
Mae Jemison wasn’t just the first African American woman who orbited into space aboard the shuttle Endeavour. She's also a physician, teacher, a Peace Corps volunteer, and president of tech company, the Jemison Group. She continues to work towards the advancement of young women of color getting more involved in technology, engineering, and math careers. #BlackHistoryMonth

Benjamin O. Davis Sr. was the first Black general in the American military. He served for 50 years as a temporary first lieutenant at an all-Black unit during the Spanish American War. Throughout his service, Davis Sr. was as a professor of military science at Tuskegee and Wilberforce University, a commander of the 369th Regiment, New York National Guard, and special assistant to the Secretary of the Army. When he retired in 1948, President Harry Truman oversaw the public ceremony. Davis Sr. is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. #BlackHistoryMonth

Despite being the first licensed Black pilot in the world, Coleman wasn’t recognized as a pioneer in aviation until after her death. Though history has favored Amelia Earhart or the Wright brothers, Coleman—who went to flight school in France in 1919—paved the way for a new generation of diverse fliers like the Tuskegee airmen, Blackbirds, and Flying Hobos. #BlackHistoryMonth

Barack Obama is the 44th President of the United States. His story is the American story - values from the heartland, a middle-class upbringing in a strong family, hard work and education as the means of getting ahead, and the conviction that a life so blessed should be lived in service to others. #MondayMotivation #BlackHistoryMonth

Faculty Spotlight! Pamela Gunsalus has been teaching STEM for 6 years, 2 of which have been at Knox Trail Middle School. She has created innovative units like: Tiny House Challenge, Solar Sails Designs, Rocket Designs, Hot Air Balloons, Unbreakable Bridges, Vehicle Designs for travel over Ice and Snow, and Building a Water Tower that can withstand an earthquake to name a few.
During her Manufacturing unit she had students design an assembly line to create Teacher Appreciation Gifts. Each unit provides a real life challenge that they must find a way to solve. Most years students worked in teams to solve a problem. This year has been unique but students are still challenged. They test their designs; recording their results for example: recording time traveled, distanct, speed, altitude, and/or total live load it could handle and calculate efficiencies. She has started creating videos that provide students in class as well as remote students the ability to learn at their own pace and keep her students engaged.
During each unit students can choose to compete to see who's names will be added to her "Wall of Fame". This is where Mrs. Gunsalus displays the students' names and their accomplishments. For example, who's bridge was the strongest, or has the best design. In addition, she has also been the lead Robotics and coding teacher for any 5th to 8th grader who wishes to join the Robotics/Coding club. Mrs. Gunsalus has been preparing the student's at Knox Trail to compete at the state level with Vex IQ robots. Unfortunately, we have not been able to compete this year or last because of Covid19. Next year, we will purchase a competition table and kit in July 2021; and start the preparation by mid-September of 2021 for the fall and winter competitions. #KnoxTrailRocks @MASchoolsK12 @MASCSchoolComm

A VACATION REMINDER:
With February vacation fast approaching (Feb. 15-19), we recognize the potential challenge that our staff and students may face in attempts to limit exposure to COVID-19. We encourage everyone to do their best to adhere to State and Board of Health guidelines, including limiting the size of gatherings, limiting get-togethers to only people who live together or to a small group of individuals with whom they are regularly in contact, and avoiding travel. If you do travel, please follow Massachusetts travel orders, and quarantine upon return if traveling to a high-risk state. Please contact any of our school nurses with questions.
We appreciate all that our staff, students, and families are doing to limit their risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19.
Stay healthy and safe!
-SEBRSD Health Services Department

Attention Preschool families, please be sure to check out our Cub's Corner Preschool Remote Learning Instructions and schedule so your child can take part in all that our preschool has to offer on pivot days! https://5il.co/pfq7

Here is a link to our new newsletter https://core-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/1114173/Newsletter_EBES_doc.docx__3___1_.pdf

Two Spencer- East Brookfield Regional School District teachers have been awarded scholarships by the Massachusetts Computer Using Educators (MassCUE) and Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents (M.A.S.S.) organizations. The scholarships provide Ms. MaryEllen Amodeo, a 3rd grade teacher at Wire Village School, and Ms. Pam Gunsalus, the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) teacher at Knox Trail Middle School, the opportunity to attend three days of high quality professional development.
The three day MassCUE conference they will attend this month offers more than 250 workshops, presentations and keynote presentations focused on bringing the best educational technology and teaching practices into the classroom. "Lessons learned from this professional development will be shared with all staff across the district to keep all our classrooms on the forefront of effective educational practices," said Director of Academic Affairs Matthew Bolduc.
Ms. Gunsalus and Ms. Amodeo were selected for these scholarships based on their relentless commitment to instilling teaching and learning with the most engaging and supportive practices while also maximizing the impact of educational technologies. These two teachers exemplify the many SEBRSD teachers who consistently go above and beyond expectations to give their students and the families they serve the best education found anywhere on the globe. "The learning community is fortunate to have such dedicated and highly skilled professionals on our faculty at the Knox Trail Middle School and Wire Village School. We wish them all the best in their pursuit of honing their professional knowledge base and skills in digital citizenry and technology integration," said Superintendent of Schools Paul Haughey.

Our February Meal Menu is now live on the website! https://5il.co/oyu7 Pre-order: Delivery (https://forms.gle/D3WfCB5yH1B77rDt8)
Pick-up (https://forms.gle/EU4cZeeREm82BjaaA)
During the week of Feb. vacation, meal pickup is unavailable. Delivery for the week will be on 2/16.

PRESS RELEASE – SPENCER-EAST BROOKFIELD REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION (2021-2022)
https://www.sebrsd.org/article/385132?org=sebrsd

Good Morning EBES Parents/Guardian:
This Valentine’s Day, the EBES Kindness Council would like to assist students in nurturing their friendships and showing each other how special they truly are by offering Friendship Grams.
Please see this link for more information https://core-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/1086525/Friendship_Grams_Order_Form_2021.pdf

Good Afternoon,
District administration was notified by our nursing team that a district-wide staff member, a Village School staff member, and another staff member at David Prouty High School have tested positive for COVID-19. The staff members who have tested positive for COVID-19 have not been in any of our school buildings. However, they will not return to their buildings for at least 14 days, unless they provide evidence of negative test results.
Primary symptoms of COVID-19 include shortness of breath, coughing, and fever or chills. Other symptoms include congestion, sore throat, diarrhea, abdominal pain, body aches, and loss of taste or smell. If anyone in your home begins to demonstrate any of these symptoms, please keep your child home and consult your primary care physician.
The health, safety, and well-being of our school community remains our top priority. We are following sound protocols aligned with expert health guidance to ensure we are doing everything we can to protect your health. We also want to take this opportunity to remind everyone of the importance of wearing masks, staying six feet apart from others, and regularly washing your hands.
If you have questions or need to report a positive case of Covid-19, please contact Mrs. Carrie Cashman, Lead Nurse at (508) 885-8536 or via electronic mail at: cashmanc@sebrsd.org.
Sincerely Yours,
Paul S. Haughey, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools

Good Afternoon SEBRSD Community,
We would like to let our Preschool families know that we have decided to issue a two-week credit for preschool tuition charged during the December 2020/January 2021 pivot to remote instruction. Families will see the credit applied towards their March invoices since January and February invoices have already been sent out.
A little background that most families may not be aware of is the fact that our "Cubs Corner" Preschool program is a voluntary and self-sustaining, tuition-based program. As such, the cost of the teacher salaries is funded directly from tuition received. We do realize that remote instruction during such formative years does differ from in-person instruction; however, lesson plans and delivery of instruction are still provided during remote learning. Our teachers are still hard at work generating and providing instruction, materials and resources for students each day.
We understand that these are challenging times for everyone and provide this one-time, good faith gesture, as a means to alleviate some of the pressure our parents, guardians and families in preschool are experiencing during the pandemic. Please note that we will not be able to re-extend this courtesy should we need to pivot to remote learning again. Thank you in advance for your understanding and your continued support of our program, our schools and our district.
Thank You,
Melissa Pervier

A note from our Tuition-Based Program & Billing Coordinator:
Dear PK & B/ASP Families,
End-of-year statements were emailed out over the last week to families that made payments during 2020. If you have not received yours, please check your spam folder. This year's statements look different and contain a list of all charges, credits/refunds and payments received in order to account for the refunds issued due to COVID. You will need to manually calculate your payments made and deduct the refund amount issued to determine how much you can claim for your child care expenses. Please disregard the amount listed in the TOTAL field.
Hoping you are healthy & well!
Melissa Pervier

We are proud to honor Josh LaCasse & Tim Millett as our David Prouty HS "Staff of the Month" for January 2021! They have responded to the challenges of keeping our building sanitized by working harder and smarter than ever. They always keep our building clean and shiny, and do so with good humor and Prouty Pride! It is wonderful to have custodians who understand the importance of keeping the building safe for students and adults alike, especially now that we are dealing with the pandemic.
Josh is a proud David Prouty HS graduate, who is happy to be making a difference in his own alma mater. Tim worked as a custodian in the Leicester Public Schools for many years, but has made a great transition to David Prouty HS & our regional school district! We greatly appreciate all that they do. #Congratulations #ThankYou #ProutyPride

We would like to recognize our "ENTIRE STAFF" for the month of January & publicly wish them ALL the very best in 2021! They have worked relentlessly in meeting the needs of ALL students; have extended themselves to our families; & given to the greater good of our community. They have demonstrated the flexibility & creativity to provide lessons in person & remotely; and make a pivot to either model appear seamless. We could never have been so successful nor more proud of any staff! It is our honor to support them daily in all they do. Thank You & Happy New Year! #WireVillageRocks #Progress #Unity #Knowledge

SEBRSD Food Service will be providing a trial meal delivery system the week of January 11th-15th, 2021.
If families would like meals delivered to their homes on Monday January 11th and Wednesday January 13th this form must be filled out by 1 PM Friday January 8th. https://forms.gle/mit2vj5PHUVKEzNb8
Meals will be already assembled; they will just need to be heated and served. Daily breakfast and lunches are together in a paper bag.
(Foil packaging cannot go in the microwave)
If you have any questions please reach out to the Food Service Director, Brianne Pulver by calling 774-200-7162 or via Emai pulverb@sebrsd.org

Dear Spencer-East Brookfield Regional School District Learning Community Members,
I hope you are well and made time to enjoy the holiday break safely.
In an abundance of caution we will be full remote on Monday January 4 due to an increase in COVID 19 cases in both of our towns and with concerns of staffing levels. We will reassess Monday afternoon to determine if we need to be remote for an extended period of time beyond January 8th, 2021. Thank you for your patience, support and understanding during this very challenging time.
Please take care; follow public health guidelines; and remain safe!
Sincerely Yours,
Paul S. Haughey, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools

East Brookfield Elementary's Staff would like to wish you all a well deserved, safe & happy holiday break!

Pamela Higgins is a licensed Registered Occupational Therapist. She has enjoyed working with the students and teachers as part of the special education team for 33 years. Ms. Higgins will be retiring from the district this year. She has been an integral part of the SEB students and families, providing high-quality therapies.
Wendy Ryan is a licensed COTA who has been a dedicated member of our school family for the past 20 years. She has enjoyed helping the children here be the most successful and independent students they can be.
They both feel honored to be able to serve the children and their families, along with the wonderful and amazing staff in all schools of the Spencer-East Brookfield Regional School District and the communities-at-large. Please join us in recognizing Mrs. Higgins and Mrs. Ryan as our Department of Students Services "Staff of the Month" for December 2020! Thank you both for all you do!! @MASchoolsK12 @MassTeacher @MASCSchoolComm

Our "Staffulty" of the month for December 2020 are Lynn White & Beth Shaughnessy, our David Prouty HS School Secretaries! Their friendly faces & voices greet every visitor to our school. Their calm demeanor puts people at ease. Their professional approach to helping every member of our community with every problem conceivable is appreciated by all of us here at the high school. Through the uncertainty of this past spring, Mrs. White & Mrs. Shaughnessy helped make school feel "real," highlighted by putting together a truly beautiful graduation for the Class of 2020.
Mrs. White is in her sixth year at Prouty. She is the loving mom of two daughters: one a college freshman, the other a high school sophomore. She is co-advisor of this year's senior class, & she is determined to see them all have a great senior year!
Mrs. Shaughnessy is in her third year at Prouty. She is the loving mom of a third-grade daughter, and twin boys who are in second grade. Mrs. Shaughnessy loves running and walking outdoors in nature, & is a fierce soccer player.
Thank you to Mrs. White & Mrs. Shaughnessy for all you do! #ProutyPride @MASchoolsK12 @MassTeacher @MASCSchoolComm

On behalf of all of us within the Spencer-East Brookfield RSD, we are pleased to recognize the entire East Brookfield Elementary School faculty & staff as "Employees of the Month for November 2020!" Each staff member has gone above and beyond their daily duties to make our school operates smoothly during these unprecedented times. This year has been an example of true dedication and teamwork. Thank you for all you do! @MASchoolsK12 @MassTeacher @MASCSchoolComm

Kiara Pond obtained her Bachelor degree in Applied Psychology and Child Advocacy in 2015. She immediately began an accelerated program for her Masters degree in Science, Applied Behavior Analysis. While going through graduate school, Kiara worked and gained intensive fieldwork experience hours as a Special Education Paraprofessional. In May 2018, she graduated from the program, and in August 2018, sat for her boards. She passed thus becoming a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). This is her third year as a public school BCBA, second at SEBRSD. As a result of her hard work and dedication to her students, Kiara Pond is our Student Services Staff Member of the Month for November 2020! Thank you Kiara for all of you do! #Progress #Unity #Knowledge

Due to parent teacher conferences, there will be an early release day on November 5th. Pre School will be dismissed at 11AM and grades K - 6 will be dismissed at 11:45AM. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact the East Brookfield Elementary Main Office at 508-885-8536. Thank you!

FREE Breakfast and Lunch through June 2021! When ordering using the Google Form you are helping reduce food waste & supporting the SEBRSD Food Service Program! The order form resets on Thursdays so you can order for the next week, https://forms.gle/aWRx94fDMpcqxTiq6 @snamass

We would like to recognize Kelsey Mitchell as East Brookfield Elementary School’s employee of the month for October. Kelsey has been a part time office clerk at the school for several years and has just been promoted to our full time secretary at the start of this school year.
Kelsey has already made a strong impact. She has done an amazing job getting our school ready to open during these unprecedented times. Not only did she get the school ready for opening day, she entered all the class lists and schedules into Powerschool, created email lists for all parents according to grade, and revised and set up Powerpoint presentations for three separate parent nights. This is just a partial list of what she has done to this point.
Above everything else, Kelsey is a welcoming presence to those parents, guardians, and visitors to our school. She is always upbeat and has a smile on her face. Kelsey is an integral part of our great school climate. Congratulations on being employee of the month for October 2020, Kelsey!!!

SUPERINTENDENT UPDATE: NEXT STEPS TO REOPENING 10.08.2020! Click here: https://www.sebrsd.org/article/323633?org=sebrsd #Progress #Unity #Knowledge @MASchoolsk12 @massteacher @MASCSchoolComm @SpencerCable @telegramdotcom @masslivenews @citizenchronicles @TheCitizenChron

Attention Parents: Families, Here's information from the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) to activate your (PIN) P-EBT Card! https://5il.co/gyqj