Family Engagement
Hello GMRSD Families,
This is the page on our website for YOU: I post resources, school information, and suggestions. Here's more information about my role as our district Family Engagement Coordinator: Family Engagement.
I can be contacted at:
Stacey Langknecht, Family Engagement Coordinator
413 863-7473
My office is located in the Central Office building at 35 Crocker Avenue, and this past year I have established a mini-lending library for families to borrow books and board games! If you want to come by to check it out, I am usually in on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but the best thing to do is contact me beforehand so I can be sure to be here.
FYI, I work part-time, and am generally in on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but I have some flexbility for meetings outside of those days, so don't hesitate to reach out anytime! I do try to check my messages and email on the other days.I also work through the summer!
!
School & District News
Here's an informational document from the Friends of Hillcrest & Sheffield: FOH FOS Infysormation. Their next meeting is Thursday 12/6 at 5:30.
Here is Principal Bailey's latest newsletter: Hillcrest News.
Sheffield is looking for Volunteers to help out with lunch and recess! The details are in here: Sheffield Volunteer Information, and if you are interested, please contact Ms. Heathwaite at kerry.heathwaite@gmrsd.org.
Here is Principal Heathwaite's newest newsletter: Lion's Roar .
I am still happy to talk with Sheffield and Hillcrest parents and volunteers about forming a parent/community run walking school bus; 863-7473.
Gill PTO meetings have changed to the first Thursday of the month; their next meeting is February 6th at 5:15 at the school. They are also planning a family dance for 2/28- more details to come.
If your child started at Great Falls Middle School this fall, we have a new monthly group for new middle school parents & caregivers! This transition can be hard for the kids, but also for the parents, so this is an opportunity to share tips and challenges with others in the same boat! The group will be held on the 2nd Thursday of each month from 5-6, so the next one will be on Thursday 2/13. It will be online, on Google Meet; here's the link: GFMS New Parent Group. Also, here's a flyer: GFMS Parent Transition Group . Contact me with any questions!
If your middle or high schooler is participating in band/chorus, sports, or theater, we have Booster groups for those programs! These parent groups support the respective programs in many ways, and of course present another opportuniFroty to get to know other parents/guardians in the school. See the sidebar for contact information for each!
The TFHS Winter Concert will be on Saturday 1/22 at 7:30pm in the TFHS Theater.
Here's a yummy way for the Class of 2026 to raise some funds: Hillside Pizza Fundraiser .
How cool is this opportunity for TFHS Juniors & Seniors:
GUIDANCE NEWS
HIGH SCHOOL “DOCTOR FOR A DAY” PROGRAM
We are pleased to inform you that your school has been selected to participate in the ‘High School Doctor for a Day’ program scheduled for Wednesday, April 2, 2025. The selected students will have an opportunity to share the expertise of a physician mentor in the daily practice of medicine. This program is open to students in their junior or senior year, who have a serious interest in becoming a physician and have a strong background in the sciences. Students who apply must clearly state their honest interest in being a doctor as one of their top choices for a profession.
Interested students should visit Ms. Fortin in Guidance.
TFHS Parents:
Purchase your Turners Falls High School yearbook now! It is $40 until sold out. If you know you want one, please contact Ms. Leslie Charles at leslie.charles@gmrsd.org
The yearbook will be printed this spring and available in May / June
Payment Options
ONLINE (go to TFHSYearbook.weebly.com)
CHECK & CASH Check payable to TFHS. Send to Yearbook Advisor, TFHS, 222 Turnpike Road, Montague, MA 01351
All cash payments must be directly delivered to Ms. Charles in M227.
SLIDING SCALE -- PAY WHAT YOU CAN AFFORD If you cannot afford the full payment of the yearbook, especially seniors, please talk to Ms. Charles.
DONATIONS Consider donating $ for other students to have a yearbook! Our goals is for every senior to have a yearbook, whether they can afford it or not.
DOWN PAYMENT Down payments accepted, minimum $5. Full payment will need to be made before receiving the yearbook. If you make a down payment on or before January 10, the total cost will be $30. If you make a down payment on Jan. 11 or later, the total cost will be $40.
SEPAC (Special Education Parent Advisory Council): this is a district-wide group of parents/guardians whose children receive special education services in our district. It's a great way to support each other and also is empowered with advising our district on changes that you feel would be helpful in our program. For more information, please contact Corrina Wcislo at 863-7508.
EL-PAC (English Learners Parent Advisory Council):
Para obtener más información sobre este grupo, comuníquese con Corrina Wcislo
For more information about this group, contact Corrina Wcislo
An update on the Covid stuation from our School Nurses: Fall2024Covid Information .
Tina Mahaney, our amazing Director of Technology, sent this along for parents and caregivers about keeping kids safe online: Family Link.
FYI, here's the link that has the Covid protocols that we follow: COVID Protocols.
Community Resources & Events:
It's COLD out there -- here's a link to a list of local Warming Centers in case you or anyone you know needs it: Warming Centers .
Those of you who have teens/young adults with special needs and would like ideas around transitioning them out of school, this organization is offering a workshop this week: Parent/Professional Advocacy League .
A Grandparents Raising Teens 6-session program is coming to the Brick House starting 1/28; this program is open to any caregiver who is not the biological parent who has taken on raising a teen. Here's the flyer for details: Grandparents Raising Teens Jan2025 .
The Brick House is hosting Everything Computers to do an Internet Safety session on 2/13 from 10:30-12:00 for parents and guardians to learn how to protect their kids (of all ages!) on the internet. Here's the flyer with details: Internet Safety .
Here are 2 flyers from LifePath about their upcoming Healthy Living Programs, and information about paid Respite Care: LifePath Winter Healthy Living Programs and Paid Respite Care .
A 2-part Money Management program will be held at the Brick House on Wednesday 1/15 and 1/22, both from 9:30-10:30. You can attend one or both session; here's more information: Money Management .
The Montague Libraries are hopping with activities for teens and younger kids! Check out these flyers: Lego at the Library, imagination Station, Bluey Party , BiLingual Music & Movement , and Stash House Series for Teens & Tweens !!!!!
Here's information about an upcoming webinar for anyone who is caring for a loved one who is on a wait list for mental health services:
Families for Depression Awareness is presenting our free webinar — Bridging the Gap: Supporting Loved Ones as They Wait for Mental Health Care<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fwww.familyaware.org%2fwebinar%2fbridging-the-gap-supporting-loved-ones-as-they-wait-for-mental-health-care%2f&c=E,1,Jr7TfRoFvmfhhGelZ88J3xZYzO8vNNjd9g-bvV6kzZZYoBxi4NNGjE7rS5D78pSiXg9Smv52tQRRFFY4L_2VNPBcKrvzXeObDZYqmu--Azep1w,,&typo=1> — on Tuesday, March 25, 2025 from 7:00 to 8:30 PM ET/ 4:00 to 5:30 PM PT. We would greatly appreciate your support in sharing this resource with your network.
Your loved one is ready for therapy, but the waitlist seems endless. You want to support them, but you’re not sure how to keep them motivated during this challenging, in-between period. How can you help them maintain their momentum toward better mental health without crossing boundaries or enabling unhealthy behaviors? Our upcoming webinar, “Bridging the Gap: Supporting Loved Ones as They Wait for Mental Health Care”, tackles these pressing questions head-on.
Register to join us<https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_lmyEcnDnTXKsbDOTY5PTIw#/registration> for a live webinar discussion or watch on demand after it airs.
The Brick House is starting a Youth Performance Ensemble in February; here are the details: Youth Performance Ensemble .
The Salasin Center & The Brick House have collaborated to bring a "Beyond Trauma: A Healing Journey" program to the Brick House in January. This is an 8-week program for adults who identify as female and who have experienced interpersonal relationship trauma. The program starts on Friday 10/1/25 from 9:30-11am at the Brick House and on Zoom. More details and registration information here: Beyond Trauma: A Healing Journey .
There will be a Vaccination Clinic on Jan 15 4-7 PM at the Montague Town Hall. Here's the flyer and a link to sign up: Montague Vaccine Clinic Informational Flyer, Vaccine Clinic In Montague .
Here's the January calendar for the Greenfield Family Resource Center: Greenfield FRC January Calendar
There is a suicide loss support group every Tuesday evening in Greenfield; here are the details: Suicide Loss Support Group.
The Salasin Center offers a weekly Nurturing Program for Families in Recovery Program; here are the details: Nurturing Program for Families in Recovery. They also have an ongoing group called Survivor Support Space every Wednesday from 1-2; here's the flyer: Survivor Support Space .
Here are some flyers about regular weekly programs at the Brick House's Parent&Family program: Drop-In Hours for Assistance (now includes a Food Pantry!), Hygiene Supplies Available , Spanish-English Gatherings , Coffee Hour .
Here is the January calendar for The Brick House Teen Center: Brick House Teen Center .
Here's the latest Connections Newsletter: Connections Newsletter .
The ARC in Turners Falls has a Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Group: Grandparents Raising Grandkids Group.
Helpful Websites and Benefits Information:
This website can be helpful for families who want to apply for Section 8 (subsidized) housing or are on the waiting list already: Section 8 Housing Info. Also if you have a Section 8 voucher and are looking for housing, this program may help: SUN Program for Section 8.
This website offers resources and tips for keeping children away from guns in the home: GunSafetyInfo.
If your family receives SNAP benefits, you should check out this info about the Health Incentive Program (HIP): HIP.
Important reminders about SNAP and P-EBT:
Based on federal rules, students attending school in-person are not eligible for Pandemic-EBT (P-EBT), but the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) encourages students and families to keep their P-EBT cards. More information can be found at MAp-EBT.org.
If students received P-EBT, they may be eligible for SNAP. Please encourage families who received P-EBT to sign up for SNAP. It is fast and easy to apply, and the monthly SNAP amount is now higher than ever ($658 for a family of three and $835 for a family of four!). The following resources can help spread the word:
- Outreach materials are available in 11 languages
- Videos are available on DTA's YouTube channel, including “About SNAP” (in English and Spanish) and “How to Apply for SNAP” (in six languages) that can be shared via social media, text or email
- MAp-ebt.org/sna
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The Importance of Being Involved In the weeks after my oldest child started kindergarten, I joined the school's PTO and never looked back. In addition to helping enhance the school's resources and programs, I got to know some of the other parents, which made it easier to meet others. When you get to know your kid(s)'s parent(s), you learn their values and they learn yours; this is good for the kids and your peace of mind. Plus, when your kids know you know many of the other parents, they soon learn that other eyes are on them, helping to keep them safe and out of trouble! There's also evidence that parent involvement increases the chances of overall success for students; this is from the CDC website:
Lean more at Centers for Disease Control |
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Resource of the Month The Garden: A Center for Grieving Children & Teens 168 Industrial Drive, Northampton Contact: Shelly Bathe Lennat 413-727-5749 or slenn@mgb.org The Garden: A Center for Grieving Children & Teens What they do: in addition to grief groups for adults, The Garden runs a program twice a year for families with kids or teens who have suffered the loss of a loved one through death. They work with families from all counties in the Pioneer Valley. I'm featuring this resource now because I understand how hard it can be during the winter holidays when you are grieving a loved one's death. Here is a toolkit offered by the National Alliance for Children's Grief: Grief Toolkit for the Holidays Also, here's a list of children's books about death: Children's Books About Death
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The GMRSD Internet Safety Task Force invited the Northwestern District Attorney's office to do a zoom presentation for our parents & guardians on, well, internet safety. The presentation was done by them and the Children's Advocacy Center in March, and for those of you who missed it, here's the link to the Power Point:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1634jmPqCPrkF6vszKilR7oDvkyXyZ7LQ/view?usp=sharing.
Please take a look at it; it has lots of great information and websites that may help you learn how to protect your kids from online dangers!
More Community Resources for Students and Families
Local Resources Updated Sept2022
Community Action of the Pioneer Valley
Pandemic-EBT- Help for Families During Covid
Montague Catholic Social Ministries
https://franklinareasurvivalcenter.org/
Massachusetts Migrant Education Program: https://www.collaborative.org/programs/migrant-education-program
Helpful Websites for Parenting
http://https://www.onetoughjob.org/
https://www.strong4life.com/en/emotional-wellness/coping/healthy-coping-strategies-for-kids
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/