Superintendent Weekly Update
January 29, 2021
Dear Mohawk Trail & Hawlemont Families,
This week we welcomed MTRS hybrid students in Grades 3-6 and MTRS students back into our buildings! We officially have two weeks of hybrid learning underway in the MTRSD! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR EXTRA EFFORTS IN MAKING BOTH REMOTE LEARNING AND HYBRID LEARNING WORK! These are such challenging times and we have all done amazing things to make sure our students have the best possible experience as we live through this global pandemic. At no other times do the values of community and courage mean more than today.
In the Hawlemont Regional School District, we continue to work with our FRCOG health agent and District Nurse Leader to address concerns regarding protocols and procedures specific to COVID-19 notifications. Stay tuned for more information in the week to come. The next HRSD school committee meeting will be held on Monday, Feb. 1 at 4:30 p.m.
And with that... here's what's happening this week:
* FY22 Budget Season
* Strategic Planning
* COVID-19 Info Page & Resources
* School Events & Happenings
* School Spotlight
* MTRS 7th Grade STEM
FY22 Budget Season
Governor Baker's budget was released just this week on Jan. 27, pushing our typical budget preparation timeline back a few weeks. We are in the last stages of finalizing the entire budget for presentation to the budget subcommittees, school committees, and public hearing. Stay tuned for dates and times!
MTRSD Strategic Planning
Last month, I shared we kicked-off our district's strategic planning process (in case you missed it, you can read the press release here). Preliminary planning work, or Phase One (Discovery), continues with the district leadership team and our next steps involve community feedback and engagement. A survey will be shared with our community by our strategic planning consultant, TMS, by mid-February. Stay tuned to your email; our social media outlets; and websites for a link to the survey once it has been released.
This survey will be followed by the creation of community stakeholder groups who will provide us with critical feedback needed to identify long-term district goals; our action steps; outline the resources needed; and identify benchmarks to measure our success.
We anticipate Phase One will run through mid-February with Phase Two (Identification) to kick-off during the last week of February. My goal is to be in Phase Three (Action & Accountability) by the end of March/early April have a completed strategic plan developed by spring so we can begin implementation.
We're looking forward to working together in this process and hearing your feedback and visions for our district!
COVID-19 Info Page & 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!
School Events & Happenings
Elementary families: it's REPORT CARD time! Please keep a look-out during the first week of February for your student's report card. For additional details relevant to your school, be sure to check your school's newsletter.
MTRS families: Term 1 grades are now available to view in Aspen (as of Jan. 25).
Food Services / Lunch Program:
As a reminder to our families, ALL school lunches are free to all children ages 18 years old and younger for the academic school year (through June 30, 2021). Please check with your individual school for lunch menus and pick-up times.
Please note, families who use the Mohawk Trail Regional School (MTRS site) drive-through lunch pick-up program--the pick-up time has shifted and is now held 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. All other program pick-up times remain the same.
School Spotlight: Colrain Central
MTRS 7th Grade STEM
#FluorChallenge entry
#FluorChallenge entry
#FluorChallenge entry
National Parks Project
National Parks Project
Hawlemont Regional School HAY Program
Thanks for all you do to make Mohawk Trail and Hawlemont School Districts GREAT places to learn and grow!
Sheryl Stanton
Email: sstanton@mtrsd.org
Website: www.mtrsd.org
Location: 24 Ashfield Road, Shelburne Falls, MA, USA
Phone: (413) 625-0192
Twitter: @mtrsdsuper