Student & Family Update
April 29, 2022
May 6th, 2022
Good afternoon everyone!
I hope that you are having a great week. Can you believe that the Class of ‘22 has only 15 days of school left! (The last day for 7-11 is June 22nd!)Where has the year gone?
Please read below to find out all the news and information related to the week ahead!
Best
Chris
Background image of our Girls Softball team playing earlier this week
Important Dates to Remember
May 15: Student Council Tag Sale and Mohawk Trail Athletic Association Spring Fling
May 19: Trailblazer District Wide Celebration of Learning
May 20 and May 21 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
June 4 - Graduation 1-3pm
June 13 - Step-Up Day
Academic calendar for 2022/23 (some events like Graduation 2023 need to be confirmed)
Class of 2022: Awards Night and Graduation Ceremony information
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.
Cellphone Pilot in Grades 7 & 8
May 2 - June 22nd
This pilot intends to support students in Grades 7 & 8 in learning how to use technology responsibly; increase active student engagement and participation in classes; and help to manage the very real anxiety students experience with cellphones and social media.
This pilot uses a gradual “release of responsibility” model in Grades 7, 8, and 9 where students are provided with more opportunities to access and use their cellphones appropriately as part of their school day.
The pilot will run from May 2 through until June 22.
Overview
Use of electronic devices, including cellphones, in middle school classes is prohibited except when approved by administration at the request of staff for educational purposes.
Middle school students may use their cellphones and electronic devices before first bell at 7:40 a.m., during their body/mask break, and after school at 2:20 p.m. in the school foyer, cafeteria, main hallways near the gym and towards the cafeteria, or outside on school grounds, but not in any other section of the building.
Administration discussed the pilot program, which begins May 2, with students.
More information about the pilot can be found here.
Caregivers - we would like your feedback to provide additional perspectives and ideas. Please contact principal Buckland with thoughts/questions/feedback: cbuckland@mtrsd.org
Trailblazer News
May 19th, 4-6pm: Trailblazer Celebration of Learning
Please join us for a districtwide celebration of learning on Thursday, May 19 at MTRS from 4-6 p.m.
Learn about our Trailblazer model and how MTRS students blaze their trails with us!
Elementary Literacy event in the library sponsored by the Mary Lyon Foundation -- free books, make your own comic, and dress like a superhero/favorite character photo-op spot!
Throughout the building you'll see student work displays; go on a district-wide art walk; get a preview of the MTRS musical and spring concert; have a chance to play and bring home math games for the whole family; and so much more!
AND... thanks to the incredible generosity of the Mary Lyon Foundation and Foxtown Diner, dinner will be provided (FREE!) for all attendees!
Families - please join us as we celebrate our students and their work AND have some fun! This event is for *all* ages!
Live Theatre - coming soon!
Bits of Broadway
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
MTRS Yearbook Info
Hold on to your memories from Mohawk Trail Regional School forever and get your yearbook today! The 2021-22 yearbook is a beautiful, student-designed artifact and a special way to hold on to your high school memories for the rest of your life.
Visit TreeRing to order your yearbook today!
Want to customize some yearbook pages? Check out our quick start guide on creating a TreeRing yearbook account.
Yearbook Questions? Email Rachel Silverman at rsilverman@mtrsd.org
STUCO TAG SALE & Spring Fling!
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
Library new
Please see the latest library news here
Academic News
Please click here for the most recent Student Services updates
May - 7th and 8th Grade Math Intervention
7th and 8th Grade Title 1 Math Intervention is now at the midpoint in the current cycle. Students have been working on activities that have helped them grow as math learners. One great way to encourage students to engage in tasks that promote learning and growth is to work on math tasks in small groups/pairs. When students work on a math task with someone else they are able to talk about it, ask questions, bounce ideas around, further their understanding, and gain exposure to other ways of thinking.
What could this look like at home?
Below is a math task that you could try with your student. If you have enough people to make two or more groups, go for it! This can be helpful to compare processes and solutions later on.
Gather a piece of paper or an erasable surface that you can share with your student.
Read the problem out loud together.
Choose one person to begin as the “scribe”. The scribe writes down the ideas of the other group members and does not write their own ideas. If the scribe has an idea to share, they should pass the writing utensil to another group member.
Pass the writing utensil to a different person so they get a turn to be the scribe.
Keep taking turns as the scribe and solving the problem until you have reached a solution.
If there are multiple groups working on the same problem, compare your process and solution with the other groups.
If your answers differ, are there parts of your process that you agree on?
If your answers are the same, are there parts of your process that are different or the same?
Math Task to try:
Four Numbers: Select four numbers from 1 to 9 at random. Using these four numbers and any operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division), make the values from 1 to 30.
Inspiration and math task from: Liljedahl, Peter. Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics, Grades K-12. Corwin Press, Inc., 2021. –Laura Rubinaccio, M.Ed., MTRS Title 1 Teacher, Math Teacher
Zamer's Corner ~ Highlights from our Assistant Principal
Students in Angela Schatz’s English class are working on a poetry unit. Students practiced writing a variety of poems from acrostic to haiku. Students explored their interests and what was important to them through their poetry and were excited to share their work with me. I even had the opportunity to hear the students recite their poems. Way to go, poets! Our 8th graders had opportunities to visit high school classes this week. Students visited Sociology, Humanities, and Robotics and next week they will be visiting How to Think with Ms. Hoogstraten. I popped into Ms. White’s Sociology class and the students were engaged, happy, and learning from each other. The students were working in small groups together to Thank you to our high school teachers and students for hosting. And thank you to Ms. Ruggeri for organizing it all.
Teacher Appreciation week - May 2nd - 6th
This week we have been celebrating and treating our teachers! We are so lucky to have such a dedicated and committed group of educators working with our students.
If you get a chance, please send a teacher an email and thank them for all that they do.
Community Activities & Engagement
How can you get involved at MTRS?
Our Explorers Summer program is still enrolling middle school students. We are offering a two week program; creative arts and STEM. Here is more information or contact Mrs Woof at awoofenden@mtrsd.org
Are you interested in gardening or helping with invasive plant removal? The CEEP and some of our students are looking to organize some volunteer work days this spring on our campus and we could use YOUR help. Contact awoofenden@mtrsd.org if you would like to help.
Outdoor Advisory Committee
Here is a general list of short, medium and long term ideas. Everyone is welcome to attend our next virtual meeting on May 11, 5-6 p.m. The meeting information is here:
Meeting ID
Phone Numbers
(US)+1 470-210-0524
PIN: 190 585 623#
MTRS International Trip
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
Athletics News
Athletics
Click Here to check out this weeks MTRS Athletics Newsletter!
MTRS will once again host the Division 2 Track Championships Saturday May 21 starting with field events at 9:30 AM!
MTRS game schedules available on ARBITER SPORTS App!
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
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