Attention Read-a-Thoners!

Did your child sign up for the Summer Read-a-Thon? Well if so then it's time to send in your pledges! All readers are welcome, even if they only read a few books. Please collect your pledges and send them in by this Friday (Oct. 12th). Every penny of the money the children raise will be given to the teachers for much needed classroom supplies. THANK YOU!

Paperwork Checklist

Have you sent these things back to school yet?
__ School Picture Order Form (due asap)
__ Health Form
__ Emergency School Closing Form
__ Free/Reduced Lunch Form
__ School Directory Form (Last chance - if you don't send it in, you won't be listed!)
__ Volunteer Form
__ Lend a Hand Envelope (return by Monday Oct. 1)
__ Summer Read-a-Thon donations (due Friday Oct. 5)
__ Stop&Shop A+ Bonus Bucks sign up (program starts next week)

Also, we hope you find something you like in the Gift Wrap Sale this year! Order Forms are due Oct. 15.

Picture Day

School Picture Day was Tuesday Oct. 2! Thanks to those parent volunteers who helped make it go so smoothly.

Volunteers need for Girl Scouting

Assistant Daisy Leader and Brownie Leaders needed to meet twice monthly.
Eight Kindergarten girls in Amherst are waiting for a leader who will guide them through the Daisy Girl Scout program. Assistant Brownie Leader needed in Amherst. Training and support provided. The energy you share with Girl Scouts will instill in girls confidence that will last a lifetime. Consider joining the Girl Scout organization in building girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. Contact Dana Carnegie, 584-2602, ext. 13, dcarnegie@gswma.org <mailto:dcarnegie@gswma.org> or visit http://www.blogger.com/www.girlscouts.org <http://www.girlscouts.org/> for more information.

Phantom Tollbooth performance

The beloved children’s classic The Phantom Tollbooth will be performed as a musical at the Shea Theater in Turners Falls by Arena Civic Theater. Matinees are at 2:00pm on October 13, 14, 20, and 21st. Evening shows are at 7:30pm on Saturdays October 13th and 20th. Tickets are available at the Jones Library in Amherst, or at 413-863-2281, ext.3. The show is going to be really fun--- for all ages! (including adults)

Change for Change Penny Challenge

Help your kids participate in a "Change for Change" penny challenge! Students in the 4th, 5th & 6th grades are invited to put pennies in a jar to raise money for the ABC House. The challenge is that they'll be competing against the teachers to see who can raise more money! And here's a twist: anything other than pennies counts as negative money so you can actually sabotage the teachers by putting nickels, dimes (or even dollars) in their jar! Teachers can do the same to the kids so send in those pennies!

Remember to come to Curriculum Night

We hope you're planning to attend Crocker Farm's Curriculum Night Wednesday. Mr. Wiley will start the evening with a brief introduction in the cafeteria at 6:00pm. The classrooms will be open from 6:15 until 7:15pm. In order to share as much information about the classroom curriculum as possible the evening is planned for adults, not for students (unless you've heard otherwise from your child's teacher, that is). If you have signed up for childcare please drop your child off shortly before 6:00.

Welcome Back Picnic - Huge Success

The weather was beautiful and lots of families gathered to eat and visit at Crocker Farm. Thanks to all who made this possible, especially Jenn Chylack and her volunteers. The pizza and desserts were wonderful but watching the kids play was the best.

Super-Easy-No-Extra-Money Ways to Support Crocker Farm

Do you feel like the school is always asking you for money? Well, there are many ways to support CF without spending an extra dime! Just take a minute to register, recycle or vote and Crocker Farm could earn hundreds of dollars for student activities! Thanks!

* Volunteer!

* NEW THIS YEAR!! Simplified Scrip is a fantastic new fundraiser for Crocker Farm. It's easy, earns money for student enrichment & it costs you nothing more than the face value of the card! Choose from 100s of stores including WalMart, Target, Whole Foods, etc. You buy gift cards & the stores give Crocker Farm up to 10% of the value. You're shopping anyways, so why not support your school at the same time?? Here are the ways to start:
* Order online at www.simplifiedscrip.com
* Call in your order 1-800-514-1891
* Click HERE for a downloadable order form, fill it out & send it into school by the 1st Wednesday of every month & we'll place the order for you.
Contact Becky Demling (230-3306 / beckydemling@yahoo.com) w/ any questions.

* Collect Box Tops for Education from your General Mills food products. There's a drop box in the school lobby.

* Recycle your ink jet cartridges at the school. The drop box is in the school lobby.

* Register on Schoolpop. If you shop online, go to Schoolpop first. Find your regular retailer (Gap, Land's End, Amazon, I-Tunes, and HUNDREDS more) through the site and do your normal shopping. Stores on this site offer to contribute 1 - 10% of your purchase price directly to the school of your choice. Seriously folks, this could add up!

* Sign up for Stop & Shop's A+ BonusBucks program. The store donates 3% of your grocery purchase to Crocker Farm! How great is that? Crocker Farm's "Designation Number" is 05194.

* If you have a Target card, make sure that you've signed up to have Crocker Farm receive 3% of your purchase price.

* Vote for Crocker Farm through the Florence Savings Bank Community Grant. In February the bank will donate $50,000 to local schools and non profit organizations. Any group with at least 1% of the vote will receive a proportional share of the total funds!

Summer Read-a-Thon Update

ATTENTION SUMMER READ-A-THON PARTICIPANTS! We hope you had fun reading this summer. Now it’s time to collect your pledges from your sponsors, and bring the money you collect in to your teacher. You will receive an envelope with your name on it containing instructions. Remember, the money you raise will go to teachers to use in their classrooms. And this year, the grade that gets the most sponsors will win a special trophy to display at school! Thanks for all your hard work!

Directory & Volunteer Forms

Did you see the yellow Crocker Crumbs this past Friday in your child's backpack? There was lots of great information in there! Please be sure to tear out, fill in and return your VOLUNTEER AT CROCKER FARM page and more importantly the CROCKER FARM STUDENT DIRECTORY INFORMATION FORM by September 14th. If you need additional forms, please email studiozed@comcast.net & we'll get you what you need.

In case you aren't aware, the Student Directory is published for free each year by the PGO. It's an indispensable resource for finding contact information for teachers and students! Get your form in on time to help us complete the directories as quickly as possible.

PGO Meeting Thursday night

The first PGO meeting of the school year will be held on this Thursday (9/13) evening from 6:30pm - 7:30pm in the Community Room at the school. We'll have free childcare there for your kiddos so don't let that keep you home! We have lots to discuss, including our fundraising plans for the year and the many events and support activities we've got coming up this fall. We are always looking for new ideas, new voices, and yes, new volunteers - so please plan to come by and see how you can be a part of the PGO.

FAQ's

1. What is the best way to contact my child’s teacher?
Write a note and put it in your child's backpack.Email, just ask for the address.Call the School Office: 362-1600.
2. Who do I contact if my child is sick and won’t be in school?
Call the Absent Line: 362-1659 if your child will not be in school.
3. How do I reach the Principal (Michael Morris) or the Asst. Principal (Joseph Smith)?
Call 362-1600
4. What should I do when I arrive at the school?
Sign in. Go in the front office and you’ll find a clipboard and visitor's passes on the counter.
5. How can I contact other parents in my child’s class for parties and play-dates?
Classroom lists are often provided by the teachers. Ask for one. The School Directory comes out in October and that helps too.
6. How can I get involved in my child’s classroom?
Volunteer through the Room Parent or be a Room Parent.Volunteer for the PGO.
7. What is “Visiting Day”?
Each month the school has designated a visiting day which means teachers are expecting parents/guardians to visit their children’s classroom. Organizing one day a week helps maintain order.
8. Where is the Cafeteria and can I eat lunch with my child in the Cafeteria?
To the right of the Front Office. Find out what time your child eats and show up any day of the week (sign in at the Front Office first).
9. How can I buy lunches besides sending in $2.50 every day?
You can hunt for singles and quarters every time your child asks to buy a lunch or you can write a check for any amount of days and buy “tickets” ahead of time. The lovely cafeteria ladies will mark off the tickets each time they are used and let your child know when they need more. They are really helpful and love our kids.
10. How do I know what’s for lunch?
The school sends home a monthly schedule.If its lost, http://www.arps.org/FoodServices/LunchMenus.html
11. Is Crocker Farm online?
YES! http://www.crockerfarm.blogspot.com/ is a site maintained by the PGO. http://www.arps.org/cfis the school's page on the District's site. You can also sign up for the PGO’s Online Newsletter, published most Friday’s during the school year.
12. Where is Parent Pick-up?
To the right of the Front Office, in the hall outside the Cafeteria. To avoid the buses, park on the circle at the back entrance. You can enter through the door near the Library.
13. Where is the Community Room?
To the right of the Front Office, across the hall from the Cafeteria.
14. Where is the bathroom if I am visiting?
To the right of the Front Office across from the Cafeteria or to the left of the Front Office down the hall on the right.
15. What is the Crocker Chronicles and how often does it come out?
This newsletter is published every 2 weeks on Friday by the school and will arrive home in your child’s backpack.
16. If my child needs to go home with someone else on a bus or from Parent Pick-up, who should I write the note to?
Your child’s teacher who will then write a note for the bus driver.

Healthy Food, Healthy Communities

Dear Parents, Are you concerned about the food we eat, the water we drink and their effect on you and your children’s health? The League of Women Voters of Amherst is presenting a program addressing these concerns on Thursday evening, September 27, 7:00 PM at the Crocker Farm Elementary School cafetoria. The speaker is health and environmental advocate Dr. Jill Stein. Her topic is “HEALTHY FOOD, HEALTHY COMMUNITIES”. She will discuss why real democracy is critical to the availability of healthy food, quality health care and truly healthy communities. The meeting is free and open to the public. Contact the LWV at 413-253-0633.

Welcome Back Picnic

Welcome Back Picnic
Wednesday September 19th from 5:30pm until dark.
(Rain Date Thursday September 20th)

It's always a fantastic community event!
We'll have : Pizza Slices For Sale, a Bake Sale Table, and Much More!! Bring your family, a picnic dinner, and a blanket, and come and meet the Crocker Farm Community! (Rain Date is Thursday Sept. 13th.)

Can you help? We need volunteers for donating baked goodies, setting up, selling pizza and treats, cleaning up, etc. Contact Jenn Chylack at 253-5489 or jchylack@sbschool.org .

New Families Welcome Coffee Hour Tuesday September 4th at 8:45am (after you drop off the kiddos) in the Community Room. PGO folks will be there to provide coffee, pastries and tissues to those of you dropping off a kindergartener (or any grade child) at Crocker Farm for the first time. Come meet new friends, ask questions about the school and share your stories.