Student & Family Update

It has been another busy week at MTRS. Here are some quick bits of info:

MTRSD Sustainability Study and community feedback opportunities

We have several opportunities for community members to share their thoughts and ask their questions about the MTRSD Sustainability Study PHASE I report. We’ve posted the Sustainability Study Report and supporting documentation on our website and you can access the information by clicking here.

Community Member Dates and Times. Click on the time for the google meet link.

6/5 9:00-10:00

6:00-7:00

6/7 5:00-6:00

Town Officials Date and Time

6/7 6:00-7:00

We are excited to share this first step in our sustainability work in preparation of our Phase II work. We hope to see you at one of our virtual town halls.

• Music: Congratulations to all of our musicians as they participated in the District Concert this past Wednesday. As well as performing with students from our elementary schools, performers were joined by the Shelburne Falls military band. Over 100 people were on the MTRS stage - see photo!

• Unbelievably, today is the last day for Grade 12....although they will be back next week to prepare for awards and graduation

• No school on Monday - Memorial day holiday!
• Awards and Graduation: Awards take place on Thursday, June 1st from 5-7pm at MTRS. Snacks are available from 4:30-5pm in the cafeteria. Graduation takes place from 1-3pm on Saturday June 3rd. In the event of rain, everything will take place in the auditorium.

• Grade 10 Civic Action Projects - we need parent volunteers to help supervise and potentially drive students to and from project sites in the next few weeks. Please contact the following amazing educators if you have questions: bbasal@mtrsd.org, cglennon@mtrsd.org

Finals schedule for grades 7-11 on June 20, 21 & 22nd June:

• Tuesday June 20th - two hour delay: 9:45-2:20
• Wednesday June 21st - two hour delay: 9:45-2:20
• Thursday - June 22nd - early release: 7:45-11:30am
• The schedule in detail can be found, here: Link

Chrome book return for all students:

• Seniors 9-11am on Friday May 26th
• HS: 1-2:30 on Weds 21st June
• MS: 8-10 am on Thursday 22nd June

Chrome book and charger must be handed in. If you are leaving the school and do not return your device and charger, you will be sent an invoice and your final transcript will be withheld until payment is made.

If you are in grades 7-11 and do not return either your device or charger, you will not be issued a new device next year. Additionally, your current device will be shut down remotely so you can't use it anyway!

• District Calendar for 2023/24: Link

• Q4 Caregiver survey: May 15 - 26th: Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts, here

• Finally, for those of you planning summer activities, the first day of school for 23/24 is Wednesday August 30th. This is a half day - 7:45-11:30am. The link to our full calendar can be found below in the Important dates and information, section.

Please read on to see what else has been happening at MTRS this week!

Enjoy your weekend

Best wishes

Chris

Upcoming dates

• May 29th - Memorial day (no school)

• June 1st - Awards Evening: 5-7pm

• June 3rd - Graduation (Saturday)

• June 9th - Step up day

• June 9th - 6;30-9 Grade 8 Semi-Formal

• June 10th - MTAA Spring Fling

• June 15th - Grade 9 Field Trip

• June 16th - HS Civic Action projects and Field Day

• June 19th - Juneteenth (no school)

• June 20th - Grade 8 Field Trip

• June 22nd - Last day of school for students

AP and MCAS Schedule :Link

Academic Calendar: Link (Please note that Q3 started on January 25th and subsequent dates have yet to be adjusted for snow days. Thanks for your understanding.)

District Calendar for 2023/24: Link (First day of school 23/24 - August 30th: 7:45-11:30am)

End of Year dates:

Finals Schedule

• 20, 21, 22ndJune: 2 hour delay 20 & 21st, 22nd is a ½ day: 11:30 dismissal

Mohawk Trail students, staff, and family members are invited once again to march in the Franklin County Pride Parade in Greenfield on Saturday, June 10th. We will have participants from the middle, high school, and several elementary schools joining together to represent our district!

All participants must arrive at Greenfield Middle School at 11AM to lineup for the parade which begins at 12pm. The parade route goes down Federal Street and finishes at Energy Park where there will be celebration and rally featuring performers and speakers from 1-3pm.

The Mohawk Trail Equity Alliance and Equity Council have been working with GCC to organize the Franklin County DEI Youth Leadership Summit which took place at GCC on May 24th.

The summit is intended to be an annual coming together of School youth groups from across Franklin County, all focused on equity and social justice work. Earlier this week, student groups convened on campus at GCC for a day focused on education, leadership, as well as initiatives and opportunities across the county, including ACCESS Franklin County (Early College), that provide student voice, choice and access to youth opportunities and resources.

This is an amazing opportunity for student leaders involved in social justice groups in Franklin County to connect, share resources, learn and discuss important topics, and hone leadership skills.

We are incredibly proud of our MTRS students for spearheading this initiative.

This was a fantastic opportunity for students to work with their current grade 8 teachers as well as having the experience of speaking with GCC staff and community members in an authentic college setting.

Students were able to attend regular scheduled classes from 7:45- 9:45 am at MTRS before traveling by bus to GCC where they participated in classes and activities related to their grade 8 CIVIC action projects.

What is a student-led conference?

A student-led conference is essentially a parent/teacher conference led by the student. Caregivers, the Advisory teacher, and the student meet together to look at student work and discuss the student’s progress towards academic and behavior standards . The student facilitates the meeting from start to finish.

Why are we holding student-led conferences?

Preparation for this conference creates an opportunity for students to work on organizational and communication skills for a real audience. It also helps students build a sense of responsibility and accountability for their own learning.

When are they happening?

All 11th graders will be hosting a conference on Wednesday June 7 sometime between 8:30 AM and 2:00 PM. Each student’s conference will take about 25 minutes. Parents/Caregivers of 11th graders will be receiving an email from their student’s Advisor instructing them how to sign-up. Meetings can be attended either in person or virtually.

We are excited about this pilot and hope all 11th grade parents/caregivers will be able to attend!

This week students have participated in a number of trips. School trips are important learning opportunities for students outside of the regular classroom and we are fortunate to have so many adventurous and committed teachers who plan, supervise and help provide students with lifelong experiences during their time here at MTRS!

We are also indebted to Ms. Pease, our Facilities manager who is on hand to drive a bus whenever we are unable to get a driver...(If you know anyone who might be interested in driving a bus, please let us know!)

The history department took all students enrolled in Civic Action Project and/or US History to Boston on May 24 to tour the Freedom Trail! They saw monumental parks, burial grounds, meeting houses, and governmental institutions that help tell the story of the American Revolution, and our state's complicated legacy in the 21st century.

The ninth grade Biology class went on a field trip to Amherst College on Tuesday. We are in the middle of our evolution unit and we spent a couple of hours at the Beneski Natural History Museum learning about homologous structures and the evolution of prehistoric species as well as ones that are still living and evolving today. After lunch at the Valentine dining hall, we walked to the brand new, state of the art science building and talked to a college official about the ins and outs of majoring in science at a university such as Amherst. We had a great time!- Hazel F. Class of '26

Link

Dates to be aware of:

Grade 12: Finals, Reporting and Progress Grades

No SENIOR finals schedule, if you need to give a final please use class time prior to May 26

Senior sign off forms are due on May 26th ( you should also bring in your chrome book and charger!)

Grade 12 Q4 Term Grading Window: Wednesday, May 24 - Tuesday May 30 @ 11:59pm

Grade 12 Reports Cards available: Wednesday, May 31

Other events:

• Senior Soak - Thursday 25th May
• Senior/ Staff sports challenge - 1-2:20, Fri May 26th
• Last day - Friday May 26th
• Rehearsals for Awards/ Graduation - Tuesday 30th May
• Senior Send off, Elementary school visit and MTRS staff cookout - Wednesday 31st May
• Awards Event - Thursday 1st June (5-7pm)
• Graduation Celebration - Sat: June 3rd: 1-3pm (If it rains, we will be in the auditorium)

Social Hosting information

With the upcoming prom and graduation season, the Northwestern District Attorney’s office has produced a social host law informational flier for parents/ caregivers who may be hosting a graduation/ celebration party. Social Host laws do apply to both alcohol and cannabis. Please explore the guidance, here:: Link

Please also note that the school is working with local and state police to prepare an EMT/ DUI presentation for students in 10-12 for later in May. More information will be shared as details are confirmed.

Sensory Garden

The OAC is working on creating a Sensory Garden this spring in the newly created Mohawk Trail Outdoor Classroom (MTOC). This space is situated between our building walls creating easy access to the outdoors for staff and students to use during the school day. Our community felt creating a sensory garden would be beneficial to our students.

We are in need of plant and seed donations. We are looking for plants (and small bushes only) that are fun to touch, smell or taste as well as pretty plants to enjoy looking at. We prefer things that are native, but are open to plant ideas that don’t profusely spread. Some ideas are bee balm, chives, rosemary and yarrow (nothing taller than 5 feet).

Have something to donate? Are you interested in helping plant items this spring? Email Chris Buckland: cbuckland@mtrsd.org

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 last meeting of the year will be on June 14th.

The virtual joining information is as follows:

Meeting ID

meet.google.com/gzo-toke-ibz

Phone Numbers

(‪US‬)‪+1 813-435-9650‬

PIN: ‪741 012 215#‬

Outdoor Advisory Committee (OAC)

The OAC has become a sub-committee of the LEC and OAC issues and ideas will be discussed at the scheduled LEC meetings.

Please explore the OAC page on the website and have a look at the list of initial projects we gathered from surveying students, staff and community as well as OAC priorities created from this initial list.

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.

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

After phenomenal showings by both our boys and girls Track and Field teams last Friday at the WMASS D2 Championships, sophomore Emmett Johnson decided that he had some unfinished business to attend to. Yesterday, Johnson left his competition in the dust as he cruised to a state championship in the boys 800 meters on the campus of Westfield State University! In victory, Emmett broke the Mohawk Trail school record by over 1.5 seconds, a record previously set by fellow Ashfield native Cam Olanyk in 2016! Emmett has officially qualified for Nationals and we wish him all the luck in the world!

Don’t look now, but our girl’s tennis team has officially qualified for a berth in next week’s MIAA State Tournament! In a win or go home scenario, our squad upset the heavily favored Greenfield Green Wave this past Tuesday on the road. In sweeping all three singles matches, the Warriors held on for a 3-2 victory at the Davis Street Courts! Seedings for the State Tournament come out Saturday morning at 11:00, and we will then know who and where we will be playing next week. Congratulations to Coach Caity, Coach Dave, and the whole team for extending their season at least another week!

Our Softball squad also has their eyes fixed on their State Tournament and will complete their successful regular season this Saturday at 10:00 am in Monson! Seedings for them will not be released until next Wednesday, May 31st at 11:00 am.

As we are in the home stretch of both spring sports and the school year, PLEASE remember to have your student-athlete turn in ALL uniforms that they may still have at home. Athletes that do not return all uniforms will be invoiced at a cost of replacement rate! Thank you!

Mohawk Trail SEPAC Member and Parent

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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.

Principal, Mohawk Trail Regional School

Email: cbuckland@mtrsd.org
Website: www.mtrs.mohawktrailschools.org
Phone: 413-625-9811
Facebook: facebook.com/mohawktrailregional