GMRSD Family Engagement

Many of our families may know that you can sign out passes, for free or reduced cost, admission to area parks and museums. Setting aside a day during the February vacation week (February 16- Feb. 22, 2026) to visit an area museum, park, or historic point of interest, is family time well spent.

https://montaguepubliclibraries.org/collections/museum-passes

https://greenfieldpl.libcal.com/admission

https://greatfallsdiscoverycenter.org/

Here are some other ideas for families for the February vacation week:

• Yankee Candle Village (South Deerfield): Features an Art Party with a large mural, crafts, and scavenger hunts during vacation week.
• Springfield Museums (Springfield): Offers special exhibits, including "Dinosaur Train".
• Billy Beez (Holyoke Mall): A massive indoor play park suitable for burning off energy.
• Springfield Armory National Historic Site: History-focused activities for families.
• Interskate 91 (Wilbraham/Hadley): Roller skating, laser tag, and arcade games.
• Skiing & Tubing: Berkshire East (Charlemont), Catamount Mountain Resort (Egremont), and Ski Butternut (Great Barrington) offer downhill skiing and snow tubing.
• Hiking & Nature: Explore Mount Tom State Reservation, Mount Holyoke Range State Park, or Mt. Sugarloaf for winter views.
• Participate in the various programs at the Carneige Library- Stuffed animal sleep over night, bi-lingual music and movement, Legos, Dungeons and Dragons, competitive puzzles, and more. Click her to see the Montague Public Libraries calendar of events.
• Brick House Community Center- Check out activities being offered during February vacation week including their Teen Center.

Key Reasons for Celebrating Black History Month:

• Honoring Contributions: It recognizes the vast contributions of African Americans to American culture, including art, music, science, and politics.
• Reflecting on History: It provides a dedicated time to focus on the history of Black people, spanning from the forced migration of enslaved people to the achievements of modern-day leaders.
• Combatting Racism and Misconceptions: Initiated in 1926 by Dr. Carter G. Woodson, the celebration was designed to challenge racist misconceptions, educate the public, and foster a more accurate, inclusive history.
• Highlighting Struggles and Progress: It commemorates the fight for civil rights and equality while acknowledging the progress still needed.
• Celebrating Diversity: It serves to unite people by promoting understanding of diverse backgrounds and celebrating the cultural heritage of the Black community.

To learn more about Black History month and why this is celebrated or to have quality family time learning together please see the following websites for reading materials and activities for children and teens.

https://www.pbs.org/parents/thrive/7-easy-and-inspiring-activities-to-celebrate-black-history-month

https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/black-history-month

https://www.julietteshouse.org/blog/celebrating-black-history-month-resources-with-young-minds

https://socialjusticebooks.org/booklists/black-history/

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Applications for scholarships are underway, so don't miss out, the deadline is March 20th! Grab yours online or in town today.

2026-2027 APPLICATION

This trust fund was established under the Will of Fred W. Wells. Mr. Wells, a former resident of Greenfield, directed that a portion of income from the fund be used for awarding scholarships in agricultural, mechanical or professional fields. Only residents of Ashfield, Bernardston, Buckland, Charlemont, Conway, Deerfield, Gill, Greenfield, Hawley, Heath, Leyden, Monroe, Montague, Northfield, Rowe or Shelburne who have resided or whose parents have resided in any of these towns for not less than two years immediately prior to the date of application are eligible. More information about the scholarship is available at https://www.wellstrustscholarship.com/

A brochure about the Fred W. Wells Scholarship is available here: Fred_W_Wells_Scholarship_pamphlet.pdf

For your application to be complete, you must submit the following:

• Completed application form
• Your stamped, official, school transcript from the most current academic year
• A current recommendation

The completed application form must be postmarked on or before March 20, 2026, to:

Prudence Blond

Greenfield Savings Bank
400 Main Street
P.O. Box 1537
Greenfield, MA 01302

For more information about college and career counseling, scholarship programs and applications, we encourage families to visit our TFHS Guidance Counseling Website and their 25-26 scholarship listing as well as their 25-26 general scholarship application, and/or to schedule an appointment with Ms. Beth Fortin, TFHS guidance counselor, who is an amazing resource.

Teens average 1.16 hours per day on phones at school

US high-school students spend an average of 1.16 hours per day on smartphones during school hours, with social media apps including Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat being the most used, according to a study by the University of Washington School of Medicine. The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, highlights concerns about the addictive nature of these apps, with Dr. Dimitri Christakis from the University of Washington saying that more needs to be done to enforce phone restrictions in schools. CNET(1/5),MedPage Today (free registration)(1/5).

To think that students, on average, are losing 180 hours per year for a total of 720 hours over the course of 4 years in high school to the use of phones and apps is very troubling. We strongly encourage families to set limits on teen cell phone use and access to social media apps. Our current GFMS/ TFHS school year handbook, (Pg. 92-93) limits cell phones for middle school students (prohibited for use at school & must be kept in locker) and states that high school students phones are to be "out and away," in backpacks and lockers with some discretion of use. Middle/High School Families- please review this fresh start letter sent out earlier this week from Principal Messina regarding the use of cell phones and consequences.

While Gill-Montague has not formerly adopted a cell phone ban yet, the Massachusetts Senate passed a bill (S. 2561) in mid-2025 for a "bell-to-bell" cell phone ban in all public schools, effective Fall 2026, requiring districts to adopt policies limiting phones from start to finish of the school day, with some exceptions, but the bill still needs House approval and Governor Healey's signature to become law. It would seem support for a state ban should move forward, taking the policing of phone use at schools, off of teachers and administrators, and assist families in setting limits as well.

We did not have any families in attendance at our our Friends of Special Education meeting on January 20th. The group will next meet on March 17, 2026, from 4:00 to 5:00 pm. Please look for the meeting link, in your email, if you are a parent/caregiver of a child identified as having a disability requiring special education services or a child who is currently being referred for evaluation. For our March meeting we are looking to schedule guest speakers from either MassAbility and/or the Department of Developmental Services to talk about transition planning for 14-21 students with moderate to intensive disability related needs.

For our January meeting, we had prepared a presentation on behavioral health supports and the differenced between school and community based counseling.

Linked below are meeting slides and prior information that has been sent out.

January Friends of Special Education presentation

December Friends of Special Education

November Friends of Special Education presentation

As the month of January comes to a close we want to recognize the amazing work of our ESL teachers, Lea Wulfkuhle, Lana Herzig, Olivia Cifrino, and Jess Hesse, for their work in preparing, scheduling, supporting, and administering the annual ACCESS test and Access Alternate Assessment for our multi-lingual learners. A special thank you to Jimena Cabezas de Pareja, our District Spanish Community Liaison, for her all of her behind the scenes efforts and day to day support of students and families as well. We are very proud of our students for putting forth their best efforts on these challenges assessments. We also appreciate the ongoing support of their families who value their children's education and school success.

Looking for free or low cost family activities this winter? Do you want to meet more people in the community and talk with other parents? Could your family either use additional supports (food, clothing, diapers, etc.) or have household items/toys to donate that are no longer needed?

If you would like to learn more about Franklin County Family Center you are welcome to check out their February newsletter linked here or to visit their website at: https://www.communityaction.us/program/family-center/

As schools and businesses grapple with the use of AI, this was an interesting take on the impact of AI for youth. It would be interesting to see other ways the use of AI impacts not only teenagers but adults as well in light of education, training, and competitive employment in an increasingly competitive and technologically advancing marketplace.

A research project by California high-school student Karissa Tang predicts a 27% drop in teenagers' jobs by 2030 due to AI technology. Tang found that cashier positions, the No. 1 job for 16- to 19-year-olds, will see the biggest drop because of self-checkout and digital kiosks.

National Public Radio(1/16)

To read more: https://www.npr.org/2026/01/15/nx-s1-5676248/this-teenager-who-wrote-a-research-paper-on-how-ai-could-impact-teen-jobs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 16, 2026

(sharing as a public service to district families)

TOWN OF MONTAGUE,

Launch Event for New Montague Affordable Housing Coalition

What: The New Montague Affordable Housing Coalition

When: Wednesday February 4 th from 6:30-8pm

Where: The Brick House, 22 3rd Street, Turners Falls

Contact: Sade Ratliff sratliff@chapa.org

Join us on February 4th from 6:30-8 PM at the Brickhouse Community Resource Center (22 3rd St in

Turner Falls) to celebrate the launch of the Montague Housing Coalition. This coalition is made up of a group of Montague residents passionate about increasing access to affordable and safe housing for all current and future residents. This launch event will include:

An Affordable Housing 101 Presentation and Community Discussion

• Learn more about why housing costs are rising and what we can do as a coalition to
  change that

• Help us tailor our coalition goals to meet the needs of our community through advocacy
  and education

• A kids’ corner- A kids’ corner will be set up to accommodate families at the meeting. Kids ages 4-13 can enjoy games and activities or engage in independent play.
• A free to enter raffle
• Each attendee will receive a raffle ticket for the change to win prizes from local

businesses around town

To RSVP for this event email Sade Ratliff at sratliff@chapa.org

Hello and Happy New Year from Adult Education at Franklin County Technical School.

Please find attached 5 flyers for the programs (Carpentry, Electrical, Horticulture, Plumbing and Welding) that will be offered this spring starting on February 23. You may have seniors graduating at the end of the semester or have someone in mind who recently graduated. Kindly forward to any interested parties and be in touch with any questions. The school will be running more programs this coming fall and next spring.

For those who qualify and intend to work in the field, the trainings are free. This is part of the CTI (Career and Technical Initiative) funded by MA Commonwealth Corporation. You can have interested parties reach out to me. Thank you.

Here are the eligibility questions:

Are you-

· 18 years or older (or turn 18 before the end of the training)?

· What is the best phone number for us to reach you?

· HS diploma or GED/HiSET? (Not necessary for Auto, Building Maintenance, and Horticulture)

· MA resident, what town?

· Income under $49,100/annually (for Franklin & Hampshire counties)?

· Authorized to work in the US?

· Pass a CORI background check?

· Commitment to attending classes with minimal absences?

· Commitment to working in the industry once training is completed?

Best wishes,

Beverly Behrmann

Beverly Behrmann (she/her)

CTI Program Assistant

Franklin County Technical School

413.863.9561 ext.175

Program flyers linked here

In an effort to support students and families our student services staff have put forth a compilation of local community based resources for food, housing, legal, transportation, mental health, wellness and more. The resources are included in the Family/ Community Resources linked as well as pasted below. Family/Community Resources

Dianne M. Ellis, Assistant Director of Pupil Services & Special Projects Liaison*

Email: dianne.ellis@gmrsd.org Website: http://www.gmrsd.org/
Location: 35 Crocker Ave., Turners Falls, MA 01376
Phone: 413 863-7513
*part time-working primarily Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays by appointment.