Dear SBRSD Families,
As we welcome October, we’re already past the halfway point of the first quarter. Teachers are checking in with students about how the year is going, and this may be a good moment for families to check in with one another, too. How has the transition back to school felt? What has gone well? Is there something that could be better? Sometimes a simple conversation gives us a chance to celebrate progress or notice where a little more support would help.
We want to hear from you as we move further into the school year. If your child is excited about something, we’d love to know. If something isn’t working, please reach out to a teacher or school leader so we can work through it together. Our North Star continues to be student success, and the relationships we build with students and families are central to that work. Thank you for being our partners.
In this newsletter, you will find the following information:
- Message to Families
- Important Dates
- Kindness Counts at SBRSD
- Homework Support
- The Stories From Our Schools
- BerkStudio
- Mount Everett Early College
- Innovation Career Pathways
- Sheffield Comprehensive and Open Space Plan Survey 2026
- Contact the Superintendent
Gratefully,
Dr. Ricca
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October gives us a wonderful opportunity to pause and recognize the principals who help make Southern Berkshire Regional School District such a special place to learn and work.
Our principals are at the heart of our schools. They are present in the everyday moments that shape our students’ experiences. They support teachers and staff, getting to know students and their individual strengths and needs, connecting with families, celebrating successes, navigating challenges, and working every day to create school communities where all students feel known, supported, and valued.
I am incredibly grateful for our four tremendous, student-centered educational leaders: Jesse Carpenter, Kathryn Retzel, Jane Schur, and Julie Steuernagle. Each brings their own unique strengths, perspective, and leadership style to our schools, but they share a deep commitment to doing what is best for students and to making Southern Berkshire a place where every child has the opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive.
Being a principal is an incredibly demanding and rewarding job. It requires vision, patience, compassion, energy, and an extraordinary commitment to students, families, and staff. Our principals show up every day with that commitment, and their leadership makes a difference. Not only in the big decisions and accomplishments, but in the countless small moments that often mean the most.
Please join me this October in celebrating Jesse, Kate, Jane, and Julie and letting them know how much their leadership, care, and dedication mean to our students, our staff, and our entire Southern Berkshire community.
Thank you for all that you do for our schools and, most importantly, for our kids!
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The month of October is National Principals Month!
- October 5: Five Town Roundtable in the Eagle's Loft at 10AM
- October 8: School Committee Meeting at 5:30PM in the Library
- October 9: Half day for students, faculty, and staff
- October 12: Indigenous Peoples' Day (no school)
- October 16, 17, & 18: Annie - Elementary Theater Production
- October 22: Caregiver/teacher conferences (no school)
- October 29: School Committee Meeting at 5:30 in the Library
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We remain deeply committed to fostering safe, and supportive learning environments where all students are included and feel empowered to . Thank you for your continued partnership and support of our schools, students, and staff.
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Student Homework Center
Need homework help? Mount Everett students looking for homework support or a quiet space to work on assignments can visit the Homework Center, available on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:45 to 5 pm.
Post-Thanksgiving break, the Homework Center will be available during the entire five-day week.
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Our faculty and staff had a professional development day where they spent their time learning, collaborating, and finding new ways to support student success.
Across 11 professional development sessions, staff explored topics ranging from how we can better support student and adult voice and independence to taking a closer look at BerkStudio and other practices that help strengthen the learning experience for our students.
We’re grateful for the time our staff put into growing their skills and bringing new ideas back to their classrooms and schools!
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What a way to kick off the season for the Mount Everett Eagles! After opening strong on the road last week with 2 wins and a tie, the team's relentless hard work is paying off. They had a tough home loss, but it was just a bump in the road—we know this squad is built for success and can't wait to watch them soar the rest of the way! |
Senior Aaliyah created her own recipe for a Ben & Jerry's-inspired flavor featuring vanilla malt ice cream, fudge-covered pretzels, and peanut butter swirls.. |
Our Buildings and Structures students are hard at work framing and building the floor for their current shed project. |
Do you need an updated flu or COVID-19 vaccine? The Southern Berkshire Public Health Collaborative (SBPHC) will offer a clinic at no-cost:
- Tuesday, October 13th, from 3:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. in the Mt Everett Regional High School Cafeteria
There will also be a clinic in New Marlborough at the Fire Station on Friday, October 16th, from 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Use this link to register for the clinic in New Marlborough or any of the other clinics in Berkshire County:
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This year, our goal is to grow the BerkStudio program with the feedback from our students, families, faculty, staff, school committee, and community members.
Over the summer, our team, which emerged from our district's work with Transcend, came together for professional development experiences with Transcend to work on creating goals and visions for the program this year.
The goals and visions include the following:
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Introducing Teacher Leaders as our BerkStudio co-pilots. This will help us with our overarching district goal of creating more opportunities for shared leadership and collaboration.
- Kindergarten through 5th grade classroom teachers will work with Transcend to increase our students’ ability to have a voice in their learning, make meaningful choices, and take greater ownership of their education in the classroom. We will refer to this work as increasing student agency.
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We will continue to expand BerkStudio: All middle school students will participate in a BerkStudio Learning Experience, while we continue to grow BerkStudio at the high school level.
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Enhancing Advisory: Transcend will support a team of 7 teachers as they work to revise the advisory experience for students in grades 6-12.
Together, these efforts are helping us create learning experiences that give students more ownership, encourage collaboration, and reflect the needs of our community.
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Mount Everett is a wall-to-wall early college, meaning every student is automatically enrolled in the high school's early college program. Mount Everett partners with the University of Massachusetts Amherst to give students the opportunity to take free college courses, earn college credits, and tour college campuses. |
Innovation Pathways offers opportunities for students to explore cutting-edge technology and in-demand fields! The program emphasizes real-world skills through career-focused experiential learning. Participants connect with industry mentors, go on field trips, get set up with internships in their areas of interest, and more!
This program is promoted by the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative. The course will run as a one-semester course and will include advanced projects using AI, such as mapping optimized bus routes or transcribing documents for the historical society.
To learn more about our Innovation Career Pathways, use the link to let us know you're interested!
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The Town of Sheffield invites the public to participate in a Survey informing the upcoming Sheffield Comprehensive and Open Space and Recreation Plans.
Town residents and visitors are asked to weigh in on priorities for Town projects for the coming 10-20 years.
Take the Sheffield Comprehensive and Open Space and Recreation Plans Survey. The survey will remain open until November 6th.
The survey asks respondents a variety of questions, including demographic information; economic development and land-use preferences; recreation and conservation needs and desires; municipal improvements and expenditures; and policies.
“The survey is a great opportunity for people to reflect on what they like about our community’s services, parks, playgrounds, trails- what needs to be improved, and how the Town should prioritize our time and money,” said Committee Chair Larissa Yaple.
After the survey’s completion, a public forum will present the results to the community at the Bushnell-Sage Library on November 14.
Attendees are encouraged to bring a computer, tablet, or smartphone device to participate in the interactive presentation. The Town is working with staff from the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission to develop the plans.
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Contact the Superintendent
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Your feedback and questions are always welcome, and I look forward to staying connected with you. Please feel free to use the contact form below to start a conversation with me.
Gratefully,
- Dr. Ricca
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