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Miss Hall's School is looking for mentors for its Money Matters program.

Biz Briefs: Mentors Needed for Financial Literacy Workshop

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Mentors needed: Miss Hall's School is seeking area professional women to volunteer as mentors for the 17th annual Money Matters financial literacy workshops to be held on Tuesday, Nov. 15, and Thursday, Nov. 17, at the school's Holmes Road campus. Eighth-grade girls from across Berkshire County will attend the program, which provides them with a foundation of financial understanding. This year's program will be facilitated by Dr. Mahnaz Mahdavi, professor of economics at Smith College and faculty director at the Jill Ker Conway Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center (CIEC) at Smith College.

Volunteer mentors are asked to commit to one of the program's two days, which run from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. each day, with participating students attending one of the sessions. Work and life experiences are sufficient preparation to be a mentor, and mentors usually work in pairs with small groups of girls, taking cues from the facilitator and helping students carry out instructions. During hands-on, interactive projects, girls will learn about concepts such as budgeting, saving, and money management. The influence of higher education on future earning potential will also be emphasized, and girls will learn about developing professional communication skills they will need for future careers.

For more information or to register, please contact Sandy Moon, assistant to the Head of School at MHS, at 413-395-7027, or smoon@misshalls.org.



Clark bookstore returns: A bookstore returns to the Clark Art Institute's Manton Research Center on Saturday, Nov. 12, with the reopening of the center, which has been closed due to extensive renovations. In celebration of the opening, all titles in the new retail space will be offered at 30 percent off through Dec. 31.


The bookstore will feature a comprehensive collection of Clark publications and an extensive selection of art-related books, along with a breadth of works featuring scholars associated with the Clark. An array of new titles includes current exhibition catalogues, artist monographs, biographies, and historical surveys. The store will be open during regular museum hours, currently Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.



Being there: Berkshire Bank is supporting Pittsfield Public Schools' Attendance Campaign with a billboard donation. The school district has assembled a team of education professionals to support attendance, with the actionable goal of removing obstacles for students and their families that struggle with this issue.
 
According to Attendance Works, missing 10 percent of school, which equates to just two days a month or 18 days a year, has a significant impact on a child's ability to learn to read. Pittsfield Public Schools is attempting to instill strong attendance habits early, in order to continue these habits throughout students' school career.
 
There have been many avenues taken by this committee to bolster attendance, one of which is the recruitment of community partners in their mission. Berkshire Bank has chosen to create and donate two billboards in Pittsfield to this meaningful cause, in an effort to continue its commitment to the Berkshire community. The bank strongly supports programs that benefit education and the overall quality of life in the communities it serves.

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Central Berkshire School Officials OK $35M Budget

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
DALTON, Mass. — The Central Berkshire Regional School Committee approved a $35 million budget for fiscal 2025 during its meeting on Thursday.
 
Much of the proposed spending plan is similar to what was predicted in the initial and tentative budget presentations, however, the district did work with the Finance subcommittee to further offset the assessments to the towns, Superintendent Leslie Blake-Davis said. 
 
"What you're going see in this budget is a lower average assessment to the towns than what you saw in the other in the tentative budget that was approved," she said. 
 
The fiscal 2025 budget is $35,428,892, a 5.56 percent or $1,867,649, over this year's $33,561,243.
 
"This is using our operating funds, revolving revenue or grant revenue. So what made up the budget for the tentative budget is pretty much the same," Director of Finance and Operations Gregory Boino said.
 
"We're just moving around funds … so, we're using more of the FY25 rural aid funds instead of operating funds next year."
 
Increases the district has in the FY25 operating budget are from active employee health insurance, retiree health insurance, special education out-of-district tuition, temporary bond principal and interest payment, pupil transportation, Berkshire County Retirement contributions, and the federal payroll tax. 
 
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