Annual Family Donation Fund

Thanks to all the families who have already contributed to our Annual Family Donation Fund. This fund supports all Parent Council activities - field trips, cultural events, library books, scholarships for children in need, etc. - and gets each student a free Fort River directory and yearbook! We have now raised $4,200 from 120 of our 347 families (35% of families), and are still hoping for contributions from ALL families; even a $1.00 donation helps increase our goal of 100% family participation! Although we suggest $20 a child, contributions of any size are welcome -- and all contributions are tax deductible (and anonymous). Checks (to Fort River Parent Council) or cash can be sent to the Parent Council mailbox in the main office. FYI, we are running behind compared to our donations from last year, so if you have forgotten, please send your donations in! Thanks!

Stop and Shop A+ Bonusbucks

I have just looked up the Stop & Shop Bonus Bucks totals. We have 34 people signed up and have made $128 in the first month (October)! I have also been informed by Stop & Shop that if you enroll before November 31st, ALL your purchases in November will be credited! It's incredibly easy to sign up all you need to do is GET UP RIGHT NOW, GRAB YOUR STOP & SHOP CARD, COME BACK TO YOUR COMPUTER and CLICK HERE: http://www.stopandshop.com/aplus. Then all you need to do is click on "Register Your Card." When you enter your Stop & Shop card number, you have to include 13 digits. Start with the small numbers to the left of the bar code, then the 10 digits under the bar code, then the digit to the right of the bar code. Fort River's school code is 05218. Please register your card ASAP. The program only runs until the April 2nd, so the sooner you do it the more money Fort River will get. Remember, even if you registered your card last year, you need to re-register this year. It is simple and painless! Click here for more info and more ways to register: http://ftriver.blogspot.com/2008/09/stop-bonus-bucks-easy-fundraiser.html. Thanks, Ann

The Book Fair Is Coming!

The annual Fort River Book Fair is scheduled for Tuesday, December 2 through Friday, December 5. There will be after school hours on December 5 for parents interested in purchasing books. Be on the lookout for the schedule and volunteer opportunities in the next couple of weeks !

Election Day Bake Sale: Update

Thanks to Lynn Logan and Cathy Cullen for organizing the Election Day Bake Sale which made $454 for the Parent Council! Thanks also to: Janet Kannel, Libby Stanforth and Sue Borden for helping staff the Bake Sale, Catalina Arrubla and Multi-Arts for donating student decorated notecards for sale, and to all the Fort River Parents who contributed the DELICIOUS goodies !

Fort River Playground/Hillside Pizza Fundraiser Back by Popular Demand !

The Parent Council is very excited to announce another Hillside Pizza Fundraiser! Thanks to everyone who participated last year we made over $850 for picnic tables and benches. Let’s try to beat our record this fall and make a larger contribution to the planned landscaping around the playground. Up to $4 of every pizza and cookie tub sold goes to the Fort River Playground Fund. The more product we sell the more Hillside gives back to Fort River. Order forms will be available soon and due on November 25. Pizza pick-up will be Friday, December 5. Keep an eye out for the order form and start planning your pizza party! Questions? Contact Pam Rietkerk at pjrietkerk@aol.com or 256-2605.

Volunteers Needed

Gardening Committee. 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). Yearbook: Photos and Help Wanted. Are you interested in learning about publication layout and graphic design? Do you enjoy digital photography? Then come help with the Fort River Yearbook! Parent Council provides a parent/guardian designed yearbook for every student at the end of each school year. Contact: Mary Zyskowski (m.zyskowski@comcast.net or 256-1971). Resource Coordinators for Same-Sex Parent Families and for Single-Parent Families. Act as a contact for families with questions about Fort River and the community. Contact: Sue Borden (FRPC.sborden@gmail.com).

Upcoming Community Events

Please note that these events are not sponsored by Parent Council. Northampton Family Dance. Please come to the Family Dance! Our first dance of the new season will be held on Sunday, November 16. The dance takes place 3:00 - 5:00 PM at First Churches, 129 Main Street, Northampton (use the Center Street entrance across from the Iron Horse). Come enjoy a variety of folk and contra dances geared to children and families. All dances are taught, and all ages are welcome--no dance experience is necessary. Live music! Admission is $4 per person for ages 3 and up, $15 maximum per family. For more information, please call Judy Stern at 256-2613 or email judystern44@yahoo.com Multi-Arts Electronic Magazine. Allow yourself to be surprised, delighted, and inspired. Children's creativity and depth of thinking can be mesmerizing. Take a look at Multi-Arts Electronic Magazine: http://www.multi-arts.org/newsletter/10-08/index.html. A note from Parent Council. We will publish information about non-Parent Council sponsored events with the following conditions:

1. The event should be of interest to Fort River families. 2. The information should be sent to Ann McLaughlin at damclaughlin@comcast.net in the form of a short description. 3. Contact information (website or name, telephone and/or email address) must be included. We add new information to the blog every Friday during the school year. Please note that we do not accept announcements of items or services for sale (with the exceptions of children's classes/lessons). Inclusion in this section does not imply any guarantees or endorsements by Fort River Parent Council or Fort River School.