Thursday, December 17, 2009

Upcoming School Events

Lost and Found. TODAY!! Thurs Dec. 17 until 3:30pm in the front lobby.  See below for more info.

School Council Meeting. Thurs. Dec. 17th, 5-6:30pm. FR Conference Room.


Fort River Family Redistricting Meeting.
Monday, Dec. 21 from 7-8:30 pm. An ll informational meeting for families of students currently attending Fort River. At Fort River. See below for more info.

School Vacation. 
Thursday, Dec. 24-January 1. (Last day 12/23; School reopens 1/4/10).

Internet Safety Presentation. Thursday, Jan. 7., 7pm. Mark's Meadow Auditorium. Cindy Boyle, a community educator from the Northwest DA’s office, will hold an evening session for parents of all elementary students. Her focus will be on Internet safety and cyberbullying.

Coffee with the Principals.  Friday, Jan. 8, 8:30-9:15am. Join Principal Sharick and Asst. Principal Kennedy-Marx for coffee, conversation and light refreshments. Younger siblings welcome. In the cafeteria.

Fort River Roasters Coffee Orders Due.
Fri. Jan. 8th. Order form here.

Parent Council Meeting
, Mon. Jan. 11, 7pm. In the school library.

Chorus Concert.  Jan 14th, 7pm. Middle School Auditorium.

Teacher Curriculum Workday
. Jan. 15. No School.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Jan. 18. No School.

*Items in teal are sponsored by Parent Council.


Fort River Fort River Family Redistricting Meeting Monday, 12/21 from 7-8:30pm.

An informational meeting for families of students currently attending Fort River will take place on Monday, Dec. 21 at 7pm at Fort River School.  A ConnectEd phone/email reminder will be going out to all families in English and Spanish later this week.

Info here:  http://www.arps.org/node/1064.

Thanks for the Books!


FRPC President Sue Borden reports that many teachers have wished to express their thanks for all the books that were so generously donated to classrooms during the book fair. So thanks to everyone who used the teacher wishlists to donate books, including all those of you who wished to remain anonymous!

Last Day for Lost and Found! Ending at 3:30pm today!!


Don't forget that all items in the Lost and Found will be on display in the lobby until today (Thurs. Dec. 17) at 3:30pm! Please stop by and look for your child's lost items!!

Also please remember to have your children bring home all items by their coat hooks before vacation break.  Often items left behind are cleared for cleaning and placed in the Lost and Found.

Honor a Teacher through the Amherst Educational Foundation

Thinking about holiday gifts?

You can honor a teacher or staff member AND strengthen our schools with a gift to Amherst Education Foundation (AEF).

For more info:  http://amhersteducationfoundation.org/sites/default/files/Three-Cheers-Donation-Form-2009.pdf


Easy Ways to Earn $$$ for Fort River

Stop & Shopʼs A+ BonusBucks Program
Use your Stop & Shop card and Fort River earns a percentage! It's not too late to sign up! This is an easy way to raise money with absolutely no cost to you. 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. Remember, even if you registered your card last year, you must re-register this year for our school to receive credit. Thanks to everyone who has already signed up. Also, don’t forget to encourage your friends and relatives to do the same. And, if you sign up anytime in the month of January, ALL your purchases for the month will be counted! We need your support! Contact Ann McLaughlin if you have any questions or problems.

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, youʼll 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).

Atkins Farms Country Market
Use your Atkins card when you shop at Atkins Farms Country Market, and they will donate a percentage of your purchase to Fort River School. Atkins provided us with one card per family last year, and new cards for new families will be coming soon-- stay tuned! Just show the card when you are checking out. There is an expiration date on the card, which is the date that youngest child graduates from Fort River. 
Last year Fort River parents earned $500 for Fort River by shopping at Atkins! Thanks to everyone who has been participating--and don't forget to keep using your card every time you go.

Box Tops for Education
In case you are not familiar with Box Tops this is an easy way to earn money for Fort River--just take your scissors and clip! Last year we earned over $500. For each Box Top clipped the school receives 10 cents. Just look for the Box Tops logo on products in you already have in your kitchen, cut it out and deliver your box tops to the school's main office. If you would like to learn about the other ways you can make a difference sign up for the Box Tops website at boxtops4education.com. It’s easy, free and you’ll learn about new ways to help our school earn the extra cash it needs.

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.

Amherstopoly--A Great Holiday Gift

Here’s a great gift idea for the holidays – give your friends and family copies of the Amherstopoly board game! This is a unique gift that will provide hours of fun for the whole family and/or be a great souvenir of Amherst.

Ever dream of managing ARMS or Town Hall? Well, your chance is finally here! Amherstopoly, the fantastic board game that is all about Amherst and its most beloved haunts, has arrived just in time to celebrate Amherst’s 250th Anniversary.

Amherstopoly is a collaboration of the Parent Groups of Crocker Farm, Fort River, Mark’s Meadow and Wildwood schools to raise funds for student enrichment programs. Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, 100% of the money ($25) raised through school sales of the game will be split equally amongst the four elementary schools.

Games can be purchased directly from the front office any time. Questions? Please contact Sue Cairn scairn@verizon.net.