Upcoming Events

Buy-a-Brick Forms Dues. Monday, March 31st. Last chance to order a brick! Click here for more information and forms: Buy-a-Brick Info. Town Election. Tuesday, April 1st. Polls open 7am-8pm. See below for more info. Dean's Beans/Fort River Roasters Orders Due. Friday, April 4th. Click here for form. Media, Body Image and Our Kids. Tuesday, April 8th, 6:30-8:00pm. Amherst Regional Middle School Cafeteria. See below for more info. Sponsored by the Diversity and Social Justice Committee. Coffee With A Principal – Friday, April 11th, 8:30 to 9:15 am, cafeteria. Book Fair - Week of April 14th to 18th. Spring Recess. Week of April 21st. Parent Council Meeting – Wednesday, April 30th, 8:30 to 9:30 am, cafeteria.

Media, Body Image and Our Kids

To the Fathers, Mothers, Guardians, Teachers and Staff of the Amherst/Pelham Elementary School Community: Join us to explore Media, Body Image, and Our Kids on Tuesday, April 8, 2008, from 6:30-8:00pm in the Amherst Regional Middle School Cafeteria.

Erica Scharrer, Department of Communication, UMass Amherst and Tom Gardner, Department of Communication, Westfield State College, will facilitate a discussion on the following questions: How is body image portrayed in the media? How does media imagery of bodies impact our kids, both boys and girls? What are ways to help kids think critically about messages in the media? We'll view parts of two films, "Slim Hopes: Advertising and the Obsession with Thinness" and "Tough Guise: Violence, Media, and the Crisis in Masculinity," and follow with an informal discussion. For more information, contact Chris Felton, 253-1242, cmfelton@comcol.umass.edu or Sue Cairn, 253-9148, scairn@verizon.net. Childcare can be provided. Please contact Chris by April 4 if childcare is needed. Sponsored by: Diversity and Social Justice Committee of the Fort River Parent Council.

It's No Joke: Town Elections on April 1st!

Town elections are being held this coming April Fool's Day (Tuesday). Polls are open 7am-8pm. Given the budget problems in town, it's vitally important that parents with kids in the public schools make their voices heard. Also, both candidates for the open School Committee seat are Fort River parents!

For more information on who is running, check out the Amherst Bulletin website at http://amherstbulletin.com/. The Amherst Town Government website also has a wealth of voter information including candidates, sample ballots, polling places, etc.: http://www.amherstma.gov/voter_information.asp.

Of Interest to Fort River Families

Please note that these events are not sponsored by Parent Council. The Amherst Survival Center will be holding its first ever "Family Night" on Monday March 31 from 4-6 PM at the Center (1200 North Pleasant Street). We are opening outside of our usual hours in order to welcome families and school age children to come and learn what the Center is about, have a nice kid-friendly dinner, shop in the Free Store, or get a box of groceries from our Pantry. We'll also have arts and crafts activities for the children. For more information contact Sue Cairn (scairn@verizon.net) or Tracey mailto:tracey@amherstsurvival.org). Amherst Community Arts Center, Leverett Crafts & Arts, and Hampshire Franklin Children's Daycare Center are pleased to present: Go, Kids Art, Go! Celebrating the artist in every child. An exhibition of children's artwork from schools and organizations in the Hampshire-Franklin Region. On display in the Barnes Gallery at Leverett Crafts & Arts, Saturday March 8-Sunday April 27, 2008. Gallery Hours: Fri-Sun, 2-5pm. Opening Reception & Party, Saturday March 29, 2008, 11am-5pm. FREE EVENTS for children and families, including: music, dance, art demos and face painting. FEATURING: The Pop Rockets! A raffle and bakesale will also be held to benefit the three organizations and Go, Kids Art, Go! For further information contact Hillary Milens, Executive Director, Amherst Community Arts Center(413) 253-65, http://www.amherstarts.org/. Nomads Field Hockey Club, Spring 2008 Season. When our children go on to the middle school, field hockey is one of the sports they will be able to participate in. In addition to LSSE’s summer field hockey camp, here is another opportunity for young players to learn the sport. The Nomads Field Hockey Club is now offering an Under 12 program that will be coached by the Nomads’ senior players under the guidance of Kerry Ann Jaggassar (former UMASS assistant coach) as well as Jamie Ginsberg (current Smith College coach)! Fort River parent Susan Anderson Noonan (noonanfamily@comcast.net) would be happy to answer any questions about this organization and this amazing opportunity. For more information, schedules and to register, please click here: http://www.nomadsfieldhockey.org/. Come Downtown and Celebrate: Amherst Grows Green! Saturday, April 26th Arbor Day Festivities at Amherst Common (across from Town Hall) 9am-1pm. Earth Day festivities on North Pleasant Street (shopping area) 11am-3pm. For details on all information, events and free tree seedlings, please see "In the News" link at http://www.amherstma.gov/. In case of rain, Arbor Day events will take place at the Amherst Cinema building’s covered walkway. A note from Parent Council. We will publish information about non-Parent Council sponsored events with the following conditions: 1. The event should be of interest to Fort River families. 2. The information should be sent to Ann McLaughlin at damclaughlin@comcast.net in the form of a short blurb of 100 words or less. 3. Contact information (name, telephone and/or email address) must be included. We add new information to the blog every Friday during the school year. Please note that we do not accept announcements of items or services for sale (with the exceptions of children's classes/lessons). Inclusion in this section does not imply any guarantees or endorsements by Fort River Parent Council or Fort River School.

Upcoming Events

Diversity and Social Justice Committee Meeting - Wednesday, March 26th, 8:45, library. Dean's Beans/Fort River Roasters Orders Due. Friday, April 4th. Coffee With A Principal – Friday, April 11th, 8:30 to 9:15 am, cafeteria. Book Fair - Week of April 14th to 18th. Spring Recess. Week of April 21st. Parent Council Meeting – Wednesday, April 30th, 8:30 to 9:30 am, cafeteria.

LAST Chance to Order a Brick for the Playground

As many of you know, as part of last year’s fundraising for the new playground, families could order bricks to be etched with a special name or saying. The bricks are now being etched, and will be installed this spring, but a few new families have asked if a brick could be purchased. We are therefore extending the date for ONE MORE week in case there are last brick orders to be placed. Please click here for a form: Buy-a-Brick Form. Please return forms (and checks) to the Parent Council box in the main office (or to Catherine Sanderson, 23 Alyssum Drive, Amherst), by Monday, March 31st. ALSO, please save the date of Thursday, May 22nd to join Fort River families, teachers and staff for a fun potluck picnic when we unveil our new brick walkway and plaque!

Volunteers Needed for the Book Fair

The Book Fair will be held the week of April 12th to 16th (a good time to pick up some new books to enjoy over spring break!), and we need volunteers to help children find books, answer questions, and just be there to help out. Volunteers are needed to sign up for 2-3 hour slots from 9 am to noon Monday, 4/13 through Thursday, 4/17 AND Thursday, 4-17 from 3 to 7 pm. We could also use a few volunteers to pack up the book fair on Thursday evening. Information on when classes sign up (and the information forms about the books being sold) will go home on March 28th if you want to coordinate with your child’s class. Please contact our Diane Caraker (253-4191; dianec711@comcast.net) to volunteer.

Beach Party Volunteers

Many thanks to ALL the Beach Party volunteers for helping to make it a success: John Foster, Amy Rose, Morgan Lord, Pat Onabakuu, Maya Rege-Colt, Yeonhwa Park, Colleen Champ, Lynn Hayes, Chris Felton, Stacy Simonson, Stephanie Oates, Marla Soloman, Amy Bush, Kira Cairn, Liz Larson, and Sheri Schmidt. We also want to give a big thank you to Baku’s African Restaurant, Mom's House and Sibie’s Pizza for helping to supply the delicious food! Additional thanks to Fort River staff members Stuart Kinsman and Paul Chmura who were on duty that night, as well as the entire Fort River Administration for their support. This event was free to all families thanks to the fundraising efforts of the Fort River Parent Council!

Book Swap Volunteers

Thanks to Pam Rietkerk for organizing the fabulous Fort River Book Swap, and to the many dedicated volunteers, including Lynn Hayes, Libby Stanforth, Joanne Swanson, Liz Larson, Jen Ditkoff, Rebecca Fricke, Elly Hosea, Carla Carpenter, Holly Marshall, Gloria McCann, Eileen Marasco, and especially Carrie Turkot!!!

Annual Family Donation Fund Update

Thanks to all the families who have already contributed to our Annual Family Donation Fund, which supports all Parent Council activities (field trips, cultural events, library books, scholarships for children in need, etc.)! We have now raised $5,893 from 154 of our 359 families (43% 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, contributions of any size are welcome ­ and all contributions are tax deductible (and anonymous). Checks (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.

MCAS Schedule

The MCAS Schedule is as follows: Grade 3 March 24, 25, and 26 Grade 4 March 25, 26, 27, and 28 Grade 5 March 31, April 1 and 2 Grade 6 April 2, 3, and 4. All tests begin at 9am, so please make sure your kids get to school on time. Also remember to make sure your kids are well rested and have had a good breakfast on those days!

Of Interest to Fort River Families

Please note that these events are not sponsored by Parent Council. Movement & Music Program for Young Children Offers Free Sample Classes. Music Together for Valley Families provides music and movement classes for newborn through five-year-old children with their parents or caregivers as well as in preschools and daycare centers. This spring they will be offering classes for families in Amherst, Belchertown, So. Hadley and Holyoke, beginning March 31, 2008. Interested families may find out more about the program and sign up for a free sample class, held March 24-27, 2008 at selected times and locations. Now in its ninth year locally, they are accepting registrations through March 27 by mail, phone or online. To reserve a spot in a sample class or receive more information, please call Director Debbie Weyl at (413) 259-9400 or see www.valleymusicgroup.com. Multi-Arts Play Writing Competition: $200 for a play written by children! As a way to inspire children and young adults to create stories and promote their imagination, Multi-Arts invites them to enter a play-writing competition. The winner will get $200 and the staging of their play by children in our summer program. Rules can be found on our website: http://www.multi-arts.org/. Just click on the link to the playwriting competition. Amherst Community Arts Center, Leverett Crafts & Arts, and Hampshire Franklin Children's Daycare Center are pleased to present: Go, Kids Art, Go! Celebrating the artist in every child. An exhibition of children's artwork from schools and organizations in the Hampshire-Franklin Region. On display in the Barnes Gallery at Leverett Crafts & Arts, Saturday March 8-Sunday April 27, 2008. Gallery Hours: Fri-Sun, 2-5pm. Opening Reception & Party, Saturday March 29, 2008, 11am-5pm. FREE EVENTS for children and families, including: music, dance, art demos and face painting. FEATURING: The Pop Rockets! A raffle and bakesale will also be held to benefit the three organizations and Go, Kids Art, Go! For further information contact Hillary Milens, Executive Director, Amherst Community Arts Center(413) 253-65, http://www.amherstarts.org/. Visit Japan from your own home! Twelve students from Doshisha High School in Kyoto, Japan are coming here this summer! The founder of Doshisha is a graduate of Amherst College, so the school sends a group to study English here each summer. We are looking for families to host a student: provide a bed, meals, and arrange transportation for the students to and from Amherst each day for English classes (9am - 4 pm). Last year many families worked out carpools. I also organize field trips for the students - Tanglewood, a hike, mini-golf, rollerskating, Six Flags - and host families are welcome to join the group for these events. Some families took it upon themselves to do weekend trips together, or to have gatherings at their homes. I met a great group of kids from Japan, but I also enjoyed a fantastic group of local families.The dates are July 25 - Aug 15. If you can host for all OR part of that time, please call me, Laurie Boosahda, at (413) 665-3111. Do You Know a Family that could be a Friendly Town Host? The Fresh Air Fund is trying to recruit more Friendly Town host families for Summer 2008. If you know a family that you think would be willing to welcome a Fresh Air Fund child into their home this summer, please tell them about our important Friendly Town program! Here are a few things you might want to mention to prospective Friendly Town families:* Children starting out in the Friendly Town program are six to 12-years old, and stay for one to two weeks.* Most of the children in the Friendly Town program have never been outside the city. With your family, every day will be an adventure. Your Fresh Air Fund child will love learning to swim, hike, cook, play cards, and do all the things your family does.* Children and families are carefully matched to ensure the highest probability of a wonderful experience for both. And local volunteers work with and support families to help make sure things go smoothly.* Over 65% of children are asked back again and again, showing that the experience is rewarding for host families as well as the children.* It costs less for a child to spend part of the summer with a host family than at our summer camps. This means that the more host families we have, the more kids get a chance to escape the city.To help The Fresh Air Fund find new hosts, please send your friends and neighbors to http://www.freshair.org/becomingahost.asp. Parent Council President Catherine Sanderson (email: casanderson@amherst.edu) has been a host for the past 2 summers and would be happy talk to any Fort River families who are interested in participating. Walking with Dinosaurs - The Live Experience at the Mullins Center. Discounted Ticket Offer: Enter the code "GSMC" to receive a $5 discount off Thursday (March 27) and Friday (March 28) night shows! For groups of 10 or more please call 413-545-3332. Buy tickets at http://www.ticketmaster.com/promo/cwv89l. For more information visit http://www.dinosaurlive.com/. Contact: Scott Sasenbury, Director of Marketing Mullins Center, email: ssasenbury@admin.umass.edu; web: http://www.mullinscenter.com/. A note from Parent Council. We will publish information about non-Parent Council sponsored events with the following conditions: 1. The event should be of interest to Fort River families. 2. The information should be sent to Ann McLaughlin at damclaughlin@comcast.net in the form of a short blurb of 100 words or less. 3. Contact information (name, telephone and/or email address) must be included. We add new information to the blog every Friday during the school year. Please note that we do not accept announcements of items or services for sale (with the exceptions of children's classes/lessons). Inclusion in this section does not imply any guarantees or endorsements by Fort River Parent Council or Fort River School.

Upcoming Events

Teacher Curriculum Workday. Monday, March 17. NO SCHOOL. Book Swap. Week of March 18th. More info here. Parent Council Meeting. Thursday, March 20th, 6:30pm. In the libary. Babysitting provided. Diversity and Social Justice Committee Meeting. Wednesday, March 26th, 8:45am. In the library.

"Wishful Thinking" at the Beach Party

The Beach Party was well attended and a lot of fun. The food and entertainment were great. The highlight of the night was the performance of Fort River's own awesome group, "Wishful Thinking!"

Now I'm wishfully thinking of a real beach and warm weather!

Pictures Needed for Yearbook

Do you have some good pictures from the Beach Party? Your child's field trip? Class activities? Planning for this year's yearbook is already underway, and we're looking for great pictures of your kids and their classmates. We're especially looking for pictures from the lower grades (K-2) but all contributions are welcome! Just email your pics to Lynn Hayes at hay3bay@comcast.net. Thanks!

Bilingual Language Tutors Needed

The Amherst Pelham Schools’ English Language Education Program is urgently seeking bilingual language tutors who speak English and one or more of the following languages: Arabic, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Pushtu, Tigrigna, Vietnamese, Spanish. Tutorial positions supporting student access to learning pay $10 an hour. You can apply for a bilingual tutoring position on line at schoolspring.com or email Susan Kennedy Marx, ELE Coordinator at Student Services at marxs@arps.org with a c/c to Mildred Martinez at martinezm@arps.org or call 362-1859. Please contact us immediately to express your interest. We look forward to hearing from you at this time.

A Parent’s Guide to Selecting a Special Education Advocate in Massachusetts

Assistant Principal Lianne Suarez-Werlein has asked me to share this link with you. It leads to a brochure for families who are trying to navigate the special education process: http://fcsn.org/pti/advocacy/advocacy_brochure.pdf.

Of Interest to Fort River Families

Please note that these events are not sponsored by Parent Council. Multi-Arts Play Writing Competition: $200 for a play written by children! As a way to inspire children and young adults to create stories and promote their imagination, Multi-Arts invites them to enter a play-writing competition. The winner will get $200 and the staging of their play by children in our summer program. Rules can be found on our website: http://www.multi-arts.org/. Just click on the link to the playwriting competition. Art & drama Workshop: Let's cheer up this snowy winter! Join us for a fun morning of art and drama creativity with our beloved teachers Titus Neijens (art) and Zach Sherwin (drama-playwriting). Saturday, March 15, 10:00 am-12:30 pm, Jones Public Library, Amherst. Cost: $10, $5 for families in need of financial aid; free for low income families. Space is limited. To register, mail payment plus the following information: Name of child; Age; Parent's Name; Phone # to: Multi-Arts, PO Box 108, Hadley MA 01035. This program is supported in part by a grant from Amherst Cultural Council. Amherst Community Arts Center, Leverett Crafts & Arts, and Hampshire Franklin Children's Daycare Center are pleased to present: Go, Kids Art, Go! Celebrating the artist in every child. An exhibition of children's artwork from schools and organizations in the Hampshire-Franklin Region. On display in the Barnes Gallery at Leverett Crafts & Arts, Saturday March 8-Sunday April 27, 2008. Gallery Hours: Fri-Sun, 2-5pm. Opening Reception & Party, Saturday March 29, 2008, 11am-5pm. FREE EVENTS for children and families, including: music, dance, art demos and face painting. FEATURING: The Pop Rockets! A raffle and bakesale will also be held to benefit the three organizations and Go, Kids Art, Go! For further information contact Hillary Milens, Executive Director, Amherst Community Arts Center(413) 253-65, http://www.amherstarts.org/. Visit Japan from your own home! Twelve students from Doshisha High School in Kyoto, Japan are coming here this summer! The founder of Doshisha is a graduate of Amherst College, so the school sends a group to study English here each summer. We are looking for families to host a student: provide a bed, meals, and arrange transportation for the students to and from Amherst each day for English classes (9am - 4 pm). Last year many families worked out carpools. I also organize field trips for the students - Tanglewood, a hike, mini-golf, rollerskating, Six Flags - and host families are welcome to join the group for these events. Some families took it upon themselves to do weekend trips together, or to have gatherings at their homes. I met a great group of kids from Japan, but I also enjoyed a fantastic group of local families.The dates are July 25 - Aug 15. If you can host for all OR part of that time, please call me, Laurie Boosahda, at (413) 665-3111. Do You Know a Family that could be a Friendly Town Host? The Fresh Air Fund is trying to recruit more Friendly Town host families for Summer 2008. If you know a family that you think would be willing to welcome a Fresh Air Fund child into their home this summer, please tell them about our important Friendly Town program! Here are a few things you might want to mention to prospective Friendly Town families:* Children starting out in the Friendly Town program are six to 12-years old, and stay for one to two weeks.* Most of the children in the Friendly Town program have never been outside the city. With your family, every day will be an adventure. Your Fresh Air Fund child will love learning to swim, hike, cook, play cards, and do all the things your family does.* Children and families are carefully matched to ensure the highest probability of a wonderful experience for both. And local volunteers work with and support families to help make sure things go smoothly.* Over 65% of children are asked back again and again, showing that the experience is rewarding for host families as well as the children.* It costs less for a child to spend part of the summer with a host family than at our summer camps. This means that the more host families we have, the more kids get a chance to escape the city.To help The Fresh Air Fund find new hosts, please send your friends and neighbors to http://www.freshair.org/becomingahost.asp. Parent Council President Catherine Sanderson (email: casanderson@amherst.edu) has been a host for the past 2 summers and would be happy talk to any Fort River families who are interested in participating. Walking with Dinosaurs - The Live Experience at the Mullins Center. Discounted Ticket Offer: Enter the code "GSMC" to receive a $5 discount off Thursday (March 27) and Friday (March 28) night shows! For groups of 10 or more please call 413-545-3332. Buy tickets at http://www.ticketmaster.com/promo/cwv89l. For more information visit http://www.dinosaurlive.com/. Contact: Scott Sasenbury, Director of Marketing Mullins Center, email: ssasenbury@admin.umass.edu; web: http://www.mullinscenter.com/. A note from Parent Council. We will publish information about non-Parent Council sponsored events with the following conditions: 1. The event should be of interest to Fort River families. 2. The information should be sent to Ann McLaughlin at damclaughlin@comcast.net in the form of a short blurb of 100 words or less. 3. Contact information (name, telephone and/or email address) must be included. We add new information to the blog every Friday during the school year. Please note that we do not accept announcements of items or services for sale (with the exceptions of children's classes/lessons). Inclusion in this section does not imply any guarantees or endorsements by Fort River Parent Council or Fort River School.

New Principal Named for Middle School (Daily Hamphire Gazette, March12, 2008)

By MARY CAREYStaff Writer Wednesday, March 12, 2008 Wildwood search reopened By MARY CAREYStaff Writer AMHERST - Glenda Cresto, director of a Boston school-based teacher training program, will be the new principal at Amherst Regional Middle School beginning next year, Superintendent Jere Hochman has announced. Cresto and Michael Hayes, interim co-principal at ARMS, were the two finalists for the position. Mary Cavalier, the previous principal, left two years ago. "I'm really pleased with the superintendent's choice," said Steven Brewer, a member of the interview committee. "It must have been an extremely difficult decision. I thought both finalists were extremely well qualified." Brewer said he's particularly impressed with Cresto's ability to listen to a wide range of people and her desire to have the school become more engaged in the community. "Her interests and abilities in having students do meaningful work in the community, I think, will be a particular strength and exactly what's needed." Cresto said she and her partner recently bought land in Williamsburg and are planning to build a house there. Another round Meanwhile, the search for a Wildwood Elementary School principal will be reopened. "We feel we have time to secure a permanent principal for the building," said Kathryn Mazur, human resources director for the schools. Wildwood parent Molly Whalen, who attended community meetings with all of the candidates, said there were two she would have liked to have seen in the position. One of them, Ray Sharick, of Amherst, currently the principal at Fisher Hill Elementary School in Orange, was appointed to Fort River Elementary School. The other, Jill Pasquini-Torcia, is believed by parents to have been offered the job, but chose the principal position at Mosier Elementary School in South Hadley instead. "I was enthusiastically anticipating, so now I'm disappointed," Whalen said. She said she doesn't know what else could be done but to reopen the search. "I think it's unfortunate, because we've had two high-turnover principals at our school, and I think it would be good for the whole community if we could settle in with somebody," Whalen said. "Of course, everybody's wondering whether there will be an interim principal." Hochman has not said yet whether there would be one. There were five finalists for three elementary school positions. Hochman appointed Michael Morris, the assistant principal at Crocker Farm Elementary School, to the principal post there and Sharick to the Fort River Elementary School post. The remaining three finalists were Sandra Delaney, a Newton schools administrator; Pasquini-Torcia, a former Brockton teacher and administrator; and Catarina da Silva, a doctoral candidate at New York University. Mark Prince, principal at Wildwood for two years, announced several months ago that he would not be returning to the post next year.

Upcoming Events

Fort River Roasters Orders Due. Friday, March 7th. Order form here. Original Works Orders Due. Friday, March 7th. Beach Party. Wednesday, March 12th, 6:00-7:30pm. (Snow date March 13th). Fort River Cafeteria. More information here. Coffee with a Principal. Friday, March 14th, 8:30-9:15am. Please join Principal Vernon-Jones or Asst. Principal Lianne Suarez-Werlein for coffee, light breakfast foods and casual conversation in the cafeteria. Younger siblings are welcome to attend. In the cafeteria. Teacher Curriculum Workday. Monday, March 17. NO SCHOOL. Parent Council Meeting. Thursday, March 20th, 6:30pm. In the libary. Babysitting provided. Diversity and Social Justice Committee Meeting. Wednesday, March 26th, 8:45am. In the library. Book Swap. Week of March 18th. More info here.

Two Principals Picked, Two More to Go in Amherst (Article From the Daily Hampshire Gazette)

By MARY CAREY, Staff Writer Friday, March 7, 2008 AMHERST - Superintendent Jere Hochman announced his selection for two of four principal posts and expects to fill the remaining positions soon. Michael Morris will succeed Paul Wiley as principal of Crocker Farm Elementary School, Hochman said Tuesday. On Wednesday, he named Ray Sharick to the Fort River Elementary School principal's post. Now, only Wildwood Elementary School and Amherst Regional Middle School await news of who their next principal will be. The other finalists for the elementary post are Sandra Delaney, a Newton schools administrator; Jill Pasquini-Torcia, a former Brockton teacher and administrator; and Catarina da Silva, a doctoral candidate at New York University. Michael Hayes, currently the interim co-principal at ARMS, and Glenda Cresto, a Boston teacher trainer, are in contention for the middle school post. At Crocker Farm, secretary Kathy Aldrich said faculty and staff were delighted with the choice of Morris, who is currently assistant principal at the school. Morris was the unanimous choice of the school's interview committee, Crocker Farm parent Yaniris Fernandez said. "We actually really didn't have a second choice. He's going to be awesome," Fernandez said. Fernandez said Morris is "energetic, extremely smart, a go-getter, responsive. He's very compassionate and he understands the community." At Fort River, parents were similarly pleased with the choice of Sharick. An Amherst resident with children in the public schools, he is current principal of Fisher Hill Elementary School in Orange. "I think he'll be an excellent principal, and I'm happy that he's going to be our principal," said Ann McLaughlin, who was on the school's interview committee. "I think he's a good choice for Fort River. " Hochman said, "I am convinced that Ray will build upon all of Fort River's strengths, that he will build upon what is right and good at Fort River, and that he will keep the standards and focus on achievement for all learners high."

Of Interest to Fort River Families

Please note that these events are not sponsored by Parent Council. Multi-Arts Play Writing Competition: $200 for a play written by children! As a way to inspire children and young adults to create stories and promote their imagination, Multi-Arts invites them to enter a play-writing competition. The winner will get $200 and the staging of their play by children in our summer program. Rules can be found on our website: http://www.multi-arts.org/. Just click on the link to the playwriting competition. Art & drama Workshop: Let's cheer up this snowy winter! Join us for a fun morning of art and drama creativity with our beloved teachers Titus Neijens (art) and Zach Sherwin (drama-playwriting). Saturday, March 15, 10:00 am-12:30 pm, Jones Public Library, Amherst. Cost: $10, $5 for families in need of financial aid; free for low income families. Space is limited. To register, mail payment plus the following information: Name of child; Age; Parent's Name; Phone # to: Multi-Arts, PO Box 108, Hadley MA 01035. This program is supported in part by a grant from Amherst Cultural Council. Amherst Community Arts Center, Leverett Crafts & Arts, and Hampshire Franklin Children's Daycare Center are pleased to present: Go, Kids Art, Go! Celebrating the artist in every child. An exhibition of children's artwork from schools and organizations in the Hampshire-Franklin Region. On display in the Barnes Gallery at Leverett Crafts & Arts, Saturday March 8-Sunday April 27, 2008. Gallery Hours: Fri-Sun, 2-5pm. Opening Reception & Party, Saturday March 29, 2008, 11am-5pm. FREE EVENTS for children and families, including: music, dance, art demos and face painting. FEATURING: The Pop Rockets! A raffle and bakesale will also be held to benefit the three organizations and Go, Kids Art, Go! For further information contact Hillary Milens, Executive Director, Amherst Community Arts Center(413) 253-65, www.amherstarts.org. Visit Japan from your own home! Twelve students from Doshisha High School in Kyoto, Japan are coming here this summer! The founder of Doshisha is a graduate of Amherst College, so the school sends a group to study English here each summer. We are looking for families to host a student: provide a bed, meals, and arrange transportation for the students to and from Amherst each day for English classes (9am - 4 pm). Last year many families worked out carpools. I also organize field trips for the students - Tanglewood, a hike, mini-golf, rollerskating, Six Flags - and host families are welcome to join the group for these events. Some families took it upon themselves to do weekend trips together, or to have gatherings at their homes. I met a great group of kids from Japan, but I also enjoyed a fantastic group of local families.The dates are July 25 - Aug 15. If you can host for all OR part of that time, please call me, Laurie Boosahda, at (413) 665-3111. Do You Know a Family that could be a Friendly Town Host? The Fresh Air Fund is trying to recruit more Friendly Town host families for Summer 2008. If you know a family that you think would be willing to welcome a Fresh Air Fund child into their home this summer, please tell them about our important Friendly Town program! Here are a few things you might want to mention to prospective Friendly Town families: * Children starting out in the Friendly Town program are six to 12-years old, and stay for one to two weeks. * Most of the children in the Friendly Town program have never been outside the city. With your family, every day will be an adventure. Your Fresh Air Fund child will love learning to swim, hike, cook, play cards, and do all the things your family does. * Children and families are carefully matched to ensure the highest probability of a wonderful experience for both. And local volunteers work with and support families to help make sure things go smoothly. * Over 65% of children are asked back again and again, showing that the experience is rewarding for host families as well as the children. * It costs less for a child to spend part of the summer with a host family than at our summer camps. This means that the more host families we have, the more kids get a chance to escape the city. To help The Fresh Air Fund find new hosts, please send your friends and neighbors to http://www.freshair.org/becomingahost.asp. Parent Council President Catherine Sanderson (email: casanderson@amherst.edu) has been a host for the past 2 summers and would be happy talk to any Fort River families who are interested in participating. Walking with Dinosaurs - The Live Experience at the Mullins Center. Discounted Ticket Offer: Enter the code "GSMC" to receive a $5 discount off Thursday (March 27) and Friday (March 28) night shows! For groups of 10 or more please call 413-545-3332. Buy tickets at http://www.ticketmaster.com/promo/cwv89l. For more information visit http://www.dinosaurlive.com/. Contact: Scott Sasenbury, Director of Marketing Mullins Center, email: ssasenbury@admin.umass.edu; web: http://www.mullinscenter.com/. A note from Parent Council. We will publish information about non-Parent Council sponsored events with the following conditions: 1. The event should be of interest to Fort River families. 2. The information should be sent to Ann McLaughlin at damclaughlin@comcast.net in the form of a short blurb of 100 words or less. 3. Contact information (name, telephone and/or email address) must be included. We add new information to the blog every Friday during the school year. Please note that we do not accept announcements of items or services for sale (with the exceptions of children's classes/lessons). Inclusion in this section does not imply any guarantees or endorsements by Fort River Parent Council or Fort River School.

Ray Sharick Named Fort River's Next Principal

The following is an email sent to the Fort River Principal Interview Committee:

Dear Fort River Interview Committee:

I have selected Ray Sharick as the next principal for Fort River School. Ray has accepted the position. I introduced him to the faculty this afternoon and they applauded and applauded and welcomed him with open arms.

I will send a letter home to parents with students on Thursday. Again, thank you for your dedication to this process. I am convinced that Ray will build upon all of Fort River's strengths, that he will build upon what is right and good at Fort River, and that he will keep the standards and focus on achievement for all learners high.

Thank you. Jere Hochman

Article from the Daily Hampshire Gazette, March 1, 2008

Interviews, background checks done for five Amherst finalists By MARY CAREY Staff Writer Saturday, March 1, 2008 AMHERST - Five finalists for three elementary school principal posts each put in 12-hour days this week, meeting with administrators, teachers, and more than 100 parents and students. Next week Superintendent Jere Hochman expects to offer three of them a job. The week's series of meetings with 30 or more parents from each of the three elementary schools - Crocker Farm, Fort River and Wildwood - was among the last "puzzle piece(s) of a much larger puzzle," Hochman told Fort River parents after their final meeting with candidate Jill Pasquini-Torcia on Wednesday. "The numbers of people that showed up, the seriousness with which they took the process and the thoughtfulness of the questions show how much people value education in this town," said Wildwood parent Mary Kiely. Background checks of all the candidates have been done, with further checks to be done of the three candidates to whom Hochman offers a post, he said. Finalists are Sandra Delaney, a Newton schools administrator; Michael Morris, current assistant principal at Crocker Farm; Pasquini-Torcia, who has been a teacher and administrator in Brockton; Ray Sharick, current principal of Fisher Hill Elementary School in Orange; and Catarina da Silva, a doctoral candidate at New York University. Pasquini-Torcia, an Easthampton native, and da Silva are also finalists for the principal post at Mosier Elementary School in South Hadley. Delaney said she finds the Amherst schools appealing because they have the diversity of some inner city schools but are relatively small. "When times are tough, you work together," said Delaney, who repeatedly stressed that she favors collaborative teaching methods. Sharick, who lives in Amherst and has a doctorate in education from the University of Massachusetts, said he has been impressed with the education his children are receiving in Amherst. "I really want to take off the gloves and get into professional development," he said. Morris, an Amherst College alumnus, hopes to continue projects he is supervising at Crocker Farm matching children with students from the University of Massachusetts and Amherst College. Da Silva, who speaks Portuguese, Cape Verdean and Spanish and was a literacy coordinator in Dorchester, said , wants to put into practice the theory she has learned at NYU. Pasquini-Torcia said she wouldn't try to turn any of the school "upside down," but would lead them forward, using the experience she gained in Brockton schools as a teacher and assistant principal

Amhert Bulletin Article, Feb. 29, 2008

Amherst meets future principals By Mary Carey Staff Writer Published on February 29, 2008 MCAS tests, "differentiated learning," how to inspire and lead - all have been the subject of intense conversations among elementary school parents and prospective school principals in recent days. A hectic schedule of separate meetings with parents from each of the three elementary schools seeking a principal and five finalists for the posts did not deter people from coming out to the Amherst Regional Middle School to talk education. Groups of 30 or more parents from each of the three schools - Crocker Farm, Wildwood and Fort River - met separately for 40 minutes each with the candidates, beginning with Sandra Delaney, a Newton schools administrator, asking questions ranging from how they would handle a racially charged bullying incident to how they feel about the MCAS tests. "I'm feeling very good about seeing really quality candidates," Crocker Farm parent Clare Bertrand said Wednesday. "These people are really excited, energized; they want to be in Amherst, they're passionate in different ways." Michael Morris and Catarina daSilva met with parents Tuesday, and Ray Sharick and Jill Pasquini-Torcia were on deck for Wednesday. Middle school principal candidate Michael Hayes, the current interim co-principal, was scheduled to meet with parents and community members at the middle school library on Thursday and middle school finalist Glenda Cresto in the library March 3, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. "What I've been impressed with is the high level of parent turnout," said Amherst School Committee Chairman Andrew Churchill, who has attended meetings each night. Judging from their questions, which usually ran about 15 per 40 minute-meeting with a candidate, parents seem to share many of the same expectations and concerns, Churchill said. "I expected, actually, that the different schools would ask different types of questions, but the fundamental questions are really the same," Churchill said. "At each school, they wanted to know, how do you help make teachers the best they can be? How do you deal with what's important versus what are distractions and make the principal job doable? And how do you combine supporting and challenging all kids?" Parents were asked to fill out evaluation forms ranking the candidates experience and training, among other attributes. Parent interview committees from each elementary school expected to meet with Superintendent Jere Hochman to share their impressions with him on Monday. Hochman said he expects to offer positions to three of the candidates as early as the first week of March. Long day's journey The meetings with parents and community members capped a long day for the candidates, beginning at 10 a.m. with a tour of the schools, lunch with faculty, a meeting with Hochman and classroom visits. In all, each of the candidates was interviewed seven or eight times in a day. Candidates met with Wildwood parents in the ARMS auditorium, Fort River parents in the cafeteria and Crocker Farm parents in the library. The school PTOs arranged for free child care in the home economics room. "Basically, I never thought I'd go to college," Delaney explained to Wildwood parents, later saying that it was a teacher who encouraged her to pursue an education, not her parents. She ended up getting two master's degrees, served in the Peace Corps in northern Africa and taught high school for two years in Puerto Rico, before having four children and teaching at just about every level in schools in Cambridge, Chelsea and Newton. As a former Fort River teacher, Morris is well known to parents there as well as to parents from Crocker Farm, where he is now interim assistant principal. He told Fort River parents that having been a teacher recently gives him a feeling for what teachers are going through, while having left Fort River and worked as an administrator at Crocker Farm, has lent him a little perspective. DaSilva, who has been a teacher but most recently a graduate student at New York University, said she was eager to put into practice the theories that she's learned in school. She is writing a dissertation comparing schools in the New York City area. The three candidates who had met with parents by the Bulletin's press time said they have found standardized test scores useful for the specific data they provide about children's academic strengths and challenges. It was the contrast between the opportunities that schoolchildren got in Brookline compared with much poorer Chelsea that convinced Delaney of the merits of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System. It ensures that children in every school are held to the same standards, she said. Morris said he is no cheerleader for the MCAS tests, but he has learned much by looking at detailed data they provide. DaSilva said test-taking does not have to push aside more creative learning opportunities in schools. Asked by Amherst School Committee member Kathleen Anderson what they would do if they had a lot of parents trying to tell them how to do her jobs, as she said it was very likely would happen. DaSilva and Delaney said they would listen but would be firm. "If they were really adamant," DaSilva said of parents, "I'd encourage them to be a teacher in the school."