Student & Family Update
April 29, 2022
Good afternoon everyone,
I hope that your first week of school has gone well.
It has been fantastic to see students back in the building and great to see learners and teachers building norms and expectations for the rest of the trimester. In the Academic Focus section below you can read more about our Teaching and Learning Focus for this year and how we are Raising the Rigor in our classrooms!
There is still time to return paperwork on Tuesday in order that students can collect their Chromebooks. Please reach out to Chelsea in the front office if you have questions or concerns.
Please read on to find out what has been going on and what will be happening at MTRS soon! This includes:
- Student Council news
- Bright Arrow communication app - stay updated with information sent out by the district! See the District section of the newsletter below.
- Mohawk Trail and Halwemont Sustainability Project updates
- Targeted Learning Focus and AP information - Focus on Academics
- Open House, MLF Resource Fair and School photo day on September 17th
- Library news
- Community Film on the Field - Friday Sept 18th from 7:30-9:30
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.
Have a nice weekend
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
Greetings from the Student Council!
This year we are aiming to keep families more informed about the work that we do behind the scenes.
Though school has barely started we’ve already gotten down to business. Over the summer Mrs. Rubinaccio, Mr. Moffett, and the Student Council officers held a meeting with all of our reps to get a head start planning some upcoming events. During this meeting we formed focus committees, started straightening out details about booster week, and played various games to help all the StuCo members feel more connected! Over all, this meeting highlighted that the 2026-2027 council is especially full of new plans and ideas just waiting to come to fruition!
Watch this space for weekly updates.
Focus on Academics: TLF and AP information for Caregivers
You might hear students talking about a Targeted Learning Focus. This is the heart of classes and student learning experiences this year.
Over the course of the year, staff will regularly meet in departments to look at student work, increase the challenge of student assignments and to make sure that feedback is shared with students so that students know where they are in relation to grade level standards and are clear with how they can reach proficiency and beyond.
The MTRS TLF: Students will actively engage in critical thinking through text-based discourse
- This means that students will be: Reading, Thinking, Collaborating and using evidence to support claims.
- Students will Demonstrate their understanding in classes through: Writing/ Making/ Doing/ Reflecting/ Showing their thinking
- Students have opportunities for learning beyond the classroom during:Academic Flex & Homework
Ask your student what they have been doing in class this week!
To the Caregivers of AP Students:
Congratulations! Your student is taking one or more AP courses this year, these are the most rigorous courses offered at Mohawk. As you know, Advanced Placement (AP) courses offer students the opportunity to engage in college-level work in the high-school setting. The numerous benefits include better academic skills and confidence, an impressive addition to the transcript which can bolster chances of college acceptance, greater academic success in college, an enhanced grade point average, and the possibility of earning college credit while still in high school.
In order for an Advanced Placement course to be awarded college credit, the participating student must receive a passing score on the AP test, tests are scored between 1 and 5. Each college/university has individual score requirements associated with credit, but a typical four-year institution will award 3 introductory course credit units for an AP score of 3 or higher. This can translate into large cost savings for college students. Students may also place out of certain general education requirements, or enter college or university with honors level placement.
All students participating in AP courses at Mohawk are required to take the AP exam for the course in May 2027.
The cost of the first exam is $100. Additional exams are $85 each. Students who qualify for free or reduced lunch pay an exam fee of $20 for the first exam and $5 for each subsequent exam. Linda Desarro, Mohawk Trail’s School Counselor, will communicate with your student about the exact fee they owe for the exam(s) they will take. If you believe your child qualifies for a reduced fee, please be sure that you have completed and submitted this form.
Exam fees are due by November 3rd. If this presents a hardship for your family, please contact Chelsea Little clittle@mtrsd.org to set up a payment plan.
Please make all checks out to Mohawk Trail Regional School. They can be submitted to Chelsea Little in the Main Office. If you have any questions or concerns or would like to arrange for a payment plan, please contact Chelsea Little at 413-625-9811 ext. 1301.
Sincerely,
Linda McHugh Desarro
Upcoming dates to be aware of:
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: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
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.
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
Mohawk Trail and Hawlemont Sustainability Project updates
Work continues on the 2 Districts 8 Towns (Mohawk Trail and Hawlemont) Sustainability project.
The project has been focusing on building a shared Educational Vision: the description of what teaching, learning, and the student experience could look like on a single PreK–12 campus. Last year the Ed Visioning Steering Committee met each month and held a community convening in April.
Findings and ideas were incorporated into a set of documents and resources to support the districts' future work in realizing the aspirational single-campus vision. Over the summer, the project team reviewed input from educators to incorporate into that vision, and on August 31 the full staff of MTRS and HRSD came together to learn more about the project and add their own ideas. Educators voiced support for many of the anticipated benefits for students while raising thoughtful questions about staffing, resources, and how a single campus would work day to day. The Educational Visioning Steering Committee will meet again in September to finalize the educational visioning documents.
Alongside this work, the project team is also updating financial projections, taking a closer look at bus ride times for our youngest students, and expanding community outreach as the districts prepare for a future vote on whether to fund an MSBA feasibility study.
Families and staff can find project documents, along with updates, summaries, and other resources, at 2Districts8Towns.org.
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 Bright Arrow messaging application is the tool we are using across the districts for mass communications. This service provides a platform to communicate from our schools to our families through email, texts, phone calls and a central app called Bright Arrow ParentHub. You may download it here or scan the QR code to access the app. Messages will still come via text, email, and/or phone call as determined by the sender AND appear in the app. Messaging is most effective when all of YOUR contact information is updated.
One benefit to using the app is that it centralizes messages, no matter the way they have been sent, so that they don’t get missed in your email inbox or text threads. You will notice that the sender is clearly labeled on each message. Another feature is that, when the message is open, the app indicates its original format - an email, text or call - with identifying icons at the top.
The app will ask you to create a login (or log in with your Google account), and then add your other email addresses and phone numbers to which you may receive communications. A verification protocol follows in which a code is sent that you will then copy and paste into the app. You may make updates inside the app under Menu - Settings - My Phones and Emails.
Note: Users are encouraged to download the latest version called Bright Arrow ParentHub. In your list of apps, it will organize itself under the name “ParentHub” - look for it under “P” not “B.”
For the Districts’ Youngest Learners and their Families
Our local Coordinated Family and Community Engagement (CFCE) program is grant-funded and sponsored by the MA Department of Early Education and Care. CFCE of the Mohawk Trail and Hawlemont Regional School Districts offers outreach, support and free activities for families with young children ages birth to six. Julie Talbot, the program’s director, hosts playgroups and other activities that engage parents, caregivers and young children in literacy, development, and community-building opportunities. Follow their Facebook page for happenings and updates: https://www.facebook.com/CFCEMohawk Let’s play and learn together!
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