Upcoming Events

Spring Recess. Week of April 21st. Parent Council Meeting. Wednesday, April 30th, 8:30 to 9:30 am, cafeteria. Elections for next year's Parent Council Board will be held. Fort River Roasters/Deans Beans Orders Due. Friday, May 2. Coffee With a Principal. Friday, May 16, 8:30am – 9:15am. In the Fort River Cafeteria. Please join Pricipal 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.

Parent Council Elections at the Next Meeting (April 30)

Our next Parent Council Meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 30th, at 8:30am in cafeteria. We will be holding elections for next year's Executive Board. We are currently working out a re-organization of the President's and Vice-President's roles so that could have possibly 5 VPs next year (each with a different job). In this way we hope to distribute the workload among more people and make all positions seem more appealing. If you would like to help out next year, please contact any of the current board members as soon as possible and/or come to the next Parent Council meeting. We also need to replace ALL grade representatives. Grade representatives have three responsibilities: finding a room parent for each of the teachers in your grade, contacting new families and welcoming them to the school, and working with the room parents (and other parents) to organize one grade-wide event (an event that brings together all kids in a given grade, across classrooms, during an out-of-school time). Once again, please contact any board member if you are interested.

Pictures STILL Needed for Yearbook

Parent Council is still seeking pictures of your kids for the yearbook. If you have any pictures from field trips or other class activities, please send them to Lynn Hayes at hay3bay@comcast.net. Lynn would like to have them by Friday, May 9th.

Of Interest to Fort River Families

Please note that these events are not sponsored by Parent Council. Amherst Soccer Academy. ASA is being held at Amherst College on July 21st-July 25th, 2008. It is geared for boys and girls in Grades 1-8, giving them the opportunity to mix both soccer and summer fun. There is both a Full-Day camp and a Half-Day camp. The price for the Half-Day Camp is $140 (before May 15th) and $150 (after May 15th). The price for the Full-Day Camp is $230 (before May 15th) and $250 (after May 15th).An additional 10% off for Amherst College employees. For more information, and to sign up, please go to www.amherst.edu, under the Men's or Women Soccer Team web pages, and click on "Youth Camp". Any questions/concerns, please contact Justin Serpone at either jserpone@amherst.edu or (413) 542-2956. Group Swim Lessons at Hampshire Athletic Club. Another session of group swim lessons will begin on May 3rd with sign-ups and level placement. Lessons will be held on the four following Saturdays in May. To sign-up students should come in to the club on the 3rd from 2:00-4:00pm. The price for the four lessons is $60 ($50 for members) Please contact Julian Porcino at (413) 687-2692 or jcp1405@yahoo.com with questions. 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. Website: http://www.amherstarts.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 description. 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

Book Fair. Week of April 14th to 18th. Click here for more information. Spring Recess. Week of April 21st. Parent Council Meeting. Wednesday, April 30th, 8:30 to 9:30 am, cafeteria. Elections for next year's Parent Council Board will be held. Fort River Roasters/Deans Beans Orders Due. Friday, May 2.

Book Fair Reminder--$5 Coupons

If your child participated in last summer's Read-a-Thon, don't forget to bring in your $5 coupon when you visit next week's Book Fair! Click here for more Book Fair information.

4th, 5th, and 6th Grade Annual Spring Concert

Dear parents and guardians of Fort River Chorus students, The fourth, fifth and sixth grade choruses will present our annual spring concert on Tuesday, May 27th in the Amherst Middle School auditorium at 7:30 pm. Please have your child report to the auditorium by 7:15 pm that night so that we can have the chorus warm up and prepare for the concert. Concert attire for boys includes white shirts or sweaters and dark slacks. Girls should wear a white blouses or sweaters and dark skirts or slacks. If your child is unable to participate in this event, it is important that you send me a note to notify me in advance, as it affects the student line-up on the choral risers. If you are unable to attend the evening concert, we will also be presenting a daytime performance for the school in the Fort River gym on Wednesday, May 21st. (Exact time to be announced.) Looking forward to seeing you on the 27th, Anne Louise White

Stop & Shop BonusBucks Update

This year's Stop & Shop BonusBucks program has ended for the school year, and we have earned a total of $1,331.98! Fort River came in second to Wildwood with the most money earned of all Amherst schools. (This money goes directly to the school--not to Parent Council.) Please remember that you will need to re-register your Stop & Shop card at the beginning of the 2008-09 school year if you wish to participate next year. Click here to check out all Amherst school totals.

FYI...Downtown Street Closings April 15 and 17

The Amherst Police Department has issued the following message: Street closings and parking issues will occur on April 15 and 17 due to two homes being moved. Closed to parking and traffic on Tuesday and Thursday mornings will be: Spring St. will be closed from Boltwood Ave. to Dickinson St., Boltwood Ave. will be closed from Spring St. to Main St. Main St. will be closed from Boltwood Ave. to Gray St. They are moving the Tuttle Farm House on Tuesday, the 15th and 23 Spring St. on Thursday. the 17th. The streets as well as parking will be opened back up once the houses pass and the utilities are re-hung. Everything will be bagged (no parking signs etc.) early each morning. We are hoping that each house move will be completed by 1 pm if not sooner.

Of Interest to Fort River Families

Please note that these events are not sponsored by Parent Council. Amherst Regional Middle School Bingo Night Tonight (4/11)! Family bingo night, Friday, April 11 from 7-9 p.m. ARMS Cafeteria. Fun prizes. Pizza, drinks and desserts for sale. 50/50 raffle. Club performances. Proceeds support our afterschool clubs. Group Swim Lessons at Hampshire Athletic Club. Another session of group swim lessons will begin on May 3rd with sign-ups and level placement. Lessons will be held on the four following Saturdays in May. To sign-up students should come in to the club on the 3rd from 2:00-4:00pm. The price for the four lessons is $60 ($50 for members) Please contact Julian Porcino at (413) 687-2692 or jcp1405@yahoo.com with questions. 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. Website: http://www.amherstarts.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

Media, Body Image and Our Kids. Tuesday, April 8th, 6:30-8:00pm. Amherst Regional Middle School Cafeteria. Click here 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. See below for more information. Spring Recess. Week of April 21st. Parent Council Meeting. Wednesday, April 30th, 8:30 to 9:30 am, cafeteria.

Book Fair

The annual book fair will be held from Monday, April 14th through Thursday April 17, from 9:00am-12 Noon. Extended hours on Thursday, April 17, 3:00-7:00pm. Scholastic Books has many great, affordable books and Food for Thought Books provides an excellent array of multicultural books for children and adults. Ellare Books is a local home-run book store that offers numerous educational books, activity books, hardcovers and softcovers at at least 50% off the cover price. It's a great time of year to pick up some books for birthdays, April vacation reading and of course to stock up on summer reading! Families are always welcome to visit the Book Fair with their child's class or at any other time. If you can't make it to the fair, you can send your child with cash in an envelope or a check made payable to Fort River Parent Council. If you choose to send a check, please designate on the memo line a maximum amount available for book purchases. 5% sales tax is added to the price of all purchases. Credit/Debit cards are also accepted. Those who would like to donate to the Scholarship Fund may leave money at the Cashier's Table. The Fund is used to assure that every Fort River student goes home from the book fair with at least one book. Teacher wish lists will be at the Cashier's Table if you are interested in making a purchase for a teacher or a donation to the Fort River Library. Your children will be coming home with a schedule of class visits to help you plan your child's time at the fair. We have some parent volunteers but can always use more. If you would like to volunteer for a 2 or 3 hour block, please contact Diane Caraker at Dianec711@comcast.net or 253-4191. Thank you for making the Fort River book fair a success year after year and continuing to foster you child's love for reading!

Of Interest to Fort River Families

Please note that these events are not sponsored by Parent Council. Group Swim Lessons at Hampshire Athletic Club. Another session of group swim lessons will begin on May 3rd with sign-ups and level placement. Lessons will be held on the four following Saturdays in May. To sign-up students should come in to the club on the 3rd from 2:00-4:00pm. The price for the four lessons is $60 ($50 for members) Please contact Julian Porcino at (413) 687-2692 or jcp1405@yahoo.com with questions. 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. Website: 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.

School Committee Election Results

Congratulations to Fort River Parent Council President Catherine Sanderson for winning a seat on the Amherst School Committee in yesterday's election! On a personal note, I would like to thank both Catherine and Chrystel Romero (also a Fort River Parent!) for their willingness to take on such a big and important challenge. Thanks also to Chrystel Romero for her past year's service on the School Committee. It was great to see the involvement of so many Fort River parents in both of the campaigns. I believe it shows the dedication of the Fort River community as a whole to the quality of our public schools and to the welfare of all of our children. --Ann McLaughlin, Parent Council Secretary The Amherst Bulletin has posted a short summary of the election results here: http://www.amherstbulletin.com/story/id/927205500229/. Unofficial Town-Wide Tallies of all the votes for various offices are posted here: http://www.amherstma.gov/TownWideTally.pdf.