Coffee with the Principal on March 16 "Let's Talk Safety" Featuring ARPS Facilities Director Jim McPherson

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

The discussion this month is about school safety. Our guests will be Principal Diane Chamberlain and Amherst-Pelham Regional Schools Facilities Director Jim McPherson. We will meet in the library but guests MUST first sign in at the Main Office. All guests are required to wear a visitor badge while in the school. Thank you!

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

Dangers of Tide Pod Challenge

ARHS Principal Mark Jackson would like parents to be aware of the following information:

What is the Tide Pod Challenge?

• The Tide Pod Challenge is where students attempt to consume a plastic laundry detergent pod
• At first the challenge started as a joke but now poison control centers are warning parents about this dangerous activity
• The risks of this viral dare include: choking on the liquid by inhaling it, vomiting, change in blood pressure/heart rate, having seizures, or losing consciousness
• Ingredients in the detergent can burn the mouth, digestive system, and stomach
• When students partake in the challenge, they upload videos of themselves eating laundry detergent capsules and post them to social media for validation

Tide Pod Challenge in the news

• The so-called ‘Tide Pod challenge,’ which reportedly began as a joke, has become enough of a thing that it has garnered responses from a government watchdog, poison control centers, and Tide’s parent company, Procter & Gamble. Now YouTube is weighing in too. –Fast Company
• Children who have been exposed to the [Tide Pod] capsules have been hospitalized with vomiting, breathing difficulties and loss of consciousness. –Washington Post
• Thirty-nine reports of teenagers intentionally misusing laundry pods came in during the first 15 days of 2018 alone. –Time

Why should parents care?

• The Tide Pod Challenge is incredibly dangerous. It’s essentially ingesting poison
• Even if a student doesn’t eat the entire laundry detergent pod, just ingesting a tiny bit can lead to serious health repercussions
• If detergent makes its way into the bloodstream and organs, the effects could be fatal
•  With so many teens posting videos of this dangerous challenge, YouTube has issued a statement that it will remove any videos that show students partaking in this challenge
• YouTube is also taking further steps to completely terminate channels that have any videos of people eating laundry detergent capsules

What can parents do?

• If your student has eaten a laundry detergent pod, call 911, or contact the poison control center 1-800-222-1222 or a doctor immediately
• Consider reading Tide’s safety protocol to learn how you can protect your family and home
• Talk to your children about the Tide Pod Challenge and explain the serious health repercussions associated with it
• Monitor your student’s digital footprint to see if they are watching, liking, or creating posts about the Tide Pod Challenge
• Consider contacting your teen’s school. If your child has engaged with anything like the Tide Pod Challenge, other students might be engaging with it too
• Urge your child to report any misbehavior they encounter online and on social media

Fort River Bus Routes 2017 - 2018

The Fort River bus routes can be found here: http://www.arps.org/common/pages/DisplayFile.aspx?itemId=9053144.

Routes for the other schools can be found at www.ARPS.org

New School Safety Signs!

Have you seen the new School Zone signs along East Street near Fort River?

The PGO would like to thank to all parents who voiced concern over this important issue. This was a team effort and many thanks go to Principal Chamberlain for her leadership, Town Manager Paul Bockelman for his efficient plan of action, the Select Board for their approval, and the staff at the DPW for their hard work. 

As a reminder to all who travel through this busy area of town, the speed limit is 20 mph during morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up. Thank you for keeping our community safe!

Volunteering at Fort River: CORI Checks

If your school or PGO volunteer opportunities bring you into contact with students at school or on a field trip, you must have a CORI (Criminal Offender Record Information) check on file.  This includes all field trip chaperones and classroom volunteers (e.g. grandparents, aunts & uncles, adult siblings).  CORI checks must be done on individual volunteers every three years and are valid for all schools within our district.   If you would like to check to see if you are current on your CORI status, please call Sasha in the Central Office at 413-362-1810.

To request a CORI check, bring a valid driver's license or passport into the Main Office at Fort River or to the district's Central Office (located within Amherst Regional Middle School at 170 Chestnut Street) for photocopying and complete the required application well in advance of any volunteer obligations. Questions about the CORI process can be directed to Suzanne in the Main Office at 413-362-1200 or Sasha in the Central Office at 413-362-1810. 

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Si su escuela o las oportunidades de voluntariado PGO se ponen en contacto con los estudiantes en la escuela o en un viaje de campo, debe tener un CORI (Información Criminal de Delincuentes Record) comprobar en el archivo. Esto incluye todos los acompañantes en las excursiones de campo y voluntarios en el aula (por ejemplo, abuelos, tías y tíos, hermanos adultos).  Cheques CORI se deben hacer en los voluntarios individuales, cada tres años, y son válidos para todas las escuelas dentro de nuestro distrito. Si usted desea comprobar para ver si usted está al corriente de su estado de CORI, por favor llame a Sasha en la Oficina Central al 413- 362-1810.

Para solicitar un cheque CORI, traer una licencia de conducir o un pasaporte válido en la oficina principal en Fort River oa la oficina central del distrito (que se encuentra dentro de Amherst escuela media regional de 170 Chestnut Street) para fotocopiar y completar la aplicación necesaria con suficiente antelación de cualquier obligaciones voluntarios. Preguntas sobre el proceso CORI se pueden dirigir a Suzanne en la Oficina Principal en 413- 362-1200 o Sasha en la Oficina Central al 413-362-1810.

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如果你的学校或警察通例志愿者的机会让你与在校学生或在外地出差的接触，你 必须 有一个科里（刑事罪犯记录信息）检查文件。 这包括所有的实地考察旅行伴侣和课堂的志愿者（如祖父母，姑姑和叔叔，成人兄弟姐妹）。 科里检查，必须在各个志愿者每3年，有效期为区内所有学校。 如果您想检查一下，如果你是在目前的科里的状态，请致电萨沙在中央办公室413- 362-1810。

要请求科里检查，随身携带有效的驾驶执照或护照到主办公室堡河或到小区的中央办公室（位于阿默斯特地区中学内的170栗子街）影印，并完成所需的应用程序提前做好任何志愿者的义务。 关于科里处理的问题可直接到主办公室413- 362-1200中央局或萨沙在413-362-1810 。

From the Mental Health Team, "Current Events: Making Kids feel Safe"

In our 24/7 news world, the news can be upsetting for adults and kids. It has become nearly impossible to shield kids from distressing current events. Kids get their news from family, friends, teachers, and of course the internet. But the news can stress them out. What kids see, hear, or read might not always be age-appropriate.

Here are some tips:

Tips for all kids:

• It’s normal to be concerned
• Consider your own reactions - try to model confidence and assurance
• Stress that your family is safe
• Answer questions without giving too many additional details
• Try to keep your schedule as normal as possible
• Look for signs of more than normal stress and reach out for help if needed

Tips for kids under 7:

• Keep the news away - take a break from listening or watch when the kids aren’t around
• Stress that your family is safe
• Be together, emphasize the positives
• Pay extra attention to your kids

Tips for students 8-12

• Carefully consider your child’s maturity and temperament
• Be available for questions and conversation
• Be honest, calm and factual
• Talk about- and filter-news coverage
• Find solace in action

References:

http://www.pbs.org/parents/talkingwithkids/news/help-kids-feel-safe.html

http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/20/living/talking-kids-scary-news/

From Fort River’s Mental Health Team:  Ruth Killough-Hill, Ana Encarnacion, Dr. Pat Schumm, Dr. David Rutherford, Melanie Collins, Jessica Rudnick, Miguel Aquino

Letter to ARHS Parents/Guardians on Ballot Question #4

This letter from Amherst Regional High School Principal Mark Jackson was sent to ARHS families and is reposted here because much of the content is relevant to the entire district. 

In the November election, Massachusetts voters approved ballot question #4: the ‘Legalization, Regulation and Taxation of Marijuana.’ As a result, school districts all over the state are working to clarify the law for their communities.

While the state’s Executive Office of Public Safety and Security has described the new law as ‘a complex web of different rules…’, my goal here is to sidestep most of the fine print and focus only on the implications of the law for the high school and its students.

In December, I met with a representative of the Amherst Police Department to take advice on how to best summarize the law. They have reviewed and approved the summary below.

Here are the core provisions:

1. It is illegal for anyone to possess or consume marijuana on the grounds of or within a public or private school where children attend classes in preschool programs, kindergarten programs or secondary schools.
2. It is illegal for anyone under the age of 21 to possess marijuana or attempt to procure unless they hold a valid medical marijuana card.

The new law does not change the consequences for marijuana in school. Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 37 H still applies.

Beyond the law, there is our larger interest in the healthy development of our students. Marijuana use, in my judgment and those of experts in the field, doesn’t much contribute to this.

As always, our guidance department is available to talk with parents/guardians and families if there are concerns.

Thank you.

Mark Jackson, Principal