Welcome to the 2012 – 2013 school year at Mohawk!
On behalf of our school community, we extend our greetings and a warm welcome to the students, staff and families of Mohawk Trail Regional School for the 2012 – 2013 school year! Our work together is guided by our goal of:
Building Community and Capacity Together.
Last year our school community adopted the following Foundational Commitments:
v Mohawk values and supports inspired teaching and learning, as well as imagination, initiative, and independent thinking.
v Mohawk cultivates rigorous academics and embraces diverse approaches to learning, within and beyond the classroom.
v Mohawk encourages self-expression and respects and responds to students' voices.
v Mohawk fosters a sense of responsibility for one’s self, others, and the environment.
v Mohawk commits to effective partnerships through communication and collaboration among staff, students, families, and community.
v Mohawk reflects the vibrancy of the community and natural environment that surrounds it.
These values are expressed in the daily life of our school, through student activities, classroom instruction, extracurricular programs, and our engagement with the larger community of our nine towns.
As members of the Mohawk learning community, we are all expected to:
Be respectful, Be responsible, Be a role model,
Be engaged and Be accountable.
The Student Handbook is one of the many tools we will use along your path to many successes at Mohawk. Each year we engage in a review of our handbook; you are invited to participate in this process by joining the conversation.
Sincerely,
Lynn R. Dole Joey Kotright-Clark, M.A.T.
Principal Assistant Principal and Athletic Director
I attended the "Step Up" program for the 6th into 7th grade today at Mohawk. The program was very fitting. Cindy Boyle was an outstanding speaker. She should be one of the speakers every year.
ReplyDeleteOn one note it was brought up about the "hands off" policy whether friendly or not. I understand why the policy is there.
How about reintroducing the good 'ol handshake?
This would be very appropriate to follow the "anchor" idea of core values as discussed.
The handshake has different meanings around the world. Depending on where you come from, the way you greet a person can make the difference in a relationship. Getting the job you want could hinge on your ability to greet your potential employer properly. Having a proper greeting can increase your sales and get new contracts. The handshake shows respect, expressions of sorrow, happiness etc. It is a universal language.
In American society, the handshake is the common form of greeting. We shake hands to say hello, good-by, to solidify a deal, and we shake hands when meeting new people.
With this simple gesture you may get ahead in the world.
While I am hoping for my child to leave Mohawk with a great education, I would like my child to take away important "life skills" as well. It could begin with a "handshake"
i think that the website overall is OK. its not very interesting and doesnt have a lot of good eye catching topics. maybe if you add more color, pictures, videos and student work it would be better. The information however was a lot and people reading this will get a good prespective about the school.
DeleteI think that the dress code should be more enforced on the girls at mohawk because of some of the outfits that they wear. Keep the junior and senior privileges.
ReplyDeleteWho doesn't want to eat food as a class? Well, in the baking and world cuisine classes you can! This year, there are more cooking classes that are offered. In world cuisine you get the chance to pick a country and learn about its culture. In baking the concentration is put back on to the basic baking skills. The main components to this class are to study the functions of ingredients in baked goods, and learning how to substitute low fat ingredients without changing the taste and texture of the baked good. Take one of these cooking classes and find out everything else for yourself!
ReplyDeleteMohawk Rocks!
ReplyDeleteOne thing we should really work for is a full 5-day booster week. Sadly, we've had shortened ones the last few years. I think it's a very important week, and it should be a full 5-day week.
ReplyDeleteYour in luck! The 2012 Booster Week here at Mohawk has already been scheduled for a full 5 day week. It is irremovable and garunteed!
DeleteI feel like classes are way to full and students lack learning opportunities. Study halls need to be brought back or multiple classes of the same subject. Blocks are to long and students are not as eager to learn because they need to walk around, students "go to the bathroom" because they need time to socialize or just get the jumps out. Classes should be shortened by about 5-10 minutes to give longer breaks in between classes. Freitas says that the brain needs at least about 20 minutes in between subjects in order to remember more information from the previous blocks and cell phones should be able to be used inbetween classes in the halls and at lunch thats all i have to say :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for your input. I will certainly convey this idea to the council and the administration.
DeleteIf the break in between classes is longer, then the school day is going to be longer too.. Unless lunch is shortened. It's a problem, I agree.. But we'd have to sacrifice for that extra time
Deletei agree! classes are wicked long
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DeleteI think that students should be allowed more privileges if they act responsibly. I think some of those privileges should include having lunch in the courtyards, freedom of cell phone use, and a longer lunch period or more time between long classes.
ReplyDeleteWe are currently in the process of creating a more "free campus" environment. This includes lunches outside and more freetime between classes. We'll update you on our progress!
DeleteRecently- as of this week- students cannot eat lunch or socialize in the music room during free time or afterschool. I don't understand why.. I guess it was messy? Well, rather than taking it away entirely, the music department should have been told to keep things neater. I know we could do it. The music room is a place for jamming with your friends, playing around on the piano, or playing Boggle at lunch. You can't do any of that in the cafeteria. The cafeteria is far too loud for even normal-leveled voices. The music room should go back to what it always has been, a place where you can learn music and bond with peers. We want it bad enough- we will keep it cleaner. We have respect.
ReplyDeleteThis is clearly a problem, for i myself like to hang out in the music room and just talk with my friends. I will bring this to the councils attention tomorrow.
DeleteNow to follow up on your concerns, i met with the administration this past week and due to all of the excess food and trash that had simply been left in the music room, there had been large concerns of pests issues, as well as the unorganization of the music room. Unfortunatly until students show more responsibility and put forth an effort to keep waste in order. Especially due to our new compost system, we strongly advise that all trash/food should return to the lunch room and be disposed of properly. After Ms. k gives the okay, and we see the administrations standards met, we can proceed to enjoy our lunches in the music room.
DeleteI believe that 7th and 8th grade should be allowed to interact with each other. There is a designated area before school where we are allowed to socialize with each other but that is it. We can't talk with each other at lunch either and this should change.
ReplyDeleteI personally agree completely with this statment, but apparently from past experience, the middle school, when given the oppertunity to roam more freely among the lunch room, was hectic. Kids where not finishing there lunch, things were not being picked up, they left a mess everywhere, and things overall where just crazy. If the middle school is able to show the administration there capability to be responsible, then it would be absolutely no problem.
Deletewe should be more independent like not have to sign out passes all the time just the sign out sheet if you are responsible enough. Also have better lunches (except grilled cheese) and lower prices for lunch and the vending machines and how the grading system is based on tests percentages more than homework quizzes etc. because your grade is based on them and some people just are not good at tests. Mark also thinks that we should have better food for the vending machine like candy and soda not all healthy food.
ReplyDeleteThank you for putting yourself out there like that, most people wish to remain anonymous. Like i said to you both before. The grading is up to the teacher in most cases, whether tests are worth 70 percent or 30 percent of your grade. The passes and the signing out are somewhat of a liability. For instance if there was a fire, then teachers would check the signout sheet. Passes however can be changed. I personally hate passes to. Big waste of paper, and just annoying to fill out. These passes are to show teachers where you should be headed. So if a teacher caught you hanging out in the gym with a bathroom pass then obviously thats not where you should be. Not having passes is an act of responsibility. Again, if we can remain trust worthy, lots of doors open up. Especially for change.
DeleteWhen I was a middle and high school student we were able to take our bagged lunch outside. And when you finished your school lunch you could go outside. This was used on a regular basis. I dont remember any adults present. This area was directly outside of cafeteria and in front of the school. Mabey our lunch period was longer, I dont remember. But I know most everyone went outside when the weather was nice. It sure broke up a long day. I also think if your sticking with the block system classes could be 80-85 minutes to give more time between classes.
ReplyDeleteHmmm, very interesting. It certainly would be nice to do one thing without having the supervision of teachers or adults for a little while.
DeleteI would like to tell everyone about something disconcerting that happened (and happens) to me. This is merely one example. After an AP test, I sat down in the hallway with some friends to relax. Right nearby to us, there was a group of sophomore girls that was quietly eating lunch in the hallway, too. The vice principal approached them and spoke in a very stern way to them, explaining that the hallway was not a lunch room and that they should report to the cafeteria immediately. Anticipating a similar lecture, my friends and I started packing up to leave the hallway. The vice principal, however, approached us with a smile and addressed us as "honor students." I wholly appreciate the independence that is offered to me by the administration, but I feel extremely uncomfortable accepting it, because it is at the expense of other students. I am not on NHS, and though I may get good grades, I believe that that is no reason to allow me more opportunities than a struggling student. I think that favoritism is a problem in this school, and I have seen these "privilege hand-outs" as incredibly damaging to the solidarity of the student body. I think this needs to be changed. I know that it's impossible to allow everyone complete freedom, but I strongly suggest that we reassess our values in this school, because right now they are very skewed.
ReplyDeleteIt is certainly a concern to think about. And while Mr. KC may disagree, i can understand how you would get that assumption! Lunch is simply not permitted to be in the hallway, perhaps there was some misunderstanding. But i do agree that we should reassess the equal values of all students, for even i have noticed the unfair advantages that some students are faced with.
DeleteWhile I strongly disagree with your characterization of the my approach to both groups of students, you make some great points.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I probably assumed that you were an NHS student exercising their NHS privileges. I apologize for that assumption. Should academic successes equal social privileges at school? Good question. When NHS advocated for more privileges, they advocated for no hall passes. I agree that this sets up a hard dynamic between students and a challenge to consistent expectations for all students.
Your thoughts?
Mr. K.C.
I think that the girls should have more of a stricter dress code because alot of the girls wear really short shorts were their bottoms are almost hanging out. But also I think that the bullying has gotten somewhat better. I dont see much of it happening as I used to. :) But I think that there should be not just healthy food, because being to healthy isnt really that good. We should have like not really bad soda but maybe like sprite or rootbear and what not. And with the school food I still end up finding some hairs in my food. >.< Yukk! I dont want to be eating hairs.
ReplyDeleteSome opinions please? (:
Hmm opinions? How about this! I COMPLETELY agree. However there is a line that i believe you must draw from being to strict as to where it affects students ability to feel free and there ability to make there own decisions. The food thing is pretty bad too i know! The food is too healthy and i hardly ever get what i pay for. I understand where your coming from bro!
DeleteWhat would make our school better was if people werent leaving this year but i know we cant help that we need to make our school better people cant keep saying oh why cant we have this... i am sick and tired of hearing because its mohawk so what mohawk is a good school if you indulge yourself in your school and community! I think to start we need more school spirit! it would be really cool if we could repaint the halls like the halls a yellow with a royal blue stripe down the middle or even just keep the lockers the color they are and paint around it because i think everyone would agree that the grey halls are depressing and when booster week comes around really encourage everyone to dress up! booster week needs to be more free as well we get one week a year to dress like fools/ goons and barely no one stands up during the games to cheer on their class except maybe the younger classes like 7th and 8th grade what happened to when communities were so close! mohawk is drifting apart! we need more than one pep rally before games not just football games but all night games home or even away we used to be able to almost fill seats now we are lucky if we can fill one stand to be honest its no fun and no one wants to be at mohawk and it upsets me because it can be good yes i know we want to paint the locker rooms but while we are at it we can paint the halls i know it will take a while and a lot of hard work but hey it would be great to see the freshly painted hallways on the first part of school bright and great! thats my opinion and i would definitely be on board to help with the painting and maybe organizing some pep rallys with some help from others i want my last year to be great where everyone is close! grades are important but being able to name everyone in the school and actually be able to talk to them about something would be great
ReplyDeleteThank you so freaking much Whitney. This is perfect and absolutely explains our lack of initiative. But it isnt up to me to change the attidudes of others. It is there choice to become self motivated in what we have to offer.
DeleteI agree with you also. It would be alot more fun for every one if the spirit at the school was enhanced. Also we should do more theamed events for basketball games, others besides black out. I think it would bring more people to the games.
DeleteWeight room should have some one in there at least three times a week. It would help out with sports and motivation to do weel in sports.
This was writen by BLUE
the dress code needs to be enforced. the hem of shorts need to be a minimum of length at the finger tips from girls arms at their side straight. also necklines of shirts needs to be covering cleavage, each day i get more disgusted at the amount of squeezed together cleavage cracks i see. Mohawk is a place to learn not flaunt your assets which no one wants to be in their view in the first place.
ReplyDeleteAlso kids with learning disabilities especially kids in Java 112 who are getting honors is ridiculous when it is clear that the academic classes they have when work is given the teachers who help them are getting them A's it is unfair to the others with learning disabilities who try there hand hardest on their own to accomplish the grade they receive for an example final projects are being done and words are used that they dont understand how to pronounce or even the meaning along with research which is being done by the teacher and they get an A or they do it on their own and the material that is presented doesnt measure up to the grade they should receive but the teacher academic teacher who assigned the project gives them the better grade than the kid who worked harder or who knew what she/he was talking about and in the end they are receiving diplomas they dont deserve
Wow, who are you? Your my hero! The dress code has always been a touchy subject, however your second concern has me mind boggled. Not in a bad way, but that i completely understand what your talking about! I received an 88 for my science project, which i personally looked up all the information and the kids from the special ed department got A's! It has made me furious for far to long and i thank you so much for putting your opinion out there!
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