PGO Meeting on April 2 at 9 AM

General PGO Meeting
Monday, April 2
9 - 10 am

Please join the PGO Board for our monthly meeting. All current Fort River parents and guardians are welcome! Budget, fundraising plans, and volunteer needs will be discussed. Sign in at the Main Office to get directions to our meeting location.

Small children are always welcome! We need more volunteers and help! Several Board members have 6th grade students and will not be here next year. Thanks for considering! 

BRRRR! 6th Annual Chili Night for a Chilly Night on January 24

Baby it's COLD outside! 

Later this month is your chance to FEEL THE HEAT at the 6th Annual Chili Night for a Chilly Night! This fiery hot competitive family evening pits classmates and families against each other for epic bragging rights to the school's best chili.  🏆🔥🏆🔥🏆

Sign up to bring chili, cornbread, or to help setup, cleanup, etc. at http://frpc.pleasebringit.com/public/iMSHyEFLb80

Buy Your Gift Cards from Fort River - DUE November 8

The PGO is once again 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.)

Use the cards for:

• Purchases that you already make on a regular basis like groceries (eg. Stop & Shop, Whole Foods)
• Holiday shopping (eg. L.L. Bean, Old Navy)
• To give as gifts to teachers, mail carriers and bus drivers (eg. Starbucks, Panera)

This is money you already have budgeted, but if you use our gift cards, you are helping the PGO fund school programs for your students. 

Please make checks payable to: Fort River PGO. Use this form to order as many gift cards as you wish, attach your check and return to your child’s teacher or to the PGO wall box in the office.

Gift card orders are due by WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8th. We aim to deliver the cards before Thanksgiving so that you can have them in hand for Black Friday/Cyber Monday. Since gift cards are essentially cash, we will not be sending them home in backpacks. Parents MUST pick them up in person in the Fort River lobby the week of November 20th -- exact times to be determined, but there will be a before and after school option.

Questions? Please email Stacey Beganny at stacey.fortriver@gmail.com. Click here for the order form: http://bit.ly/2xzO7Xl

Elementary Homework Policy

The PGO would like to thank Superintendent Michael Morris for visiting last Friday to solicit feedback from parents and guardians on the newly proposed elementary district wide homework policy. Many parents were able to provide specific commentary and share their personal experiences. The policy can be found here:

English https://goo.gl/wLkxfW 

Spanish https://goo.gl/aHWca3

The Fort River teachers who participated on the Homework Inquiry Group include Ann Shea, Carissa Ackroyd, and Omar Almodovar. A review of the research that informed the work of the group can be found here. Finalization and implementation of the policy is scheduled for early 2018. 

PGO Coffee with the Principal and Special Guests Ryan Harb and Michael Morris on October 27 at 9am

Please join the Fort River PGO and Interim Principal Diane Chamberlain in welcoming Mr. Ryan Harb and Superintendent Michael Morris to the Fort River cafeteria on Friday, October 27th. Mr. Harb, the new Director of Food Services for Amherst Regional Public Schools, will talk about the district’s new in-house food services. Additionally, Dr. Morris is seeking feedback from parents and guardians on the newly proposed district wide homework policy, which can be found here:

English https://goo.gl/wLkxfW 

Spanish https://goo.gl/aHWca3

If possible, please review the proposed policy in advance and bring your questions. 

Friday, October 27^th

9:00-10:00

in the Fort River cafeteria

As always, coffee and snacks will be served and younger children are welcome.

Four EASY Ways to Support the Fort River PGO

1. Stop & Shopʼs A+ BonusBucks Program

Use your Stop & Shop card and Fort River earns a percentage of your total purchases every month! Registering your card is easy and you only have to do it once. Call 1-877-366-2668 or visit www.stopandshop.com/aplus

Fort River ID # 05218

2. AmazonSmile

Be sure to designate the Fort River Elementary School Parent Council when doing your Amazon shopping. Visit smile.amazon.com to support the PGO. The Amazon Smile Foundation will donate a percentage of the price of eligible purchases to the charitable organizations selected by customers.

Fort River ID Fort River Elementary School Parent Council

3. Atkins Farms Country Market

When you shop at Atkins Farms Country Market mention our reward number - #83 - and they will donate a percentage of your purchase to Fort River School.  Just let them know when you are checking out.

Fort River ID # 83

4. Box Tops for Education

No need to remember ID numbers or register a card for this one! Just clip Box Tops for Education from the eligible products that you already buy and send them in with your child at the end of every month. If you are interested, you can visit www.boxtops4education.com to enter to win additional prizes for Fort River.

Thank you so much for your support!

Please encourage your friends and relatives to designate Fort River at Stop & Shop and Atkins Market, use our AmazonSmile page, and send in those Box Tops, too!!!!

ARPS PGO Winter Coat & Clothing Swap

Have you discovered any winter coats or other outdoor winter clothing that your family no longer needs? Have your kids outgrown last year's winter gear? Please consider donating unneeded items to the ARPS PGO Annual Winter Coat & Clothing Swap. This district wide collaboration between the Family Center and the PGOs enables dozens of families to acquire the gear they need to stay safe and warm each winter. 

Collection boxes will be in the lobby beginning on Wednesday, October 11 at Open House. Winter coats, jackets, snowpants, and boots for preK to 6th grade students are especially needed. Other winter items and sizes including adult sizes are also welcome. Donations should be clean and in good condition. 

Distribution will be in mid November. If you would like to volunteer to help with sorting, set up, and distribution of donated goods please contact the PGO at ftriver@gmail.com. 

Click here for printable flyer to share.

Original Works PGO Fundraiser

This year the PGO teams up with Original Works to create student designed art printed on a variety of products. This week, Fort River students will bring home a piece of white paper to make their own drawing or design. The paper should be returned to school by Friday, October 13th - there will be a box in the Main Office labeled "Original Works Art."  

Later in October, students will bring home an order form listing the many products that can be ordered with their unique design printed on them. Any products ordered will arrive at school in early December. Students do not have to participate or order items.  

• Please be sure students write their NAME and TEACHER on the back of the paper
• Images or color should fill the page

This fundraiser will benefit the Fort River PGO and the activities and events it supports.  

Thank you for participating.

PGO Coffee with the Principal on September 29

Please join your friends on Friday, September 29 at 9 am for coffee and informative conversation!

New this year! Our new librarian, Lani Blechman, has offered to host coffees in the Fort River library. We are excited to see parents have another opportunity to visit the library!

PGO coffees with the Principal take place every month or so. Some coffees may take place in the evening, depending upon community feedback. There will usually be a presentation for families and specifics will be available beforehand. The September speaker will be announced soon.

Your infants, toddlers, and preschoolers are always welcome at PGO Coffees! Families with future Amherst Elementary school children are also welcome and encouraged to attend. We are a welcoming community - join us! We hope to see you there! 

First Day Coffees for Families Sponsored by the PGO on August 30 and September 5

The Fort River staff will welcome students and their families into the gym starting at 8:50 on the first day of school, Wednesday, August 30. After you say goodbye to your children, please join Principal Diane Chamberlain, Assistant Principal Martha Toro, and your friends in the cafeteria where the PGO will serve refreshments and celebrate the new school year! Kindergarten families will come on Tuesday morning and can expect more PGO refreshments after sending off their little ones to begin their first day! 

The Family Coffee Hour is a gentle way for everyone to transition after an exciting and often emotional start to the new school year. Please join us! 

PGO Meeting On May 23 at 6:30pm

General PGO Meeting

Tuesday, May 23

6:30pm

Please join the PGO Board for a short and sweet evening meeting to review plans for the end of the year and to brainstorm ideas for the 2017-2018 school year. All current and future Fort River parents and guardians are welcome! The budget, fundraising goals, and volunteer needs will be discussed. 

PGO Coffee with a Principal on Friday, April 28 at 9am

Please join your friends on Friday, April 28 at 9 am for coffee and informative conversation!

PGO coffees with the Principal take place every month or so. The dates can be found on the PGO calendar which is on the right side of the blog home page. 

Your infants, toddlers, and preschoolers are always welcome at PGO Coffees! Families with future Amherst Elementary school children are also welcome and encouraged to attend. We are a welcoming community - join us! Please sign in at the office when you arrive and then join us in the west cafeteria. We hope to see you there!

PGO Meeting on Tuesday, April 25 at 9am - All Welcome

Interested in what the PGO Board does? Hoping to get more involved in your child's school? Please join us on Tuesday, April 25 at 9 am for a productive meeting with our school leadership. We will discuss upcoming fundraisers and events, current finances, and plans for the future. Hope to see you there!

Click for agenda and current financial report. 

#ArtContinues with Teri Magner on March 9 - Fort River Exclusive Event!

Save the Date! The PGO is excited to offer an evening of fun just for grown ups!

Fort River parents, guardians, extended family, teachers, and staff are welcome at our very own #artcontinues BYOB (Bring Your Own Beverage) Private Painting Party with Teri Magner on March 9 at the new AmherstWorks!

Stay tuned and in the meantime be sure to clear your calendar! *Space is limited to 45 guests so don't hesitate to reserve as soon as the details are finalized!*

#artcontinues is a labor of love that began in 2013, after Teri Magner retired from teaching art in the Amherst schools. Teri promotes art learning for all ages and all skill levels and also offers private painting or drawing events and fundraisers in the Pioneer Valley.

You can schedule your own private event NOW! Learn more at http://terimagner.com/

“Other wine & painting classes may have wine and painting supplies, but what they lack is Teri. Her tried and true teaching methods are simply the best!”

- Jane Mellor

Election Day Bake Sale - Thanks to Volunteers!

Thanks to everyone who visited our Election Day bake sale last week! We especially appreciate the volunteers who donated their time to staff the tables and baked or purchased goods to be sold.

We made $498.94 - what a successful event! 

FORT RIVER PGO Welcome Back Potluck & ​​Family Fun Fair on Wednesday, 9/21 at 5:30pm

 

Please join the Fort River community in celebrating the start of the new school year at the Fort River Welcome Back Potluck & 6th Grade Family Fun Fair. The potluck starts at 5:30pm on Wednesday, September 21 (which is also an early release day.) The rain date is September 22. The event will be held on the Fort River playground.

In addition to the potluck, our 6th grade students will be selling pizza, drinks and dessert as well as organize fun games. All proceeds will help to support their activities throughout the year. 

We are asking all 6th grade families to bring a contribution for the dessert table. (These items can be home made.)  There will also be pizza and beverages provided for the students to sell. Click here to access the letter that was sent to 6th grade families.

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.  Additionally, parents are needed to supervise the students while they are serving food.  Sign ups can be done online using the link below or via email.  Thanks for all your help!

Rebecca Kennedy (rbershadker@yahoo.com)

Nicole Blum-Carr (colieblum1@gmail.com)

*******************************************

Click here for 6th Grade Volunteer Online Signup  (this link is for 6th grade families only)
Click here to Sign Up to Bring a Dish for the Potluck (or just bring one if you can!)

PGO Coffee with the Principal THIS FRIDAY, September 16 at 9am

Please join your friends on Friday, September 16 at 9am for coffee, donuts, and informative conversation! 

PGO coffees with the Principal take place every month or two. The dates can be found on the PGO calendar which is on the right side of the blog home page. Some coffees may take place in the evening, depending upon community feedback. There will usually be a presentation for families and specifics will be available beforehand.

Your infants, toddlers, and preschoolers are always welcome at PGO Coffees! Families with future Amherst Elementary school children are also welcome and encouraged to attend. We hope to see you there!

First Day Family Coffee sponsored by the PGO

The Fort River staff will welcome students and their families into the gym starting at 8:50 on the first day of school. After you say goodbye to your children, please join your friends in the cafeteria where the PGO will serve refreshments and celebrate the new school year! Kindergarten families will come on Tuesday morning and can expect more PGO refreshments after sending off their little ones to begin their first day! 

The Family Coffee Hour is a gentle way for everyone to transition after an exciting and often emotional start to the new school year. Please join us! 

PGO Book Share June 6 - 10: DONATIONS NEEDED!

PLEASE send in any books that your child(ren) are finished with and would like to donate!!!   We need enough books for every student in Fort River to select a book to take home, to keep, to start their summer reading fun!!  The 5th and 6th grade reading level books are especially needed.

There is a collection box in the front lobby, by the office door, for the donations.   

PARENT VOLUNTEERS are needed to staff the Book Share event!   

Volunteers just cover a time slot when a class comes in to the library, help students select books from the tables designated for that class, make sure the books out on the tables look orderly.

See below for the schedule of when each class will be attending the event, in the Fort River Library.  Each class will only take about 20 minutes, not the whole hour time slot.  You may want to come during your child's class' time to be there with your child, so look for their teacher's name on the schedule.

To sign up to volunteer, email Mary Beth Meade  callfonmeade@comcast.net  or Deb Leonard dleeleonard@gmail.com      --just tell us the time you will be there. 

Click here for a printable copy of the schedule:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B-2bHm-1AjRfSzNvMHF2WUdzdTQ

PGO Elections on June 6th

Elections for the 2016 - 2017 PGO Board positions will take place on June 6th at 9 am in the Fort River Cafeteria.  This meeting is open to the public, and all families with a current student at Fort River have a vote and a voice in shaping the future of the PGO.

Brainstorming ideas are always welcome. Please attend any PGO Coffee or the June 6th elections to get involved, or email any current Board Member with your feedback and suggestions. The PGO Board can also be contacted at ftriver@gmail.com, or individually via email (addresses listed on the PGO website).