Student & Family Update
April 29, 2022
August 19th, 2022
Good afternoon everyone!
Welcome to the start of the school year 2022/23!
I hope that you are having a good summer and apologize in advance for this rather lengthy update as it contains a lot of information about the start of the new year.
During the year I will email all families on a Friday with a review of what has gone on at MTRS during that week and to give you advance notice of upcoming events. It would be great to hear feedback from you via email or in person at my bi-monthly drop-ins.
Faculty and staff are looking forward to seeing students on August 29th at 7:40 for a short first day (11:30am release) for a great first step into 22/23.
Please find a link to our full school calendar, here
Best wishes
Chris
Important Dates to Remember
Upcoming dates
August 23 - Registration day: 7:30-10:30am
August 24 - Registration day: 3 - 6pm
August 25 & 26th - Teacher PD days
August 29th - First day of school: 11:30 dismissal
September 5th - No school - Labor day holiday
September 21st - First Wednesday Early Dismissal
October 5th - 4 - 6pm MTRS Open House
Oct 10 - No school - Indiginous Peoples’ day
October 25th - Picture day
November 9th - STEAM fair
Registration Days for new and returning students
August 23rd: 7:30-10:30am & August 24th: 3 - 6pm
For Grade 7 & students who will be new to MTRS this is an opportunity to:
Complete a chrome book user agreement and collect your chrome book
Complete mandatory Health Office paperwork
Media use consent form
Complete student information and family contact information for our records
Complete Athletic registration, paperwork and find out when practices start
For returning students, this is an opportunity to:
Complete a chrome book user agreement and collect your chrome book
Complete mandatory Health Office paperwork
Media use consent form
Complete student information and family contact information for our records
Complete Athletic registration and paperwork and find out when and where practices start
Paper copies of all forms will be available during registration and pdfs that you can download and complete in advance are available in the Student Services update which can be found below in the Student Services Update section
Supply Lists for Grades 7 & 8
Chrome Book pick-up
Our IT provider Suzor will be set up in the lobby for students to collect chrome books on the following days:
7:30-10:30 on the 23rd August
- 7:30 -10:00 on the 29th August - students will be released from class to collect chrome books as long as they have completed the computer use paperwork
Student Services Updates
Transportation Information
Please be aware that bus information for 22/23 can be found here. For any questions or concerns, please contact the MTRS office. Please check the district website under transportation for more information.
Lunch and Breakfast
Breakfast and Lunch remains free to all students for 2022/23. Breakfast is available from 7:15 until 7:40 each morning.
First day and first week!
Grade 7: Students will go to the gym when they arrive. Once in the gym, the 7th grade team does introductions and students will receive schedules and locker combinations.
8th graders meet the 8th grade team in the cafeteria. This is when they will be given locker combinations and schedules.
Grade 9: The first day of school the 9th grade students meet in the auditorium after they arrive. They are welcomed by the Administration and their Advisors. The Advisor then call the names of the students in their Advisory and they go with them to get their schedules.
Grades 10, 11, 12 all received their schedules in Aspen already and should report to advisory as soon as they enter the building.
First Day of school schedule
Schedule for Tuesday - Friday of the first week
Our Trailblazer team has been working on an adjusted schedule for the remainder of the first week which will enable advisory groups to build community as well as taking part in a variety of activities outside for the last hour of each day.
Bell Schedule
Please be reminded that our bell schedule for regular, early dismissals, delayed starts and half-day finishes can be found here
Hellos and Goodbyes!
There have been a number of staffing changes over the summer and we would like to take this opportunity to say thank you, goodbye and good luck to members of the MTRS faculty and staff who will not be returning for the 22/23 academic year:
Nick Lawrence - Music Teacher
Whitney Brooks - Digital Arts
Diane Zamer - Assistant Principal
Carike Du Toit - MS Math
Mia Taylor - Paraprofessional
Lindsay Rodriguez - Student Support Coordinator
Brian Cipoletta - Guidance
Greg Vouros - Athletic Director
Jill Jablonski - Admin assistant to the principal
Christie Niles - Reception and Attendance
We would like to take the opportunity to welcome the following members of staff to MTRS:
Colleen Bannister - Dean of Student Culture
Mark Biagini - Adjustment Counselor
Ashley Culver- Paraprofessional
Ron Didonato - Paraprofessional
Keelan Freitag - MS and HS Music
Brendan Leowolf - Digital Arts
Greg Lilly - District Athletic Director
Connie Thacker - Admin assistant to the principal
Kathy Wagner - Reception & Attendance
Valeri Vasti - District Literacy Coordinator
Building and Facilities update
The facilities team has been working incredibly hard to prepare the building for the first day of school on August 29th. In addition to deep cleaning and painting, thanks to Suzor, our IT team, we are very excited to integrate 34 clear touch screen monitors into learning experiences at MTRS. In addition, we are almost ready to reveal a brand new College and Career Speakers and Resource Center in the library.
Theatre
Play interest 2022/23 & upcoming auditions
We are delighted that Director/ Producer Eva will be returning for 2022/23 to continue to grow our drama and musical program. This year we would like to run a play in the late Fall of 2022 and a musical in the early Spring of 2023.
If you are a student in Grades 7-12 and and would like to be involved in our drama and musical offerings for 2022/23, please complete this survey.
We would like to hold auditions the week of September 14th, so make sure you don't miss out - complete the survey!
Community Activities
MTRS has been humming with activity over the summer. In spite of the heat, the school has seen many community activities and events including a monday evening track series, Junior Field Hockey, family soccer and Elementary school summer camps. We are excited to bring you more community activities as the year progresses.
How can you get involved at MTRS?
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 virtual joining information is as follows:
Meeting ID
Phone Numbers
(US)+1 813-435-9650
PIN: 741 012 215#
Outdoor Advisory Committee (OAC)
This meets in person every second Wednesday of the month between 5 and 6pm in the principal’s conference room. More information about the work of the OAC can be found here.
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
Second Friday of each month: 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. (starting September 9th)
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. (starting September 16th)
Meeting ID: meet.google.com/sru-mshz-rht
Phone Number: (US)+1 (218) 301-2866
PIN: 136 064 523
MTRS International Trip
Please click here for information on Mrs. Camarda’s trip to Italy and Greece in June of 2024. Email Mrs. Camarda for more information: lcamarda@mtrsd.org
Athletics News
AD updates
The Athletic Department has been super busy getting things organized for the start of our fall season on August 22! Fall sports registration is now open through our FamilyID account, in which families can sign up, pay fees, upload physicals, and access other crucial information to prepare for the fall season. Hard copy registration is still available however, and those documents can be found in the main office or on the website. We are currently offering soccer, volleyball, field hockey, golf, cross country, middle school football, and varsity football through our cooperative with Greenfield High School.
A big shout out to Robin Pease and her crew, who have been crucial in our efforts to get our gymnasiums refinished, and our playing fields ready for action! All of this in addition to their normal work! Let’s all hope we get a little rain very soon though!
For information on a specific fall program, along with practice schedules, please reach out to the head coach via email! Hope to see you all at a game this season!
Mohawk Trail Athletics *Faster alone…..further together!*
Soccer
Nick Brown
Volleyball
Sherri Lannon
Field Hockey
Jennifer Pease
Golf
Lew Goodnow
Cross Country
Joe Chadwick
Middle School Football
Doug McCloud
Varsity Football (Greenfield High School)
Mike Kuchieski
Greg Lilly
District Athletic Director
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.
Chris Buckland
Email: cbuckland@mtrsd.org
Website: www.mtrs.mohawktrailschools.org
Phone: 413-625-9811
Facebook: facebook.com/mohawktrailregional