Woven Word Young Writers - Creative Writing Workshops

Every person has stories and poems that belong to them alone. Woven Word helps young writers unlock this core material. Together we build a tight community of writers. We step away from school assignments and create a powerful space for young writers to explore poetry and fiction on their own terms.

Woven Word offers fun and engaging prompts based on 21 years of youth writing experience. Members learn to give feedback on the strength in each writer’s work and youth leadership is encouraged. Our emphasis is on safe space, and fun.

Free Trial Week for New Writers!
2019 Semester II: Week of January 22 - May 23
Grades 3-8, Tuesdays or Thursdays, 3:45-5:45
Full Semester - $336, Half Semester -$168
(financial aid available)

For information & registration contact: Lynn Bowmaster, 413-584-3373, Lrbowmaster@gmail.com
http://www.wovenwordyoungwriters.weebly.com

Help wanted for Fort River XC Ski Program

Our intrepid and enthusiastic PE teacher Kaileigh is going to pilot the Nordic Rocks XC Ski program at Fort River this winter.  She could use an extra adult for some of the sessions.  If you would like to volunteer on the days and times  listed below, please contact Sanjay Arwade (srarwade@gmail.com)

Jan 6 - Feb 15

Mondays 2:25-3:05

Tuesdays 9:05-9:45, 12:45-1:25, 2:25-3:05

Wednesdays 9:05-9:45, 11:30-12:10, 12:45-1:25

Fridays 11:30-12:10, 12:45-1:25

AEF Stars in Our Schools

 

Are you looking for ways to celebrate your child’s favorite teachers during this season?

At the Amherst Education Foundation, we are excited to announce the return of Stars in Our Schools!

Make a donation in an educator’s name, and they will receive a card indicating that you supported AEF in their honor. Stars in Our Schools is a great way to give a gift that contributes to the schools and that is in compliance with the law that forbids public employees from receiving gifts valued at more than $50.00. Visit the "Stars" tab on our website for details and to order! Orders must be received by December 18 to allow adequate time for processing before the break.

Holidays at Hogwarts at the Jones Library

Winter Activities

Check out the winter activities packet for things to do this winter!

PGO Annual Fund

Help support the PGO by donating to the Annual Fund. Your financial contribution in any amount will allow us to continue to provide our students, teachers, and administrators with much needed funding to support enrichment activities, supplies, field trips, and classroom mini-grants. Look for more information going home this week or donate now through our Facebook fundraiser, the PGO blog or by sending a check to school. Your help is appreciated!

Stone Soup Holiday Bazaar and Café

Saturday, December 1, 10am - 4pm

Unitarian Universalist Society of Amherst
121 North Pleasant St

Arts & crafts fair, raffles, homemade soups and breads, childrens' activities - all welcome!

uusocietyamherst.org

Family Literacy Night

Fort River Elementary School Presents a Title 1 Sponsored Event

Family Literacy Night

Kindergarten - Second Grade

Thursday, November 29, 2018

6:00-7:30 pm

Fort River School

Pizza & Raffle	6:00-6:30
Literacy Sessions	6:30-7:15
Conclusion	7:15-7:30

~  Buses will pick up at Mill Valley @ 5:30, Rolling Green @ 5:45, and Colonial @ 5:50 and drop off after the event. ~

T-shirts still for sale!

Fort River T-Shirts still on sale! The PGO has a limited amount of youth and adult sizes available. Only $10 per shirt. Please email stacey.fortriver@gmail.com to inquire about sizes!

Grades 6-12 Math Review

The Grades 6-12 Math Review is looking for input from families! 

 

Monday, November 19, 3:30-4:30 pm

ARHS Library

 

The consultant doing the site visits, Heidi Sabnani, will be having an informal session to give families an opportunity to share their thoughts, concerns, etc. 

 

A survey will be sent at a later date.

English Learner Parent Advisory Council (ELPAC) Meet & Greet

November 15, 9 am and 5pm
Amherst Regional Middle School

Build a strong, supportive community of bilingual families, provide input, advise the school district, plan, develop and improve educational opportunities for the English Learners.

Child care and refreshments available.

Winter Coat and Clothing Share

The Fort River Winter Coat & Clothing Share has arrived!  Our annual winter clothing collection starts this week!  Now is a great time to go through your closets & find coats/jackets, snow-pants, boots, mittens, scarfs, & hats that your family has outgrown or you no longer need. Please drop off clean items in good condition in the collection box in the school lobby starting November 5^ththrough December 3rd. All sizes (baby to adult) needed, especially sizes for preschoolers through 6th graders.

The collected winter wear will be available for the taking at Fort River in room 11 from December 3^rd-5^th.   All school & community families are welcome to come in on these days to browse & pickup whatever they need.  

This year, Fort River is working together with the other ARPS schools to help as many students & families as possible get the clothes they need to stay warm this winter.  Look for a flyer in backpacks soon with more details on the other collection & distribution sites & dates.   

Thank you!

Puerto Rican Heritage Celebration

Monday, November 19
11am - 12pm
Amherst Town Hall - Town Room

Jones Library Book Sale

November 17, 9am-3pm
Jones Library

Free admission.

All proceeds benefit the town libaries.

Kindergarten Pot Luck this Wednesday!

The Kindergarten Potluck is Wednesday, November 7th from 5:30 to 7:00 in the cafeteria. 

Please check out the sign up sheet on: http://frpc.pleasebringit.com/public/MhfjjXsuia0

PGO Coffee Friday November 2nd at 9am

Please join the Fort River PGO and Principal Diane Chamberlain in welcoming Lt. Johnson from the Amherst Police Department to the PGO Coffee this Friday at 9am in the FR Library. We will be discussing ALICE training and school safety. Please sign into the office when you arrive and as always, young children are welcome.

Around the World Wrap-Up

The Around the World – Cultural Heritage Fair ROCKED!!

This year we had over 37(!) dishes, lots of culture/project booths, and a variety of amazing performances!

The food was AMAZING too!! Thank you so much for the many food contributions from “Around the World”!

We are also so grateful for your contributions and your time gathering and displaying things from your culture. Everything you shared was so PRECIOUS and wonderful.

The performances were FANTASTIC!!

So many folks gave a helping hand to set-up, clean-up and coordinate this event. THANK YOU!!

We are so glad so MANY families and teachers attended this event and a big thank you to EVERYONE who brought the most diverse and delicious gathering Fort River has ever seen! We look forward to seeing you all next year again!!!

Gift Card Sale!

Buy Gift Cards from the Fort River PGO!

The PGO will be selling gift cards that you can use for your normal weekly purchases at the grocery store or for Holiday shopping. This is money that you would already be spending, but if you use our gift cards, you will be earning money for Fort River! You pay full face value, but the PGO buys the gift cards at a discount (from 2-16% depending on the retailer.)

Look for an order form in your child's backpack! Orders are due on THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 8th! Checks made payable to Fort River PGO.

Election Day (Nov 6) Bake Sale

Calling all volunteers.  With election day around the corner, come exercise your civic duty and your baking skills.  The PGO is looking for baking volunteers as well as folks willing to donate their time to sell.  Proceeds from he bake sale will help support Fort River as well as support the districts preschool program.  Please contact Rebecca Kennedy with any questions rebecca.fortriver@gmail.com

http://frpc.pleasebringit.com/public/9OVAaNLulP0-- Volunteer Sign Up

http://frpc.pleasebringit.com/public/+zqVnpdKWcE–Baked Good Contribution Sign Up Sheet

Medieval Feast Celebration

Meet the US Women's XC Ski Team Head Coach!

November 7 at 7 pm
Amherst Regional High School Library

Matt Whitcomb is a three-time U.S. Olympic Ski Team coach in cross country skiing, and a five-time U.S. Ski and Snowboard International Coach of the Year. He was awarded the United States Olympic Committee’s Order of Ikkos Award following Kikkan Randall and Jessie Diggins’ gold medal performance in the 2018 Olympics.

Matt will share his approach to training and competing in the sport of cross country skiing. He’ll talk about working hard as an individual while building strong team culture, and will give us a glimpse into xc skiing at an elite level, on an international stage. Young, old, novice, and expert skiers alike will glean insights from his talk. Come with questions; he looks forward to engaging with the audience.

This event is FREE and open to the public. Contact: Steve Bruner sbruner@hotmail.com

Amherst Suburban Basketball Tryouts This Week

Around the World Cultural Heritage Fair

Wednesday, October 24. 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
Fort River Cafeteria

• International potluck
• Performances
• Crafts/games
• Artifacts & more!

Please sign up to share international food at: http://frpc.pleasebringit.com/public/RqTYqAfOU3c or on the sign-up sheet in the main office.

Anyone from the Fort River community may bring poster displays, artifacts, photos, etc. to our “Artifacts Museum” at the event (arrive by 5:45 to get a name tag for your items)! You’re welcome to wear a costume or favorite outfit! Or, simply come and enjoy the cultural diversity! Questions? Yoosun Park (yoosun82@gmail.com)

The Fort River Directory has arrived!

The Fort River PGO is thrilled that we can provide this year's School Directory free of charge once again. Thank you to all the efforts and donations from our community throughout the year that make this a possibility. Directories will be distributed this week (one per family) and they will be going home with the youngest sibling, so be on the lookout!

ABC Fall Foliage 5K Run

Represent Fort River at the ABC 5k Run/Walk!

 Please join us for the 47^th Annual Amherst-A Better Chance Fall Foliage 5Kwalk/run on Saturday, October 20^th. The course begins on the Amherst town common and will include beautiful vistas during peak foliage! This is a family event with lots of great post run entertainment including drumming, dancing, DJ and Amherst’s own rap artist.

This year we are hoping to create elementary school teams so if you are interested in joining Team Fort River, please contact one of FR’s captains-Chelsea Holabird, holabird12@gmail.com or Manny Wineman, winemani@arps.org.  There will be prizes, free t-shirts, food and lots of school spirit to support A Better Chance.

Also, we need adult volunteers so let the captain know if you are interested.

Click here to register https://www.amherstabetterchance.org/fallfoliagewalkrun/  or go to our FB page https://www.facebook.com/ABCfall.foliage.walk.run/

This is not a school sponsored event. 

AEF Trivia Bee

Jones Library - Mash Family Dance Party

A family-friendly dance party for kids of all ages! There will be spooktacular tunes, crafts and photo opportunities. Costumes welcome!

ARHS Performing Arts Gala

The annual ARHS Performing Arts Gala is coming up on October 10! This is a unique chance to experience the wide variety of performing arts opportunities offered at ARHS. The evening includes performances from choirs, orchestras, bands, jazz band, dance ensembles, theater groups, and information about all of these programs. The event begins in the high school auditorium at 6:45 and is free and open to the public. We would love to see you there!

T-Shirts are on Sale now!

Fort River T-shirts for sale!

Show your school spirit while helping the PGO raise money to
support the Fort River community!

GOLD shirts with our mascot for the year -- a moose -- are now on
sale! They feature 6th grader Ruby A’s winning design from this
fall’s t-shirt contest! Students, staff and parents -- we’ve got you
covered with lots of available sizes!

ALL SHIRTS ARE JUST $10!!!

Please return your order form with payment to the main office by TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9th. Checks can be made payable to Fort River PGO. Questions? Send an email to  stacey.fortriver@gmail.com

Click to access the order form.

Picture Day

Fort River Picture Day is Tuesday, October 16! 

In addition to providing keepsakes of your children for family and friends, Grynn & Barrett donates a percentage of sales to Fort River School.

All students will be photographed for the yearbook and will receive a class picture free of charge.

CLASS PICTURES: Group photos of your child’s class will be taken on Picture Day.  These will be provided FREE to all families. 

ORDERING A PICTURE PACKAGE: Please read the order form carefully, fill out completely and return with payment to your child’s teacher by Monday, October 15th.If you do not with to order a package, please write your child's name and "No Package" on the form and return it.

LATE ORDERS: Every student photographed on Picture Day will be able to order additional pictures, packages and merchandise through the Grynn & Barrett website.

Proceeds from picture orders go to support school field trips throughout the year. 

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED, to help direct students to their photos. 

Sign up to help at: http://frpc.pleasebringit.com/public/rz4Ebb8jwIc

Questions? contact Deb Leonard at deb.fortriver@gmail.com.

This is a very fun volunteer opportunity!

        

Performers and Food Wanted! Around the World Celebration

Wednesday, October 24, 6 - 7:30 pm, Fort River Cafeteria

We need lots of international food to have a fun and successful event! Please sign up: http://frpc.pleasebringit.com/public/RqTYqAfOU3c

If you can share some poster displays, photos, artifacts, games, crafts, costumes, performances, or you want to set up a table/booth dedicated to your culture, please contact Yoosun Park (yoosun82@gmail.com).

We’re still looking for volunteers to help during the event, too! Or simply come to enjoy our diverse cultures! We hope to see you there!

Fort River School Building Committee Update

Over the summer, the Fort River School Building Committee has continued to make progress with its feasibility study. 

The  results of the indoor air quality study performed by ATC Group Services of West Springfield showed that the levels of asbestos, bacteria, mold, and radon are within acceptable levels and similar to or below background/outside concentrations.

The designers,TSKP Studio, have been attending the committee’s meeting and a working subgroup has joined in meetings with the Amherst School District to understand programming needs of the school in order to produce a range of options for a school building to serve PreK-6 students attending the Fort River Elementary School.  

Community meetings will be scheduled over the upcoming months and public input sought as plans develop. The next meeting is October 10. A timeline for the committee and designer’s work, along with other documents, can be found at https://www.amherstma.gov/3379/Fort-River-School-Building-Committee . If you would like to be notified about upcoming meetings and receive press releases directly to your in-box, you can join our list serve by signing up through our web page.

Try Hockey This Winter

The Amherst Hockey Association is hosting two FREE Try Hockey for Free events this fall:
- October 6, 1-3pm for girls only
- November 10, 2-4pm for boys and girls
Both events will be held at the Mullins Community Ice Rink at UMass. Free skate rentals, all you need is any kind of helmet and gloves. There will also be new hockey helmets and used gear for sale. www.amhersthockey.org

Open House

 

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2018  6:00 - 7:00 pm

We hope all students and families will attend this special night at Fort River! During Open House the students will be in a leadership role as guides for their families. They will have a chance to share their learning environment with you and show you samples of their work.

Bus transportation is available.  Pick up times and locations are: 

5:30 Mill Valley office, 5:40 Center of Colonial Village, 5:50 Rolling green office. 

The bus will depart Fort River at 7:00 for the return trip.

---------

JUEVES, 4 DE OCTUBRE DE 2018 6:00PM - 7:00PM

 ¡Esperamos que todos los estudiantes y familias asistan a esta noche especial en Fort River! Durante la Casa Abierta, los estudiantes tendrán un papel de liderazgo como guías para sus familias. Tendrán la oportunidad de compartir su entorno de aprendizaje con usted y mostrarle algunos de sus trabajos.

Transporte en autobús estará disponible. Los horarios y lugares de recogido son: 

5:30PM Oficina de Mill Valley, 5:40PM Centro de Colonial Village, 5:50PM Oficina de Rolling Green. 

El autobús saldrá de Fort River a las 7:00PM para el viaje de regreso.

T-shirt Winner!

Congratulations to 6th grader, Ruby, for her winning design in Fort River's T-shirt contest! Be on the lookout for order forms which were backpacked today! 

All T-shirts are just $10 and all proceeds benefit the Fort River community via funding for field trips, the free student directory and many other programs!

PGO Meeting - October 1

The next PGO meeting will be on Monday, October 1 at 9 am.

All are welcome to join!

Fort River Family Fun Fair - Wednesday Sept. 26th 6-7pm

Come to The 6th Grade Family Fun Fair!

THIS WEDNESDAY!!! Behind the school (rain location - cafeteria)

Our 6th grade students will be selling pizza, drinks, and dessert and have also organized fun games for younger students. All proceeds will help to support their activities throughout the year.

All 6th grade families should try to bring a dessert or drink contribution. Desserts should be nut free and please attach an ingredient list if possible. In addition, we also need parent volunteers for help on the night of the fair. Help is needed for set up, clean up, and general supervision of the games. Parents are also needed to supervise the students while they are serving food. Thanks in advance for all your help! 

6th Grade Families - Please sign up to help at: http://frpc.pleasebringit.com/public/q$$sTI9oPhA

Save The Date! Around the World at Fort River on October 24

Join us for “Around the World at Fort River” on Wednesday, October 24th from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. in the cafeteria to celebrate our diverse cultures with the Fort River community. 

Come and enjoy some food, poster displays, photos, artifacts, costumes, artwork, dances, music, stories, or performances, or simply come to support our diversity. 

If your child or someone you know can share their talents, skills, or treasures with the Fort River community, or if you can help at the fair (many hands make light work!), please contact Yoosun Park (yoosun82@gmail.com). 

We welcome any genre, from music and dance to martial arts, crafts, etc. at any skill levels. Of course, cultural heritage doesn’t have to be from “other” places. We need a Yankee booth, too! Please help us make this event interesting, educational, and most importantly, FUN!

Amherst Survival Center Community Breakfast

 The Amherst Survival Center is once again hosting a community appreciation breakfast on Saturday September 29, 2018 from 9am to 11am . All are welcome to attend. A free pancake breakfast will be served. The Amherst Survival Center is usually not open on the weekends, but for this event it opens and offers a breakfast to any one who attends. Tours of the building will also be available. The Amherst Survival Center is located at 138 Sunderland Road in North Amherst, across the street from Cowls' Hardware. The Amherst Survival Center includes a community kitchen (lunches 4 days/week), a food pantry (serving residents of 13 towns), a community (free thrift) store, a walk-in free health clinic and other programs.  More information on the Center can be found on its website: www.amherstsurvival.org

AEF Candidate Education Forum

Tuesday, October 2
7 to 9pm
Amherst Regional Middle School Auditorium

Hear the six candidates discuss their views and visions on the important topic of public education at all levels. 

The evening will include a panel discussion moderated by UMass Professor Rebecca Woodland, followed by a meet and greet with the candidates.

Rebecca H. Woodland, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Educational Leadership and Co-Director of the Center for Educational Policy, Research and Administration in the College of Education at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

PGO Coffee / Dual language program

Come join Principal Diane Chamberlain and Superintendent Michael Morris for coffee and an exploration of a dual language program on Friday, September 28 at 9 am in the Fort River library.

Thank you for the skis!

Dear Fort River Nordic Rocks donors,

It is with great appreciation that I share with you the attached letter, addressed to our school committee, asking them to accept the donation of skis and equipment for the Nordic Rocks program!  

Thanks to you, we will bring quality instruction and exposure to a new activity to many students who would otherwise not be pursuing Nordic Skiing.  

Your generosity is allowing great possibilities for our students.  Thank you so very much!

In gratitude, 

Diane