Important Playground Update

As many of you know, we installed Phase 1 of the new playground for the younger grades last year, and are working this year on Phase 2 (which includes landscaping, benches, more satellite equipment, and a brick walkway). Remember to turn in your Fort River Roasters order form by Friday, October 5th if you want to help the playground AND get high quality, fairly priced coffee! If you'd like to help with installation of the new equipment, benches, and trees in October (on a date to be determined!), contact Catherine (256-4977, casanderson@amherst.edu) ASAP! We need volunteers to assist with digging holes, assembling equipment, and providing childcare during these activities. We also are in search of equipment, including a bobcat (to move away woodchips and dig holes) and a cement mixer, so please let us know if you can help in any way.

School Council Ballots

Ballots to elect THREE new School Council members will come home with your child today, and we want to encourage you to vote! These three parents will join Fort River teachers and administrators in helping define the policies and procedures of the school. Completed (anonymous) ballots should be sent in to the Parent Council mailbox by Friday, October 5th. Questions? Contact Catherine Sanderson (casanderson@amherst.edu).

Savings Makes "Cents" Program

Saving Makes "Cents" is a program to encourage savings habits and goal setting. Children can open a bank account with Florence Savings Bank and bank weekly in the cafeteria with help from parent volunteers (or directly at the bank). Only $1.00 is needed to open an account, and any amount can be deposited and after 10 deposits, the Bank will deposit $1.00 into the account. Information on setting up an account will be sent home soon, and deposits can first be made at school on Tuesday, October 9th (8:15 am). Questions? Contact Ron Miller (256-6076; ronsmiller@comcast.net).

Annual Family Donation Fund Update for Sept. 28, 2007

We've already received a great response to our Annual Family Donation Fund, in which we ask all families at the start of the year to make a donation to support Parent Council activities (field trips, cultural events, books for the library, scholarships for children in need, etc.). We have already raised $3,688 from 100 of our 359 families (28% of families)! Although we suggest $20 a child, larger and smaller amounts are welcome and all contributions are tax deductible (and anonymous) and even a $1.00 donation helps increase our goal of 100% family participation. Checks (made out to Fort River Parent Council) or cash can be sent to the Parent Council mailbox in the main office or to Catherine Sanderson, 23 Alyssum Drive.

Gift Wrap Sales

Materials for the Gift Wrap fundraiser have gone out in the backpacks this week. Sale dates are Sept. 28 through Oct. 26. Items will be delivered after Thanksgiving. Questions? Contact Karen Zilberstein at ekaren@comcast.net or tel. 253-7072.

Attention All Stop and Shop Customers!

This is an easy fundraiser for anyone who already shops at Stop & Shop and has a Stop & Shop Card. Starting Oct. 5, 2007 through April 3, 2008, Fort River will have the opportunity to earn cash through Stop & Shop's A+ BonusBucks Program. All you have to do is one of the following:

• Log on to www.stopandshop.com/aplus to designate online
• Call 1-877-366-2668 to designate over the phone
• Fill out the A+ BonusBucks Form and drop it off at any participating Stop & Shop store.

After you designate our school, each shopping trip at a participating Stop & Shop using you Stop & Shop Card earns CASH for our school! Each month, the amount of CASH awarded will be updated on the Stop & Shop website. Our school will receive a check at the end of the program. The money can be used for any of our school's educational needs. Remember, even if you designated last year, you must re-designate this year for our school to receive credit. Please be sure to designate Fort River using ID # 05218. Also, don't forget to encourage your friends and relatives to do the same!

New Section Added to Blog -- Parent Council Forms

I've added a new section to the right-hand side of the blog page. It's called "Parent Council Forms" and it contains copies of all the various Parent Council forms that are supposed to come home in the backpacks. Just click on the link and you've got a copy! -- Ann McLaughlin, Parent Council Secretary and Keeper of the Blog.

Buy A Brick -- Fort River Playground

Have your name, your child’s name, a teacher’s name, or an inspiring quote etched on a brick that will become a permanent part of our new playground. Each 4x8 brick can have up to can have up to three lines of inscription with 13 characters per line. Each 8x8 brick can have up to six lines of inscription with 13 characters per line. If you have any questions, please contact Chris Felton (cmfelton@comcol.umass.edu/253-1242). Click here for the order form.

Upcoming Events

Fort River Open House, Wednesday, October 3rd, 7pm. Fort River Roasters/Dean's Beans Order Forms Due! Friday, October 5th. Please return forms to the Parent Council mailbox or send it in your kids' backpacks. School Council Ballots Due. Friday, October 5th. Please return ballots to the Parent Council mailbox in the office. Science Demonstration from the Boston Museum of Science, Wednesday, October 10th, 4:30 pm, gym. RESERVE your tickets now (by returning this form). Picture Day - School Pictures will be taken on Tuesday/Wednesday, October 16 & 17. More information and order forms will sent home in early October. Questions? Contact Pam Rietkerk mailto:pjrietkerk@aol.com, 256-2605). Parent Council Meeting, Wednesday, October 17th, 6:30 to 7:30 pm, library. Babysitting will be provided (free). Coffee With a Principal, Friday, October 19th, 8:30 to 9:15 am. Please join Principal Russ Vernon-Jones and/or Vice-Principal Lianne Suarez-Werlein for coffee, light breakfast foods, and casual conversation in the cafeteria. Younger siblings are welcome to attend.

Fog, Flowers & Fireworks

What do fog, flowers and fireworks have in common? Chemistry! Experience with your own eyes some cloud-forming, colorful, and explosive evidence that a chemical reaction is taking place. This 40-minute demonstration will be presented by the Boston Museum of Science. Wednesday, October 10 at 4:30 PM in the Fort River Gym. All students and families welcome (children must be accompanied by an adult). Tickets are free, but a $1.00 donation per ticket is suggested. The audience is limited to 150, so reserve tickets early. Tickets should be picked up at the door 20 minutes before the demonstration. This event is the grand finale for Science Day which is brought to you by the Parent Council with funds raised during last year’s very successful campaign. Questions? Contact Betty Sharpe at 256-4716 (elizabeth.sharpe@comcast.net) or Catherine Sanderson at casanderson@amherst.edu.

Click here for the order form.

Resource Coordinators

ALANA ([African-American, Latino(a)/Chicano(a), Asian/Pacific American, and Native American]) families: Pat Ononibaku (256-0027, PatBaku@aol.com) Same-sex parent families: Megan Lambert and Dana Mergendahl (253-8931, lambertmegan@yahoo.com, genxmergie@yahoo.com) Single-parent families: Christie Barcelos (546-4956; christiebarcelos@gmail.com) Child with special needs families: Pamela Brigham (256-1951; pamberwald@gmail.com) English as a second-language families: Pamela Brigham (256-1951; pamberwald@gmail.com)

Grade Reps. 2007-2008

K – Amy Rose (253-3831, amy@klezamir.com) 1 – Ruthie Ireland (253-1744, 4ireland@comcast.net) 2 – Diane Caraker (253-4191, dianec711@comcast.net) 3 - Morgan Lord (256-3763, storm01061@yahoo.com 4 – Janet McGowan (256-8333, janetmcgowan30@comcast.net) 5 – Jan Kelly (253-9403, jankelly@jkellycollegeconsultants.com) 6 - Lynn Logan (256-0232, lynnlogan@comcast.net)

Room Parents 2007-08

K Felix – Hana Rivkin (256-2330, hrivkin@yahoo.com), Iris Berkman (253-3787, ianddberkman@comcast.net), Suzanne Schilling (patsueschilling@comcast.net, 253-4697 ) Imbimbo – Carol Slaughter (253-9920, CarolSpyce@aol.com) Shea – Lisa Oram-Brown (253-8199, lisaoram@comcast.net) 1st Hickson – Deb Leonard (253-3294, deblee@comcast.net), Matt Mitchell (253-7999, studio@crocker.com) Rondeau - Becky Michaels (256-3579, beckymichaels@hotmail.com), Chris Felton (253-1242, cmfelton@comcol.umass.edu) Thrasher – Amy Bush (256-3755, jadeandsamsmama@yahoo.com) 2nd Davis – Kathy Niedzielski (253-3201, stonyhill4@verizon.net), Eileen Marasco (256-3880, e.marasco@comcast.net). Eigner – Pam Rietkerk (256-2605; PJRietkerk@aol.com) Sheehan – Michele Spirko (253-6412, spirko@pol.net), Lynn Hatch (256-4113, lhatch@econs.umass.edu) 3rd Davis – Scott Goldman (253-9969, hccs_goldman@yahoo.com) Farrington - Mary Donahue (253-7016, aj_donoghue@msn.com) Fournier – Catalina Arrubla (584-7951, carrubla@gmail.com), Jeanine Gonzales (230-3605, jeanineajk5@comcast.net) Griswold – Jacquie Juras (256-0979, jac.juras@comcast.net) 4th Davis – Pam Rietkerk (256-2605; PJRietkerk@aol.com) Jackendoff – Janet Kannel (253-4641, janetkannel40@comcast.net), Alisa Braverman (253-5362, a.braverman@comcast.net) Yeh – Amy Bush (256-3755, jadeandsamsmama@yahoo.com), Traci Wolfe (230-3007, twolfe@amherst.edu) 5th Cantillo – Robin Corder (253-1320; robincorder@gmail.com) Chang – Anne Duffy (256-1646, cattlexstudios@verizon.net) and Nancy Reffsin (253-5183, nreffsin@hotmail.com) Klass - Carla Carpenter (549-0484, kipandcarla@gmail.com) 6th Morris – Lynn Logan (256-0232, lynnlogan@comcast.net) and Susan Seigel (230-3333, susan.seigel@gmail.com) Lamdin – Janet McGowan (256-8333, janetmcgowan30@comcast.net), Jihyun Kim (230-3736, jihyun0716@gmail.com) Wallace – Lisa Liberman (253-4966, phaedrus4@comcast.net)

Food Services Committee

This year concludes a five-year contract with Chartwells, the vendor who manages food service for all schools. Prior to this five-year contract, the schools provided food service internally. The Regional School Committee, after reviewing the pros and cons of an internal program vs. use of a management vendor, decided to develop a Request For Proposals (RFP) for the future. We will continue to examine other districts and how they approach food service. A Committee is being formed to research food service operations, to survey the parents and students, and to develop criteria and priorities for an RFP. If you wish to be considered for this committee, you can reply to this email or contact Debbie Westmoreland at 362-1823 or westmorelandd@arps.org <mailto:westmorelandd@arps.org> .

Upcoming Events

Diversity and Social Justice Committee Meeting, Wednesday, September 26th, 8:40 am, school library. Fort River Open House, Wednesday, Oct. 3rd, 7pm. Science Demonstration from the Boston Museum of Science, Wednesday, October 10th, 4:30 pm, gym. Picture Day. School Pictures will be taken on Tuesday/Wednesday, October 16 & 17. More information and order forms will sent home in early October. Questions? Contact Pam Rietkerk (pjrietkerk@aol.com , 256-2605). Parent Council Meeting, Wednesday, October 17th, 6:30 to 7:30 pm, library. Babysitting will be provided (free). Coffee With a Principal, Friday, October 19th, 8:30 to 9:15 am. Please join Principal Russ Vernon-Jones and/or Vice-Principal Lianne Suarez-Werlein for coffee, light breakfast foods, and casual conversation in the cafeteria. Younger siblings are welcome to attend.

Family Fair -- A Fun Time Was Had By All!

There was a terrific turn-out at the Family Fair this past Tuesday.

Diversity and Social Justice at Fort River School

If you are interested in exploring issues of Diversity and Social Justice within our school community we would love to have you join us for the upcoming meeting of Parent Council's Diversity and Social Justice Committee. We will meet in the school library Wednesday morning, September 26th from 8:40 - 9:40 am. Everyone is welcome! If you are interested but cannot attend the meeting or if you would simply like more information, please contact Sheri Schmidt (253-9666, sschmidt@mac.com).

Annual Family Donation Fund Update for Sept 21, 2007

We’ve already received a great response to our Annual Family Donation Fund, in which we ask all families at the start of the year to make a donation to support Parent Council activities (field trips, cultural events, books for the library, scholarships for children in need, etc.) – we have already raised $2,488 from 75 families (21% of families so far)! Although we suggest $20 a child, larger and smaller amounts are welcome – and all contributions are tax deductible (and anonymous). Checks (made out to Fort River Parent Council) or cash can be sent to the Parent Council mailbox in the main office or to Catherine Sanderson, 23 Alyssum Drive.

Important Playground Update

As many of you know, we installed Phase 1 of the new playground for the younger grades last year, and are working this year on Phase 2 (which includes landscaping, benches, more satellite equipment, and a brick walkway). Included on this blog is information about playground-specific fundraisers (which isn’t supported by regular Parent Council fundraising), including our popular Fort River Roasters coffee program, a new pizza fundraiser, and the final chance to buy a brick engraved with your child’s name or a special phrase! If you’d like to help with installation of the new equipment, benches, and trees in October (on a date to be determined!), contact Catherine (256-4977, casanderson@amherst.edu) ASAP! We need volunteers to assist with digging holes, assembling equipment, and providing childcare during these activities. We also are in search of equipment, including a bobcat (to move away woodchips and dig holes) and a cement mixer, so please let us know if you can help in any way.

Family Fair Musical Entertainment

New at the Family Fair this year: musical entertainment!

A Note of Thanks to Parent Council

Catherine, Sue, Elly, Ann, and Lynn, Thank you so very much for the check for excess school supplies. I find this money very useful each year when we run out of CD's, batteries, DVD's etc. I cannot tell you how much it is appreciated. I was amazed as I read your note, at all the funds you have generated to give to teachers for many different purposes. It is so helpful to have your support in these very tough budget times. We are all very grateful for all that you all do. Thanks a million! Joan Joan Gallinaro Technology Resource Teacher Fort River School PS Please pass my thanks along to all parent council members.

Fort River Roasters from Dean's Beans -- MMM....Good!

Help support our new playground by buying something that we all love (or know someone else who does)….. COFFEE. Here are a few reasons why this Dean’s Beans fundraiser is so great:

• Dean’s Beans coffee is not only delicious, but it’s also organic and kosher. Not to mention, Dean’s Beans is committed to Fair Trade, which make every sip worth while.
• No need to come to school to pick up your order. Coffee will be sent home with your child (unless you otherwise specify).
• The price of the coffee is cheaper than if you purchased it at the grocery store. WOW! Not only are we saving you a trip to the store, but we’re also saving you money.
• Your friends, co-workers, and family members can save money too. Ask them if they’d like to buy some delicious coffee at a cheaper price.

If this sounds good to you, fill out this order form and send it in with a check made out to Fort River Parent Council to the Parent Council mailbox in the main office. Questions or comments? Contact Libby Stanforth (253-8039, bstanforth@comcast.net) or Hana Rivkin (256-2330, hrivkin@yahoo.com).

Orders are due the first Friday of every month (Oct. 5th, Nov. 2nd, Dec. 7th, Jan. 4th, Feb. 1st, March 7th, April 4th, May 2nd, June 6th), and the coffee will arrive within two weeks.

REMINDER: Make checks payable to Fort River Parent Council.

Not only do we thank you, your taste buds thank you too!

Price List

Regular Coffee
Dark: $8.50. A strong and exceptionally smooth cup of coffee from Nicaragua. Medium body and slightly dry.
Medium: $8.50. Complex, full-bodied bean from the Andean slopes near Colombia. (The traditional standard in coffee.)

Swiss-water Processed Decafs
Dark: $9.50. A full-bodied, but flavorful and aromatic Peruvian coffee. The best tasting decaf in the world!
Medium: $9:50. A delightful dance of light and dark roasted Mexican Chiapas beans. Smooth and nutty, with a bold finish.

Dean’s Beans' Other Fun Products
Hot Cocoa, Wow! : $4.50
Field tested by a playgroup of wild 4-year olds over the spring and summer, this hot cocoa mix really passes the test. Guaranteed to be the best tasting and lowest cost organic hot cocoa mix available!

Milk and Dark Chocolate Chocolate Java Drops : $8.50
Vienna-roasted, shade grown Guatemalan and Mexican coffees sensuously surrounded by pure dark or milk chocolate. A mouthful of 100% organic pleasure. Half of the profits are returned to the indigenous cooperative in Costa Rica that provides the cocoa butter.

Coffeelands CD from Putamayo: $14.00
We absolutely love this CD (and part of the proceeds goes to Coffee Kids for development work). Incredible music from around the coffee world.

Sneakers Needed!

We have a request from Dianna Spaulding for any old sneakers that might be in good condition for use by children who don't have sneakers or who have forgot them for P.E. Please bring in great “used” sneakers to Dianna in the PE office.

Volunteers Urgently Needed

Science Day Bake Sale Coordinator(s) - We are looking for someone to coordinate the Bake Sale before and after the Boston Museum of Science demonstration for students and families on Wednesday, October 10 at 4:30 in the Fort River gym. The proceeds from the bake sale will help defray some of the cost of having the Boston science museum educators come to us. The coordinator would be in charge of setting up the table, arranging for people to sell food (a great way for kids to help!), and cleaning up at the end. Please contact Betty Sharpe (256-4716, elizabeth.sharpe@comcast.net ) if you are able to help with this. School Council Members – Several seats will open this year at the Fort River School Council, a state-mandated elected body of parents and staff that help define the policies and procedures of the school. It meets monthly to work on the development of the budget, develop a school improvement plan, and make recommendations to the principal. If you are interested in running for one of the vacant seats (this is a two-year commitment), please contact Catherine Sanderson (casanderson@amherst.edu).

Big Thank Yous to...

Amy Rose for purchasing and planting the lovely mums in the front of school, Jenny Reynolds for coordinating work on the school directory, Alan Schlingenbaum and Dror Shmerling for work on data compilation for the directory, Pamela Brigham, Cheryl Edgerly, Mary Ellen Sailor, and Joanne Swanson for their work on ad sales for their directory, Pat Ononibaku for coordinating the Family Fair, and Shari Abbott and Anne Duffy for assisting with coordinating the family fair.

Big Thank Yous to...

Amy Rose for purchasing and planting the lovely mums in the front of school, Jenny Reynolds for coordinating work on the school directory, Alan Schlingenbaum and Dror Shmerling for work on data compilation for the directory, and Pamela Brigham, Cheryl Edgerly, Mary Ellen Sailor, and Joanne Swanson for their work on ad sales for their directory.

Volunteers Urgently Needed

Room Parents. Room parents check in with their teacher monthly to see what he or she might need (e.g., help with an event, field trip volunteers, etc.), organize a class potluck at the start of the year, and work with their grade representative to plan one grade-wide event. They might also organize a class gift in December and/or at the end of school. We need a room parent for Davis in 4th grade. School Council Members. Several seats will open this year at the Fort River School Council, a state-mandated elected body of parents and staff that help define the policies and procedures of the school. It meets monthly to work on the development of the budget, develop a school improvement plan, and make recommendations to the principal. If you are interested in running for one of the vacant seats (this is a two-year commitment), please contact Catherine Sanderson (casanderson@amherst.edu).

A message from Parent Council President

We hope you and your kids are settling in well to the new school year‹and we hope to see you soon at various Parent Council events! Please contact any of the Executive Board members if you have questions or suggestions about Parent Council. Executive Board President: Catherine Sanderson (256-4977; casanderson@amherst.edu) Vice Presidents: Sue Borden (253-1608; szborden@yahoo.com) Elly Hosea (259-1334; elly_hosea@yahoo.com) Secretary: Ann McLaughlin (256-3768; damclaughlin@comcast.net) Treasurer: Lynn Hayes (253-7207; hay3bay@comcast.net)

Annual Family Donation Fund Update

We've already received a great response to our Annual Family Donation Fund, in which we ask all families at the start of the year to make a donation to support Parent Council activities (field trips, cultural events, books for the library, scholarships for children in need, etc.). We have already raised $2,239 from 65 families (18% of families so far)! Although we suggest a donation of $20 a child, larger and smaller amounts are welcome and all contributions are tax deductible (and anonymous). Checks (made out to Fort River Parent Council) or cash can be sent to the Parent Council mailbox in the main office or to Catherine Sanderson, 23 Alyssum Drive.

Family Fair postponed to Tues., Sept. 18th 5-7pm

Due to the rain, the Family Fair has been postponed to Tuesday, Sept. 18th from 5-7pm.

Parent Council Meeting Postponed to Sept. 20th

Due to Rosh Hashana this coming Thursday, the first Fort River Parent Council meeting of the year has been postponed by one week to Thursday, Sept. 20th at 8:30am. Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused!

Sign up for automatic email reminders from the Parent Council!

If you're not already on our email list, you might want to consider signing up. You'll get weekly email reminders to check the updates on this blog, and you'll also get automatic calendar reminders before the various Fort River events such as the Family Fair and Parent Council meetings. Just click on the link and tell me your name and connection to Fort River. All Fort River families, staff and faculty are welcome to sign up! Subscribe to the Fort River Email list. Have you been getting Parent Council emails this year? Make sure I have your latest email address or else you won't! Click on the above link to let me know your new email address. Thanks! Ann McLaughlin

School Picture Days

School Pictures will be taken on Tuesday/Wednesday, October 16 & 17. More information, order forms, and volunteer opportunities will sent home soon. Questions??? Contact Pam Rietkerk at pjrietkerk@aol.com or 256-2605.

Welcome to the New Fort River Blog!

Hello to All Fort River Families, Staff and Friends! I hope that you all had a great summer and are now settling back into the school year. I have been busy making some changes to the way the Parent Council will communicate with all of you this year. Instead of sending out The Fort River Front Page every week, I will be updating our brand-new Fort River Parent Council Blog. In case you don’t already know what a blog is, it’s basically an easy-to-maintain website. Some of the advantages of the blog are: (a) it’s a good place for parents to monitor the Parent Council news (b) it’s a good resource to check on things like the Parent Council calendar events (c) people who use RSS readers can subscribe to it (d) it’s much less hassle for parents than keeping old email newsletters around (e) it’s a great repository for Parent Council institutional knowledge. The advantage to me is that it takes a lot less time than the newsletter! Please fee free to bookmark this page, send the link to other Fort River families and friends, and to check it at any time. I will update it at least once a week (on Fridays) and I will continue to send out weekly email reminders to you every Friday to check the updates. If you use a news reader program (such as iGoogle or Netvibes) you can add the feed to your page. I will also continue to send out automatic calendar reminders (via email) to remind you of upcoming events. Please feel free to send me any questions, suggestions, or corrections. Thanks! Ann McLaughlin Fort River Parent Council Secretary and Blogger (!) damclaughlin@comcast.net

Fort River Parent Council Calendar

Fort River Parent Council Calendar Click the link above to view the Parent Council Calendar with all Parent Council events. The calendar also includes other school events of interest to the Fort River Community. This calendar is updated frequently and every effort is made to keep it up-to-date. Please notify Ann McLaughlin at damclaughlin@comcast.net if you spot an error. This is not an official school calendar. Thanks! P.S. You can also view this calendar by clicking the "Fort River Parent Council Calendar" link on the right-hand side of the page.

Upcoming Events

*Family Fair, Tuesday, September 11th, 5:30 pm, Fort River fields. *Parent Council Meeting, Thursday, September 13th, 8:30 to 9:30 am (in the cafeteria). Please join us for our first meeting of the year. *Coffee With a Principal, Friday, September 21st, 8:30 to 9:15 am. Please join Principal Russ Vernon-Jones and/or Vice-Principal Lianne Suarez-Werlein for coffee (obviously!), light breakfast foods, and casual conversation in the cafeteria. Younger siblings are welcome to attend. *Parent Council Meeting, Wednesday, October 17th, 6:30 to 7:30 pm (in the library). Babysitting will be provided (free).

Volunteers Urgently Needed

Room Parents – Room parents check in with their teacher monthly to see what he or she might need (e.g., help with an event, field trip volunteers, etc.), organize a class potluck at the start of the year, and work with their grade representative to plan one grade-wide event. They might also organize a class gift in December and/or at the end of school. We need room parents for Eigner in 2nd Grade, Fournier in 3rd grade, Davis in 4th Grade and Morris and Wallace in 6th grade. School Council Members - Several seats will open this year at the Fort River School Council, a state-mandated elected body of parents and staff that help define the policies and procedures of the school. It meets monthly to work on the development of the budget, develop a school improvement plan, and make recommendations to the principal. If you are interested in running for one of the vacant seats (this is a two year commitment), please contact Catherine Sanderson.

On-Going and Upcoming Fundraisers

Box Tops for Education: Did you know that for every Box Tops for Education coupon that we submit, Fort River receives ten cents in cold hard cash? Instead of just throwing away product boxes, cut off the little coupons on the top, put them in an envelope, and send it in to the box in the office. Last year we received $500 for the school – and we want to increase that amount this year! Here is a partial list of products that have the coupons: Ziploc bags and containers; Chex, Cheerios, Kix, and Total cereals; Pillsbury cookie dough; Betty Crocker cake mixes and frosting; Yoplait yogurt; Nature Valley Granola Bars. Cellphones and ink jet cartridges: This one is a REAL winner – There’s nothing to buy. We are simply asking you to protect the environment by donating your used digital cell phone(s) and ink jet cartridge(s). Your used cell phone(s) will be recycled in accordance with EPA regulations or refurbished and sold. 100% of the proceeds will help fund Parent Council—so, you save the environment while helping our school. Just bring your used cellphone and/or ink jet cartridges to the box in the main office. Gift Wrap Sales: Once again, the parent council will sponsor a gift wrap sale this fall. This year the sale will take place between September 28 – October 26, 2007, with items delivered soon after Thanksgiving. This is one of the parent council's larger fundraisers. So, look out for the information and catalogs that will come home on September 28. For more information call or email Karen Zilberstein (ekaren@comcast.net, 253-7072).

Parent Council Executive Board 2007-2008

PARENT COUNCIL EXECUTIVE BOARD 2007-2008 President: Catherine Sanderson (256-4977; casanderson@amherst.edu) Vice Presidents: Sue Borden (szborden@yahoo.com) Elly Hosea (259-1334; elly_hosea@yahoo.com) Secretary: Ann McLaughlin (256-3768; damclaughlin@comcast.net) Treasurer: Lynn Hayes (253-7207; hay3bay@comcast.net)

Big Thank Yous to...

Lianne Suarez-Werlein and Afranio Torres-Neto (for translating the Parent Council Welcome Letter into Spanish and Portuguese), Jeanine Gonzales and family (for setting up at the New Family Welcome Reception), Michelle Spirko (for coordinating the Welcome Back Staff Day Event), and ALL of the following parents who brought in food for the Welcome Back Staff Day event: Diane Caraker, Rebecca Fricke, Catherine Sanderson, Sheri Schmidt, Marian Parker, Jeanine Gonzalez, Shari Abbott, Janet Kannel, Andra Rose, Anne Duffy, Sue Cairn, Ellie Skinner, Robin Corder, Carrie Turkot, Debbie Gabor, Eileen Marasco, Caroline Goutte, Ann McLaughlin, Elly Hosea, Jenny Reynolds, Monica Wisnieski, Lisa Oram, Sue Borden, Amy Rose, Michele Spirko.

Annual Family Donation Fund

Last week you received a letter (and an envelope!) describing our Annual Family Donation Fund, in which we ask all families at the start of the year to make a donation to support Parent Council activities (field trips, cultural events, books for the library, scholarships for children in need, etc.). Although we suggest $20 a child, larger and smaller amounts are welcome – and all contributions are tax deductible (and anonymous). Checks (made out to Fort River Parent Council) or cash can be sent to the Parent Council mailbox in the main office or to Catherine Sanderson, 23 Alyssum Drive, Amherst, MA 01002.