Martin Luther King Jr. Events

FORT RIVER will represent the ARPS district at Amherst’s 34th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast this year.  Our sixth grade chorus, led by Ms. Krasner, has the opportunity to perform. This lovely event, held this year on Saturday, January 13 at 8:30 am in the ARMS Cafeteria, brings together our community to honor Dr. King and his messages of hope and perseverance. We hope you all can attend. 

Additionally, Fort River students and staff will celebrate the legacy of Dr. King on Friday, January 12 with a school wide assembly promoting kindness and caring for others. Families welcome to join - more details to come. 

Finally, there will be no school on Monday, January 15 in observation of MLK Jr.'s birthday.

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!

Annual Fund Drive Ongoing - Help Us Meet our Goals!

Thanks to everyone who gave so generously in November and December to our Annual Fund Drive! Many families across all grades have joined together to contribute financially to our wonderful school community. The Fort River staff utilizes your donations to enhance instruction offered to all students. The PGO Board is still receiving grant requests from teachers for special classroom materials, educational trips, and featured guest visits for the current school year. Every dollar helps - no amount is too small!

The PGO depends on donations to the Annual Fund to cover about 30% of the annual budget. If you are able to help, please use PayPal on the PGO blog or send a check into the Main Office made out to "Fort River PGO." Thanks!

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.

Information Related to School Delays or Cancellations

What to expect in the event of bad weather ...

Delays or cancellations are posted first on the ARPS School Closing Information line at 362-1898 (with a goal of posting by 5:30 a.m.).

Notification is made next to the local television stations.

Delays are typically two-hours, although a one-hour delay can be called.  With delays, students are expected to report the appropriate number of hours later than the regular school day and should plan to be at bus stops based on those times, as well.

Las demoras o cancelaciones se publican primero en nuestra línea de cierre en 362-1898 (con el objetivo de publicar antes de las 5:30 a.m.).

La notificación se publica luego a las estaciones de televisión locales.

Los retrasos suelen ser de (2) dos horas, aunque podría haber retrasos de solo (1) una hora. Con las demoras, se espera que el personal se reporte de acuerdo el número de horas de retraso a su jornada de trabajo regular. Por ende, si existiera un retraso de una hora, se reportará a su jornada de trabajo una hora más tarde, y no habrá cambios en su hora de salida.

ARHS Sports Season Passes Available

The ARHS Athletic Office has season passes available for purchase.

Adult – Winter Season – $42.00

Student/Senior – Winter Season – $30.00

Adult – Spring Season – $32.00

Student/Senior – Spring Season – $20.00

These passes will allow entrance to regular season home games. Normal gate prices, per game, are $5 for adults and $3 for students/seniors citizens. These passes DO NOT provide admittance to MIAA playoff games. Cash or check – payable to ARHS.

GENERATION ZAPPED: Documentary Screening/Discussion at the Jones Library on January 18

A new documentary revealing the high cost of our addiction to digital devices and the health risks, especially for children and teens, from exposure to wireless radiation will be screened at the Jones Library on January 18, 2018 at 6:30 PM. The screening will be followed by a discussion with Diane Testa, a Senior Lecturer of Biomedical Engineering at Western New England University, to answer questions relating to this topic and the upcoming legislative bills.

Like cigarettes and toxic chemicals before it, emerging science is revealing the concerning reality that some people suffer health impacts due to radiation from wireless devices. In GENERATION ZAPPED, scientists, physicians and health researchers discuss the mounting scientific evidence on links to serious diseases and newly developed illnesses, such as Electrical Sensitivity (ES).  Children and teens are especially susceptible to radiation from baby monitors, tablets and cell phones, and wireless routers in the classroom. GENERATION ZAPPED empowers audiences to understand how to reduce their exposure to protect themselves and their families.

Currently, there are seven bills in the Massachusetts state legislature relating to the use of wireless in schools, Electrical Sensitivity, cell towers, and Smart Meters. Wireless Education, a non-profit with offices in Ashland, is working with Generation Zapped to screen the film through Massachusetts to raise awareness about the issue.

Free and open to the public.

For more information about the library event, please contact Janet Ryan, Head of Programming & Outreach, at 413/259-3223.  For more information about the documentary, please visit http://generationzapped.com.  For more information about Wireless Education, please visit https://www.wirelesseducation.org/.