Student & Family Update
April 29, 2022
October 6th, 2023
Good afternoon everyone,
I hope that you are having a good week and looking forward to a restful long weekend!
Here are some things to be aware of:
We are a closed campus for the benefit of the health and safety of all students and adults alike. Students are NOT ALLOWED to use Doordash or other food delivery services during the school day. Thank you for reminding your child to take advantage of the wonderful array of free breakfast and lunch options we provide every day.
I will be reaching out to Students and Staff for feedback on how the start of the school year has been. The results will be shared later in October. I will reach out to caregivers and families at the end of Q2 for their feedback.
MCAS - Spring results arrived at MTRS on Monday 2nd and were sent home earlier this week.
Here is the Draft MCAS & AP Testing Schedule for 23/24
Special Town Meeting will take place on Wednesday, October 11, 2023 at 6:30 pm in the Shelburne Town Hall.
We are looking for pallets to add to our Bonfire on October 13th. Please let rmastorakis@mtrsd.org know if you can help!
First Edition of the student newspaper, Tomorrow's Fish and Chips is out now - see the article below
See the note below on vaccination clinics
You are able to order your yearbook for 23/24 - see below
We invite you all to the Mary Lyon Foundation is organizing a resource fair at MTRS for families on October 25th from 3-6pm - see below
Next week (10-13th) is Booster week! Read on for information about the many activities and themes that are planned
Photo day: October 11th Students will be called down in the following order:
8am Seniors
8:30 Juniors
9am Sophomores
9:30 Freshman
10am 8th
10:30 7th
Have a great weekend
Best
Chris
Vaccination clinics near you!
West County Resource Fair at MTRS on October 25th
Buckland Shelburne Special Town Meeting!
Important Dates & Information
Upcoming dates
No school on Monday 9th October
School photographs: Oct 11th (Retakes, Nov 28th)
PSAT October 19th
Family Resource Fair - October 25th
Capstone Formative Presentations: November 2nd and 3rd
May 31st (Friday) -6-8pm: High School Graduation. Indoors at MTRS (This is a correction to the published date of June 1st)
District Calendar for 2023/24: Link
Quarter 1 45 days
First Day: Wednesday, August 30, 2023
Last Day: Thursday, November 2, 2023
Q1 progress report grades close on: Friday, September 29, 2023
Q1 progress report grading window: Wednesday, September 27 - Wednesday, October
4, at 11:59 pm
Q1 progress reports will be distributed on: Thursday, October 5, 2023
Q1 grading window: Tuesday October 31 - Wednesday November 8 at 11:59 pm Q1 report cards will be distributed on: Thursday, November 9, 2023
Student Newsletter - Tomorrow's Fish and Chips
First edition, out now!
Students in Mr Leowolf's Multimedia Journalism course have designed, produced and distributed the first edition of an MTRS student newspaper, Tomorrow's Fish and Chips.
Have a read of the October edition, here: Link
Hurting or Flirting?
During the week of October 9th, seventh grade students will participate in a workshop about sexual harassment, called “Flirting or Hurting?” During the workshop, we will be discussing the definition of sexual harassment and what students can do if they witness or experience harassing behavior. The workshop will take place during Social Studies classes Tuesday and Wednesday. The workshop will be facilitated by Ms Ruggeri, School Counselor, and Mr Rabasco, Social Studies Teacher.
The curriculum is introduced in 7th grade because middle school is a time when many students begin experimenting with language and gestures that they do not fully understand. They are faced with the task of developing identities within peer groups and the larger community, and interactions between students can result in confusion and misinterpretation. Often students in middle school do not realize the effect that their behavior has on others, and many are unaware of the definition of sexual harassment and that it can be a form of bullying.
Proactively providing students with information about sexual harassment in middle school is part
of our commitment to creating a community of learners who are respectful and accountable, as well as promote a culture of empowerment.
Grade 9 Field Trip to Springfield Science Museum
"9th grade biology students went to the Springfield Science Museum on Tuesday to learn about all kinds of animal's habitats and biomes, This was an interesting and intriguing trip for all that was involved, everyone had a great time. Students saw all sorts of animal habitats all the way from, Black bears to the amazon rainforests poison dart frogs! This information that they collected is going to be used for a project of their choice. By going on this trip students have learned so much and had fun, hopefully there will be something like this in the future as well! - Skyler, Class of '27
"On Tuesday September 26th our Biology class went on a lovely field trip to the Springfield Science Museum. Students arrived at the museum and were given a wonderful tour with lots of information on each exhibit of the featured ecosystems. After a lunch break the students then picked one of the exhibits they felt drawn to or were passionate about to study and take some notes on for their upcoming ecosystem portfolio project. The day was filled with lots of good times and interesting facts about the exhibits! Great job Biology students and an extra thank you to Ms. Beck and Ms. Lively for making it possible! - Landon, Class of '27
Student Council Updates!
Booster week Oct 11-13
Dress up days
Tuesday 10/10 -Royalty day
12th-God & Goddess
11th- Kings & Queen
10th-Knights
9th-witches and warlocks
8th-jokers or jester
7th- scarecrows
Wednesday 10/11
Barbehimer
Barbie vs Oppenheimer
Thursday 10/12
Class color
12th- Black
11th- Red
10th-blue
9-green
8th-orange
7th-purple
Friday 10/13
Blue and Gold
Bonfire & Bands Oct 13th
Come enjoy the bonfire on the last day of Booster Week, and listen to music performed by student bands! Fire to start at approximately 6:30 pm, and go until 7:30 or so.
Enjoy the Field Hockey game happening at 7:00.
If you’re interested in playing music at the bonfire, send an email to 25chmojallali@mtrsd.org and rmastorakis@mtrsd.org saying you’re interested, and what songs you’d like to play so they can be approved. Talk to Mr Colbeck about additional setup information.
Homecoming Dance: October 14th 7:00 - 10:00
Theme: Red Carpet
Tickets will be sold at lunch for $10 the week of booster and will be $12 at the door.
Students should not be arriving too early before 7:00 and be ready to be picked up at 10:00.
Welcome to MTRS...
Brittany Simpson
Hi, I’m Brittainy Simpson. I am Deaf and I was born in Australia. I’m an Outreach American Sign Language (ASL) Specialist at Willie Ross School for the Deaf, where I’ve been teaching for the last 9 years. My lifelong desire to teach led me to pursue a master’s degree in Master in Sign Language Education from Gallaudet University, where I graduated in 2018.
I have experience teaching ASL all ages from K-12 grade plus college levels for a long time, and strive to make learning fun, engaging, and accessible to all of my students.
When I am not teaching, I love being outdoors such as playing disc golf, camping, biking, kayaking and very much anything related to outdoor activities along with my husband.
Dean Brault's Student Culture Corner
Our 8th grade students have been creating “pick up games” at lunch that are well managed and enjoyed by anyone who wants to be involved! The French Field Trip last week was wet but fun!
Attendance is the topic this week! Two concerns have arisen:
Tardies: On October 16 we will be starting the detentions for tardies following the policies in the student handbook on page 13:
Tardiness is defined as entering the school building after the school day begins. Mohawk Trail Regional School opens at 7:30 a.m., and students are tardy if they enter the building after 7:45 a.m. All students in grades 7-12 must report to the office to sign in and receive a tardy slip if they arrive after the 7:45 a.m. bell. Students who arrive to classes after the bell are considered tardy for class. All tardies are unexcused unless they qualify as an absence for which an excuse will be approved. Typical unexcused tardies include sleeping late, missing a ride or bus, etc. Bad weather will occasionally be an acceptable excuse for tardiness at the administration’s discretion. Three unexcused tardies to school will result in a lunchtime detention. Additional tardies will result in a student/care provider meeting and further disciplinary procedures as per the behavior policy.
Consequences for Excessive Tardiness to School for students in grades 7-12: three unexcused tardies to school or any class in a semester will result in a detention. Each additional tardy after the initial three will result in a detention or community service. Students who are frequently tardy to school may, if they drive themselves, have their driving privileges suspended or revoked.
Absences: We have a number of students who have five or more unexcused absences. Please make sure if your student is out to get missing work and catch up quickly. You will receive letters from us starting at 7 absences. From the student handbook, page 12:
For students in grades 7-12, absences exceeding 10% of class time will result in a loss of credit. Any student who misses ten (10) classes in any semester course (either a course that meets daily for one semester or meets every other day for a full year) will not receive credit for that course. The course must be retaken for credit. For a course that meets on alternating days for a semester, any student who misses five (5) classes will not receive credit for that course; missing 19 classes for a yearlong course (one that meets every day for the full year) will also result in loss of credit. Students in grades 7-12 who miss 30% or more of a class on a given day will be considered absent from that class. This is due to the requirements of the time on learning standards set by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as managed by our student attendance system.
The District Perspective
As the weeks fly by, our students continue to develop projects, their knowledge, and community. In Colrain, we’re seeing emerging journalists and engineers. At Sanderson, Hawlemont and BSE, outdoors people and conservationists abound. At Mohawk Trail, we’re making sure our community is well supported and listened to.
Colrain Central Encourages Ingenuity
Last week, the library became a makerspace as third graders worked on models of inventions that would help the library. See the amazing inventions these creative students came up with (the written descriptions are very helpful!!)
I was surprised to come across the North River News, a self-proclaimed newsletter “made by kids, for everyone.” Their readership can really get a sense of what kind of community they are interested in developing.
Sanderson Continues Their Mountain Day Tradition
On Tuesday, the Sanderson Elementary students had a beautiful day to continue a 15 year (or more!) tradition of hiking together on Mountain Day. They hike from the school to the overlook off of Bear Swamp Road. It’s a great way for students to connect with each other outside of the classroom, enjoy nature, and help each other persevere through the mud and exhaustion of the day!
District Represented at the Ashfield Fall Festival
Culinary delights (among MANY others) abound at the popular Ashfield Fall Festival. Sometimes it’s tough to know which mouth-watering temptation to choose. If you need a little help deciding, know that these items will be sold to enhance programming at district schools:
The Mohawk Trail Athletic Association (MTAA) will have a booth selling coffee, hot chocolate, water, whoopie pies, and MTAA swag.
The Mohawk Trail Music Association will have a booth selling baked potatoes
The Mohawk Trail Key Club is helping the Ashfield Historical Society park cars (not food but deliciously helpful!)
The Sanderson Academy Sixth Grade Dime Toss is back on! The Dime Toss game, hosted by Sanderson's 6th grade, is a long-standing tradition at Fall Festival. For $1, participants get 10 dimes to toss onto a large game board covered with different sized dots. If a dime lands fully on a dot, they win a prize.If a dime lands on the center dot, participants win $20!!!
The Sanderson PTO will host a Walking Taco Booth.
While Hawlemont will not be represented at the Festival, they will be hosting their own event on October 7th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. - the Apple Squeeze - at the Little Red Schoolhouse in Charlemont. There will be fresh baked pies, bake sale, food, and best of all… fresh pressed apple cider for sale. All proceeds will benefit their HAY program - Hawlemont, Agriculture, and YOU.
In the News: Key Club and Community Clothes Closet Coverage
The Greenfield Recorder captured the spirit of Mohawk Trail’s Key Club in their effort to create a community clothing closet, from which students and families may choose clothing and other supplies, free of charge. In the words of their advisor Lisa Camarda, “I emphasize leaving a legacy for Key Club students,” Camarda said. “They can walk out of school knowing they have done something amazing.” Please click here to read the October 3rd article about this important community project.
Public Safety Professions: K9 Units Visit
As part of a previously referenced public safety curriculum, this week Mohawk Trail Regional was visited by the K9 units from Greenfield and Montague. Students participated in a demonstration of how search and rescue dogs work their magic.
Ellie, a bloodhound from the Greenfield Police Department with handler Officer Marcus Johansson, was the first to demonstrate how quickly she can move from a known object with the scent of the missing person, to finding that person. Our student volunteer, hiding 200 yards away, was no match for Ellie. Niko, Ellie’s colleague, with handler Officer Patrick Merrigan, was next up. He had no initial item to reference, but followed a fresh scent trail - right to our student volunteer! Lastly, we met Artie, with handler Officer James Ruddock from the Montague Police Department K9 Unit. Artie demonstrated finding an item important to an investigation that may have been lost or tossed.
While the dogs were impressive, and it was interesting to hear about how dogs benefit the field of law enforcement, spending time with the dogs and officers themselves was the real prize of the day. Thanks to those officers and K9s mentioned, and thanks to additional emergency personnel who attended the session: EMS Director for Shelburne Tom WIlliams, Fire Chief Herb Guyette, Sergeant Tim Budrewicz, and Patrolman Tucker Jenkins. We look forward to eleven more weeks of varied public safety profession content!
Emergency Management Survey Managed by Shelburne EMS Director, Tom Williams
The Shelburne Emergency Management Department is administering a survey on behalf of the Mohawk Trail and Hawlemont Emergency Management Districts to understand the needs of our community when extreme weather affects our area. We were happy to be asked to lend some technologic and distribution support.
The electronic version of the survey may be found by clicking here. For those without computer access, a paper copy of the survey is available by request. Responses will be collected through October and into mid-November. For questions, or to request a hard copy, contact Tom Williams, Emergency Management Director, Shelburne at emd@townofshelburnema.gov or 413-824-2518. Thank you for your participation.
Save the Date: Plant Trees at Buckland Shelburne Elementary School on October 29
BSE is looking for volunteers to help plant trees on Sunday, October 29 from 10am – 2pm.
Bring a shovel, gloves, bucket and a water bottle to BSE, 75 Mechanic Street, Shelburne Falls. This project is supported by the Massachusetts Woodlands Partnership.
Library updates
Teaching and Learning
MTRS Student Commended in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program.
Congratulations to Will who has just been named as a Commended Student in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program. Commended Students are recognized for the exceptional academic promise demonstrated by their outstanding performance on the qualifying test used for program entry.
Students entered the National Merit Scholarship Program, a nationwide competition for recognition and awards conducted by National Merit Scholarship Corporation, by taking the 2022 Preliminary SAT/ National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/ NMSQT) last October.
About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their
exceptional academic promise. Although they will not continue in the 2024 competition for
National Merit Scholarship awards, Commended Students placed among the top 50,000 students
who entered the 2024 competition by taking the 2022 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship
Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®).
"Those being named Commended Students have demonstrated outstanding potential for
academic success," commented a spokesperson for NMSC. "These students represent a valuable
national resource; recognizing their accomplishments, as well as the key role their schools play in
their academic development, is vital to the advancement of educational excellence in our nation.
We hope that this recognition will help broaden their educational opportunities and encourage them
as they continue their pursuit of academic success.”
EMT/ Fire/ Police: Hands on experiences for MTRS students
We are really thankful to Shelburne Emergency Management Director Tom Williams and for the Fire, EMT and Police departments for their time and resources in helping support our hands-on, community service program.
This week we took part in a K9 demonstration and had a chance to meet and speak with officers about their work with the K9 unit.
K9 unit came to visit on Tuesday
The K9s demonstrated their high level of training
Officers put on a demonstration for our students
Additional Opportunities for Social/Emotional/Personal Growth and Support
MTRS is partnering with CHD to provide a DBT Skills Group and the Brick House to provide the Project AMP Mentoring program. Both opportunities are being offered during the school day. Interested students & families should contact their school counselor for consent forms and additional information.
DBT Skills Group: Dialectical Behavioral Therapy skill building group will teach specific skills related to mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness. The group will meet weekly during the school day, for 8 weeks, October-December. It will be facilitated by two therapists from The Center for Human Development (CHD). Participation in this group will be billed through insurance:
MassHealth, Fallon, BMC/Wellsense, Tufts, Health New England, Aetna are accepted insurances. If your insurance is not covered, the private pay rate is $55, but they do have a sliding fee scale with rates as low as $10.
Project AMP: A brief, youth-driven, strengths-based mentorship program. Students meet with mentor, Hannah Bertrand, of the Brick House over 4-6 weeks, for 45 minute sessions during the school day. Youth explore interests, develop goals, and navigate through pressures and risks that might impact their well-being. There is no cost to participate.
Title 1 information for families and care providers
The Mohawk Trail School System
Mohawk Trail Regional School District | Hawlemont Regional School District
24 Ashfield Rd., Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts 01370
Ph: (413) 625-0192 Fax: (413) 625-0196
Sheryl Stanton, Superintendent of Schools
Sarah Jetzon, Title I Director
October, 2023
Families/Caregivers,
Mohawk Trail Regional School System’s Title I program offers all students fair and equitable opportunities for a high quality, standards-based education.
How does Mohawk Trail’s Title I program work? Here are the facts:
Title I services are in the area of mathematics.
Title I is designed as a regular education program for students who are not receiving special education services in mathematics.
Title I programs in the Mohawk Trail Regional School System are school-wide, meaning supports and services are available to all students and teachers and can be provided flexibly.
Title I teachers in school-wide programs may support general classroom instruction, by collaborating with classroom teachers to support small-groups, assessment, and co-teaching.
Supplemental Title I instruction is offered to students in addition to general classroom instruction in math.
Students are grouped for supplemental instruction by using diagnostic assessment results.
Families are a vital part of Title I programs. We encourage your input and appreciate your feedback.
Each Title I school will offer at least one, evening, family event each year. We hope you will participate with your child.
In schools with Title I programs, families and educators agree to share responsibility for a student’s academic growth. This shared responsibility, including strategies for supporting students, is outlined in a written compact. This compact will be distributed to all families and educators.
Your ideas and suggestions are welcome throughout the year. At the end of the school year, we will ask all families for their feedback through a school-wide parent survey.
.
Right To Know: Per Federal Regulations, all parents/caregivers of students attending Title I schools, have the right to request, and the district will provide in a timely manner, information regarding the professional qualifications of their student’s classroom teachers, including, at a minimum:
whether the teacher has met state qualification and licensing criteria for the grade levels and subject areas in which the teacher provides instruction;
whether the teacher is teaching under emergency or other provisional status through which state qualification or licensing criteria have been waived;
whether the teacher is teaching in the field of discipline of the certification of the teacher; and
whether the student is provided services by paraprofessionals and, if so, their qualifications.
A school shall provide to each individual parent/caregiver:
information on the student’s level of achievement and academic growth in each of the state academic assessments, as required under Title I, and
timely notice that the student has been taught for four or more consecutive weeks by a teacher who does not meet state licensure requirements.
If you have questions, please contact the Title I Director, Sarah Jetzon, at 413-625-0192.
Best wishes for a successful, happy school year for your child!
Student Services
Advanced Placement Exams
All students enrolled in an AP course at Mohawk are required to take the AP exam. All of the exams will take place in May 2024. The cost of the first exam is $98. Additional exams are $85 each. Students who qualify for free or reduced lunch pay an exam fee of $15. We are now collecting exam fees for semester 1 courses. We ask that you pay the full exam(s) fees as soon as possible. At minimum, a $40 deposit for each semester 1 full-priced exam is due to the Student Services Office by October 31st, 2023. For students eligible for reduced exam pricing, a $10 per exam deposit is due by October 31st, 2023. Letters with your child's specific exams and total due have been mailed home. Please make all checks out to Mohawk Trail Regional School. They can be submitted to Shana Garcia in the Student Services Office.
PSAT
Sophomores and Juniors who registered will take the PSAT on October 19th, 2023 during the school day. Since this exam is digital, Mrs. Cairney will be meeting with these students next week to run a digital readiness check on their chromebooks.College Visit - updated
Use this link to schedule an appointment with HS Guidance Counselor, Ms. Cairney: https://acairney.youcanbook.me/. Unfortunately this booking tool only allows 15 minutes, if you sign up for college I'll make it 30 minutes on my end and send you an updated invite.
Bus Schedules and Questions
Please make sure that you check the Bus routes on district site. Care providers can call Dawn at the bus company on 413-489-3195 at ext 3304 or call the school and ask to speak to Robin Pease.
Community Events
Music Association Fundraiser!
The Music Association will once again be holding our baked potato fundraiser at the Ashfield Fall Festival, and we need volunteers! Would it be possible to include our flyer and a little blurb in your newsletter?
The Mohawk Trail Music Association will be back at the Ashfield Fall Festival Oct. 7–8, and needs your help staffing their wildly popular baked potato booth! MTMA is a non-profit organization that supports the MTRS music program and its students, and this is their most important fundraiser of the year. Please sign up for a shift or two here, or send an email. If you'd like to learn more about the MTMA or join their mailing list, contact them at mohawktrailmusic@gmail.com.
Art Teens
Our ARTeens program has been providing support and community for artistic teens for 10 years. We want to reach as many interested teens as possible.
Once in the program, many ARTeens continue attending throughout their highschool years. Many ARTeens end up working with The Art Garden, earning stipends and building skills, working as summer programming assistants, or event installation assistants. Some continue to work with us even after graduation, with one of our ARTeen alums building our new website, https://www.theartgarden.org and another co-teaching our after school program for K-6 students. Mohawk student, Madison, is the paid assistant in that program.
Here is a link to the ARTeens page for additional information about the program, https://www.theartgarden.org/for-teens.
ARTeens Co-Directors
The Art Garden
studio: 14 Depot Street
mail: 4 Union Street
Shelburne Falls, MA 01370
413-625-2782
How can you get involved at MTRS?
We want to hear your voice!
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 take place on October 11th.
The virtual joining information is as follows:
Meeting ID
Phone Numbers
(US)+1 813-435-9650
PIN: 741 012 215#
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. The next drop in will take place on October 13th.
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
Athletics News
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.
Special Education Contact Information
Person
Role
Contact Information
Leann Loomis
Director of Pupil Personnel Services
413-625-0192 x1025
Melissa Plesnar
Assistant to Director of Pupil Personnel Services
413-625-0192 x1015
Erin Beaudet
7-12 Liaison
413-625-9811 x1314
Carolyn Goodnow
1-6 Liaison
Mohawk Trail District
413-625-2521
Kate Dwyer
1-6 Liaison
Hawlemont District
413-339-8316
Amy Socquet
Early Childhood Coordinator and Liaison
413-625-6194
About Mohawk Trail SEPAC
The Special Education Parent Advisory Council is an advisory group led by parents within our community. We are looking to support each other and help the school district to better serve its students. The SEPAC is open to all caregivers within the district with an IEP or 504 plan, and to interested members of the community. Please reach out to us to learn more!
SEPAC meetings
We meet monthly via Zoom. Upcoming meetings: Sept 28, Oct 23, Nov 27 at 6:30 pm
We welcome caregivers, staff, and interested members of the community to learn about SEPAC and meet local families. The public meeting will be followed by a private caregiver support discussion.
Email us to learn more: mohawksepac@gmail.com
Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MohawktrailSEPAC
Chris Buckland
Email: cbuckland@mtrsd.org
Website: www.mtrs.mohawktrailschools.org
Phone: 413-625-9811
Facebook: facebook.com/mohawktrailregional
MTRSD Director of Communications