Amherst Sustainability Festival Tomorrow

SATURDAY, APRIL 16th
10 AM - 4 PM
TOWN COMMON

Join in for a day of family fun, education and entertainment. The Sustainability Festival is in its seventh year and is bigger and better than ever! There is literally something for everyone with over 100 vendors of renewable energy, energy efficiency product suppliers, advocacy groups as well as sustainable crafts and artisans!

 

Schedule of Stage Performances:

10 AM – Piti Theatre Company – “Innocenzo” 11 AM – Valley Women Drummers Noon – Incus 1 PM – Carrie Ferguson 2 PM – Chris Scanlon
3 PM – The Connotations
 

Demo Workshops:

 

10:00 AM - “Growing, Sprouting and Saving Bean Seeds” – David Lovler
11:00 AM – “Vermi-composting” – Brandon Curtin
Noon – “Constructing Your Own Solar Oven” – Scully Wilhelm
1 PM – “Making Natural Deoderant & Biochar Facemasks” – Erica Clark-Tramantozzi & Mariana Lachiusa
2 PM – “Gardening with Mushrooms” – Willie of Fungi Ally 
3 PM – “Beekeeping: Getting Started” – Henry Wilhelm 

Be sure to bring your clean, used, dry clothing and textiles for the annual Textile Drive sponsored by the Amherst Recycling and Refuse Management Committee! The drop off will be located on Boltwood Avenue across from the Lord Jeff Inn.

 A Special Note: We dedicate this year's festival to the memory of our beloved former Town Manager, John Musante.  He truly believed that sustainability and energy efficiency were the "right thing to do" and we thank him for his leadership that led Amherst to become a Green Community, as well as  his many other lasting legacies. - Stephanie Ciccarello, Sustainability Coordinator

jubilat/Jones Reading Series

The jubilat/Jones Reading Series continues its 17^th year with the final reading of the 2015-16 season on Sunday, April 24, 2016 at 3:00 pm in the Goodwin Room of the Jones Library.  The jubilat/Jones Reading Series showcases established and emerging poets in a number of readings each year. Celebrate National Poetry Month by attending this reading, which will feature the poetry of Ana Božičević and Bianca Stone. 

Born in Zagreb, Croatia, Ana Božičević immigrated to New York City in 1997 and studied at Hunter College. She is the author of several chapbooks, including Morning News (2006) and Document (2007). Her first book-length collection, Stars of the Night Commute (2009) was Lambda Literary Award finalist, and her second book, Rise in the Fall (2013), won a Lambda Literary Award. Božičević has worked for the PEN American Center and the Center for the Humanities of the Graduate Center, CUNY.  She codirects the Stain of Poetry reading series in Brooklyn, New York.

Bianca Stone is a poet and visual artist, and the author of Someone Else's Wedding Vows, and Poetry Comics From the Book of Hours. She runs the Ruth Stone Foundation & Monk Books with her husband, the poet Ben Pease, in Vermont and Brooklyn.

This series is sponsored by the Friends of the Jones Library, jubilat, and the Juniper Initiative. This program is also supported in part by a grant from the Amherst Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

Free and open to the public.  For more information, please contact Janet Ryan at 413/259-3223.

Attention Families of Rising 9th Graders

In case you missed the Incoming 9th Grade Parents/Guardians Information Session at held recently at ARHS, click to view the presentation on course registration and special education.

Last Call for ARMS Educator Award Nominations

The Amherst Regional Middle School Educator Award was established by the 2014-2015 Parent Guardian Organization (PGO) at the Middle School as a way to recognize the incredible work and dedication of the middle school faculty and staff.  Nominations for this award can be made by parents, by other teachers or staff, and by students.  For details or to nominate an ARMS Staff member, see this letter.  All nominations are due by April 15th.

El Premio al Educador de la escuela intermedia Amherst Regional Middle School fue establecido por la Organización de Padres Guardianes (OPG) de 2014-2015 como medio para reconocer la ardua labor de los educadores y miembros de personal de la escuela intermedia.

SMILES Dentists at ARMS

SMILES DENTISTS will be here at the middle school on Tuesday, April 12.

The Mobile Dentist provide dental care to our district families of Amherst. The program sets up conveniently in school and transforms it into a fully functional “dental office” for the day.

For those students without Medicaid or private insurance and lacking sufficient funds for a subsidized fee, Smile Programs Mobile Dentists provide grant-assistance. NO CHILD IS EVER TURNED AWAY for lack of resources.

Please return a completed dental form to the ARMS Main Office by:  Monday, April 11.  Dental forms were sent home to families via the students on Friday, April 1.  If you need a form, please contact the main office and we will send another one home with the student or print the form from the link below.

Dental Form (April, 2016) - English 

Dental Form (April, 2016) - Spanish 

Remember if your child was seen by the Smiles Dentists at the beginning of this school year in October - They are be due for a 6 month checkup.  Please complete the form and return it to the middle school main office.

Again the forms are due to the middle school main office by Monday, April 11.

Mark Your Calendars

April 8- Term 2 Report Card Distribution

April 13 – Early Release Day
April 18-22 – Spring Break  

May 11- Early Release

May 17- MCAS Science (Grade 8 only)

May 19- MCAS Science (Grade 8 only)

May 30- Memorial Day - no school.

 

Amherst Sustainability Festival

SATURDAY, APRIL 16th
10 AM - 4 PM
TOWN COMMON

Join in for a day of family fun, education and entertainment. The Sustainability Festival is in its seventh year and is bigger and better than ever! There is literally something for everyone with over 100 vendors of renewable energy, energy efficiency product suppliers, advocacy groups as well as sustainable crafts and artisans!

 

Schedule of Stage Performances:

10 AM – Piti Theatre Company – “Innocenzo”
11 AM – Valley Women Drummers
Noon – Incus
1 PM – Carrie Ferguson
2 PM – Chris Scanlon
3 PM – The Connotations
 

Demo Workshops:

 

10:00 AM - “Growing, Sprouting and Saving Bean Seeds” – David Lovler
11:00 AM – “Vermi-composting” – Brandon Curtin
Noon – “Constructing Your Own Solar Oven” – Scully Wilhelm
1 PM – “Making Natural Deoderant & Biochar Facemasks” – Erica Clark-Tramantozzi & Mariana Lachiusa
2 PM – “Gardening with Mushrooms” – Willie of Fungi Ally
3 PM – “Beekeeping: Getting Started” – Henry Wilhelm

Be sure to bring your clean, used, dry clothing and textiles for the annual Textile Drive sponsored by the Amherst Recycling and Refuse Management Committee! The drop off will be located on Boltwood Avenue across from the Lord Jeff Inn.

 A Special Note: We dedicate this year's festival to the memory of our beloved former Town Manager, John Musante.  He truly believed that sustainability and energy efficiency were the "right thing to do" and we thank him for his leadership that led Amherst to become a Green Community, as well as  his many other lasting legacies. - Stephanie Ciccarello, Sustainability Coordinator