Superintendent's August 2026 Update

Every year from September 15 to October 15, our school district joins communities across the nation in celebrating National Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month. This month offers a wonderful opportunity to recognize, honor, and celebrate the rich histories, vibrant cultures, and invaluable contributions of Hispanic and Latinx Americans.

From science and literature to public service, sports, and the arts, Hispanic and Latinx individuals have shaped the fabric of our society. In our classrooms, this month serves as an engaging bridge to deepen cultural understanding, cultivate empathy, and foster a strong sense of belonging for every student.

Why September 15?

Unlike most monthly observances that align with a calendar month, Hispanic Heritage Month begins mid-September for a reason rooted in history:

• September 15: Marks the independence anniversary for five Latin American countries—Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.

• September 16: Mexico celebrates its Independence Day.

• September 18: Chile celebrates its Independence Day.

• October 12: Celebrated across many regions as Día de la Raza or Indigenous Peoples' Day, highlighting interconnected roots and history.

How Our Schools Are Celebrating

Throughout the month, students in every grade level will participate in meaningful learning activities, creative arts, and community events:

📚 Curriculum Connections & Literature

Our school libraries will feature curated book displays highlighting Hispanic and Latinx authors, storytellers, and historic leaders. Classroom read-alouds and social studies lessons will explore key figures in history, science, advocacy, and arts.

🎨 Music, Art, and Expression

Students will explore traditional and modern artistic forms, from folk music and dance to mural art and poetry, recognizing how creative expression reflects lived experiences and cultural heritage.

🍽️ Cultural Highlights in School Meals

Our food services team will highlight traditional dishes from various Latin American regions throughout the month, introducing students to flavor profiles and culinary traditions from across the Americas.

Simple Ways Families Can Celebrate at Home

Learning and celebration don't stop when the school bell rings! Here are a few ways your family can participate together:

• Read Together: Pick up books by Latinx authors at your local public library (e.g., works by Pam Muñoz Ryan, Yuyi Morales, Elizabeth Acevedo, or Gary Soto).

• Explore Culinary Traditions: Try cooking a recipe together from a Latin American country—such as pupusas, empanadas, plátanos maduros, or arepas.

• Enjoy Music & Film: Listen to diverse genres like salsa, cumbia, bossa nova, or mariachi, or watch family-friendly documentaries and films that feature Latinx culture and history.

• Visit Local Cultural Events: Check your city or town calendar for local heritage festivals, museum exhibits, or community storytelling events.

Moving Forward with Unity and Pride

Diversity is one of our district's greatest strengths. Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month is a time to highlight specific contributions, but our commitment to inclusivity, equity, and representation continues all year long.

We look forward to a memorable month of learning, sharing, and community!

The Gill-Montague Regional School District (GMRSD) is pleased to announce that limited School Choice openings remain available across several grade levels for families residing outside the district boundaries.

If you are seeking a supportive academic community, engaging extracurricular programs, and dedicated educators, GMRSD welcomes your application for the upcoming school term.

Current School Choice Openings

GMRSD has immediate choice seats available in the following schools and grade levels:

• Gill Elementary School: Grades 1, 3, 4, and 5

• Sheffield Elementary School: Grades 2, 3, and 5

• Great Falls Middle School & Turners Falls High School: Openings across Grades 6–12

Note: Available seats are filled on a first-come, first-served or lottery basis depending on application volume.

How School Choice Works

The Massachusetts Inter-District School Choice program allows families to enroll their children in a public school district outside of their home town.

• Tuition-Free: There is no tuition cost to participating families; state funding follows the student to the receiving district.

• Transportation Requirement: Please note that school bus transportation is not provided for School Choice students. Families are responsible for providing daily transportation to and from school.

• Continued Enrollment: Once accepted through School Choice, students may remain enrolled in the district through high school graduation without needing to reapply each year.

How to Apply

Applications and guidelines for School Choice can be accessed in two convenient ways:

1. Online Download: Visit the district website at GMRSD School Choice to download the application forms and guidelines directly.

2. By Phone: Call the Central Office at 413-863-9324 to request an application packet by mail or ask questions regarding the process.

Families are encouraged to submit their applications as soon as possible, as available seats will be allocated as applications are processed.

As we embark on this school year, our central commitment is ensuring that every student, in every classroom, experiences academic success and feels a deep sense of belonging.

To achieve this, we want to share important context about our designation as a Turnaround District, how we are grounding our work in data-informed decision-making, and how our three core strategic priorities guide our everyday work.

1. What is a "Turnaround District" in Massachusetts?

In Massachusetts, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) uses a statewide accountability system to evaluate districts based on academic growth, achievement, attendance, and graduation metrics.

When a district or its schools receive a designation indicating a need for focused improvement (often referred to as underperforming or turnaround status), DESE partners with the district to develop a targeted Turnaround Plan.

What Turnaround Means for Us:

Turnaround status is not a label—it is an opportunity and a dedicated roadmap for rapid, sustainable growth. It provides our district with structured state support, resources, and clear benchmarks so we can eliminate systemic barriers, elevate teaching and learning, and accelerate progress for every child.

2. Moving from Guesses to Growth: Using Data to Drive Every Decision

Turning around a school district requires moving away from assumptions and relying instead on clear, timely data. We are embedding data-informed decision-making into every level of our operations:

• Real-Time Student Progress Tracking: Teachers and administrators regularly analyze district benchmarks, attendance, classroom assessments, and state assessment data (MCAS). This helps us spot learning gaps early—long before end-of-year testing—and step in immediately with support.

• Instructional Coaching & Support: Principals and instructional leaders use observational data during regular classroom visits to identify where teachers need additional resources, curriculum materials, or coaching.

• Resource Allocation: Financial, staffing, and time resources are directed specifically where the data shows the greatest student need, ensuring equity across every school building.

3. Our Strategic Focus: Three Core Priorities

To deliver meaningful and lasting transformation, we have organized our Turnaround Plan around three pillars:

Priority 1: High-Quality Tier 1 Instruction

Tier 1 instruction is the core, high-quality teaching that happens every day in every general education classroom.

• Grade-Level, Rigorous Content: Every student receives engaging, standards-aligned instruction that challenges them to think critically.

• Universal Access: Teachers differentiate lessons so all students—including English learners and students with individualized education plans (IEPs)—can access grade-level content without being pulled away from core learning.

• Evidence-Based Curricula: We are continuously updating our instructional materials in literacy and math to align with proven educational research.

Priority 2: Relationships & Positive School Culture

Academic growth cannot happen without emotional safety and strong human connections.

• Culture of Belonging: We strive to build schools where students feel known, valued, and respected by adults and peers alike.

• Family Engagement: Building authentic, two-way partnerships with families as active collaborators in their children's education.

• Social-Emotional Support: Integrating social-emotional learning practices into daily routines to help students build resilience, self-advocacy, and strong community relationships.

Priority 3: Cohesive Systems & Operations

Strong instruction and caring relationships need sustainable, efficient organizational structures behind them to thrive. We are building unified, district-wide systems that create stability for staff and ensure every school operates smoothly:

• Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS): Standardizing clear, consistent protocols across all schools to quickly identify students needing academic or behavioral interventions—and tracking their progress systematically.

• Professional Learning Communities (PLCs): Providing teachers with dedicated, collaborative time each week to analyze student work, align on standards, and continuously refine their teaching strategies together.

• Standardized Operational Protocols: Establishing clear, district-wide procedures and communications across all critical operational areas—including safety, security, and operations, human resources and personnel, district governance and compliance, and finance and business.

• Operational Stability: Aligning schedules, staffing models, and communication channels district-wide to ensure a safe, well-resourced, and predictable daily environment for every student, family, and staff member.

Looking Ahead

Transformation does not happen overnight, but with clear data, dedicated educators, and the partnership of our community, we are building a district where every student thrives.

We look forward to keeping you updated on our benchmarks and milestones throughout the year.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support!

August 2026

Dear Parent or Guardian,

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education recently launched an MCAS Family Portal that will allow families to access their child’s state test results. You should receive information from your district about how to access the portal using a special registration code. The portal provides your child’s initial results from the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) tests they took in spring 2026. Even though these results are preliminary and could change slightly, DESE is sharing them with families early this year in response to feedback and to help families prepare for the start of school in the fall.

Preliminary English language arts and math results are available. Preliminary science and civics results for students who took those tests are also available. Final results, including student growth information and comparisons to school, district, and statewide results, will be available in late September. The portal will also include results from previous years.

I encourage you to review your child’s results. While MCAS scores are only one piece of insight into your child’s learning experience, they can provide helpful information about your child’s progress and strengths and indicate where additional support may be helpful.

Basic information about the test is included below and in the portal, but if you have questions about your individual child, please contact your child’s school.

About your child’s results:

MCAS scores fall into one of four achievement levels:

· Exceeding Expectations

· Meeting Expectations

· Partially Meeting Expectations, and

· Not Meeting Expectations.

The results show where your child scored, which can be a good starting point for conversations with your child’s teacher. If your child's MCAS scores do not align with other information (such as grades or local assessment results) that you have received from your child's school, you may want to discuss the causes of those differences.

Please note that if your child took the MCAS Alternate Assessment (MCAS-Alt), their results are reported with different achievement levels (Progressing, Emerging, Awareness, or Incomplete).

About the content that MCAS measures:

MCAS measures the knowledge and skills included in the Massachusetts state learning standards. Teachers and other experts designed these standards to help prepare students for success in the next grade level and beyond. More broadly, Massachusetts learning standards are designed to help students build the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in school, career, and civic life.

Massachusetts teachers and other experts take those learning standards and use them to review and develop MCAS questions.

About the MCAS:

Students in grades 3–8 take English language arts and mathematics tests each year, and students also take those tests once in high school. Science tests are given in grades 5, 8, and once in high school. Civics tests are given in grade 8. Some of the tests are required by state and federal laws.

MCAS results are not part of the state graduation requirement, but the tests remain an important source of information for families, educators, and policymakers. In addition, high school students’ MCAS scores may qualify them for scholarships to state colleges and universities and can fulfill part of the requirements for the State Seal of Biliteracy.

MCAS results are included in our state’s accountability system (download), which identifies which schools and districts need assistance. In other words, MCAS results help show you how your child is doing, and they help show me how our state’s public school system is doing. MCAS results help us identify trends and see where schools and districts might need help.

Our goal is for every student to feel supported and be prepared for the many opportunities available in Massachusetts and beyond.

Additional information:

More information about MCAS is available on DESE’s website.

Sincerely,

Pedro Martinez

Commissioner

The Gill-Montague Regional School District is pleased to announce the appointment of Frederick Mogilka as its new Director of Facilities. Bringing over a decade of hands-on experience in public school facility operations, Mogilka steps into the role to lead the district’s maintenance, safety, and operational efforts across all GMRSD campuses.

Mogilka comes to Gill-Montague after serving the Springfield Public Schools since 2011. During his 15-year tenure with Springfield, he gained extensive, versatile experience across six different school facilities within the district. His broad background encompasses virtually every facet of school facilities management: plant operations, grounds and facility maintenance, work schedule development, inventory management, quality control inspections, and the coordination of major construction and renovation projects.

For Mogilka, dedication to municipal and educational infrastructure runs in the blood. He is a proud third-generation City of Springfield public employee, inheriting a deep-seated belief in the power and importance of public service.

"Public service isn't just a career path for me—it's a family tradition and a personal commitment to the community," Mogilka said. "I am excited to bring my experience to the Gill-Montague Regional School District and work alongside our team to ensure our schools remain safe, clean, and welcoming learning environments for every student and staff member."

As Director of Facilities, Mogilka will oversee day-to-day operations, lead the facilities staff, streamline preventative maintenance schedules, and manage capital improvement projects district-wide.

Please join us in giving a warm welcome to Frederick Mogilka as he begins his new role with the Gill-Montague Regional School District!

We are excited to share key updates regarding the Sheffield and Hillcrest Elementary School project as the district moves through the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) Eligibility Period.

Recent Meeting Highlights

The Sheffield and Hillcrest Elementary School Building Committee (ESBC) recently convened on Wednesday, July 29, 2026. Key takeaways and committee progress include:

• Committee Leadership: Steve Ellis serves as Committee Chair, Joanne Blier as Vice Chair, and Walter Ramsey as Clerk.

• Attendance:

• Present: Walter Ramsey, Marina Goldman, Pamela Reynolds, Cindy Sheehy, Tari Thomas, Joanne Blier and Allison Page.

• Absent: Cliff Spatcher, Greg Garrison and Kerry Heathwaite.

• Project Scope: The committee is reviewing facility conditions for Sheffield and Hillcrest Elementary Schools, evaluating a potential consolidation into a unified PreK–5 facility to better serve educational and operational needs.

• Committee Charge: Formed by the Montague Selectboard, the committee is tasked with overseeing local governance, engaging community stakeholders, and fulfilling MSBA requirements.

Feasibility Study & Key Milestones

To advance to the next phase with the MSBA, the town must conduct a comprehensive Feasibility Study:

• Estimated Budget: Feasibility studies for similar elementary school projects typically carry a budget of approximately $2 million.

• MSBA Reimbursement: The MSBA is expected to reimburse approximately 77% of the feasibility study costs (final reimbursement rate to be verified).

• Funding Authorization Deadline: The town must officially authorize the feasibility study funds by late January 2027.

• Upcoming Vote: The project is on trajectory to place the feasibility study funding article on the warrant for the Special Town Meeting in October (exact date TBD).

Next Meeting

• Date & Time: Wednesday, August 26, 2026, at 4:00 PM

• Format: Remote via Zoom

We encourage all school and community members to stay engaged as we shape the future of our elementary facilities!

Welcome! We are glad you are here, adding a different perspective and new optimism to our mission to prepare every single one of our students, exceedingly well, for higher learning in the 21st century.

Brittany-lee Morrison, Custodian at Sheffield

Abby Heathwaite, Secondary Science

Frederick Mogilka, Facilities Director

Ronald Rosewarne, Maintenance at Secondary

Clifford Holt, PE Teacher at Secondary

Michael Hartjens, PE Teacher at the Elementary Schools

John Mannio, Instructional Assistant at Sheffield

Natasha Dubay, Instructional Assistant at Gill

Julie Lockman, Grade 5 Teacher at Sheffield

G-anni Garcia, Instructional Assistant at Sheffield

We are always looking for qualified faculty and staff to serve our students and make a positive contribution to our schools. If you have the qualifications we are looking for, we invite you to complete the employment application. We look forward to hearing from you!

https://www.gmrsd.org/human-resources

35 Crocker Avenue,

Turners Falls, MA 01376

Email: tari.thomas@gmrsd.org
Website: www.gmrsd.org