AMHERST SURVIVAL CENTER HOSTS JOB FAIR WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26, 1-2:30PM

For Release:               Immediate

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

Amherst, MA – The Amherst Survival Center in collaboration with the Franklin Hampshire Career Center will sponsor a Job Fair on Wednesday, April 26 from 1:00 to 2:30pm. The Job Fair will include a dozen employers from the area.This is the third year that the Amherst Survival Center has held a Job Fair. Job Fairs at the Center are open to everyone. 

The Job Fair will be held in the Center’s Community Dining Room, at 138 Sunderland Road in North Amherst. The Job Fair will take place at the Center on a day when no other services are available to the public.

Job Fairs are part of the Center’s job search assistance program. The program also includes weekly one-on-one assistance every Thursday from 11:30am-1pm, access to the Center’s public computers, and of course access to interview and employment related clothing through the Center’s Community Store.  In addition, the Center has also begun to hold recruitment events with several temporary agencies in the area.  The Center holds two Job Fairs a year, and in the late spring also hosts a panel for youth on finding summer employment.

According to Mindy Domb, Executive Director of the Amherst Survival Center, “the response to our Job Fairs has been consistently positive, encouraging us to continue to sponsor them as well as the recruitment events. We’re excited to present these programs, and to work in partnership with the Franklin Hampshire Career Centers and the prospective employers, in order to bring this possible employment service to our participants.”

Participants have shared what they thought was most helpful about past Fairs, including: “It was helpful to meet people from different companies. And to see what jobs they might be hiring for”, and “everyone was very welcoming and informative. And I have made a contact in which I feel positive about.”

“The Job Search Support Program increases our community’s access to employment opportunities and the skills they need to take advantage of them,” said Tracey Levy, Program Director. “The value of this program has been repeated to us by participants and we’re excited to continue to offer job search support in various ways.”

All are welcome to attend the Job Fair. The Amherst Survival Center’s Community Store also makes clothing available for free to participants, including clothing that could be useful in the job hunt scenario. The store is open Monday, Tuesday, Friday from 11am-2:45pm, and Thursdays from 11am-6:45pm.

The Amherst Survival Center connects residents of Hampshire and Franklin Counties to food, clothing, health care, wellness and community, primarily through volunteers.

Amherst Police Targeting Distracted Drivers

Beginning last week, Amherst police have been on the lookout for people texting or sending emails while driving. 

“The campaign is designed to raise awareness of the importance of attentive and engaged driving and will focus on the dangers distracted driving poses to everyone on the road, including bicyclists and pedestrians.” The campaign will run through April 28.

They’ll be participating in a statewide campaign to reduce the number of crashes, fatalities and injuries caused by distracted driving. The effort is led by the Highway Safety Division of the state Executive Office of Public Safety and Security and is intended to address “a historic rise in fatal crashes fueled by driver distraction,” according to a press release.

State law prohibits adult drivers from writing, sending or reading electronic messages, interacting with apps or browsing the internet while driving, even if stopped at a light. Teen drivers under 18 are prohibited entirely from using mobile phones and other electronic devices while driving.

“Our goal is keeping all road users in our community safe,” said Police Chief Scott P. Livingstone. “If you text, dial or read a message on your phone while driving, you are endangering the lives of those around you, and you will be stopped.”

Attention 8th Grade Families- PHOTOS WANTED

The ARMS Yearbook is doing a ‘GUESS WHO?’ page for the yearbook this year. All 8^th Grade students please bring in or email a baby picture (any age from infant to 5 years old) with your name included. *All hardcopy photos will be returned to owners as soon as they have been added to the book. Photos must be received by Thursday, April 13^th. Photos can be emailed to grantl@arps.org. Attachments must be jpeg.

If you have any photos of concerts, sports or other school events that you would like to share for possible use in the ’16-’17 ARMS Yearbook, please forward to grantl@arps.org.  Attachments must be jpeg.

If you have any questions or comments, please let me know (e-mail above).  

 HAPPY SPRING!

Dr. Michael Morris Appointed Interim Superintendent for 2017-2018 School Year

Eric Nakajima, Amherst-Pelham Regional School Committee Chair, and Anastasia Ordonez, Union 26 School Committee Chair, are pleased to announce that the committees have voted to extend the appointment of Dr. Michael Morris as Interim Superintendent of the Amherst, Pelham and Regional Schools for the 2017-2018 school year.  The unanimous vote of both committees occurred at a joint meeting held on Tuesday, April 4, 2017, and the vote is contingent upon successful contract negotiations between Dr. Morris and the School Committees.  

A 16-year veteran in the districts, Morris began his work in the district as a 5th and 6th grade teacher at Fort River Elementary School. He then became the principal of Crocker Farm Elementary School before moving into district administration first as Director of Evaluation and Assessment and then as Assistant Superintendent.  Morris was appointed Interim Superintendent in September 2016.

“The committee is grateful to Dr. Morris for his steady leadership over the past year,” said Eric Nakajima, “he is a gifted educational leader and we are looking forward to a full academic year in which he can work with us, the staff and community to advance our mission of educational excellence for all students.” 

Dr. Morris holds a Bachelor's degree from Amherst College, a Master's and CAGS from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and a Doctoral degree from Boston College. His work on Educator Evaluation has been profiled as one of the four exemplary districts in the state by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. He has also presented at statewide conferences on a variety of topics for the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, the Massachusetts Elementary Principals' Association, DESE's Spring Convening on Educator Evaluation, as well as others.  

“I have enjoyed the opportunity to serve as Interim Superintendent and to work collaboratively with the School Committees and the outstanding faculty and staff of our districts on behalf of our students,” Morris stated.  “I look forward to continuing that work for another year.”  

"Teachers, parents, staff and community leaders have repeatedly expressed their enthusiastic support for Dr. Morris's work so far, and I'm pleased that the Committees voted to have him continue as Interim Superintendent for the next academic year," said Ms. Ordonez. "Dr. Morris is a steady and collaborative leader who is committed to the excellence of all our students, and we are grateful for his many years of service to this community and school district." 

 

Valley Gives Day is coming - Mark your calendars for Tuesday, May 2

The 4th annual Valley Gives Day is just a month away! This is a 24-hour online giving day that allows people throughout the Pioneer Valley and beyond to support hundreds of local nonprofits.

This year, ARHS/ARMS Athletics (Hurricane Boosters) is participating for the first time, as well as ARHS PGO and Wildwood PGO. Organizations are eligible for incentive prizes based on the number of donors - no matter how big or small the gifts - so save the date, spread the word, and help our organizations raise thousands of dollars to benefit our students and schools.

VG Images: communityfoundation.org/valleygives/images/

Successful VFW Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser

Victor Nunez Ortiz and the Amherst VFW hosted a pancake breakfast benefit on March 25, 2017 as a fundraiser for the Amherst schools snack programs. The three hour breakfast raised $600. The money will be shared equally across the five Amherst public schools, with $120 going to each school. Thanks to Victor, the VFW, and all of the families who came out to enjoy a delicious breakfast.

Amherst Splash- Registration Closes April 10th

It’s that time of the year again! Registration for Splash! Spring 2017 is now open.

Amherst Splash is a one day event where middle and high school students take classes taught by Amherst College students. This year, Splash! will be held on Saturday, April 15th from 9am to 4pm.

We are thrilled to debut an awesome course catalog. This year features old favorites like How to Solve a Rubik’s Cube, as well as exciting new options like Introduction to Sailing and Minimal Logic. View the full list of classes here: https://amherstsplash.learningu.org/learn/Splash/2017_Spring/catalog Each student will register for 5 hour-long classes (one of which must be lunch), which are filled on a first come, first serve basis! There is a $10 registration fee that will cover all five courses, materials, and lunch. Scholarships available on request.

Register for Splash! here: https://amherstsplash.learningu.org/learn/register.html

Registration will be closing on Monday, April 10th at midnight! If you have any questions or concerns, please email us at amherstsplash@gmail.com.