First Day of School

First Day of School Assembly & Parent/Guardian Coffee
The first day of school is August 28th for grades 1 - 6.  All families and students are invited to meet in the Fort River gym for a brief assembly and then line up with their classes.   Families are then encouraged to join in the cafeteria for refreshments.

Yahoo! Boo-Hoo Coffee for Kindergarten Parents
September 2nd, 8:45-9:30
Fort River Cafeteria
Please join other kindergarten parents and guardians to say "Yahoo!/ Boo-hoo!" as our kids take this big first step on the first day of kindergarten.

5th Annual First Day Celebration

Thank you for another amazing year at Fort River School

Fellow parents and guardians - We have made it through another school year - FINALLY.  As I look through the yearbook with my child, I am reminded once again of the wonderful resources our Fort River community has in our staff, our children and our parents and guardians.  I would like to thank my fellow PGO officers for their work over this past year - Becky Schneider, Jessica Sproehnle, Jenn Green and Dawn Lepere - and I look forward to working together again next year.

Many thanks to:

·         Beatriz Garcia, who, for the past 2 years, has provided translation into Spanish for the PGO; 
·          Sue Borden & Suzanne Schilling for coordinating this year’s 6th grade activities and graduation;
·          Joy Ratzlaff-Sullivan for yet another beautiful yearbook, provided free to each student, thanks in big part to –
·         Pam Rietkerk & Rebecca Kennedy for a successful Annual Fund;
·         Catherine McGraw for a wonderful potluck to celebrate and thank our bus and van drivers;
·         Jacquelyn Kang for the Summer Read-a-Thon;
·         Tammy Rahhal Schulkind and Tim Farnham for organizing a super fun field day;
·         Kathleen Traphagen for coordinating our Cultural Enrichment Program;
·         Suzanne Schilling for a much deserved Staff Appreciation party;
·         Traci Hess, John Wells and Nat Larson for their weekly dedication to teaching our kids that “Savings Makes Cents;”
·         Ken Leblond for web wizardry;
·         Lisa Masteralexis for her continuing BoxTops coordination;
·         And especially to all who came out to help with various events, committees, projects - thank you, thank you, thank you.

Finally, thank you many times over to the administrative and custodial staff at the school.  Without their continuing (and always willing) support, the PGO could not function.  Karen, Suzanne, Lisa, John, James, Danny and Eric - you are my heroes!

Liz Larson, PGO President

Project Backpack & Safe Seats for Kids 2014

The Amherst, Pelham and Regional Public Schools in collaboration with community partners: Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce, Amherst Club, Amherst College, Amherst Education Foundation, Amherst League of Women Voters, Amherst Lions Club, Amherst Media, Amherst Police Department, Amherst Rotary Club, Art Alive Amherst, Comcast Internet Essentials, DeMaio Orthodontics, Family Outreach of Amherst, Hampshire College, Interfaith Opportunities Network (ION), Jones Library, Know Your Neighbor Coalition, Lexalytics, Inc., Safe Seats of Western Massachusetts/Baystate Children’s Hospital, Soundscape Imaging LLC., State Representative Ellen Story, United Way of Hampshire County and University of Massachusetts Police Department, Youth Action Coalition are proud to announce Project Backpack & Safe Seats for Kids 2014.  

Project Backpack supports income-eligible students in Grades PreK-12 to acquire necessary and grade-appropriate school supplies and is designed around the social justice commitment of the Amherst-Pelham and Regional Public Schools. Project Backpack aspires toward equity of access, inclusion, respect and community-building. New backpacks and school supplies will be accepted from June 1-August 1 and can be dropped off at the locations listed below.  Back packs and supplies will be distributed on August 11-12. The ARPS Family Center staff will oversee the distribution process.

In addition, Safe Seats for Kids is supported by the Amherst Police Department, University of Massachusetts Police Department and Safe Seats of Western Massachusetts/Baystate Children’s Hospital. Officers will distribute and install new infant and toddler car seats on August 11-12. 

“Our goal is to help ease the financial burden the start of the school year can mean for many families,” states Superintendent Maria Geryk.  “Project Backpack is a great success due in part to the generosity of individuals and community partners. In 2013, over 400 backpacks with supplies were distributed. I am deeply grateful for the community’s support of this initiative.”

School Supplies List

Pre-K- 5^th Grade: new backpacks, spiral  notebooks, erasers, 2-pocket folders, glue sticks, markers, crayons, pencils, pens (blue/black/red), colored pencils, pencil sharpeners, pencil cases, bookmarks, rulers

6^th -12^th Grade: new backpacks, assignment pads, notebooks, loose leaf paper, 2-pocket folders, 3-ring binders, 3-ring pencil cases, highlighters, post-it notes, index cards, calculators (basic, scientific, or graphing), flash drives, pens (blue/black/red), pencils, combination locks for lockers

Drop Off Locations

ARPS Family Center     170 Chestnut St.                         DeMaio Orthodontics        23 Pray St.

Jones Library                 43 Amity St.                               Art Alive Amherst    35 S. Pleasant St.

The mission of the Amherst-Pelham Regional Schools is to provide all students with a high quality education that enables them to be contributing members of a multiethnic, multicultural, pluralistic society. We seek to create an environment that achieves equity for all students and ensures that each student is a successful learner, is fully respected, and learns to respect others.

Moosic for Kids!

Annual Staff and Teacher Appreciation Celebration - Thanks for your support!

Thanks to our great community of families for your continued support in honor of the staff and teachers at Fort River!  Every staff member received a special envelope at school the morning of the celebration filled with a note of gratitude from the PGO and the beautiful appreciation notes collected from children in all grades.  Over 60 staff enjoyed a wonderful after-school gathering at the Amherst Brewing Company. Thanks to the support of Fort River families, we more than covered the costs of the celebration and gifts, and staff were so grateful at the outpouring of generosity of our community. It really shows how much our families care about the staff and teachers of Fort River!  Leftover funds will go back to the staff towards upcoming events this spring and early fall.

Thank you everyone for your support!  Special thanks to Suzanne Severin and the front office team, and parents Sue Borden, Sarah Cartel, Jennifer Green, Amy Hampson, Liz Larson, Dawn Lepere, Becky Michaels, Suzanne Schilling, Jessica Sproehnle, and our student helpers for making the day a success.

Blog Translator Needed

El PGO esta necesitando algun padre que hable espanol para ayudar con las Traducciones . Si Usted esta interesado en ayudar al PGO con Traducciones en espanol ; Por favor comuniquese con Liz Larsonliz.fortriver@gmail.com