ARHS PGO Parent News

This is just a reminder for students to purchase locks for their lockers that are the correct size. There is a sample of the correct size lock for your reference in the front office. Also in the front office, we have a limited amount of correct size locks available for students. First come, first serve.!

If you missed the 9th Grade and New Family Parent’s night on September 10, here is the presentation that outlines the information covered.New Student Orientation Presentation Powerpoint

Sept. 24 – Early Decision Workshop for Seniors: 2:30 pm, Chorale Room
Sept. 26 – Homecoming: A Day of Varsity Sports (Volunteer here)
Sept. 29 – Hampshire County College Fair: 6-8pm, S. Hadley High School
Oct. 8 – Open House: 6:45 pm
Oct. 13 – ARHS College Admissions Night (for Seniors): 7pm, Cafeteria
Oct. 14 – PSATs: Pre-registration required
Oct. 15 – ARHS Performing Arts Gala: 6:30 pm
Nov. 5 – PGO Coffee with ARHS College Counselor Myra Ross

Next week, College Representatives from the following schools are scheduled to be at ARHS:

University of Rhode Island 9/21 8:00 AM
Marlboro College 9/22 10:30 AM
Yale University 9/23 10:30 AM
Fitchburg State University 9/23 1:00 PM
The College of Wooster 9/23 1:45 PM
Kenyon College 9/24 7:50 AM
Connecticut College 9/25 8:00 AM
Barnard College 9/25 8:30 AM
American University 9/25 11:00 AM

**During the week of 9/28, over 40 Colleges and University Reps will be at ARHS. Visit Naviance for more information.

**There will be a HUGE college fair at South Hadley High School on Tuesday evening, September 29, from 6:00-8:00. About 150 colleges will be represented!

**It’s not too soon to start looking at the scholarship opportunities listed in Naviance. They get updated every time we hear about a new one, so take a look and see if any might apply to you!

The Coming Together: Understanding Racism, Working for Justice and Building Connections project is forming a new task force on how

Racism and Climate Change

are deeply connected to each other.

The group will develop a message for the community and develop events and materials that communicate that message.  If you are interested in possibly being a part of this new action group, which will coordinate its work with local climate change and racial justice groups, please email:  CTAmherst@gmail.com.

The NAACP’s New England Area Conference (NEAC) has organized Unity Walks for Justice, Saturday September 19 to develop a multi-racial, multi-age, significant and diverse participant group to send a powerful message to legislative bodies that a broad cross-section of citizens is demanding change. The desired legislative changes include:

• Cultural competency of police forces and at all command levels.
• Independent or special prosecutors when police are subject to prosecution for serious crimes, including assault, excessive force, and killings.
• Requirement for police body cameras.
• Other policies and practices which may lead to better and more effective policing and the elimination of race based policing and discrimination against the disabled.

Amherst NAACP’s Walk will begin at 10:00 AM from two locations: Haigis Mall UMass area in the north and Hampshire College/Groff Park area, walking on the sidewalk up South Pleasant St (Route 116) from the south. Both groups will conclude at Sweetser Park, Amherst Center, across from the police station and The Black Sheep Deli. Walkers may join the walk at any point along the route. A “Cane Brigade” for those unable to walk the route will meet at Sweetser Park beginning at 10:00.

For more information, contact Kathleen Anderson, President, amherstnaacp@gmail.com.

LETS SHOW UP, SUPPORT THE NAACP, AND STAND AGAINST RACISM!

Join us on Tuesday, September 29, 2015 for an event celebrating of our freedom to read – and view – great works of literature at a special double feature movie screening. The movies being screened are based on books that have been challenged or banned in the United States over the years.  The screenings begin at 4:30 pm with a family classic and a second film will be screened at 6:30 pm.  More information about the movies to be screened can be found on the Jones Library website at www.joneslibrary.org.

Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. Typically held during the last week of September, it highlights the value of free and open access to information. Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community – librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types – in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular.  For more information about Banned Books Week, visit www.bannedbooksweek.org.

Free and open to the public.  For more information, please contact Janet Ryan at 413/259-3223. 

The funds ARHS receives annually from Stop & Shop is limited only by the number of cards we register. The most effective way to register cards is to greet shoppers on their way into the store and ask for their support. It couldn’t be easier, and a two hour shift at Stop & Shop translates to about $400 at the end of the year for ARHS, which directly benefits your students! Can you give us two hours of your time? There are 24 different 2-hour weekend shifts available, can you fill one? Please lend a hand, it benefits all our students!

Please visit the new signup link to see all the shifts available to volunteer at Stop & Shop this fall. Questions: Liz Rosenberry at ARHSrewards@gmail.com. We appreciate your help!

Don’t forget, Wednesday, Sept. 16th is an Early Release Day.  Once a month the school operates on a partial day schedule, to allow time for teachers to work on curriculum and school-wide issues. On these Early Release Days, school starts at the regular time of 7:45 AM, but students are released at 12:00 PM instead of 2:20 pm. The schedule for these shortened days is available here.

Picture Day is next Thursday, Sept. 17th. Help your students avoid a bad hair day by reminding them on Wednesday night that school pictures will be taken on Thursday. There will be a Picture Retake Day in late October.

Parents remind your student about the Club/Activities Fair next, Friday the 18th during all lunch periods. Being in a club allows your student to make friends, build interpersonal skills, and explore and broaden their interests. During all lunches today, there will be a Club/Activities Fair with tables set up outside the cafeteria showcasing the different clubs. Click here to learn more about clubs.

Many, many college representatives visit ARHS every year. It is an excellent way for students to hear about colleges, especially those far away. Below are the college rep visits for next week:

Wed. 9/16                 Dean College                            9:15 AM

Wed. 9/16                 Salem State University         11:00 AM

Wed. 9/16                 Saint Anselm College             11:30 AM

Wed. 9/16                 Albertus Magnus College        1:00 PM

Thurs. 9/17               University of New England  10:00 AM

Students should pick up a pink pass in the Guidance Office before the class they want to leave to show their teacher before being excused. You only get 3 freebies, then they count as absences. The meetings take place in the conference rooms in Guidance Office 101 near the Main Office. Although more may be added as the year progresses, all College Rep visits for this year are all listed in Naviance – plan ahead!

Present the attached coupon at Johnny’s Tavern on Wednesday, September 16, 2015 and 20% of your food purchase will be donated to the Amherst High School Hurricane Boosters.

hurricane booster coupons Johnny’s

Sept. 20 – Western New England Univ. NACAC College Fair: 2-4 pm, Alumni Healthful Living Center
Sept. 24 – Early Decision Workshop for Seniors: 2:30 pm, Chorale Room
Sept. 26 – Homecoming: A Day of Varsity Sports (Volunteer here)
Sept. 29 – Hampshire County College Fair: 6-8pm, S. Hadley High School
Oct. 8 – Open House: 6:45 pm
Oct. 13 – ARHS College Admissions Night (for Seniors): 7pm, Cafeteria
Oct. 14 – PSATs: Pre-registration required
Oct. 15 – ARHS Performing Arts Gala: 6:30 pm

It’s Survey September for students and families! Don’t forget to add your voice as we work together to revision our schools. Please take a moment to participate in two important surveys. The 7-12 Consolidation Survey is being conducted by the Massachusetts Office of Public Collaboration at the University of Massachusetts Boston (MOPC) and has a deadline of Friday, September 25. MOPC will use information gathered through the 7-12 Consolidation Survey to inform their recommendations for the district to consider regarding potential consolidation of the secondary schools. Greenfield Community College will begin offering evening courses at the middle school in spring 2016 and needs input from our community to determine what to offer. The Greenfield Community College Spring Offerings survey is open through Sunday, September 27. Thank you for participating!

This survey is currently available online in English here and in Spanish here. All Amherst, Leverett, Pelham and Shutesbury residents and other interested stakeholders are encouraged to participate in this confidential survey that will be available through Friday, September 25th. 

Attend Trash to Treasures, our annual Amherst used furniture sale, tomorrow, September 12, 9am to 3pm on the Amherst Common, and purchase an item of furniture – all proceeds benefit the Center’s programs!

On September 17th, 2015, the streets of downtown Amherst are closed to traffic and open to a night of fun from 5-9pm for the Celebrate Amherst Block Party! In its fourth year, this event brings people together for a lively street fair environment including food vendors, multiple main stages with music – don’t miss ARHS students in the rock band Without A Doubt. The Amherst Block Party is an event that you won’t want to miss!

CHD’s Family Outreach of Amherst hosts its 4th Annual Warm Up the Night! Thursday, October 22nd, 5:30-8:30 pm at The Lord Jeffrey Inn. Tickets $45 each

Join us as we transform a warm and festive tent at the Lord Jeffery Inn into a strolling culinary extravaganza. Wander the tent enjoying delicious small bites, sips, and tastes from an eclectic mix of local food vendors, while spending time with good friends and making new ones. Exciting features this year include a pig roast, live music by local band The Winter Pills, and much more!

For more details and to register to attend, visit www.chd.org/familyoutreach or contact Rachel Condry at 413.548.1272, rcondry@chd.org.

Space is limited! Reserve your spot early.

Initiating a Gentle Conversation about Death, Dying, & Grief Using Children’s Literature
Adult caregivers and community members are invited to attend this free workshop to be held at the Jones Library on Tuesday, September 15 at 7 pm. This program is offered by The Garden: A Center for Grieving Children and Teens, a program of Cooley-Dickinson VNA & Hospice, which provides support to grieving young people and their families.

Especially aimed at family, friends, and loved ones in the life of a grieving young person, this workshop is for those wanting to learn how to begin a gentle dialog about death, dying, and grief with young people. This workshop will show adults how to use children’s literature as a tool in talking to children about these difficult topics.

For more information about Grief through Story or to find out more about The Garden, please contact the director, Shelly Bathe Lenn, at 413/ 582-5312.

Free and open to the public. For more information, please contact Janet Ryan at 413/259-3223.

In this program, young people from our communities will share their experiences in local schools. We will also screen the PBS documentary A Class Divided, about “a third grade
teacher who divided her all-white class into blue-eyed and brown-eyed groups, and gavethem a daring lesson in discrimination.”

Participants will learn about ways that all students benefit when educators of color are
present in their classrooms and when their studies include Black, Indigenous, and Latino
history and culture. There will be time for questions & discussion. This program is suitable for educators and school administrators, parents and students, and the general public.

Saturday, September 12, 2015, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Doors open at 9:30 a.m.
First Congregational Church, 43 Silver Street, Greenfield MA 01301

Seniors – Be sure to look at the list of college reps that will be coming to our school this fall! Find the list under the Colleges tab in Naviance.You are allowed to miss 3 classes without counting as an absence (after 3 it’s an excused absence) so choose wisely. Get a pink pass in Guidance 101, fill it out, take it to the teacher whose class you will be missing and bring it with you at the time of the visit.

It is not too soon to start looking at the scholarship opportunities listed in Naviance. They get updated every time we hear about a new one, so take a look and see if any might apply to you!

Plans for our 2015 Homecoming are underway!  Mark your calendar for September 26th.  This will be a day filled with sporting events and activities for all families. We’re looking forward to another successful event.

We’ve set up, through FamilyID, a way for parents/guardians to sign up for shifts to help.  We’re hoping you can volunteer during some portion of the day.

https://www.familyid.com/programs/amherst-hurricane-homecoming

Thank you!

GO CANES!

Welcome to the academic year 2015-2016, and the return of the ARHS PGO Parent News! Our newsletter will arrive in your inbox every Friday morning, packed with valuable information about events, deadlines, schedules, community events, sports news, opportunities etc… If this is your first issue, we welcome you and hope you find the newsletter helpful. If you are the parent of a recent graduate and would like to unsubscribe, there is a link at the bottom of this email.  On the other hand, if you know someone new to the community who probably isn’t on our email list, just click FORWARD at the bottom of the newsletter and send them the goodness that is The ARHS Parent News! Or just have them click here to subscribe.

Contact us anytime using the link in the right hand column if you have something you would like to submit or a question to ask. We encourage your input. Our best to everyone navigating the transition back to school, see you online!

The first day of school for all students is Wednesday, September 2nd.

The day’s schedule is below:

9th grade students will report directly to their advisories at 7:45 am.

New students (grades 10 – 12) will report to the library at 7:45 am.

Returning 10th, 11th and 12th grade students will arrive to school by 10:00 am (buses will make a 2nd morning run) and report directly to their advisories.

**Students’ schedules will be sent home via first-class mail today. Attached below is a PDF of the first mailing from ARHS with loads of great information.

ARHS First Mailing 2015

Below please find links to the 2015-2016 Bus Routes for ARHS.

Morning Bus Routes

Afternoon Bus Routes

Please note that on September 2nd, the second round of morning buses will be 2 hours and 10 minutes later than normally scheduled – school begins at 10 am for returning students.

Hurricane Sport Fans, most of you aren’t aware of a feature offered through the MIAA. You can set up email alerts for your favorite team(s)!! Go to the MIAA website, look for the light blue bar, select the team(s) you’d like to receive notifications on. In that same area, select the pencil “Schedule Notification Options.” From there, follow the prompts. You can change your selections at any time.

Sept. 7 – Labor Day: No School
Sept. 9 – Monthly PGO Meeting: 8:10 am, Room 13 (All Welcome)
Sept. 10 – Last Day of Add/Drop Period
Sept. 10 – Orientation for Parents/Guardians of 9th Grader/New Students: 7pm, Auditorium
Sept. 16 – Early Release Day: Noon Dismissal
Sept. 17 – School Picture Day
Sept. 18 – Clubs & Activities Fair: during lunches
Sept. 26 – Homecoming: A Day of Varsity Sports
Oct. 8 – Open House: 6:45 pm

Enjoy the latest episode of  Voices from Our Schools.  Kimberly Stender hosts a panel discussion about the regional re-visioning of a Greenfield Community College partnership with ARPS with Maria Geryk, Superintendent of Schools at ARPS, Kathryn Mazur, Director of ARPS Human Resources, Mark Jackson, Principal at ARHS, Robert Pura, President of Greenfield Community College, Sher Hruska, Chief Academic and Student Affairs Officer at GCC, and Leo Hwang, Dean of Humanities at GCC.

Please join in the fun at Hickory Ridge Golf Club tomorrow! The Hurricane Open Golf Tournament is a fundraiser for the ARHS Hurricanes Boosters. More adult volunteers are needed for 2 hour shifts from 1pm through 9pm ! Sign up to volunteer here. Please help the Boosters raise  funds for our ‘Canes Athletic Program.

All families, staff and community members are invited to the annual First Day Celebration on Tuesday, September 1 from 5:00-6:30 p.m. on the Amherst Town Common. Enjoy FREE pony rides, magic shows, disc golf, hula hoops, games, arts and crafts, music, dance and more! Free parking is available in the large lot at Amherst Regional High School, and the BID Trolley will bring guests to/from the Town Common from 4:45-6:45pm. Bring a picnic dinner from home or a local restaurant and visit with friends, teachers, town officials and school staff. If inclement weather is forecasted, the event will be held in the ARHS Cafeteria (21 Mattoon Street).

Todas las familias, personal y miembros de la comunidad están invitados a la celebración anual del Primer día de Clases el martes 1º de septiembre. El evento se llevará a cabo en el Centro del pueblo de Amherst de 5:00-6:30 p.m. Disfrute GRATITUAMENTE de paseos en pony, espectáculos de magia, golf de disco, aros de hula, juegos, artes y artesanías, música, danza y mucho más! Aparcamiento gratuito disponible en el lote grande de Amherst Regional High School. El BID Trolley llevará invitados al / desde el Centro del pueblo de Amherst de 4:45-6:45 p.m. Traiga una cena de picnic del hogar o en un restaurante local. Visite con amigos, maestros, funcionarios municipales y el personal escolar. Si se pronostica mal tiempo, el evento se llevará a cabo en la Cafetería de ARHS (21 Mattoon Street). ~Excerpt from ARPS Website

Cooley Dickinson Hospital Rehab staff will perform pre-season injury screening and sport-specific testing for athletes in grades 9 through 12 on Monday, August 31 from 6-8 p.m. at the ARHS Gym.

Attached below is a permission slip/waiver along with a flyer with additional info. Please have your child return the waiver  to the Athletic Office by Friday, August 28th or  just bring it the day of the clinic. **This waiver form must be returned in order to participate.

6:00 – Girls Cross Country
6:15 – Volleyball
6:30 – Boys Cross Country
6:45 – Golf
7:00 – Boys Soccer
7:15 – Field Hockey
7:30 – Girls Soccer
7:45 – Football

Sports Clinic Flyer August 2015

Sport Sceening Permission 2015

The editors here at the ARHS PGO Parent News want to wish each of you, and your families, a safe, happy and healthy summer. Cherish it!

Look for our first edition of the 2015-2016 school year in mid-August. We have some amazing new editors in place for next year!

Happy Summer!

Margot, Colleen & Janet

Thanks to all of you who participated in the ARHS PGO Stop & Shop A+ Rewards Fundraiser. We raised $17,398.80 for ARHS for the 2015-2016 school year! ARHS was the third highest earner in the entire State! These Stop & Shop funds are the ONLY source of money for the ARHS PGO Grant Program. The number of cards we register increases the amount of money ARHS receives from Stop & Shop. The more cards the greater the reward! Can we keep this fundraiser going for future students? Help us by registering your Stop & Shop card now. Click on the link in the right sidebar, “Support ARHS” and send us your 13-digit Stop & Shop card number along with the first three letters of your last name. We will take care of the rest!

A huge thanks goes out to this year’s volunteers who made this fundraiser and the ARHS PGO Grants Program happen: Liz Rosenberry, Elly Hosea, Margot O’Connor, Jen Veshia, Colleen Osten, Lynn Hayes, Lorin Starr, Penny Herter, Gwen Shook, Clare Bertrand, Carla Becker, Jyl Gentzler, Barb Johnston, Tamara Kaplan, Kathy Layer, Nicola Metcalf, Meneske Sakirt, Elizabeth Tan and Baer Tierkel. The PGO would also like to thank Terry Ominsky, in the ARHS Main Office, who oversees ALL the paperwork associated with the distribution of these grant funds!! Thank you!

Over $22,000 was awarded to ARHS teachers, staff and students groups this academic year – all thanks to this fundraiser!!

Parents let’s show all the ARHS teachers and staff how much we appreciate their efforts! Please sign up to help set-up, donate a side dish or a dessert to enhance the wonderful spread put on by our dedicated  volunteers ! Many hands make light work, please sign up to help!

Please read Mark Jackson’s note to ARHS faculty and staff regarding Dialogue Day which was held yesterday, Thursday, June 11th. The purpose of Dialogue Day was to provide faculty, staff and students an opportunity to process the year. The afternoon was divided in two parts. The first was a 75 minute bloc when students met in their advisories and had a discussion. The discussion was jointly facilitated by adults and students from the advisory. After the Dialogue, committees of faculty and students organized a school‐wide celebration, which took place on the school property. The rationale for the celebration is straightforward: it is an opportunity to re‐connect and re‐establish ourselves as a community. A feature of day is ice cream for all that the PGO has generously underwritten, along with a dunk tank starring ARHS faculty & staff.

Parents, please remind your students!

At the end of this school year, the district email system will move from Novell GroupWise to Gmail, which is part of Google Apps for Education.  The changeover will begin the weekend of June 27th.  Although student email addresses will not change, any emails or attachments that are saved in GroupWise will not be migrated to the new gmail accounts.  Students who have emails or attachments they wish to save should download them or forward them to another email account before Saturday, June 27th.  After June 29th, students can access their new school email accounts at gmail.com.  They will login using their current arps email address (user@arps.org) and the same password used to login to school computers.

Please enjoy the most recent episode of Voices From Our Schools featuring the ARHS Gender Sexuality Alliance. ARHS student Joe Konieczny (Class of 2016) and GSA faculty advisor, Kim Kretzer, discuss the purpose of the GSA and the many student-lead initiatives at ARHS and throughout the region.

The Future Business Leaders of America, an ARHS student club, raised $5000 through their “Canes for a Cure” T-shirt sales. This money was donated to the Cancer Care Fund at Cooley Dickinson Hospital. Please click here to read more about FBLA.

Amherst plays Longmeadow High in the MIAA WMass Girls Tennis Final today, Friday, June 12th at 2 pm. This event will be held at Western New England University. Go Canes!

Amherst Baseball plays Central High in the Div. I WMass finals tomorrow, Saturday, June 13th at 4:30 pm at UMass Amherst.

Project Backpack 2015 is seeking donations from the community. This program helps income-eligible PreK- 12 students acquire necessary and grade-appropriate school supplies. Donations of new backpacks and school supplies will be accepted from June 1-August 1 and can be dropped off at the ARPS Family Center.  (Back packs and supplies will then be distributed to families on August 20th & 21st). The ARPS Family Center staff will oversee the distribution process. ARPS Family Center located within Amherst Regional Middle School (170 Chestnut St).

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.

Please check out the attached Special Education Parent Advisory Council’s June 2015 Newsletter.

SEPAC June Newsletter – English PDF

SEPAC June Newsletter – Spanish PDF

Are you available for a few hours on Monday afternoons in June, July & August? The Amherst  Survival Center gets 2-6,000 pounds of food delivered every Monday from the Food Bank of Western Mass. They need some strong helpers to unload the truck. Grab a friend and commit a summer afternoon (or more!) at a great organization helping our neighbors in need. Call Tracey at 549-3698 x102 or send an email to tracey@amherstsurvival.org.

School is almost done. Want to thank awesome teachers and support our schools? Stars In Our Schools! Stars Recognize teachers and staff with a gift in their honor! Now is the time to let teachers and staff members know how much you appreciate their hard work, expertise, care, and dedication.

You can strengthen our schools with a tax-deductible gift to Amherst Education Foundation (AEF) in a teacher’s or staff member’s name. AEF will deliver a personalized recognition card to your honoree/s.

Make your gift online here  or mail the attached flyer by June 19th to guarantee delivery to honorees at school before their last day.

AEF Stars flyer 2015

There will be a Benefit Concert for LSSE’s Youth Performing Arts Scholarships tomorrow, Saturday, June 13th at both 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm in the ARMS Auditorium (170 Chestnut St.). Tickets available at LSSE, the Jones Library or at the door. Adults $14, Students/Seniors $8.

On Thursday, June 18th from 5:30PM-6:30PM there will be a Job Search Panel for Teens (& their parents) at the Amherst Survival Center, 138 Sunderland Rd. Representatives from UMass Amherst (employees and people who help folks find work) will be there to offer tips on finding a job, and do’s and don’t’s. Are you looking for work? Do you get stuck after filling out an application? Are you worried about interviews? Come and learn, and ask questions.

The Amherst Health Department offers vaccines for children (and adults) who live in Amherst. Immunizations are for all children age 18 years old and under who have no insurance or who are under-insured. Clinics are offered every second Wednesday of the month (next one is June 10th) from 1:30 – 5:30pm. Call to make an appointment, or if you are unable to make the clinic times. The vaccines are FREE. Please call 413-259-3241 if you would like more information.

The Amherst Survival Center also offers a free medical clinic on Thursdays from 5-6pm. If your student needs a camp physical – they can help. Amherst Survival Center @ 549-3968