ARMS Summer Reading 2017

Dear families of rising 7th and 8th grade students, 

The Amherst Regional Middle School English Department and Library are excited to share with you our summer reading expectations! During the school year Independent Reading is an important and much-loved part of the English Language Arts curriculum at ARMS. We believe that Independent Reading:

Develops good, regular reading habits.Nurtures stamina.  Staying with a book requires concentration, something increasingly lacking in our high-tech culture.Is a way to pull back from the (at times) social craziness of middle school.Escaping into the world of a book builds empathy when you see beyond yourself and beyond the present moment (so important for our preadolescents). Allows students to see that there is power in identifying and seeing oneself in literature—you are not alone.Builds community by sharing good reads and talking about books together.Helps students solve problems with exposure to characters and situations that are new and different.Builds vocabulary.Creates better readers.  Better readers make better writers, speakers, thinkers and communicators. 

For Summer Reading, Please read 2 books over the 2017 summer. Any two books! Your choice!

In the fall, when we start school, your 7th or 8th grade English teacher will be asking you about the books you read this summer to kick off next year’s Independent Reading.

If you need ideas and are looking for good books to read, our ARMS Librarian Peter Riedel has compiled a list of excellent, current adolescent literature as well as some classic titles. These are only suggestionsfor those who aren’t sure what to read and want ideas- these are not required! This letter and the book ideas can also be found on the ARMS website. Local libraries, too, are ready to help you discover great summer reads.

Any questions?

Contact English Curriculum Leader Heather Sullivan-Flynn at Sullivan-FlynnH@arps.org

For the complete list of books in English click here.

Queridas familias de estudiantes de 7º y 8º grado,

El Departamento de Inglés de la Escuela Intermedia Regional DE Amherst y la Biblioteca están emocionados de compartir con ustedes nuestras expectativas de lectura de verano! Durante el año escolar, la Lectura Independiente es una parte importante y muy querida del plan de estudios de Artes del Lenguaje Inglés en ARMS. Creemos que la lectura independiente:

Desarrolla hábitos de lectura buenos y regulares.
Nutre la resistencia. Permanecer con un libro requiere concentración, algo cada vez más carente de nuestra cultura de alta tecnología.
Es una forma de alejarse de la (a veces) locura social de la escuela intermedia.▪Escapar al mundo de un libro construye empatía cuando ves más allá de ti mismo y más allá del momento presente (tan importante para nuestros pre adolescentes).
Permite que los estudiantes vean que hay poder en identificarse y verse en la literatura-no estás solo.
Construye comunidad compartiendo buenas lecturas y hablando de libros juntos.
Ayuda a los estudiantes a resolver problemas con la exposición a personajes y situaciones que son nuevas y diferentes.
Construye el vocabulario.
Crea mejores lectores. Los mejores lectores son mejores escritores, hablantes, pensadores y comunicadores.

Para la lectura de verano, por favor Leer 2 libros durante el verano de 2017. ¡Dos libros! ¡Tu elección!

En el otoño, cuando comencemos a ir a la escuela, su profesor de inglés de séptimo o octavo grado le preguntará acerca de los libros que lee este verano para dar inicio a la Lectura Independiente del próximo año.

Si necesita ideas y está buscando buenos libros para leer, nuestro bibliotecario de ARMS, Peter Riedel, ha recopilado una lista de excelentes, literatura actual de adolescentes, así como algunos títulos clásicos. Estas son solo sugerencias para aquellos que no saben qué leer y quieren ideas- ¡No son requeridos! Esta carta y las ideas para libros también se pueden encontrar en el sitio web de ARMS. Las bibliotecas locales, también, están listas para ayudarle a descubrir grandes lecturas de verano.

¿Alguna pregunta?

Contacto Líder inglés Curriculum Heather Sullivan-Flynn en Sullivan-FlynnH@arps.org

For the complete list of books in Spanish click here.

Summer Hours at the Jones Library

updates from the Jones Library staff: 

Summer hours will begin the first week of June. 

The library will be closed on Sundays for the summer, and earlier evening hours will have the library closing at 8:30 on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting on June 6th. 

For more information, visit our online calendar. 

Click here for Kids' Room schedule.

26th Annual Breakfast for Puffer's Pond this Saturday

Join the Friends of Puffer’s Pond for their 26th Annual Breakfast for Puffer’s Pond. All-you-can-eat pancake breakfast with live music, fabulous raffle prizes, and tons of community spirit!  

All Local and Whole Grain

All-you-can-eat pancake breakfast with real maple syrup
LOCAL FLOUR, EGGS, BUTTER, MILK, BLUEBERRIES & MAPLE SYRUP
*GLUTEN FREE OPTION AND LOCAL SAUSAGES*

Donation: $8.00 for adults, $6.00 for children, $5.00 extra for sausages

• All proceeds go directly to the cause
• FOUR GRILLS – LESS WAITING
• Raffle
• Tank tops, tote bags, and T-shirts available for purchase.
• Music to lighten your hearts by the Juggle Meadow String Band

Take this great opportunity to meet many of your neighbors. Last year more than 400 people joined in this amazing community event.

We hope to see you there! 

Mill River Recreation Area Route 63 (Montague Rd), North Amherst

Rain or Shine 

Saturday June 3rd from 8:30 am- 11:00 am

Click Here for Event Flyer

Click Here for Letter Version

Summer Ultimate League of Amherst

Join us for another exciting summer of Ultimate Frisbee. This league is geared for people who want to enjoy the thrill and excitement of ultimate Frisbee, regardless of experience level. All levels of ability will be welcomed to join. All players will be assigned their own team in this fun and competitive league! Register at LSSE.org and then sign up at SULADISC.COM

Price: $45 (Save $10 if you sign up before June 2nd!)

 

Time and Location: All Sessions start at 6:00 PM at Plum Brook Recreational Area

Junior SULA

Tuesdays, June 27th—August 8th

· Session A, Activities for Kids (Ages 7-8)

· Session B, Elementary Division (Ages 9-11)

· Session C, Middle School Division (Ages 12-14)

 

 Adult SULA

Session A

· Recreational Co-Ed (Ages 14+)

Thursdays, June 22nd—August 10th

Session B

· Competitive Co-Ed (Ages 15+)

Wednesdays, June 21st—August 9th

Session C

· Women Only (Ages 13+)

Mondays, June 19th—August 7th

 

Pelham PTO Sip & Support Auction

The Pelham Elementary PTO invites you to our Sip & Support Silent Auction fundraising event. The Silent Auction and wine tasting will be at the Amherst Farm Winery on Saturday June 10^th from 4-7 pm.  Participants will be able to choose from either a wine tasting, where they will get to choose 6 wines to taste from the many that are offered by the winery, or a glass of wine, or a beer. Heavy hors d'oeuvres will be served to accompany the wine. A silent auction will take place with bidding open until 6:30pm. 

Many thanks,

Pelham Elementary PTO

Amherst LWV Young Readers Day on July 26

The League of Women Voters Amherst is sponsoring a "Young Readers Day" at the annual book sale this summer on which all children who come will receive one free book. The 2017 Book Sale will be held at the Fort River School on South East Street.

Here are the important dates:

June 30 - July 18: Book donations at Fort River School ONLY

July 25: Children's Day for Summer Academy students at Crocker Farm School

July 26: Young Readers Day at Fort River School

July 28-30 (Friday-Sunday), 9-4: Sale open to the public

August 4-6 (Friday-Sunday), 9-4: Sale open to the public

Click here for a printable flyer.

ARPS Special Education Survey

Dear Parents/Guardians of Students with Special Education Services,

If you have not yet had a chance to complete the survey of our special education services, please consider taking some time to complete this now.   Below is the original email from May 9th about the survey with the link to the survey.

This year the Amherst, Pelham and Amherst-Pelham Regional School Districts have hired an independent consulting firm, Public Consulting Group, to conduct a survey of our special education services.

All parents/guardians of students who are currently on an IEP are asked to provide feedback through an anonymous survey.  Please know that your feedback will help to improve special education services across the district.  The survey should take approximately 15 minutes to complete. If you have more than one child currently on an IEP, we ask that you complete a separate survey for each child.

Please access the survey online until May 26th at:

http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/3532203/Special-Education-Parent-Guardian-Survey

If you have any questions, please check in the main office at your child’s school or call the Student Services Office at 413-362-1834.

Thank you in advance for your time and invaluable input.

Sincerely,

Dr. Michael Morris

Superintendent of Schools

ARMS Science Club in the News

The ARMS Science Club, under the direction of Team Y Science Teacher Jennifer Welborn, was featured in the Amherst Bulletin and Daily Hampshire Gazette this week.  To read the article, click here.

Conversation with ARMS Principal Dr. Bode next Monday

The topic for the May 22 "Conversation with the principal." It will be a Dialogue about Family Diversity Projects Advisory Curriculum with a focus on our current exhibit of "Pioneering Voices: Portraits of Transgender People." We are the first public school in the country to show this exhibit, and our staff has developed curriculum for our Advisory Groups, which Dr. Bode will be explaining. See attached newsletter here.

11th Annual Latino Achievement Night (LAN) Friday, May 19 at 6:30 p.m at ARMS Auditorium

Under the direction of Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Michael Morris and Director of Family and Student Engagement, Dr. Marta Guevara and in keeping with the Social Justice Commitment of the Amherst-Pelham Regional Public Schools, the 11th Annual Latino Achievement Night aspires toward equity in opportunity, inclusion, respect and community-building in and out of the classroom. All families, friends, staff and community members are invited to attend.

The Latino Achievement Night was envisioned over 12 years ago by the members of the Latino Student Achievement Initiative. This group, comprised of district students, staff and community members, came together to explore ways to increase the academic achievement of students of Latino heritage. A series of recommendations was formulated to address this critical issue and strengthen the district’s’ efforts to support at-promise students. A resulting step was the creation of a community event celebrating the achievements of Latino Students paralleling the customs of Latin American countries.

All students of Latino heritage will be celebrated in this event and those in transition

years (K, 6, 8 and 12) will be highlighted for their academic achievement, leadership,

community spirit, progress and/or effort. The evening’s program will include spoken

word, music and dance presentations by students and staff of the Amherst/Pelham

Elementary Schools and the Amherst-Pelham Regional Middle/High School. In

addition, ARHS Seniors will be presented with a traditional graduation stole to be worn

over their robes at the graduation ceremony in June.

The evening’s featured speaker will be Dr. Carmen Cosme. Dr. Cosme obtained her PhD

in Hispanic Languages and Linguistics from the Dept. of Languages, Literatures and

Cultures at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and is currently the VELA

after-school program coordinator in our Middle School.

Please contact Mildred Martinez at 413 362-1871 with any questions or concerns.

ARPS Special Education Services Family Survey

Dear Parents/Guardians of Students with Special Education Services,

This year the Amherst, Pelham and Amherst-Pelham Regional School Districts have hired an independent consulting firm, Public Consulting Group, to conduct a survey of our special education services. All parents/guardians of students who are currently on an IEP are asked to provide feedback through an anonymous survey. Please know that your feedback will help to improve special education services across the district. The survey should take approximately 15 minutes to complete. If you have more than one child currently on an IEP, we ask that you complete a separate survey for each child. Please access the survey online until May 26th at: http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/3532203/Special-Education-Parent-Guardian-Survey

If you have any questions, please check in the main office at your child’s school or call the Student Services Office at 413-362-1834. Thank you in advance for your time and invaluable input.

Sincerely,

Dr. Michael Morris

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Queridos Padres/ Guardianes de Estudiantes con Servicios de Educación Especial,

Este año Amherst, Pelham y los Distritos Escolares Regionales de Amherst-Pelham han empleado a una empresa de consultoría independiente para conducir una evaluación completa de nuestros servicios de educación especial. Se le está pidiendo a todos los padres/guardianes de estudiantes que están actualmente en un IEP que provean su opinión a través de una encuesta anónima. Por favor sepa que su opinión ayudará a mejorar los servicios de educación especial a través del distrito. La encuesta debería tomar aproximadamente 15 minutos para completar. Si usted tiene a más de un niño actualmente en un IEP, pedimos que usted complete una encuesta separada para cada niño. Por favor, tendrá acceso a la encuest a en línea hast a el 26 de m ayo Español:

Español: http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/3532203/Spanish

Inglés: http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/3532203/Special-Education-Parent-Guardian-Survey

Si usted tiene alguna pregunta, por favor valla a la oficina general de la escuela de su niño o llame a la Oficina de Educación Especial al 413-362-1834. Gracias de antemano por su tiempo y colaboración inestimable.

Sinceramente,

Dr. Michael Morris

Mark Your Calendars

May 22- PGO Conversation with Dr. Patty Bode
May 23- SMILES Dentist at ARMS 
May 24- T3 Progress reports mailed to families
May 25- Preseason Meeting for all students interested in ARHS Fall Football- 3 PM
May 29- Memorial Day- No School
June 7- Chorus 7 and 8 Combined MS Choruses Final Concert - 7:30 p.m.
June 15- Orchestra 7 and 8 Combined Final Concert- 7:30 PM
June 16- 8th Grade Social
June 19- 8th Grade Mill River Field Trip
June 20- Noon dismissal
June 21- Noon dismissal
June 22- Projected last day of school; noon dismissal

ARHS Girls Varsity Ultimate Fundraiser this Friday

This Friday, May 19th, get food any time between 11 am and 11 pm at the Amherst Bertucci's and mention to your server that you’re there for GVU (Girls Varsity Ultimate). Bertucci's will donate a portion of the proceeds from your bill to help us pay for our season. Thanks!

To view the flyer, click here.

Job Panel for Teens on May 25 at Amherst Survival Center

JOB PANEL FOR TEENS (ages 15-21 years)

TO BE HELD AT THE AMHERST SURVIVAL CENTER

THURSDAY, MAY 25, 2017, 5:30PM-6:30PM

For Release:               Immediate

Contact:                      Tracey Levy, Program Director 549-3968 ext 102

Amherst, MA – In collaboration with the Amherst Regional Public Schools Vocational Services and the Collaborative for Educational Services, the Amherst Survival Center will sponsor a Job Panel for Teens on Thursday, May 25 from 5:30-6:30pm. The Job Panel will include employers from the area and a teen who has successfully landed employment. This is part of the Amherst Survival Center’s job search support program, and the third event of its kind for teenagers in the community. 

The panel will include a guest speaker who is a manager at a local store who hires teens and other experts who can share with teens what employers look for when hiring youth and common mistakes to avoid while applying for jobs. The panel will also include a student who has successfully landed and kept a local job. The panel will answer questions and offer helpful hints about how to find a job.

No jobs will be offered at this event, but it is an opportunity to find out information and get support. 

The Amherst Survival Center offers a light dinner on Thursday evenings from 5:00pm to 6:00pm. Participants are welcome to join the center for dinner, and then attend this event.

“The Amherst Survival Center provides a series of programs that support community members to seek and find employment, including a weekly one-on-one service on Thursdays from 11:30am-1pm. All are welcome to use the service, the public computers at the Center, and shop in the Community Store for clothing needed for employment. “This is the third time we’ve organized this event specifically for youth, and we’re excited to be offering this kind of information support for them. There continues to be a need to support teens in this area,” said Tracey Levy, Program Director at the Center. 

The Amherst Survival connects residents of Hampshire and Franklin Counties to food, clothing, healthcare, wellness, and community, primarily through volunteers. There is also a session of its free walk-in health clinic on Thursdays from 4:30-5:30pm.

The Amherst Survival Center is located at 138 Sunderland Road, in North Amherst, on the #33 PVTA bus route.

SUGARLOAF YOUTH TRACK LEAGUE

SUGARLOAF YOUTH TRACK LEAGUE

Ages: 6-14

Dates: Thursday 5/25, 6/1, 6/8 and Friday 6/16, 6/23, 6/30

Time: 5:00 – 7:00 PM

Location: Amherst Regional High School Track

Price: $49

For more info please visit our website at www.lsse.org

Contact Sydney Henthorn, Sugarloaf Track League Director at shenthorn20@gmail.com

or Chris Johnson, Sports Director at LSSE, (413)259-3144  johnsonc@amherstma.gov

ARPS SEPAC Meeting Friday 9AM

ARPS Special Education Parent Advisory Council Meeting (SEPAC)
Representing: Pelham Elementary, Amherst Elementary, and Amherst Regional Schools  as well as students out of district.
Date: 5/12/17, Friday
Location:  Amherst Regional Middle School, Superintendent Conference Room

Time: 9:00am -10:30amARPS

Meeting is open to all in the community!

Executive Board Meeting Agenda:

Public Comment

Approve minutes from 3/3/17 and 4/7/17

Updates from Dr. Brady

Discuss elections for SEPAC Board

Update on math working group

Update on webpage

Update recognition program

Transportation

Update about Survey—discuss community outreach

Paraprofessional Training

Discuss transportation

Establish timeline for recognition program

Other

ARMS PGO Online Store Open until May 14!

Back by popular demand, the Amherst Regional Middle School PGO has reopened their online Amherst merchandise store – for two weeks only! In addition to popular items from the fall, we’ve added new items for spring and summer, including tank tops, shorts, windbreakers and new hats.  All shirts, sweatshirts, tank tops, and shorts are available in youth sizes as well as adult. Please see the attached flyer for photos of all the available items and ordering information.  

Please see the attached flyer and check out the store at https://amherstregionalmiddleschool.itemorder.com/sale

The deadline for orders is Sunday, May 14.  

Before the Flood Showing at ARMS - 5/16

The Leonardo DiCaprio documentary that examines how climate change affects us and what society can do about it. Learn more at  https://www.beforetheflood.com/

Tuesday, May 16

ARMS Auditorium

Doors open 6:30 to main lobby-gallery

Movie: 7:00-8:40

Refreshment sales will support the 7th Gr. Environmental Action Group.

Rated PG for thematic elements, some nude/suggestive art images, language and brief smoking.

On view in our ARMS Lobby Gallery

Pioneering Voices: Portraits of Transgender People

We invite all ARMS families to visit the photo-text exhibit featuring photographs and interviews with people of all ages who are transgender with some of their family members. Through first-person accounts and positive images, this exhibit seeks to challenge damaging myths and stereotypes about transgender people and to educate people about this marginalized, and often invisible group of people. This is a sequel to the photo exhibit and curriculum called “In Our Family” that all ARMS advisories studied in Jan-Feb 2017. An ARMS all-school curriculum engages students in respectful questioning and dialogue about this exhibit during Advisory classes. We welcome you with open ARMS to explore the exhibit.

SEPAC STARS to Special Education Students- Nominations due 5/13

Do you know of someone (student, parent, staff, community member, etc.) who you would like to recognize for their dedication, creativity, patience, and determination in helping students who receive special education to experience success?

The Amherst-Pelham Regional Schools SEPAC encourages you to nominate such excellence in our learning community so that we may all publicly thank these individuals for the important way they influence our students.  Honorees will be celebrated at an awards ceremony: Cookies, Cupcakes, and Kudos on June 15th (more details are forthcoming).  

Please email the completed Nomination Form (attached here in English and Spanish) and Nomination Statement to: SEPAC@ARPS.ORG

or mail to: 

ARPS, Student Services Office, 170 Chestnut Street, Amherst, MA 01002

All nomination information must be received by Saturday May 13, 2017

STARS to Special Education Students_English 

STARS to Special Education Students_Spanish