chris
Background photo: MTRS students Emery King and Rylee Hagar make heart shapes with their hands after the Mohawk Trail Equity Alliance walk out last Friday. Photo by Sophia Goodnow, communications intern.
Mask / Body Breaks
On Monday 14, masks became optional at MTRS. While it has been great to see faces, we recognize some students and families would prefer to continue to use masks. To maximize time on learning and provide all students with the opportunity for a mask/ body break, we have made some slight adjustments to the length of some classes. Please see the daily schedule HERE.
Please note that this will not impact start/end times or lunch times.
Important Dates to Remember
March 30 - Early Release
April 18 - 22 - April vacation
May 19 - Trailblazer Districtwide Celebration of Learning
May 20 and May 21 at 5:30 p.m. and May 22 at 2:30 p.m. - 'Bits of Broadway' MTRS Musical
May 26 - Spring Concert
May 27 - Prom
June 4 - Graduation
From our Health office
On March 21 the Health office will begin conducting mandated Massachusetts health screenings. This includes vision, hearing, postural, height and weight, and SBIRT (a drug and tobacco screening and education program) - for Grades 7 and 10. 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. Questions? Contact the Health office at: (413) 625-9811 ext. 1318.
Student Voice
Key Club
The Key Club will be volunteering at the Kiwanis Club's Sugar on Snow dinner to be held on March 26 at the Shelburne-Buckland Community Center. Proceeds from Kiwanis events benefit a variety of scholarships and financial aid opportunities. Hope to see you there!
National Honors Society (NHS)
Welcome and Congratulations to new members!
On Tuesday, March 15, the NHS welcomed our new sophomore members. NHS officers introduced new members to the responsibilities of being part of NHS and will learn how to do jobs such as recycling at their meeting next week.
On Wednesday, high school students participated in an assembly focused on our newly revived composting initiative which has been incorporated into high school lunches. With this revival, we're hoping for much success!
A special thanks to NHS member Austin Sullivan and Amy Donovan from the Franklin County Solid Waste Management District for playing a major role in getting this program started up again.
2022 Yearbook
The yearbook team has been editing the final product to be distributed in the spring. Members can be spotted taking pictures around school and at sporting events to include in various sections. All aspects of school life have been delegated to various students to document and organize into their respective pages. Some completed portions include the fall sports section, the student pages, and the senior section. Going forward, the yearbook hopes to better show parts of the school community that weren't showcased in prior years.
STUCO TAG SALE
YOU have stuff to sell and WE have space for you!
JOIN US on for the Mohawk Trail Regional School Student Council TAG SALE on Sunday, May 15 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the MTRS field hockey field (26 Ashfield Road, Shelburne Falls). Help us FILL THE FIELD and sign-up to be a vendor today!
VENDOR INFORMATION:
$20 per space (spaces approx. 10' x 15')
$10 table rental (limited amount, first come first serve)
*Bringing your own pop-up/EZ up tent is encouraged*
Sign-ups are due by APRIL 29
To sign-up, email: MTRSstuco@mtrsd.org and include subject line: "May Tag Sale"
**Vendors: To sign up, please CLICK HERE and complete the form to reserve your space.**
Graphic by STUCO member and communications intern Sophia Goodnow
Class of '22 Families - Graduation
Families of our graduating Class of 2022 - Students have been asked to complete a survey about graduation this year (be sure to check your student emails, as this has been shared twice!).
Caregivers of the graduating class are asked to provide their feedback as well in this graduation survey. You should have received this survey via email previously; however, if you haven't yet filled it out - please take a moment to provide your feedback!
Trailblazer News
April 12 - MTRS Student Arts Panel
How do the arts play a role in the Trailblazer Model? What opportunities do students have to experience arts education at MTRS? How are MTRS students supported in building a creative community?
Please join us for a VIRTUAL student-led panel discussion on Tuesday, April 12 from 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Our talented students will be leading this event to share their artistry and educational experiences. Take a virtual tour of our arts spaces! Enjoy a sampling of student work in vocal and instrumental music, studio and digital arts, and theater. We hope you will join us! Caregiver and Community, please RSVP using this form.
May 19: Trailblazer Districtwide Celebration of Learning, 4 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Mark your calendars and please join us for a great night of showcasing our students’ work! For current and prospective MTRS students and families in grades 5 - 12:
Learn how our students are blazing their trails at MTRS and our Trailblazer model
Grade 5 and 6 celebration of learning (Projects) in the gym
Elementary school literacy event in the library
MS & HS displays of what goes on in your rooms -get students excited about displaying their work and talking about it!
Trailblazer ambassadors to meet and greet and talk
Excerpts from the musical and Spring Concert
Food: TBD
Trailblazer talk & prize draw
Currently seeking community members with food contacts! We’re looking for those interested in participating / providing food for our event. Interested? Know someone? Please contact Principal Buckland at cbuckland@mtrsd.org.
Zamer's Corner ~ Highlights from our Assistant Principal
Students in Ms. Blaszak’s 7th grade ELA class participated in Socratic Seminars last week and I was lucky to see them in action.
Socratic Seminars are a way for students to engage in deep, formal discussions with their peers on a variety of topics and texts. Seminars are student-led, aligning with our Trailblazer Model. Students learned how to be active listeners; how to respectfully disagree with their peers; and how to ask questions that deepen their understanding of the text and build connections. The seminar centered around multiple texts the students have been reading with Ms. Blaszak. After students completed their first Socratic Seminar, they asked to do another! Ms. Blaszak plans on holding Socratic Seminars after students finish Animal Farm. Here are the texts students were drawing on for their discussion:
B by Sarah Kay
Hope is the thing with feathers by Emily Dickinson
Dreams by Langston Hughes
Caged Bird by Maya Angelou
JFK’s Inaugural Speech
I Have a Dream
Malala Yousafzai’s 16th birthday speech at the UN
Community Activities & Engagement
Outdoor Advisory Committee Survey
The Outdoor Advisory Committee is looking for community input! Please let us know If you have ideas on how we might improve our campus for students, staff, and the community; complete this survey, here. The results will be shared at our next meeting on April 13, from 5 p.m.- 6 p.m.
MTRSD Community Engagement & Enrichment Programs
The next CEEP newsletter is now available and includes our spring enrichment offerings for grades K-6. Check it out! Lots of great stuff planned for this spring... including the return of elementary field hockey!
SPRING SPORTS REGISTRATION IS OPEN!
Spring Sports start Monday, March 21
In order to participate in spring sports, all student-athletes MUST register via our online platform FAMILY ID!
How to Register for Spring Sports:
Spring registration for MTRS Athletics is OPEN!
Click HERE or visit the link below to our FamilyID portal to sign-up today! Registering is EASY -- If you've never used the site before, you'll need to create a log-in for first-time use. As a reminder ALL student-athletes MUST register via Family ID in order to participate, and need an updated sports physical on file with the MTRS Nurse's Office. In addition all student-athletes MUST sign the consent form to sign-up for COVID-19 pool testing. Click HERE for the link to sign-up for online COVID-19 pool testing or visit the link below. Paper copies are also available in the MTRS main office. If you need any help or have questions along the way, don't hesitate to reach out to Athletic Director Greg Vouros for more information at gvouros@mtrsd.org
Family ID Link: https://www.familyid.com/mohawk-trail-regional-schools
Covid-19 Online Pool Testing Sign-Up: https://www.cic-health.com/consent/ma?district=null
Our Spring Sports offerings for grades 7-12 include:
Baseball
Softball
Outdoor Track
Tennis
MTRS in the news . . .
Thank you to the Greenfield Recorder for the story about our Mohawk Trail Equity Alliance's advocacy work in organizing a walk out last week (in coordination with a nationwide event) in support of the LGBTQ+ community in response to recent anti-LGBTQ legislation in the United States.
You can read the story, which includes some great interviews with our students, here: www.recorder.com/Mohawk-Trail-Regional-School-students-walk-out-in-protest-of-anti-LGBTQ-legislation-45466351
And thank you to Sophia Goodnow, communications intern, for capturing these GREAT shots from the event (gallery found on our Facebook page here: www.facebook.com/mohawktrailregional
Pop-in for a chat ~ Virtual office hours with Principal Buckland
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
Special Education Updates
Mohawk Trail SEPAC Member and Parent
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.
Chris Buckland
Email: cbuckland@mtrsd.org
Website: www.mtrs.mohawktrailschools.org
Phone: 413-625-9811
Facebook: facebook.com/mohawktrailregional