Mark Your Calendars

• September 26: Team K field trip
• September 28: Team L field trip to Springfield Museums
• September 28: Open House 6:30-8:30 pm
• October 9: No school - Indigenous Peoples Day
• October 18: Early Release Day

Support ARMS, Stop & Shop A+ Rewards Program

The Stop and Shop A+ rewards program is starting up this month! Last year ARMS received over $1,200 through this great effortless fundraising program. To support ARMS, here are the simple steps to follow:

1. You need your 13-digit STOP & SHOP CARD number found on the back of the card
   
2. Visit www.stopandshop.com, click on SIGN IN (top right) to log on to your online account or click REGISTER to create your online account.
   
3. Once you are logged in to your account, click on My Account / Manage My Account / Rewards and Savings, and then select ARMS (ID 05171) for A+ Rewards

OR...You can call Consumer Affairs at 1-877-366-2668 and select Option #1.

If you have a STOP & SHOP CARD but do not know your 13-digit card number, call the STOP & SHOP CARD HOTLINE at 1-877-366-2668 and select Option #1. The representatives will be able to provide you your card number and register you for ARMS (ID 05171).

If you need a STOP & SHOP CARD, please visit your local store to obtain one or click here: I NEED A STOP & SHOP CARD.

If you selected to support ARMS last year you don't need to re-register, but older registrations may have expired.

By logging on you can switch your support from another school to ARMS.

You can select up to two schools to share your rewards points.

Once a card is registered, purchases made from all Stop & Shop stores will benefit ARMS, including purchases from stores in Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island! Purchases on Peapod.com can also earn A+ School Rewards points! Just be sure to register your Stop & Shop Card on your Peapod account and be sure to register your card to ARMS (ID 05171). 

Please forward this information to relatives and friends, near and far, and encourage them to support our school by registering their cards.

PGO Committee Members Needed!

We are looking for a few people to round out our two major PGO committees this year:

1. The Grants Committee. This committee meets three times per year to review grant applications from teachers/staff and student groups and make decisions about funding allocations. The meetings take place at some point within the two weeks after the application deadline from each of the three grant rounds. This year, those deadlines are Sept. 22, Dec. 6, and March 14. In the week prior to the meeting, you will be sent the applications by email, to review them in advance of the meeting.
   
2. The Educator Award Committee. This committee will meet a couple of times in the spring to review nominations for the ARMS Educator Award and choose a winner. 

If you are interested, please contact us at armspgo@gmail.com

Amherst A Better Chance Fall Foliage 5k Walk/Run, Oct. 14

Please join us for the 46th annual Amherst A Better Chance Fall Foliage 5k Walk/Run on Saturday, October 14th. The Amherst Town Common will be full of fun, family activities as walkers and runners finish the race. The course is a beautiful loop through scenic countryside during peak foliage! All levels of participation are encouraged. Bring the whole family!

Anyone who pre-registers by October 7th will be guaranteed an event t-shirt. All registrants will receive a free meal post-race and there will be lots of great prizes.

We have special rates for children, families and teams! Hope to see you there!

For more details and to register, visit: www.amherstabetterchance.org/fallfoliagewalkrun/

Contact: Kursten Holabird, kurstenh@gmail.com

23rd Annual AEF Trivia Bee, 10/26

Amherst Education Foundation (AEF) is hosting its 23rd annual Trivia Bee on October 26 in the Middle School auditorium and is thrilled to announce that we have added a new round for kids ages 14 and under. State Representative Solomon Goldstein-Rose will emcee the event, and we will have local community leaders act as judges for the prizes. 

As with the adult rounds, participants will compete in teams of 4 and are encouraged to come up with a team name and wear costumes. We will have special prizes for best costumes, best spirit, and more.. The Kids Round will run from 6:00pm-7:00pm.

AEF is a nonprofit organization that gives grants to teachers and administrators in the ARPS district, and the Trivia Bee is one of our most fun events and successful events. We are actively seeking business sponsorships to fund the teams. However, interested parents are invited to fund a team as well. 

To register a team, please email Meg Rosa at megrosa78@gmail.com. For sponsorship information, please see form below.

Thank you for supporting AEF, and we look forward to seeing you on October 26.

Thank you,
Becky Michaels
Co-President, Amherst Education Foundation

Girls Try Hockey for Free Day, 10/8

The Amherst Hockey Association is hosting a Girls Try Hockey for Free Day at the UMass Mullins Center Community Rink Sunday, October 8 from 11 a.m. to 1:20 p.m. For girls ages 4 and up. No skating experience required. Free skate rentals; bring winter gloves and a bicycle or hockey helmet. Save time at the door by pre-registering: http://gthff.amhersthockey.org

Mark Your Calendars

• September 19: Picture Day
• September 20: Early Release Day (school ends at 12:00 noon)
• September 26: Team K field trip
• September 28: Team L field trip to Springfield Museums
• September 28: Open House 6:30-8:30 pm
• October 9: No school - Indigenous Peoples Day
• October 18: Early Release Day

PGO Committee Members Needed!

We are looking for a few people to round out our two major PGO committees this year:

1. The Grants Committee. This committee meets three times per year to review grant applications from teachers/staff and student groups and make decisions about funding allocations. The meetings take place at some point within the two weeks after the application deadline from each of the three grant rounds. This year, those deadlines are Sept. 22, Dec. 6, and March 14. In the week prior to the meeting, you will be sent the applications by email, to review them in advance of the meeting.
   
2. The Educator Award Committee. This committee will meet a couple of times in the spring to review nominations for the ARMS Educator Award and choose a winner. 

If you are interested, please contact us at armspgo@gmail.com

Support ARMS, Sign up for Stop & Shop A+ Rewards

Did you know that you can support the ARMS PGO every time you shop at Stop & Shop? All you need to do is register your Stop & Shop card and designate ARMS as a school you wish to support. All funds raised are used to fund our Teacher and Staff grants program, which provides funding for additional enrichment activities for our kids. 

It’s easy to sign up. You can register your card online at https://stopandshop.com/school-rewards/ The ARMS 5-digit school code is 05171. Or, if you prefer, you can send us the 13-digit number on your card, along with the name that the card is registered under, to armspgo@gmail.com, and we will sign you up.

Note: You can designate ARMS and one other school to earn your bonus bucks, so if you are already registered for one school, you can add us on as well.

Amherst A Better Chance Fall Foliage 5k Walk/Run, Oct. 14

Please join us for the 46th annual Amherst A Better Chance Fall Foliage 5k Walk/Run on Saturday, October 14th. The Amherst Town Common will be full of fun, family activities as walkers and runners finish the race. The course is a beautiful loop through scenic countryside during peak foliage! All levels of participation are encouraged. Bring the whole family!

Anyone who pre-registers by October 7th will be guaranteed an event t-shirt. All registrants will receive a free meal post-race and there will be lots of great prizes.

We have special rates for children, families and teams! Hope to see you there!

For more details and to register, visit: www.amherstabetterchance.org/fallfoliagewalkrun/

Contact: Kursten Holabird, kurstenh@gmail.com

Volunteers Wanted, Not Bread Alone

Amherst's free community meal program, Not Bread Alone, seeks volunteers with vehicles and a willingness to pick up groceries outside Whole Foods on Saturday mornings. 

It is about a two hour job. The volunteers go to the loading dock behind the store and load up the groceries that Whole Foods has put outside on their loading dock. Then the volunteers bring the groceries to the First Congregation Church in the center of Amherst where other volunteers will help them to bring the groceries into the dining room. Usually, the volunteers arrive at Whole Foods at 9:15 or 9:30 am and they have left Not Bread Alone by 10:30. A larger vehicle is very helpful but some volunteers have done it regularly with two sedans. The volunteers need to be able to lift and carry boxes of produce and large bags of loaves of bread, etc.

A willingness to do this one Saturday a month would be ideal but a willingness to do it once to see what it is like would also be helpful. Thank you for considering doing this service for our community!

Not Bread Alone, RStover@CHD.ORG

Mark Your Calendars

Mark your calendars for the following school-related events and happenings:

• September 11:  Team A Parent/Student Brown-bag Lunch Meeting  11:55 am - 1:05 pm
• September 12:  Team B Parent/Student Brown-bag Lunch Meeting  11:55 am - 1:05 pm
• September 12:  ARMS Back-to-school picnic  5:30-7:00 pm
• September 19:  Picture Day
• September 20:  Early Release Day (school ends at 12:00 noon)
• September 26:  Team K field trip
• September 28:  Team L field trip to Springfield Museums
• September 28:  Open House 6:30-8:30 pm
• October 9: No school - Indigenous Peoples Day
• October 18: Early Release Day

A Warm Welcome from the ARMS PGO!

Welcome from the ARMS PGO

Welcome to the academic year 2017-2018 at Amherst Regional Middle School. The ARMS PGO parent newsletter will arrive in your inbox every Monday morning, with information about upcoming school events, PGO activities, schedules, community events, and more. You can contact us at armspgo@gmail.com. if you have any questions or concerns, or would like to volunteer to help with PGO events and activities.

Like us on Facebook
Please like us on Facebook to stay up to date on PGO happenings: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100007527888028


Back-to-School Picnic
The annual ARMS back-to-school picnic is Tuesday, September 12, from 5:30 to 7:00 pm on the ARMS fields. The picnic is free for all ARMS families.  Bring your own picnic dinner, and enjoy an evening of food and fun with old friends and new. Enjoy free ice cream, provided by the PGO, and enter to win one of several local raffle prizes. Every person who attends will get one free raffle ticket.

PGO meeting
Our first ARMS PGO meeting will take place on Friday, September 15, at noon, at The Works, 48 N Pleasant Street in downtown Amherst.  Please join us to learn how you can get involved in PGO activities and help support our school.  If you are interested in being a part of the PGO but can’t attend this meeting, let us know at armspgo@gmail.com.

Notes from Patty Bode, ARMS Interim Principal

ARMS is on Facebook! Please like our page, ARMS Amherst-Pelham Regional Middle School at:  https://www.facebook.com/ARMS-Amherst-Pelham-Regional-Middle-School-135339037082403/

Parent/Student Meetings & Brown Bag lunch for 8th grade: Sept 11, Monday for Team A  and Sept 12, Tuesday for Team B. Please join us at 11:55-12:25 to bring-your-own-lunch and have lunch with your 8th grader. Then please join us in the auditorium for our meet-the-teachers and hear details about the school year from 12:30-1:05. 




The ARMS PGO Picnic is this Tuesday, Sept 12 from 5:30 - 7:00pm, outdoors on the playing fields near the gym-end of the building. Hang out and meet new friends, and reconnect with ARMS families. Bring your own picnic! Free ice cream!

Crayfish in 7th grade science class! Meet our creature-friends with whom we will be doing close observation, comparing quantitative data and qualitative data and integrated art - studying detail in nature drawing. One of the many ways we cultivate engaged and curious learners at ARMS!


Patty Bode, Interim Principal
Amherst Regional Middle School/ARMS
413-362-1850

Auditions for Beauty & the Beast, 9/15-18

Amherst Leisure Services Community Theater (ALSCT) is creating a fabulous, large-scale musical, with lavish sets and costumes, a full live orchestra, and enthusiastic audiences fill the 600-seat UMass Bowker Auditorium for nine performances in January. This year, we’ll be presenting Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, the classic “tale as old as time”. Actors, singers, and dancers ages 7-107 are encouraged to audition!

AUDITIONS: Friday, Sept. 15th, Saturday, Sept. 16th, Sunday, Sept. 17th
Callbacks Monday, September 18th

This is an incredible experience, and I encourage you to let your students know about it. I've attached a flyer with the info—and we’d love it if you could print it out and post it, include it on your website or in your announcements, or hand it to kids who are interested. Thanks so much! If you have questions, just email me at sbraker2@gmail.com