FSP Coffee with the Principal
We are the Parent/ Guardian Organization for the Amherst Regional Middle School. We strive to create a supportive and welcoming community for students, their families, teachers and administration by hosting events, organizing programs that foster a productive and positive environment; be a resource for information and engagement; and funding academic and ARMS community initiatives. Contact the PGO at armspgo@gmail.com
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Monday, January 28, 2013
Reminder: Rolling Green Fire Fund
On January 21, several families with students at ARMS, Fort River and Crocker Farm lost everything they owned in a fire at the Rolling Green Apartments. The ARPS community wants to support these families in any way possible. The most immediate way the community can help is with money donations in the form of personal checks or gift cards that can be used to purchase essentials. If the families need donations of clothing, furniture, and other household items in the future, the ARPS community will be notified.
If you want to help immediately, please donate in one of the following ways:
Personal Checks: Checks should be made payable to Rolling Green Fire Fund and delivered or mailed to Florence Savings Bank, 385 College Street, Amherst, MA.
Gift Cards: Gift cards from any local grocery or department store should be delivered to either ARMS, Fort River or Crocker Farm for distribution. They can be dropped off at the Principal’s Office or, at ARMS, students can deliver them to their advisors.
Thank you for your support and generosity!
PGO Meeting Postponed due to Weather
The PGO Meeting will be rescheduled to early next week. We will post date and time as soon as we have a room confirmation. Thanks!
Sunday, January 27, 2013
FSP Meeting Monday, Jan 28th 7 - 8PM ARMS Library
The FSP board invites you to attend informational, working meeting on Monday, January 28th from 7-8 pm in
the ARMS library. Agenda items include a proposed parent social, FSP
budget update, ARMS Teacher Appreciation lunch, a proposed ARMS Family
Activity Night and the 1st Annual ARMS Ultimate Tournament.
Rolling Green Fire Fund
- On January 21, several families with students at ARMS, Fort River and Crocker Farm lost everything they owned in a fire at the Rolling Green Apartments. The ARPS community wants to support these families in any way possible. The most immediate way the community can help is with money donations in the form of personal checks or gift cards that can be used to purchase essentials. If the families need donations of clothing, furniture, and other household items in the future, the ARPS community will be notified. If you want to help immediately, please donate in one of the following ways:
Personal Checks: Checks should be made payable to Rolling Green Fire Fund and delivered or mailed to Florence Savings Bank, 385 College Street, Amherst, MA.Gift Cards: Gift cards from any local grocery or department store should be delivered to either ARMS, Fort River or Crocker Farm for distribution. They can be dropped off at the Principal’s Office or, at ARMS, students can deliver them to their advisors.Thank you for your support and generosity!
K-12 Regionalization Planning Press Release
February 2 Report to Our Communities:
Consultants Sharing Findings in Relation to Exploration of Regionalization
Amherst, MA – January 25, 2013
On Saturday February 2, 2013 a “Report to Our Communities” meeting will be hosted by the Regional School District Planning Board (RSDPB) of Amherst, Leverett, Pelham and Shutesbury. This is an opportunity for the public to hear directly from consultants about their findings relative to possible regionalization of the four town’s elementary schools. The two consultants were tasked with providing information about current and potential finances and education. Mark Abrahams will present on financial matters and Malcolm Reid will present on educational matters. Time for audience questions about these reports will be provided. The session will be held at the Amherst Regional Middle School auditorium from 1:00 to 3:00 pm.
The RSDPB is guided by five key values: being good stewards; being fiscally responsible; providing ample opportunities for town and resident input; respecting and reflecting the culture of the different communities; and maintaining the best features of current schools and capitalizing on their strengths. As such, following the Report to Our Communities, the RSDPB has scheduled a forum in each of the four towns to gather feedback and facilitate further discussion. Beginning on February 13 through March 2, each town’s three-person Regional School District Planning Committee will host a forum for residents to provide feedback in advance of a recommendation by the RSDPB:
● Wednesday Feb. 13 in Amherst. 7:00pm in Amherst Regional High School library
● Wednesday Feb. 27 in Shutesbury. 6:30pm at Shutesbury Elementary School
● Thursday Feb. 28 Leverett. 6:30pm at Town Hall
● Saturday March 2 in Pelham. 10am in Library Community Room
On Saturday March 9, the RSDPB expects to vote whether or not to move forward in creating a region for elementary schools. Options under consideration are 1) not to regionalize elementary schools, 2) create a preK-6th grade region, or 3) expand the current 7-12 region to include grades preK-12. In all three options, the towns will continue to provide 7-12th grade education through the regional middle and high schools, a multi-town relationship that has resulted in successfully serving students for 58 years.
If the RSDPB votes to move forward in creating a preK-6th grade or preK-12th grade region, additional forums with residents will be held in approximately April, July, and October 2013 to gather information for the creation and revision of two documents required by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE): a Long Range Educational Plan and a Regional School District Agreement. If a regionalization proposal based on these documents is passed by voters in each Town in November 2013, all materials must be submitted to DESE by December 2013 for a new region to be established in July 2014, in advance of the school year beginning September 2014.
The Regional School District Planning Committees were created in 2011 by Town Meetings in each of the four towns to explore the topic of regionalizing at the elementary school level. The Town Moderators appointed three members to these committees. In June 2012, after meeting for six months to determine if a joint venture might be appropriate, the representatives unanimously voted to establish a four-town Regional School District Planning Board (RSDPB). Since July, the twelve board members and experts hired to provide analyses have been visiting all the elementary schools, interviewing school leadership, staff, PTO’s and school councils.
In describing why this exploration process is important, Andrew Steinberg, Chair of the Regional School District Planning Board (RSDPB) and Amherst Finance Committee Chair, stated, “Our communities are recognized for a long history and commitment to quality and effective education. Our towns have thrived because those before us created regional Middle and High Schools that are recognized for providing high quality education. Today, it is our turn and it is our responsibility to explore ways to continue this tradition for the benefit of our residents and coming generations of children and families.”
The four towns of Amherst, Leverett, Pelham and Shutesbury have shared a secondary region for grades 7-12 since 1955. Since then the four towns have sporadically explored regionalization for elementary grades in 1968, 1976, 1992, and 2009.
More information can be found at the RSDPB website - www.RegionalSchoolPlanning.com.
CONTACT:
Andrew Steinberg
Chair, Regional School District Planning Board
steinberg_a@msn.com
Hitching Post Road, Amherst
413-549-6826
Elaine Puleo
Vice Chair, Regional School District Planning Board
empuleo@gmail.com
Baker Road, Shutesbury, MA
(413) 259-1979
Consultants Sharing Findings in Relation to Exploration of Regionalization
Amherst, MA – January 25, 2013
On Saturday February 2, 2013 a “Report to Our Communities” meeting will be hosted by the Regional School District Planning Board (RSDPB) of Amherst, Leverett, Pelham and Shutesbury. This is an opportunity for the public to hear directly from consultants about their findings relative to possible regionalization of the four town’s elementary schools. The two consultants were tasked with providing information about current and potential finances and education. Mark Abrahams will present on financial matters and Malcolm Reid will present on educational matters. Time for audience questions about these reports will be provided. The session will be held at the Amherst Regional Middle School auditorium from 1:00 to 3:00 pm.
The RSDPB is guided by five key values: being good stewards; being fiscally responsible; providing ample opportunities for town and resident input; respecting and reflecting the culture of the different communities; and maintaining the best features of current schools and capitalizing on their strengths. As such, following the Report to Our Communities, the RSDPB has scheduled a forum in each of the four towns to gather feedback and facilitate further discussion. Beginning on February 13 through March 2, each town’s three-person Regional School District Planning Committee will host a forum for residents to provide feedback in advance of a recommendation by the RSDPB:
● Wednesday Feb. 13 in Amherst. 7:00pm in Amherst Regional High School library
● Wednesday Feb. 27 in Shutesbury. 6:30pm at Shutesbury Elementary School
● Thursday Feb. 28 Leverett. 6:30pm at Town Hall
● Saturday March 2 in Pelham. 10am in Library Community Room
On Saturday March 9, the RSDPB expects to vote whether or not to move forward in creating a region for elementary schools. Options under consideration are 1) not to regionalize elementary schools, 2) create a preK-6th grade region, or 3) expand the current 7-12 region to include grades preK-12. In all three options, the towns will continue to provide 7-12th grade education through the regional middle and high schools, a multi-town relationship that has resulted in successfully serving students for 58 years.
If the RSDPB votes to move forward in creating a preK-6th grade or preK-12th grade region, additional forums with residents will be held in approximately April, July, and October 2013 to gather information for the creation and revision of two documents required by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE): a Long Range Educational Plan and a Regional School District Agreement. If a regionalization proposal based on these documents is passed by voters in each Town in November 2013, all materials must be submitted to DESE by December 2013 for a new region to be established in July 2014, in advance of the school year beginning September 2014.
The Regional School District Planning Committees were created in 2011 by Town Meetings in each of the four towns to explore the topic of regionalizing at the elementary school level. The Town Moderators appointed three members to these committees. In June 2012, after meeting for six months to determine if a joint venture might be appropriate, the representatives unanimously voted to establish a four-town Regional School District Planning Board (RSDPB). Since July, the twelve board members and experts hired to provide analyses have been visiting all the elementary schools, interviewing school leadership, staff, PTO’s and school councils.
In describing why this exploration process is important, Andrew Steinberg, Chair of the Regional School District Planning Board (RSDPB) and Amherst Finance Committee Chair, stated, “Our communities are recognized for a long history and commitment to quality and effective education. Our towns have thrived because those before us created regional Middle and High Schools that are recognized for providing high quality education. Today, it is our turn and it is our responsibility to explore ways to continue this tradition for the benefit of our residents and coming generations of children and families.”
The four towns of Amherst, Leverett, Pelham and Shutesbury have shared a secondary region for grades 7-12 since 1955. Since then the four towns have sporadically explored regionalization for elementary grades in 1968, 1976, 1992, and 2009.
More information can be found at the RSDPB website - www.RegionalSchoolPlanning.com.
CONTACT:
Andrew Steinberg
Chair, Regional School District Planning Board
steinberg_a@msn.com
Hitching Post Road, Amherst
413-549-6826
Elaine Puleo
Vice Chair, Regional School District Planning Board
empuleo@gmail.com
Baker Road, Shutesbury, MA
(413) 259-1979
Monday, January 21, 2013
FSP Meeting Monday,Jan 28th at 7 PM
The FSP invites you to attend informational, working meeting on Monday, January 28th from 7-8 pm in the ARMS library. Agenda items include a proposed parent social, the Teacher Appreciation lunch, ARMS Family Activity Night and the 1st Annual ARMS Ultimate Tournament.
This Wednesday- Math Curriculum Discussion
There will be a Math Curriculum Discussion with Rhonda Cohen, Director of Teaching and Learning, on Wednesday, January 23 from 7-9 p.m. in the ARMS library.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Fund Established to Aid Victims of Amherst House Fire
Checks can be written to Peshkov Fire Fund and sent to:
Peshkov Fire Fund
c/o Umassfive College F.C.U.
200 Westgate Center Drive, P.O. Box 1060
Hadley, MA 01035-1060
Please contact Shannon Borrell (Borells@verizon.net) or Megan Rosa (Megan.rosa@comcast.net) for more information regarding the Peshkov Fire Fund.
Math Curriculum Discussion
There will be a Math Curriculum
Discussion with Rhonda Cohen,
Director of Teaching and Learning, on Wednesday, January 16 from 7-9 p.m. in
the ARMS library.
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