Open House Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

At last night's Open House for all in-coming families, one dad goodnaturedly asked for the recipe for our oatmeal raisin cookies. In another example of the PGO immediately responding to a Crocker Farm need:

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

2 sticks of butter
1 c sugar
1 c brown sugar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
2 c flour
1 t baking soda
2 c oatmeal
2 c raisins

Cream butter & sugars. Add eggs & vanilla, beat til smooth. Gradually stir in flour, baking soda, oatmeal, & raisins. Bake at 350 for 11 minutes.

The Crocker Farm PGO: supporting Crocker Farm Elementary School one cookie at a time.

Wednesday Clubs Are Here!

At long last the PGO is excited to announce that a 6 week session of Wednesday Clubs will begin on January 20th. Look for a registration form in your email and in your child's backpack!

Registration forms are due back to school no later than Wednesday January 13th!

With 8 wonderful club topics to choose from (such as Beginning Gardening, Fun with Food, Spanish Superheros, Athletics, Intermediate Chess and more) there's sure to be something for every kid!

January Calendar of Crocker Farm Events

12 - MLK Day Breakfast 8:00-9:00am Cafeteria
12 - MLK Day Assembly 1:30pm Cafeteria
13 - Wednesday Clubs Registration Forms due14 - PGO Meeting 6:30 - 7:30pm Community Room
15 - Teacher Workday - No School
18 - Martin Luther King Jr. Day - No School20 - Wednesday Clubs 1:20 - 2:50pm
22 - (new date) First Friday Coffee w/ Mr. Morris 8:45 - 9:30am Community Room
26 - School Committee Meeting 7:00, High School Library
27 - Wednesday Clubs 1:20 - 2:50pm
29 - CF Movie Night (Showing Ratatoulle) Cafeteria doors open at 6:00, movie starts at 6:30

National Girls & Women In Sports Day

National Girls and Women in Sports Day is a day to recognize, celebrate and encourage girls and women in sport. By “girls and women in sport,” we refer to girls in all levels of athletics, from the nationally ranked collegiate athlete to the recreational exerciser. Smith College wants to do its part to promote girls in sport so we are offering this day of sports clinics to local 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade girls.

Sunday, January 31, 2010
12:30pm Registration at Indoor Track & Tennis Building

Youth Sport Clinics: all girls will participate in five different sports (Girls will be randomly assigned to sports that could include Frisbee, field hockey, lacrosse, rowing, tennis, softball, rugby, volleyball, soccer, rock climbing, and others TBA).

4:00pm Parent Pick-up at Drop Off for Registration

All participants will receive a t-shirt, certificate, and snacks!


Name _______________________________ Grade _____________ Phone ________________

Address ___________________________ City _________________ Zip __________

I hereby state that my daughter is in good physical health and may participate in the NGWSD activities. I also give my permission to a member of the NGWSD Staff, in case of emergency, to allow my daughter to be treated in the emergency room at Cooley Dickinson Hospital.

Signature of Parent/Guardian ______________________________________________________

Send to: SAAC, Ainsworth Gym, Smith College, Northampton, MA 01063
For further information, contact the Athletic Department at 585-2705
All events, t-shirts, and snacks are free, compliments of Smith Athletics

Munson Library PC Help

PC Software Doctor Hank will be at the Munson Memorial Library on Tuesday: January 19^th, January 26^th, February 2^nd, and February 9^th from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. to help PC users with those pesky software problems. Bring that new laptop or use one of the Munson Library’s computers to find the answers that the manual does not explain.

Call the Munson Memorial Library for more information at 259-3095 after 2:00 p.m. PC Software Doctor Hank is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and is free and open to the public.

MLK Day on January 12th

You are invited to Crocker Farm's MLK Community Celebration on

Tuesday, January 12, 2010
(Snow Date: January 21, 2010)

Potluck Breakfast from 8:00 - 9:00 AM

Whole School Assembly- 1:30 PM

Both events will be held in the cafeteria.

This year's theme is: Step Up Now!

Please bring a finger food to share at breakfast.

ARPS Community Workshops - Open to all

The following series of workshops are being offered to families and community members over the course of this school year. School staff are also invited to attend these presentations. All workshops will take place in the evening and there is no fee.

Educational Implications of Chronic Medical Conditions in Children
Presenter: Dr. Emily Gonzalez
Date: Thursday, January 21, 2010
Time: 6:00 – 8:30 PM
Location: Professional Development Center at the Amherst Middle School


Family Literacy Support (ten week program)
Through the Family Story Power Project and a special Family Literacy Session families will take an active role in helping children become lifelong readers and writers. The Family Story Power Project is a ten week program for families facilitated by a LitLife Team Leader or school-based leader and cultivates a group of parents or caregivers and children in falling in love with books and stories. These sessions will focus on everything parents want to know about how to foster a love of reading at home, including suggestions for books, reading strategy support and writing techniques for families to use together.

Presenter: Pam Allyn, LitLife Team Leader
Dates: Spring, 2010 Exact dates will be announced


The Socio-Emotional Lives of Preschoolers
Presenters: Dr. Emily Gonzalez and Dr. Fran Kelly
Date: Thursday, March 18, 2010
Time: 6:00 - 8:30 PM
Location: Professional Development Center at the Amherst Middle School



Please see the attached flyer for more details. To register for a workshop please contact Sharon Gross at GrossS@arps.org or call 413-362-1828.

Art Class Opportunity!

The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art is offering an art class for children ages 5-7 on Tuesdays from 3:30-5:00 p.m. Entitled "Spaces and Places," this class runs from January 12 through February 9th. For more information, please call the museum at 413.658.1133 or visit: www.picturebookart.org/Programs_Events/Classes and register online.

A Crocker Farm family will be bringing their child from school to this class every week and has volunteered to bring one more child. If you are interested in sending your child, please email us and we will put you in touch with this family.

Coffee Coffee Coffee and Hot Chocolate Too!

The next orders for Crocker Java are due this Wednesday January 6th. Don't forget to pick up some delicious coffee and hot cocoa for these cold winter days!

This is a fundraiser for Crocker Farm and everyone gets something great - you get a yummy, organic, Fair Trade product for a very competitive price and the PGO receives $3.00 for each bag we sell. And we offer this service to you Every Month so you can order from us regularly or just once in a while.

Click HERE to download an order form.

A look ahead to 2010...

Happy New Year from the PGO! 2010 will be an exciting year with its share of change and celebration. We have so many things coming up, please save the date.

January 8th: Coffee with the Principal rescheduled to January 22nd.

January 12th: CF MLK Day Celebration
Please join us for this amazing and inspiring tradition. The day begins with a community potluck breakfast in the cafeteria from 8-9AM. The all-school assembly will be held at 1:30 PM. These events are open to the entire community. We hope everyone can join us. As always, siblings are welcome.

Please bring a breakfast dish to share. Volunteers are also needed to help set-up for the event on Monday, January 11th. If you are interested in helping out, please contact Becky at 230-3306. The snow date for this event is January 22nd.

January 14th: The January PGO meeting will be held from 6:30 PM until 7:30 PM. Childcare is provided.

January 15th: No School Day- Teacher Meetings

January 18th: No School Day- MLK Day

January 20th: Wednesday Clubs begin- look for details next week!

January 22nd: Coffee with the Principal (rescheduled from the 8th) at 8:30 AM in Community Room. Our special guest speaker will be Andy Churchill, Chair of the Amherst School Committee. He will discuss the upcoming FY 11 School Budget.

January 29th: Movie Night- showing Ratatoulle
The PGO will begin its fundraising drive for a new playground this month. We have equipment selected, grants applied for on our way to building a front playground that we can be proud of! We have a lofty goal of $40,000 to make this happen and need everyone to be part of it. If you are interested in lending a hand, please contact Becky at 230-3306 or beckydemling@yahoo.com.

Have a safe and very happy new year!