Good Afternoon,
I hope this Superintendent Update for March 2025 finds you and yours well.
Enrollment: Our enrollment as a regional school district has steadied. As of this morning, we have 1446 students enrolled in our district. David Prouty High School has 305 students enrolled, Knox Trail Middle School has 422 students, Wire Village School has 437 students, and East Brookfield Elementary School has 261 students, including 114 students enrolled in the Cubs Corner Preschool!
Personnel: We continue to post for paraprofessionals and tutors to join our district. If you are interested in becoming a part of our family, please apply at https://www.schoolspring.com
Read Across America 2025!
Each year, National Read Across America Day is celebrated on March 2nd, the birthday of Dr. Seuss. The annual event is part of Read Across America, an initiative on reading created by the National Education Association. Read Across America Week is celebrated from March 2 to 6 — it begins on the birthday of the beloved author, Dr. Seuss. The entire month of March is dedicated to reading. The National Education Association (N.E.A.) aims to encourage reading and educate people about its benefits, especially among children and young adults. Events are organized across the nation by schools and organizations to promote the same. To learn more about this important event, go to: https://www.nea.org/professional-excellence/student-engagement/read-across-america #ReadAcrossAmerica #DrSeussBDay.
Early College Update: Earlier this month, Mrs. Kinnas and the David Prouty High School Early College Planning Team completed and submitted the district’s “Part B Application” for review and consideration to move forward with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and Department of Higher Education. The work submitted highlights the efforts of our collaboration with Worcester State University and provides early college coursework in the areas of English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science and Technology, as well as the Social Sciences – so David Prouty High School may be recognized as a “Designated Program!”
The Massachusetts Early College Initiative, launched in 2017 by the Boards of Elementary and Secondary Education and Higher Education, aims to connect high schools and colleges to give students access to college completion and career success, especially those traditionally underrepresented in higher education.
The initiative aims to empower students, reduce the time and expense of earning a college credential, and increase the likelihood of completion. It involves partnerships between high schools and colleges to create seamless pathways for students to move to college and careers. The initiative is rooted in five key design principles: Equitable Access, Guided Academic Pathways, Enhanced Student Support, Connection to Career, and Effective Partnerships. These programs combine traditional high school courses with opportunities to earn college credit, often at no cost to the student.
The benefits of early college programs can boost college completion rates, particularly for low-income, minority, and first-generation college students, by exposing them to college-level work and different career pathways.
Designated Programs: The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education (MDHE) have designated early college programs, which are recognized and can provide resources and support for these programs up to and including the Early College Capacity Grant and the Early College Support Grant.
RTAP w/Anna Maria College: Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Programs (RTAPs) are a growing model for teacher preparation, offering a pathway for aspiring educators to gain paid, on-the-job training while pursuing their teaching license, often with financial support for tuition and fees. The Spencer-East Brookfield Regional School District and Anna Maria College have prepared and submitted an RTAP grant to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). This partnership submitted our partnership grant application due to the lack of candidates entering the workforce in Early Education and Care/Preschool, Elementary Education, and especially, Special education. As a result, it is our sincere hope that we earn this funding opportunity to address the high-need areas of education within our district and Southern Worcester County region.
According to the Massachusetts Department of Education, they are offering these competitive grants to support districts like ours “in establishing Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Programs (RTAP). Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Programs (RTAP) in Massachusetts are innovative pathways into teaching designed to build a diverse and effective teaching workforce that reflects the rich cultural backgrounds of our students. At the heart of RTAP is a commitment to providing equitable opportunities for aspiring educators, particularly those from underrepresented communities, to enter the teaching profession for little to no cost.
RTAP offers a new pathway to earning an Initial license in Massachusetts. RTAP integrates on-the-job training with academic coursework, allowing participants to earn while they learn. This hands-on approach ensures that apprentices gain practical classroom experience under the supervision of experienced educators while simultaneously completing the requirements for Initial licensure.
The main priorities of the grant are to:
1. Cultivating a Diverse and Effective Pipeline in Local Communities
RTAP addresses the need for a teaching workforce that mirrors the diversity of Massachusetts's student population. By recruiting and supporting aspiring teachers from the increasingly diverse communities in which they live, RTAP will help ensure that our classrooms are led by educators who represent the lived experiences and diverse perspectives of all Massachusetts communities.
2. Job-Embedded Preparation in Hard-to-Staff Roles
RTAP aims to create better teachers — particularly in some of our hardest-to-staff roles such as special education, early childhood, ESL, and STEM — by providing apprentices with on-the-job learning opportunities, personalized support and mentoring, professional development, and access to a network of experienced peers and education leaders. This ensures that RTAP graduates are well-prepared and positioned to thrive in today's classrooms from day one.
3. Equitable Access
RTAP is committed to expanding access to the teaching profession. By offering a no-cost pathway through full-time employment with job-embedded learning and wrap-around support, RTAP opens doors for individuals who might otherwise be unable to afford traditional teacher preparation programs, creating a more inclusive and equitable education system.
Program Highlights
• Earn While You Learn: RTAP combines paid, on-the-job training with academic coursework, allowing participants to earn income while working toward their teaching licensure.
• Mentorship and Support: Each apprentice is paired with an experienced supervising practitioner who provides guidance, feedback, and support throughout the program, as well as a program supervisor from a partner educator preparation provider to support the meaningful application of coursework to practice throughout their apprenticeship term.
• Culturally and Linguistically Sustaining Practices (CLSP): RTAP includes training in culturally and linguistically sustaining practices for both supervising practitioners and apprentices, ensuring that all educators are equipped to meet the needs of diverse student populations.
• Flexibility: The program is designed to accommodate participants' full-time employment in conjunction with coursework requirements, making it accessible to individuals who are working or have other commitments.
• Diverse Pathways: Whether you are a recent graduate, a career changer, or a paraprofessional looking to advance, RTAP offers tailored pathways to help you achieve your goals.”
MSBA Update: David Prouty High School Building Progress – Spring 2025! We're thrilled to announce that the building project is progressing as planned, with the Gymnasium, Classroom Wing, and Track & Field “on track” to open this fall.
Check out the video link at: https://www.facebook.com/dphsbuilding/videos/3958719814415748video to get a glimpse into the incredible progress made so far. Enjoy!
Our next meeting of the David Prouty High School Building Committee is tentatively planned to take place on Thursday, March 20th, 2025. The next meeting will take place beginning at 6:00 pm via Zoom. All are welcome to these important meetings. The agenda is posted on our website.
Spring 2025 Sports Update @ChooseSEBRSD!
Spring sports “Opening Day” Schedules are as follows: Knox Trail baseball and softball players grades 5-8 can report to the gym on 3/10-3/13 from 2:10-4:00.
Beginning March 17th, 2025…
• Knox Trail baseball and softball will report to the KT gym from 2:10 -4:00.
• David Prouty Varsity Softball will report to the KT gym from 4-6 pm
• David Prouty JV/Varsity baseball will report to the KT gym from 6-8 pm
• David Prouty Track/Field grades 7-12 will report to the DP auditorium right after school.
• David Prouty Girls Varsity tennis should report to room 216 at Knox Trail right after school.
Cubs Corner Preschool Registration and enrollment are now open for the 2025-2026 school year!
The Spencer-East Brookfield Regional School District’s Cubs’ Corner Preschool is located at East Brookfield Elementary School, 410 East Main Street, East Brookfield, MA 01515. Our preschool is an integrated preschool with tuition-paying students as well as special needs students. Your child must be at least three years old to attend the preschool program.
Cost & Schedule
Sessions will be filled up on a first come, first served basis. The cost is $15/day for half days (mornings or afternoons) and $32/day for full days (*subject to change). Our sessions are as follows:
• Monday/Wednesday/Friday: AM, PM, or Full Day
• Tuesday/Thursday: AM, PM, or Full Day
• Monday-Friday: AM, PM, or Full Day
New Registration
Please click the link to the left to begin the Preschool registration process for your child. Once your form has been submitted and reviewed, you will receive an email from SEBRSD with instructions on setting up a PowerSchool account. You will need to create your account to be able to enroll your child.
The following documents/items are also required to register your child into the district:
• Copy of the Birth Certificate
• Medical records (including most recent physical and Immunizations)
• Two forms of Proof of Residency
• Deposit equal to one week’s tuition (example: M/W/F am would need a $45 deposit)
o Make checks/money orders out to SEBRSD Preschool
o Pay online via UniPay
Once you have created a PowerSchool account, you will receive a verification email that requires you to click the link to verify/activate your account. Once verified, you can log in to your account and click on FORMS from the Navigation menu to the left. Across the top of the screen, you will select ENROLLMENT to find the forms that you will need to complete, starting with the DEMOGRAPHICS form first. Starting with this form will allow you to transition effortlessly from one form to the next until all required forms have been completed. If you miss any forms, we will email you and ask that you kindly go back and fill them out to complete the registration process.
In-Office Enrollment
If you do not have access to the internet to complete the forms, we have a kiosk set up inside the Student Services office at David Prouty High School for families to use. An appointment is required to ensure that the kiosk will be available and a staff member is present to assist. The office is open for appointments Monday through Thursday between the hours of 8:00 am and 3:00 pm.
Please call 508-885-8515 (opt. 7) or email pervierm@sebrsd.org with any questions, to schedule an appointment or to provide supporting documentation.
Returning Students
If you're child will be returning to Preschool, you will need to fill out the Cubs' Corner Returning Student Response Form in the PowerSchool Parent Portal, submit a deposit payment, and provide updated medicals.
2025-2026 Kindergarten Registration - Enrollment Now Open! The Spencer-East Brookfield Regional School District is now accepting Kindergarten applications for the 2025-2026 school year for children who will reach the age of five (5) years old by August 31, 2025. Letters will be mailed out this week to all families that listed their eligible child(ren) on the 2024 town census, and emails will be sent to all resident families that have a child currently enrolled in our Cubs’ Corner Preschool program that will be of age by the cut-off date.
Kindergarten is offered at both Wire Village School in Spencer and East Brookfield Elementary School in East Brookfield. Students are enrolled at the school in their town of residence, in accordance with District policy. School hours are 8:25 a.m. to 2:45 p.m., Monday through Friday. There is no registration deadline.
All student registrations are done online. If you would like to register your child to attend, please complete the Pre-Registration Form to begin the registration process. When completing the form, select the 2023-2024 school year. Once your form has been submitted and approved, you will receive an email with further instructions on creating your online parent portal account, where you will complete all of the required enrollment forms and upload required documentation. Families must provide a birth certificate (original or copy, with a seal), most recent physical/immunization records (dated within one year of school start date), and two forms of proof of residency from the accepted documents lists on the address form. If you have difficulties uploading your supporting documentation, please email them directly to the District Registrar (contact info below), along with your child’s name so that they can be uploaded into the portal.
Medical forms must be completed by a physician and must detail that your child has been given the following immunizations (including the dates the immunizations were given):
• 5 doses of Diphtheria, Pertussis, and Tetanus (DTaP)
• 4 doses Polio
• 3 doses Hepatitis B
• 2 doses Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR)
• 2 doses of Varicella Vaccine or Chicken Pox disease
• Proof of Lead Screening
• Vision and Hearing Screenings
If you do not have access to the internet to complete the forms, we have a kiosk set up inside the Student Services office at David Prouty High School for families to use. An appointment is required to ensure that the kiosk will be available and a staff member is present to assist. The office is open for appointments Monday through Thursday between the hours of 8:00 am and 3:00 pm.
Please call the District Registrar at 508-885-8515 (opt. 7) or email pervierm@sebrsd.org with any questions to schedule an appointment or to provide supporting documentation.
Inclement Weather Notifications: As noted in our 2023-2024 school calendar, we will have traditional snow days this year. Safety considerations and uniform access to electricity/internet during the school day 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 if a weather-related delay, closing, or release is necessary.
Notification Process: We will alert our learning community of a weather-related delay, closing, or early release day via our SEBRSD Apptegy App. 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, as well as Channel 4 (WBZ), Channel 5 (WCVB), Channel 7 (WHDH), and Channel 25 (FOX).
Finally, 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. As always, 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