ARHS PGO Parent News

Our sneaker drive fundraiser keeps sneakers out of landfills and reduces toxic chemicals from being released into our air and soil. All reusable sneakers from our sneaker drive fundraiser program are recirculated to secondhand markets so people can access quality, pre-owned footwear at affordable prices. All heavily used and damaged footwear is recycled to reuse materials or to convert waste into new energy.”

Please consider donating used or unwanted athletic shoes to this fundraiser for the ARHS PGO and to help others and our environment! For each pair of athletic shoes donated to gotsneakers? you will not only be making a global impact, but you will also be helping the ARHS PGO earn money for student and teacher grants.

This fundraiser drive started in February and will continue throughout the school year. There are boxes ready to be filled in the high school guidance office. If you have a donation but cannot get to the high school, please get in touch with Nancy Johnson at johnce34@gmail.com to make other arrangements.

Program Overview: The UMass Turing Summer Program is a free 3-week summer program for High School students interested in or would like to learn about Computer Science and its use to address challenges in healthcare, energy, and many others. The program requires a full-day commitment from students, and their ability to commute daily to the UMass Amherst campus is a must. Lunch is complimentary throughout the program.

Intended Participants: While the program is specifically designed for entering tenth and eleventh graders (entering sophomores and juniors) in high schools in Western Massachusetts, rising ninth graders and seniors are welcome to apply. A background in computer programming is not necessary to attend. A basic mathematics background is assumed for this program.

Program Format/Schedule: The program runs from July 8-26th, 2024, every weekday from 9:30 am to 4 pm, with one lab and two classroom sessions. These sessions expose students to sensing, data analysis, and visualization concepts. We design a hands-on program where students will learn by application, and the program will feature the use of signal processing and machine learning using Python and an intro to health sensing using apps for Android phones. 

How to Apply: Online registration is now open. Please visit https://lass.cs.umass.edu/turing (or scan the QR code) or email us at turing.umass@gmail.com 

Did you know that, when you donate goods to the Baystate Textiles bins by the ARHS parking lot, you help raise money for the PGO’s activities at ARHS? Please see the flyer below for more information about this program, including which items are accepted in the bins. (Note that everything must be bagged; please do not leave items outside the bins, which are emptied regularly but occasionally fill up.)

Click HERE to pre order your yearbook.

website: store.shopyearbook.com/arps

Purchase & Design your Parent/Guardian/Grandparent Celebratory Ad HERE to celebrate your 2024 graduate in this year’s yearbook! 

Deadline to design is March 20th.

Please email betkebrunswicke@arps.org with any questions!

REMINDER!!! Spring sports night is next week on 3/15/24 at 6PM in the high school gymnasium. 

Spring sports registration is now open! Please use this link to view more information and to register. Once registered more information will be sent out by the coach at a later date. The coaches’ directory and more information can be found on the athletic webpage. 

Also, please make sure an up-to-date physical is in with our school nurse, Robin Suprenant. Robbin’s email is suprenantr@arps.org . 

The ARHS PGO is happy to partner with Minted’s Fundraising Program which provides the ARHS community with a unique promo code: FUNDRAISEARHS.

20% OFF Minted cards and gifts all year round, and 15% off each order placed using our unique promo code which will be donated back to the ARHS PGO at the end of the year.

Click here for a flyer with all the details.

Hi parents and guardians! The Schools for Africa club is inviting your students to be a part of the ARHS “Talent” Show on April 11, which will follow ten contestants in a game-show format through different rounds for a chance to win $100 (cash prizes for second and third, too). Ask your students if they are interested in a chance to show off their strengths in a low-stakes environment through a talent showcase, interviews with our teacher judges, a live tug-of-war, a karaoke battle, and more! As proud UNICEF partners, all proceeds go to funding underprivileged schools in Cameroon. Open to all grades.

Performers interested in participating sign up HERE. 

Disclaimer for students: don’t worry about being the next Mozart to compete: just be funny, and make money.

Art students at ARHS have been proudly making bowls in their Ceramics courses to donate to the Amherst Survival Center’s Empty Bowls Dinner for the past 16 years. After throwing almost daily for three months, students became incredibly good ceramicists and set a very high bar for their donations.

Volunteering and viewing their bowls alongside those of outstanding local potters is always a great honor. Making a $50 donation is something most of them couldn’t normally do. Alums have repeatedly said that being a part of Empty Bowls affected their outlook on creative ways to help others and contribute to their community. Tickets to the Empty Bowls Dinner, Saturday April 6th, can be purchased on the ASC website. 
• Includes a handcrafted bowl.
• Includes soup of your choice, bread, and light dessert.

Students from left to right: Thatcher Rudnik, Yasmine Alvarado Moreno, Caroline Lambert-Mergendahl, Hayden Reilly Hogan.

Hannah Hartl
Art Teacher
Amherst-Pelham Regional High School
hartlh@arps.org
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This season, we’ve got a great lineup of $5 family-friendly programming at Amherst Cinema.

Lizzie Jacobs
Administrative and Marketing Coordinator
Amherst Cinema

Do you enjoy long, complex board games that require planning ahead, logical reasoning, and tactical problem-solving? Join us on Saturday afternoons (3/16, 3/23, & 4/6) from 12:30-4:30pm for a new teen program. No experience is necessary. This program is for ages 12 to 18, and parents and caregivers of participants are welcome to join the fun!
Email teens@joneslibrary.org to register and find out more.

Mar. 29: Good Friday (No School)

Haga clic AQUI para ver los artículos del boletín en español.

Click on this link for an update from recent Amherst Education Foundation excellence grant recipients on the initiatives they are implementing. Donor support is critical to their efforts because it allows AEF to continue providing grants that strengthen and extend the educational programs offered to students at ARPS.

Thank you to all who have supported us throughout the years and stay tuned for an announcement in April regarding the new round of projects that will be funded!

The language teachers at ARMS/ARHS need your help! In light of the recent budget issues in our district, there has been a proposal that seeks to:

• Shift 7th grade language from one semester to every other day, all year
• Shift 8th grade language from all year to every other day, all year
• Make ARMS language classes non-cumulative, exploratories (no growth toward level 2)

Students need to be immersed in language to engage with it. Middle school is the foundation of a six-year journey that often culminates in AP courses for most students. Moving middle school classes to exploratories where the focus is culture would undermine this base because it’s simply not rigorous enough to prepare students.

Access the Google Form HERE.

Your comment may be submitted to the Amherst Regional School Committee. Thank you!

Did you know that, when you donate goods to the Baystate Textiles bins by the ARHS parking lot, you help raise money for the PGO’s activities at ARHS? Please see the flyer below for more information about this program, including which items are accepted in the bins. (Note that everything must be bagged; please do not leave items outside the bins, which are emptied regularly but occasionally fill up.)

Thank you for supporting our teachers and staff. Please click here to sign up for a slot to bring in treats for our ARHS staff.

There are approximately 180 staff and teachers at the school, and 20-30 have various dietary restrictions. Please add a note with “gluten-free, vegan, or dairy-free” for any treats that fall into those categories. Fresh fruit is always welcome, too!

Questions? Please contact Arina Beg at arinabeg@hotmail.com 

Click HERE to pre order your yearbook.

website: store.shopyearbook.com/arps

Purchase & Design your Parent/Guardian/Grandparent Celebratory Ad HERE to celebrate your 2024 graduate in this year’s yearbook! 

Deadline to design is March 20th.

Please email betkebrunswicke@arps.org with any questions!

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

The next MPAC meeting is on March 27th at 7:00 pm.

• Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88307553211
• Let us know HERE if you need an interpreter for the meeting.
• Access the MPAC meeting flyers in various languages HERE

We hope everyone who attended our last meeting will invite a multilingual family to join us.!

José Lugo
MPAC secretary

Our sneaker drive fundraiser keeps sneakers out of landfills and reduces toxic chemicals from being released into our air and soil. All reusable sneakers from our sneaker drive fundraiser program are recirculated to secondhand markets so people can access quality, pre-owned footwear at affordable prices. All heavily used and damaged footwear is recycled to reuse materials or to convert waste into new energy.”

Please consider donating used or unwanted athletic shoes to this fundraiser for the ARHS PGO and to help others and our environment! For each pair of athletic shoes donated to gotsneakers? you will not only be making a global impact, but you will also be helping the ARHS PGO earn money for student and teacher grants.

This fundraiser drive started in February and will continue throughout the school year. There are boxes ready to be filled in the high school guidance office. If you have a donation but cannot get to the high school, please get in touch with Nancy Johnson at johnce34@gmail.com to make other arrangements.

REMINDER!!! Spring sports night is next week on 3/15/24 at 6PM in the high school gymnasium. 

Spring sports registration is now open! Please use this link to view more information and to register. Once registered more information will be sent out by the coach at a later date. The coaches’ directory and more information can be found on the athletic webpage. 

Also, please make sure an up-to-date physical is in with our school nurse, Robin Suprenant. Robbin’s email is suprenantr@arps.org . 

The ARHS InvenTeam was one of only seven schools in the nation to be awarded the $7,500 Lamelson-MIT grant. This grant supported the work they are doing on the sensor garment and app they designed to track the well-being of search and rescue workers while they are out on a mission. The InvenTeam was also featured in a local news story in January. This is the LINK to that news story. They have been hard at work refining the garment and app. They have also created a Linktree page that has important links to information about the InvenTeam’s progress, their social media platforms, blog entries, and their GoFundMe page. Check out the Linktree page to stay up to date on the exciting work they are doing.

The ARHS PGO is happy to partner with Minted’s Fundraising Program which provides the ARHS community with a unique promo code: FUNDRAISEARHS offering 20% OFF Minted cards and gifts all year round, and 15% of each order placed using our unique promo code which will be donated back to the ARHS PGO at the end of the year.

Click here for a flyer with all the details.

A delightful screwball comedy, Nice Work pokes fun at the Prohibition era in a clash of elegant socialites and boorish bootleggers, all set to the glorious songs of George and Ira Gershwin. Highlights from the score include “Fascinating Rhythm,” “Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off,” “Someone To Watch Over Me,” “Sweet and Low Down,” “Delishious” and, of course, its title song.  The shows run March 7-9 at 7:30pm, with a 2:00 matinee on March 9 as well.  All ages are welcome.  Tickets are $20 for general admission, $10 for ARPS students/staff, senior citizens, and veterans, and $5 for families on reduced/free lunch.  Tickets may be purchased online or at the door. 

Over 100 ARHS students are involved with the show, covering everything from design, build, production, and performance, making this show a highlight of the year.  Chances are, you know someone to cheer for!  Thanks for supporting the performing arts, live theater, and our amazing students.

I am reaching out as a parent helping spread the word about the Northampton Community Rowing program that serves youth rowers for all of our region. If you could share the flyer below with parents and caregivers in your next newsletter, we’d be so excited to have new rowers join from Amherst! Lots of scholarships available—all are welcome.

Warmly,
Molly Hatch

Mar 8: PreK-12 Early Release (12:00 PK/12:30 elem./1:20 secondary)
Mar. 8-9: Winter musical: Nice Work If You Can Get It
Mar. 14: Thank-You Thursday
Mar. 29: Good Friday (No School)

Haga clic AQUI para ver los artículos del boletín en español.

ARHS will be hosting a registration information session for rising 9th-grade families on Monday, March 4th in the library.  Please read this letter that was sent to 8th-grade families through ParentSquare. 

Sam Camera
Assistant Principal 

We will have some terrific local financial aid officers from local colleges joining us (Michael Ireland – Smith College, Amy Proietti – Greenfield Community College, Kael Miyata – UMass Amherst) will be joining us to share their expertise and answer your financial aid questions. We hope that you can attend this important session.

We will also host a small number of individual sessions at 2:45 and 4:30.

Financial Aid Panel REGISTER
Individual Financial Aid Support REGISTER

If you need immediate assistance, please contact MEFA (MA Educational Financing Authority), they offer great help! 

MEFA’s College Planning Team (800) 449-6332
collegeplanning@mefa.org

Deidre Cuffee-Gray

Did you know that, when you donate goods to the Baystate Textiles bins by the ARHS parking lot, you help raise money for the PGO’s activities at ARHS? Please see the flyer below for more information about this program, including which items are accepted in the bins. (Note that everything must be bagged; please do not leave items outside the bins, which are emptied regularly but occasionally fill up.)

Our sneaker drive fundraiser keeps sneakers out of landfills and reduces toxic chemicals from being released into our air and soil. All reusable sneakers from our sneaker drive fundraiser program are recirculated to secondhand markets so people can access quality, pre-owned footwear at affordable prices. All heavily used and damaged footwear is recycled to reuse materials or to convert waste into new energy.”

Please consider donating used or unwanted athletic shoes to this fundraiser for the ARHS PGO and to help others and our environment! For each pair of athletic shoes donated to gotsneakers? you will not only be making a global impact, but you will also be helping the ARHS PGO earn money for student and teacher grants.

This fundraiser drive started in February and will continue throughout the school year. There are boxes ready to be filled in the high school guidance office. If you have a donation but cannot get to the high school, please get in touch with Nancy Johnson at johnce34@gmail.com to make other arrangements.

The ARHS PGO is happy to partner with Minted’s Fundraising Program which provides the ARHS community with a unique promo code: FUNDRAISEARHS offering 20% OFF Minted cards and gifts all year round, and 15% of each order placed using our unique promo code which will be donated back to the ARHS PGO at the end of the year.

Click here for a flyer with all the details.

Click HERE to pre order your yearbook.

website: store.shopyearbook.com/arps

Purchase & Design your Parent/Guardian/Grandparent Celebratory Ad HERE to celebrate your 2024 graduate in this year’s yearbook! 

Deadline to design is March 20th.

Please email betkebrunswicke@arps.org with any questions!

Last week, the first Anna Burns Memorial Scholarship was announced. In the flier, they refer to the “ARHS Scholarship Booklet” for details. The Scholarship Booklet was released by email to all seniors on Feb. 21st

Crystal Hope Garrity
ARHS Counseling Office Administrative Assistant

Thank you for supporting our teachers and staff. Please click here to sign up for a slot to bring in treats for our ARHS staff.

There are approximately 180 staff and teachers at the school, and 20-30 have various dietary restrictions. Please add a note with “gluten-free, vegan, or dairy-free” for any treats that fall into those categories. Fresh fruit is always welcome, too!

Questions? Please contact Arina Beg at arinabeg@hotmail.com 

ARHS is excited to present this year’s winter musical: Nice Work If You Can Get It, a recent Tony-Award-winning Broadway comedy featuring the immortal songs of George and Ira Gershwin.  Featuring over 100 ARHS students involved in every corner of the show, this frothy comedy is by turns hilarious and gorgeous.  Come support the arts and ARHS March 7-9 at 7:30 or our Saturday, March 9, 2pm matinee. Tickets are available at bit.ly/arhsnicework –  see you there!

It’s that wonderful time of the year! I’m back with you again to let you all know about the latest great audition opportunity for kids from the Amherst Community Theater. Once again we’ll be bringing in Missoula Children’s Theatre‘s one-week musical theater experience for kids ages K-12. Our past experiences with this group have been really terrific–the kids who were involved had a great time, and it was a wonderfully immersive way to have a theater experience. Many of the children who have been involved in these Missoula productions have gone on to pursue larger theater experiences in the schools and throughout the Valley—and beyond! I’ve included some information below, and attached two options for graphics—we’d love it if you could include this in your newsletters, print it out and post it, or hand it to interested kids.

Thanks so much! If you have questions, you can email this year’s organizer, Barbara Pistrang at barbara@jcpr.com.

~Susan Raker
Amherst Community Theater
www.amherstacts.org

Mar. 4: Financial Aid Panel and Individual Financial Aid Sessions
Mar 4: Registration information session for rising 9th-grade families
Mar. 7-9: Winter musical: Nice Work If You Can Get It
Mar 8: PreK-12 Early Release (12:00 PK/12:30 elem./1:20 secondary)
Mar. 14: Thank-You Thursday
Mar. 29: Good Friday (No School)

Haga clic AQUI para ver los artículos del boletín en español.

Below is a summary of the highlights of the two proposals, alongside the current calendar for comparison.

Please share your perspective and input by February 27th (a new calendar may be voted on by that date). Which schedule do you and your family prefer? Here are options for sending your input:

• Email Jennifer Shiao at shiaoj@arps.org
• Email the entire Regional School Committee at RegionalSchoolCommittee@arps.org

If you would like your comment included as a public comment, send it to SCPublicComment@arps.org with “Public Comment” in the subject field.

We will have some terrific local financial aid officers from local colleges joining us (Michael Ireland – Smith College, Amy Proietti – Greenfield Community College, Kael Miyata – UMass Amherst) will be joining us to share their expertise and answer your financial aid questions. We hope that you can attend this important session.

We will also host a small number of individual sessions at 2:45 and 4:30.

Financial Aid Panel REGISTER
Individual Financial Aid Support REGISTER

If you need immediate assistance, please contact MEFA (MA Educational Financing Authority), they offer great help! 

MEFA’s College Planning Team (800) 449-6332
collegeplanning@mefa.org

Deidre Cuffee-Gray

It’s playoff time! Check ArbiterLive for updated schedules. 

Please use this link to view more information and to register. Once registered more information will be sent out by the coach at a later date. The coaches’ directory and more information can be found on the athletic webpage. In addition, to learn more about spring sports join us during our spring sports night on 3/15/24 at 6PM in the high school gymnasium. 

Also, please make sure an up-to-date physical is in with our school nurse, Robin Suprenant. Robbin’s email is suprenantr@arps.org. 

 As a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, Smith Charities offers several types of financial gifts to those Amherst residents who qualify. For instance, they are eager to get the word out to Amherst widows with children under 18 that they could qualify for a significant amount of money each year if they apply and qualify. Click on the links below to get gift-specific information.

PDF Tradeperson Gift Information Sheet

PDF Nursing Gift Information Sheet

PDF Widow Gift Information Sheet

PDF Marriage Gift Information Sheet

This season, Amherst Cinema has a great lineup of science-oriented programming, in addition to their $5 Family Films.

Global Scholarships was founded in 2017 as a platform for international students to search for scholarships around the world. Their mission is to provide an accessible way for international students to search and find comprehensive, accurate, and updated scholarship information. They also provide free guidance on student VISAs to many countries.
As of January 2024, the database has 4517 Scholarships, 1741 Universities and Organizations, and 11.2M students benefiting from the information since 2017.

Check it out! It’s free.

Haga clic AQUI para ver los artículos del boletín en español.

Below is a summary of the highlights of the two proposals, alongside the current calendar for comparison.

Please share your perspective and input by February 27th (Wa new calendar my be voted on by that date). Which schedule do you and your family prefer? Here are options for sending your input:

• Email Jennifer Shiao at shiaoj@arps.org
• Email the entire Regional School Committee at RegionalSchoolCommittee@aprs.org

If you would like your comment included as a public comment, send it to SCPublicComment@arps.org with “Public Comment” in the subject field.

We will have some terrific local financial aid officers from local colleges joining us (Michael Ireland – Smith College, Amy Proietti – Greenfield Community College, Kael Miyata – UMASS Amherst) will be joining us to share their expertise and answer your financial aid questions. We hope that you can attend this important session.

We will also host a small number of individual sessions at 2:45 and 4:30.

Financial Aid Panel REGISTER
Individual Financial Aid Support REGISTER

If you need immediate assistance, please contact MEFA (MA Educational Financing Authority), they offer great help! 

MEFA’s College Planning Team (800) 449-6332
collegeplanning@mefa.org

Deidre Cuffee-Gray

The Amherst High School Girls Nordic team earned bragging rights and can celebrate as they now have the winningest season in the history of the team.  After placing second behind state champion Mount Greylock (70) on Tuesday at the MIAA Nordic Ski Championship, Amherst High (75) finished ahead of powerhouse teams. Concord Carlisle (third), Newton South (fourth) and Lincoln Sudbury (fifth),  For a team that has always been considered the underdog, and has traditionally struggled to compete, they found their way to the top on Tuesday, February afternoon at Prospect Mountain in Woodford, VT.  

To access the entire news piece click HERE

Members of the  2024 state Nordic team are Zoey Candito, Isla Cusick, Maeve Cunningham, Genevieve Dole, Addie Mager,  Elizabeth Sawicki, River Wolaver, Ella Workman, and Ava Zimmerman. 

It’s playoff time! Check ArbiterLive for updated schedules. 

Please use this link to view more information and to register. Once registered more information will be sent out by the coach at a later date. The coaches’ directory and more information can be found on the athletic webpage. In addition, to learn more about spring sports join us during our spring sports night on 3/15/24 at 6PM in the high school gymnasium. 

Also, please make sure an up-to-date physical is in with our school nurse, Robin Suprenant. Robbin’s email is suprenantr@arps.org.