Important Playground Update

As you have probably noticed, the next phase of the playground renovation has been completed – we have three new picnic table and two new springboards! We are very thankful to a number of people/businesses who have made this new playground possible: • New England Greenscape (665-3493) installed the lovely brick walkway at cost (no profit for them); • Jim Rodrigue assisted with providing and pouring cement for the playground on three separate occasions; • Chris Rice Associates (427-7505), who handles precision excavation and materials handling, assisted tremendously with digging holes, leveling ground, and providing concrete; • Libby Stanforth and Hana Rivkin coordinated the Fort River Roasters program last year (which netted $1000) and Pam Rietkerk coordinated the Hillside Pizza fundraiser (which netted $800); • Alison Donta, Mike Jacques, Jon Kane, Mark Marasco, Steve Poulin, Nancy Reffsin, Steve Reynolds, Amy Rose, Catherine Sanderson, Patrick Schilling, Blake Spirko, Michele Spirko, Peter Venman, and Principal Ray Sharick assembled the picnic tables; • Mike Jacques, Matt Lewis, Kristen Lynch, Ray Mann, Cam Mann, Jim Rodrigue, Catherine Sanderson, Ray Sharick, and Peter Wood installed the picnic tables and springboards; We are nearing the final phase of the playground renovation, which will include work on planting and landscaping (thanks to a lovely design by Carol Pope) and painting games (hop scotch, four square) on the blacktop! If you’d like to be involved in this final phase of the playground, please contact Catherine Sanderson (casanderson@amherst.edu, 256-4977).

Playground Installation Help Wanted

Playground installation help is needed to assemble equipment, dig holes for the new equipment and picnic table, and plant trees! Volunteers are needed this Sunday, September 14th starting at 10am. Please contact Catherine Sanderson (256-4977, casanderson@amherst.edu) if you can help for any length of time. Donations of food/drink, and/or assistance with provideing childcare for our volunteers, would also be much appreciated! Volunteers--please bring shovels, rakes and drills if you can! We know all parents are busy...but we REALLY can't finish this LAST phase of the new playground without you! Thanks much!

More Volunteers Needed!

We urgently need more people to sign up to help assemble 3 picnic tables for the playground this coming Saturday, Aug 23rd (time to be determined based on volunteer availability). So far we’ve had ONLY two volunteers. If we don’t get more volunteers we will have to cancel, and the picnic tables won’t been in before early September. PLEASE contact Catherine Sanderson (casanderson@amherst.edu, tel. 256-4977) ASAP if you can help! Also, please plan on bringing drills and other tools that will be useful. We also have an additional volunteer position open for someone who would like help out with the Staff/Teacher Appreciation Luncheon. This is a great way to say “thank you” to all the people who take care of our kids. This committee finds a restaurant and works with the manager to set a date and menu, sends invitations to all staff asking for menu choices, collects RSVPs and gives meal counts to the restaurant, and keeps in contact with the restaurant to make sure that everything is on track! A Spring Event. We need a co-coordinator to work with Jacquie Juras. Contact Parent Council President Sue Borden at 253-0140 or frpc.sborden@gmail.com if you have questions or would like to volunteer.

LAST Chance to Order a Brick for the Playground

As many of you know, as part of last year’s fundraising for the new playground, families could order bricks to be etched with a special name or saying. The bricks are now being etched, and will be installed this spring, but a few new families have asked if a brick could be purchased. We are therefore extending the date for ONE MORE week in case there are last brick orders to be placed. Please click here for a form: Buy-a-Brick Form. Please return forms (and checks) to the Parent Council box in the main office (or to Catherine Sanderson, 23 Alyssum Drive, Amherst), by Monday, March 31st. ALSO, please save the date of Thursday, May 22nd to join Fort River families, teachers and staff for a fun potluck picnic when we unveil our new brick walkway and plaque!

Big Thank Yous to...

Pam Rietkerk and Alisa Braverman for running the Hillside Pizza (and cookie dough) fundraiser – which raised over $800 (profit) for the playground!

A HUGE Thank-You to Our Playground Volunteers

Parent Council thanks the small number of dedicated volunteers who assisted with the preparation of the new playground this past Sunday, October 28th. They worked for several hours removing excess cement, preparing the ground covering, removing brackets and raking woodchips. Thanks to Peter Wood, Mike Jacques, Ray Mann, Catherine Sanderson, Michael Ireland, Mark Marasco, Mark Dooley, and Sue Cairn. The playground looks terrific!

Playground Volunteers Needed This Weekend

We are looking for some help for the last time in 2007 with preparing the new playground equipment and benches for use! Can you help this Sunday afternoon, October 28th, 1 to 3 pm (or any time within this period), with removing brackets (cordless drills would be useful), smoothing the ground beneath the equipment, and shoveling woodchips? Please contact Catherine (casanderson@amherst.edu, 256-4977) if you can help! Click here for some pictures of the latest installations. It's looking great!

Progress at the Playground

This is what the playground looked like on Tuesday, Oct. 23rd.

Awesome!

Volunteers Desperately Needed -- Playground Installation

We are installing the next phase of the playground on Saturday, October 20th, and desperately need volunteers to assist with assembling the play equipment and planting trees/bushes. Please come, even for an hour or two (morning help ESPECIALLY needed). Contact Catherine Sanderson (casanderson@amherst.edu ,256-4977) ASAP to volunteer.

Playground News -- Installation on Oct. 20th.

We are installing the next phase of the playground in the next few weeks, and desperately need volunteers to assist with all of the following: assembling the play equipment and digging holes and planting trees (all on Saturday, October 20th). Can you help on that day? We also are in search of one or two people with some landscaping expertise to sketch out a layout of trees, benches, and picnic tables! Please contact Catherine (256-4977, casanderson@amherst.edu) if you can help in any of these capacities.

Important Playground Update

As many of you know, we installed Phase 1 of the new playground for the younger grades last year, and are working this year on Phase 2 (which includes landscaping, benches, more satellite equipment, and a brick walkway). Remember to turn in your Fort River Roasters order form by Friday, October 5th if you want to help the playground AND get high quality, fairly priced coffee! If you'd like to help with installation of the new equipment, benches, and trees in October (on a date to be determined!), contact Catherine (256-4977, casanderson@amherst.edu) ASAP! We need volunteers to assist with digging holes, assembling equipment, and providing childcare during these activities. We also are in search of equipment, including a bobcat (to move away woodchips and dig holes) and a cement mixer, so please let us know if you can help in any way.