Upcoming Events

Gift Wrap Sales Order Deadline. Friday, Oct. 26th. Fall Festival Friday, October 26th, 6:30 to 8:00 pm, cafeteria. Fort River Roasters/Dean's Beans Orders Due. Friday, Nov. 2nd. Hillside Pizza Orders Due. Friday, Nov. 9. Veteran's Day Observed. Monday, Nov. 12. No School. Coffee With a Principal, Friday, November 16th, 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. Diversity and Social Justice Committee Meeting, Friday, November 16th, 9 to 10 am, library. Parent Council Meeting, Tuesday, November 27th, 8:30 to 9:30 am, cafeteria.

Hillside Pizza Fundraiser

Don't forget to order your pizzas (and desserts)! The order deadline is Friday, Nov. 9th. Pizza pickup is Friday, Nov. 16th. Click here for extra order forms: Hillside Pizza Order Form. Contact: Pam Rietkerk (tel. 256-2605, pjrietkerk@aol.com) or Alisa Braverman (tel. 253-5362, a.braverman@comcast.net.)

Winter Gear Drive

To ensure all Fort River children are toasty warm, we are having a Winter Gear Drive. Donations of coats, snow pants, snow boots, hats, mittens, gloves, and scarves will be accepted. ALL sizes, children and adults are in need. Gear Drop off:

During the Fall Festival Friday, October 26th from 6pm-8pm, & All week in the school lobby October 29th through November 2nd Gear Pick up: We will be in the lobby offering donated winter gear to families who are in need of some of these items. Monday, November 5th & Tuesday, November 6th 8am-10 am & 2pm-4pm If you have any questions, please contact Morgan Lord, storm01060@yahoo.com or 253-9424.

Someone will be available Friday 6pm to 8pm on October 26th and November 5th and 6th during distribution for questions as well. The Winter Gear Drive is sponsored by the

Diversity and Social Justice Committee of Fort River Parent Council.

Fall Festival Tonight

Just a reminder that tonight's Fall Festival is NOT a drop-off event! All children must be supervised by their parents.

Also, for those of you who are new to Fort River, the kids (and some parents!) do indeed wear their Halloween costumes.

This is one of Parent Council's most popular and fun events. We hope to see you all tonight in your costumes!

Annual Family Donation Fund Update for Oct. 26, 2007

Thanks to all families who have already contributed to our Annual Family Donation Fund, which supports all Parent Council activities (field trips, cultural events, books for the library, scholarships for children in need, etc.)! We have already raised $4,898 from 143 of our 359 families (40% of families), and are still hoping for contributions from all families (and even a $1.00 donation helps increase our goal of 100% family participation)! 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.

Playground Volunteers Needed This Weekend

We are looking for some help for the last time in 2007 with preparing the new playground equipment and benches for use! Can you help this Sunday afternoon, October 28th, 1 to 3 pm (or any time within this period), with removing brackets (cordless drills would be useful), smoothing the ground beneath the equipment, and shoveling woodchips? Please contact Catherine (casanderson@amherst.edu, 256-4977) if you can help! Click here for some pictures of the latest installations. It's looking great!

Gift Wrap Sales -- Orders Due Today Friday, Oct. 26.

The gift wrap orders are due today. Questions? Contact Karen Zilberstein (253-7072; eKaren@comcast.net.)

Progress at the Playground

This is what the playground looked like on Tuesday, Oct. 23rd.

Awesome!

Upcoming Events

Coffee With a Principal. Friday, October 19, 8:30 to 9:15am. 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. Fall Festival. Friday, October 26th, 6:30 to 8:00 pm, cafeteria. Gift Wrap Sales Order Deadline. Friday, Oct. 26th. Fort River Roasters/Dean's Beans Orders Due. Friday, Nov. 2nd. Hillside Pizza Orders Due. Friday, Nov. 9. Veteran's Day Observed. Monday, Nov. 12. No School. Coffee With a Principal. Friday, November 16th, 8:30 to 9:15 am. Parent Council Meeting. Tuesday, November 27th, 8:30 to 9:30 am, cafeteria.

Volunteers Desperately Needed -- Playground Installation

We are installing the next phase of the playground on Saturday, October 20th, and desperately need volunteers to assist with assembling the play equipment and planting trees/bushes. Please come, even for an hour or two (morning help ESPECIALLY needed). Contact Catherine Sanderson (casanderson@amherst.edu ,256-4977) ASAP to volunteer.

Annual Family Donation Fund Update

Thanks to all families who have already contributed to our Annual Family Donation Fund, which supports all Parent Council activities (field trips, cultural events, books for the library, scholarships for children in need, etc.)! We have already raised $4,898 from 134 of our 359 families (37% of families), and are still hoping for contributions from all families (and even a $1.00 donation helps increase our goal of 100% family participation)! 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.

Thanks from Parent Council

Big Thank Yous to Pam Rietkerk for organizing Picture Day and to the volunteers who assisted on Picture Day: Audrey O'Connell, Diane Caracker, Lynn Hayes, Sue Borden, Ellie Skinner, Carrie Turkot, Crystal Sargent, Leah Hebert. Thanks to Libby Stanforth and Hana Rivkin for distributing the school directories.

Hillside Pizza Fundraiser

Buy delicious, organic, locally-made pizza and cookie dough and help support our new playground! Orders are due Friday, November 9th, and pizza/cookie dough pick-up is Friday, November 16th. Extra order forms are available here. Ingredient/allergen information is available here. Questions? Contact Pam Rietkerk (256-2605, pjrietkerk@aol.com) or Alisa Braverman (253-5362, a.braverman@comcast.net).

Fort River Roasters from Dean's Beans

Buy delicious coffee/hot chocolate at prices cheaper than local grocery stores and help support our new playground! Orders are due Friday, November 2nd. For more information about the products for sale, click here. Extra order forms are available here.

Questions? Contact Hana Rivkin (256-2330, hrivkin@yahoo.com) or Libby Stanforth (253-8039; bstanforth@comcast.net).

Gift Wrap Sales -- Orders Due Friday, Oct. 26.

Gift Wrap Sales orders are due Friday, October 26th. Questions? Contact Karen Zilberstein (253-7072; eKaren@comcast.net).

6th Grade Graduation

Calling all 6th grade parents! Please remember to sign up to assist with graduation responsibilities. Questions? Contact Karen Zilberstein (253-7072; eKaren@comcast.net). Click here for Graduation Form.

Class Potluck -- Amy Jackendoff's Class

Amy Jackendoff’s 4th grade class is having a potluck dinner on Wed, Nov 7., 6-7:30pm in the Fort River Cafeteria I. Contacts: Janet Kannel (janetkannel40@comcast.net or 253-4641) or Alisa Braverman (a.braverman@comcast.net or 253-5362).

Fall Festival--Please Volunteer and Help Recruit Volunteers

Hi, I'm writing to ask for your help in recruiting more volunteers for the Fall Festival. We still need a few more people who can help out at the craft and game tables and monitor the snack table, the survival center table, the halls and the playground from 6:00 to 8:00pm. The more people the more fun and the easier it is. There are no skills required, specific instructions/directions will be provided. Two people could even split a shift or do one together. It's really a fun way to participate in a really fun event. The kids have a blast and the costumes and parade are really awesome! If you can give us some of your time (and have a great time in return!) please contact Louise Levy, tel. 256-1930, lhlevy@lycos.com, or Gina Chaplain, tel. 253-1955, ginach@bigplanet.com. Please forward this information to the parents in your classrooms and/or spread the word to any else you think may be interested. Thank you, Gina and Louise For more info, click here for the Fall Festival Volunteer Form.

Hillside Pizza Fundraiser Allergen Information

For those of you who have food allergies in your families, here is some information from Hillside Pizza about the ingredients used in their products. You can also take a look at their website at: http://www.hillsidepizza.com. Basic Cheese Pizza. Ingredients: Dough: Unbleached white organic flour, water, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, organic sugar, yeast. Sauce: Organic ground tomatoes, organic pureed tomatoes, organic oregano, sea salt. Cheese: Natural cheddar, mozzarella, parmesan blend. Pesto Pizzas. Dough: Unbleached white organic flour, water, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, organic sugar, yeast. Sauce: Hillside Pesto (Hillside basil, extra virgin olive oil, canola oil blend, hillside garlic, walnuts, parmesan cheese, pignoli nuts). Cheese: Natural cheddar, mozzarella, parmesan blend. Allergy Warning: Contains known allergens – wheat, milk, tree nuts. (walnuts, pignoli nuts). Contains NO preservatives. Hillside Chocolate Chip. Unbleached white organic pastry flour, organic cane sugar, butter, egg, canola oil, chocolate chips, vanilla, sea salt, baking soda. Contains NO preservatives. Contains known allergens: wheat, milk, eggs.

Boston Museum of Science Demonstration

Some Fort River students help out at the "Fog, Flowers and Fireworks"

demonstration after school on Wed. Oct. 10.

This event was presented by the Boston Museum of Science and was sponsored by Parent Council. As part of this special event, each Fort River class attended one of three separate, age-appropriate demonstrations during the school day.

Thanks to Betty Sharpe for organizing the Science Day Demonstrations, and Chris Felton and Janet Kannel for managing the Bake Sales before/after this event.

Upcoming Events

Picture Day - Tuesday/Wednesday, October 16 & 17. Diversity and Social Justice Committee Meeting, Wednesday, October 17th, 8:40 to 9:40 am, library. 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. Playground Day. Saturday, October 20th, 8:30 am to ???. Please help with assembling equipment and planting trees. Contact Catherine Sanderson at casanderson@amherst.edu. Fall Festival. Friday, October 26th, 6:30 to 8:00 pm, cafeteria.

Playground News -- Installation on Oct. 20th.

We are installing the next phase of the playground in the next few weeks, and desperately need volunteers to assist with all of the following: assembling the play equipment and digging holes and planting trees (all on Saturday, October 20th). Can you help on that day? We also are in search of one or two people with some landscaping expertise to sketch out a layout of trees, benches, and picnic tables! Please contact Catherine (256-4977, casanderson@amherst.edu) if you can help in any of these capacities.

Hillside Pizza Fundraiser for the Playground--Dates Announced!

Orders for the pizza fundraiser are due Friday, November 9. Click here for a copy of the form. Forms will also be coming home in the backpacks.

Here’s how it works: 1. Order pizzas & cookie dough tubs; send form and payment to the Parent Council mailbox by Friday, November 9. 2. Pick-up is from 3:00-5:00pm in the Fort River lobby on Friday, November 16.

Dining on Hillside “take & bake” Pizza is a real treat! Hillside Pizzas are made fresh, locally, and are truly delicious. The crust is made with certified organic flours, virgin olive oil and sea salt. A tasty organic tomato sauce and triple-blend of hormone-free cheeses top Hillside pizzas. Pizzas come with freezer bag & oven-ready tray; enjoy one now and freeze another. Prices will be $12.50-$14.00/Large 16”. Don’t forget dessert! Fresh cookie dough comes in 4 flavors, ready to be scooped onto baking sheets & put into the oven. Each tub has enough dough to make 3 dozen cookies. They are made with the finest quality organic and natural ingredients--without preservatives, additives, hydrogenated oils, or GMOs. Tubs can be frozen and count towards our total sales. How can you help?? *Buy a few pizzas & cookie dough; cook fresh and/or freeze for later! *Get together with neighbors and throw a pizza party! *Ask family, neighbors, & co-workers to buy pizza & support Fort River! *Reach out to local businesses willing to further our efforts! ** Questions ** Sales Ideas ** Ready to Volunteer ** Contact Pam Rietkerk at 256-2605 pjrietkerk@aol.com or Alisa Braverman at 253-5362 a.braverman@comcast.net

Annual Family Donation Fund Update for Oct. 12, 2007

We’ve received the best response ever to our Annual Family Donation Fund, which supports all Parent Council activities (field trips, cultural events, books for the library, scholarships for children in need, etc.) including the FREE directory your child will bring home today! We have already raised $4,159 from 117 of our 359 families (33% of families), and are still hoping for contributions from all families (and even a $1.00 donation helps increase our goal of 100% family participation)! 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.

Picture Day -- Volunteers Still Needed

School Pictures will be taken on Tuesday/Wednesday, October 16 & 17 (order forms will come home very soon), and we need volunteers to assist with getting kids set and ready to be photographed. Questions? Contact Pam Rietkerk (pjrietkerk@aol.com, 256-2605).

Family Fair Thanks

Thank you*** Thank you*** Thank You*** The Family Fair was a huge success, attendance was high, the weather was perfect, entertainment and games were fun and we sold out all the foods and beverages. We raised eight hundred dollars in profit, wow!!!! I would like to thank everyone who helped and supported the Family Fair. Special thanks to our fabulous six graders and their teachers, Roger Wallace, Peter Lamdin, and Catherine Davis, to Umoja Too Drummers and Eli Mentos (Fort River alumni) for the entertainment, to Russ Vernon-Jones, Karen Bonneau, Pam Blinn and her staff, Charles Thompson and his staff, to Catherine Sanderson, Ann McLaughlin, Alisa Braverman, Carol Richardson, and to our volunteers at the event: Lisa Lieberman, Sally Darby, Lisa Wallace, Karen Levine, Cristina Sunkel-Lord, Mareatha Bowen, Joe Russavage, Ronnie Coleman, Eileen Marasco, Sue Raker, to my fellow committee members, Anne Duffy and Shari Abbott, to all our six grade families, to Deb Napier who coordinated this event for several years, to all our food donors and buyers and to everyone who attended the event. You all made the Family Fair fundraiser event seem so easy. Again thank you very much. Please accept my sincere apologies if I omitted your name, this is not intentional. Thank you Pat Ononibaku on behalf of the committee.

Stop and Shop A+ Bonus Bucks

There's some good news and some bad news about the Stop and Shop fundraiser. The Good News: Fort River already has 13 people signed up. The Bad News: Crocker Farm has 22 people and Wildwood has 37! Help Fort River get the most money out of this program and sign up today! It easy and painless for anyone who regularly shops at Stop and Shop and has a Stop and Shop card. Here's a link to all the information you need: http://ftriver.blogspot.com/2007/09/attention-all-stop-and-shop-customers.html. Thanks!

Class Potlucks

On Tuesday, October 16 families with a student in Maurisa Davis' class are having a potluck dinner in the Fort River Cafeteria from 5:30-7:00pm. All family members are welcome. Families with a second-grader in Irene Eigner's class will gather for a potluck on Thursday, October 18 in the Fort River Cafeteria from 5:30-7:00pm. All family members are welcome.

Thank-You Note from Liliana Klass

Upcoming Events

Columbus Day - NO SCHOOL - Monday, Oct. 8th. Savings Makes "Cents" - Tuesday, October 9, 8:15am. Science Demonstration from the Boston Museum of Science - Wednesday, October 10th, 4:30 pm, gym. Picture Day - Tuesday/Wednesday, October 16 & 17. Diversity and Social Justice Committee Meeting - Wednesday, October 17th, 8:40 to 9:40 am, library. 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. Playground Day - Saturday, Oct. 20 – Please help with assembling equipment and planting trees.

Thanks from Parent Council

Thanks to all who have already turned in various Parent Council forms –Fort River Roaster orders, School Council ballots, Science Day reservations, Fall Festival volunteering! Remember, we need many volunteers to run all of these great activities, so please help out when you can.

Annual Family Donation Fund Update for Oct. 5, 2007

We’ve received the best response ever to our Annual Family Donation Fund, which supports all Parent Council activities (field trips, cultural events, books for the library, scholarships for children in need, etc.) – we have already raised $4,159 from 115 of our 359 families (32% 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.

Science Demonstration Day Update

Unfortunately we have reached (and surpassed!) our maximum capacity for the Science Demonstration Day tickets, and hence we can no longer accept ticket reservations. We are delighted with the enthusiasm for this event, and will certainly consider adding other similarly-themed events in the future. Please contact Catherine Sanderson (casanderson@amherst.edu, 256-4977) if you have ideas for such events and/or would be interested in helping plan an event.

Box Tops for Education

In case you are not familiar with Box Tops this is an easy way to earn money for Fort River….. and is one fund raiser that does not ask for any money….just take your scissors and clip! For each Box Top clipped the school receives 10 cents! How easy is that? So before you recycle the cardboard Zip Lock bag container, tear off the plastic around the Scott Bath Tissue, or throw away the top to the Yoplait Yogurt container take out your scissors. I know I always return my 5 cent cans rather than throw away money and this is the same for Fort River.

This year, our goal is to raise $500.00 for our school. So far this year we have collected 670 box tops and are 67.00 towards that goal. (Last year we only earned 98.00….some schools in our area earned over $2,000.00!). The collection box is on the table in the Front Office. This is one way relatives can help support your child’s school. (My children’s aunt and 95 year old grandmother clip) Every Box Top clipped will help Fort River School continue to provide quality education for our kids! NEXT REDEMPTION IS END of October so clip and send in your Box Tops by Friday October 26.

If you would like to learn about the other ways you can make a difference sign up for the Box Tops website at boxtops4education.com. It’s easy, free and you’ll learn about new ways to help our school earn the extra cash it needs. Here's a link to the Box Tops product list.

Thanks,

Jan Kelly
janandkevink@comcast.net
tel. 253-9403

Thanks From Teri Magner, Fort River Art Teacher

Thank You Note from Kai Simon, 6th Grade Teacher

A Friendly Reminder from Parent Council

The Annual Fort River Open House is tonight (Wed. Oct. 3rd) at 7pm.

It's also a great time to bring in:

• Fort River Roasters/Dean's Beans order form,
• your Parent Council Annual Family Fund Donations,
• your ticket orders for next week's "Fog, Flowers and Fireworks" demonstration,
• and your ballots for the School Council Elections!