Author Archives: Becky

Do you want to spend family night with some music? The ARHS Band is hosting a virtual Musical Trivia Night on April 14th at 6:30PM! Join as a family or pod and answer trivia questions covering a variety of fun … Continue reading →

Fundraising efforts are now underway to help give the Class of 2021 the extra love and support they need as they say their final goodbye to our schools. This past year has been hard on so many of us, and … Continue reading →

If you still need to send pictures, please have them in by Friday, 4/9 at noon! If you are a senior on free/reduced lunch and need a yearbook still, email Miss Garrity (garrityc@arps.org) by Friday at noon! Parent ads have … Continue reading →

ARPS will be serving Universal Free Meals until September 30, 2021. Breakfast and lunch will continue to be available 5 days a week.  To-go meals will continue to be available for pick up for children 18 and under at the … Continue reading →

The ARPS Special Education Parent Advisory Council will hold their next meeting on Friday, April16, 2021 from 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM To join, use the link: https://meet.google.com/dhy-wywm-rwd or by phone: 617-675-4444? PIN: ?909 286 087 0262?#

Attached is information with a link for the electronic consent form about the Binax COVID antigen testing that is available in our district at this time.  The availability of this rapid test is the result of a partnership between DESE … Continue reading →

Thank you to everyone who supported the Environmental Action club and ordered trees! We were very close to our goal of 230 trees, at 216 trees ordered. But we are in need of volunteers to help us plant these trees … Continue reading →

The month of April is Linguistic Heritage Month! The Bilingual Parents Advisory Council wants to help our community acknowledge and celebrate this important aspect of our community’s identity and diversity. We have created a list of activities to help highlight … Continue reading →

Apr 14: PreK-12 Early Release (12:00 secondary/1:20 elementary) ; Music Trivia Night Apr 16: Q3 Ends Apr 19-23: Spring Break  Apr 24: Q4 Begins Apr 26: Spring Sports Season Begins Apr 30: 9th Grade Students Return to In-Person (AM Only) May … Continue reading →

Dear Parent, As this year’s AP® Exams get closer, we want to make sure students and their parents know the best ways to get ready for the exams. Join us for a webinar hosted by Terry Redican, the Vice President … Continue reading →

Overview: Aspen Heights Amherst is a brand-new, 88 unit rental apartment community located in Amherst on 408 Northampton Road. There will be 11 affordable apartments ready for occupancy starting in Summer of 2021. All affordable apartments will be rented to … Continue reading →

Next Thursday evening at 6:30 the ARHS administrative team will host a StreamYard event to describe the high school schedule for the 21-22 school year, class offerings, the pre-registration process, and be available for questions. Please join us at this … Continue reading →

ARPS has an updates website that provides information regarding their school health protocols surrounding Covid-19. https://sites.google.com/arps.org/school-return-fall2020/nurse-covid-protocols Family Resources https://sites.google.com/arps.org/school-return-fall2020/nurse-covid-protocols#h.ba529s9auyyi Contact Tracing Protocols: https://sites.google.com/arps.org/school-return-fall2020/nurse-covid-protocols#h.o4l4zoqgwgne Protocols for Face Coverings and Masks https://sites.google.com/arps.org/school-return-fall2020/nurse-covid-protocols#h.8y8cramchzor

If you missed the Senior Planning Meeting this past Monday, please check out the Senior Planning Meeting Notes from 3/29/21 Google Doc to catch up on the plans and learn how you can get involved. Questions? Email Beckydemling@yahoo.com

Seniors, links below for college planning waitist, comparing costs, and FA appeals. Also, my fabulous intern Ed Lubin, can be available for a couple of small group meetings to check in and ask any questions juniors might have in the … Continue reading →

Sports for the spring season is now open!  High School Sports Being OfferedAll programs listed below must  register under high school registration. Middle School Sports Being OfferedAll programs listed below must  register under  middle school registration.  Baseball (8th-12th grade)Boys lacrosse … Continue reading →

If you are a senior on free/reduced lunch and can not afford a yearbook, email Miss Garrity ASAP to reserve one! Do you have candid photos of you, your friends, your pets, your family? Email them to Miss Garrity by … Continue reading →

Tuesday 4/6 – Thursday 4/8 Check out our website!  https://sites.google.com/arps.org/menu/home  College Support Discussion 4/6/21- 12:30-1:30pm   Listen and ask questions of people from a variety of colleges.https://youtu.be/ypr5-bEnHZ0  Adult Services Discussion  4/7/21-12:30-1:30: Listen and ask questions of people from a variety of services.  https://youtu.be/DXeKScMS0-s  Student and … Continue reading →

Seniors who are 18 and looking to enter the BioTech field, check out this amazing opportunity! MassBioEd Foundation is introducing an opportunity to apply to receive free training, mentorship, and a paid one-year apprenticeship at a local biotech company through … Continue reading →

The month of April is Linguistic Heritage Month! The Bilingual Parents Advisory Council wants to help our community acknowledge and celebrate this important aspect of our community’s identity and diversity. We have created a list of activities to help highlight … Continue reading →

Apr 2: Good Friday (No School—Budgetary Reasons)  Apr 6: APRS SEPAC Autism Awareness College Support Discussion 12:30 – 1:30 PM Apr 7: APRS SEPAC Autism Awareness Adult Services Discussion 12:30 – 1:30 PM Apr 7: Amherst Art for Clean Action … Continue reading →

Good Day ARHS Families,  We are currently planning for the 2021-2022 year at ARHS. We would like your input to help inform our plans. Please respond to this brief survey. All information is confidential. Thank you,

Dear ARHS Families, Every two years, the Strategic Prevention Initiative for Families and Youth (SPIFFY) administers the Prevention Needs Assessment (PNA) Survey to all 8th, 10th, and 12th grade students in Hampshire County. The PNA survey measures substance abuse and … Continue reading →

Sports for the spring season is now open!  High School Sports Being OfferedAll programs listed below must  register under high school registration. Middle School Sports Being OfferedAll programs listed below must  register under  middle school registration.  Baseball (8th-12th grade)Boys lacrosse … Continue reading →

Yearbook pre-orders are only open until APRIL 1ST. Order yours now at arps.picaboo.com! If you are a senior and are having trouble affording a yearbook, contact Miss Garrity. Families and staff can submit “parent ads” to thank or congratulate students, … Continue reading →

We have a brand new scholarship- The Mitchell Family First Gen Scholarship is available for students who are the first in their family to attend college. Address this in your essay. Use the ARHS Scholarship Application to apply by April … Continue reading →

The ARHS Theater Company is proud to announce AUDITIONS for both THE SOUND OF MUSIC, this year’s musical – and our annual STUDENT-WRITTEN PLAY FESTIVAL!  Both productions will be done entirely outdoors and with COVID-safety protocols in mind.  One audition … Continue reading →

Dear Fellow Parents/ Guardians of the Class of 2021, You are invited to a Virtual Planning Meeting on Monday, March 29 at 7:00 PM.   The goal of this meeting is to share ideas and get feedback on specific non-school … Continue reading →

On Tuesday, March 23rd the Regional School Committee unanimously passed the following statement: Dear ARPS Families, We mourn alongside our Asian, and Asian American community. Although the most recent surge of anti-Asian violence is elevated from the pandemic and fomented … Continue reading →

The STAMP test is one of the assessments to qualify students for the Seal of Biliteracy. If your student is planning to take the STAMP test this year and you are not already registered, or if you are unsure about … Continue reading →

Apr 1: Deadline to Pre-order the 2021 Yearbook Apr 2: Good Friday (No School—Budgetary Reasons)  Apr 7: Amherst Art for Clean Action Energy Deadline Apr 14: PreK-12 Early Release (12:00 secondary/1:20 elementary)  Apr 16: Q3 Ends Apr 19-23: Spring Break  … Continue reading →

Join us for our first virtual teen trivia event this Saturday, March 27th from 3 to 4pm. The theme is “Disney” so all those years watching Disney movies as a little one can finally pay off! There will be prizes … Continue reading →

Jones Library is pleased to offer two webinars with local educator Tiffany Jewell in April — one for teens ages 11-17 and one for parents, educators, and caregivers. All registrants to either webinar will receive a free copy of Tiffany … Continue reading →

Amherst, MA – The Jones Library celebrates its ninth On the Same Page community reading program by joining with the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association (PVMA) and 40 other organizations and businesses in Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden counties in the National … Continue reading →

I’m hoping to publish a senior athletic showcase section in the newsletter at the end of this year. I am looking for student-athletes who plan to attend college next year and continue to participate in athletics. If you are one of … Continue reading →

On Tuesday, ARHS Administration presented a 4×4 Block schedule that will be used for the 2021-2022 Academic Year. The presentation can be viewed (slides 2-10: https://drive.google.com/file/d/16AVDntYxyVSIJxvcQs-b1JPnm7-94f6i/view?usp=sharing The Admin Team will be sharing additional information and providing opportunity for community input … Continue reading →

The ARHS PGO Coffee with the Counselors is scheduled for Wednesday March 24th 6:30pm-7:30pm.  The discussion topic will be ” How the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting the mental health of adolescents”. Karen Peters, Sherry Balzano and  Lisa Zephyr will be … Continue reading →

Yearbook pre-orders are only open until APRIL 1ST. Order yours now! If you are a senior and are having trouble affording a yearbook, contact Miss Garrity. Families and staff can submit “parent ads” to thank or congratulate students, staff, or … Continue reading →

Need money for college? Find over 50 great scholarship opportunities in the Scholarship Book! Keep an eye on emails from Miss Garrity as well for scholarship updates. Don’t forget to tell us when you are accepted into colleges! Log it … Continue reading →

Summit Academy and the Town of Amherst are looking for a few students who are interested in helping create a video/slideshow for a special collaboration project beginning in the next few days. We are looking for students that can start … Continue reading →

Reminder that Friday, March 12 is the last day for students to order or cancel AP exams.  Orders and cancellations must be completed by noon on that day.  For ARHS Updates/Changes/Information regarding the AP exams, please open the following link: … Continue reading →

The Amherst, Pelham, and Amherst-Pelham Regional School Committees voted on Tuesday, March 2, 2021 to approve a plan to change the school start times for the 2021-22 school year, so that elementary schools will start after 8:00 AM and secondary … Continue reading →

Mar 17: All Teachers Curriculum/Work Day (No School) ; Yearbook photo opportunity at ARHS Mar 24: PreK-12 Early Release (12:00 secondary/1:20 elementary)  Mar 24: Coffee with the Counselors (6:30pm) Apr 1: Deadline to Pre-order the 2021 Yearbook Apr 2: Good Friday … Continue reading →

The Future Health Leaders Network is a group of UMASS students offering free virtual tutoring via the Jones Library. They’re available to help with homework, study prep, or general college advice on Thursdays from 4-6pm. It’s a free, drop-in session … Continue reading →

Great summer opportunity for current 10th and 11th graders:  Includes tuition and cost of books.    In the Great Jewish Books Summer Program, students read, discuss, argue about, and fall in love with modern Jewish literature.  The 2021 program will … Continue reading →

Amherst, MA – We all know the ditty “Lizzie Borden took an ax….” but few people know the actual facts! Join us for Lizzie Borden: The Mystery Continues, an event to be presented by Christopher Daly and hosted by the Jones … Continue reading →

Hello, I hope this message finds all of you doing well. We wanted to inform you about some of the things that are going on with the high school.  As many of you may know, the School Committee passed a … Continue reading →

Dear Families: Every year, each public school and school district in Massachusetts receives a report card. Just as your child’s report card shows how they are doing in different subjects, the school’s report card is designed to show families how … Continue reading →

There have 2 joint meetings of the Amherst, Pelham, and Regional School Committees coming up on Tuesday & Wednesday. Among the topics on Tuesday, they will vote on the proposed school start time change, hear about pooled testing for COVID-19, … Continue reading →