Virtual programming for teens at the Jones Library

Teens and tweens (ages 11-17) who participate in our virtual programming will be entered into a weekly raffle to win a $5 gift card to Antonio's pizza. Each week there will be multiple opportunities to participate! This week you can earn up to 4 raffle entries: 

1. Fortnight Art Challenge: Make a comic! Every two weeks we come up with a new art challenge. The current challenge is making a comic. Choose your favorite medium (pencil, ink, digital, etc) and make a comic. It can be a single panel or a comic strip. It can be about COVID-19 or anything! 
2. Quarantine Cuisine: What's cooking? What kinds of meals are you making while stuck at home? Are you enjoying any local takeout? Email photos and a brief description and we'll share in on our social media to help inspire other teens!
3. Coronavirus Novels: Book reviews Are you reading any good (or bad?) YA novels or graphic novels in your free time? Send us a quick review! It can be written or recorded. We want to hear about what you're reading!
4. Fortnight Art Challenge: Throwback! Complete any of the previous art challenges (book cover remix, peep art, a view from your window) and email us your artwork!

Email submissions to teens@joneslibrary.org and include your full name and age to be entered into the raffle. One lucky winner will be chosen each week and emailed a gift certificate for some delicious local pizza! Follow along with our virtual programming over on our Teen Instagram and watch out for bonus opportunities to get an extra raffle entry.

Not a School Sponsored Event

Kendrick Park playground

The Town of Amherst is designing a playground for the children of 

Amherst, to be located in Kendrick Park.  The Planning Department, LSSE 

and DPW staff are working together to prepare a design, with input from 

the public.  During the summer of 2019 the Town of Amherst applied for a 

PARC grant from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and was awarded 

$400,000.  In the fall CPAC (Community Preservation Act Committee) and 

the Town Council voted to match this grant with about $260,000 from town 

funds to build a playground that will serve Downtown Amherst.   Despite 

the covid-19 pandemic, work is proceeding, and LSSE and the Planning 

Department want to hear from you before a design is finalized in the 

next couple of months!  

Please see 

https://www.amherstma.gov/3527/Kendrick-Park-2020 for more information, 

including the preliminary design that was presented to the Planning 

Board  in March, 2020, and a link for submitting comments.

Not a School Sponsored Event

The Town of Amherst- Kids Art Contest

Not a School Sponsored Event

Internet Access for All Students - The Campaign was a Success!

Dear Family and Friends,

In early April, the ARMS PGO joined with the other ARPS PGOs to organize a fundraiser to ensure that all Amherst and Amherst Regional public school students would have home wifi access during the school shutdown.  Thanks to the generosity of our community, we raised over $45,000 - enough to cover the costs not only for the rest of this school year, but for next year as well. These funds will help close the digital divide and provide more equitable educational access for all ARPS students. 

The PGOs received over 235 donations of all sizes. Our major donors include the Norwottuck Fish and Game Association ($8,000), the Beveridge Family Foundation ($5,000), and the Amherst Pelham Education Association ($2,000), which represents ARPS educators and staff.  Collectively, the elementary and secondary school PGOs gave over $5,500. Thanks to all who supported our fundraiser and helped get the word out. 

To see a full list of donors, please visit arps-pgo.blogspot.com or https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/arps-pgo

If you are able and would like to give further to support our local community, here are two nonprofits that need help during these challenging times:

Give to the Amherst Survival Center’s COVID-19 Response Fund.  As unemployment reaches record highs, the number of households requesting Survival Center services, including hot meals and groceries, has quadrupled and will no doubt continue to grow. Direct financial contributions give them the flexibility to respond to these increasing needs.

Donate to the Downtown Amherst Foundation Relief and Resiliency Microgrant Program.  The Amherst Business Improvement District (Amherst BID)  has created the Downtown Amherst Foundation and is looking to raise $500,000 to support local small businesses that have been forced to close or reduce services due to COVID-19. In a recent BID survey, two dozen Amherst restaurants and other businesses indicated that they may need to close permanently if they can’t get economic support.

Amherst Foundation Downtown Amherst Foundation

Thank you and stay healthy.

Attachments area

Fundraiser Success! Thank you!

Dear families and friends,

Over the weekend, we reached our $45,000 goal on the home wifi fundraiser!  Your generous donations and care for our community
helped students obtain the equipment they need to keep on learning and to stay connected to school.  We appreciate you!

At this time, we are no longer taking donations on our GoFundme page, and again, we thank you.

Stay well, and keep up the ARMS spirit!
The ARMS PGO

ARPS PGO Fundraiser for Home WiFi for All Students - Nearing Its Goal!

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Fewer than ten days ago the ARPS PGO organized a fundraiser to provide home wifi access for all Amherst public school students during the school shutdown. They are thrilled that the community has responded so quickly and generously to their request and have now expanded the fundraising campaign to ensure that our students have home internet access to support their learning next school year, too. The ARPS PGO needs less than $4,000 more to reach their $45,000 goal. If you are able to donate, please go to charity.gofundme.com/arps-pgo or mail a check made out to the ARPS PGO to Tracy Zafian, ARPS PGO Treasurer, 51 Blue Hills Road, Amherst, MA 01002. Thanks for your support!

FUNDRAISER FOR ARPS' INTERNET ACCESS FOR ALL STUDENTS INITIATIVE- Campaign Goal Extended!

Dear ARMS Families,

In collaboration with all of the other ARPS school PGOs, we launched a fundraiser on April 3 to provide wifi routers and data plans to families in the ARPS district who did not have home internet service. (See Below). With the community’s support we reached our goal of $25,000 in just 4 days - wow!  We thank everyone who has contributed so generously to our campaign at such a critical time. 

However, we now understand that the need for home wifi access for students will extend well beyond this school year, especially for middle school and high school students. After speaking with the ARPS school district, we have extended our campaign goal to $45,000 to help fund this longer-term need. This goal is based on expected costs for next school year. 

We know there are many local families struggling right now, as well as other critical needs in our community and are grateful for all donations. We appreciate you helping us close the digital divide and your support for more equitable access to learning at home.  Thank you again!   Donate Online Here:  https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/arps-pgo

Keep up the ARMS spirit!

The PGO team

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Students need internet access in their homes in order to fully benefit from the distance learning now being offered by our public schools in this time of crisis - but we know that about 100 families in the Amherst Regional school district do not have the financial means to pay for it. We’re asking for your help in closing this gap as soon as possible.

With public schools closed until May 4, and quite possibly longer, the state is requiring school districts to provide distance learning opportunities to all students. Having no internet access at home is a major barrier to accessing this learning.   Based on this state mandate, and in support of the district’s equity goals, the ARPS District is loaning mobile wifi hotspots with monthly data plans to families unable to pay for them (as well as Chromebooks if needed) so that all students can fully participate in the district’s online classes and class meetings for as long as our school buildings remain closed. 

The district estimates the cost of these hotspots and monthly data will be close to $25,000. The ARPS PGOs are helping the district by raising money to contribute to the cost. This is an unexpected, unprecedented and critical need. We know this is a difficult time financially and emotionally for many families. If you are able to contribute, here’s how you can help (all donations are tax deductible):

* Sponsor a student by funding a mobile hotspot for at-home distance learning ($110)
* Fund one month of wifi access ($40)
* Make a monthly, recurring donation to provide ongoing wifi access ($40/month)

Donate Online Here:  https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/arps-pgo

Alternatively, you can send a check made out to the "ARPS PGO" to Tracy Zafian, ARPS PGO Treasurer, 51 Blue Hills Road, Amherst, MA 01002

Thank you for helping provide all ARPS students with equal access for distance learning.  We are grateful. 

The ARPS PGOs, including the 

Wildwood PGO, Fort River PGO, Crocker Farm PGO, ARMS PGO, and ARHS PGO

More information on ARPS's Internet Access for All Students initiative is available in the Superintendent's 4/3/2020 e-newsletter to families and at this FAQ doc:  https://tinyurl.com/smctsof