May you have a marvelous, magical time with your families and friends during vacation. Back to school on January 5, 2009!
Click here to see 2009 Crocker Farm events for your new calendars.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Happy Holidays To All!
May you have a marvelous, magical time with your families and friends during vacation. Back to school on January 5, 2009!
Click here to see 2009 Crocker Farm events for your new calendars.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Gazette story: Reorganization
Panel convened in Amherst to look at options for schools
By mcarey
Created 12/22/2008 - 05:22
AMHERST- A newly-formed committee will meet on Dec. 29 and Dec. 30 to discuss possible elementary school reorganization plans before the public and School Committee weigh in next month.
In the interest of trimming costs in face of a projected $1.2 million elementary schools budget shortfall, Interim Co-superintendent Helen Vivian has said she believes it is time to pursue one of several reorganization scenarios discussed in recent years.
The idea of pairing the four elementary schools and having children in lower grades attend one of the schools in each pair with children in the higher grades attending the other appeared to be the most viable plan, Vivian said earlier this month.
She suggested Fort River might be paired with Crocker Farm and Mark's Meadow with Wildwood. That move could save up to $400,000, because the number of classes could be reduced by four or five, Vivian said.
The committee will also consider three other options, including not reorganizing the schools, closing Mark's Meadow and creating three kindergarten-through-fourth grade schools and one intermediate school for fifth and sixth graders.
Committee members include Amherst School Committee Chairman Andrew Churchill and member Catherine Sanderson, the four elementary school principals, co-superintendents and parents and teachers from each of the schools.
"I can't think of anything that creates more concern for parents than change involving the structure and organization of the elementary schools. It's obviously something that is anxiety-provoking for children, teachers and parents," Sanderson, a parent of three elementary school children, said.
Vivian, in a prepared statement, said that the magnitude of the projected budget shortfall would mean that "small steps such as raising fees, cutting school buses, and other commonly suggested steps will not be sufficient" to close the gap.
If reorganizing the elementary schools does not prove possible or if it does not result in substantial savings, class sizes would likely be larger and cuts deeper, Vivian said.
Even if the pairing plan produced savings of $400,000 there would still be a "sobering" amount to cut, Vivian said.
Sanderson and Churchill as well as school principals, teachers, parents and former Supt. Jere Hochman served on a committee, last year, that weighed various reorganization options. An executive summary of its report can be seen at https://www.arps.org/node/70 [1] .
The district also commissioned a study in 2007 by the New England School Development Council (NESDEC) evaluating the current school configuration.
Data from both efforts will be used in the decision-making process.
Among the data Sanderson said would be important to weigh are comparative cost savings, how long children would be on buses and the socio-economic and ethnic distribution of the schools' populations under the reconfiguration plans.
Currently, the schools have very different profiles. About half of students at Crocker Farm qualify for free and reduced lunch, a much higher percentage than at the other schools, for example. Students are also voluntarily bussed outside their neighborhoods depending on their first language.
Spanish-speaking students are invited to attend Crocker Farm, while Khmer-speaking students may attend Fort River, Chinese-speaking students Wildwood and Korean speakers Mark's Meadow.
Mary Carey can be reached at mary.carey@att.net [2].
Daily Hampshire Gazette © 2008 All rights reserved
By mcarey
Created 12/22/2008 - 05:22
AMHERST- A newly-formed committee will meet on Dec. 29 and Dec. 30 to discuss possible elementary school reorganization plans before the public and School Committee weigh in next month.
In the interest of trimming costs in face of a projected $1.2 million elementary schools budget shortfall, Interim Co-superintendent Helen Vivian has said she believes it is time to pursue one of several reorganization scenarios discussed in recent years.
The idea of pairing the four elementary schools and having children in lower grades attend one of the schools in each pair with children in the higher grades attending the other appeared to be the most viable plan, Vivian said earlier this month.
She suggested Fort River might be paired with Crocker Farm and Mark's Meadow with Wildwood. That move could save up to $400,000, because the number of classes could be reduced by four or five, Vivian said.
The committee will also consider three other options, including not reorganizing the schools, closing Mark's Meadow and creating three kindergarten-through-fourth grade schools and one intermediate school for fifth and sixth graders.
Committee members include Amherst School Committee Chairman Andrew Churchill and member Catherine Sanderson, the four elementary school principals, co-superintendents and parents and teachers from each of the schools.
"I can't think of anything that creates more concern for parents than change involving the structure and organization of the elementary schools. It's obviously something that is anxiety-provoking for children, teachers and parents," Sanderson, a parent of three elementary school children, said.
Vivian, in a prepared statement, said that the magnitude of the projected budget shortfall would mean that "small steps such as raising fees, cutting school buses, and other commonly suggested steps will not be sufficient" to close the gap.
If reorganizing the elementary schools does not prove possible or if it does not result in substantial savings, class sizes would likely be larger and cuts deeper, Vivian said.
Even if the pairing plan produced savings of $400,000 there would still be a "sobering" amount to cut, Vivian said.
Sanderson and Churchill as well as school principals, teachers, parents and former Supt. Jere Hochman served on a committee, last year, that weighed various reorganization options. An executive summary of its report can be seen at https://www.arps.org/node/70 [1] .
The district also commissioned a study in 2007 by the New England School Development Council (NESDEC) evaluating the current school configuration.
Data from both efforts will be used in the decision-making process.
Among the data Sanderson said would be important to weigh are comparative cost savings, how long children would be on buses and the socio-economic and ethnic distribution of the schools' populations under the reconfiguration plans.
Currently, the schools have very different profiles. About half of students at Crocker Farm qualify for free and reduced lunch, a much higher percentage than at the other schools, for example. Students are also voluntarily bussed outside their neighborhoods depending on their first language.
Spanish-speaking students are invited to attend Crocker Farm, while Khmer-speaking students may attend Fort River, Chinese-speaking students Wildwood and Korean speakers Mark's Meadow.
Mary Carey can be reached at mary.carey@att.net [2].
Daily Hampshire Gazette © 2008 All rights reserved
Thursday, December 18, 2008
What a Great Show!
Thank you to Ms. Zsigmondi and all of the wonderful singers, dancers and musicians who put on a fantastic and uplifting show today. There's a whole lot of talent at Crocker Farm! Hope you got a chance to enjoy it too.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Wednesday: 1 Hour Delay this morning.
Have your kids at the bus stop 1 hour after their normal pick up time.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Can You Spare 20 Minutes To Help?
Looking for parent volunteers to assist in rinsing the milk cartons to be recycled on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The ideal time is during the last lunch period (12:45 ish) for about 20 minutes. Please contact Ricci Mastroianni at mastroiannir@arps.org if you can help. Thank you.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Studying School Reorganization
Last year a committee made up of educators and parents worked at examining possible reorganization options for the elementary schools. The Executive Summary of the report is on the school website here. If you would like to see the full 15 page report, email me and I'll send it to you. clarebertrand@comcast.net
Within a few weeks the Superintendent's will be holding further meetings to examine the feasibility of moving forward with some form of reorganization and if you would like to be a part of it or have any ideas, or questions and concerns, please email them directly vivianh@arps.org
Three Cheers For Our Teachers
Amherst Education FOUNDATION (AEF) Development committee introduces:
Three Cheers For Our Teachers
Sure, there are a thousand reasons to thank a teacher this holiday season, but here are three to get you started:
If you make a gift in honor of a teacher (or up to three) by December 31, AEF will: 1) match all contributions from new donors, 2) notify teachers of your generosity in their honor, and 3) send you a receipt for your tax-deductible contribution to the Amherst Education Foundation, Inc.
You can log onto AEF's website or simply mail your donation to AEF
P.O. Box 2237. Amherst, MA 01004.
Three Cheers For Our Teachers
Sure, there are a thousand reasons to thank a teacher this holiday season, but here are three to get you started:
If you make a gift in honor of a teacher (or up to three) by December 31, AEF will: 1) match all contributions from new donors, 2) notify teachers of your generosity in their honor, and 3) send you a receipt for your tax-deductible contribution to the Amherst Education Foundation, Inc.
You can log onto AEF's website or simply mail your donation to AEF
P.O. Box 2237. Amherst, MA 01004.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Amherstopoly Update
The committee working on the Amherstopoly board game has already made a number of connections to Amherst businesses and is in the process of reserving spaces! Now we are looking for help from our school communities!
1. Look through this list below. If you have a personal connection to any of the businesses listed here please get in touch with Becky Demling and she will give you the information you need to approach them about this wonderful and unique marketing opportunity!
2. If you know of a business that's not on this list let Becky know. We may have contacted them already, but we may need to add them to the list!
Thank you,
Becky (beckydemling@yahoo.com, 230-3306)
Alan Nathanson Sharpe, Atty at Law / Albano & Szumowski, P.C. / All About Learning / Amherst Chinese / Amherst Coffee / Amherst Family Practice / Amherst Insurance / Amherst Martial Arts / Amherst Wine and Spirits / Applewood Retirement Community / Arigato Sushi / Attorney Julia Rueschemeyer / Avicenna Skin Care Studio / Bank of Western MA / Blair Cutting and Smith Insurance / Charlies Pub / Chez Albert / China Dynasty / CISA Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture / Clays Clothing Store / Crazy Noodles / Egan, Flanagan and Cohen, P. C. / Elements Hot Tub and Spa / Felicity Hardee/ Bulkley, Richardson, and Gelinas, LLP / Florence Savings Bank / Fresh Side / Greenfield Coop / Greenfield Savings / Hair by Harlow / Henion Bakery / J. Austin Antiques / Jonathan A. Abbott, Esq. / Knowles Flower Shop / La Veracruzana Mexican Restaurant / Laughing Dog Bike Shop / Law Office of Lawrence J. Farber / Law Offices of Gary D. Gruber / Lone Wolf Restaurant / Loose Goose Café / Mary G. Klaes- Attorney & Mediator / Matthieu J. Massengill, P.C. / Moan & Dove / Monkey Bar & Grill / Northampton Savings / Panda East Chinese Restaurant / Paradise of India / Pasta e Basta / Pearson Evaluation Systems / Peoples Bank / Pioneer Valley Driving School / Princeton Review Testing / Rafters / Robert E. Young, Attorney at Law / Shaolin Kung Fu of Amherst / Silverscape Designs / Souper Bowl / Stamell Stringed Instruments / Stanley Kaplan Testing / T.D. BankNorth / Teagno Construction / Teryaki House / Thai Corner / The Amherst Grocery Store / The Hangar / The Pub Restaurant / The Spoke / The Sub / Valley Medical Group / Yoga Center Amherst / Ziomek & Ziomek, Attorneys at Law / UMASS Five College Credit Union
1. Look through this list below. If you have a personal connection to any of the businesses listed here please get in touch with Becky Demling and she will give you the information you need to approach them about this wonderful and unique marketing opportunity!
2. If you know of a business that's not on this list let Becky know. We may have contacted them already, but we may need to add them to the list!
Thank you,
Becky (beckydemling@yahoo.com, 230-3306)
Alan Nathanson Sharpe, Atty at Law / Albano & Szumowski, P.C. / All About Learning / Amherst Chinese / Amherst Coffee / Amherst Family Practice / Amherst Insurance / Amherst Martial Arts / Amherst Wine and Spirits / Applewood Retirement Community / Arigato Sushi / Attorney Julia Rueschemeyer / Avicenna Skin Care Studio / Bank of Western MA / Blair Cutting and Smith Insurance / Charlies Pub / Chez Albert / China Dynasty / CISA Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture / Clays Clothing Store / Crazy Noodles / Egan, Flanagan and Cohen, P. C. / Elements Hot Tub and Spa / Felicity Hardee/ Bulkley, Richardson, and Gelinas, LLP / Florence Savings Bank / Fresh Side / Greenfield Coop / Greenfield Savings / Hair by Harlow / Henion Bakery / J. Austin Antiques / Jonathan A. Abbott, Esq. / Knowles Flower Shop / La Veracruzana Mexican Restaurant / Laughing Dog Bike Shop / Law Office of Lawrence J. Farber / Law Offices of Gary D. Gruber / Lone Wolf Restaurant / Loose Goose Café / Mary G. Klaes- Attorney & Mediator / Matthieu J. Massengill, P.C. / Moan & Dove / Monkey Bar & Grill / Northampton Savings / Panda East Chinese Restaurant / Paradise of India / Pasta e Basta / Pearson Evaluation Systems / Peoples Bank / Pioneer Valley Driving School / Princeton Review Testing / Rafters / Robert E. Young, Attorney at Law / Shaolin Kung Fu of Amherst / Silverscape Designs / Souper Bowl / Stamell Stringed Instruments / Stanley Kaplan Testing / T.D. BankNorth / Teagno Construction / Teryaki House / Thai Corner / The Amherst Grocery Store / The Hangar / The Pub Restaurant / The Spoke / The Sub / Valley Medical Group / Yoga Center Amherst / Ziomek & Ziomek, Attorneys at Law / UMASS Five College Credit Union
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