LSSE Summer Camp Fair

Amherst Baseball

National School Breakfast Week

This week, March 4-8, is NATIONAL SCHOOL BREAKFAST WEEK, and to celebrate, we will be piloting the “Breakfast in the Classroom” Program!  

All students will start their day by walking around the school. At the conclusion of walking, students will go directly to their classrooms, where a hot breakfast will be waiting for them!

All students are able to participate, regardless of income level, and students who typically receive free breakfast will have the same benefit during this pilot program.

Full breakfast price is 75 cents, and reduced price is 30 cents! Students can take a breakfast and you will be billed later from the cafeteria, or you can add funds to your student’s account via https://www.amherstfood.com/ (you’ll need to have your student’s ID# to do so). If you would like to apply for free or reduced lunch & breakfast eligibility, please refer to these applications and guidelines via the ARPS School Nutrition website.

Breakfast in the classroom promotes increased equity for our students. With this model, ALL Students will be able to participate in our walking program, allowing for physical activity before beginning academic work, which has long been established as a benefit to student outcomes.  As well, ALL students will join their classroom promptly at 8:45, rather than many arriving 10 minutes later, after finishing breakfast.
We encourage all families to participate in this pilot program, even if their child does not typically eat breakfast at school, by allowing students to purchase breakfast, or by sending in items from home to enjoy alongside peers as they start the day. 

The menu for the week is as follows:

Monday:	Tuesday:	Wednesday:	Thursday:	Friday:
Breakfast Pizza	Homemade corn muffins	Turkey Sausage & Pancake	Egg & Cheese Sandwich	Yogurt Parfait Granola
Apple Slices	Fresh Pear	Pancake	Fruit Cup	Fruit (Strawberry/ Blueberry)
Milk	Milk	Milk	Milk	Milk

Lessons at Joy Art Space

Registration is now open for late winter/spring after-school group art lessons at Joy Art Space! There will be a few spaces opening up in the art lesson groups starting in early March.  Art lessons at Joy Art Space are a great opportunity for children and teens to get involved in an enriching after school activity where they can engage in self-expression and learn art techniques in a supportive environment. The studio is right on North Pleasant Street, walking distance from the Amherst schools.  Visit www.joyartspace.com for more information.  Spaces are limited and fill quickly -- register soon to ensure a spot in the group!

There are a couple spaces available in:
Thursday 3:30 - 4:45 Drawing and Painting (Ages 8-11)
Friday 6:30 - 7:45 Drawing and Painting (Ages 14-17)

To register for one of these lesson groups, click here and complete the registration form.

To join the waiting list for one of the full lesson groups (below), email  lily.joyartspace@gmail.com:

Monday 3:30 - 4:45 Exploring Art (Ages 6-8)
Tuesday 3:30 - 4:45 Exploring Art (Ages 6-8)
Wednesday 3:30 - 4:45 Drawing and Painting (Ages 8-11)
Friday 3:30 - 4:45 Drawing and Painting (Ages 12-14)

Note:If you are interested in lessons but these times / dates don't work, please email Lily. The schedule may be flexible, and private and sibling group lessons are also available, so there is often a way to accommodate different schedules.

Amherst Youth Lacrosse

Come out and play! Lacrosse teams forming now for Spring 2019. Grades 1st through 6th. Register online by March 10th www.amherstyouthlacrosse.org.

All 3rd and 4th grade girls are invited to Try Lacrosse for a Day! Free Clinic with Amherst Youth Lacrosse, Sunday March 10,
9:30-10:30 am, Amherst Regional Middle School
(Contact: Frank Hein, 413-896-6677)


K-2nd grade - Sundays only
Grades 3-6th -
Girls practice schedule - M, W, F 6-7:30pm, Saturday 9:00-10:30
Boys practice schedule - Tu,Th, Saturday

Coaches are USA Lacrosse certified and have completed background checks.

February Vacation Week programs at the library

Family Movie Matinee & Crafternoon (the movie is Ratatouille and is rated G)

February 20th 2:00-5:00pm in the Woodbury Room

From 2:00-3:00 we be crafting a paper collage feast.

At 3:00 the movie will start, starring a rat who dreams of becoming a chef.

 

Feed the Birds Drop-in Activity

February 21st 3:00-4:00pm in the Crafts Room

Make a simple craft and healthy snack for our feathered friends!

Lego Club (ages 5-10)

February 22nd 3:00-4:30pm in the Woodbury Room

Use the library LEGO collection to engineer and build a cool creation.

Vacation week will conclude by kicking off the annual Children’s Music series with a performance by The Nields! More information can be found on the library website at www.joneslibrary.org/musicseriespgo

Missoula Children's Theater Pied Piper Auditions

Amherst College Research Studiees

The Amherst College Child Learning and Development Lab is looking for children ages 3-5  to participate in a variety of short, one-time research studies in communication and developmental psychology next week during the February break.

Studies are short, fun and kids earn a small prize at the completion of the session.  We have comfortable seating for families and the Beneski Science Center is free and walkable from the lab if your little ones like dinosaurs!  

We have a reserved parking spot just for research families.  Contact amherstclad@gmail.com to support science and reserve your 30 minute spot.

___________________________________________________

Child Learning and Development Lab (CLAD)

Amherst College

Director: Dr. Carolyn Palmquist, Assistant Professor of Psychology

Phone: (413) 542-5670

Email: cladlab@amherst.edu

Hours: Mon-Fri, 9-5

Website: www.bitly.com/cladlab

Coffee with the principal - MCAS

Coffee with the Principal - March 1, 9 am

We will be talking about the MCAS with Director of Curriculum, Tim Sheehan.

MSBA Funding Listening Sessions

Superintendent Mike Morris has proposed a one-building solution to address our urgent elementary school infrastructure challenges within the next 5-6 years. The proposal takes big steps toward addressing some of the more substantive concerns aired in the previous town-wide debates on this issue. It also calls for some compromises.

Due to state-mandated deadlines, we have a tiny window of time in which to learn about this plan to determine whether we can come together to support it – if we can’t, we’ll have to wait another year to apply again. That’s what these six listening sessions are about – and it’s why they’re coming up so fast. So go ahead. Open up your calendar right now. Find a time that works - before you forget!

Fort River Feasibility Study Forum

Over the fall and winter, the Fort River School Building Committee has continued to make progress with its feasibility study. The designers, TSKP Studio, have been attending the committee’s meeting and produced a series of design proposals for Fort River Elementary that encompass a wide range of options: new construction, different degrees of addition/renovation (from 50% down to 10% new). All these satisfy the educational programming needs for the school, include a range of possible heating and cooling options, and take into account the Net Zero Energy Bylaw of the Town.

A community meeting has been scheduled for February 13th at 6:30pm at the Middle School auditorium, with a follow up meeting two weeks later in Town (location and time to be determined). During this meeting, the architects will present the options and ask for feedback from the community. These meetings are un-related to the MSBA statement of interest process.

The committee and designer’s work, along with other documents, can be found at

https://www.amherstma.gov/3379/Fort-River-School-Building-Committee. The public is welcome to attend our regular meetings and can also contact the committee at fortriversbc@amherstma.gov.

Box Tops for Education

Now is the time to return all those clipped Box Tops you have been collecting! They are due by Friday, February 15! Just clip Box Tops for Education from the eligible products that you already buy (Annie's, Ziploc, etc. - check your cupboards!) and Fort River gets $0.10 for each one. For more information, you can visit www.boxtops4education.com.

Chili Night Re-cap!

What a wonderful evening, chock full of good food, lively conversation and conga lines! With all this fun, we forgot to take pictures😁We would like to thank all of the chili entrants, families that brought cornbread, tortilla chips, etc and to our fabulous committee: Allison Page, Jandro Levins, Stacey Beganny and Philip Avila.

Now on to the good stuff: the winners!

Best Chili Name: Lisa Solowiej with "Chili Bean is not my lover"

Kids Pleasin': Kiera Cartel with "Chilinity Wars"
Kiera was given a chili apron and a $10 gift card to Johnny's Roadside Diner

Best Overall: Yoosun Park with "Kimchi!"
Yoosun was given a wooden spoon etched with "Fort River School, Best Overall Chili Cook-off 2019." She also earned herself a $10 gift card to Johnny's Roadside Diner.

Special shout out to Angela Russo & Thom Long for their second place finish with "The Chili."

Girls on the Run

Girls on the Run (grades 3 to 5) and Heart and Sole (grades 6 to 8) will run Tuesdays and Thursdays after school at Fort River.

Program cost includes: 20 lessons conducted by two certified GOTR Coaches, 1 official GOTR t-shirt, participation in the season-ending 5k, a snack at each practice & a 5k finisher's medallion. Cost is $150.


Register here: https://www.raceplanner.com/register/index/KVZHCZTI8GLKRP0?sid=baac02734ff442e6a864e3c0d6edef9b

Girls lacrosse clinic

Mini Minutes Youth Field Hockey Program

SPRING 2019 MINI MINUTES FREE YOUTH PROGRAM
April 2, 9, 16, 23 (5:30-6:30pm)
Weather make-up date: April 30
@UMASS Field Hockey Field
Ages 5-13, Girls & Boys
http://wmasshky.com/miniminutes/

 

Learn Field Hockey AND Have Fun!

Head Coach Barb Weinberg and the University of Massachusetts field hockey coaching staff and team will be hosting  our annual Mini Minutes Youth Program in the spring of 2019.  Mini Minutes is a FREE fun and interactive program intended for youth ages 5-13 years (Kindergarten through 8th grade), and is designed to introduce girls and boys to the sport of Field Hockey and team play.

Feburary Vacation Week - Multi-Arts

What are your children doing during  the February 18-22 vacation?

Join MULTI-ARTS for an exciting journey that taps into their creativity and broadens their artistic horizon: Art. Theater. Music. Dance. Mime and more

 Join us for one day, two or more days, or for the entire week!

Six professional artists will be working with the children, sharing their talents, and inspiring them to immerse themselves in the magical world of the arts.

Immanuel Lutheran Church, 867 N Pleasant St, Amherst

SPACE IS LIMITED. REGISTER TODAY

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdZyzULgFiyBfu_Ahm9ks9axF6_BRamuiO2f_qEEl-u2rVFoQ/viewform

 www.multi-arts.org
 financial aid available