Fort River PGO, Fort River School, Amherst, Massachusetts. Your source for Fort River news and events. Sponsored by the Fort River Parent Guardian Organization. All Fort River families are automatically members of the PGO.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Upcoming School Events
Report Cards sent home for Grades 1 - 6. Friday, Jan. 30.
Superintendent Search Public Forum: Dr. Alberto Rodriguez. Wed. Feb. 4, 7pm. High School Library.
6th Grade Graduation Planning Meeting. Tuesday, Feb. 3, 7-9pm. In the Fort River Library. Click here for more information.
School Council Meeting, Thursday, Feb. 5th, 7pm. Principal's Office.
Fort River Roasters by Dean's Beans Coffee Orders Due. Friday, Feb. 6th. Click here for order form.
Coffee With a Principal, Friday, Feb. 6th, 8:30am. Fort River Cafeteria.
Superintendent Search Public Forum: Dr. Isabelina Rodriguez. Monday, Feb. 9th, 7pm. High School Library.
School Committee Meeting, Tuesday, Feb. 10th, 7pm. High School Library.
Superintendent Search Public Forum: Dr. David Sklarz. Thursday, Feb. 11th, 7pm. High School Library.
Winter Recess, Feb. 16th-Feb. 20th. No School.
Box Tops For Education Collection Deadline, Wed. Feb. 25. Please send in your Box Tops by this day for the last collection of this school year. All box tops received after this day will be held until next Fall's submission. See below for more information.
Note: Items in teal are sponsored by Fort River Parent Council.
"Northampton Superintendent a Finalist for Top Amherst Education Job" By Mary Carey, Daily Hampshire Gazette.
Friday, January 30, 2009
AMHERST - Northampton's superintendent is one of three finalists for the top schools job in Amherst.
Isabelina Rodriguez, superintendent of schools in Northampton since 1994; Alberto Rodriguez, a principal in the Miami-Dade school district; and David Sklarz, superintendent of schools in West Hartford, are contenders for the Amherst post, officials announced this morning.
Amherst Regional School Committee members interviewed semi-finalists last weekend from a pool of 20 applicants.
"These three, I think, are very interesting, " Andrew Churchill, chairman of the Amherst School Committee, said this morning. "I think it's going to be a really good array of choices for the community to give us input on."
Sklarz has run an extremely high-performing district in West Hartford," Churchill said.
Alberto Rodriguez has served in one of the most diverse districts in the Miami area and overseen 55 schools in his former post as assistant superintendent there, Churchill said.
And Isabelina Rodriguez is very strong in special education and bilingual education and has been successful in forming partnerships with area institutions of higher education, he said.
"Northampton is really working well with Smith College and they also have a really well developed volunteers-in-the-schools program. We were excited about her potential to really make better connections with all the resources we have," Churchill said.
Rodriguez began her work in Northampton as director of pupil services in 1994 and worked in the Springfield public schools before that as a bilingual education teacher.
If chosen, she would follow Department of Public Works Director Guilford Mooring and Assistant Town Manager and Finance Director John Musante in leaving posts in Northampton for Amherst.
Box Tops for Education Update
Thanks to everyone who has been clipping those Box Tops. We just deposited our largest check ever--$339 which means 3,390 Box Tops!
We have surpassed the total for last year for both fall and winter submissions ($296) and 2006-2007 the total was $98.29.
The last submission to receive a check for this year is the end of February. (Any sent in after this date are saved for the fall submission.) I would ask that all box tops be sent to school by Wednesday February 25th to give me time to bundle and send. I already have $85.00 in hand so we are at $424, only $76 away from our goal of $500 and way above our past years!
--Jan Kelly, janandkevink@comcast.net
Upcoming Community Events
Please note that these events are not sponsored by Parent Council.
Gift Basket Silent Auction for Local Libraries. The Friends of the Jones Library announce the 12th Annual Valentine Gift Basket Silent Auction featuring Baskets, Books, and Chocolate on display in the atrium of the Jones Library, Amherst, starting Thursday, January 29th and ending at 4pm on Saturday, February 7th. This fundraiser for library books offers over one hundred beautifully wrapped gift baskets filled with books, chocolates, goods and services donated by local businesses and loyal patrons. There are baskets to catch anyone's fancy, from pet lovers to gardeners, parents to children, movie buffs to lovers of music. Last year’s gift basket auction raised over $5,000 to buy new library books for the Amherst Town Libraries. Come to the Jones Library on Saturday, February 7th, enjoy a free family-friendly concert with Nerissa and Katryna Nields at 10:30 a.m. sponsored by the Friends, and then bid on your favorite baskets. Visit the Jones Library website for more information: http://www.joneslibrary.org/.
Multi-Arts Play-Writing Competition. 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 receive $200 and the staging of their play by children in our summer program. Rules can be found on our website: www.multi-arts.org.
National Girls and Women In Sport Day Youth Clinics at Smith College. The 18th annual sport clinics for girls 3rd through 5th grades are being held Sunday, February 1, from 12:30-4 p.m. in the ITT. Girls have the chance to try out different sports with Smith College athletes (from track & field, field hockey, crew & more). Wear comfortable clothes & sneakers. Snacks, certificates & t-shirts are provided for free. Pre-registration is required. Call 585-2708 to sign up with the athletics department. Registration form here.
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 (website or 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.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Superintendent Finalists to Visit; Public Forums Scheduled
The information about public forums for the 3 finalist candidates has been posted on the ARPS website. Biographical information on each candidate has also been posted. Please make plans to attend. Also, please remember that although we will be evaluating these candidates, they will in turn be evaluating us. We need to convince them that they would like to come work here in our community!
Save these Dates!
The School Committee is anticipating that three finalists will be visiting the district over the next two weeks. Each will spend 2 days in the district and participate in public forums as follows:
Dr. Alberto Rodriguez - February 4 Dr. Isabelina Rodriguez - February 9 Dr. David Sklarz - February 11.
Each of the public forums will be held in the High School Library at 7 p.m. All members of the community are invited to meet the candidates, ask questions and offer written feedback to the School Committee about the candidates.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Daily Hampshire Gazette Article About the Regional School Budget
Amherst schools budget whittled
By Mary Carey
Created 01/24/2009
AMHERST - Regional school officials say they expect the fiscal 2010 budget they submit to spring Town Meeting this spring will be $1 million less than needed to maintain current services.
"In general we're trying to pare a little bit here and a program there, we're taking cuts from the central office. We're still working on it," Interim Co-superintendent Helen Vivian said Friday.
School officials were relieved, however, to learn that Gov. Deval Patrick has said in recent days that he is not planning to cut state education aid for the current year and plans to suggest that the state level-fund education aid next year.
Vivian declined to be more specific about the preliminary regional school budget but said school officials would announce likely specific cuts at the next Regional School Committee meeting on Feb. 3.
A week after that, the Amherst Elementary School Committee will revisit a controversial proposal to close Mark's Meadow Elementary School to save money in the similarly strained elementary school budget.
"We're not going to have the same school system when we have to take this amount of money out of it," Vivian said. "We're trying to examine ways we can cut and then prioritize what would cause the least damage."
A 7 percent increase in spending over this year's $28.1 million budget would be required to maintain the current level of services. But the Finance Committee has recommended that Amherst school officials submit budgets with a 2-percent maximum increase in tax-supported spending on elementary schools and no more than a 3.5 percent increase in spending on the regional schools.
John Musante, the town's finance director, explained in a memorandum this fall that elementary schools would need a 5.8 percent increase and regional schools an 11.7 percent increase to maintain existing services.
The news that further cuts in state education spending are not imminent was encouraging, Vivian said. "But cutting a million dollars from the regional schools is still a very significant cut. We have spent more time than I care to think about trying to find ways of cutting the budget while still protecting our core mission."
Friday, January 23, 2009
Upcoming School Events
Diversity and Social Justice Meeting. Mon. Jan. 26, 5:30-6:30pm. In the school library.
Create a Welcome Sign in Your Native Language. Tuesday, Jan. 27 at 8:30am or Thursday, Jan. 29th at 3:10pm. In the cafeteria. Sponsored by the Diversity & Social Justice Committee. Click here for more info.
5th & 6th Grade Band and Orchestra Concert. Thurs. Jan. 29, 7pm. In the Ft. River gymnasium. There is also a 2pm. performance during school in case you can't make it to the evening performance.
Report Cards sent home for Grades 1 - 6. Friday, Jan. 30.
Superintendent Search, Public Forums. Week of Feb. 2 & Feb. 9. Times and locations to be announced.
6th Grade Graduation Planning Meeting. Tuesday, Feb. 3, 7-9pm. In the Fort River Library. See below for more information.
School Council Meeting, Thursday, Feb. 5th, 7pm. Principal's Office.
Coffee With a Principal, Friday, Feb. 6th, 8:30am. Fort River Cafeteria.
School Committee Meeting, Tuesday, Feb. 10th, 7pm. High School Library.
Winter Recess, Feb. 16th-Feb. 20th. No School.
Note: Items in teal are sponsored by Fort River Parent Council.
6th Grade Graduation News
January 14, 2009
Dear Sixth Grade Parents,
In just a few short months, our children will be graduating from Fort River, and we need your help to make all the graduation festivities a success! Without parent volunteers, these long-anticipated graduation events cannot occur. We have a lot of information about each of the jobs from prior year’s volunteers, so you will not be without direction. Please take a few moments to look over the volunteer positions described on the back of this letter and consider signing up for at least one activity. You will note that there are no dates, as of yet, for the events, because the end of the school year calendar is contingent on any snow days we might have.
We will be having a meeting (open to all) and we would love to fill the room
6TH GRADE GRADUATION MEETING
DATE: TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3
TIME: 7- 9 P.M. PLACE: FORT RIVER LIBRARY
Attention 6th Grade Families
Sixth grade parents and students are invited to the ARMS Family Education Night on Tuesday, January 27 at 7 pm in the ARMS library. Please join us for a panel discussion concerning "Socialization and the Middle Schooler" - how to help your child navigate the potentially choppy waters of middle school life.
Topics of discussion will include the whys and wherefores of team placement and the role the teams play in middle school life, and what the school can and does do for kids with social/emotional disabilities. Also issues around ostracism, real-time- and cyber-bullying, queen bees and wanna-bes and all the myriad aspects of social life of young adolescents (and how many of us would like to redo our middle school years?!) Presenters will be De Boyd and Talib Sadiq- 7th and 8th grade Guidance Counselors, Denise Green- School Psychologist, Paul Lyons-Therapeutic Teacher and Sue Tippett- School Adjustment Counselor We thank these ARMS staffers for their time and expertise and hope you will have lots of questions for them following the presentation! Students are welcome to participate. Hope to see you there!
Upcoming Community Events
Please note that these events are not sponsored by Parent Council.
Come to Seussical! You'll leave singing the songs and reminiscing about all all of your favorite Dr. Seuss characters. The show is about a boy, JoJo who "thinks too much" and the troubles of finding one true friend. And of course there's the Cat in the Hat and Horton the Elephant working out social justice themes from start to finish. The cast of adults and kids is grand, the set and costumes are wild, and there's a live orchestra! Tickets are available through Amherst Leisure Services. You can call 413-259-3065 or buy them on the web - http://www.lsse.org/ There are four remaining shows this weekend: Fri. 1/23 @ 7pm, Sat. 1/24 @ 2pm and 7pm, and Sun. 1/25 @ 2pm. But I can't tell you any more, so... you'll have to come see the show!!
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 (website or 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.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Upcoming Events
Martin Luther King Day. Monday, Jan. 19. No school.
Create a Welcome Sign in Your Native Language. Tuesday, Jan. 27 at 8:30am or Thursday, Jan. 29th at 3:10pm. In the cafeteria. Sponsored by the Diversity & Social Justice Committee. See below for more info.
Report Cards sent home for Grades 1 - 6. Friday, Jan. 30.
Superintendent Search, Public Forums. Week of Feb. 2 & Feb. 9. Times and locations to be announced.
School Council Meeting, Thursday, Feb. 5th, 7pm. Principal's Office.
Coffee With a Principal, Friday, Feb. 6th, 8:30am. Fort River Cafeteria.
School Committee Meeting, Tuesday, Feb. 10th, 7pm. High School Library.
Winter Recess, Feb. 16th-Feb. 20th. No School.
Note: Items in teal are sponsored by Fort River Parent Council.
Amherst Elementary School Reorganization News
News from Tuesday’s Amherst School Committee meeting. Preliminary data on budget cuts to the elementary school budget was presented in general terms that did not specify how individual programs would be effected (art, music, instruments, transportation etc). Budget cuts were estimated at one half to $1 million. Interim Superintendent Helen Vivian announced that she no longer supports any restructuring of the elementary schools at this time and will instead focus on cuts to the elementary school budget. However the School Committee requested further data on the cuts that would be necessary to maintain our current elementary school configuration AND information on the impact of closing Marks Meadow, as well as under other reorganization plans, to be prepared to present a budget to Town Meeting in mid March. The 2 other plans are: (1) the pairing of Fort River-Crocker Farm, and Marks Meadow-Wildwood, and (2) creating three K-4th grade schools and one 5th-6th grade school. This information will be presented at the School Committee meeting on Tuesday, February 10th.
For further information regarding reorganization news check the Parent Council Blog for links to preliminary budget data from the ARPS website (www.arps.org), Interim Superintendent Vivian’s statement (www.arps.org/node/475) and School Committee member Catherine Sanderson’s blog (myschoolcommitteeblog. blogspot.com). Please check out the comments section of Catherine's blog, where community members and Catherine are having a lively, on-going discussion.
Also, check ACTV to view reruns of Tuesday’s School Committee meeting. (It is possible to view some meetings online, although, last time I checked I was unable to view the 1/13 school committee meeting-Ann McLaughlin)
Many parents were unsettled by Interim Superintendent Vivian’s reversal of a opinion regarding the elementary School reorganization and concerned about prospective cuts and added fees if we maintain the current configuration. I strongly urge you to mark your calendars and attend the February 10th School Committee meeting when further data will be made available.
Recent Newspaper Articles about the School Reorganization
"School Closure Hotly Debated," by Mary Carey, Amherst Bulletin, Jan. 16, 2009.
"Proposal to Reconfigure Amherst Elementary Schools May Be Delayed," by Diane Lederman, The Republican, Jan. 10, 2009.
Annual Family Fund
This is our largest annual fundraiser, and thanks to all who have already donated! As of December, we are behind compared to last year, with only 40% parent participation to date. Our goal is 100% participation, or $7,000. Even donating $1 will help! The Family Fund supports:
- School Directory for each student
- Free Yearbook
- Staff Appreciation Luncheon
- Parent Council activities
- New Family Welcome, Staff Welcome Back Day
- Fall Festival, Multicultural Fair, Family Fair, Field Day
- Grade-wide events, 6th Grade Graduation
- School Picture Day, Fort River T-shirts Sale, Book Fair
- Appreciation Lunch/Breakfast for Teachers, and Van/Bus Drivers
Friday, January 16, 2009
Volunteers Needed
Library
Volunteers needed to shelve / organize books and perform minor book repairs. Training provided. Please contact: Fran Ludington, LudingtF@arps.org.
T-Shirt Sale
T-shirts, sweatshirts & tote made with the Fort River logo will be available this Spring. Co-organizer needed.
Spring Bookstore Fundraiser
Volunteer needed to help coordinate this event &/or call local bookstores.
Please contact: Sue Borden FRPC.sborden@gmail.com
Immigration Play (5th Grade)
Volunteer help needed with rehearsals leading up to performance in the Spring.
Please contact: Anne White,, WhiteA@arps.org.
Gardening Committee
Help needed with the final phase of the playground renovation! Volunteers for landscaping (thanks to the lovely design by Carol Pope), and/or painting games on the blacktop.
Please contact: Catherine Sanderson casanderson@amherst.edu
Fun Stuff
Savings Makes Cents – Relaunched
This is a really fun, easy way to help our kids learn to save. Children can open a bank account with Florence Savings Bank and bank weekly in the cafeteria, or directly at the bank. Only $1.00 is needed to open an account, and any amount can be deposited. After 10 deposits, the Bank will contribute $1.00 to the account. Parent Volunteers help students make deposits into their savings accounts Tuesday in the cafeteria from 8:15 am to 8:45 am. Sign up materials are also available at that time. Contact Barbara Morse (bmlmorse@comcast.net) for more information.
Grade Events
Be on the lookout for grade events from February - March.
Grade events bring together all kids in a given grade, across classrooms, during an out-of-school time. If you have an idea for a grade event please contact VP for Grade Reps: Navneet Marwaha marwaha.navneet@gmail.com.
Help the Committee on Social Justice & Diversity Welcom Everyone to Fort River!
Click on picture to see it larger.
Upcoming Community Events
Please note that these events are not sponsored by Parent Council.
Come to Seussical! You'll leave singing the songs and reminiscing about all all of your favorite Dr. Seuss characters. The show is about a boy, JoJo who "thinks too much" and the troubles of finding one true friend. And of course there's the Cat in the Hat and Horton the Elephant working out social justice themes from start to finish. The cast of adults and kids is grand, the set and costumes are wild, and there's a live orchestra! Tickets are available through Amherst Leisure Services. You can call 413-259-3065 or buy them on the web - http://www.lsse.org/ Here are the dates for reserved seating: 1/16 @ 7pm, 1/17 @ 7pm. 1/18 @ 2pm 1/23 @ 7pm 1/24 @ 2pm and 7pm, 1/25 @ 2pm. Also unreserved seating but buy your tickets soon for 1/15 and 1/22 at 7 pm. But I can't tell you any more, so... you'll have to come see the show!!
Martin Luther King Jr. Community Breakfast, Monday, January 17. Middle School Cafeteria. Doors open at 8:30 am for coffee and juice. Breakfast served at 9:00 am.
For reservations call 253-5497 or email rampiahbonney@amherst.edu. Tickets are also available at the Jones Library and AJ Hastings in Amherst and at the World Eye Bookshop in Greenfield. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for senior citizens and $5 for children 12 and under.
Northampton Family Dance. Sunday, January 18, 3:00 - 5:00 PM at First Churches, 129 Main Street, Northampton. (Use Center Street entrance across from the Iron Horse.) Please come to the Family Dance! Come enjoy a variety of folk and contra dances geared to children and families. All dances are taught and all ages are welcome--no dance experience needed. A healthy snack is served at the break. Live music! Admission is $4 per person for ages 3 and up, $15 maximum per family. This is the third dance in our season of five dances, taking place on the third Sunday of the month from November through March. For more information, please call (413) 256-2613.
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 (website or 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.
Ongoing Fundraisers
Stop & Shop’s A+ BonusBucks Program
Use your Stop & Shop card and Fort River earns a percentage! Last year we earned $1331.98 that was used toward the new playground and school grounds. This is an easy way to raise money. However, for Fort River to receive credit you need to re-designate Fort River each year. Call 1-877-366-2668
or visit www.stopandshop.com/aplus
Fort River ID # 05218
Big Y Education Express
Use your Big Y Express Savings Club card and Fort River can earn points for buying much needed equipment and supplies!
Just visit the Big Y customer service desk and fill out a form that will link Fort River with your card (School ID # 5947). Or go to www.bigy.com/education and sign up from your computer! Whenever you use your card to purchase items designated with the “Education Express” logo, you’ll earn points for our school.
Target Take Charge of Education
If you have a Target REDcard (credit card), you can designate Fort River to receive up to 1% of the value of your purchases on the card. Go to www.Target.com/tcoe to designate Fort River (School ID # 58645).
Fort River Roasters by Dean's Beans
Orders are due the first Friday of each month. Last year we raised over $1000 for the playground.
Order forms are available at http://is.gd/6suv.
Next order deadline: Feb 6th.
Please deliver to the Main Office.
Box Tops for Education
Last year we earned over $250. For each Box Top clipped we receive 10 cents. Please deliver to the Main Office.
Cellphones & Ink Jet Cartridges
Protect the environment and raise money for Parent Council by donating used digital cellphones*and ink jet cartridges. Please deliver to the Main Office.
*Cellphones will be recycled, according to EPA regulations, or refurbished and sold, with 100% of the proceeds going to Parent Council.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Daily Hampshire Gazette Article: "Amherst takes up school reorganization tonight"
By Mary Carey
Created 01/13/2009
AMHERST - The Amherst School Committee will take up possible elementary school reorganization scenarios tonight, but Interim Co-superintendent Helen Vivian said she no longer favors reconfiguring schools this year.
She had suggested earlier that pairing Mark's Meadow with Wildwood and Crocker Farm with Fort River elementary schools seemed like the best of several options developed by a committee charged last year with studying elementary school reconfiguration models.
The younger grades would go to one pair of schools and the older grades go to the other, in the option Vivian favored. As it could save an estimated $400,000, she had suggested that the change be made in time for the next school year.
Now that there is talk of creating a kindergarten- through 12th-grade regional school system, a different reconfiguration scenario could emerge as the most educationally and financially sound model than one she had previously supported, Vivian said Friday.
There seems to be a fair amount of agreement that the time has come to readjust the elementary school districts anyway, Amherst School Committee Chairman Andrew Churchill said.
"The way the schools are districted now has gotten a little out of whack over the years, because we have variation of class size, numbers of low-income kids and we have pockets of kids from one section of town ending up at a school that is farther away than the school closest to them."
A new group has begun examining reconfiguration options, but it isn't clear yet how long it would take to redraw the district lines effectively and whether it could be done in time to affect the coming year's budget, Churchill said. Vivian has estimated the schools may have to spend up to $1.2 million less than what is considered necessary to maintain services at their current level.
School Committee member Catherine Sanderson has advocated closing Mark's Meadow Elementary School to save money. "I don't see keeping the current four K- to six schools and making massive cuts (not just this year, but next year, etc.) as a viable option," she said last week.
"Parents and kids would lose so much because the schools wouldn't have the same characteristics that they have now. It seems to me that closing Mark's Meadow is the only option that accomplishes my primary goal ... preserving what we love about the Amherst schools - neighborhood schools that are K to six, with small classes and a rich instrumental music program."
Mary Carey can be reached at mary.carey@att.net [1].
Friday, January 9, 2009
Upcoming Events
Fort River Roasters Order Forms Due. DEADLINE EXTENDED TO MONDAY, JAN. 12. Click here for form.
School Committee Meeting. Tuesday, Jan. 13. 7pm. High School Library. Plan to attend if you want to learn more about next year's school budget and the reorganization studies.
Teacher Curriculum Workday. Friday, Jan. 16. No school.
Martin Luther King Day. Monday, Jan. 19. No school. This means a four-day weekend!
Report Cards sent home for Grades 1 - 6. Friday, Jan. 30.
Note: Items in teal are sponsored by Fort River Parent Council.
Yearbook Photos Needed
The yearbook committee is looking for help gathering photos for this year's edition. Anyone who has photos of class or school events for the yearbook can send them to Joy Sullivan, joyrrs@comcast.net. It is preferred to have digital photos submitted on CD. The grade of the children, teacher's class and/or event should be noted with the photos. CD's can be placed in the parent council mailbox in the main office for Joy Sullivan/yearbook committee. If that is not possible they can be sent via email. All photographs should be submitted no later than the end of April.
Amherst School Information
Catherine Sanderson, Amherst School Committee member and Fort River parent, has posted a preliminary analysis of the various school-reorganization options that are currently on the table on her blog, "My School Committee Blog." The post about the school reorganization scenarios is here: http://is.gd/eO2y.
Clare Bertrand, who is a Town Meeting member and is one of the Crocker Farm parents on the Amherst Elementary Schools Organization Working Group, has also posted a few entries on about this topic on her blog: "Clare's View Inside Amherst."
Voice your concerns by emailing School Committee Members and our interim Superintendents.
Here's a link to an article in today's Amherst Bulletin about the upcoming election to fill two School Committee openings: "Potential School Committee candidates emerge early."
Superintendent Search
School Committee Member Catherine Sanderson announced at the last Parent Council meeting that finalists for the job of school superintendent will be in town for interviews during the first two weeks of February. The finalists will visit the district and participate in building tours, meetings with administrators, staff, and students, and evening public forums. I will update this website with any more information as soon as I receive it. You may also want to periodically check this link to the Superintendent's website for more information.
Amherstopoly
The committee working on the Amherstopoly board game has already made a number of connections to Amherst businesses and is in the process of reserving spaces! Now we are looking for help from our school communities!
1. Look through this list below. If you have a personal connection to any of the businesses listed here please get in touch with one of us and we will give you the information you need to approach them about this wonderful and unique marketing opportunity!
2. If you know of a business that's not on this list let us know. We may have contacted them already, but we may need to add them to the list!
Thank you,
Liz Larson nateliz.larson@gmail.com
Sue Cairn scairn@verizon.net
Alan Nathanson Sharpe, Atty at Law / Albano & Szumowski, P.C. / All About Learning / Amherst Chinese / Amherst Coffee / Amherst Family Practice / Amherst Insurance / Amherst Martial Arts / Amherst Wine and Spirits / Applewood Retirement Community / Arigato Sushi / Attorney Julia Rueschemeyer / Avicenna Skin Care Studio / Bank of Western MA / Blair Cutting and Smith Insurance / Charlies Pub / Chez Albert / China Dynasty / CISA Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture / Clays Clothing Store / Crazy Noodles / Egan, Flanagan and Cohen, P. C. / Elements Hot Tub and Spa / Felicity Hardee/ Bulkley, Richardson, and Gelinas, LLP / Florence Savings Bank / Fresh Side / Greenfield Coop / Greenfield Savings / Hair by Harlow / Henion Bakery / J. Austin Antiques / Jonathan A. Abbott, Esq. / Knowles Flower Shop / La Veracruzana Mexican Restaurant / Laughing Dog Bike Shop / Law Office of Lawrence J. Farber / Law Offices of Gary D. Gruber / Lone Wolf Restaurant / Loose Goose Café / Mary G. Klaes- Attorney & Mediator / Matthieu J. Massengill, P.C. / Moan & Dove / Monkey Bar & Grill / Northampton Savings / Panda East Chinese Restaurant / Paradise of India / Pasta e Basta / Pearson Evaluation Systems / Peoples Bank / Pioneer Valley Driving School / Princeton Review Testing / Rafters / Robert E. Young, Attorney at Law / Shaolin Kung Fu of Amherst / Silverscape Designs / Souper Bowl / Stamell Stringed Instruments / Stanley Kaplan Testing / T.D. BankNorth / Teagno Construction / Teryaki House / Thai Corner / The Amherst Grocery Store / The Hangar / The Pub Restaurant / The Spoke / The Sub / Valley Medical Group / Yoga Center Amherst / Ziomek & Ziomek, Attorneys at Law / UMASS Five College Credit Union
Passive Fundraisers: An Update
Stop & Shop BonusBucks: The numbers for December are in and we have earned a further $292! We also now have 94 cards designated for Fort River, which is terrific. The total earned so far this year (in the first three months of the program) is $736. Last year at this time we only had 41 people signed up and had earned $510, so we are well positioned to easily top last year's total. Thanks to everyone who took the time to register their Stop & Shop cards.
If you still haven't registered, it's not too late! If you register in January, all your purchases for the entire month will be counted toward Fort River's total. It's incredibly easy to sign up. All you need to do is GET UP RIGHT NOW, GRAB YOUR STOP & SHOP CARD, COME BACK TO YOUR COMPUTER and CLICK HERE: http://www.stopandshop.com/aplus. Then all you need to do is click on "Register Your Card." When you enter your Stop & Shop card number, you have to include 13 digits. Start with the small numbers to the left of the bar code, then the 10 digits under the bar code, then the digit to the right of the bar code. Fort River's school code is 05218. It will take two minutes!
BIG Y Education Express. You can earn points for Fort River to acquire much needed equipment and supplies! If you have a Big Y Express Savings Club card, you can just visit the customer service desk to fill out a form that will link Fort River with your card (School ID # 5947). Or go to www.bigy.com/education and sign up from your computer! Then, whenever you use your card to purchase items designated with the “Education Express” logo, you’ll earn points for our school.
TARGET Take Charge of Education. If you have a Target REDcard (credit card), you can designate Fort River to receive up to 1% of the value of your purchases on the card. Go to www.Target.com/tcoe to designate Fort River (School ID # 58645).
Parent Council Thanks December Volunteers
December was a busy month with lots going on for Fort River Parent Council. A great big THANK YOU to the many many parents and students who helped with several events:
Book Fair: Our annual Book Fair was again a success with lots of happy and enthusiastic kids going home with books! Thanks to Diane Caraker and Sue Borden for organizing this event. Also many thanks for all those who helped in so many capacities: Libby Stanforth, Eileen Marasco, Jen Ditkoff, Jen Wellman, Carrie Turkot, Lynn Logan, Jan Kelly, Becky Michaels, Dorie Goldberg, Peter Wood, Kathy Niedzalski, Lynn Hayes, Desiree Bohl, and for setting up and breaking down, Diane & Becky Caracker, Scott Turner, Desiree Bohl,
Hillside Pizza Fundraiser: Thanks again for all those who bought pizza & cookie dough, and helped us raise money for the Fort River Playground !! Thanks also to Pam Rietkerk for organizing this event and to Gloria McCann for helping with pizza delivery !
Gift Wrap Fundraiser: Thanks to all who participated in the Fall Gift Wrap fundraiser and kudos to Jen Wellman who single-handedly coordinated the event this year !
Upcoming Community Events
Please note that these events are not sponsored by Parent Council.
Northampton Family Dance. Sunday, January 18, 3:00 - 5:00 PM at First Churches, 129 Main Street, Northampton. (Use Center Street entrance across from the Iron Horse.) Please come to the Family Dance! Come enjoy a variety of folk and contra dances geared to children and families. All dances are taught and all ages are welcome--no dance experience needed. A healthy snack is served at the break. Live music! Admission is $4 per person for ages 3 and up, $15 maximum per family. This is the third dance in our season of five dances, taking place on the third Sunday of the month from November through March. For more information, please call (413) 256-2613.
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 (website or 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.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Daily Hampshire Gazette Article Published Jan. 2, 2009
Amherst school reorganization group plots its course
By Scott Merzbach
Published 01/02/2009
AMHERST - A group established to begin the process of possibly reorganizing the four elementary schools began its work this week with an understanding that its findings will lead to presentations to the School Committee and PTOs.
School Committee Chairman Andy Churchill said Wednesday that Monday's study committee meeting, which included Interim Co-Superintendent Helen Vivian, all four principals, and several staff, parent and School Committee representatives, plotted a timeline for getting staff to begin crunching the financial numbers for what reorganizations might look like and listed objectives it wanted to achieve. "The goal of the group is to frame options that are clear and transparent," Churchill said.
The committee formed as a way of exploring reorganizations to cut costs in the face of a projected $1.2 million elementary schools budget shortfall. Vivian has said she believes it is time to pursue one of several reorganization scenarios discussed in recent years.
The idea of pairing the four elementary schools by splitting the higher and lower grades appeared to be the most viable plan. Vivian suggested Fort River might be paired with Crocker Farm and Mark's Meadow with Wildwood, a move that could save up to $400,000, because the number of classes could be reduced.
Churchill said the study committee will be responsible for voting a budget this spring. The full committee will hold its next working meeting during the week of Jan. 12, but will not be looking for public input until later in the process, when it has solid financial numbers to compare and an understanding of how each reorganization would impact schoolchildren, parents, teachers and staff. The committee will also consider options that include not reorganizing the schools, closing Mark's Meadow and creating three kindergarten through fourth-grade schools and one intermediate school for fifth- and sixth-graders.
Churchill and fellow School Committee member Catherine Sanderson, as well as school principals, teachers, parents and former Superintendent Jere Hochman served on a committee last year that weighed reorganization options.
An executive summary of its report can be seen at www.arps.org/node/70 [1].
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