Good Afternoon,
I hope this Superintendent Update for February 2024 finds you and yours well.
Enrollment: Our enrollment as a regional school district has steadied. As of this morning, we have 1438 students enrolled within our district. David Prouty High School has 321 students enrolled; Knox Trail Middle School has 387 students; Wire Village School has 448 students; and East Brookfield Elementary School has 261 students including 118 students enrolled for the "Cubs Corner" Preschool!
Personnel: We continue to post for paraprofessionals as well as tutors to join our district. If you are interested in becoming a part of our family, please apply at: https://www.schoolspring.com
Inclement Weather Notifications: As noted in our 2023-2024 school calendar, we will have traditional snow days this year. Safety considerations, uniform access to electricity/internet during the school day, and the like make snow days an important part of successfully navigating the school year. Calling snow days in New England is a difficult task. As the Superintendent of Schools, I have a unique opportunity to evaluate conditions in real time, as well as consult with the National Weather Service, Department of Public Works, local Emergency Management officials, and neighboring towns. My decision regarding delaying, closing, or releasing schools early always has been and always will be based upon “safety first” for everyone within our learning community. If you have not already done so please put a plan in place for the safe care and/or receipt of your child in the event that a weather-related delay, closing, or release is necessary.
Notification Process: Our district has now transitioned over to our new App and website services as our primary means for delivering the most up-to-date information to your cell phones with our notification feature. To get the App, you can go to the Apple Store or Google Play Store and search for “SEBRSD” then download the App to your phone.
I will do my best to let you know the night prior, but not later than 5:30 a.m. on the day in question. Further, notifications will be placed on our website, Facebook page, and Twitter Account for the district well as Channel 4 (WBZ), Channel 5 (WCVB), Channel 7 (WHDH), and Channel 25 (FOX).
2023 School and District Report Cards: The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education recently made the 2023 school and district report cards available on the report cards website. The site also contains supporting documentation related to report cards, including a glossary and a sample report card cover letter, both of which are available in English and nine other languages.
Nominate the Next Teacher of the Year! Massachusetts Teacher of the Year 2025 Nominations and Applications Open: As you know, we have many exceptional teachers within our district who go “above and beyond” the call of duty every day for our students. I would be remiss if I did not make you aware of the fact that the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has opened the Massachusetts Teacher of the Year program for 2025. Time is running out to nominate an aMAzing educator to become the 2025 Massachusetts state teacher of the year! The teacher of the year gets the chance to develop a platform, advocate for students and teachers, and meet other teachers from Massachusetts and across the country. More information about the nomination and application process is available online. Interested educators can self-nominate or jump right into the application process. Nominations are due by Thursday, February 1. Applications are due by Monday, February 12.
Save the Date: Spring 2024 Initial MCAS and ACCESS for ELLs Testing Schedule!
Celebrate National School Counseling Week! February 5-9, 2024 will mark National School Counseling Week (NSCW). This annual celebration is the perfect time to recognize the contributions of school counselors across Massachusetts, and more specifically in your own school setting.
The Massachusetts School Counseling Association (MASCA) encourages you to use National School Counseling Week as not only an opportunity to offer your school counselors appreciation, but to also advocate and support their roles in your school and district. Below are informational weblinks that provide detailed explanations of the roles of school counselors, social workers, school psychologists, and school nurses.
- An infographic that tells you more about the role of a school counselor
- A flier that explains the difference between school counselors, social workers, school psychologists and school nurses.
World Read Aloud Day is Wednesday, February 7th, 2024! For 15 years, World Read Aloud Day has called attention to the importance of sharing stories by challenging participants to grab a book, find an audience, and read-aloud! The global effort, created by the non-profit LitWorld and sponsored by Scholastic, is celebrated annually in over 173 countries and is all about bringing people together through the shared connection of reading aloud in all of our communities.
MSBA Update: Our next meeting of the David Prouty High School Building Committee is tentatively planned to take place on Thursday, February 15th, 2024 at 6:00pm at the Wire Village School. All are welcome to these important in-person meetings. The agenda is posted on our website and includes the updates on the project.
Winter Athletics Update: This 2023-2024 winter season, our Panthers have had a great deal of success on and off the court, track and mat. If you have not yet had a chance or opportunity to see the David Prouty High School or Knox Trail Middle School teams compete this season, check out the remaining schedule and make time to come out and cheer on our Panthers!
Looking for a date night and music? The David Prouty High School Band is putting on the 2nd Annual Spaghetti Dinner. This year it will be held at Mary Queen of the Rosary Parish in Spencer, MA on Saturday, February 10th at 6:00PM. We will start with dinner downstairs and then move upstairs for the High School Band to perform. If you are interested, please see a band student or Mrs. Forfa for a ticket. You can also buy tickets at the door!
Want to have dinner but not stay? No worries! We offer Takeout and you can pick up dinner the day of!
Upcoming Events in February 2024!
Finally, we have many exciting activities taking place throughout our learning community in the month of December.
- Event: School Building Finance Sub-Committee Meeting via Zoom (Thurs, Feb 1, 6:00 PM)
- Event: SEPAC Meeting via Zoom. (Mon, Feb 5, 6:30 PM)
- Event: 2nd Annual Spaghetti Dinner (Sat, Feb 14, 6:00 PM)
- Event: School Committee Meeting (Mon, Feb 12, 6:00PM)
- Event School Building Committee Meeting (Thurs, Feb 15, 6:00 PM)
- Event: School Closed – February Recess (Feb 19 – Feb 23)
Choose SEBRSD! A community dedicated to teaching and learning with purpose...
Did you know?
All children between the ages of 6 and 16 who live in Massachusetts are required to attend school and are entitled to attend a public school free of charge. Most children attend school in the school district in which they live; however, parents may choose to enroll their children in public schools outside of their home district.
The Spencer-East Brookfield Regional School District (SEBRSD) is located in Central Massachusetts, with schools in both Spencer and East Brookfield. As a gateway community, we are excited to open our doors to those from surrounding communities that are seeking a new opportunity and welcome new students to our district through the School-Choice program. We are currently accepting applications for Preschool and Kindergarten through 12th grade.
Why choose SEBRSD?
At SEBRSD, the positive relationships between parents, students and teachers are the foundation of our learning environment and we encourage ongoing communication to ensure your child’s success. We constantly strive and are committed to creating an environment in which every student is supported to achieve the highest levels of success. Our educators are focused on the consistent individual growth of the students so that they are “college, career, and life ready!” Our District prides itself on providing and fostering a hybrid learning environment of both traditional and adaptive educational instruction and opportunities that seek to engage our students in “teaching and learning with purpose!” We provide an extensive network of caring and supportive staff. As well, we provide the resources needed to deliver outstanding educational instruction and opportunities for all of our students. In short, we nurture, encourage and challenge each student to reach their full potential by offering the resources and support needed in a diverse and ever-changing environment.
What do we offer?
The Spencer-East Brookfield Regional School District offers a high quality, early childhood through twelfth grade curriculum which is designed to:
- focus on comprehensive literacy, content literacy and information literacy;
- teach basic communication, cognitive, and computational skills;
- promote mathematical and scientific awareness;
- cultivate an awareness of history, geography, government, and the humanities as they relate to the past, present, and future;
- foster creativity;
- instill an appreciation for and proficiency in the arts;
- develop occupational competency and the capacity and desire for lifelong learning;
- encourage an understanding of multicultural values so that each and every student is college or career ready for the future;
- personalize programs to support students with learning difficulties and students who are new to the English language.
The curriculum is aligned to the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks and/or national standards.
Comprehensive Educational Program
Our high school students are offered the following course levels: Standard College Prep (SC1, SC), Honors (H), and Advanced Placement (AP) through the College Board’s AP Capstone Diploma Program . The PACE program gives students with significant intellectual disabilities opportunities to develop academic, daily living, occupational, and interpersonal skills. David Prouty High School has a top-notch Athletics program (including football, basketball, baseball, softball, soccer, field hockey, golf, tennis, cross country, track & field, indoor track, and cheer) and other extra-curricular activities such as Marching Band, Theatre, and many other clubs and groups that engage students outside of the classroom.
Early College Courses Offerings!
David Prouty High School also offers Early College courses in partnership with Worcester State in Public Speaking, Statistics, Applied Physics, Theatre and many more throughout the academic year and summer months. These offerings in partnership with Worcester State University are in addition to the College Board’s Advanced Placement Capstone Diploma Program aiding our students in preparing for admission to selective four-year colleges and universities. As well as the comprehensive course and Early College offerings, David Prouty High School takes greate pride in our career technical education opprotunmities...
Career Technical Education Opportunities!
David Prouty High School has four MA DESE Approved Career Technical Education (CTE) programs. In addition to our standard curriculum offerings, we are thrilled to share that students may elect to participate in our Criminal Justice, Early Education and Care, Environmental Science, and Marketing programs. These programs are designed to train students to earn a certificate in their chosen trade, and to prepare them either to enter the workforce directly out of high school, or to move on to higher education with certifications and credentials in their chosen field. As you can see David Prouty's comprehensive education program provides a well-rounded, real world educational experience for every student in our high school by preparing them for "college, career and life!"
Give us a chance to show you what "teaching and learning with purpose" looks like!
We look forward to the opportunity to speak with families interested in joining the SEBRSD community. Please contact the District Registrar, Melissa Pervier, at 508-885-8515 ext. 1 or pervierm@sebrsd.org with any questions and let us explain what SEBRSD can do for your child.
For more information about the Spencer-East Brookfield Regional School District and to stay up-to-date on the latest happenings across the district, please visit the website at www.sebrsd.org, follow us on Twitter and Facebook, and download the SEBRSD mobile app.
In closing, thank you for your continued partnership and support of the Spencer-East Brookfield Regional School District. #Innovate #Inspire #Achieve
Sincerely Yours,
Paul S. Haughey, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Spencer-East Brookfield Regional School District