Feb School Lunch Menu

Reminder:  No school tomorrow, Fri, 1/31.
See you next week! 

(click to enlarge)

Creation of a District Life-Threatening Food Allergy Policy

At last night's joint School Committee meeting, the School Committee members voted to explore creating a policy regarding life-threatening food allergies, and referred this topic to the policy subcommittee for further discussion and action.   Any policy on this topic that is prepared by the policy subcommittee needs to come back to the full School Committee for a vote before it can be adopted.      

The policy subcommittee will meet on this topic today, Wed, 1/29, 5 pm on this topic.  The meeting will be held at the regional middle school in the professional development center.  The meeting is open to the public. 

The current nut ban restrictions are considered guidelines (not policy). These guidelines and restrictions remain in place as is in all the district's school unless/until the School Committee approves a life-threatening food allergy policy that would support different guidelines and restrictions.  

Here is a link to the school district's Allergy Aware Schools web page and guidelines (http://www.arps.org/district_info/services/health_information/allergy_aware_schools/).  

Here is a link to the policy subcommittee meeting notice for tonight.  

CROCKER FARM MURAL PROJECT

Please Join us January 29^th 6:30-7:30

Dear Crocker Farm Community:

We are very excited to announce that this year we have a very talented and enthusiastic guest artist, Joshua Winer, coming to work with all of the students at Crocker Farm School from April 1-17, 2014!  All students and teachers will be involved in the process of planning and creating a beautiful mosaic that will pictorially tell some of the story of Crocker Farm School and the land on which it rests.  Parents will also be offered opportunities to work on the mural with their children during several after school and evening sessions. Come learn more about Joshua’s work directly from him.

Meet in the Crocker Farm Library, January 29 2014, from 6:30-7:30.  Please arrive on time.  Joshua will share about the work that he does and parents will be able to ask questions about the process, what their children will experience and how he will involve families as well.  If you have any questions about this parent meeting, please call Laura Ginsberg-Peltz, Mural Project Representative working alongside Justyne Ogdahl, PGO President.  Laura can be reached at 401-288-2787 or oceanlaura@gmail.com.

Sincerely

Crocker Farm PGO

From Joshua Winer:

I'm Joshua Winer, an artist who specializes in working with schools and communities to create works of mosaic art. I'm passionate about sharing the experience of collaborative art making. I've worked with many different communities to create mosaic murals, in my hometown of Boston, in regional cities and towns, and across the United States. The mosaic art form is ideal for community art. Creating a large mosaic is the coming together of many hands, minds, talents and spirits. There is so much satisfaction and joy in sharing this process!

I studied painting at Yale as a college student, then studied architecture at Harvard for graduate studies. I worked as an architect for about 10 years, all the while creating large painted murals. In 1991 I started working as a full-time artist and teacher. My first large mosaic, commissioned by The Meadowbrook School of Weston MA, was a 'Tree of Life' for the outside wall of the school's parking circle. With this project, I experienced for the first time the amazing value that the community mosaic process provides as a way of creating hands-on public art. This was a powerful formative experience for the mosaic work I do now.

I work with about five to ten schools and community groups per year, specifically on group mosaic murals. This daily work allows me fulfill my love of working on art closely with people, being a guide, a teacher, a partner and a friend. Every new community offers me a professional and personal adventure as we share a wonderful, focused experience creating art.

Music Fundraiser at Thursday's Band and Orchestra Concert!

Upcoming Town Election - nomination papers due Feb 4th

Tuesday, February 4th is the deadline for submitting nomination papers to run for Town Meeting, School Committee, or the Select Board in the upcoming March 25th election.

For more information regarding elections and election procedures, please contact the Town Clerk's office.
Sandra Burgess, Town Clerk

Town Hall, 4 Boltwood Ave.Amherst, MA  01002
Ph: 413-259-3035 
Email:  townclerk@amherstma.gov
General Hours: Mon - Fri,  8:00 am - 4:30 pm (Thursdays Noon - 4:30 pm)

-------------------------------
A call for Town Meeting Members:  

Please consider joining Town Meeting. Amherst needs more parent voices (and votes) to help set our town's direction. Town Meeting passes all our town's budgets - including the library and schools. The commitment is just a handful of
evenings per year. It's a great way to learn what's going on in town, serve with your neighbors, as well as great public service.    The deadline for getting your name on the ballot as a candidate for Town Meeting is Tuesday, February 4 at 5:00pm. Sign up in the Town Clerk's office in Town Hall. You must be a registered voter in the Town of Amherst. All it takes is one signature.

Haz el favor de formar parte de la reunión del pueblo. El pueblo de Amherst necesita más voces de padres y votos para ayudar a nuestro pueblo y dirigir a nuestro pueblo. La reunión del pueblo ocurre doce veces por año. Las reuniones son en el centro del pueblo durante las tardes. Es una manera muy buena de participar en el desarrollo de nuestra comunidad y conversar con vecinos mientras haces un servicio importante para todos. Tienes que entregar su nombre para el 4 de febrero -- su nombre se reconocerá como candidato para la reunión del pueblo. Haz el favor de visitar la secretaria del ayuntamiento en el centro del pueblo (Town Hall). Tienes que estar registrado para votar en el pueblo de Amherst. Solo necesitas una firma de una persona.

Fundraiser for Mi Tierra's Workers - Sat 1/25

All afterschool events & activities canceled for Tuesday 1/21

At Crocker Farm, this evening's parent meeting with mural artist Joshua Winer and this afternoon's chess club session have both been canceled because of the weather.  

-------------------------------------

Notice from the ARPS district offices:
On behalf of the Superintendent of Schools, this is to notify you that all afterschool activities and programs and all evening events for the Amherst, Pelham and Regional Schools are canceled due to the predicted winter storm. This includes the elementary afterschool care programs as well as the Amherst School Committee meeting.

En nombre de la Superintende...nte de Escuelas, le notificamos que todas las actividades y programas después de la escuela y todos los eventos de la tarde/noche de las Escuelas de Amherst, Pelham y Escuelas Regionales estan cancelados debido a la tormenta de invierno que viene hoy. Esto incluye los programas de cuidado después de la escuela primaria, así como la reunión del Comité Escolar de Amherst.

www.arps.org

School Committee Meeting Tues 1/21, 7 pm -- includes budget presentation

AGENDA for Regular Meeting of AMHERST School Committee
7:00 PM, TUESDAY—January 21, 2014
Library, Amherst Regional High School

Online link to the agenda is here.    

1. Welcome 7:00 p.m.
A. Call to Order
B. Agenda Review
C. Approve Minutes—November 19, 2013

2. Public Comments 7:05 p.m.

3. Superintendent’s Update 7:15 p.m.

4. Amherst Subcommittee Reports Discussion 7:20 p.m.
A. Audit Committee for Town of Amherst
C. BCG
D. JCPC
B. RSDPB

5. New and Continuing Business
A. MSBA Update, Discussion 7:30 p.m.
B. FY15 Budget Presentation, Discussion 7:45 p.m.
D. Resolution Letter to MASC Vote 8:30 p.m.
E. Approve Gifts Vote 8:35 p.m.

6. School Committee Planning, Discussion 8:40 p.m.
A. Calendar
B. Items for Future Agendas
7. Adjournment 8:45 p.m.

CROCKER FARM MURAL PROJECT

Please Join us January 21st 6:30-7:30

From the PGO:

We are very excited to announce that this year we have a very talented and enthusiastic guest artist, Joshua Winer, coming to work with all of the students at Crocker Farm School from April 1-17, 2014!  All students and teachers will be involved in the process of planning and creating a beautiful mosaic that will pictorially tell some of the story of Crocker Farm School and the land on which it rests.  Parents will also be offered opportunities to work on the mural with their children during several after school and evening sessions. Come learn more about Joshua’s work directly from him.

Meet in the Crocker Farm Cafeteria, January 21, 2014, from 6:30-7:30.  Please arrive on time.  Joshua will share about the work that he does  and parents will be able to ask questions about the process, what their children will experience and how he will involve families as well.  If you have any questions about this parent meeting, please call Laura Ginsberg-Peltz, Mural Project Representative working alongside Justyne Ogdahl, PGO President.  Laura can be reached at 401-288-2787 or oceanlaura@gmail.com.

From Joshua Winer:

I'm Joshua Winer, an artist who specializes in working with schools and communities to create works of mosaic art. I'm passionate about sharing the experience of collaborative art making. I've worked with many different communities to create mosaic murals, in my hometown of Boston, in regional cities and towns, and across the United States. The mosaic art form is ideal for community art. Creating a large mosaic is the coming together of many hands, minds, talents and spirits. There is so much satisfaction and joy in sharing this process!

I studied painting at Yale as a college student, then studied architecture at Harvard for graduate studies. I worked as an architect for about 10 years, all the while creating large painted murals. In 1991 I started working as a full-time artist and teacher. My first large mosaic, commissioned by The Meadowbrook School of Weston MA, was a 'Tree of Life' for the outside wall of the school's parking circle. With this project, I experienced for the first time the amazing value that the community mosaic process provides as a way of creating hands-on public art. This was a powerful formative experience for the mosaic work I do now.

I work with about five to ten schools and community groups per year, specifically on group mosaic murals. This daily work allows me fulfill my love of working on art closely with people, being a guide, a teacher, a partner and a friend. Every new community offers me a professional and personal adventure as we share a wonderful, focused experience creating art.

League of Women Forum -- How to Run for Office or Join a Town Committee in Amherst

 Speakers: Amherst Town Clerk Sandra Burgess and Select Board Member Diana Stein

Date and time: Tuesday, January 14, 12-1 pm

Place: Room 101, Bangs Center, 70 Boltwood Walk, Amherst

Sponsor: League of Women Voters, Amherst

Free and open to the public. A “Brown Bag” event: bring your own lunch if you'd like

For information: 413-253-0633 or www.lwvamherst.org

Sender: Susan P Millinger, Publicity Chair, LWV Amherst

413-253-7404 or millinge@roanoke.edu

(not a school- or PGO-sponsored event)

Red Barn Music School Open House - Jan 26th

 SUNDAY January 26, Noon – 4:00 p.m. 
Amherst Red Barn Music School, 
409 Main St, Amherst (across from the Amtrak station). 


All ages, Free concerts and demonstrations, Meet the teachers & try the instruments, Free hot cocoa. 
 
For confirmation/information, contact Kevin Collins at 413-256-8899 or kevin@redbarnmusic.com

Visit us at http://www.redbarnmusic.com/

(Not a school or PGO-sponsored event). 

Jones Library Presentation Jan 16th: Catching Teachable Minutes with Kids

PRESS RELEASE

Contact:

Janet Ryan, Jones Library

ryanj@joneslibrary.org or 413/259-3223

Catching Teachable Minutes with Kids:  A Presentation by Dr. Connie Hebert

Amherst, MA – Parent, guardians, and grandparents are invited to attend a presentation that will help them make the most of those unexpected moments where the right words can help kids of all ages learn important things about what’s happening just then.   Join us on Thursday evening, January 16, 2014 at 7 pm in the Woodbury Room for this program, presented by Dr. Connie Hebert especially for parents – or anyone else who takes care of kids!

The Teachable Minute is the golden opportunity to teach kids something, anywhere, on the spot.  It can happen at any time, in everyday places we all go. It can happen in a car, at the mall, around the kitchen table, at the post office, in the yard, on a plane, in an elevator, at the beach - anywhere you can imagine. All kids are naturally curious – teachable minutes are a perfect way to give them our attention.

Dr. Connie Hebert says, “Everywhere we go, we can find kids who are watching adults who are engaging with devices at all hours of the day and night.  This concern raised an important question for me:  How can we strike a balance between engaging with devices and interacting with kids?  My goal is to help parents become experts at catching the teachable minute so they can interact with kids of all ages, anytime and anywhere.”

Dr. Connie Hebert has served a decade as senior national consultant for Staff Development for Educators (SDE) and 3 years as a Treasures™ reading program consultant and national speaker for Macmillan/McGraw-Hill.  She has her doctorate in Educational Leadership and masters in Reading Education.  Field experience includes director of reading (K-12), elementary classroom teacher in 7 school districts, Reading Recovery specialist in 3 districts, and instructor for 3 Massachusetts colleges.

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

Play It Out! Acting Workshop for 8 to 12 year olds

Miss Leticia -- Guitar Lessons for Beginners

      (not a school or PGO-sponsored activity)

Northampton Arts Council YouthFilm Contest for Film Makers Age 5-18

The Northampton Arts Council will once again present YouthFilm, a week-long festival of film and video created by local youth and screened at the famous Academy of Music Theatre in downtown Northampton.

The festival accepts film and video entries from throughout the region by young people from 5–18 years old.

This year YouthFilm 2014 will be presented at the Academy of Music Theatre. The participants are able to see their films on the Academy of Music’s large screen in a theater setting before each of the KidsBestFest feature films from Monday February 17th through Friday February 21st.  The YouthFilm screenings will begin at 1 PM on each of those days with the KidsBestFest feature beginning at 2 PM.

Help us spread the word to young film and video makers, teachers who work with film and video, and organizations that can let young people know about this opportunity.

The festival has been very successful over the last five years and is a great opportunity for aspiring young visual artists to present their work on the largest screen in the Valley.

Entries are due in our office on Friday January 31st by 4:30 PM.

The entry form is here.

Thank you for helping us spread the word.  Please email or call with any questions.


Northampton Arts Council
240 Main Street
Room 5, Memorial Hall
Northampton, MA 01060

413-587-1069 direct
413-587-1269 office

arts@northamptonma.gov

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Spring Signup - Amherst Youth Lacrosse K-8th grade

Cub Scouts Open House

 

(Not a school or PGO-sponsored activity)

Amherst Lions Club Ski, Skate, & Snowboard Sale this Fri and Sat

Skis, Skates, Snowboards, Snowshoes, other gear on sale

Fri, 6-9 pm, & Sat 9-2 pm

New & Used items

Consignments accepted Fri, 4-6 pm.

 

Proceeds go primarily to help the Lions Club raise money for a DaVinci sight machine for visually impaired students.  A portion of the proceeds will also go to the Crocker Farm PGO for activities to support teachers, students, and the Crocker Farm community.