BBRSD District-Wide Weekly Update
February 18, 2022
BBRSD School Committee
NOTICE OF VACANCY
The Berlin-Boylston Regional School Committee is seeking qualified candidates to fill a vacancy on the Committee for the period March 8, 2022 (or as soon as possible after being sworn in), through election day on November 8, 2022.
Interested candidates must be Berlin residents and should submit a letter of interest and resume of relevant experience to Mrs. Lori-Anne Hart, Acting Chair of the Berlin-Boylston Regional School Committee no later than February 25, 2022, for review and consideration to either the above mailing or email address.
The Berlin-Boylston Regional School Committee will interview all applicants at its scheduled meeting on March 8, 2022, at 6:30 p.m. The successful candidate will be chosen by member vote at that meeting.
Any questions or concerns should be directed to Mrs. Hart at lhart@bbrsd.org.
Superintendent's Office
Mask Mandate Expires
On February 15, 2022, the BBRSD School Committee voted to adopt the DESE recommendation for removal of the mask mandate in schools effective at 12:01 a.m. on February 28, 2022.
While masks will now be optional, we encourage and support any parent or staff member who wishes to continue mask-wearing at school.
Please note masks are still REQUIRED on school buses, by Federal mandate, and in the nurse's office.
If further guidance is released by the MA Department of Elementary & Secondary Education or local guidance is released prior to February 28th, we will share that information with you as soon as possible.
Newsletters
In an effort to reduce overlapping communications, after February break we will go a bi-weekly format for the District-Wide Newsletter and it will contain only Central Office news. School principals will continue to send weekly information to families. Please look for our next issue on March 11, 2022.
February Break
All schools in the Berlin-Boylston Regional School District will be closed for a break from February 21-25. We wish everyone a relaxing break.
Jeffrey T. Zanghi
Superintendent of Schools
Business Office
FY23 Proposed Budget
An Open Hearing was held on the Proposed FY23 Budget earlier this week, on Tuesday, February 15, 2022. Proposed budgets were accepted unanimously by the School Committee.
Here is the link to the presentation: https://www.bbrsd.org/Page/1659.
We appreciate the support that parents and the community provide to our schools and students. Feel free to reach out if you have questions.
Pupil Personnel Department
At-Home Testing Reminders and Updates
- It is not too late to opt-in to the new At-Home Testing program. Opt-in here: https://forms.gle/HkhYmn9YCMzSk7jK7
- Staff and Students who are opted-in from February 17th-March 2nd will receive their first At-Home test kits on March 4th.
- At-Home Testing kits are used at home each Wednesday, including over February vacation.
- Directions for using the At-Home tests:
- "Test 1' instructions here: https://www.mass.gov/lists/covid-19-self-test-at-home-instructions-graphic
- "Test 2" contains an additional step (Step 1: Preparing Materials) here: https://www.fda.gov/media/153924/download
- Positive results are reported here. Only report results from the At-Home testing program using this link.
- Students and staff who have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 90 days should not participate in At-Home testing. Symptomatic testing is available for these individuals if needed and if consented to.
If you have any questions about COVID-19 symptoms and/or your child's readiness to return to school following COVID, please don't hesitate to contact the School Nurse.
Director of Pupil Personnel
Boylston Elementary School
Happy Vacation Week!
Heading into the week off, I have lots for you to read and ponder -
Please find here a note from our Nurse Lisa about recent screenings (hearing, vision, height, and weight), masking updates, and a reminder about physicals.
It has been great to have Officer Rob hanging out at arrival some mornings. We've had the opportunity to talk about several topics but one in particular that has come has been the speed limit during school hours. We've noticed (even from the top of the driveway) cars cruising down Sewall pretty fast, especially towards the end of arrival as we've started to crack down on tardies. Please remember that during arrival and dismissal, the limit drops down to 20 mph. Officer Rob does not want to pull people over in front of the school but we also have to be conscious of the safety concerns. We do have families that cross the road walking to school and there are also some bus stops on Sewall. And speaking as someone who was in my father’s car when he was pulled over in front of a school during arrival....you don't want to do that to your child :) We appreciate your attention to this.
Our School Report Card is out. Every year, the state processes a report card for every school across the commonwealth. You can find BES's report here. Please let me know if you have any questions. I am always happy to discuss our school!
The weeks ahead:
Monday to Friday (2/21-25)
No School! February Break!
Monday (2/28)
Back to School - Masks Optional
Wednesday (3/2)
Community Reader
Thursday (3/3)
PTO meeting - hybrid
Friday (3/4)
Bobcat Pride Day!
Ace Thompson, Principal
BES Office: 508-869-2200
Tahanto Regional Middle/High School
Upcoming Events
February 21st-25th: Vacation
March 8th: Interim Grades Updated in PS
March 16th: No School/PD Day
COVID AT-HOME TESTING INFORMATION
You can sign up here if you missed it. At-home testing kits will be sent home with students every other Friday who have been opted in and testing takes place every Wednesday evening. Positive results can be reported here.
SPRING ATHLETIC REGISTRATION FOR TAHANTO IS OPEN!!!
Now through MARCH 11,2022.
Please log onto the athletic website.
https://tahantoregional.rschoolteams.com
Click on the 2022 Spring Registration link in the middle of the page and follow the directions.
Congratulations!
Congratulations to Luke Valleli for being selected as a National Merit Scholarship Finalist!
From the HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELOR’S CORNER February 2022
Click HERE for the most recent Counselor’s Corner
Grade 10 & 11 Career Panels
Tahanto Regional High School is sponsoring a series of career panels in March for all students in 10th and 11th grade. Students voted on the types of careers they are most interested in, and we developed our panels with this information in mind. We sent out a message earlier this week seeking volunteers to present at these panels, and we were overwhelmed with positive responses! Our panel slots are now full. The career panel schedule appears below:
Tuesday, March 1 from 11a.m. to 12p.m. - Medical Careers
Wednesday, March 2 from 11a.m. to 12p.m. - Business Careers
Monday, March 7 from 11a.m. to 12p.m. - STEM Careers
Tuesday, March 8 from 11a.m. to 12p.m. - Media/Arts Careers
In future school years, we are interested in providing job shadow and internship opportunities for our high school students. If you (or your employer) would be willing to discuss hosting a high school student (in 2023 or beyond), please reach out to our Internship Database Coordinator Jessica Gallagher at jgallagher@bbrsd.org. We will gladly keep your contact information for future opportunities. Thank you!
SEPAC
Please join us in celebrating National Inclusive School’s week! The Berlin-Boylston SEPAC is inviting all Tahanto students to participate in a raffle for a $25 Visa gift card. We are asking you to read the following information, choose one of the 10 topics and write a paragraph either about your experiences with the topic or what it means to you. A completed paper, with your name and grade, can be left in the counseling office in the box labeled “NISW Contest”. The lucky winner will be drawn on St. Patrick’s Day! Thank you!
Fundraisers & Grants
Crest Technologies Community Grants
CREST Technologies supports many causes in our community, but that doesn’t always mean making donations directly to organizations. We believe that empowering others to contribute in their own way is just as or maybe even more important.
CREST Community Grants are intended to do just that. These grants are awarded through an open application process providing funding to local non-profit organizations or individuals in Boylston, Ma. to empower them to design and implement their own projects.
The application process is now open and runs through February 28th, 2022.
We are excited to award two grants this year. One to a Boylston resident or Boylston-based non-profit and one to a student or student group from Boylston Elementary School or Tahanto. The link to the application is below. Please be sure to read the terms and conditions included in the application. We are super excited to see the projects brought forward to benefit the Boylston Community.
https://docs.google.com/.../1FAIpQLSdqoSkuqDdzxn.../viewform
Please send questions to matt.mecum@crest-tech.com
Diane Tucceri, Principal
Sally Stukuls, Assistant Principal
Contact Us!
Email: parentquestions@bbrsd.org
Website: bbrsd.org
Location: 215 Main Street, Boylston, MA, USA
Phone: 508-869-2837