| News and events in Pittsfield, Mass.
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BArT Announces First Quarter Honor Roll | 07:57AM / Monday, October 30, 2023 | |
ADAMS, Mass. — Berkshire Arts & Technology (BArT) Charter Public School has announced the students who made the honor roll for the first quarter of the 2023-2024 school year. Students who earned 80 percent or above in all of their classes received the distinction of "Honors". Students who earned 90 percent or above in all of their classes received the distinction of "High Honors." Academic courses at BArT are aligned with the Massachusetts State Curriculum Frameworks for the appropriate grade level and include all standards deemed necessary for a complete, college-preparatory, middle and high school education. Students in Grade 6 who 0 Comments
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Pittsfield District Improvement Plan Focused on LiteracyBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:40AM / Monday, October 30, 2023 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The district's 2023-2024 improvement plan is focused on instruction with a goal of widespread literacy and reading comprehension. "We all agreed that literacy had to be our focus," Superintendent Joseph Curtis said. "That students not only being able to read fluently but to be able to comprehend and write about their understanding of the text that they read is an incredibly important not only skill that we want our students to have in school but incredibly essential set of skills for life." On Wednesday, the School Committee accepted the plan. By the end of the school year, the goal is to have at least 70 percent 0 Comments
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Dalton Committee Rejuvenating the Pines TrailheadBy Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
05:30AM / Monday, October 30, 2023 | |
The committee is collaborating with the Greenagers on a grant to fund the trail's development. DALTON, Mass. — The town's Open Space and Recreation Committee is chipping away at its initiative to rejuvenate the Pines Trailhead. The trailhead, located behind the Senior Center, is a hidden gem in the area that needs to be protected and more people should know about it, committee members said. "I think we all feel passionate about the environment and just having spaces like that for people to enjoy," committee member Cheryl Rose said. "And, of course, getting people out in it is another way to protect it because people 0 Comments
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Governor Awards Sustainable Materials Recovery Program Grants | 11:36AM / Sunday, October 29, 2023 | |
BOSTON – The Healey-Driscoll Administration announced nearly $5.2 million in grant funding to 283 municipalities and regional solid waste districts across Massachusetts. The grants, made available by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) through the Sustainable Materials Recovery Program (SMRP), will help communities bolster their recycling, composting, and waste reduction programs. The full list of awards is available here. "Some of the most important environmental protection work happens every day in communities across our state," said Governor Maura Healey. "These grants help further our collective efforts to meet our
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Pittsfield ConCom Makes Suggestions for State ADA Ramp ProjectBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
06:08AM / Sunday, October 29, 2023 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Conservation Commission has requested some riverfront improvements as a part of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation's ADA improvements to curb ramps.
On Thursday, the panel voted to require a notice of intent application due to one location's proximity to the riverfront.
MassDOT plans to retrofit ramps at Route 8/9 (Dalton Avenue) at Meadowview Drive, Route 20 (W Housatonic Street) at Betnr Industrial Drive, Route 20 (W Housatonic Street) at Gale Ave, and Route 20 (W Housatonic Street) at Osceola Street. A request for determination was submitted for the Gale Ave. location because it is within Bordering Lands Subject to Flooding and
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Making the Loop | We had some free time this week to walk the 2-mile loop through the downtown. Here's a few of things that caught our eye. (In between taking photos, we were heel-toeing and arm-pumping as prescribed.)
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Let's Go Paperless | This is from Ward 6 Councilor John Krol's eblast today. His switch to digital immediately caught our attention. With the associated costs - nearly $4,000 a year for paper alone! - zipping councilors "the packet" (as we in the know like to call it) over the ether makes loads of sense.
Digital also means the average citizen gets far better access to these public documents than ever before. The city clerk's office has been diligent about posting meeting agendas and, where possible, relevant documents. So in terms of saving money and time and getting information out efficiently, digital is the way to go.
I would like to thank City Clerk Linda Tyer for agreeing to print out one less city council packet, as I have officially gone paperless for council meetings - which I hope will be a trend that can be extended throughout city government.
 The bulky (and often, very bulky) city council packet that councilors use for a reference costs an average of $170 per meeting for paper alone. Add the additional costs of ink/toner, wear and tear on city hall copiers, and the time and energy of staff who put it all together - and a simple transition away from paper benefits everyone.
With the packet now fully digital in pdf form, all councilors, and everyone with an internet
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Berkshire Music School Kicks Off 2012 Classes With Open House | The open house featured a sample class, access to musical instruments, information for parents, refreshments ...and more than a few delighted squeals.
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January 29, 2011
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Dozens of youths, many of them under the age of 5, attended an open house at the Berkshire Music School Saturday, as the educational nonprofit enters its 70th year at its 30 Wendell Avenue home.
The open house featured a sample class, access to musical instruments, information for parents, refreshments... and more than a few delighted squeals, proving once again the inherent interest in making a joyful noise is not generational, and will never go out of style.
 The open house featured a Music for Preschoolers class, designed to "children’s awareness of rhythm, ability to sing and move creatively to music," which |
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