Student & Family Update
March 11, 2022
March 11, 2022
Hello Everyone!
It was great to speak with community members at my drop-in today. As a reminder, I’m hosting an open virtual chat with caregivers each month (you can find the info and links here: https://www.mtrs.mohawktrailschools.org/News).
Join me for the next one on Friday, March 18 from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Please take a look at news and information in relation to the many things going on in our busy school!
Best,
Chris
Background photo: Students hunkered-down in the MTRS library during the 14-hour M3 Challenge. Read below to learn more!
Change to mask procedures
Families should have received a letter from Superintendent Stanton outlining the changes to our district’s mask procedures yesterday (March 10). Please be aware of the following changes, effective Monday, March 14:
On Wednesday, March 9, the Mohawk Trail Regional School District school committee voted unanimously to lift the mask procedures in our schools, in accordance with our local Boards of Health (BOH) and guidance and information from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), effective Monday, March 14.
What does this mean?
On March 14, mask wearing in our school buildings will be optional for all staff and students in our school buildings. However, our local Boards of Health strongly recommend the continued use of masks (preferably N95, KN95, or KF94). The local BOHs will continue to monitor COVID-19 caseloads and status of variants locally, and the COVID-19 School Planning Task Force will continue to meet to review data and discuss the impact of COVID-19 on our district.
For additional information, please visit the COVID-19 Information page on our district’s website at www.mtrsd.org/covid-19-information. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me or Superintendent Stanton. If you have any COVID-19 specific questions, you may also contact our district’s COVID-19 Nurse Leader Donna Weber at dweber@mtrsd.org.
Important Dates to Remember
March 22 - 23 - 10th grade ELA MCAS
April 18 - 22 - April vacation
May 19 - Trailblazer District Wide Celebration of Learning
May 20 and May 21 at 5:30 p.m. and May 22 at 2:30 p.m. - 'Bits of Broadway' MTRS Musical
May 26 - Spring Concert
May 27 - Prom
June 4 - Graduation
Trailblazer News
May 19: Trailblazer District Wide Celebration of Learning, 4 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Mark your calendars and please join us for a great night of showcasing our students’ work! For current and prospective MTRS students and families in grades 5 - 12:
Learn how our students are blazing their trails at MTRS and our Trailblazer model
Grade 5 and 6 celebration of learning (Projects) in the gym
Elementary school literacy event in the library
MS & HS displays of what goes on in your rooms -get students excited about displaying their work and talking about it!
Trailblazer ambassadors to meet and greet and talk
Excerpts from the musical and Spring Concert
Food: TBD
Trailblazer talk & prize draw
Currently seeking community members with food contacts! We’re looking for those interested in participating / providing food for our event. Interested? Know someone? Please contact Principal Buckland at cbuckland@mtrsd.org.
Zamer's Corner ~ Highlights from our Assistant Principal
Students in Tamara Brown’s 8th grade Wellness class have been working through a unit on mental health. Students engaged in peer discussions about a ‘positive thinking model”--learning about how to focus their thinking on solutions, positive self-talk, identifying support resources, and how to shift their mindset to achieve happiness and success. Students focused their work on scenarios relevant to 8th graders and noticed how positive and negative approaches to these scenarios can change the outcome and impact mental health. Ms. Brown created a great space for our students to be vulnerable and to support each other while learning about mental health issues.
Sketch Notes: Sketch notes provide students with a new way to process and recording information using a combination of visuals and words. Using symbols, illustrations, and graphs, students use sketch notes to record their learning, which provides them with a more meaningful, individualized note taking method. Check out these great examples from our very own MTRS students in 8th grade STEM and 9th grade Artglish.
MCAS information for Grades 7, 8, & 10
Students & Caregivers -- This information was shared with families through the most recent Student Services newsletter. Be sure to check it out HERE.
MTRS Musical - BITS OF BROADWAY
Auditions for a variety show called Bits of Broadway took place this week. We are excited to share that we have 22 amazing cast members and 12 crew members to help!
Rehearsals will begin on Tuesdays and Wednesdays after winter break. Performances will be May 20 and 21 at 5:30 p.m. and May 22 at 2:30 p.m. More information will be coming soon!
Class of 2022 - Graduation
Students and families - check your emails! We’ve shared a survey with you to help us plan for our Class of 2022 graduation (June 4). Please take a moment to complete the survey and share your insight by April 1.
Community Activities & Engagement
Outdoor Advisory Committee Survey
The Outdoor Advisory Committee is looking for community input! Please let us know If you have ideas on how we might improve our campus for students, staff, and the community; complete this survey, here. The results will be shared at our next meeting on April 13, from 5 p.m.- 6 p.m.
MTRSD Community Enrichment and Engagement Programs
Spring is just around the corner and we have a lot of fun things planned for the months ahead! Keep a lookout for our Spring enrichment information later this month–we have some great programs planned including youth field hockey, flag football, and archery!
Elementary Wrestling: MTRS wrestling coach Mark Biagini is offering a FREE after school wrestling program open to all district students in grades 3-6.
April Vacation Camp: The Hilltown Scout Camp returns this April to offer a Spring Splash vacation program. This program is open to all district students in grades K-6. Enrollment opens on March 25. Visit our website www.mtrsd.org/ceep for more information. *Scholarships are available for this program thanks to generous funding made possible by the Mary Lyon Foundation. Please contact Alia Woofenden at awoofenden@mtrsd.org if you have any questions or for additional information.
((Thank you Sophia Goodnow, MTRS communications intern, for this amazing flyer!))
Summer 2022: STAY TUNED! In the next few weeks, we be sharing information about our NEW summer program for grades K-8. Enrollment will open in April and more information will be available on the CEEP website soon!
Musical and Spring Concert
Rehearsals for the musical are well underway! Director Eva Stockhammer and students grades 7-12 have hit the ground running to prepare for the spring musical, Bits of Broadway, featuring favorites from a variety of shows. Mark your calendars, performances are May 20, 21, and 22!
Also mark your calendars for our MTRS Spring Concert featuring the many talents of our high school band and chorus. This community event will take place outdoors at the Buckland-Shelburne Elementary half-shell on May 26! We can’t wait to see you there to support and enjoy live music!!
Student Voice
LGBTQ Walk-Out
Students in the Mohawk Trail Equity Alliance participated in a Nationwide youth-led walk out to protest the growing number of anti-LGBTQ legislation across the United States. The MTEA called for its members and allies to walk out of class for 20 minutes on Friday, March 11, where they gathered to discuss both national and local issues affecting LGBTQ youth and best practices for allyship. This walk out was an optional activity organized and led by student members of the MTEA. Issues, context, and ideas were discussed during Advisory preceding the walk out.
National Honors Society
National Honors Society (NHS) has restarted the composting program at Mohawk Trail! Next Wednesday, students in grades 9-12 will participate in a presentation during their advisory period to learn about composting correctly. NHS members will supervise the MTRS composting bins during the high school lunch periods and make sure everything goes smoothly and all waste goes in the correct bins.
MTRS Senior Kylie Lowell featured on Boston25 News!
Check this out! Our very own MTRS senior Kylie Lowell was recently interviewed by Boston25 News and shared her experience with post-concussion syndrome. THANK YOU, Kylie, for sharing your story and helping to share insight on this important issue! Click below to watch the news clip and hear Kylie's story.
MTRS participates in M3 Challenge
Last week, MTRS students Alex Lilly, Dennis Simmons, Mya Lesieur, Sean O'Dea, and Sophia Guy participated in the 14-hour MathWorks Math Modeling Challenge (M3 Challenge) - putting their math skills (and calculating endurance!) to the test.
WHAT IS M3 CHALLENGE?
From the website: "MathWorks Math Modeling Challenge (M3 Challenge) is a contest for high school juniors and seniors in the U.S. and sixth form students in England and Wales. Through participation, students experience what it’s like to work as a team to tackle a real-world problem under time and resource constraints, akin to those faced by professional mathematicians working in industry. Extra credits awards are available for teams who choose to write or employ outstanding code as part of their solution. The Challenge awards $100,000."
Learn more about the challenge (and the problem they tackled this year) here: https://m3challenge.siam.org/
Click below and watch the time lapse video created by the team to give you an idea of their day! ((THANK YOU to Sean O'Dea for editing and sharing this video!))
Athletics Updates
Spring Sport Photo Packages for Mohawk Trail Students K-12
The Athletic Association has teamed up with MTRS alumni Reuben Bassett, owner of Bassett Photography, to photograph our spring teams athletes. Information about how to sign-up and purchase team and individual photos can be found HERE.
Photos will be taken in May (location and time, TBD).
All funds raised through the athletic association’s program will be used to fund future MTRS senior scholarships, directly impacting our student athletes!
SPRING SPORTS REGISTRATION IS OPEN!
Spring Sports practices start Monday, March 21
Spring registration for MTRS Athletics is OPEN! Click HERE or visit the link below to our FamilyID portal to sign-up today! Registering is EASY -- If you've never used the site before, you'll need to create a log-in for first-time use. As a reminder ALL student-athletes MUST register via Family ID in order to participate, and need an updated sports physical on file with the MTRS Nurse's Office. In addition all student-athletes MUST sign the consent form to sign-up for COVID-19 pool testing. Click HERE for the link to sign-up for online COVID-19 pool testing or visit the link below. Paper copies are also available in the MTRS main office. If you need any help or have questions along the way, don't hesitate to reach out to Athletic Director Greg Vouros for more information at gvouros@mtrsd.org
Family ID Link: https://www.familyid.com/mohawk-trail-regional-schools
Covid-19 Online Pool Testing Sign-Up: https://www.cic-health.com/consent/ma?district=null
Our Spring Sports offerings for grades 7-12 include:
Baseball
Softball
Outdoor Track
Tennis
It's time to GEAR-UP and get your MTRS gear!
Last Chance to get your MTRS gear in our pop-up shop! ORDERS DUE MARCH 14!
Get your MTRS t-shirts, long-sleeve t-shirts, performance gear, shorts, polos, sweatshirts, sweatpants, and jackets right here! Caregivers, sports-fans, and future MTRS families -- don’t forget to place your order!
Show off your blue & gold pride this spring! Have a child who will go to MTRS next year and want to stock up on some gear? Now is your time! The MTRS pop-up gear shop closes on March 14, so get your gear today: https://eastbaystore.com/OFTSD595
Questions? Please contact MTRS Athetic Director Greg Vouros at gvouros@mtrsd.org.
Please help us support your students . . .
Cell phones and communication
We are trying to support students in Middle School with being more responsible with phone use. Students are being asked not to access phones in class or to use earbuds to listen to music. Thank you for supporting us with this and for also remembering to call the office and not student phones if you need to speak with them during the day.
Vape Awareness
Please be aware that recently we have noticed more frequent behaviors associated with vaping occuring at school. Students have the opportunity to learn about the negative health effects of vaping, tobacco, and drug use through the district health and wellness programs. Caregivers - if you’re looking for resources to help with these conversations at home visit: https://www.youthnow.me/parents/resources/
We will continue to address the effects of vaping, tobacco, and drug use in classes and advisory.
Social media reminder
Students and caregivers - As we’ve seen an uptick in the unauthorized use of school and district logos use on school-themed social media outlets (ie: TikTok, SnapChat, Instagram), it’s a good time to share a few friendly reminders about good digital citizenship, unauthorized use of logos / representation of the school or district, and our school handbook guidelines for social media use and student behavior.
We know students love to stay in touch with social trends. What you may not realize is what you are posting for fun may actually be a violation of student privacy and against our student codes of conduct as outlined in our student handbook.
Our official logos belong to the school and district. Use of our logos is not permitted without explicit permission from the district’s director of communications and/or the superintendent. Impersonating the school/district or pretending to be someone else can result in disciplinary or legal action. Please refer to the school handbook regarding "Inciting or instigating disruptive and/or negative behavior" regarding the following: Disrespectful behavior toward staff or students; Taunting/teasing another student; Use of inappropriate language or profanity; Bullying, cyber-bullying, retaliation or acts of intimidation (see Anti- Bullying Policy)--as these accounts could violate the student code of conduct found in your school handbook. Accounts are reported to the administration and/or proper authorities for investigation and students in connection with this type of behavior may be subject to disciplinary action.
If you know about an account that violates any of the above, please contact Principal Buckland or Assistant Principal Zamer.
Caregivers, this is a great reminder for keeping those lines of communication with your child/ren open and doing a digital check-up. Know what apps your child/ren are on and what they are posting. Helpful resources from our student services office:
Protect Young Eyes Website & Blog article “5 Digital Trends that Threaten Children in 2022”
Screenagers Website (specifically: Blog- Tech Talk Tuesdays and Resources)
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