The Berkshire Children & Families agency is currently accepting applications from families who wish to be considered for this year's Sidney F. Smith Toy Fund. The fund gives parents vouchers for children ages 1 through 14 to be used for holiday gifts.
Applications are not accepted over the phone. They can be picked up at the following locations:
* Amherst Family Center – 1200 N. Pleasant St, Amherst
* Amherst Survival Center - 138 Sunderland Rd, Amherst
* Berkshire Children and Families – 220 Russell St, Hadley
* United Way of Hampshire County – 71 King St, Northampton
* Community Action Offices, 17 New South St, Suite 116, Northampton
* Daily Hampshire Gazette, 150 Conz St, Northampton
* Center for New Americans,42 Gothic St, Northampton
* Easthampton Community Center, 12 Clark St, Easthampton
Applications must be received by November 30, 2015.
Cash donations for the Toy Fund are accepted at this web site: http://toyfund.gazettenet.com/
Donations to the Sidney F. Smith Toy Fund are tax deductible. The Toy Fund is a donor-advised fund of the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, a 501(c)3 organization.
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Last week of the ARPS Winter Coat Shares - at Wildwood through Wed
Thanks again to the Fort River PGO, the ARHS & PGOs, & the ARPS Family Center for their work on last week's Coat Shares, & thank you to the Crocker Farm volunteers. At Crocker Farm, this is one of the PGO's most important school community events. We collected over 60 coats, 75 hats, 20 pairs of snowpants, plus boots, scarves, snowsuits, & more. Our leftovers went to Fort River for their Coat Share.
Friday, November 13, 2015
Coffee with the Principal & Special Guests Tara Luce & Amy Baver, Nov 20th
Coffee with the Principal & Special Guests Amy Baver, our new school psychologist, & Tara Luce, the Crocker Farm guidance counselor.
Come meet Ms. Baver, hear about the ways in which the Crocker guidance & counseling staff help students, learn about the lunch assigned seating & incentive program, & more.
All invited. Small children always welcome.
Thursday, November 12, 2015
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Crocker Farm Bookfair Continues Online through Thurs, Nov 12th
MANY THANKS to everyone who joined us at Barnes & Noble on Saturday for the Crocker Farm bookfair. It was a great success. If you meant to stop by & didn't make, or did come & then thought of other books or purchases you forgot to make while there, the bookfair is continuing online through this Thurs, Nov 12th. Please enter our bookfair ID 11714474 when checking out, & Crocker Farm will earn 10%. Thanks again for your support!
Also, special thanks to Miss Leticia, preschool teacher Amy C., & the volunteer mom & daughter who generously spent all day on Saturday at the PGO's table at Barnes & Noble encouraging people to participate in our bookfair & raise money for our school.
Thank you too to Barnes & Noble for partnering with us on this fundraiser.
Bookfair link & details here:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/h/terms-and-conditi…/bookfairs
Also, special thanks to Miss Leticia, preschool teacher Amy C., & the volunteer mom & daughter who generously spent all day on Saturday at the PGO's table at Barnes & Noble encouraging people to participate in our bookfair & raise money for our school.
Thank you too to Barnes & Noble for partnering with us on this fundraiser.
Bookfair link & details here:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/h/terms-and-conditi…/bookfairs
Sunday, November 8, 2015
Crocker Farm Winter Coat & Clothing Share - Monday & Tuesday
Monday (11/9): 8:30 am-5:00 pm
Tuesday (11/10): 8:30 am-2:30 pm
In the school lobby
Tuesday (11/10): 8:30 am-2:30 pm
In the school lobby
All school & community families are welcome to come by & look for what they need for this coming winter. The PGOs at the other Amherst schools will be having their coast shares later this week & during the next few weeks. Please check the flyer for details.
Thanks to everyone who donated coats, etc. to Crocker Farm & to the wonderful volunteers (Lisa, Sue, Ruby, Christine) who helped set up the lobby. We are still looking for volunteers to help with the distribution on Mon & Tues. You can signup here: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0f4ca9ac22a5fa7-winter
& if anyone is still going through their winter clothes for this year, & hasn't yet got rid of what they don't need, we could definitely use more of the following, as we don't have that many of them, & they are always in the most demand. Thank you!
* more winter boots (especially large sizes)
* more snowpants (especially size 8 & up),
* big size jackets (size 10/12+ especially)
* waterproof mittens/gloves
Thanks to everyone who donated coats, etc. to Crocker Farm & to the wonderful volunteers (Lisa, Sue, Ruby, Christine) who helped set up the lobby. We are still looking for volunteers to help with the distribution on Mon & Tues. You can signup here: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0f4ca9ac22a5fa7-winter
& if anyone is still going through their winter clothes for this year, & hasn't yet got rid of what they don't need, we could definitely use more of the following, as we don't have that many of them, & they are always in the most demand. Thank you!
* more winter boots (especially large sizes)
* more snowpants (especially size 8 & up),
* big size jackets (size 10/12+ especially)
* waterproof mittens/gloves
Thursday, November 5, 2015
Crocker Farm Bookfair At Barnes & Noble this Sat -- Please Join Us!
Crocker Farm Bookfair at the Hadley Barnes & Noble, all day, Sat, Nov 7thFUN activities for the whole family
Crocker Farm PGO fundraiser
In the store's children's area:
10 am - Come here the fabulous Miss Leticia & her music students. Their concerts are must see events & so much fun.
11 am - Join us as the wonderful Amy Coulthard, a Crocker Farm preschool teacher, hosts a storytime with great picture books
Mini-Maker Fair events including
** Make & Collaborate - Hands-On Activities at Noon, 4 pm, & 5 pm; different activities for ages 5+, 8+, & teens/adults
** Demonstrations of tech/gadget products at 11 am, 3 pm, & 6 pm including a 3D printer, and a Meccanoid personal robots.
Stop by the Crocker Farm PGO's table in the front of the store to
enter our FREE kids & adult raffles.
** The prize for the kids' raffle is a Meccano Erector set of Washington's Capital Hill.
** The adult raffle includes a basket with a Barnes & Noble gift card & other goodies.
MENTION "CROCKER FARM" WHEN CHECKING OUT & earn money for our school.
Crocker Farm PGO: Bookfair ID 11714474
All funds raised will go for the PGO's field trip fund to subsidize field trips & for classroom mini-grants.
November School Calendar Updates
From Angela Mills in the Crocker Farm office. Thank you, Angela!
November is a month full of interesting events and our first long vacation break – here are the details:
Friday, November 6th –
Community breakfast with Student-Athletes from UMass 8am in the
cafeteria, come join us and meet some interesting members of our valley
community
Wednesday, November 11 – Veterans’ Day – School is closed.
Friday, November 20 – Coffee with the principal 8:45am – special guests Tara Luce, School Counselor and Amy Baver, School Psychologist
Wednesday, November 25 – 27 – Thanksgiving Recess – School is closed.
Monday, November 30 - Teacher Curriculum/Workday – School is closed.
Tues, December 1 - School open again.
----------------------
From the Crocker Farm PGO:
Saturday, November 7th. Crocker Farm PGO Bookfair at the Hadley Barnes & Noble. This is one of our big fundraisers of the year. The bookfair runs all day, & the store is open 9 am until 10 pm. Please mention "Crocker Farm" when checking out to earn credit for our school. See the next blog post for additional details.
Monday, November 9th (8:30 am - 5 pm) & Tuesday, November 10th (8:30 am - 3:00 pm). Crocker Farm PGO's annual winter coat & clothing share. Come "shop" for whatever your family needs for the winter. All school & community members are welcome. & if you have gently used winter outerwear your family no longer needs, please drop them off at Crocker Farm by Friday afternoon (tomorrow). We'll be setting up afterschool for next week's distribution. Families, parents/guardians are welcome to stop by & help with the setup.
Monday, November 2, 2015
Upcoming @ Crocker Farm & great volunteer opportunities
Upcoming @ Crocker Farm:
**Tues, Nov 3rd: School picture makeup day
** Sat, Nov 7th: Crocker Farm Barnes & Noble Bookfair day, at the Hadley B&N. We are still looking for people to sit out our table in-store & help promote our bookfair. There are a number of fun tech events the store that day (link to more info here), so there will be more people in the store, & more potential participants for our bookfair. This is one of our big fundraisers for the year, & volunteers are still needed. http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0f4ca9ac22a5fa7-volunteer
** Mon & Tues, Nov 9th & 10th: Crocker Farm Winter Coat & Clothing Share. We are still seeking coats, snowpants, boots, etc. to give away -- the collection bins will be out until Friday afternoon -- & more volunteers to help. We are looking for coats & clothing in all sizes (baby through adult). This is one of the PGO's most important events of the year & a great way to help our community. Volunteers can sign at this link: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0f4ca9ac22a5fa7-winter
** Wed, Nov 11th: No school. Veteran's Day holiday.
Upcoming @ ARPS:
**Tues, Nov 3rd. Amherst School Committee meeting, 6 pm, ARHS Library. The School Committee is expected to take a vote at the meeting on which proposed elementary school building option to support to the next stage. To find out more about the Amherst elementary school building study, you can visit the project's web page (here) or the district's Facebook page for the project.
The Wildwood PGO has created an online feedback form to encourage input from parents, teachers, school staff, & community members about the district's recommendation to consolidate the current three K-6 Amherst public elementary schools into two schools: a K-1 school at Crocker Farm (which also houses the district's preK program) & a grades 2-6 school at a location still tbd. The link to the Wildwood PGO's online feedback form is below, & the form is available in both English & Spanish. Those wanting to give feedback to the district about its recommendations can also email the Amherst School Committee at schoolcommittee@arps.org. Like the Wildwood PGO, the Crocker Farm PGO is taking no position on the building study & the district's recommendations, & is providing information on the project & the feedback form link only as a service to help our families learn more about the project & help them give an easy way to provide feedback should they care to do so.
Link to Wildwood PGO feedback form: http://wildwoodpgo.com/reconfiguration-feedback-form/
**Tues, Nov 3rd: School picture makeup day
** Sat, Nov 7th: Crocker Farm Barnes & Noble Bookfair day, at the Hadley B&N. We are still looking for people to sit out our table in-store & help promote our bookfair. There are a number of fun tech events the store that day (link to more info here), so there will be more people in the store, & more potential participants for our bookfair. This is one of our big fundraisers for the year, & volunteers are still needed. http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0f4ca9ac22a5fa7-volunteer
** Mon & Tues, Nov 9th & 10th: Crocker Farm Winter Coat & Clothing Share. We are still seeking coats, snowpants, boots, etc. to give away -- the collection bins will be out until Friday afternoon -- & more volunteers to help. We are looking for coats & clothing in all sizes (baby through adult). This is one of the PGO's most important events of the year & a great way to help our community. Volunteers can sign at this link: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0f4ca9ac22a5fa7-winter
** Wed, Nov 11th: No school. Veteran's Day holiday.
Upcoming @ ARPS:
**Tues, Nov 3rd. Amherst School Committee meeting, 6 pm, ARHS Library. The School Committee is expected to take a vote at the meeting on which proposed elementary school building option to support to the next stage. To find out more about the Amherst elementary school building study, you can visit the project's web page (here) or the district's Facebook page for the project.
The Wildwood PGO has created an online feedback form to encourage input from parents, teachers, school staff, & community members about the district's recommendation to consolidate the current three K-6 Amherst public elementary schools into two schools: a K-1 school at Crocker Farm (which also houses the district's preK program) & a grades 2-6 school at a location still tbd. The link to the Wildwood PGO's online feedback form is below, & the form is available in both English & Spanish. Those wanting to give feedback to the district about its recommendations can also email the Amherst School Committee at schoolcommittee@arps.org. Like the Wildwood PGO, the Crocker Farm PGO is taking no position on the building study & the district's recommendations, & is providing information on the project & the feedback form link only as a service to help our families learn more about the project & help them give an easy way to provide feedback should they care to do so.
Link to Wildwood PGO feedback form: http://wildwoodpgo.com/reconfiguration-feedback-form/
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