Mohawk Trail Regional School
26 Ashfield Road Shelburne Falls, MA 01370
www.mohawkschools.org Telephone: 413.625.9811
Greetings Mohawk families,This is the time of year when many of our seniors are receiving notification from colleges regarding admission decisions. It is also the time of year when many scholarship applications are due. Our local community is extraordinarily generous in its support of education through numerous scholarships; last spring members of Mohawk’s graduating class of 2013 were awarded scholarships totaling more than $100, 000. Please see News from Student Services for more information about how students in this year’s senior class can apply for scholarships.
Imagine being part of a team that works with a trained archaeologist to excavate the ruins of an early 19th century tavern! Mohawk students can have this experience through the two-week archaeology field program this summer. Learn more about this hands-on learning experience by attending an informational session on Monday, March 31 at 6:00 pm in Room 207. I am delighted that Mohawk will once again offer this field-based archaeology experience begun so successfully with Mohawk students in the fall of 2011 and repeated in 2012. This unique learning opportunity is made possible through Mohawk’s collaboration with the Sons & Daughters of Hawley. This year’s archaeology field training program will take place from 9 AM to 4 PM on weekdays from Monday, August 4 until Friday, August 15. The program is open to middle and high school students age 13 and up, and adults if there is space, with Mohawk students given first priority. The maximum enrollment is 12-16. To learn more about this exciting opportunity, click the link at the bottom of the Mohawk webpage https://sites.google.com/site/mohawkarcheology/ for additional information and an application, or email with questions. And please come to the information session on Monday, March 31, at 6:00 pm, to learn more.
We anticipate that two groups of students from China will be visiting Mohawk this summer. Each group of about thirty students will spend three days with us, experiencing American family life through homestay experiences and attending a sampler of classes in morning sessions during their visit in July. I will be communicating more information about our China program in upcoming editions of News from Mohawk. We anticipate that one group will be middle school students and the other group will be high school students.
Friday, April 4, is the last day of the third quarter. We will be issuing report cards to students on Friday, April 11.
Sincerely,
Principal Lynn R. Dole
Upcoming Events
Monday, March 31-Friday, April 4
Scholastic Book Fair in the Library. The Book Fair will be open from 7:30-3:00 throughout the week and on Wednesday afternoon from 4:30-6:30. More information below.
Monday, March 31
Informational session about archaeology summer program, 6:00 pm in room 207. Through our partnership with the Sons & Daughters of Hawley, Mohawk is offering a two-week summer archaeology training program, co-taught by Mohawk teacher Ivan Grail and archaeologist Laura Masur. The summer program is open to middle and high school students age 13 and up, and adults if there is space, with Mohawk students given first priority. The maximum enrollment is 12-16. To learn more about this exciting opportunity, click the link at the bottom of the Mohawk webpage https://sites.google.com/site/mohawkarcheology/ for additional information and an application, or email with questions. Archaeology teacher Ivan Grail and archaeologist Aaron Miller, who has worked on this project, will host an information session at Mohawk on Monday, March 31, at 6:00 pm.
Tuesday, April 1
Assembly featuring Ron Bailey, President of the Gettysburg Black History Museum, Inc. Mr. Bailey will make a presentation at a high school assembly, from 9:05-9:45, in the auditorium. The public is welcome to attend this event, which is made possible through the generosity of the Mary Lyon Foundation.
Wednesday, April 2
Professional Learning Day: Students will be released at 12:50.
Parent Night at the Scholastic Book Fair; the library will be open from 4:30-6:30 pm for community members and families to attend.
Wednesday, April 9
Professional Learning Day: Students will be released at 12:50.
Friday, April 11
Third quarter report cards will be issued to students.
Hypnotist Show organized by the Student Council. Family fun!
Saturday, April 12
Junior Class Auction and Car test-driving event, 9:00 am-1:00 pm. Details below.
Wednesday, April 16
Professional Learning Day: Students will be released at 12:50.
Middle School Career Day. 7th and 8th grade students will have the opportunity to learn about a variety of careers through presentations by local community members working in diverse occupations.
Monday-Friday, April 21-25
School Vacation Week. No school.
News from Student Services
Many scholarship applications are due soon!
Each year Guidance Secretary/Registrar Karen Strong prepares a bulletin of scholarships, summarizing information about the many local scholarships that are relevant to our students. This year’s 2014 Senior Scholarship Bulletin features information about 67 local scholarships. An online version of the scholarship bulletin that was distributed to seniors at a class meeting in February is available through Class Pages. Go to the Mohawk website, click Class Pages on the right, and select Scholarships. The instructions associated with the Scholarship Bulletin are also available online. Each year our guidance office processes hundreds of scholarship applications. To facilitate this process, “The deadline date for all applications is April 1 unless otherwise noted in the bulletin. Please note that some of the applications have a date on them that is different than the bulletin. You must return the applications by the date stated in the bulletin to ensure enough time for them to be mailed. Please be sure that your application is complete (letters of recommendation, essays, etc.) BEFORE submitting it to Student Services. If you have letters of recommendation on file in Student Services, please make arrangements to come in and make copies to attach to your applications. Other scholarships may become available after this bulletin is printed. Please watch announcements and check with Student Services regularly. Thanks!” Mrs. Strong requests that students, “Make sure to go by the deadline dates on the bulletin and NOT the application itself. This allows Mrs. Strong time to get your applications mailed in to the committees by the committees’ deadlines.”
The time students invest in preparing scholarship applications thoroughly is generally well worth it! In short, please pay attention to the deadlines for when the scholarships need to be turned in to Mrs. Strong. There are some online scholarships that have been posted on the school website also. (See the Scholarship section on Class Pages.) Make sure that when you pass the applications in, that they are complete. Scholarship committees will not look at applications if they are incomplete. It is the student's responsibility to attach any paperwork requested by the committees, such as recommendation letters, official SAT scores, etc. and if you need a copy of your official transcript attached, you must notify Mrs. Strong before the scholarship deadline.
Upcoming college and career visits
On April 8th, Mark Hudzik from Greenfield Community College will be here to speak with students about what GCC has to offer and how students can apply to attend the college. Mr. Hudzik will be visiting during ELO, so students need to sign up in advance.
Announcements about other upcoming visits and opportunities are regularly posted at the Student Services page in Class Pages.
It’s time for Juniors to begin planning for the future
Parents/Guardians of Juniors: High school guidance counselor Mr. Storey encourages all juniors to make arrangements for an individual meeting to discuss and create college/career plans by the end of this school year. Mr. Storey writes: Feel free to be in contact with me if you have any questions or concerns: .
Summer employment opportunities
Each year the Buckland Recreation Area offers a summer program for elementary students. Sixth graders and older can apply to join the Junior Staff. Forms are available in elementary schools, at Mohawk, and online at http://mohawksummerrec.org. Questions can be directed to Mohawk teachers Mr. Johansmeyer in the 7th grade and PE teacher Mrs. Johansmeyer. For the current brochure visit http://mohawksummerrec.org/docs/brochure_2014.pdf. Students aged 16 and over can apply for a position with the Buckland Rec Summer Program. Additional information and application materials are available at the Mohawk Summer Rec website. (Note: it may be necessary to refresh the page of the website to access the current application materials.)
As information about summer employment opportunities is received, Student Services posts this information on bulletin boards outside the office and on the Student Services section of the Class Pages feature of the Mohawk website.
Looking ahead to Summer Opportunities: Archaeology Field Training and Summer Programs with Chinese Students
Imagine being part of a team that works with a trained archaeologist to excavate the ruins of an early 19th century tavern! You can have this experience through the two-week archaeology field program at Mohawk this summer! Learn more about this hands-on learning experience by attending an informational session on Monday, March 31 at 6:00 pm in Room 207. I am delighted that Mohawk will once again offer this hands-on educational experience begun so successfully with Mohawk students in the fall of 2011 and repeated in 2012. The summer program will take place from 9 AM to 4 PM on weekdays from Monday, August 4 until Friday, August 15. The program is open to middle and high school students age 13 and up, and adults if there is space, with Mohawk students given first priority. The maximum enrollment is 12-16. To learn more about this exciting opportunity, click the link at the bottom of the Mohawk webpage https://sites.google.com/site/mohawkarcheology/ for additional information and an application, or email with questions.
We anticipate that two groups of 30 students each will be visiting Mohawk this summer from China. During their three day stay here, the Chinese students will experience family life through homestays and attend classes at Mohawk in the morning and visit local attractions in the afternoon. Stay tuned for more information!
News from the Athletic Field
Athletic Director Fred Redeker shares this practice schedule for the week of March 31st-April 4th:
Middle School Baseball and Softball 2:30-4:30
JV/Varsity baseball 4:30-6:30
JV/Varsity Softball 6:30-8:00
All athletic user fees are due by Friday, April 4th.
Four Mohawk seniors will be receiving the Student Athlete Citizenship Award at a ceremony on April 11th at the Basketball Hall of Fame: Josh Rode, Robbie Buoniconti, Melissa Clark, and Ashley Pierce.
As the snow is just beginning to melt, I want to recognize the achievements of our ski teams. The girls Alpine Ski team brought home the PVIAC South championship trophy this year! Our Nordic team also had a successful season. Allison Lull placed 9th at the Massachusetts Championships this year. Five Mohawk Nordic skiers qualified for a place on the Massachusetts teams. Sara Gokey was on the girls J2 team and Aidan Sandvik on the boys J2 (for skiers aged 14-15 years) teams that participated in the championships held on March 7-9 in Ripton, Vermont. The Massachusetts team was fourth of the five scored teams with Vermont scoring most overall points. Allison Lull, Tom Damery and Tyler Andrews qualified for the Eastern High School (EHS) respective teams. The EHS Championships were held in Chittenden, Vermont on March 14-16th. The Massachusetts team took second place after Vermont.The qualifying races for the two All-Massachusetts teams to compete in the Eastern High School Championships in classic and skate skiing were held at Mohawk on January 26. At the time of the meet, Mohawk was one of the only sites with adequate snow on the course; Mohawk coach Peter Rayton and parent volunteers prepared our course so that we could host this statewide event. Congratulations to all our winter athletes for a strong season.
Become a volunteer with the bottle and can redemption for the Mohawk Athletic Association
The bottle and can redemption programs at several local transfer stations are an important fundraising source for the Mohawk Athletic Association, which supports our athletic programs. The families who are involved with this program are reaching out to invite others to join in the process. The current volunteers report that the redemption process has been going smoothly with their 4 person schedule, and doing it once a month isn't bad! They are looking for 2 or 3 more parents to take a weekend, especially as some current volunteers prepare for graduation. If you are interested, please contact Athletic Director Fred Redeker () or reach out to the Mohawk Athletic Association directly by contacting Sue Mitchell (). On behalf of all our student-athletes, we are grateful for the organizational efforts of those who contribute to the bottle and can redemption drive!
READING CELEBRATION WEEKMohawk Library Resource Center
The Scholastic Book Fair is coming to our school Monday-Friday, March 31st to April 4th, with a Parent Night to be held on Wednesday, April 2nd from 4:30 until 6:30. The theme of this year’s fair is a Fiesta.
Please stop in the library to enjoy the colorful decorations, the festive music, and the library staff wearing their festive sombreros. There will be a Piñata Game, a poster contest, and several raffles with chances to win free books, or even a pizza lunch, with drinks and dessert for the winner and several friends.
Another highlight of the fair will be a “Splash of Color.” When you buy a book at the fair you will be entered into a raffle and could possibly win a chance to throw a water balloon, containing a “splash of color” at our District Superintendent, our Mohawk Assistant Principal, or at everyone’s favorite seventh grade history teacher!
Come one, come all and join the festivities!!!!
Mohawk Students participate in Student Government Day
Students Matt Walsh and Amanda Taylor will be participating in Student Government Day at the Massachusetts State House in Boston on Friday, April 4. Social Studies teachers Charlotte McLaughlin and Ivan Grail will accompany them.
National Honor Society organizes food drive
Mohawk's National Honor Society is organizing a food drive through collection boxes at local businesses, and in your student's ELO classrooms. We are looking for any non-perishable item (but especially spaghetti sauce, dry cereal, and canned fruit!) to give to the Hilltown Food Pantry to help local families. Anything and everything counts, so please, go into your cabinet and find one or more items that you can share, and donate it to help make our drive successful. This drive has been extended another week, into April.