Next Week at Crocker Farm

Monday Feb. 2
(8:30 - 9:00am): Coffee with a Principal in the Community Room

Wednesday Feb 4:
Crocker Java Coffee orders due. Click HERE to download an order form.

Friday Feb. 6: Wednesday Clubs registration forms due.

& beyond...
Thursday Feb. 12 (1:45pm): Band & Orchestra Concert
Thursday Feb. 12 (6:30 - 7:30pm): PGO Meeting

Gift Basket Silent Auction for Local Libraries

The Friends of the Jones Library announce the 12th Annual Valentine Gift Basket Silent Auction featuring Baskets, Books, and Chocolate on display in the atrium of the Jones Library, Amherst, starting Thursday, January 29th and ending at 4pm on Sunday, February 8th.

Come to the Jones Library on Saturday, February 7th, enjoy a free family-friendly concert with Nerissa and Katryna Nields at 10:30 a.m. sponsored by the Friends, and then bid on your favorite baskets. http://www.joneslibrary.org/

2 Hour Delay

There's a 2 hour delay this Thursday morning!

Save The Dates

Candidates for Superintendent will visit with families on Wed. Feb. 4, Mon. Feb. 9, and Wed. Feb. 11 at 7:00 pm each night in the High School Library.

Movie Night is Back! THIS FRIDAY!

Bring your sleeping bags and

join us for some free family fun in the cafeteria as we watch

Wall-EFriday, January 30th

Doors open 6:30 PM - Movie Starts at 7PM
Admission is free, but please bring a non perishable food item for the Survival Center.
Popcorn, water and juice will be for sale.

It's A Snow (+ Ice + Rain...) Day

Another snow day today. Stay warm, have some fun, see you Thursday.

National Girls In Sports Day at Smith

Smith College's 18th annual sport clinics for girls 3rd through 5th grades are being held Sunday, February 1, from 12:30-4 p.m. in the ITT. Girls have the chance to try out different sports with Smith College athletes (from track & field, field hockey, crew & more). Wear comfortable clothes & sneakers. Snacks, certificates & t-shirts are provided for free.

Pre-registration is required. Call 585-2708 to sign up with the athletics department. Also, fill out the attached form & bring it with you on Sunday.

Click on the image above to see the full size flyer & print.

Amherst College Sportsmanship Night

On Friday, February 6th, the Amherst College Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) will host a community event to celebrate National Sportsmanship Day. Children in grades K-5 are invited to participate in a night of fun activities to recognize the importance of sportsmanship in athletics.

Registration begins at 4:45pm in the Amherst College Alumni Gym. Throughout the event, Amherst athletes will sponsor clinics in sports and sportsmanship activities in Alumni Gym and Coolidge Cage. At the end of the event, pizza and refreshments will be served, before heading to LeFrak Gymnasium to watch the Amherst Women's basketball game vs. Bates College at 7:00pm. Parents are welcome to stay and observe. For registration and further information, please contact Whitney Kouvaris at (413) 542-2218 or wkouvaris08@amherst.edu.

AEF Parent Survey - Takes 3 Minutes!

Dear Crocker Farm families,

The Amherst Education Foundation has noticed that not many Crocker Farm families have completed their electronic survey. They, of course, would like to have as even a distribution of responses as possible so would you take 3 minutes to click on the link below and fill out the survey? Then ask your friends to fill it out too...AEF SURVEY LINK

Looking Ahead to 7th Grade

Sixth grade parents and students are invited to the ARMS Family Education Night on Tuesday, January 27 at 7 pm in the ARMS library. Please join us for a panel discussion concerning "Socialization and the Middle Schooler" - how to help your child navigate the potentially choppy waters of middle school life.

The topic for this Family Education program is "Socialization and the Middle Schooler" and an expert panel will cover many different aspects of supporting the growth of our young adolescents. An earlier email regarding this program describing topics to be discussed erroneously stated that team placement would be discussed. Any specifics regarding team placement/formation or any other information appropriate for administrative, not guidance, responses will be covered at the Middle School orientation session for families of rising 6th graders held later this year.

Topics of discussion will include what the school can and does do for kids with social/emotional disabilities. Also issues around ostracism, real-time- and cyber-bullying, queen bees and wanna-bes and all the myriad aspects of social life of young adolescents (and how many of us would like to redo our middle school years?!) Presenters will be De Boyd and Talib Sadiq- 7th and 8th grade Guidance Counselors, Denise Green- School Psychologist, Paul Lyons-Therapeutic Teacher and Sue Tippett- School Adjustment Counselor We thank these ARMS staffers for their time and expertise and hope you will have lots of questions for them following the presentation! Students are welcome to participate. Hope to see you there!

Language Lounge at the Toy Box

The wonderful folks at the Toy Box are running another Language Lounge on Saturdays from January 31 through February 28. Song and story time will be offered FREE for any and all (although it's geared towards families with kids 6 and under). On Saturdays from 10:30-11:15 it's Spanish, 11:30-12:15 it's French, 12:30-1:15 it's German, and then on Sunday mornings from February 1 - March 1 at 11:30-12:15 it's American Sign Language. These are five-week drop-in gatherings that are parent-led and casual -- where books will be read, songs sung, and various languages spoken.

Click on the image for a larger view.

Dr. King Celebration

Thursday's Dr. King celebration was fantastic! Crocker Farm students and teachers impressed a full house with their talent at the Assembly! From the Community Breakfast to the smell of fresh baked bread to the artwork on the walls (and of course the SINGING) - the whole building was buzzing with good feelings and community service activities.

Have a happy long weekend!

Wedesday Club: Arts & Crafts Teacher Needed!

The PGO is rolling out Wednesday Clubs starting Feb. 25th. We are still in need of an ARTS & CRAFTS Club! Are you interested? You'll be committing to a 5 week program that runs from 1:20 - 2:50 for 5 weeks. Stipend available + a little money for supplies. Contact Erika ASAP if you can do it! studiozed@comcast.net.

Seussical the Musical

Come to Seussical! You'll leave singing the songs and reminiscing about all all of your favorite Dr. Seuss characters. The show is about a boy, JoJo who "thinks too much" and the troubles of finding one true friend. And of course there's the Cat in the Hat and Horton the elephant working out social justice themes from start to finish. The cast of adults and kids is grand, the set and costumes are wild, and there's a live orchestra! Tickets are available through Amherst Leisure Services. You can call 413-259-3065 or buy them on their website.

Here are the dates for reserved seating:
Jan. 16 @ 7 / Jan. 17 @ 7 / Jan. 18 @ 2 / Jan. 23 @ 7 / Jan. 24 @ 2 + 7 / Jan. 25 @ 2
Also unreserved seating but buy your tickets soon for Jan. 15 and Jan. 22 at 7 pm

But we can't tell you any more, so... you'll have to come see the show!!

AEF Parent Survey

The Amherst Education Foundation (AEF) is a 15 year old non-profit agency that is committed to raising funds in support of the Amherst public schools. AEF is in the process of re-evaluating its role in the community and its funding priorities. As part of this, they are seeking input from as many parents as possible. You opinions are critical to AEF's success so please take a minute or two to complete their electronic survey. There are only 9 questions. Your responses are anonymous and will only be reviewed aggregately with all of the other parent responses. Simply click on the link below and begin. Thank you in advance for your help!

AEF Survey Link

School Committee Meeting Next Week

On Tuesday Jan. 13th the Amherst School Committee will be meeting at 7:00pm in the High School Library. Plan to attend if you want to learn more about next year's school budget and the reorganization studies.

Coming Up at Crocker Farm

Thursday 1/15: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration (snow date 1/22)

Crocker Farm has a wonderful tradition of celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Students spend the entire day discussing his legacy, doing service projects for each other and the school and, of course, singing! Be sure to ask your children what they are planning for the celebration and be sure to find the time to attend the Breakfast and Assembly if you can!
Volunteers are needed to help set up for the breakfast the night before and would be greatly appreciated the day of the show to help kids get ready! Contact the school office (362-1600 if you can help out for a little while).

8:00am: The MLK Breakfast is a truly wonderful community event. Bring a breakfast food to share. **if snow causes a delayed start, breakfast will still take place, just later**

1:30pm: MLK Assembly - a real highlight of the school year featuring the talents of Crocker Farm students!
----Remember there's a 4 day weekend coming your way...
Friday 1/16: No School (Teacher Work Day)
Monday 1/19: No School (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day)
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Friday 1/30: Report Cards sent home for Grades 1 - 6
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Friday 1/30: PGO Movie Night!
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Click for the CALENDAR . Just added dates for the One World Festival & Book Fair!

No School Wednesday 1/7

School is closed today. Be safe on the roads if you have to drive.

A+ BonusBucks Report

Here's something to make you feel a little better about all that money you're spending on groceries: Stop&Shop reports that 89 households have signed up to support Crocker Farm in it's A+ BonusBucks program. To date we've earned $500.96! The program will run through April... let's make $1000.00 our goal! If haven't signed up your card yet just click here to sign up. CF's id# is 05194

By the way, you can purchase gift cards to the grocery store (or just about any other store) to do your own shopping with & support Crocker Farm that way too! Through our Gift Card program you buy cards at face value & the store gives the school a percentage.

Coffee Orders Due Wednesday

How about a cup of coffee?

The PGO sells Crocker Java coffee for $8.50 a pound each month. That's a great price for a fantastic product. Crocker Java is a sustainably harvested and produced, organic, kosher & Fair Trade coffee roasted locally by Dean's Beans. We have regular & decaf as well as hot chocolate!

Click Here for your order form. Print it out & send it to school by this Wednesday. We'll have your order to you by the 14th.

PGO Meeting Thursday

Thursday Jan. 7:
PGO Meeting @ 6:30
AEF Focus Group @ 7:15

Join us for the December PGO meeting on Thursday evening. We’ll be discussing plans for Wednesday Clubs and our line up of events and activities for the spring as well as hearing updates about the reorganization discussions.

Then stay on for a short discussion with the AEF. "As part of its strategic planning process, The Amherst Education Foundation (AEF) is seeking input from as many parents as possible about its future direction and focus. Your input is critical as AEF plans for ways to enhance its support for Amherst schools. Please join us for a half hour focus group during which we will ask for your thoughts on critical school needs and how AEF can best help."

The AEF raised and donated significant funds to our school over the last couple of years. Please take the time to come and support this group in their efforts to improve the quality of our schools.

Both meetings are in the Community Room. Free childcare will be provided in the Cafeteria.

Delayed Opening- January 5th

Due to extremely icy conditions on the roads, there is a two-hour delay today.