Brayton Elementary School - We Hold the Western Gateway

Housing Resource & Rental Assistance guides from U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development English: https://5il.co/2adqh Spanish: https://5il.co/2adqg Chinese (simplifies): https://5il.co/2adqf

College Meet and Greet with Williams College and Berkshire Community College Saturday, December 9th, 1 – 2:30 pm Berkshire Athenaeum Attendees will learn what each school has to offer and how to start applying. Michael Byrns, Admission Counselor at Williams College, will provide some insight on how to write a successful college essay and how to think about the storytelling components of the college application. No registration required. Prospective students and their families are welcome! Email vanessa@pittsfieldlibrary.org with questions.

Make your voice heard: Family Volunteers Needed! Join our district Family Leadership Team (FLT) 1. Offer input on district initiatives 2. Discuss topics such as home visiting, attendance processes, and communication protocols Interested? Email familysupports@napsk12.org or call 413-412-1106. Looking forward to you joining us!

Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (dcr) is hosting an Adaptive Skating Games event on 1/4, 2/15, and 3/14 from 11:30 am - 1:00 pm at the Vietnam Veterans Skating Rink. Registration is required. See flyer for details.

Pamela Schwartz, Western MA Network to End Homelessness, shared the attached flyers below that summarize the available resources through the Emergency Assistance program for family shelter. English: https://5il.co/29ph2 Spanish: https://5il.co/29ph3 Haitian Creole: https://5il.co/29ph4 Additional Resources Applying for EA Shelter: https://www.mass.gov/how-to/apply-for-ea-emergency-family-shelter DESE Guidance on Supporting Homeless Students During the State of Emergency (8/24/23) Emergency Shelter Fact Sheet & FAQ (September 2023) MA Emergency Assistance Family Shelter Resources and Data

Free Family Skate Day Hosted by nbCC See flyer for details.

The next Safe Neighborhoods event will be at Greylock Elementary on November 29th from 5-7 pm. 5-5:30 pm Dinner (pizza!) 5:30-6:30 pm Talk Saves Lives presentation by Annie Pecor and Linda Wooten, Berkshire Coaltion for Suicide Prevention For kids: basketball with SRO Mirante from 5:30-7pm Events are open to all! *The last event in the series will be on Dec. 6th at Colegrove Elementary with a presentation by the North Adams Fire Department Fire Safety Education team.

This Gratitude Tree was developed for students and staff at Brayton Elementary School to help them remember what they are thankful for this Thanksgiving Season. As part of social-emotional learning, students helped cut and paste leaves on the tree and together, made this beautiful display. A special thanks to the students, faculty, and staff who made this happen!

Here is the updated Food and Meal Site listing for Berkshire County (dated 11/13/23): https://5il.co/29ckn Additional Resources: * From the Food Bank of W. MA~ Do you need help buying groceries every month? The federal nutrition program called SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program—or food stamps) is available for you. Everyone can apply for SNAP benefits–college students, seniors over 60, people with disabilities, homeless individuals, and families. Call the Food Bank’s SNAP line at 413.992.6204 and one of our Coordinators can quickly tell you if you’re eligible and help you apply for SNAP benefits over the phone. If you need help in languages other than English and Spanish, they can assist with those, too. Their services are free to all Western Massachusetts residents. *Below are the Income Guidelines for WIC. For more information~ https://www.berkshirehealthsystems.org/programs-and-services/community-wellness/wic-program/ *Below are the guidelines (English & Spanish) for BCAC's Fuel Assistance program. Families can apply through the offices or online at https://www.bcacinc.org/fuel-assistance-2/

The North Adams Public Schools Greenhouse Program announces their 2023 holiday plants and decorations that are available starting 11/27/23. Items, prices and hours are on the flyer.

The next Safe Neighborhoods event will be at Greylock Elementary on November 29th from 5-7 pm. 5-5:30 pm Dinner (pizza!) 5:30-6:30 pm Talk Saves Lives presentation by Annie Pecor and Linda Wooten, Berkshire Coaltion for Suicide Prevention For kids: basketball with SRO Mirante from 5:30-7pm Events are open to all! *Our last event in the series will be on Dec. 6th at Colegrove Elementary with a presentation by the North Adams Fire Department Fire Safety Education team.

We have mid-year openings in our PreK program! Contact us today to find out more information! familysupports@naspk12.org 413-7761458

Through funding from the Berkshire County District Attorney's Office Safe Neighborhood Grant, parents, families, children, youth and caregivers are invited to a night out. All events are free and open to all! Parents/adults/grandparents/caregivers should feel free to attend any or all events. Each event starts at 5pm with dinner. From 5:30-6:30 pm we will be offering a program for adults (see list of topics below) From 5:30-7 pm SRO Mirante will be leading a basketball tournament for children/youth, Scheduled Events 11/15, Brayton Elementary 5pm Family Style Dinner 5:30-7/7:30 NAPD & friends basketball tournament 5:30-6:30 NAPD Officer Matt Merante, Internet Safety & Cyber Crimes presentation 11/29 Greylock Elementary 5pm Family Style Dinner 5:30-7/7:30 NAPD & friends basketball tournament 5:30-6:30 Berkshire Coalition for Suicide Prevention Talk Saves Lives Program 12/6 Colegrove Elementary 5pm Family Style Dinner 5:30-7/7:30 NAPD & friends basketball tournament 5:30-6:30 North Adams Fire Department Fire Safety Education Program

North Adams Mobile Food Bank Friday, 11/17 11am to noon All are welcome! There are no minimum eligibility requirements to participate. Please note there is limited parking at the American Legion for those folks who arrive early. Additional parking is available in the Steeples City parking lot. Volunteers will be available to assist.

The Berkshire Food Project will be hosting its annual Thanksgiving Meal. See flyer for details.

Upcoming Health Expo hosted by nbCC. See flyer for details.

Upcoming Health Expo hosted by nbCC. See flyer for details.

We had a tremendous county-wide professional development day! Our educators spent the day improving their practices and networking with others from across the region. Many thanks to all of the presenters and hosting districts!

The next North Adams Mobile Food Bank is tomorrow, 11/3, from 11 am to noon. Please note: there is limited parking at the American Legion for folks who arrive early. Additional parking is available in the Steeples City parking lot. We have volunteers available to assist with directing folks.

BCAC Fuel Assistance Folks can visit the BCAC online customer portal and submit the online application: https://toapply.org/BCAC, or call BCAC at 413-663-3104.