Fun Stuff

Savings Makes Cents – Relaunched This is a really fun, easy way to help our kids learn to save. Children can open a bank account with Florence Savings Bank and bank weekly in the cafeteria, or directly at the bank. Only $1.00 is needed to open an account, and any amount can be deposited. After 10 deposits, the Bank will contribute $1.00 to the account. Parent Volunteers help students make deposits into their savings accounts Tuesday in the cafeteria from 8:15 am to 8:45 am. Sign up materials are also available at that time. Contact Barbara Morse (bmlmorse@comcast.net) for more information. Grade Events Be on the lookout for grade events from February - March. Grade events bring together all kids in a given grade, across classrooms, during an out-of-school time. If you have an idea for a grade event please contact VP for Grade Reps: Navneet Marwaha marwaha.navneet@gmail.com.

Help the Committee on Social Justice & Diversity Welcom Everyone to Fort River!

Click on picture to see it larger.

Upcoming Community Events

Please note that these events are not sponsored by Parent Council. Come to Seussical! You'll leave singing the songs and reminiscing about all all of your favorite Dr. Seuss characters. The show is about a boy, JoJo who "thinks too much" and the troubles of finding one true friend. And of course there's the Cat in the Hat and Horton the Elephant working out social justice themes from start to finish. The cast of adults and kids is grand, the set and costumes are wild, and there's a live orchestra! Tickets are available through Amherst Leisure Services. You can call 413-259-3065 or buy them on the web - http://www.lsse.org/ Here are the dates for reserved seating: 1/16 @ 7pm, 1/17 @ 7pm. 1/18 @ 2pm 1/23 @ 7pm 1/24 @ 2pm and 7pm, 1/25 @ 2pm. Also unreserved seating but buy your tickets soon for 1/15 and 1/22 at 7 pm. But I can't tell you any more, so... you'll have to come see the show!! Martin Luther King Jr. Community Breakfast, Monday, January 17. Middle School Cafeteria. Doors open at 8:30 am for coffee and juice. Breakfast served at 9:00 am. For reservations call 253-5497 or email rampiahbonney@amherst.edu. Tickets are also available at the Jones Library and AJ Hastings in Amherst and at the World Eye Bookshop in Greenfield. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for senior citizens and $5 for children 12 and under. Northampton Family Dance. Sunday, January 18, 3:00 - 5:00 PM at First Churches, 129 Main Street, Northampton. (Use Center Street entrance across from the Iron Horse.) Please come to the Family Dance! 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 needed. A healthy snack is served at the break. Live music! Admission is $4 per person for ages 3 and up, $15 maximum per family. This is the third dance in our season of five dances, taking place on the third Sunday of the month from November through March. For more information, please call (413) 256-2613. 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.

Ongoing Fundraisers

Stop & Shop’s A+ BonusBucks Program Use your Stop & Shop card and Fort River earns a percentage! Last year we earned $1331.98 that was used toward the new playground and school grounds. This is an easy way to raise money. However, for Fort River to receive credit you need to re-designate Fort River each year. Call 1-877-366-2668 or visit www.stopandshop.com/aplus Fort River ID # 05218 Big Y Education Express Use your Big Y Express Savings Club card and Fort River can earn points for buying much needed equipment and supplies! Just visit the Big Y customer service desk and fill out a form that will link Fort River with your card (School ID # 5947). Or go to www.bigy.com/education and sign up from your computer! Whenever you use your card to purchase items designated with the “Education Express” logo, you’ll earn points for our school. Target Take Charge of Education If you have a Target REDcard (credit card), you can designate Fort River to receive up to 1% of the value of your purchases on the card. Go to www.Target.com/tcoe to designate Fort River (School ID # 58645). Fort River Roasters by Dean's Beans Orders are due the first Friday of each month. Last year we raised over $1000 for the playground. Order forms are available at http://is.gd/6suv. Next order deadline: Feb 6th. Please deliver to the Main Office. Box Tops for Education Last year we earned over $250. For each Box Top clipped we receive 10 cents. Please deliver to the Main Office. Cellphones & Ink Jet Cartridges Protect the environment and raise money for Parent Council by donating used digital cellphones*and ink jet cartridges. Please deliver to the Main Office. *Cellphones will be recycled, according to EPA regulations, or refurbished and sold, with 100% of the proceeds going to Parent Council.

Daily Hampshire Gazette Article: "Amherst takes up school reorganization tonight"

By Mary Carey

Created 01/13/2009

AMHERST - The Amherst School Committee will take up possible elementary school reorganization scenarios tonight, but Interim Co-superintendent Helen Vivian said she no longer favors reconfiguring schools this year.

She had suggested earlier that pairing Mark's Meadow with Wildwood and Crocker Farm with Fort River elementary schools seemed like the best of several options developed by a committee charged last year with studying elementary school reconfiguration models.

The younger grades would go to one pair of schools and the older grades go to the other, in the option Vivian favored. As it could save an estimated $400,000, she had suggested that the change be made in time for the next school year.

Now that there is talk of creating a kindergarten- through 12th-grade regional school system, a different reconfiguration scenario could emerge as the most educationally and financially sound model than one she had previously supported, Vivian said Friday.

There seems to be a fair amount of agreement that the time has come to readjust the elementary school districts anyway, Amherst School Committee Chairman Andrew Churchill said.

"The way the schools are districted now has gotten a little out of whack over the years, because we have variation of class size, numbers of low-income kids and we have pockets of kids from one section of town ending up at a school that is farther away than the school closest to them."

A new group has begun examining reconfiguration options, but it isn't clear yet how long it would take to redraw the district lines effectively and whether it could be done in time to affect the coming year's budget, Churchill said. Vivian has estimated the schools may have to spend up to $1.2 million less than what is considered necessary to maintain services at their current level.

School Committee member Catherine Sanderson has advocated closing Mark's Meadow Elementary School to save money. "I don't see keeping the current four K- to six schools and making massive cuts (not just this year, but next year, etc.) as a viable option," she said last week.

"Parents and kids would lose so much because the schools wouldn't have the same characteristics that they have now. It seems to me that closing Mark's Meadow is the only option that accomplishes my primary goal ... preserving what we love about the Amherst schools - neighborhood schools that are K to six, with small classes and a rich instrumental music program."

Mary Carey can be reached at mary.carey@att.net [1].

Upcoming Events

Fort River Roasters Order Forms Due. DEADLINE EXTENDED TO MONDAY, JAN. 12. Click here for form. School Committee Meeting. Tuesday, Jan. 13. 7pm. High School Library. Plan to attend if you want to learn more about next year's school budget and the reorganization studies. Teacher Curriculum Workday. Friday, Jan. 16. No school. Martin Luther King Day. Monday, Jan. 19. No school. This means a four-day weekend! Report Cards sent home for Grades 1 - 6. Friday, Jan. 30. Note: Items in teal are sponsored by Fort River Parent Council.

Yearbook Photos Needed

The yearbook committee is looking for help gathering photos for this year's edition. Anyone who has photos of class or school events for the yearbook can send them to Joy Sullivan, joyrrs@comcast.net. It is preferred to have digital photos submitted on CD. The grade of the children, teacher's class and/or event should be noted with the photos. CD's can be placed in the parent council mailbox in the main office for Joy Sullivan/yearbook committee. If that is not possible they can be sent via email. All photographs should be submitted no later than the end of April.