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!

Baystate Textiles Recycling Program at ARPS

Now you can drop your clothing and other textiles into collection bins located at each school. Convenient and easy! The collections are weighed weekly and each school's PGO will receive a check based on the bulk weight. Help the Fort River PGO earn FREE CASH while also helping our planet Earth by up-cycling your textiles. Thanks!

Hurricane Help on the Way!

WOW! Our fifth and sixth grade students coordinated a heroic effort in supporting our friends and families in Puerto Rico.  Mr. Austin made two trips in his packed car to Nueva Esperanza to drop off the items collected.  Many toys were delivered to support holiday gift giving on the island, and students calculated the following essentials: 340 diapers, 5221 wipes, 52 tubes of toothpaste, 20 flosses, 87 toothbrushes, 5 deodorants, 73 soaps, 10 hair brushes, 35 shampoos, 3 shaving gels, 2 body washes and 300 feminine products. Thank you for your generous giving!

Health Room Update

If you are cleaning out closets or looking to make further donations, here are clothing items that would be welcomed (be sure that all items are clean and laundered):

• all sizes of socks,
• elastic waist pants (especially sizes for grades K-3),
• hoodies or light fleece jackets to keep warm while inside.

More Donations Needed for Bus/Van Driver & Crossing Guard Appreciation Breakfast on June 7

Bus/Van Driver & Crossing Guard Appreciation Breakfast

It's time to join the families of Fort River for an appreciation breakfast to say thank you to all of our drivers and crossing guards for everything they do to get our kids to and from school safely.

Sign up on Please Bring it to donate and help:

http://frpc.pleasebringit.com/public/QpO9umRft7o

Thank you for making this a special morning for our safety professionals!

TODAY is GIVING TUESDAY

Kick off December, the month of giving, with a donation to the PGO on Giving Tuesday! Your financial contribution to the Fort River PGO in any amount will allow us to continue to provide our school much need funding for enrichment activities, field trips, and classroom supplies.

Please make checks payable to Fort River PGO and send into the Main Office or donate online via PayPal (link top right on this page.)

Every donation helps! Your contributions support daily work in the classrooms by providing curriculum materials for special units, supplementing field trips funds to make them more affordable, and sponsoring visits from authors and other guests. The PGO also hosts numerous school wide events including the upcoming Barnes & Noble Book Fair and the Annual Chili Night for a Chilly Night, and every Fort River family received a Family Directory thanks to your generous donations! Catch the WAVE!

Holiday Toy Fund for Qualifying Families - Applications due by Nov 28th

Holiday Toy Fund for Qualifying Families - Applications due by Nov 28th

The Berkshire Children & Families agency is currently accepting applications from families who wish to be considered for this year's Sidney F. Smith Toy Fund.  

The fund gives parents vouchers for children ages 1 through 14 to be used for holiday gifts. 

Applications are not accepted over the phone.  The required eligibility forms can be picked up at the following locations:

* Berkshire Children and Families – 220 Russell St, Hadley

* Amherst Family Center – 1200 N. Pleasant St, Amherst

* Amherst Survival Center - 138 Sunderland Rd, Amherst

* United Way of Hampshire County – 71 King St, Northampton

* Community Action Offices, 17 New South St, Suite 116, Northampton

* Daily Hampshire Gazette, 150 Conz St, Northampton

* Center for New Americans,42 Gothic St, Northampton

* Easthampton Community Center, 12 Clark St, Easthampton

* South Hadley Family Center, 7 Woodbridge St, South Hadley

* Gateway Family Center, 9 Russell Road, Huntington

Applications must be received by November 28, 2016.

Applications should be mailed to:

Sidney F. Smith Toy Fund, c/o Berkshire Children & Families, 200 Russell St, Ste 200, Hadley, MA 01035

Cash donations for the Toy Fund are accepted at this web site:   http://toyfund.gazettenet.com/

Donations to the Sidney F. Smith Toy Fund are tax deductible.  The Toy Fund is a donor-advised fund of the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, a 501(c)3 organization.

UMASS Amherst Community Campaign (UMACC) - Prizes Plus Donations to the PGO

UMASS Amherst Community Campaign (UMACC)

If you work at UMASS, you can help support the Amherst Regional Public Schools PGOs through the University’s UMASS Amherst Community Campaign (UMACC).  The program allows UMASS employees to donate to nonprofit organizations via payroll deduction, or check/credit card. Employees choose which organizations they would like to support (out of a list of more than 400), and how much they would like to give.You can sign up online at http://www.umass.edu/umacc/login, using your UMASS NETid & password.Anyone who signs up by December 18 will be entered into a drawing for prizes, including a $300 Amazon gift card, hockey and basketball tickets, Fine Arts Center tickets and more.The Fort River Parent Guardian Organization has UMACC code 15301.