Curriculum Night Tonight!

Crocker Farm's Curriculum Night is tonight! Children can be dropped off for the Curriculum Night childcare at 6 pm (you must have signed up in advance for this), & activities start at 6:15 pm. The PGO will have an information table set up in the lobby. Please stop by & visit us!

6:00 pm Childcare check in
6:15 pm Mr. Shea & Ms. Conklin Introduction in the cafeteria
6:30 pm Grades K, 1, 2 and 3 presentations (in classrooms) & grades 4-6 visit Art, Music, P.E., Computer, and Library, ELL, SE, Guidance Team, Academic Intervention Team (Individual rooms)

7:00-7:05pm (Transition to next portion of the evening)
7:05 pm Grades 4, 5, 6 presentations (in classrooms) & Grades K, 1, 2 and 3 visit Art, Music, P.E., Computer, and Library, ELL, SE, Guidance Team, Academic Intervention Team
7:35 pm End of presentations-Have a good evening!
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Bus transportation for Curriculum Night is being provided for families living in the housing complexes off East Hadley Road and at Butternut Farm.

Bus Pickup at:
5:30 pm: Butternut
5:40 pm: Southpoint entrance
5:45 pm: The Brook entrance

Bus will depart Crocker Farm at 7:30 pm to return families home.
Please contact the office if you need more info.

Dean's Beans Available in the Office

Dean's Beans Coffee Orders: Fundraiser for the PGO 

 Dean’s Beans, a Western Mass-based producer of delicious, organic, fair-trade coffee donates a portion of the sales of its special Crocker Java coffee products to the PGO.  

You can support the PGO, & save money over retail pricing, by buying Dean's Beans from the PGO.  
  
Regular coffee, Decaf coffee, cocoa, & chocolate java drops are available.  You can purchase Dean's Beans products in the office, & order forms are available in the office or online (here) for larger or special orders including whole bean coffee.  Orders are placed at the beginning of the month.

Regular Coffee:  $10 per pound
Decaf Coffee:    $11 per pound
Dark Chocolate Java Drops: $10.50 per pound
Cocoa:  $7.50 per 12 oz. package

IEP Workshop 9/30

Time is allotted for an "IEP Clinic" after the presentation. Bring your child's current IEP & get a quick review by an expert!

 

RSVP to:  joyce.paige@theassociationinc.org

 

presents

An IEP for My Child A workshop for parents and professionals Date Tuesday September 30, 2014 Time 6 - 9 p.m. Location Family Empowerment, 41 Russell Street (Route 9), Hadley MA Host Family Empowerment Sponsor The Federation for Children with Special Needs RSVP and  Questions

Every Child with a disability who receives special education services must have an Individual Education Program (IEP). This workshop takes parents step-by-step through the development of the IEP, including how to articulate a vision, and how to use evaluations to write measurable annual goals for their child's progress.

Linda Suprenant, the Parent Training Specialist from Federation for Children with Special Needs will conduct this workshop. Federation workshops are free to parents and open to the public. You are welcome to attend any workshop in or outside or your immediate community.

If you have questions about the workshop, please call Donna Kushi at Family Empowerment, 413-585-8010.

 

The Federation for Children with Special Needs

Schrafft Center, 529 Main Street, Suite 1102, Boston, MA  02129

617-236-7210 or 800-331-0688, ext. 0 or http://fcsn.org/pti/workshops/home.php 

The Federation for Children with Special Needs, supported in part by grant #H328M040001 from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs and the Massachusetts Department of Education.

 

 (Not a school or PGO-sponsored event). 

 

Public Forum Community Preservation Act Committee -- 9/30

This is your community— Have a voice in how its resources are used!

Community Preservation Act Committee Public Forum
Tuesday, September 30, 7:00 pm, Town Room, Amherst Town Hall

(click to enlarge) 

The CPA Committee is developing a prioritization plan for the use of Community Preservation Act funds and is seeking public input and guidance.

Massachusetts’ Community Preservation Act allows towns to raise money to support open space protection, historic preservation, affordable housing and outdoor recreation. Funds are raised locally through a surcharge against real property (currently, in Amherst, set at 1.5% of the tax levy) and matched with additional distributions from a statewide Community Preservation Trust Fund.   

Since 2001, Amherst has raised over $3M locally and received nearly $2M in state matching funds. CPA funds have helped Amherst:
• Protect hundreds of acres of land for conservation, recreation, and farming.
• Contribute to the creation of almost 50 units of new affordable housing and help maintain our existing affordable housing.
• Support dozens of preservation efforts protecting the town’s historic sites, buildings, documents, and artifacts.
• Develop athletic fields and improve facilities at the town’s recreation areas.

The CPA Committee is charged with annually updating the plan which guides funding recommendations to Town Meeting, and public participation is important. The committee will be listening carefully at this forum to learn your priorities for funding future projects.

Please join us to let us know your thoughts.

Web site: www.amherstma.gov/cpa
www.facebook.com/AmherstCPAC
email: cpa@amherstma.gov

 (This is not a school or PGO-sponsored event). 

Guidance office is seeking snack donations

Our guidance counselor, Tara Luce, is seeking donations of snacks to share with students as needed.  Snacks can be dropped off anytime in the Crocker Farm office, or sent into school in your child's backpack.  

Snack request list:
Pretzels

Cheez-Its

Cereal Bars

Smart Food

Teddy Grahams

 

Store brands are fine. Individually packaged items are preferred. 

Please nothing too sweet and please no Doritos/chips.   

 

Thanks in advance! 

Curriculum Night Schedule

Childcare request forms for Curriculum Night are going home in backpacks today.    The forms are due back in the Crocker Farm office by Friday, Sept 26th.  

The childcare form can also be downloaded here:
Childcare for Curriculum Night  

From the Crocker Farm Office
Curriculum Night Schedule - Sept 30th
For Grades K thru 6th

6:00 pm Childcare check in

6:15 pm Mr. Shea & Ms. Conklin Introduction in the cafeteria

6:30 pm Grades K, 1, 2 and 3 presentations (in classrooms) & grades 4-6 visit Art, Music, P.E., Computer, and Library, ELL, SE, Guidance Team, Academic Intervention Team

7:00-7:05pm (Transition to next portion of the evening)

7:05 pm Grades 4, 5, 6 presentations (in classrooms) & Grades K, 1, 2 and 3 visit Art, Music, P.E., Computer, and Library, ELL, SE, Guidance Team, Academic Intervention Team (Title 1) (Individual rooms)

7:35 pm End of presentations-Have a good evening!

Limited childcare is available for children 5 years or older. Childcare for children under the age of 5 will need to be provided by the families.

Noche de currículo en la escuela

NOCHE CURRICULO Servicio de CUIDADO DE NIÑOS.

Este formulario deberá ser devuelto a Crocker asap-último día para inscribirse es el viernes, 26 septiembre.   Formulario está aquí 
 
Noche de currículo en la escuela
CROCKER FARM
Para padres de los niños de jardín de infantes hasta Sexto grado
Horario para la Noche de currículo
Martes, 30 de septiembre, 2014

6:00 pm Entregar los niños al servicio de cuidanza

6:15 pm Señor Shea y Señorita Conklin Les dan los bienvenidos en la cafetería

6:30 pm Grados jardín de infantes, primer, segundo y tercer presentaciones (en las aulas) y se puede visitar en las aulas de grados 4 hasta

7:00-7:05pm (transición a la segunda parte de la noche)

7:05 pm Grados 4, 5, 6 dan presentaciones (en las aulas) y Grados jardín de infantes, 1, 2 y 3 visitan Arte, Música, educación física, Computadoras, y la biblioteca Library, ELL, educación especial, título uno (en cada clase)

7:35 pm Fin de las presentaciones

Servicio de niñera es gratis pero limitado a las primeras familias quienes inscriben a sus niños en el programa.  Busquen el formulario en la mochila (bulto) de su niño.

PGO letter & Sept Crocker Chronicles

The September Crocker Chronicles was emailed out to families yesterday and sent out in backpacks to families that don't receive email.    You can also view it at this link:  Sept_Chronicles

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The PGO's letter to families, Sept 2014

 

Dear Crocker Farm Families,

We hope you are all enjoying the beginning of fall, and that your children are now settling into their new classes. We are writing today to say hello, and to introduce ourselves. 

All Crocker Farm families are automatically part of the Parent and Guardian Organization (PGO). The PGO’s mission is to enhance our children’s education and social experience at Crocker Farm by:

* Planning events that bring us together as a school community,

* Finding ways to support and show our appreciation of our teachers and staff, and by

* Sponsoring fundraisers to raise money for special school events, field trips, teacher mini-grants, and supplies for our school.

 

The PGO is currently hard at work producing this year’s student directory for families. If you have not yet returned the student directory form for your child(ren) that went home in backpacks, please do so as soon as possible. If you would prefer, you can complete an online version of the directory form at the PGO blog, www.crockerfarmpgo.blogspot.com. If you do not complete a directory form and give the PGO permission to publish your contact information, then your family cannot be included in the directory. Many thanks to all the families who have already returned their directory form! 

The PGO’s blog is a good source of information for the latest news on the PGO, and school and community events of interest. You can subscribe at the blog address above to receive a daily email containing the newest posts. The PGO is also on Facebook (Crocker-Farm-PGO). 

The PGO is always seeking volunteers to help us with our various activities throughout the year, and many of our events would not be possible without volunteer help. If you are interested in volunteering, please return the PGO volunteer form that went home or email us at crockerfarmpgo@gmail.com. There are many ways to volunteer and even helping for just an hour or two can make a big difference.

The PGO has regularly scheduled monthly coffees with the Crocker Farm principal, Derek Shea. There are generally held on the last Friday of the month, at the start of the school day, and are a great time to learn more about school and PGO activities, and talk with our principal and special guests, and other parents/guardians. The first three PGO coffees with the Principal are scheduled for: Friday, September 26th; Friday, October 31st, and Thursday, November 20th. More PGO events for the fall are being planned; we will send out dates and details once we have them. The PGO will also be at the Crocker Farm Curriculum Night scheduled for September 30th. Feel free to stop by and talk with us then, or to email us at any time. 

Thank you. We look forward to a great year together.

2014-2015 PGO Leadership Board

Tracy Zafian

Debbie Gilmore

Alicia Lopez

Class Parents -- PGO Still Seeking Class Parents for a Few Classes

Many thanks to those of you who have volunteered to be class parents for this school year.   The PGO is still seeking class parents for a few classes, as listed below.   Parents, guardians, grandparents are welcome to sign up.  Each class parent works with their child's teacher to determine how best to help.   Class parents can be involved with helping in the classroom and/or planning potlucks or other special activities for events.

Class parents are still needed for:
 3rd Grade:  MR. HUGHES

If you are interested in serving as a class parent for one of these classes, please email the PGO at crockerfarmpgo@gmail.com, or leave us a note in the PGO mailbox in the Crocker Farm office. 
 
Update 9/24:  We now have class parents for all classes except Mr. Hughes.  Many thanks to everyone who volunteered. 

Stop & Shop Program to Support Schools

Stop & Shop grocery stores support schools through the A+ School Rewards program.  Families register their Stop & Shop card to earn points for their school(s), and then each time the family shops at Stop & Shop, the school earns credit.   For the 2013-2014 school year, Stop & Shop donated $2.5 million in A+ School Rewards to nearly 4,000 schools in the northeast U.S.   The Amherst Regional High School was one of the top earners, with over $22,000 in rewards for the school year.  Crocker Farm earned about $500 last year, & we hope to do better this year!

This school year the A+ Rewards program begins October 3rd and runs through March 19th.

You can register your Stop & Shop card for the A+ Rewards program at the following web site: http://www.stopandshop.com/aplus/register-card/    Crocker Farm has school ID 05194 for the program.    

Currently, 49 families are registered for the program for Crocker Farm for this year.      Please consider registering if you shop at Stop & Shop and haven't already.

This is a great way to earn money to support our school at no cost to you.   Schools can use for the rewards earned for whatever they need.

Coffee this Friday!

(click on image to enlarge.)

Reminders & Updates for the Week

Directory Form:   A big thank you to everyone who has already filled out the form for the 2014-2015 Crocker Farm Student Directory already. If you haven't completed yours yet, the deadline for doing so is this Friday, Sept 19th.   You can return the directory form that went home in backpacks or fill out the online version here. You must complete the form and give permission for the PGO to publish your family's contact info for it to be included in the directory.

Summer Read-A-Thon:  The Crocker Farm librarian, Ms. McQuaid is still collecting donations from the summer Read-a-Thon.   Thank you to everyone who has donated so far.  If your child kept a Read-a-Thon log and is still seeking sponsors, please let Ms. McQuaid know, and she can help.  She can be reached by calling Crocker Farm or emailing her at mcquaids@arps.org.   A party will be held later this fall for all Read-a-Thon participants. 

Box Tops:  The next deadline for submitting Box Tops from food and household items your family buys is Friday, Oct 15th.  Box Tops really do add up; last year Crocker Farm parents donated close to $400 worth. The money raised was used to support Crocker Farm students, teachers, and our community.  You can drop your Box Tops off in the box in the school lobby.

PGO Coffees with the Principal:   The following dates have been scheduled for this school year's PGO coffees.
 Sept 26th, Oct 31st, Nov 20th, Dec 18th, Jan 29th, Feb 27th, March 27th, May 1st, & May 29th
The PGO Coffees take place in the Crocker Farm community room, in the morning just after the start of school in the morning.   All parents/guardians are invited and small children are welcome as well.  

School Committee meeting, Tues, Sept 16th:  School Committee meetings are aired on ACTV (Channel 15) and archived on the amherstmedia.org web site.  The meetings are generally held at the library of the Amherst Regional High School.   On Tues, Sept 16th, at 6 pm, there is a joint meeting of the Amherst, Pelham, & Regional School Committees to discuss the criteria for the superintendent's evaluation this year.   At 7 pm, the joint meeting will adjourn and the Amherst School Committee will meet.  The agenda includes a final report on the FY2014 budget.  The full agenda is available here.

Update (9/15):  the Amherst School Committee meeting for Tues night has been canceled.  The Regional School Committee meeting will still be held at 6 pm. 

ARPS PGO Fall Meeting 9/22

The Amherst Regional Public Schools Parent Guardian Organization (ARPS PGO) is a registered 501c3 non-profit organization that encompasses the Parent/Guardian Organizations of the Amherst Regional Middle School, Crocker Farm School and Wildwood School.  We will be holding our Fall Public Meeting on Monday, September 22, 2014 at 7:00 PM in the Crocker Farm Community Room.  For more information, please contact Becky at beckydemling@yahoo.com.

ARPS PGO Fall Public Meeting Agenda
September 22, 2014, 7:00 – 8:30 PM
 

Valley Gives

Collecting Paper Work for MA State Tax filings

Voting to confirm officers:

                Rebekah Demling, President
                Tracy Zafian, Treasurer
                Suzanne Baxter, Clerk
                (open board member- ARMS Representative) to be nominated

ARPS PGO Paypal account to accept donations

Applying for a Massachusetts DOR ST-2 and ST-5 pro-con discussion

ARPS PGO Blog

Last Minute Business

 

School Nurse Seeks Kids Clothing

Our school nurse, Ms. Stenlund, is looking for the following items kids when their clothes get wet or dirty at school. If you have extras or ones your family has outgrown, please send them in. Thanks in advance for your help!
most needed:
Girls underwear, mostly K-4th grade
Socks, K-4th grade sizes
Smaller size pants with elastic waists, K-3rd grade

Extra 2013-2014 Yearbooks Available

There are a few copies of the 2013-2014 Crocker Farm yearbook still available for purchase if your family would like one & didn't get one in the spring.   They can be purchased in the Crocker Farm office.  The cost is $10, payable in cash or check made out to the "Crocker Farm PGO."

If you would like the PGO to send one home in your child's backpack, please send in a note or email us at crockerfarmpgo@gmail.com.

"SMILE" Dentist program

For the second year in a row, ARPS Family Center is partnering with The Mobile Dentist to provide dental care to our district families of Amherst. Mobile Dentist will be at Crocker Farm School on Wed, October 1st. 

Smile Programs, the mobile dentists are innovative, on-site, school based, dental outreach providers. Their mission is to bring state of the art dental care to those students in need, in the most comfortable and effective way possible. Dental care remains the greatest unmet health need among U.S. children.  Over 50% of children have a cavity, which can cause pain leading to missed school. 


Enrollment forms were be sent home with your child this on Friday. To take advantage of this convenient opportunity and have your child see the dentist at school, please fill out and sign the enrollment form and return it to school with your child by Friday, September 19th.  Together, we can keep our children healthy, in school, and learning. Please call 362-1600 if you did not receive a registration form in your child’s backpack, and you are interested in signing your child up.

Learn more about the Smile Dentist program here.  (www.mobiledentists.com/)

ArtAlive Classes for 8-12 year olds

(click on flyer to enlarge)

(not a school or PGO-sponsored event)

Amherst Poetry Festival - Sept 19-21st

Family Events at the Amherst Poetry Festival

Join us for some family-friendly poetry, art projects, and more! All events are free.

 September 19, 20, 21: Storywalk for ages 3-8. Follow the pages of the book Please, Louise by Toni and Slade Morrison displayed in a succession of store windows starting at the north end of North Pleasant Street and ending at the Jones Library Children’s Room.

 September 20: Poetry readings from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Sweetser Park and the Dickinson Homestead, plus art and writing booths at Sweetser Park – look for the “Family Friendly” signs. Children and their families can write short poems and make their own poetry ‘zines.

September 21: Poetry picnic from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Dickinson Homestead Lawn. Poetry provided; bring your own picnic! Includes Tom Daley performing the Dickinson-inspired play “Every Broom and Bridget” at 12:30.

For a complete listing of Amherst Poetry Festival Events, go to amherstpoetfest.tumblr.com

Children’s Social Reasoning Study at Amherst College

Is your child:
-Diagnosed with ADHD?
-Between the ages of 8 and 12 years-old?

 If so, your child may be eligible to participate in a research study at Amherst College examining how children with and without ADHD understand their social relationships.

This study is being conducted by Dr. Julia McQuade, Assistant Professor of Psychology at Amherst College. Participating children and their parent will complete a two hour assessment at Amherst College that includes an interview and measures assessing social experiences and cognitive abilities.
$75 compensation is provided.

For more information, contact the Peer Relationships Lab at 413-542-5619 or emailpeerstudy@amherst.edu. We will be accepting families all fall!

(this is not a school or PGO-sponsored activity)

LSSE offerings - Bicycle Maintenance, Nature Journaling, Harry Potter

(click on flyers to enlarge)

the PGO & Volunteering at Crocker Farm

Thank you B.Home for hosting last night's PGO start of school gathering. If you would like to get more involved with the PGO and in volunteering at Crocker Farm, but didn't attend last night, please fill out & return the volunteer form that went home in backpacks or email us at crockerfarmpgo@gmail.com.

All Crocker Farm families are automatically members of the PGO, and even volunteering for just a hour or two can make a difference.  

News from Crocker Farm School

September 3, 2014

Welcome Back Crocker Farm Families!

We are all excited to be working with your children and looking forward to a year full of discovery and learning opportunities.

Just a few reminders:
Student Drop Off/ Student Pick Up/ School Buses
Student Drop Off in the morning is at our Shays Street entrance. A staff member will meet students at that end of the playground. Our West Street entrance is for Buses only in the morning.

Student Pick Up / “Parent pick-up,” in the afternoon, is going smoothly at the Pre-School Entrance.  Students are dismissed from classrooms at 3:10pm. Thank you so much for your patience as classroom teachers and students learn the end of the day routines.

Buses generally leave our school by 3:20pm in the afternoon. It could be later this first week as we work out schedules. Again, we thank families for their patience as we iron out the routes.

Teachers are getting to know your children in a variety of ways at the start of the year: socially, emotionally and academically. This week you may begin to hear your children talk about reading with an adult, taking beginning of year assessments in spelling, writing and math or taking the “Aimsweb”. AimsWeb assessments are brief assessments in reading and math which our district uses to monitor student progress. More information can be found at: www.aimsweb.com

We would like to clarify some events related to last week’s incident with a dog at Crocker Farm as there has been some inaccurate information about the incident in the local press. We first want to compliment the teachers, who acted with incredible poise and professionalism by taking care of their students in a stressful and unusual situation. The person who took hold of the dog was spoken to briefly by a staff member, before he left the premises. The person was identified by a Crocker Farm student who witnessed the event, and we shared that information with the police. We are hoping that with the community’s support, the police are able to track down further information about the person(s) responsible for the incident. We continue to be saddened by the incident, especially given the timing on the first day of school, and will continue to ensure that the students directly affected are supported to have a great school year at Crocker Farm.

We are fortunate to have air conditioning and it’s working hard! We are being cautious about outdoor recess if the heat index is high and are encouraging children to drink lots of water to stay hydrated. Please make sure to dress your child in weather appropriate clothing.

This Friday, we will have our Back to School Assembly for students and staff. This is a time to open the year together. There will be music, readings and poetry. We will also be sharing our school book this year: Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers’ Strike of 1909 by Michele Markel which will help us all learn more about Empathy. (The “E” in “C.A.R.E.”).

As always, you can reach out to us to let us know of ideas, compliments or concerns that you might have to help us improve your child’s daily experience. We appreciate you sharing your children with us and your efforts to help us build a strong learning community.

With warm regards,

Derek Shea, Principal
Sharri Conklin, Assistant Principal

In the coming weeks look for information on:
Our School Wide Daily Schedule
When each class has Art, Music, P.E., Library and Computer
Details about Curriculum Night, Tuesday, September 30, 2014