GRADUATION VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

We still need help with decorating both the gym and the cafeteria!

PLEASE NOTE: due to the Meet & Greet schedule for the ARMS interim principal candidates, we will be decorating the gym on TUESDAY, beginning right after school. We should be done in time to attend the candidate meetings.

Decorating of the cafeteria will be on Wednesday morning, from 10:00-12:00. You can also drop off food for the reception. Don’t forget to label any dishes or serving items you wish to get back.

There is a 6th Grade Graduation tab on the blog where you can access all the sign up information, or feel free to just show up! Thanks!

https://ftriver.blogspot.com/p/6th-grade-graduation.html

DECORATIONS:
Tuesday/Gym: http://frpc.pleasebringit.com/public/6r1pElwbAQs
Wednesday/Cafeteria: http://frpc.pleasebringit.com/public/6r1pElwbAQs

FOOD:
Almodovar: http://frpc.pleasebringit.com/public/mq4XT7fI+A8
Austin: http://frpc.pleasebringit.com/public/2ih4SiBqJko
Sawicki: http://frpc.pleasebringit.com/public/Sf9jn4HKQUc

Bus/Van Driver & Crossing Guard Appreciation Breakfast on June 19 - DONATIONS NEEDED

Please join the families of Fort River for an appreciation breakfast to say thank you for all that our transportation professionals do to get our kids to and from school safely.

Tuesday JUNE 19, 9:00am (DATE CHANGE)
THE FORT RIVER CAFETERIA

We need many food items for the breakfast including eggs, sausage, bagels, juice, fruit, etc. Click here to donate! Thank you!

Summer Art Tips from Ms. Singer

Reminder! Ms. Singer needs volunteers to help tidy up and protect the Art Room and its resources for summer. Please see original post here and email her here if you can help. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

from the May/June newsletter:

Remember to keep making (and talking about) art over the summer! If you're looking for some great art camps and classes, here are a few local ones with awesome programming in addition to the fantastic museums in our area:

Multi-Arts Camp: Hosted right here at Fort River! Theater, art, music, dance, creative stories, and more. For ages 4-12, with groups organized by age. www.multi-arts.org

Feather Press Studio art classes: Run by Wildwood art teacher Julie Rivera at a beautiful studio in Leverett. Summer sessions include classes for ages 5-7 and 7-12, and then after-school art classes (including portfolio development for middle and high school) begin in September. More info at www.featherpressstudio.com

Summer Art at the Art Barn: Monday-Friday, full day art program in 1- or 2-week sessions for kids in grades two through eight, in Hatfield. Experienced teachers, multi-media! Includes painting, drawing, ceramics, crafts, and more. More info at www.summerartbarn.com

If you're looking for camps or classes for middle and high school aged children, send me an email. There are many other great camps and programs around for those ages too and I'm happy to share more.

Have an excellent and artful summer!
Nicole Singer, Art Teacher

Volunteers and Donations Needed for 6th Grade Graduation Events

Dear 6th Grade Parents and Guardians:

It’s hard to believe but our Fort River Class of 2018 will soon be on their way to the middle school.  But, before they can do that, we have some end of the year festivities to organize to celebrate our students.

Mark your calendar for the graduation ceremony on Wednesday, June 20th, at 1:00pm.  The ceremony will take place in the gym and be followed by a reception in the cafeteria.  In the evening the students will have their dance which is organized by the teachers.  More information will be coming home closer to the date.

We want to thank those of you who have already volunteered to help with graduation.  We know that this is a busy time of year but we need the help of as many parents and guardians as possible to make this a successful event.  Please take a look at the sign up for various committees to see what will fit with your schedule: http://frpc.pleasebringit.com/public/Sd7LNmcmJrQ

Please sign-up below to help decorate the gym and cafeteria for graduation and/or to bring food to the graduation reception.  The 5th grade families will be managing the reception so that we can enjoy this special time with our kids.

Tues June 19th

Decorate the Gym for the Graduation Ceremony, 5:30-7:30 pm -  sign up to help here: http://frpc.pleasebringit.com/public/6r1pElwbAQs

Wed, June 20th

Decorate the Cafeteria for the Graduation Reception, 10 am - 12 pm  - sign up to help here: http://frpc.pleasebringit.com/public/6r1pElwbAQs

Bring food for the Graduation Reception, sign up to help here: 

Austin - http://frpc.pleasebringit.com/public/2ih4SiBqJko

Sawicki  - http://frpc.pleasebringit.com/public/Sf9jn4HKQUc

Almodovar - http://frpc.pleasebringit.com/public/mq4XT7fI+A8

Graduation Ceremony and Reception 1-3 pm, Fort River School

Graduation Dance 7-9 pm, Fort River Gym (students only with teachers to chaperone)

Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.  We look forward to celebrating with you!

For the graduation committee,

Liz Larson

lizinamherst@gmail.com

Art Room Volunteers Needed for Year End Clean Up

Calling All Hands!

The Fort River Art Room needs your help! As we finish up students' projects and get ready for summer, there are many things to do around the art room. Ms. Singer could use some help from Fort River families (including alumni!) during the last week of school. Please join her in the art room! Some of the tasks include:

> Taking down displays & sorting student work
> Wrapping the kiln in tarps
> Covering shelves in the storage closet with tarps so that the roof doesn't leak on things if it rains
> Covering shelves in the main classroom space
> Moving a few things into the closet
> Sorting and organizing supplies

Here are the dates/times when she could use help. If you can make it to any part of any of these time slots, please let Nicole know!

Monday, June 18th from 10:45am to 1:15pm

Tuesday, June 19th from 1:30pm to 3:00pm

Wednesday, June 20th 11:30am to 12:30pm

Wednesday, June 20th 3:30 to 5:00pm

Please email Nicole Singer at singern@arps.org to let her know you're interested, and if you have any questions. 

Thank you so much!

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! 

Last Call! Volunteers Needed for Assistant Principal Search Team

Attention Families! 

If you would like to participate on the interview team for the Assistant Principal search, please send an email to ftriver@gmail.com. The deadline is THIS Friday, March 16. Provide your name, the age(s)/grade(s) of your student(s), and a brief explanation about why you would like to serve on the Search Committee. You must be available for the FULL DAY on March 23 from 8 am - 4:30 pm (no exceptions) and possibly also on March 26.

There will be opportunities for the entire community to provide feedback on finalist candidates at forums and in writing in late March. Questions about process should be directed to Ms. Chamberlain. Click here to read her letter to the Fort River community. Thank you! 

Volunteers Needed for Assistant Principal Interview Team

Attention Families! 

If you would like to participate on the interview team for the Assistant Principal search, please email ftriver@gmail.com. Provide your name, the age(s)/grade(s) of your student(s), and a brief explanation about why you would like to serve on the Search Committee. You must be available for the FULL DAY on March 23 from 8 am - 4:30 pm (no exceptions) and possibly also on March 26.

There will be opportunities for the entire community to provide feedback on finalist candidates at forums and in writing in late March. Questions about process should be directed to Ms. Chamberlain. Click here to read her letter to the Fort River community. Thank you! 

General PGO Meeting on February 1 at 9 am - All Welcome!

General PGO Meeting
Thursday, February 1
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! 

Around the World at Fort River: Save the Date and Request for Committee Volunteers

Fort River Elementary has a rainbow of cultures and people that we like to celebrate at our Around the World at Fort River event. This year's celebration is February 15 from 6 - 8 pm.

The PGO is looking for several volunteers to help organize the evening including arranging performances, decorations, and promoting with posters, flyers and announcements.  If you would like to help organize the celebration, contact Deborah_christakos@yahoo.com, (413) 320-7700

Fort River Garden Soup Day on October 26

This Thursday, October 26th, the Fort River cafeteria will be serving vegetable soup made with the veggies that students harvested from our very own Fort River School garden a few weeks ago. All students will have the opportunity to taste the soup, as this is an important part of the learning cycle for them--to eat the produce that they planted, tended, and harvested. Fort River's kitchen staff will prepare small taster cups of soup for students that day. As always, no student is required to try the soup.

We need volunteers to get the trays of taster cups from the kitchen staff and to walk around the cafeteria, offering/encouraging students to give the soup a try. The volunteers will also be responsible for ensuring that used taster cups make their way to the trash bins.

Click http://frpc.pleasebringit.com/public/vwwIeUGeTzY to sign up for a shift or email Stacey Beganny at stacey.fortriver@gmail.com if you have any questions! Thanks, and don't forget that you must have CORI certification to volunteer at school.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: Not Bread Alone

message from Not Bread Alone ...

Amherst’s free community meal program, Not Bread Alone, seeks volunteers with vehicles and a willingness to pick up groceries outside Whole Foods on Saturday mornings.

It is about a two hour job. The volunteers go to the loading dock behind the store and load up the groceries that Whole Foods has put outside on their loading dock. Then the volunteers bring the groceries to the First Congregation Church in the center of Amherst where other volunteers will help them to bring the groceries into the dining room. Usually, the volunteers arrive at Whole Foods at 9:15 or 9:30 am and they have left Not Bread Alone by 10:30. A larger vehicle is very helpful but some volunteers have done it regularly with two sedans. The volunteers need to be able to lift and carry boxes of produce and large bags of loaves of bread, etc.

A willingness to do this one Saturday a month would be ideal but a willingness to do it once to see what it is like would also be helpful.

Thank you for considering doing this service for our community!

Not Bread Alone

RStover@CHD.ORG

Classroom Parent Volunteers STILL Needed in Many Rooms

Thanks to everyone who volunteered to serve as a Classroom Parent! We need many more volunteers! 

Click here to see who has volunteered in your child's room: https://ftriver.blogspot.com/p/room-parents.html. Volunteers are STILL needed for these classrooms: Felix, Hickson, King, Early, Keins, Ackroyd/Kline, Doggett, Schwartz, Almodovar, Austin/Sullivan-Daley.

We are also in need of a PGO Volunteer Coordinator to lead the Class Parent group. This can largely be done from home. 

Thank you for considering these fun opportunities! Please complete the attached form to volunteer or email ftriver@gmail.com.

Classroom Parent Volunteer Sign-Up

to recap:
Each classroom teacher has one to several room parents. Individual teachers utilize classroom parents in a manner that is comfortable for them and their classroom. These volunteers support classrooms in a variety of ways, depending upon the teachers’ preferences. Examples include:

• Communicating with the teacher monthly to determine classroom needs
• Keeping families informed of classroom events via email (or printed flyers)
• Creating and updating online “Wish Lists” for the teacher and classroom (if desired)
• Helping to plan classroom events and parties
• Recruiting field trip volunteers 

Additionally, the school administration and the PGO both utilize classroom parents as an important added means of communication with families. Room parents will be periodically asked to send email reminders to families about upcoming school-wide events and opportunities. Finally, classroom parents may organize a group class gift for the teacher at the end of the school year.

Volunteers are needed to serve as Classroom Parent for every classroom! Grab a friend and share the fun! If you can't personally volunteer please help us find someone for your child's class. Ask your friends and neighbors if they'd be willing to help. Choosing to become a class parent ensures that you will get to know your school community and most of the tasks can be done from home in your PJs! No experience needed - the PGO Board will happily mentor new volunteers.

Classroom Parents Still Needed

Thanks to everyone who volunteered to serve as a Classroom Parent! We need many more volunteers - click here to see if more volunteers are needed in your child's room: https://ftriver.blogspot.com/p/room-parents.html. We are also in need of a PGO Volunteer Coordinator to lead the Class Parent group. This can largely be done from home. 

Thank you for considering these fun opportunities! Please complete the attached form to volunteer or email ftriver@gmail.com.


Classroom Parent Volunteer Sign-Up

to recap:
Each classroom teacher has one to several room parents. Individual teachers utilize classroom parents in a manner that is comfortable for them and their classroom. These volunteers support classrooms in a variety of ways, depending upon the teachers’ preferences. Examples include:

• Communicating with the teacher regularly to determine classroom needs
• Keeping families informed of classroom events via email (or occasionally printed flyers)
• Creating and updating online “Wish Lists” for the teacher and classroom (if desired)
• Helping to plan classroom events and parties
• Recruiting field trip volunteers 

Additionally, the school administration and the PGO both utilize classroom parents as an important added means of communication with families. Room parents will be periodically asked to send email reminders to families about upcoming school-wide events and opportunities. Finally, classroom parents may organize a group class gift for the teacher at the end of the school year.

Volunteers are needed to serve as Classroom Parent for every classroom! Grab a friend and share the fun! If you can't personally volunteer please help us find someone for your child's class. Ask your friends and neighbors if they'd be willing to help. Choosing to become a class parent ensures that you will get to know your school community and most of the tasks can be done from home in your PJs! 

Health Room Volunteers Needed

from Fort River School Nurse, Linda Stenlund, RN:

I am looking for two or three parent volunteers to help out (one at a time) during vision screening in the Health Office. The volunteers will work with me directly holding vision cards, helping to keep the students organized, and checking off names as needed. Most parents find it fun and interesting to help out in this way!

The volunteers need to have their CORI in. It is ideal if parents can sign up for two time periods, if possible, as there is some training involved.

Please contact me with any questions, by phone or email. My office phone is 362-1601. Thank you!

Click here to sign up: http://frpc.pleasebringit.com/public/tbGAz$ct2Ik

4th Grader in Need of Community Support

Bill Chu, a Wildwood fourth grader, is in end stage renal failure and is in need of a kidney transplant. His kidney functions at about 10 percent, and his family is in need transplant-related assistance.

The family has requested help with transportation. The family travels to Boston Children’s Hospital three times a week for dialysis. The average visit for dialysis is 2-3 hours so it is a full day in Boston. If you can help, please contact Tu Chu via email tchu47@hotmail.com or phone at 413-549-1332.

Principal Nick Yaffe previously expressed, “I have personally known this family for more than twenty-five years and have taught two of the older children. The parents’ own story is extraordinary. They could use the support of our community.”

Learn more about Bill and/or make a donation:

• UMassDaily Collegian: Community fundraises for Amherst boy suffering from renalfailure
• Make a donation

GARDEN HELP NEEDED: Request for Volunteers

A request for volunteers from Jennifer Reese, Science Coordinator & Resource Teacher, Amherst Public Schools, 413-362-1897

GARDEN HELP NEEDED:

At Wildwood, volunteers are needed to help weed the garden beds and compost the weeds. Volunteers would work with small groups (2-3 children) at at time, meeting with several groups over the course of a 45-60 minute period. Contact Lisa Poirer (poirierl@arps.org) if interested.

At Fort River, volunteers are needed to help revitalize the pollinator garden. This will involve weeding, trimming plants, cleaning out debris, adding fertilizer, and spreading wood chips. Contact Jane Costello (costelloj@arps.org) if interested.

Fort River Picture Day is Tuesday, October 18th - Volunteers Needed!

SAY CHEESE! Volunteers are needed for school picture day on October 18th! This is a fun activity for parents and guardians. It's so sweet to see all of our students looking their best for school photos!

We need volunteers to help direct the students to their individual photos, and each class to its group photo.  Please sign up to help out for 30 minutes, one hour or longer at this address: 

http://frpc.pleasebringit.com/public/iUSJ7QoxGpk 

Please be certain that your CORI is up to date and check in at the Main Office when you arrive. Thank you in advance for your help! If you have questions, please contact Deb Christakos at deborah_christakos@yahoo.com

Calling All ARMS 7th Grade Families - Please Pay it Forward!

Message from ARMS PGO:

Thank to all who volunteered to help with Mill River.  We are still in need of volunteers to help clean up after the dance on Monday.  Many hands make light work!  Please, please join us to make this a quick job!  http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0e49a4ae2faaff2-8thgrade