ARHS PGO Parent News

For a pdf version of the ARPS Update, please click here.

Para obtener una versión de la actualización de ARPS en español, haga clic aquí.

Para uma versão do ARPS Update em português, clique aqui.

Many area school districts have seen spikes in the number of COVID cases in the past two weeks, consistent with the large increase in positive cases across the state and region since Thanksgiving.  While our cases have not spiked as dramatically as some, we have also seen an increase from 11 cases for the whole month of November to 10 cases so far in December.  It has been reported in most districts, including ours, that many of these cases can be traced to indoor, unmasked, out-of-school activities such as sleepover parties.  As a district, we will continue to observe all of our COVID prevention strategies including masking indoors and maintaining social distancing in order to minimize the risk of in-school spread, which has proven successful at preventing in-school transmission.
 
As a reminder, three in-school COVID testing programs became available in our schools beginning in October: 

1. BINAX TESTING:  The Binax testing program makes in-school rapid Binax testing available to students or staff who become symptomatic for COVID AFTER arriving at school (anyone who is symptomatic prior to arriving at school must stay home and be tested outside of school).
2. POOLED TESTING:  Pooled testing combines the tests of multiple people within a school (most pools include 8 to 10 people).  If the pool tests positive, the people within that particular pool are then tested individually.  It is a particularly efficient and effective way to identify asymptomatic Covid cases. 
3. TEST AND STAY: Test and stay is a testing program for unvaccinated students who are identified as close contacts of a person who is confirmed to have COVID.  With test and stay, the close contact is tested daily and allowed to remain in school so long as they test negative.  Now that vaccines are available to children age five and older, the test and stay program is ending as of December 23 for students in grades K-12.  When school resumes on January 3, any unvaccinated student in those grade levels identified as a close contact of a COVID-positive person will be required to follow quarantine requirements.  Test and stay will continue to be available to students in preschool since those children are not eligible to receive the vaccine. 

Many families provided consent for their children to participate in the COVID testing programs when they began in October.  If you did not and would like to participate in Binax and/or pooled testing, the link is https://www.cic-health.com/consent/ma?district=Amherst-Pelham for anyone who still wishes to sign up. Enrolling provides consent for both programs. For questions about the testing program or signing up, please reach out to your school nurse.

As always, we continue to encourage everyone who is eligible to be vaccinated to do so since it is the most reliable way to protect your own health, as well as the health of those around you.  Booster vaccines for ages 16+ are available through the Amherst Health Department, and a clinic is scheduled for December 23 and elsewhere in our area. Vaccine appointments for children age 5-11 are most readily available in Springfield at this link.
 
Finally, the Regional School Committee approved the school calendar for the 2022-2023 school year at their meeting this Tuesday.  I am happy to be able to share this a few months earlier than usual to assist families and staff with planning for next fall.  A copy of the calendar is included below.

It is not too late to add your student to the pooled testing program at ARHS! If you have not given consent for your student to be tested weekly and would like to do so, you can do it here. If you have any questions about pooled testing, you can reach out to the school nurse. The school will not be doing pooled testing the week of Dec. 20 but will resume on Jan. 3.

Free COVID testing for asymptomatic adults and children over 2 is still being offered by the Town of Amherst; detailed information about where to pick up and drop off tests is provided on the town website. Note that there will be a pause in testing from Dec. 24-Jan. 2; the last time you can drop off tests for processing before that break is 9:00 am on Dec. 23.

The State will be at ARHS on January 5, 2022 for a covid vaccine clinic from 3 – 6 pm.  Click here to register for a vaccine appointment (more information about this clinic will come from the superintendent’s office).

The water bottle filling station pictured here was funded by a previous round of grants from the PGO. Our Maroon Envelope fundraiser to provide money for these grants to students and teachers will be active through Dec. 31. Please consider a contribution of ANY size by Venmo @ARHS-PGO or donate by credit card or check. Thanks to all those who have contributed so far! 

Still don’t have a winter coat? Guidance has many coats in a variety of colors, styles, and sizes available for those in need. Stop by anytime between 7:45am and 3:45pm!

Is your student looking for a job, volunteer opportunities, scholarships, or summer programs? Check out the Guidance Office’s Opportunities Page to find a variety of resources and opportunities!

Senior Photos should be emailed to Miss Garrity at garrityc@arps.org by January 31st! Don’t want to pay a photographer? Yearbook staff are offering free senior photo shoots! Sign up for a time slot using this Google Form! https://forms.gle/AcSBgwR3mgRzD9BYA

Seniors who are applying to colleges and need help filling out financial aid forms (FAFSA and CSS profile) can get help at two upcoming sessions sponsored by FAFSA Day (click on the link to register):
Tuesday, January 18, 2022  6:00 – 8:00pm 
Sunday, February 20, 2022  2:00 – 4:00pm
FAFSA Day is a non-profit, volunteer driven program providing free assistance to students and families seeking to complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). If you have questions about  completing the FAFSA, please call FAFSA Day weekdays at (800) 449-6332 (9:00 am – 4:00pm) or email fafsaday@gmail.com

If you want to work on these forms by yourself, here is a checklist for the FAFSA, and here is a set of slides that gives an overview of the process.

Is there a teacher or staff member that has made a difference in your child’s life this year? Say “Thank You!” by making a donation to the Stars In Our Schools Campaign in honor of them and the Amherst Education Foundation (AEF) will send a note of gratitude on your behalf, thanking them for all their hard work and dedication. The money raised will help us continue to make grants available in support of teachers and staff in Amherst, Pelham, Leverett and Shutesbury. Please visit amhersteducationfoundation.org/stars and make your gift today!You can also read about previous grants awarded by going to amhersteducationfoundation.org/grants Click here to see a flyer for the program.

Dec 23: Early Release Day
Dec 24-Jan 2: Winter Break
Jan 5: ARHS vaccine clinic

We wanted to make sure that families had this important, but disturbing, information. Earlier in the week the Baystate ER treated two high school youth who smoked marijuana before school, which unknown to them, ended up being laced with fentanyl. These links describe similar incidents that are thought to have taken place recently in Michigan, Vermont and Connecticut.

The metal T-square being used by the student in this photo was purchased with an Art Department PGO grant in 2019! You can still contribute to the Maroon Envelope fundraiser to support this year’s grants to students and teachers. Venmo @ARHS-PGO or donate by credit card or check. Please help us enrich our high school in ways most needed. 

At Amherst Regional High School we are committed to sustainability and environmental action. This is why The Environmental Action Club at ARHS is organizing a reusable week where our students will be encouraged to do the right thing and create less waste. During the week of December, 13-17th students will participate with the theme of the day whether it be wearing a reusable mask, bringing a reusable water bottle, or bringing utensils for lunch. Each time your student participates they get entered into a raffle for a chance to win gift cards to local businesses like Antonio’s and Go Berry. If you want to take small steps towards sustainability and have a chance at some delicious food, participate in Reusable Week at ARHS! 

Monday  Wear a reusable mask day! 

Tuesday  Bring your reusable water bottle

Wednesday  Reusable lunch day, bring lunch from home, or reusable utensils

Thursday  Wear a Hand-Me-Down or thrift-ed piece of clothing

Friday Bring it all together: Mask, Water Bottle, Utensils, Thrifted Clothes. 

We appreciate you encouraging your ARHS student to participate in this fun event, and hope it serves as a good reminder of the small steps we can take to help our planet!

For a pdf version of the ARPS Update, please click here.

Para obtener una versión de la actualización de ARPS en español, haga clic aquí.

Para uma versão do ARPS Update em português, clique aqui.

On Wednesday evening we were fortunate to welcome Dr. Cornel West to ARPS as the first speaker in our Evenings with ARPS series, via a live stream event on YouTube. Dr. West is a prominent intellectual who serves as the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Professor of Philosophy and Christian Practice at Union Theological Seminary and holds the title of Professor Emeritus at Princeton University. He has also taught at Union Theological Seminary, Yale, Harvard, and the University of Paris. Dr. West has written 20 books and has edited 13. He is best known for his classics, Race Matters and Democracy Matters, and for his memoir, Brother West: Living and Loving Out Loud. For our ARPS event, which can be viewed here, Dr. West shared his insights on education in these difficult times and answered questions posed by members of the ARPS staff.  Next Wednesday, December 8, we look forward to welcoming Joseph “Dr. J” Mathews, Ph.D, author of Things I Wish My Teacher Knew About Me: Memoir of a Disengaged Student.  The livestream will begin at 5:00 p.m. and will be available here.

We were also incredibly fortunate this week to have the second dose vaccine clinics for those students who had their first dose at our on-site clinics three weeks ago.  These clinics, which were provided by the Amherst Health Department, and the one held onsite at ARHS for all students and community members, which was provided by the state’s mobile vaccine clinic, have resulted in a significant portion of our students age 5 and over being either partially or fully vaccinated.  I am happy to share some pictures below of students declaring “I am fully vaccinated!” after receiving their second dose this week.  Those who received their first dose at the clinic held at ARHS will be able to receive their second dose at the same location on Tuesday, December 14.  Thank you to everyone who helped make these clinics happen and who supported our children throughout the process!

Finally, I want to remind families that the test and stay program for unvaccinated students who are found to be close contacts with someone diagnosed with COVID is ending when we break for the winter holidays.  As of our return to school on January 3, 2022, unvaccinated students who are identified as close contacts will be required to quarantine following the standards set by the MA Department of Health.

Thanks to all of your help with the coat drive, any ARHS student who needs a winter coat can visit Ms. Garrity in the Guidance Office to pick one up. These are new or like-new coats, freshly laundered, in a range of sizes.

1. Reminder that senior photos are due on January 31st! Email them to Miss Garrity at garrityc@arps.org. Want a photo taken by yearbook staff instead of hiring an outside photographer? Email Miss Garrity to sign up for a time slot!

2. Please fill out this survey to let us know what you want included in the yearbook! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfeOXFQuPj7xyCH9XQvoiNXyR7NVSy4W1xCDyYb95M1XLiFog/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1&flr=0

From Ms. Cuffee-Gray’s email 12/9:

How are you going to pay for college? Get started now

The Big Y Scholarship – https://www.bigy.com/Community/Scholarships

US News Guide to FAFSA

Scholarship Coming Up –
MY FAVORITE!!! Save the Date https://communityfoundation.org/students/scholarships/

Scholarship search engines: try Fastweb and Going Merry

The latest issue of The Graphic, ARHS’s school newspaper, is live. This issue includes lots of student analysis of our current schedule, reflections on pandemic schooling, new-teacher features, and many other great news, sports, opinion, and club stories! Thank you so much for reading and supporting the work of journalists and editors at our ARHS. (Students who write an email to barber-justs@arps.org, sharing a story they enjoyed and why will be entered in The Graphic’s winter raffle and could win a great prize!)

Dec 14: Amherst School Committee Meeting
Dec 14: ARHS Vaccine Clinic (2nd doses–see Superintendent’s update)
Dec 16: Regional School Committee Meeting/Budget Forum
Dec 23: Early Release Day
Dec 24-Jan 2: Winter Break

Did you miss the chance to give to the ARHS Grants Program on #GivingTuesday? You’re not alone! We would like to raise a wee bit more money for student and teacher grants, so we are keeping the fundraiser open until the end of the year.  We promise this is the only ask we’ll make until this spring.

In past years, the PGO has given grants for art supplies, hanging periodic tables, ELL books, visiting speakers and performers, water bottle filling stations and other environmentally-focused initiatives, and much much more.

Donations of *any amount* are gratefully accepted – $5 from ten families is just as helpful as $50 from one family! You can Venmo @ARHS-PGO or donate by credit card or check. Please help us enrich our high school in ways most needed. 

The PGO is grateful to everyone who donated coats so our students can stay warm outside this year; we also want to acknowledge the various community members who helped out in the following ways:

Collection sites were coordinated by Mia Cabana at the Jones Library, Joan at the Chamber of Commerce, and Kyle at Greenfield Savings Bank on University Drive.

Nina at Shine Laundromat donated washing time; JC Penny of Hadley donated all the coat hangers; and Hartford Cleaners donated clear bags to go over the coats.

Finally, the PGO officers are very grateful to Nancy Johnson for doing all the work to make this coat drive a success! Please let your student know that if they need a coat, they can see Ms. Garrity in Guidance to get one.

1. Reminder that senior photos are due on January 31st! Email them to Miss Garrity at garrityc@arps.org. Want a photo taken by yearbook staff instead of hiring an outside photographer? Email Miss Garrity to sign up for a time slot!

2. Please fill out this survey to let us know what you want included in the yearbook! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfeOXFQuPj7xyCH9XQvoiNXyR7NVSy4W1xCDyYb95M1XLiFog/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1&flr=0

This is an event that has admisisons officers virtually visiting with ARHS seniors for admissions interviews. Students apply using the college’s institutional application beforehand, sumbit an essay, submit a transcript request via Naviance. In some instances seniors will receive an Instant Admit, in others, they will have a quick read of admissability – Express Admissions. Apply to up to THREE Colleges or Universities.

To prepare for the ARHS MA College Application Celebration  :                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           1.   Research and decide which colleges and universities you want to apply to! Fitchburg State University, Framingham State University, GCC (Greenfield Community College), Hampshire College, HCC (Holyoke Community College), MA Art, MCLA (MA College of Liberal Arts), STCC (Springfield Technical Community College), WNEU (Western New England University), UMASS Boston, UMASS Lowell, Westfield State University, Worcester State University, 

2.  Review and complete the MCAC Questionnaire to sign up for interview slots;

3.  Complete your application and submit 2 days prior to your interview;

4.  Request your transcripts and recommendations via Naviance 2 days prior to your interview;

5.  SHOW UP at your interview!!!

See Ms. Cuffee-Gray for more information. Questionnaire will be ready on Tuesday.

Congratulations to the boys’ and girls’ cross country teams for placing 10th and 14th, respectively, in the Division II state championships on Nov. 20!

Dec 8: Early Release Day
Dec 23: Early Release Day
Dec 24-Jan 2: Winter Break

The ARHS PGO’s One Ask, Please Give! MAROON ENVELOPE FUNDRAISER to support our Student and Teacher Grant Program ends on Giving Tuesday, 11/30. Your gift in any amount will fund grants for 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.

Please consider donating anything from $5 to $500 – you can Venmo @ARHS-PGO or donate by credit card or check. Thank you for helping us reach our goal!

For a pdf version of the ARPS Update, please click here.

Para obtener una versión de la actualización de ARPS en español, haga clic aquí.

Para uma versão do ARPS Update em português, clique aqui.

I want to recognize that this week, November 13-15, is Transgender Awareness Week, which GLAAD notes is “a week when transgender people and their allies take action to bring attention to the community by educating the public about who transgender people are, sharing stories and experiences, and advancing advocacy around the issues of prejudice, discrimination, and violence that affect the transgender community.” The activities of Transgender Awareness Week precede Transgender Day of Remembrance, which is observed on November 20 as a way to commemorate all of the transgender people lost to violence each year. At ARPS, we stand proudly with the transgender members of our community as allies and friends.

Next week will be a short one with only two school days before the holiday break. Before you head into the holiday, I want to remind you that the State Mobile Vaccine Clinic is happening after school on Tuesday, November 23.  It takes place from 3:00 to 5:30 p.m. at the Amherst Regional High School gym and is open to all students age 5 and up, as well as to all adults.  If you or your child needs your first or second dose, or if you are an adult who needs a first, second, or booster dose, please sign up here. We are thankful that the state is making the vaccine available to our community members at all of our schools. In addition to vaccines, the CDC has issued guidance on how to have the safest possible holiday travel and gatherings, which can be found at this link.

Finally, based on guidance from Amherst Health Director Jennifer Brown and ARPS Nurse Manager Robbin Suprenant and the broad availability of vaccines for the K-12 student population, ARPS will be ending the Test and Stay program for unvaccinated students who are identified as a close contact to a COVID-positive person.  As a result, unvaccinated students found to be a close contact will be required to follow standard quarantine protocols.  The only exception is that Test and Stay will remain in place for children in the preschool population who are not old enough to access the vaccine at this time. This change will begin on January 3, 2022 when we return from the winter holidays. 

Best wishes to everyone for a safe, restful break!

From Ms. Garrity’s email before break:

Naviance has a new (and frustrating) feature called “One and Done” where it sends your transcript and school info to every school on your Common App list all at once, instead of individually. It does NOT send your teacher recs automatically. If you’re getting emails from schools you have later deadlines for saying these recs are missing- they are NOT. I will be sending them, along with your updated transcripts, closer to your deadline listed. Also, you will be unable to remove schools from your list if any information has been sent; if you need to get a college off your list, please email me the name of the school and I can manually remove it.

PLEASE take a few moments now that Powerschool has reopened to review your Q1 grades and check for any mistakes. If there is a mistake, please contact your teacher immediately AND let me know there is an error so I know not to send your grades to colleges until it’s fixed! In the meantime, you can ignore all emails from colleges saying “your senior year grades are missing.” 

Nov 29: First day of winter sports practice
Dec 8: Early Release Day
Dec 24-Jan 2: Winter Break

Hello,

During the past few weeks when families are dropping their children off in the morning, some people have been blocking the buses from pulling off and double parking during the drop-offs. This is creating an unsafe situation for those students and unnecessarily delaying the buses. Please drive past the barricade near the gym entrance before you stop to let your children out of the car. Thank you for your help with this. Take care

Talib Sadiq

Principal

For a pdf version of the ARPS Update, please click here.

Para obtener una versión de la actualización de ARPS en español, haga clic aquí.

Para uma versão do ARPS Update em português, clique aqui.

This week’s vaccine clinics for students ages 5-11 at Crocker Farm, Fort River and Wildwood were hugely successful!  The second dose clinics for those who were vaccinated this week are scheduled on November 30 for Wildwood, December 1 for Crocker Farm and December 3 for Fort River.  Families will receive a confirmation email from the Health Department a week before the follow-up clinics, which will take place at the school sites with each students’ appointment at the same time as the first doses.  

We scheduled this week’s clinics at the schools, at the end of the school day, in order to assist families in accessing this service for their children with as few barriers as possible. Of the 152 students who received the vaccine, a large percentage were from historically underserved communities, including 52% who qualify for subsidized lunch, 29% English Language Learners, 29% students with special needs, and 72% who identify as students of color.  Thank you to Interim Amherst Health Director Jennifer Brown and her staff for their assistance in providing access to the COVID-19 vaccine for our 5-11-year-old students.  Thank you also to all of the wonderful ARPS staff members who provided encouragement and support to the students receiving their vaccinations and to State Representative Mindy Domb for being on-site to cheer on our students.

While a number of students were able to be vaccinated this week, we know that many families who want to access the vaccine were not able to.  I am pleased to share that another clinic has been scheduled for Tuesday, November 23 from 3-5:30 p.m.  This clinic will be provided in partnership with the state of Massachusetts Mobile Vaccine Clinic and will be held in the gym at Amherst Regional High School.  The great news is that it will be open to ANY STUDENT OR STAFF MEMBER from the age of 5 or older who needs first, second or booster doses!  You can sign up for this clinic at this link.

The ARHS PGO’s One Ask, Please Give! MAROON ENVELOPE FUNDRAISER is already halfway to our goal. This is a month-long initiative to support our Student and Teacher Grant Program. We promise that this will be the ONLY ASK the PGO will make until spring ’22 graduation and teacher appreciation events.

Our goal is to raise $3,000 by #GivingTuesday to fund grants for 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.

Please consider donating anything from $5 to $500 – you can Venmo @ARHS-PGO or donate by credit card or check. Please give now so we can reach our goal by #GivingTuesday, November 30 and enrich our high school in ways most needed. Thank you for helping us reach our goal!

It’s not too late to have your student participate in the free, weekly COVID testing program provided by the state. If you would like to give consent for your student to participate, you can do so at this link.

Good luck to both the girls’ and boys’ cross country teams who will be running in the all-state championship meet at Wrentham this Saturday, after qualifying by placing 4th (girls) and 6th (boys) at their statewide divisional meet last weekend!

Congratulations to the boys’ soccer team, who ended their season with a 1-0 loss to Canton in the quarterfinal round of the Division 2 state championship last weekend.

A reminder that November 21 is the deadline for submitting requests for school information (recommendations, transcripts) in Naviance for December 15 college application deadlines.

FEELING STUCK? Pop Up College Application Support (In Person) – Room 303
Monday, November 22nd 3:40-4:15  (Intended Audience – Seniors)
December and January Deadlines? Make sure you know what you need to do. Learn about building a list of 6-8 colleges, Target/Reach/Likely-Foundational-Safety schools, Naviance and Common Application. Get smart about the process.

Learn About Allied Health Careers at STCC on November 30th
STCC’s Allied Health Careers Exploration Night will be held in-person on Tuesday, November 30th from 4:30pm-7:30pm  in Building 20 on the STCC campus.

Nov 19: COVID Vaccine Clinic at ARMS
Nov 23: COVID Vaccine Clinic at ARHS
Nov 24-28: Thanksgiving break
Dec 8: Early Release Day

For a pdf version of the ARPS Update, please click here.

Para obtener una versión de la actualización de ARPS en español, haga clic aquí.

Para uma versão do ARPS Update em português, clique aqui.

The great news came out this week that both the FDA and the CDC have approved COVID-19 vaccines for children ages 5 to 11.  This is the essential next step in protecting the health of our young students and increasing protection from COVID-19 for everyone.  Municipalities, including the Amherst Board of Health, have received limited supplies of vaccine doses for this age group, and we will be sharing more information about the availability of those doses for our students next week.  In the meantime, pharmacies have received much larger supplies and are already taking appointments for the 5-11 age group. The state has listed available appointments for this age group on their vaccine website.

On the topic of vaccines, I want to remind our ARPS families that December 1 is the exclusion deadline for students to be up-to-date on their mandatory vaccines in order to attend school.  If your student is missing any of their required vaccines, you would have already received messages from your school nurse.  Please remember to submit the required documentation to your school nurse ASAP, and no later than November 30.  If you need assistance in obtaining any of the required vaccines, please remember the following resources:

• You can receive vaccines from your own medical provider through a nurse’s appointment rather than a doctor’s appointment.  These are typically much easier to schedule on short notice.  Local health practitioners have been notified of the ARPS vaccine exclusion date and are prepared to help families reach compliance by the deadline.
• Local pharmacies provide many vaccines, at no charge, in addition to the COVID-19 vaccine.
• The Amherst Health Department offers a COVID-19 vaccine clinic every Thursday from 3:00-6:00 p.m. for anyone aged 12 or older.  They are available to members of any of our surrounding communities.
• The John P. Musante Health Center, located in the Bangs Community Center in Amherst, is a free clinic open to anyone without health insurance.
• The only exception for vaccine compliance is through a medical or religious exemption.  A request for a medical exemption must come from your child’s doctor and must indicate that the vaccine(s) is medically contraindicated.  Religious exemption requests must be submitted annually, in a paper copy, and must be signed and dated by the parent/caregiver.  Emails or verbal requests are not acceptable for religious exemptions.

Thank you to everyone for helping to keep the ARPS community safe!

The ARHS PGO launched the One Ask, Please Give! MAROON ENVELOPE FUNDRAISER last week and has already raised close to $1,000! This is a month-long initiative to support our Student and Teacher Grant Program. We promise that this will be the ONLY ASK the PGO will make until spring ’22 graduation and teacher appreciation events.

Our goal is to raise $3,000 by #GivingTuesday to fund grants for 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.

Please consider donating anything from $5 to $500 – you can Venmo @ARHS-PGO or donate by credit card or check. Please give now so we can reach our goal by #GivingTuesday, November 30 and enrich our high school in ways most needed.

Thank you to everyone who has already dropped off winter coats for our students. Today is the final day for collection at our downtown locations (Jones Library Children’s Room, Chamber of Commerce, Greenfield Savings Bank on University Drive), but a collection box will remain in the ARHS lobby for your donations. Please bring any new or used-but-like-new coats to the box in the ARHS lobby.

Reminder: Winter Sports Night November 16th at 6pm in the High School Gymnasium! For more information about winter sports please attend this event. Hope to see you there! Also, please see winter sports registration information here. 

Congratulations to the boys’ soccer team, who advance to the round of 8 in the state tournament after their 3-1 win over Plymouth North Wednesday night.

Congratulations to girls’ volleyball, who ended their season with a hard-fought loss to Melrose in the state tournament.

Nov 16: Winter Sports Night
Nov 19: COVID Vaccine Clinic at ARMS
Nov 24-28: Thanksgiving break
Dec 8: Early Release Day

We are still collecting new or used-but-in-excellent-condition winter coats in sizes from S-XL, so that all our students can stay warm during outdoor activities as winter comes to Amherst. Collection boxes will be out through Friday, Nov. 12 at the following locations:
ARHS lobby (you may come in to drop off a coat)
Jones Library Children’s Room
Amherst Chamber of Commerce
Greenfield Savings Bank on University Drive

The ARHS PGO is excited to launch the One Ask, Please Give! MAROON ENVELOPE FUNDRAISER, a month-long initiative to support our Student and Teacher Grant Program. We promise that this will be the ONLY ASK the PGO will make until spring ’22 graduation and teacher appreciation events.

Our goal is to raise $3,000 by #GivingTuesday to fund grants for 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.

Please consider donating any amount; you can Venmo @ARHS-PGO or read more and donate by credit card or check. Please give now so we can reach our goal by #GivingTuesday, November 30 and enrich our high school in ways most needed.

For a pdf version of the ARPS Update, please click here.

Para obtener una versión de la actualización de ARPS en español, haga clic aquí.

Para uma versão do ARPS Update em português, clique aqui.

I have a few important updates to share with ARPS families and staff this week.  At their meeting on Tuesday, the Amherst-Pelham Regional School Committee voted to accept Amherst sixth grade students at Amherst Regional Middle School.  This was the final step necessary to begin planning for the transition of Amherst sixth graders from the elementary schools to ARMS starting with the 2023-2024 school year.  Between now and fall 2023, there will be extensive planning, both educationally and operationally, to ensure a smooth, positive change for our students.  We look forward to working with all stakeholders as this important change is implemented.

In order to provide a smoother transition between semesters, there has been a change in the calendar for the current 2021-2022 school year.  The change is in January to the High School exam dates (which are half-days at ARMS and ARHS) and the teacher curriculum/work day (which is a full day off for students at all grade levels).  The new dates are January 19 & 20 for high school exams and January 21 for the teacher curriculum/work day.  The updated calendar is included below.

There is also a letter below from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education regarding the COVID-19 vaccinations for children ages 5 to 11.  While there are still a number of steps necessary before the vaccine is fully approved for this age group, we hope to see the same high level of interest in vaccines for these children as our community has shown for vaccines for children ages 12+. The high vaccination rate in our school community has had a significant, positive impact on the health and safety of students and staff members, so we will share more information on this critical topic as it becomes available.

You may already have heard from your student that, based on feedback from students and teachers, the school made some minor changes to the daily schedule. The new schedule, which took effect at the start of second quarter on Nov. 3, has a lengthened “+” block at the end of the day that allows students to get extra help in subjects where they need it.

Semester 1 exam half days have been shifted to January 19th and 20th and the teacher work day to January 21st. There will be no school for students on January 21st.  Semester 2 will begin on January 24th. Here is a link to the revised calendar for the year.

The first round of “Stress Less” group for students has been very successful, and the school is starting a second round in November. This new group starts November 9th and runs for 7 weeks, and there is still room for a few more students.

The aim is to boost skills in managing mild/moderate anxiety. This is an educational group – not therapy. Students will learn ways to identify and cope with stress and anxiety, and they will build a “coping toolbox.” The group will meet weekly on Tuesdays starting Nov. 9, and the time will rotate so students will not miss the same class each week. Obviously if there is a test in class, they don’t need to come to the group.

If your student is interested, they can contact School Social Worker Hannah Caruso.

As a way of celebrating multilingualism and supporting students to strengthen the languages they speak at home, as well as new languages that they are learning, the district offers a program called the Seal of Biliteracy. The sign up form for students is here and the sign up form for parents and volunteers is here.

Important upcoming dates:

Click here for all the information in Ms. Cuffee-Gray’s Nov. 3 email to seniors.

It is championship season for Fall Sports! Congratulations to all the teams who’ve participated in postseason play, including:

Girls Soccer– traveled to Northampton High School last night for the preliminary round of the state tournament
Boys Soccer– on Saturday November 6th boys will travel to Silver Lake Regional for the first round of 32 in the state tournament.
Volleyball– after making it to the Western MA finals, where they lost to Longmeadow, they defeated Chelsea High School this week in the preliminary round of the state tournament and will travel to Melrose for the first round of 32 in the state tournament. 
Congratulations to 10th grader Piet Hartman, who was the top finisher from Western Mass in the Division I state golf tournament, finishing in 8th place.

All game schedules and times can be found here.

Don’t forget to sign your student up for Winter Sports; the season starts November 29.