Wishing all our teachers, students, staff, parents, and wider school community a very happy and peaceful Christmas and every good wish for 2023.

Is there a teacher or staff member that has made a difference in your child’s life this year?

Make a donation to December’s Stars In Our Schools Campaign in their honor and Amherst Education Foundation will send a note of gratitude on your behalf, thanking them for all their hard work and dedication. We grant an average of $30,000 annually to teachers and administrators in our schools and all the money raised this month will help us fund the next round of initiatives and programs. This past year we provided funding for dash robots for a technology lab at Crocker Farm, professional development for teachers working on implementing Project-Based Learning at Wildwood, expansion through youth leadership of the Restorative Justice Leadership Program at the High School, and a Theater for All project designed to bring theater opportunities through after school programs across several schools in the district. So far this month we have honored 60 teachers/staff and raised $1,510. Last December we honored over 200 teachers and staff and raised over $5,000; please help us do the same this year.  

Visit amhersteducationfoundation.org/stars and make your gift today!

Or, mail us the form (click HERE)

Hello, all,

I wanted to share the newest issue of The Graphic, ARHS’s school newspaper. 

I am incredibly impressed by my Journalistic Writing students’ tireless work on this issue. They covered a lot of hard-hitting news (from the turf project to building safety to staff contract mediation to the loss of a beloved student–and much more). 

They also introduce us to some of the passionate and inspiring new teachers and staff in the building and they share club/sports updates!

Thank you to everyone who spoke to them at length.

Because Friday is a half day and our newspaper is now online-only, I’d encourage teachers to consider giving students some time in class to read the 24 new stories by posting a link on Google Classroom. It would take a few hours for them to read them all!

Thank you so much for your support! The Graphic,

(P.S. If you are misquoted or notice an error, let me know, as I can edit the website). 

Sara Barber-Just
English Department Head
Advisor to The Graphic
Amherst Regional High School
My pronouns are she, her, hers

Hello, Class of 2023 Parents and Guardians – 

Please check in with your seniors to check if they’ve fully completed their college applications, FAFSA & CSS Applications, and/or signed up for apprenticeship/GAP Year information sessions!

Don’t miss financial aid and scholarship deadlines! We are here to help – Support sessions on Wednesday after school and D Plus Block.

This Week’s Newsletter:

ARHS Pathways Days (Lunch College Fair)

FAFSA support

And more!

1219 Life After ARHS Newsletter.pdf

Have you heard? The Amherst Hurricane Athletic Boosters in collaboration with the ARPS is raising awareness and seeking support for a new 8-lane track and synthetic turf field with permanent stands and lighting at ARHS.  If you are interested in learning more about the proposed new track & field and ways to support the school and the community, visit the Boosters’ website.  They are doing a final year-end push for support. 

Please DONATE HERE. Give what you can.  If you would like to discuss leadership giving opportunities or sponsorships that provide opportunities for naming rights or brand marketing, please email the Booster treasurer, Stephanie Hockman (stephsquared2004@yahoo.com)

Click HERE to access the Frequently Asked Questions 

ALPINE

BOYS VARSITY BASKETBALL

BOYS JVA BASKETBALL

BOYS JVB BASKETBALL

GIRLS VARSITY BASKETBALL

GIRLS JVA BASKETBALL

BOYS VARSITY ICE HOCKEY

BOYS JV ICE HOCKEY

GIRLS ICE HOCKEY

BOYS INDOOR TRACK 

GIRLS INDOOR TRACK

NORDIC

BOYS SWIMMING 

GIRLS SWIMMING

FULL ATHLETIC GAME SCHEDULE

PRACTICE SCHEDULE

Yale’s Center for the Study of Race, Indigeneity, and Transnational Migration (RITM) will bestow the Yale Bassett Award for Community Engagement on a select number of high school juniors in the United States (class of 2024). Award winners will demonstrate a record of creative leadership and public service, academic distinction, interdisciplinary problem solving, and experience addressing societal issues including, but not limited to, race and racism. Students with non-traditional leadership experiences or significant work experiences are encouraged to apply. Applicants will also be asked to identify a teacher, mentor, coach, religious leader, community-based non-profit leader, or community member who can provide them a letter of recommendation.

Apply HERE by February 1st, 2023.

Dec 23: PreK-12 Early Release
Dec 24-Jan 2: Winter Break

The Jones Library Building Committee is seeking input on the design of its inclusive bathrooms for the renovation/expansion project. To make sure we have feedback from the community on the design, please click HERE to access more information, a survey, and community forum dates. Share your opinion!

Farah Ameen
(former CF parent/current ARMS parent)

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The ARHS Game Schedule BY TEAMS can be accessed HERE

Click HERE to access the Frequently Asked Questions.

Sports School Store

Participants needed for concussion research

UMass– Sports Management & Leadership Academy

Details about the Summer 2023 program are coming soon!

Hosted by the #1 ranked Sport Management department on the globe, the McCormack Department’s Sport Management & Leadership Academy provides a platform for talented high school students to learn practical sports business applications and industry insights from our world-renowned faculty and industry-leading alumni.

Program Topics:

• Data Analytics in Sports Performance
• Sports Marketing & Fandom
• Sport, Digital Media & Content Management
• Sport Economics & Market Forces
• Brand Sponsorship in Sport
• Leading the Pack: Profiles in Sport Leadership
• “Show Me The Money!”: Representing Professional Athletes
• Sport Entrepreneurship & Running Your Own Business
• Sport Policy & Decision Making

Click HERE for more information

Our goal was to raise $4,000 by November 29th, which was Giving Tuesday to fund grants for the art, science, and other classroom supplies outside the school budget; yearbooks and field trips for students eligible for free and reduced lunch; visiting speakers; and student-led clubs. However, we fell short of our goal and want to continue this fundraiser until December 30th, 2022. Please check out the Venmo account linked below to donate today!

The Venmo account link:  Venmo@ARHS-PGO. Another way to donate is to write a check to ARHS PGO and drop it off at the school office or mail it to:

ARHS PGO
℅ Nancy Johnson, PGO Fundraiser
430 Long Plain Road
Leverett MA 01054

All Ensemble Winter Concert
Tuesday, December 20th
Call at 6pm, Concert at 7pm
ARHS Auditorium

Did you know that the ARHS Theater Company produces an average of six productions a year, with ample opportunities to perform, direct, design, and do tech work?

Look out for yellow calendar cards on sale at all student performances in December!Each calendar card is $10 and each calendar card you buy offers 31 CHANCES TO WIN IN JANUARY 2023. Every day in January we will draw a new card that will win an exceptional prize. See this year’s prizes….We can take online payments, but we are still selling the calendar cards in person in order to collect the stubs.Please contact Sujata atsujatark@comcast.net if you would like an all electronic ticket sale. Thank you. Thinking About Gifts?5 Cards for $45!

Every little bit counts! When Millions of supporters shop at AmazonSmile charitable donations quickly add up. As of September 2022, Amherst Regional Public Schools Parent Guardian Organization has raised $3,263.30.  To support the Amherst Regional Public Schools shop by AmazonSmile, below are the steps to start shopping with AmazonSmile:

1. Get the AmazonSmile App

2. Join AmazonSmile – If you are not already an AmazonSmile member, simply sign up at smile.amazon.com and select your favorite charity to start generating donations, at no cost to you.

3. Turn on AmazonSmile – Open the app and find ’Settings’ in the main menu (☰). Tap on ‘AmazonSmile’ and follow the on-screen instructions to turn on AmazonSmile on your phone.

*AmazonSmile works best if you use it by computer or laptop. Unable to use it by app.

We are about to begin the Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral to Treatment program (SBIRT) with 9th-grade students.  All screenings will be conducted confidentially in private 1:1 sessions by our school nurses or counselors who have been trained in SBIRT by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.  We will utilize the CRAFFT+N screening tool, which is the most commonly used screening tool for adolescents in Massachusetts. 

This program focuses on harm prevention and does NOT generate disciplinary action.  Students are not pre-selected and results of the screening will not be included in your student’s school record, nor will results be shared with families or any staff other than the SBIRT team. Educational materials will be available along with a resource list for help if needed.  The overriding goal is to help prevent students from starting to use illegal substances.  We will reinforce healthy decisions for those who have made them and arrange for early support and intervention for those in need.

You or your child have the right to opt-out of SBIRT.  If this is your choice, please contact the school nurse as this screening is voluntary. 

Dec. 20: All-Ensemble Winter Concert
Dec 23: PreK-12 Early Release
Dec 24-Jan 2: Winter Break

The textile bins outside ARHS accept old clothes, shoes, accessories, and linens. You can bring your unwanted items there AND help the PGO since we earn a rebate for every pound collected! Click here for a flyer detailing all the accepted items–note that your donations need to be bagged. With the upcoming ban on textile disposal in Massachusetts, the recycling bin is a convenient solution!

Thank you to all who donated! We collected over sixty coats which will help students keep warm this winter.

With a special thank you to Greenfield Savings Bank, Jones Library,    Amherst Chamber of Commerce, and Nina from Shine Laundromat.

This promises to be a truly special event, with the lavish sets, live orchestra, and spectacular singing and dancing you’ve come to expect. And best of all, you’ll see lots of your students, families, and colleagues on the stage and behind the scenes, from our Ariel (Anna Plummer) down to the smallest baby octopus, with costumes by Ann Steinhauser and sets by David Mullins!

Bowker Auditorium UMass – January 19-22 & 26-29. Get your tickets HERE

Click HERE to access the Frequently Asked Questions 

Purpose of Scholarship:

In accordance with the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association’s (NIAAA) purpose to promote, facilitate, and increase the knowledge and understanding of the vital role of interscholastic athletics in the educational system, this scholarship program will foster and acknowledge the partnership between the NIAAA and secondary education. The scholarships will recognize the distinguished scholastic, leadership, and citizenship attributes of high school student-athletes, and the importance of high school athletics in each student’s life.

Criteria:

1.    Applicant must be a Senior
2.    Applicant must have achieved at least two (2) of the following:
a.   minimum of B+ average;
b.  Ranked in the top 25% of class;
c.  ACT score of 24 or an SAT score of 1100 (Math and Reading)
3.    Applicant must have participated in two sports for at least two years in each sport
4.    Applicant must have earned at least one varsity letter in each of two sports
5.    Applicant must complete the attached scholar/essay application
6.    Applicant must have a letter of recommendation from the high school athletic administrator/director
7.    School athletic director must be an NIAAA member and a member of their respective state athletic administrators association
8.    The principal or athletic director must sign the application to insure that the academic information submitted is accurate
9.    Due Date: February 10, 2023.  All materials must be emailed to our MSSADA Secretary at mssadasecretary@gmail.com a hard copy can be mailed to Tania Rich, MSSADA Secretary, Nashoba Regional HS, 12 Green Road, Bolton, MA 01740.

MSSADA will award $500 to the male and female winners for Massachusetts.

This Week’s Newsletter:

Early Decision, Restricted Early Action and Early Decisions

FAFSA Completion Support

Learning Disabilities MEFA Podcast

Undocumented Students and College Planning

Pathways Days! ARHS Alums Return!

Click HERE to access the Life After ARHS Newsletter. 

The deadline to submit senior photos, baby photos, and senior quotes has been extended to JANUARY 27TH, 2023. If students do not submit a photo, their student ID photo will be used. Email Ms. Betke-Brunswick with any questions at betkebrunswicke@arps.org

Click HERE to submit, or email pictures to Elena.

Hello, ED/REA applicants!

We know your decisions are starting to come in. Please know that whatever decisions the colleges make, we are SO PROUD of you for putting in the work to apply early and putting yourself out there. 

Click HERE to access some notes on the next steps for you all.

Dec 23: PreK-12 Early Release
Dec 24-Jan 2: Winter Break

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We are looking for parent volunteers to help us monitor the bathrooms and hallways. Volunteers will be stationed outside of our bathrooms and would be responsible for signing students in and out and reporting any misuse of the bathrooms to the ARHS administration. Anyone who is interested would need to have a CORI (Criminal Offender Record Information) check done through our Human Resources Department. Once that’s complete, we would provide you with training and detailed instructions about what you would be doing. Please email me (sadiqt@arps.org) directly if you are interested or have additional questions. Thank you for considering this!

Winter practices started! Please see the practice schedule on the athletic webpage! 

Congratulations to all the fall student-athletes! Check out some of the highlights below

We are getting ready for a big year for Canes Girls Basketball! This year for the first time, the Varsity team has been invited to play in a tournament in December against some of the more competitive team in New England.

To fund the trip, we need your help! With support of the Amherst Hurricanes Athletic Boosters (a 501c3), we are raffling off 2 Celtics tickets (Loge level, Mar 8 vs. Portland Trail Blazers), and a $150 Visa gift card. Just $20 per raffle ticket. Venmo @Kyla-Hastie with your name and contact info, or email kyla_hastie@yahoo.com for more info.

Open to families of English learners, former English learners, and all ARPS families who speak languages other than English

WEDNESDAY DEC 7th, 7-8 pm

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86755755662

Please RSVP/request an interpreter at this link:
https://tinyurl.com/rvy8m3c6

Production dates:

Thursday, December 1
Friday, December 2
Saturday, December 3

All shows begin at 7:30pm.

10 Out of 12 is an imaginative 2015 play about a NYC theater company going through a tech rehearsal.  However, as the audience takes in all the natural weirdness that comes with theater tech rehearsals, they also find that they can hear conversations over backstage headsets, private chats between actors, and the efforts of the production team all around them (quite literally) to hold it all together.  Written by the brilliant playwright Anne Washburn, with all of her obvious love for the surreal world of creating theater.  I think you’ll feel the same way after checking this out.

Tickets are $5 for ARHS students/staff; $10 for adults; $2 free/reduced lunch – all tickets sold at the door (cash preferred, checks ok).  If you want to get free/reduced lunch tickets in advance, just email the director, John Bechtold, at bechtolj@arps.org prior the show night you’re attending.

Thanks to your contributions, this year we raised $2,265. A little short from last year…

Dec. 7: MPAC (Multilingual Parent Advisory Council) meeting:

Click HERE to access the Life After ARHS Newsletter. 

Application and FAFSA support is available.

Check for current scholarships!

This is a great opportunity regardless of your college pathway! 

In collaboration with MEFA (Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority), Greenfield Community College and the Office of Financial Aid is hosting a virtual financial aid presentation for high school students and families, adult learners and everyone in between.  

This online webinar will provide information and clarity on the entire college financial aid application process.

Please join us, and bring a friend!  

Wednesday, December 7th, 2022 at 5pm

Click HERE to register for this virtual (online) event.

Family Outreach of Amherst, in collaboration with the Town of Amherst, has been allocated $150,000 from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), to help Amherst residents with overdue rent, mortgage, or utility bills.

Click HERE for more information and to access the application.

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We have $2400 to go to make our goal. Money raised through this fundraiser goes to support grants in the school–for instance, last year the PGO helped students buy supplies for a new mural in the school.

Please consider making a donation to the ARHS PGO on Giving Tuesday, November 29th.

The Venmo account link: Venmo@ARHS-PGO. Another way to donate is to write a check to ARHS PGO and drop it off at the school office or mail it to

ARHS PGO
℅ Nancy Johnson, PGO Fundraiser
430 Long Plain Road
Leverett MA 01054

Apply to be a part of the 23rd annual ASPIRE program in the Polymer Science and Engineering Department at the University of Massachusetts Amherst! ASPIRE runs for five consecutive Saturday mornings (9 am-12 pm) starting January 7th, 2023. The event dates are January 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th, and February 4th, with a snow date on February 11th. We are looking for students in 10-12th grade interested in science, technology, and engineering. In this free (with breakfast provided) program, graduate students will guide you through the experience of research in a science and engineering lab. As a part of ASPIRE, you will:

● Get hands-on experience in chemistry and engineering labs
● Do experiments in polymer chemistry, physics, and engineering
● Learn about 3D printers, polymer synthesis, and more
● Run your own one-day independent science project!

Apply online at https://forms.gle/3eJwS5jEH4KB3EB77

For more information, check out our outreach page:
Contact: aspire.umass@gmail.com

So much to choose from! HERE is the December Amherst events calendar

Click HERE for more activities…

The Amherst Survival Center is a community center that provides resources that help people to meet their basic needs. We provide free meals (community meals) and free groceries (food pantry, mobile programs, and fresh food distribution) and a free health clinic, as well as a resource center. 

Weekly volunteers are needed!

Each November, Native American Heritage Month celebrates the rich histories and diverse cultures of Indigenous people and communities. 

This year’s Native American Heritage Month theme is “Revitalizing Indigenous Connections,” which reflects on how the living bonds of history and culture must be continually honored, maintained, and renewed with each generation.  

Nov. 28: Winter sports start
Nov. 29: Maroon Envelope Fundraiser closes

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Hello ARHS parents! The Class of 2024 Student Council is holding the first-ever Hurricanes Volleyball-Soccer Showdown today at 6:00pm! Having just come off a hard-fought season, our Girls Varsity Volleyball team will go head-to-head against the Boys Varsity Soccer team in an exhibition volleyball game.

We invite you and your families to come out and show your support. Help us bring back school spirit!

Sunday 11/13/22 both the boys and girls cross-country teams qualified for states! The girls cross-country team came in 1st and the boys cross country team came in 6th.

The season comes down to All-State Saturday on Nov. 19 over the grounds of Fort Devens in the central Mass town of Ayer.  

As you start to pull out coats for cooler weather, please do not get rid of those gently-used coats that no longer fit your family! The PGO winter coat drive will end on November 21st, 2022. We are looking to collect clean coats in good to excellent condition sizes that would fit high schoolers.

New coats are welcome if you would like to buy and contribute them! Coats can be dropped off at the designated drop boxes in this flyer here.