Upcoming School Events

School Council Meeting. Thurs. Jan. 28, 5-6:30pm. Fort River Conference Room.

Band and Orchestra Concert. Monday, Feb. 1. 7pm. Fort River Gymnasium. See below for more info.

Regional School Committee Public Budget Hearing. Tues. Feb. 2, 6:30pm. Amherst Town Hall. Public comment on the Regional School Budget will be heard. See below for more information.

Coffee With the Principals. Friday, Feb. 5, 8:30-9:15am. Fort River Cafeteria. 

Fort River Roasters Coffee Orders Due. Friday, Feb. 5.

Parent Council Meeting. Thurs. Feb. 11. 8:45-9:45am. Fort River Library.

Jump Rope for Heart Jumpathon. Feb. 11 & 12 during school hours. See below for more info.

Winter Recess. Feb. 15-19. No school.

*Items in teal are sponsored by Parent Council.

Regional School Committee Budget Hearing.

Tuesday, February, 2nd at 6:30pm the Regional School Committee will host a public budget hearing at the Town Room in Amherst Town Hall. The Budget Hearing will begin at 7:00 after a short Regional School Committee Meeting.

6th Grade parents and guardians may be particularly interested in reviewing the Middle School/High School budget priorities for next year and giving the administrators your feedback. There will be time for public comment at this meeting.

Please join the discussion about the FY11 priorities for our schools. All community input is welcome. The meeting can be viewed live on ACTV.

Fort River Band and Orchestra Concert, Feb. 1st at 7pm, FR Gymnasium

The Fort River Orchestra and Band concert will be held on Monday evening, February 1, 2010 at 7pm. for parents and friends. A concert for students and staff is to be held on Thursday, Jan. 28th at 2pm. Both concerts will take place in the Fort River gymnasium. Recommended concert dress for the evening will be a white shirt and dark pants/skirt. The duration of each concert will be about 45 minutes.

For the night concert the orchestra will warm up in the music room at 6:30pm and the band will warm up in the cafeteria at 6:15pm. Please try to be prompt!

                                                              Sue Dunbar and Laurie Rabut

Fort River Jumpathon—Feb. 11-12

Fort River is sponsoring a Jump Rope For Heart Jumpathon on February 11 & 12. All students in grades 1-6 will be participating at different times of the day for 45 minutes. Jump Rope for Heart is an event conducted nationwide to educate students about the benefits of aerobic exercise and heart health, while raising funds to support the American Heart Association’s fight against heart disease and stroke. We are encouraging children to establish a healthy lifestyle by including physical activity in their daily lives. Risks for later heart disease are often set in childhood but can be reversed by being physically active, not smoking and eating well. Collection envelopes will be sent home the first week in February with more information. Parents are invited to come and jump with their children on that day.  It is a healthy day for the whole family!

                                                      Yours in fitness,
                                                      Dianna Spaulding
                                                      Physical Education Teacher

Parents please note:

Ms. Spaulding is looking for parent volunteers to help count money during the jumpathon. She needs one or two people per hour. You can check the schedule here to see when your child's class will be jumping. 

Click here for class schedule. 

Teacher/Staff Appreciation Lunch: Volunteer Needed

Parent Council is looking for a volunteer to help organize the teacher appreciation lunch. Any interested parents/guardians should contact Sue Borden at frpc.sborden@gmail.com.

Fort River Families: Let's Help Crocker Farm Build Their New Playground!

Dear Fort River Families,

Re-districting means that many Amherst families will soon be new Crocker Farm families. With the understanding that we are all in this together, and knowing how fortunate we are at Fort River to have a fantastic playground, the Parent Council urges you to open your wallets and help Crocker Farm improve theirs! And remember all families with kids will benefit from having a fun new playground in town!

Please read the message from the Crocker Farm PGO below:

Calling all Amherst residents... We need your help building a new playground at Crocker Farm!

Our existing equipment is almost 20 years old, in bad shape, and many components are broken. The landscaping needs to be updated to adhere to legal codes and provide basic safety. There is simply not enough equipment to meet the physical needs of the school.

The proposed new playground for Crocker Farm is a lively outdoor space which will better support Crocker Farm's growing student body. It also will be a destination play area for the greater Amherst community. Playgrounds encourage children to develop strong social skills, understanding of spatial concepts, and appreciation for physical activity.

With redistricting, it is more important than ever to create a play space that meets the physical needs of a expanding school. We have an ambitious goal of raising $40,000 to have a new playground installed this summer. Please help us reach this goal by donating today!

Donations can be made online at crockerfarmpgo.blogspot.com or mailed to:

Crocker Farm PGO
280 West Street
Amherst, MA 01002
ATTN: Playground

Please note: CF is not a 503(c)3. For more information, please contact Becky at 230-3306 or email the PGO at crockerfarmpgo@gmail.com.

Thank you for your support!

Reminder: Fort River Directories Have Been Sent Home in the Backpacks

We hope you have received your family's copy of the directory. This year one directory has been provided (free!) for each family.  Extra copies can be purchased for $5 at the Fort River Main Office. 
Fort River Parent Council is grateful for your contributions to the Parent Council Annual Fund, which has enabled us to provide directories and yearbooks free of charge for a fifth year.  Your contributions also support many other Parent Council activities and events.

        If you have not yet contributed – it's not too late !

We are still hoping for contributions from ALL families.  Although the suggested donation is $25-$50 a child, contributions of any size are welcome; even a $1.00 donation helps us reach our goal of 100% family participation.  Checks (to Fort River Parent Council) or cash can be sent to the Parent Council mailbox in the main office.  Contributions can also be made online using the PayPal "Donate" button at the top right-hand column of this webpage.

Sue Borden
Parent Council President

Wildwood Night at the Moan & Dove, Feb 9th.

There will be an informal, fun, get-together for the parents and guardians of ALL children who will be attending Wildwood Elementary next year. We are hoping to spend time getting to know one another in a casual, no-pressure setting. We will meet for drinks, good conversation and laughs at the Moan and Dove on Tuesday February 9th at 7:30 pm. Please spread the word and bring friends. Any questions? Contact, Andrea Coleman (colemanbaird@gmail.com)

Upcoming Community Events

Please note that these events are not sponsored by Parent Council.

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Click on image to enlarge.

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ARHS Nordic Ski Program. Amherst Regional High School now has a Nordic ski program, and you can help support it - by skiing. Each Wednesday this month and next, the program is presenting all-comers sprint races at Northfield Mountain. Snow permitting, the races start at 3:30 p.m. These are true sprints: the course is just one-kilometer long, a flat loop in the field between Route 63 and the Northfield Mountain main building. The races are sorted by age groups and heats, with the top two finishers in each heat advancing to a final round, while there's a consolation round for everyone else.

Register in advance at http://nordicsprint.eventbrite.com/ or on race day by 3 p.m. at the ski center. Entry fee is $5 ($3 with a Northfield Mountain pass), or sign up for the whole series for $30 ($18 with pass).

Technique will alternate between classic on the first and third Wednesday and freestyle on the second and fourth. This week's races are the second in the series.

For more information, call Northfield Mountain at 800-859-2960 or visit www.firstlightpower.com/northfield/ccski.asp.

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Have a Creative Year with Multi-Arts: Multi-arts Summer Camp registration is now open. There is a $50 discount per child, when you pay in full by February 28. Full tuition refund with cancellation before June 1, 2010. You can register at www.multi-arts.org

P.S.
We still have space in our Fort River After School Fridays: a 10 weeks Art & Theater Workshop: The fun will end with a great production (grades 1 to 6). Click here for more details.


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Amherst Monte Carlo Night. Some of you may know that the Amherst High Athletic teams are supported primarily through athletic fees and through fundraising by the teams and by the Amherst Hurricane Boosters (a volunteer group of parents).  Next year, this will be even more true as our district looks to move more athletic support to revenue lines due to the proposed budget cuts.

This is where you can help!  Each year, the Amherst Hurricane Boosters hosts a gala event--Monte Carlo Night--to raise money for all the athletic clubs.  This year's event will be held on March 13th and is a true night on the town.  Complete information on Monte Carlo night can be found at http://www.amherstmontecarlo.com/ Tickets ($25 in advance and $30 at the door).

PS. The Amherst Hurricane Boosters are now on Facebook...become a fan!
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Fort River Parent Council 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 Thursday during the school year. Please send your announcement no later than 5pm Wednesday for inclusion in the week's updates. Also 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.

Easy Ways to Earn $$$ for Fort River

Stop & Shopʼs A+ BonusBucks Program
Use your Stop & Shop card and Fort River earns a percentage! It's not too late to sign up! This is an easy way to raise money with absolutely no cost to you. 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. Remember, even if you registered your card last year, you must re-register this year for our school to receive credit. Thanks to everyone who has already signed up. Also, don’t forget to encourage your friends and relatives to do the same. And, if you sign up anytime in the month of January, ALL your purchases for the month will be counted! We need your support! Contact Ann McLaughlin if you have any questions or problems.

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, youʼll 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).

Atkins Farms Country Market
Use your Atkins card when you shop at Atkins Farms Country Market, and they will donate a percentage of your purchase to Fort River School. Atkins provided us with one card per family last year, and new cards for new families will be coming soon-- stay tuned! Just show the card when you are checking out. There is an expiration date on the card, which is the date that youngest child graduates from Fort River. 
Last year Fort River parents earned $500 for Fort River by shopping at Atkins! Thanks to everyone who has been participating--and don't forget to keep using your card every time you go.

Box Tops for Education
In case you are not familiar with Box Tops this is an easy way to earn money for Fort River--just take your scissors and clip! Last year we earned over $500. For each Box Top clipped the school receives 10 cents. Just look for the Box Tops logo on products in you already have in your kitchen, cut it out and deliver your box tops to the school's main office. If you would like to learn about the other ways you can make a difference sign up for the Box Tops website at boxtops4education.com. It’s easy, free and you’ll learn about new ways to help our school earn the extra cash it needs.

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.

Two Hour Delay Today, Monday Jan. 25, 2010

School opening is delayed two hours today.

All Amherst, Pelham and Amherst-Pelham Regional Schools are delayed two hours.

Upcoming School Events

Educational Implications of Chronic Medical Conditions in Children. Thursday, Jan. 21st. from 6:00-8:30 pm at the Professional Development Center at the Amherst Middle School. Presented by Dr. Emily Gonzalez. More info here.

Graduation Planning Meeting. Monday, Jan. 25, 7:00p.m. in the Library. See below for more info.

School Committee Meeting. Tues. Jan 26, 7pm. High School Library.

School Council Meeting. Thurs. Jan. 28, 5-6:30pm. Fort River Conference Room.

Coffee With the Principals. Friday, Feb. 5, 8:30-9:15am. Fort River Cafeteria. 

Fort River Roasters Coffee Orders Due. Friday, Feb. 5.

Parent Council Meeting. Thurs. Feb. 11. 8:45-9:45am. Fort River Library.

Winter Recess. Feb. 15-19. No school.

*Items in teal are sponsored by Parent Council.

School Budget Information

Information on the proposed cuts in next year's the school budget has been posted to the ARPS.org website at the following link: http://www.arps.org/node/1108.

The School Committee is planning meetings at which they will be taking public comment on the FY11 school budget.  I will let you all know the location and time(s) when the information becomes available.--Ann McLaughlin.

Graduation Planning Meeting: Attention All Sixth Grade Parents/Guardians

The first Graduation Planning meeting is on Monday, January 25th at 7:00p.m. in the Library.

Please join Gloria McCann and me if you would like to take charge of a project or just help out in a smaller way.  I know it seems early but some projects take time to organize and some just take thought!

"Many hands make light work"

Please consider helping out any way you can on this fun event.

Thank you.

Lynn Logan 

Upcoming Community Events

Please note that these events are not sponsored by Parent Council.
***************************************************
ARHS Nordic Ski Program. Amherst Regional High School now has a Nordic ski program, and you can help support it - by skiing. Each Wednesday this month and next, the program is presenting all-comers sprint races at Northfield Mountain. Snow permitting, the races start at 3:30 p.m. These are true sprints: the course is just one-kilometer long, a flat loop in the field between Route 63 and the Northfield Mountain main building. The races are sorted by age groups and heats, with the top two finishers in each heat advancing to a final round, while there's a consolation round for everyone else.

Register in advance at http://nordicsprint.eventbrite.com/ or on race day by 3 p.m. at the ski center. Entry fee is $5 ($3 with a Northfield Mountain pass), or sign up for the whole series for $30 ($18 with pass).

Technique will alternate between classic on the first and third Wednesday and freestyle on the second and fourth. This week's races are the second in the series.

For more information, call Northfield Mountain at 800-859-2960 or visit www.firstlightpower.com/northfield/ccski.asp.

***************************************************
Have a Creative Year with Multi-Arts: Multi-arts Summer Camp registration is now open. There is a $50 discount per child, when you pay in full by February 28. Full tuition refund with cancellation before June 1, 2010. You can register at www.multi-arts.org

P.S.
We still have space in our Fort River After School Fridays: a 10 weeks Art & Theater Workshop: The fun will end with a great production (grades 1 to 6). Click here for more details.

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Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Amherst Leisure Services Community Theater presents its final weekend of performances on Friday January 22nd - 7:30pm, Saturday January 23rd - 2:00pm & 7:30pm, Sunday January 24th - 2:00pm. Click here for more information.

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Fort River Parent Council 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 Thursday during the school year. Please send your announcement no later than 5pm Wednesday for inclusion in the week's updates. Also 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.

Easy Ways to Earn $$$ for Fort River

Stop & Shopʼs A+ BonusBucks Program
Use your Stop & Shop card and Fort River earns a percentage! It's not too late to sign up! This is an easy way to raise money with absolutely no cost to you. 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. Remember, even if you registered your card last year, you must re-register this year for our school to receive credit. Thanks to everyone who has already signed up. Also, don’t forget to encourage your friends and relatives to do the same. And, if you sign up anytime in the month of January, ALL your purchases for the month will be counted! We need your support! Contact Ann McLaughlin if you have any questions or problems.

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, youʼll 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).

Atkins Farms Country Market
Use your Atkins card when you shop at Atkins Farms Country Market, and they will donate a percentage of your purchase to Fort River School. Atkins provided us with one card per family last year, and new cards for new families will be coming soon-- stay tuned! Just show the card when you are checking out. There is an expiration date on the card, which is the date that youngest child graduates from Fort River. 
Last year Fort River parents earned $500 for Fort River by shopping at Atkins! Thanks to everyone who has been participating--and don't forget to keep using your card every time you go.

Box Tops for Education
In case you are not familiar with Box Tops this is an easy way to earn money for Fort River--just take your scissors and clip! Last year we earned over $500. For each Box Top clipped the school receives 10 cents. Just look for the Box Tops logo on products in you already have in your kitchen, cut it out and deliver your box tops to the school's main office. If you would like to learn about the other ways you can make a difference sign up for the Box Tops website at boxtops4education.com. It’s easy, free and you’ll learn about new ways to help our school earn the extra cash it needs.

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.

Amherst School Committee Meeting Tonight, Jan. 19: Budget Discussion

There will be a meeting of the Elementary School Committee tonight at 7pm in the High School Library. Included in the items on the agenda will be a discussion of $1 million in budget cuts for next year.

I've copied a short article from today's Daily Hampshire Gazette below:

School board to discuss cuts tonight

By Nick Grabbe

AMHERST - Struggling elementary school students could lose support if the district can't find extra money, according to a cut list distributed last week.
The Amherst School Committee will discuss the new prioritized cut list at its meeting tonight at 7 in the high school library.
"This process is not celebratory," said Superintendent Alberto Rodriguez. "Anything we cut is painful. It's, What kind of intense pain do we leave for last?' It's not like there won't be casualties."
If next year's funding were the same as this year's, the elementary schools would still have to spend about $1 million less than if services were kept constant. That's because of rising costs, especially for teacher salaries.
An estimated $582,997 of that $1 million will come from the closing of Mark's Meadow School.
The rest will come from cutting $210,341 from the operating budget, including four classroom teachers, and $278,431 from the central office, according to the cut list.
To avoid cutting more deeply, the schools would need some combination of a tax override, more state aid than expected, and/or givebacks of negotiated salary increases. If none of that money arrives, the equivalent of almost 10 more positions could be lost.
Most of those employees currently deal with students in need: intervention specialists, a psychologist, special education teachers and those helping students who don't speak English well.
"I don't want to be put in the position to cut things for the most vulnerable," said School Committee member Irv Rhodes. "These are the ones who can least afford it. This is very troubling." He added that the majority of those affected would be boys.
In spite of the need for cuts, the budget includes three new preschool positions, which Rodriguez has called a priority.
Also on the cut list is one position in instructional technology. "This would take us backwards to the level of technology at least a decade ago," said Rodriguez.

Upcoming School Events

4th and 5th Grade Chorus Concert.  Jan 14th, 7pm. Middle School Auditorium.

Teacher Curriculum Workday. Jan. 15. No School.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Jan. 18. No School.

Educational Implications of Chronic Medical Conditions in Children. Thursday, Jan. 21st. from 6:00-8:30 pm at the Professional Development Center at the Amherst Middle School. Presented by Dr. Emily Gonzalez. More info here.

School Committee Meeting. Tues. Jan 26. 7pm. High School Library.

School Council Meeting. Thurs. Jan. 28, 5-6:30pm. Fort River Conference Room.

Coffee With the Principals. Friday, Feb. 5, 8:30-9:15am. Fort River Cafeteria. 

Fort River Roasters Coffee Orders Due. Friday, Feb. 5.

Parent Council Meeting. Thurs. Feb. 11. 8:45-9:45am. Fort River Library.

*Items in teal are sponsored by Parent Council.

Attention Families Moving to Wildwood Next Year

The Wildwood PTO invites all parents/guardians of children attending Wildwood next year (2010-2011) to meet at Rao's Coffee from 8:30-9:30 am on Wednesday January 20th.   Buy your own coffee and meet some new friends.  We want to start the dialogue going on ways to help all the kids & families transition to their new environment next year, whether that means a different building and/or different faces in the classroom.  This event is purely social, there will be no formal agenda. 

Internet Safety Information

Joan Gallinaro, the Technology Integration Teacher at Fort River, attended the internet safety workshop presented by Cindy Boyle of the District Attorney's office last week at Marks Meadow. Joan asked me to post some information from the presentation for those of us who were not able to attend. Please click the link for a PDF document: http://is.gd/6fVzS

Middle School Coffee TODAY (Jan. 14) at Noon

The middle school's Family School Partnership is hosting their monthly Coffee/Brown Bag Lunch with the Principal on Thursday, January 14th from noon to 1pm in the MS Professional Development Center.  Enjoy casual conversation about the middle school, ask questions and share ideas.  Beverages and dessert will be provided. Everyone is welcome.

Rotary Grant

Applications are being accepted from local non-profit organizations and government agencies now through Feb. 28, 2010 for the Amherst Rotary Community Grant at www.AmherstRotaryClub.org.

This $25,000 grant will fund a single project that will provide an important and sustainable improvement to the quality of life in our community. More information here: http://www.amherstrotaryclub.org/content/grant-intro.html

Upcoming Community Events

Please note that these events are not sponsored by Parent Council.
***************************************************
Start 2010 creatively with Multi-Arts:

After school Fridays at Fort River.
A 10 weeks Art & Theatre Workshop: The fun will end in a great production (grade 1 to 6)
Click here for more details.

***************************************************
Come dance and meet new friends at the Northampton Family Dance! Join us for our third dance of the season on Sunday, January 17, from 3 - 5 PM at First Churches, 129 Main St., Northampton (use Center Street entrance). Brendan Taaffe calls, with music by Susan Janssen & Shirley White. Come enjoy easy, fun dances for children and families, from traditional American to international folk. All dances are taught, so no dance experience is necessary. Admission is $4 per person for ages 3 and up, free for ages 2 and under, $15 maximum per family. The Northampton Family Dance is held on the third Sunday of the month, November through March. For more information, please call Judy Stern (parent of Fort River third grader) at (413) 256-2613.

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Click on image below to enlarge.

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Fort River Parent Council 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 Thursday during the school year. Please send your announcement no later than 5pm Wednesday for inclusion in the week's updates. Also 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.

Easy Ways to Earn $$$ for Fort River!

Stop & Shopʼs A+ BonusBucks Program
Use your Stop & Shop card and Fort River earns a percentage! It's not too late to sign up! This is an easy way to raise money with absolutely no cost to you. 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. Remember, even if you registered your card last year, you must re-register this year for our school to receive credit. Thanks to everyone who has already signed up. Also, don’t forget to encourage your friends and relatives to do the same. And, if you sign up anytime in the month of January, ALL your purchases for the month will be counted! We need your support! Contact Ann McLaughlin if you have any questions or problems.

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, youʼll 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).

Atkins Farms Country Market
Use your Atkins card when you shop at Atkins Farms Country Market, and they will donate a percentage of your purchase to Fort River School. Atkins provided us with one card per family last year, and new cards for new families will be coming soon-- stay tuned! Just show the card when you are checking out. There is an expiration date on the card, which is the date that youngest child graduates from Fort River. 
Last year Fort River parents earned $500 for Fort River by shopping at Atkins! Thanks to everyone who has been participating--and don't forget to keep using your card every time you go.

Box Tops for Education
In case you are not familiar with Box Tops this is an easy way to earn money for Fort River--just take your scissors and clip! Last year we earned over $500. For each Box Top clipped the school receives 10 cents. Just look for the Box Tops logo on products in you already have in your kitchen, cut it out and deliver your box tops to the school's main office. If you would like to learn about the other ways you can make a difference sign up for the Box Tops website at boxtops4education.com. It’s easy, free and you’ll learn about new ways to help our school earn the extra cash it needs.

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.

Upcoming School Events

Internet Safety Presentation. Thursday, Jan. 7, 6:30pm. Mark's Meadow Auditorium. Cindy Boyle, a community educator from the Northwest DA’s office, will hold an evening session for parents of all elementary students. Her focus will be on Internet safety and cyberbullying. More info here.

Coffee with the Principals.  Friday, Jan. 8, 8:30-9:15am. Join Principal Sharick and Asst. Principal Kennedy-Marx for coffee, conversation and light refreshments. Younger siblings welcome. In the cafeteria.

Fort River Roasters Coffee Orders Due. Fri. Jan. 8th. Order form here.

Parent Council Meeting, Mon. Jan. 11, 7pm. In the school library.

Chorus Concert.  Jan 14th, 7pm. Middle School Auditorium.

Teacher Curriculum Workday. Jan. 15. No School.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Jan. 18. No School.

Educational Implications of Chronic Medical Conditions in Children. Thursday, Jan. 21st. from 6:00-8:30 pm at the Professional Development Center at the Amherst Middle School. Presented by Dr. Emily Gonzalez. See below.

School Committee Meeting. Tues. Jan 26. 7pm. High School Library.

School Council Meeting. Thurs. Jan. 28, 5-6:30pm. Fort River Conference Room.

*Items in teal are sponsored by Parent Council.

The Directories are Here!

Your family's copy of the Fort River Directory should be coming home in the backpacks today or tomorrow!

Fort River Parent Council is pleased to provide you with the 2009-2010 Student Directory. We are grateful for your contributions to the Parent Council Annual Fund which has enabled us to provide directories and yearbooks free of charge for a fifth year.  Your contributions also support many other Parent Council activities and events.

        If you have not yet contributed – it's not too late !

We are still hoping for contributions from ALL families.  Although the suggested donation is $25-$50 a child, contributions of any size are welcome; even a $1.00 donation helps us reach our goal of 100% family participation.  Checks (to Fort River Parent Council) or cash can be sent to the Parent Council mailbox in the main office.  Contributions can also be made online using the PayPal button at the top right-hand column of this webpage.

This year one directory has been provided for each family.  Extra copies can be purchased for $5 at the Fort River Main Office. 


Sue Borden
Parent Council President

School Budget Advisory Committee Solicits Questions

A newly-formed budget advisory committee is currently collecting questions from parents concerning the Amherst School budgets. The members of this committee want to find out what people want to know about the budgets (or budget-related items). They will then help get those questions answered and back out to the public.

You can find information about the budget in general at the following link: http://www.arps.org/budget. Please note that we are currently in FY10 and the budget debate is about FY11.

Parent Council is collecting questions from the Fort River community. These questions will be forwarded to the budget advisory committee for further examination. Please send your questions to the following email address: ftriver@gmail.com.

Educational Implications of Chronic Medical Conditions in Children

This is one of a series of workshops being offered to families and community members over the course of the school year. This presentation will take place on Thursday, Jan. 21st. from 6:00-8:30 pm at the Professional Development Center at the Amherst Middle School. Presented by Dr. Emily Gonzalez. Click here for more information/Spanish translation.

Upcoming Community Events

Please note that these events are not sponsored by Parent Council.
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Two Workshops to start 2010 creatively with Multi-Arts:

N'1 This weekend: Short and intense.
One-day Theatre: join us for a 3 hours of intense fun!
Click here for more details.

N'2 After school Fridays at Fort River.
A 10 weeks Art & Theatre Workshop: The fun will end in a great production (grade 1 to 6)
Click here for more details.

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Come celebrate the 2nd annual Empty Bowls dinner benefiting the Amherst Survival Center! On January 12th from 4pm-8pm at The Pub, choose a hand-crafted ceramic bowl made by a local artist and enjoy soups prepared by chefs at area restaurants. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door. With your help, the Amherst Survival Center can continue to provide the services that our community so urgently needs. To purchase tickets, visit www.amherstsurvival.org or call 413-549-3968. Tickets are also available at The Pub and Hastings.

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Come dance and meet new friends at the Northampton Family Dance! Join us for our third dance of the season on Sunday, January 17, from 3 - 5 PM at First Churches, 129 Main St., Northampton (use Center Street entrance). Brendan Taaffe calls, with music by Susan Janssen & Shirley White. Come enjoy easy, fun dances for children and families, from traditional American to international folk. All dances are taught, so no dance experience is necessary. Admission is $4 per person for ages 3 and up, free for ages 2 and under, $15 maximum per family. The Northampton Family Dance is held on the third Sunday of the month, November through March. For more information, please call Judy Stern (parent of Fort River third grader) at (413) 256-2613.

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Click on image below to enlarge.

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Fort River Parent Council 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 Thursday during the school year. Please send your announcement no later than 5pm Wednesday for inclusion in the week's updates. Also 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.

Easy Ways to Earn $$$ for Fort River

Stop & Shopʼs A+ BonusBucks Program
Use your Stop & Shop card and Fort River earns a percentage! It's not too late to sign up! This is an easy way to raise money with absolutely no cost to you. 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. Remember, even if you registered your card last year, you must re-register this year for our school to receive credit. Thanks to everyone who has already signed up. Also, don’t forget to encourage your friends and relatives to do the same. And, if you sign up anytime in the month of January, ALL your purchases for the month will be counted! We need your support! Contact Ann McLaughlin if you have any questions or problems.

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, youʼll 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).

Atkins Farms Country Market
Use your Atkins card when you shop at Atkins Farms Country Market, and they will donate a percentage of your purchase to Fort River School. Atkins provided us with one card per family last year, and new cards for new families will be coming soon-- stay tuned! Just show the card when you are checking out. There is an expiration date on the card, which is the date that youngest child graduates from Fort River. 
Last year Fort River parents earned $500 for Fort River by shopping at Atkins! Thanks to everyone who has been participating--and don't forget to keep using your card every time you go.

Box Tops for Education
In case you are not familiar with Box Tops this is an easy way to earn money for Fort River--just take your scissors and clip! Last year we earned over $500. For each Box Top clipped the school receives 10 cents. Just look for the Box Tops logo on products in you already have in your kitchen, cut it out and deliver your box tops to the school's main office. If you would like to learn about the other ways you can make a difference sign up for the Box Tops website at boxtops4education.com. It’s easy, free and you’ll learn about new ways to help our school earn the extra cash it needs.

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.