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!

                                

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Joyful Kwanzaa, and a Happy New Year! And whatever else you might celebrate!

I hope you get some fun family time in!

School & District News

Here's an informational document from the Friends of Hillcrest & Sheffield: FOH FOS Infysormation.

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 January 2nd at 5:15 at the school. Their bonfire night, which had been postponed because of the drought, is now back on for Friday 12/20 from 4:30-6:30!

Also coming up is a Movie Night on 12/28 at 9:30 am! Here's the flyer: Gill Movie Night .

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 12/12.  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!

Coming up: 

Breakfast with Santa on 12/21 from 9-11am for the Class of '26! Breakfast with Santa .

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:

Another Queer Family Night will be held at the Brick House on Friday 12/20; here's the flyer: Queer Family Night

The Franklin Regional Council of Governments would love feedback from Franklin County residents via a survey about any safety concerns regarding our roads and traffic. 

Please take the survey, and if you have specific locations that are of concern, post them in the interactAnive map: 

Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8QSBHNT

Interactive Map:  https://maps.kittelson.com/FRCOG-CSAP

The Brick House is hosting the Franklin County Community Health Center's Health Navigators to help people sign up or make changes to their health insurance - they will be at the Brick House Thursday 12/5 from 10:30-11:30 and in early January. Here's the flyer with details: FCCRC at the Brick House .

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 .

Here's the December calendar for the Greenfield Family Resource Center: Greenfield FRC 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 October calendar for The Brick House Teen Center: BrickHouseTeenCenter.

Here's the latest Connections Newsletter: Connections Newsletter- of particular note is the upcoming webinar on Depression & ADHD in adolescents, the results of the most recent school health surveys, and information about nicotine pouches which are being marketed to our youth :(

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: 

 

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: 

  • Research shows that parent engagement in schools is closely linked to better student behavior, higher academic achievement, and enhanced social skills.
  • Parent engagement also makes it more likely that children and adolescents will avoid unhealthy behaviors, such as sexual risk behaviors and substance use.
  • Efforts to improve child and adolescent health have typically addressed specific health risk behaviors, such as tobacco use or violence.

Lean more at Centers for Disease Control

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

The Garden Announces Spring Programming Dates

Know a grieving child or family? Spring 2025 at The Garden will begin on Sunday, March 2. We welcome grieving families with children, ages 5 - 18, following the death of someone close regardless of how, when, or where the death occurred.

 

For more information or to schedule an intake appointment, please call Shelly Bathe Lenn at

413-727-5749 or email slenn@mgb.org.
 

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                                                       

Local Food Resources                                                                           

Community Action of the Pioneer Valley                                               

Pandemic-EBT- Help for Families During Covid                                     

413Cares                   

Montague Catholic Social Ministries 

The Brick House

The United Arc

https://franklinareasurvivalcenter.org/

Center for New Americans

Massachusetts Migrant Education Program: https://www.collaborative.org/programs/migrant-education-program

Helpful Websites for Parenting

https://handholdma.org/ 

http://https://www.onetoughjob.org/ 

http:// https://centerforparentingeducation.org/library-of-articles/school-and-learning-issues/supporting-school-success/

https://www.strong4life.com/en/emotional-wellness/coping/healthy-coping-strategies-for-kids

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/