Superintendent Weekly Update
February 5, 2021
Dear Mohawk Trail & Hawlemont Families,
It's hard to believe that we're in the first full week of February and will welcome spring next month! The past year has been a whirlwind in many ways. COVID-19 has taken up so much space in our world, but I'm really excited to share updates and highlights about the wonderful work happening around our district. Spring is a time of renewed energy and I am looking forward to seeing even more students in our classrooms; more collaborations between our communities and schools; and our collective commitment for healthy, safe, communities.
We've got a lot going on district-wide; so here's what's happening this week:
* Strategic Planning
* FY22 Budget & School Committee Meetings
* Hayley Gilmore Named Principal at BSE
* School Spotlights & Student Work
* MTRS MSC Students Back to Biking Thanks to Community Volunteers
MTRSD Strategic Planning
District work continues with our strategic planning process. Our strategic planning workgroup, led by our consultant Justin Martin from TMS, met this week to firm-up our timeline; plan for community surveys/engagement; and envision the future of our district.
I'm truly excited for these next steps and look forward to incorporating community engagement and feedback in this process. THIS week, please keep a lookout through email, on our website, via social media, and via our all-call system as we will will share the link on Wednesday, Feb. 10 to our family and community feedback survey (which will be issued by our consultant TMS). Your feedback is critical in helping us in this work and I hope you will take a few moments to complete the survey. Thank you in advance for your continued dedication and commitment to making our district a GREAT place to learn and grow.

FY22 Budget & School Committee Meetings
The next MTRSD Budget Subcommittee Meeting will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 10 at 4 p.m. to review FY22 budget presentation materials and review the process and timeline. The regular monthly school committee meeting will follow at 6:30 p.m. Presentation materials will be shared on our website following the meeting.
The next Hawlemont Regional School Committee's budget subcommittee will be held on Thursday, Feb. 11 at 5 p.m.
COVID-19 School Planning Task Force Update
As a reminder, even when we saw this slight increase in our community, there was NO impact to our in-person school community in the MTRSD and we continue to remain in our hybrid model. We want to continue to express our THANK YOU to our entire community for practicing their FAB FOUR--it truly makes a difference in mitigating community spread and keeping our students, staff, and community safe.
As a reminder, visit our COVID-19 information page (www.mtrsd.org/covid-19-information) for regular updates and links to important resources.
Practice the FAB FOUR & Keep Our COVID-19 Numbers DOWN!
Remember to continue to practice the FAB FOUR--wear your mask; wash your hands; practice physical distancing; and stay home when you are unwell--to help keep our communities SAFE!
FRCOG Vaccine Information & Updates
Hayley Gilmore Named Principal at BSE
It's with great pleasure that I share with you we have officially named Hayley Gilmore as the next principal at Buckland-Shelburne Elementary School! Ms. Gilmore will transition her role as assistant principal to principal over the next few weeks. We look forward to continuing to work with Ms. Gilmore in this capacity and congratulate her on this appointment!
With these congratulations, I want to also express my best wishes and gratitude to Joanne Giguere for her many years of service to our districts and her leadership at BSE. We wish Ms. Giguere the very best in her retirement this month!
School Spotlight: Colrain Central
Students share news reports about school and district news and host a variety of different columns--there's a little something for everyone, so be sure to subscribe and get the issues hot off the press!
BSE Preschoolers Learn All About the Wonders of Winter
MTRS MSC Students Back to Biking Thanks to Community Volunteers
