All call transcripts
6/12/2020
Good evening, This is Justin Kratz, principal of McCann Technical School. Students in grades 9, 10, and 11 will be allowed to retrieve their belongings from the school on Wednesday, June 17th. Students should also return any school materials on this day. Students will be let into the building shop by shop according to a specific schedule that is attached to the email version of this call as well as posted on our website. The state has given us very clear directions on how this may take place so you will also find the procedures that need to be followed with the schedule. Please note that this is a very tight timeline we will be operating on that day so all directions need to be followed and no congregating or socializing will be able to happen. We know our students would like to see each other and we would like to see them as well, however, for health and safety reasons we have to follow this protocol. Please feel free to let me know if you have any questions. Thank you and have a good weekend.
5/10/2020
Good evening and Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers of our Hornets. I hope this message finds you well and that you and yours are all healthy and safe. I apologize for the length of this message and I will try to be as brief as possible. This message is to update you on three things. The first, is that per the Commissioner of Educations directions you will notice that our teachers are going to start making some curricular progress during remote learning. This will not be a drastic change to our remote learning plan but it does increase the importance of student participation as teachers will now also be presenting material that students have not seen before in an effort to get them as grade-level-ready as possible before next school year. The amount of time spent in remote learning, our grading policy, and our methods are not going to change. The only thing different moving forward is that students will be exposed to new material that will help them prepare for their next grade level so participation is very important. It is also worth noting that we are grading based on participation at this point, not on how many questions or answers a student may not get correct. For a full review of our grading policy please visit the Remote Learning section of our website. The second update is that we have added a "Census 2020" section to our homepage. The census is underway and it is critically important, especially now, that Berkshire County residents are counted correctly in order for federal and state money to be designated to our area in the correct amounts to help pay for construction projects, roads, infrastructure updates, and also schools. If you have not complete your Census 2020 procedures and need direction please visit the Census section of our website. Your participation is so important in terms of representing Northern Berkshire County correctly. Lastly, if you or anyone you know is in need of assistance during these difficult times please check out our "Community Resources" section of our homepage. There are a lot of local agencies and outfits willing to help in a variety of areas and we've tried to compile a very thorough list to access easily through our website. Be well and stay safe. Thank you.
4/27/2020
Good morning,
This is Justin Kratz, principal of McCann Technical School. I hope you all had a great weekend and that everyone is doing well, remaining healthy, and staying safe. I have two updates for everyone this morning. The first is that with school now being closed for the remainder of the year we needed to adjust the grading policy percentages. The percentages for each quarter's weight were adjusted and the grade for "no credit" in remote learning is now a 55 as opposed to a 0. These adjustments were made to more appropriately reflect the length and weight of our remote learning time. These updates will be posted on our website today. Second, we have kept 3rd quarter open for students to try and hand in any work they may have not handed in prior to school closing. We will be closing 3rd quarter grades at the end of the month, April 30th. We will continue to work with students on getting missed work caught up, but it is important that work from Q3 be handed in by April 30th wherever possible so we can continue with accurate and efficient records for the year. As always, please let me know if you have any questions and be well. Thank you.
4/21/2020
Good evening, This is Justin Kratz, principal of McCann Technical School. This message is to notify you that Governor Baker has declared that all public schools in Massachusetts will be closed for the remainder of the year. While this is definitely a sad and frustrating thing for all of us to hear, including me, the Massachusetts Government has made this decision to help protect the health and well-being of all residents in our state. As a district we encourage you all to follow the health guidelines in place such as avoiding going out in public as much as possible, practicing social distancing if you must go out, and wearing face masks when social distancing is not possible per the Governor's instructions. We know this is upsetting news for our students and particularly for our seniors. This declaration from the Governor will impact many significant areas for the remainder of our year, not the least of which is Graduation, a life-event our seniors have worked hard to achieve. Please be assured that the district will be working on problem solving and developing solutions to all the different impacts this closure will have on all of our students. I do not have answers to them this evening but as we develop our plans we will absolutely be communicating them with you. Lots of parties need to be consulted, avenues explored, and decisions made in the next couple of months but please be assured we are committed to providing engagement and learning throughout this unprecedented situation and will keep the lines of communication open. We will continue to be there for all of our students and if you need any help with anything please don't hesitate to contact me. Be safe and be well. Have a good night.
4/10/2020
Good evening, This is Justin Kratz, principal of McCann Technical School. This message is to provide you an update on a few different items. The first is that a grading policy has been developed to determine whether or not students receive "credit" for the participation in our remote learning program. You can find the policy posted on the Remote Learning page of our website. Also, we will be following our Remote Learning schedule during the April vacation. Doing so allows us to end our school year 4 days earlier which we felt would be a benefit to our students as hopefully by then the weather will be nicer and the quarantine will be either ended or decreased. As a reminder, please do not forget to utilize our "Community Resources" tab on our homepage if you or your family need assistance during this difficult time. Lastly, we have created a video for our students to let them know we are thinking of them during these times and you can find that on our home page as well. I hope you and your families are all doing well and if you need anything please don't hesitate to reach out. Thank you and have a good night.
4/5/2020
Good evening,
This is Justin Kratz, principal of McCann Technical School. This message is to notify you of a couple things. First, please find an updated food resource page on our website that now includes details on McCann's efforts to help with food issues that may be occurring during the Covid-19 pandemic. Starting tomorrow, April 6th, McCann will be providing dinner meals from 4-5 pm every weekday. These meals will also include food for breakfast the next day as well. Second, as we enter another week of remote learning we ask for your help and patience as we work through the bumps in the road with logging in, email responses, and trying to help with technical issues. Overall our first couple of days went fairly smooth and we hope to refine these remote learning methods as we move forward. Nothing can replace our face-to-face, in person time with our students but we appreciate your patience as we try to get better at only available option to us at this time, remote learning. Lastly, we are working diligently on trying to answer a variety of questions that we know students and parents have included, but not limited to, April vacation, how does remote learning "count," and graduation. We are trying to proceed as thoughtfully and carefully as possible on all these, and other issues, but rest assured that as we develop our answers and responses we will share them with students and their families. We hope that you and your families are doing ok and, as always, if you have any questions or concerns please feel free to let me know. Be well and have a good night.
3/30/2020
Good evening,
This is Justin Kratz, principal of McCann Technical School. This message is to notify you that our homepage has been updated to include information on our Remote Learning program which we are beginning on April 1st. On our homepage please find the remote learning update link has been updated with a new letter on remote learning as well as a schedule. This should provide you with an in-depth overview of our remote learning program moving forward. Also, you will find their is now a "Remote Learning" top tab on our homepage banner which will take you to a page that contains helpful resources for navigating remote learning. This page will be updated as we move forward. Your child can expect to start receiving invitations to remote learning opportunities from their teachers starting tomorrow, March 31st. Again, the remote learning program is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, April 1st. Please review my update on our webpage dated 3/30 for all the relevant information. Thank you and have a good night.
3/27/2020
Good evening,
This is Justin Kratz, principal of McCann Technical School. I wanted to follow up with all of our students and parents with information regarding our upcoming remote-learning experiences we will be providing our students. Consistent with the commissioner of education, and Governor Baker's directions we are planning on beginning our remote-learning activities on April 1st. I have posted a letter on our website with more details about McCann's remote learning plan and more details will follow next week. Our staff has been working diligently this week, and will continue during the beginning of next week to create remote-learning programming for our students. Again, please be sure to check out our homepage for the link to my remote learning update letter for a lot more detail on what is to come. Thank you and have a good weekend.
3/26/2020
Good evening,
This is Justin Kratz, principal of McCann Technical School. This message is to make sure that all McCann students and families know that the closure of school has been extended until at least May 4th per the order of Governor Baker. Please stay tuned for more news on how we will be proceeding with educational opportunities for our students. We are working diligently on this. Also, thank you to all the parents and families who have filled out our technology survey in such a timely manner. We've had a tremendous response so far. If you have not done so please visit our website and complete it if you are able. Thank you and have a good night.
3/25/2020
Good evening,
This is Justin Kratz, principal of McCann Technical School. I apologize for the length of this message. I hope our students and their families are all doing well during this difficult time. There are two reasons for my call tonight. The first is to notify you that we are currently working on the development of remote learning opportunities for our students. We are hoping to be able to provide structure, content, and some degree of social interaction for our students during these long days. To help with that we are requesting your assistance in completing a technology survey so that we can get a better idea of what technology our students have available to them so that we can better determine how we may interact, and assist, them. Our school counselors will be emailing a link to this survey which can also be found on our website and in the email version of this all-call if you receive email versions. Please complete this survey as soon as possible. Our guidance counselors will follow up with families who we don't have information from so your assistance in utilizing their time most efficiently through promptly completing this survey if possible is greatly appreciated. This is a critical first-step in getting remote learning up and running for our students. The second reason for this call is to remind you to periodically check-in with our homepage. There is information and resources there to help families during this time. Of critical importance is guidance and information regarding local public leaders' call for following the stay-at-home order issued by the governor. We hope all of our students and families are taking their role in curbing the spread of Covid-19 seriously and details about how students and families should go about doing that are also on our homepage. Please stay tuned for more information in the next couple of days regarding an organized remote learning program. I know our faculty are looking forward to reconnecting with our students, if only remotely at this time. We hope to be able to provide our students with structure to their day, social interactions, and enrichment learning opportunities during this time. A transcript of this call will also be available on the website. Thank you and be well.
3/17/2020
Good afternoon,
This is Justin Kratz, principal of McCann Technical School. This message is to notify you that we have updated information on our webpage. Consistent with Governor Baker's directive, school will be closed until April 7th. Proper nutrition is important during this shut down so I have posted a link on our homepage directing people how to access various food programs in Northern Berkshire County if needed. I have also posted a link on our homepage that will take you to a page where you can access activities our teachers have put together for students to access. These activities are meant to be a resource that will help students minds stay active during the closure. These will not be graded and will not count against students if not completed but it is highly recommended that students stay engaged with their school content both for good mental health as well as a smooth transition back to school when we return. Please continue to monitor our homepage and its links for updates and news as things develop. Thank you.
3/16/2020
Good morning,
This is Justin Kratz, principal of McCann Technical School. This message is to notify you that Governor Baker has instructed all schools in the commonwealth to be closed until Tuesday, April 7th. I would like to direct all families and students to monitor our website, www.mccanntech.org, during this school closure in order to keep up with any updates and news. I have created a link to a chart on our homepage that provides the details of any McCann related activities postponements or cancellations. This will be updated throughout the closure and any other important information and news will be posted on our homepage as well. Please also keep in mind the governor's directions on how all of us can play our part in limiting the spread of this virus through social distancing and movement in the community only when absolutely necessary. We wish all of our students and their families good health.
3/13/2020
Good afternoon,
This is Justin Kratz, principal of McCann Technical School. This message is to notify you that school will be closed due to the coronavirus effective 2:45 today and will reopen Monday March 30th. Again, starting this afternoon, school will be closed for two weeks, resuming March 30th. Students were given time today to retrieve their belongings from their lockers before dismissal so there should be no reason for them to return to the building until the closure is over. The superintendent's message regarding the coronavirus has been updated on our website with important details on this closure. This updated message has also been attached to the email version of this message for those of you who signed up to receive it. Please exercise all DPH and CDC health recommendations during this school closure. We look forward to seeing our students again in a couple weeks and wish you good health.
3/8/2020
Good evening,
This is Justin Kratz, principal of McCann Technical School. This message is to notify you that our Superintendent, James Brosnan, has released a statement regarding the coronavirus. If you have provided an email address to the school district you will receive an email of this statement along with this phone call. If you do not receive the email it is because we do not have an email address on file for you. In this case you can find the statement on our website, www.mccanntech.org. Please know that we are working diligently to keep our students, faculty, and staff healthy and safe. Thank you.