The Greylock Way ~

The Berkshire County Athletic Director hosted the 8th Annual Leadership Summit this past Tuesday. Ten students from each school in the county had the opportunity to spend the morning with Ed Gerety, an energizing national speaker focused on student leadership and character. Attendees also attended smaller breakout sessions led by other student leaders, local athletic directors, principals and members of the Sheriff's Department.

Please welcome Keith Jones who will join Mount Greylock on Monday, December 16 as our new social worker. Keith is a graduate of Mount Greylock; he earned a bachelors at Champlain College and his Masters of Social Work at Springfield College.

Many parents are wondering how to help their teens quit vaping or smoking. They feel more urgency than ever due to the vaping-related lung injuries occurring across the country. Quitting vaping or any tobacco product can be hard since these products contain nicotine, an extremely addictive substance. And criticizing or punishing a young person won't help them break that nicotine addiction.

Our wellness department works daily attempting to instill a love for lifetime activities and fitness in our students, to give them the tools to make healthy choices in their lives, all while trying to make it as fun as possible. To that end, we put together our third wellness trip for students to explore their love for fitness (the last two were to the National Parks and the Canadian Rockies).

It's time for the 8th grade constitutional debates, to be held in our auditorium this year. Teams of students will debate the following topics: Pledge of Allegiance | Flag Burning and National Anthem | Assault Weapon Ban | Equal Rights Amendment | Zero Tolerance | Domestic Spying | Death Penalty | Electoral College

The latest Greylock Echo has hit the halls just before break week. This first trimester issue offers eight pages of news, opinion, reviews, features, sports, and more. Editor Owen Tucker-Smith has assembled an impressive team of writers this year who are working on print editions as well as maintaining an online version of the news (with separate content than the print edition).

Spaces are still available for Mount Greylock's Google Tech Night for parents and guardians on Tuesday, December 10 from 6:30 to 7:30 in Room A108. As MGRSD continues to provide online learning opportunities for all students, this event will delve into the world of Google through the eyes of our students.

This is a quick reminder -- the Book Fair will be here next Tuesday and Wednesday! 8th graders will attend with their science classes on Tuesday Dec 10th, 7th graders will attend with their English classes on Wednesday Dec 11th, and we will have open community hours on the evening of Tuesday the 10th from 6 to 8 pm (coinciding with MGRS's Google Tech Night). If you would like your child to be able to purchase a book at the Fair, please remember to send in cash with your child, or you can sign up using the eWallet (details below). We are also still looking for volunteers and would love to have you join us (sign up below)

Seniors and Parents/Guardians of Seniors: Class dues of $315 must be in by Feb 12th. Contact Lynn Jordan with any questions.

Due to the conclusion of the first semester of classes at Williams College, the after-school homework help/tutoring program will temporarily end on Thursday Dec. 5. The program will resume on January 6, 2019, upon the return of students to Williams College for Winter Study. Many thanks to all of the students and tutors who participated in the program during the Fall semester! We hope to see you all again when the program starts up again in January.