Student & Family Update

What a strange week it has been.

I hope that by Monday morning everyone has power and the roads are all cleared so that we can return to school. Please note that if you need to recharge devices, the lobby at MTRS is open for families to do so today (Friday) during regular school hours. Children should be accompanied by an adult.

Among many other things, the snow has caused us to postpone to a later date the Franklin County DEI Youth Leadership Summit. Additionally, the Elvis Concert and Winter Ball have been postponed for this weekend. When student council leaders are able to meet with staff advisors next week, we will share the rescheduled date.

Please read on for more information on upcoming events and activities at MTRS.

Course Choices for 23/24

• Grade 8,9,10 & 11 course choices in Aspen for 2023/24 - the deadline has been extended to Monday 20th March. See your guidance counselor with any questions.

GCC Grade 8 CIVICS week

• In spite of the snow, Grade 8 students and staff made it to GCC on Monday of this week. This was a great early college experience and an opportunity to start on their Civics projects.

Solar Power

• Students who live in Ashfield. The town is interested in hearing your thoughts on Solar power. Please take a few minutes to answer this brief survey::Link to survey

Graduation information

• Students and families, the survey on graduation 2023 closes on the 27th. Please make sure that you have taken part. See below

Have a safe weekend

Best

Chris

Upcoming dates

• March 29th - District Celebration of Learning

• April 5th - NHS Induction, 5-6:30pm

• April 17-21 - April Break

• May 29th - Memorial day (no school)

• June 19th - Juneteenth (no school)

Early Release Wednesdays (12:50pm)

• March 1,8,15,29
• April 5,12,26
• May 3,10,17,24

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.)

Theatre Updates: For more information and news on Guys and Dolls: Link

Tentative End of Year dates: (adjusted for snow days up to and including 3-17-23)

Finals Schedule

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

The Key Club NEEDS YOUR HELP. Please consider donating any used clean clothing to the “MOHAWK SHARING IS CARING ROOM (room 178)” All sizes of clothing are needed. We will accept footwear if clean and are in good condition. You may contact Mrs. Camarda if you have any questions. The community may drop off their donations at the front office. Mohawk staff may contact Mrs. Camarda or bring donations to room 214.

On behalf of the Key Club members, we thank you for your support.

Class of 23 and families, two surveys were sent home this week. These will help us plan some of the events listed below. Please complete them by March 27th.

Student survey: Link (21 responses so far)

Care provider survey: :Link (Only 26 responses so far!)

Reach out to Class of 23 advisors Ms. Basal or Ms. Camada if you have any questions.

• Prom - Friday 19th May
• Senior Send off - Weds 24th May
• Senior Soak - Thursday 24th May
• Finals and rehearsals for Awards/ Graduation - Tuesday 30th May
• Elementary school visit and MTRS staff cookout - Wednesday 31st May
• Awards Event - Thursday 1st June (5-7pm)
• Graduation Celebration - Friday June 2nd, 6:30-8pm (Rain date: June 3rd: 1-3pm)

For scholarship information and deadlines, students should continue to reference the Student Services updates

The Karuna Center in Greenfield recently launched a new peacebuilding project in partnership with middle and high schools throughout Western Massachusetts: Building Resilience Against Violent Extremism in Schools (BRAVE Schools). MTRS is delighted to be one of the partner schools.

Below is a brief explanation from the Karuna Center about BRAVE schools.

Building Resilience Against Violent Extremism in Schools (BRAVE Schools) will focus particularly on building student resilience against the spread of hate groups and far-right extremism, and preventing future acts of “targeted violence”—premeditated violence directed at a specific individual, group, or location. We will work to address often-unacknowledged factors that can lead youth down a dangerous path toward violence and hate.

We plan to use a whole-school approach in middle and high schools— to engage a range of students and staff in problem-solving issues that could hinder a positive, safe school climate. Our aim is to enhance school capacity to recognize and address the often-unacknowledged factors that can lead youth down a dangerous path toward violence and hate.

BRAVE Schools will combine Karuna Center’s dialogue-based practices with the expertise of two trainers, Robert Örell and Tony McAleer. Both are renowned leaders in creating pathways for people to avoid or exit hate groups, and are themselves former violent extremists who were recruited as youth.

The Alliance for Peacebuilding—a network of 165+ organizations working in 181 countries, of which Karuna Center is a member—will design and lead the project’s monitoring and evaluation processes, as part of their work to learn about and amplify effective strategies for local peacebuilding in the United States.

The project is new, and we are still welcoming schools to sign on to participate. We will proceed collaboratively, with the first phase being an assessment to deepen the project team’s understanding of schools’ needs.

Karuna Center’s BRAVE Schools project is one of 43 recipients nationwide funded by the Department of Homeland Security’s Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships, opportunity number DHS-22-TTP-132-00-01, and takes a public health approach to violence prevention. This year’s grants were announced in conjunction with the White House’s United We Stand Summit on hate-fueled violence.

Please make a note of two upcoming events in relation to this project:

• Public talk
• Monday, March 20, 7:30pm — Public talk in conjunction with the BRAVE Schools project (in-person and livestream): “Radical Compassion: Overcoming Hate & Building Understanding,” a conversation with Loretta Ross, Tony McAleer, and Robert Orell. The speakers will share their own experiences with hate groups, why people join, and the place of radical compassion in confronting hate effectively. The event will be held at Edwards Church, 297 Main St, Northampton, and is free of charge and open to all. For more information or to connect via livestream, please visit: karunacenter.org/events

• Parent/Guardian night
• Tuesday, March 21, 7:00-8:00pm — Parent/Guardian Information Night on the topic, “How are youth lured into hate online?” (in-person and livestream). Tony McAleer and Robert Orell will talk about how extremist groups recruit youth, and how to help prevent it and intervene. Both Tony and Robert were themselves recruited into violent ideologies as youth, and have since devoted themselves to creating pathways out of hate for others. This event is part of the BRAVE Schools project and will be held both over Zoom (register/join at karunacenter.org/events) and at the Amherst-Pelham Regional Middle School Library (170 Chestnut St, Amherst - 2nd Floor).

On Wednesday morning, students in grades 9, 10 & 11 made course choices in Aspen. Grade 8 will be making their course choices during social studies in the next two weeks.

Students can make choices in Aspen until March 20th. If students have any questions, please speak to Ms Ruggeri (7 & 8) or Ms Fulton (9-12).

Resources

• Short presentation for students
• Longer presentation with more course detail
• Course catalog (with information on Dual Enrollment, and new courses such as Data Science, Music History and ASL)
• Specific information on Dual enrollment for students who are considering taking college courses at GCC while attending MTRS

Grade 8 Information:

Recorded Presentation: High School & Course Requests

Slides: High School & Course Request Information for Families 2023

Course Catalog: 2023-2024 MTRS Course Catalog

Additional Information:

* 3/8 - 3/15 Students enter course requests into Aspen

* May/June- Students receive their 23-24 high school schedule and meet with counselors to make changes as needed before the end of the school year

Grade 7 and Rising &

• Current 7: We will communicate about course selection later in the Spring
• Rising 7: More information about choices will be given when we visit grade 6 schools after Feb break. Typically this is done via google form and completed on registration day in the summer.

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 Alia Woofenden at awoofenden@mtrsd.org

Here is our latest CEEP newsletter including our April Vacation camp information. Enrollment opens March 17th.

Alia Woofenden "Mrs. Woof"

Liaison for Community Engagement and Enrichment Programs

Mohawk Trail Regional School District

24 Ashfield Road, Shelburne Falls, MA 01370

She/Her/Hers

https://www.mtrsd.org/ceep

https://www.facebook.com/MTRSDCEEP/

Ollie Perrault, a high school student is a founding member of YOUTH CLIMATE ACTION NOW (YCAN). She and Sasha Kracauer, another group leader, will be speaking about YCAN and their goals. She writes: “Our generation has grown up in this crisis and there has never been a time when we weren’t fighting for our right to a livable future.” FYI:YCAN https://sites.google.com/ view/ycanupcomingevents/home. Come in to support this organization. Listen to Ollie and Sasha and ask questions When: Sunday, March 19, 2023. Where: The Episcopal Church of Saints James and Andrew. 8 Church Street, Greenfield, MA (Enter at main doors on Federal Street). Time: 12 Noon. Serving snacks. Contact Ella Ingraham:ejmai127@gmail.com

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 be on April 12th.

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)

This meets every second Wednesday of the month between 5 and 6pm. In the winter we will be virtual. In the Spring and Fall we will be in-person. The next meeting will be on April 12th.

Outdoor Advisory Committee- Virtual

Wednesday, Feb 8th, 5:00 – 6:00pm

Google Meet joining info

Video call link: https://meet.google.com/ysh-dgqv-jvz

Or dial: ‪(US) +1 470-210-0524‬ PIN: ‪190 585 623‬#

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

Third Friday of each month: 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Meeting ID: meet.google.com/sru-mshz-rht

Phone Number: (US)+1 (218) 301-2866

PIN: 136 064 523

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.

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