Student & Family Update
April 29, 2022
Good afternoon everyone,
I am sending the weekly newsletter out today so that anyone with questions or a need to pick up a student packet can do so tomorrow, Friday!
We can't wait to see returning and new students next Wednesday at 7:45am.
Grade 7: Students should go to the gym when they arrive. Once in the gym, the 7th grade teacher team does introductions and students will receive schedules and locker combinations if they require a locker.
8th graders will meet the 8th grade teacher team in the cafeteria. This is when they will be given schedules and locker combinations if they require a locker.
Grade 9: The first day of school the 9th grade students meet in the auditorium after they arrive. They are welcomed by Administration and their Advisors before receiving schedules.
Grades 10, 11, 12 all received their schedules in Aspen already and should report to Advisory as soon as they enter the building. Schedules will be posted on the lobby wall.
Reminder:
Cell phones should be off and away between 7:45 am and 2:20 pm for students in all grades. Please see the Cell Phone reminder section, below.
Caregivers of Students in Grades 7-12, are you interested in becoming a member of the Local Education Council?
The MTRS Local Education Council (LEC) includes parents, staff, and community members who serve as an advisory board for the principal under the state’s mandate for more local control of schools. We welcome and encourage the public to attend.
The council meets virtually on a monthly basis and works with the principal to determine the needs of the school, to review the yearly budget, to develop school policies, and to develop and implement a yearly School Improvement Plan linked to our School Improvement Plan to meet the assessed needs of the school.
Please email cbuckland@mtrsd.org if this might be of interest to you.
The first meeting is on September 9th - please see the Community Section below for more information.
Start of the year Student packets are due back on or before Sept 4th
No Late Bus for the 2026-27 school year
Unfortunately there will not be a late bus running this year. Caregivers are expected to collect their student/s from after school activities.
See below for important information on MCAS results for the families of students who participated in testing during the Spring of 2026.
Finally, please see our new regular section, Focus on Academics where this week there is news about Science and Math in Middle School as well as information about Summer Reading and Homework expectations for 2026-27.
Sincerely
Chris Buckland
Principal
District Targeted Learning Focus: All MTRSD and HRSD students will actively engage in critical thinking and communication through evidence-based academic discourse and writing across all grade levels and content areas
School Focus: Students will actively engage in critical thinking through text-based discourse
Our schedule for Wednesday 2nd September (11:30am release)
Our schedule for Thursday and Friday
Summer Reading- books can still be collected from the front office!
Focus on Academics: Open Science Ed in Middle School, Middle School Math Program Changes, Summer Reading & Homework
Some information about Open Science Ed, our middle school science program
In recent years, there has been a great deal of research done around science education and its effectiveness. Through the work of several states and national organizations, the Next Generation Science Standards were created, which have provided the road map for this area. Massachusetts adapted these standards in their 2016 release of the Science and Technology/Engineering Curriculum Framework. At that time, Plymouth staff developed accompanying curriculum materials in the absence of an acceptable alternative. Then, in 2019, OpenSciEd was formed to develop high quality, free resources available to all teachers. OpenSciEd developed a 6-8 curriculum first and Plymouth chose to use this high quality science curriculum in the middle school grades. Our students have been immersed in OpenSciEd since then and we are thrilled with the progress they have made in becoming stronger science students.
OpenSciEd is designed to increase accessibility for all students. The units included in OpenSciEd use a science storyline approach, which gives students a learning experience grounded by the students’ own desire to explain what they don’t understand. Storylines are sequenced lessons that encourage students to answer their own questions in order to figure out a piece of a science idea. The embedded science ideas are observable events, which we refer to as phenomena. Students use science talk to make sense of these phenomena. Their talk in the form of words and drawings, progresses from making sense of their own thinking to deepening their reasoning, which depends on how students think with others (e.g., agree/disagree, feedback). Teachers and students have a responsibility within OpenSciEd to work together to figure things out as a community of learners, just as scientists do in the real world.
Your child will learn about specific topics in depth through OpenSciEd. As a result, there will be fewer units of study, but more time spent on each. Your child will also be expected to use science and engineering practices to make sense of these topics, rather than string together a list of disconnected facts. Examples of phenomena include:
Grade 7 How can containers keep stuff from warming up or cooling down?
Why do things sometimes get damaged when they hit each other?
Grade 8 How can we make something new that was not there before?
How do things inside our bodies work together to make us feel the way we do?
These phenomena have been carefully selected to anchor the story lines and motivate students to want to learn more about the world around them. I hope that you see your students’ excitement for science at home, just as we do at school.
If you have any questions, please contact your child’s teacher.
Middle School Math Program Changes
For the 2026-27 school year, the Mohawk Trail Middle School has adopted Illustrative Math as our core math curriculum. We chose this program for the following 3 reasons.
It is highly adaptive, allowing us to integrate effective and engaging instruction such as Building Thinking Classroom practices and project-based problems.
It supports differentiation, so that all students can be presented with math problems that are at the right level of challenge.
Grades 6-12 program consistency. Last year, the districts’ sixth grade math classes adopted Illustrative Math and the high school adopted a similar program.
One important overarching component to our math courses is students working collaboratively to acquire their math skills. Students will work as a team for about 80% of the lesson and ask for teacher support after the group has exhausted all of their strategies. We believe this approach builds student independence, perseverance and strong listening and speaking skills. For the other 20% of the lesson, we will provide activities that are more independent and specific to students' current math skills. This time may include independent practice problems, reviewing prior math skills, meeting IEP math goals and solving challenging problems. We recognize the diversity of our students and the need for students to have “just right for me” math problems. One exciting addition to our middle school courses is the option to earn academic distinction. Academic Distinction is for students who want to challenge themselves beyond the general classroom. Think of Academic Distinction as a precursor to honors classes in high school.
Requirements for Academic Distinction are:
Always complete the challenging (aka. spicy) problems on daily practice
Always complete challenge problems on homework assignments
Always take the Academic Distinction assessment (more challenging test, quiz, etc.)
Complete additional minutes per week of skill practice on IXL
Complete 1-2 rigorous projects per trimester.
Academic Distinction will start in October to allow time for students to become familiar with their math courses and provide time to successfully make the transition to middle school. If students are interested in pursuing Academic Distinction, they should inform their math teacher and guidance counselor near the time when Academic Distinction begins.
Additional information will be shared during Open House in September, school newsletters and from math teachers throughout September.
Summer Reading
Books can be picked up from the front office if you didn't manage to collect yours at the end of T3! Ask Chelsea in the front office! There was an error with the books and grade reminder last week.Please see below for the books students in each grade were issued in June:
- Rising 7th -The Giver
- Rising 8th -March
- Rising 9th -Born a Crime
- Rising 10th: How to Survive the End of the World: A Graphic Exploration of How to (Maybe) Avoid Extinction
- Rising 11th: The Midnight Library
Homework
Thanks to student, family and staff feedback, we were able to tweak last year's schedule slightly: New schedule . In addition to moving long blocks to Wednesday and Thursday, we have increased the length of classes on early release Wednesdays. We have also created dedicated academic flex blocks as well as specific club time during the week.
In support of continuing to make the Student experience at MTRS more rigorous, this year we are introducing mandatory homework for all students.The expectation is that homework is an opportunity for students to practice/ extend their learning. Not compliance based tasks. Grade teams will meet to work out a schedule for homework during the first week of school and share this with students during advisory.
All students are expected to read every day at home for a minimum of 20 minutes each day.
Teachers should use the following guide for homework in addition to reading: Grades 7-8 about 1 hour; 9-10 1-1.5 hours; 11-12 1.5-3 hours depending on course load
We look forward to meeting caregivers in person at the Open House and Mary Lyon Resource Fair on September 17th.
Upcoming dates to be aware of:
August 17th: Start of year packets available to collect from the front office (Due back on Sept 4th)
Sept 2nd: First day of school for students: 11:30 am finish
Sept 3rd: Chromebook pick up during the school day
Sept 7th: Labor day, no school
Sept 17th: Photo day (Retakes on Oct 29)
Sept 17th: Open House 4:30-6:30 pm & Mary Lyon Resource Fair 3-6 pm)
October 2nd: Senior Class fitting for Caps and Gowns
Oct 13-16: Booster Week
Oct 17th: Homecoming dance
Oct 29th: PSAT assessments
Nov 2 - no school for students
Nov 3rd - Deadline for AP test payment
Nov 12 & 13th: Student Led Conferences 11:30 am dismissal both days
May 26th: Senior Academic Awards assembly - 9-11 am
June 4th: Graduation and Scholarship evening: 6-8 pm
Early Release (11:30 am) dates:
Sept: 2,16, 23
Oct: 7, 21,
Nov: 12 & 13th
Dec: 9
Jan: 27
Feb: 24
March: 10, 18, 19, 24
April: 7
May: 5, 19
June: 9
Solar Panel Live Energy Tracker
Trimester 1
Sept 2 - November 24th
Progress grades close: October 14th
SLC Nov 12 & 13th
Final grades close: November 24th
Trimester 2
November 25 - March 12th
Progress grades close: Jan 20th
Final Grades close: March 12th
Trimester 3 (This takes into account 5 snow days. If we have no snow days, we will adjust so the last day for kids is June 15th)
March 15th - June 23rd
Progress grades close April 29th
SLC March - 18th and 19th
Graduating Class Academic Awards: May 26th
Junior Book and Presidential Awards: June 10th
Final Grades close: Weds 23rd June
T3 report cards will be available in Aspen: Thursday 24th June, 2027
As of August 14, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has changed the way families will access student assessment results. Rather than sending results to schools for distribution to families, caregivers will now be able to view their child’s results directly through the MCAS Family Portal.
Below is a more detailed explanation from the Commissioner of Education.
Over the next two weeks, we will be reaching out to caregivers of all students who participated in the Spring assessments with information about how to access the portal, including their individual login credentials.
Thank you for your patience as we transition to this new process.
Chris
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
135 Santilli Hwy, Everett MA 02149 Voice: (781) 388-3000 TTY: 1-800-439-2370 www.doe.mass.edu
Please see the Student Services latest newsletter
The countdown is on! I hope families are enjoying the last few days of summer and ready to be all in for the coming school year. Please allow me to share some student survey results so you can see what our students are saying about where they are going to school. 75% of our students report they have a teacher or adult at school they can talk to, 83% report teachers are available to them. 66% of our students report our school has clear rules and consequences as well as consistent reinforcement. In the area of acceptance our students report the following: 87% believe adults in the building treat all students respectfully regardless of their race, culture, family income, religion, sex or sexual orientation. When it comes to discrimination, 79% say they have never been treated badly because of their race/ethnicity and 69% never been treated badly because of their sexual orientation/gender identity. In the coming months we will be continuing to review all the survey results. There are two sources for these surveys, The Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey and the VOCAL survey which is a survey associated with DESE (students completed after MCAS). More to come on this topic!
Remember NO cellphones on during the school and we are looking forward to welcoming our students back on September 2nd!
Starting next week, I look forward to sharing news and highlights from the different schools in the district as well as ways that you can get involved in life in the Mohawk Trail Regional School District.
Students and Caregivers, please be aware that we expect students in all grades to have cell phones off and away from 7:45am-2:20pm each school day. We would like students to participate in distraction-free learning during their day at MTRS.
Caregivers, if you need to communicate with your student during the day, thanks for calling the front office.
Here is a powerful slide deck about Youth Mental Health and Technology, shared with us through our FRCOG partnership.
Please see the section below from the handbook in relation to electronic devices including cell phones:
Use of Electronic Devices, Including Cell Phones
Mohawk Trail Regional School District (MTRSD) is committed to fostering a school environment that prioritizes engaged learning, supports the development of social skills, and promotes the overall well-being of our students. To achieve this, MTRSD has an “Off and Away All Day” requirement for students. This means that cell phones and other personal electronic devices may not be used by students during school hours (7:45 am to 2:20 pm).
Phones may be used between arrival at school and the start of classes at 7:45am. However, all devices must be turned off and put away in student bags or backpacks before entering class.
Failure to meet the expectation of this policy will result in disciplinary action. At the determination of staff, inappropriate use of a cell phone or electronic device (including airpods) is cause for confiscation of the device. Cell phones must be relinquished in their complete form, including SIM cards and battery. There will be no “warnings” and no student is excused from the policy and the offenses as outlined below unless they qualify for accommodations. If a student has a disability or medical condition that requires a cell phone or other device, the accommodation will be noted in the student’s IEP, 504 Plan, and/or health plan. The special education team coordinator or health office will notify appropriate staff of the necessary accommodations.
Discipline is at the discretion of the building principal; possible discipline may include but is not limited to:
• Teacher will take the phone for the remainder of the class, returning it at the end of class. Teacher will also make a behavior referral report to administration.
• Administration is notified and the device is confiscated and taken to the main office, where it can be collected at the end of the school day. Caregiver is notified.
• An infraction may result in the phone being taken to the office and the caregiver will be required to come into school to meet with administration and to pick up the phone. • At the meeting, the Phone Plan will be developed and modified as necessary to consider the underlying needs of the student that may be contributing to repeated non-compliance will be discussed and addressed.
• The Phone Plan will require the student to drop off the phone in the front office at the start of the school day and collect it from the office at the end of the day.
• Other discipline as deemed appropriate based on the circumstances.
Any additional infraction after successfully completing a Phone Plan will result in the student being unable to have a phone in their possession for the remainder of the current grading period or, in the case of repeated offenses, for the remainder of the school year.
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