We are the Parent/ Guardian Organization for the Amherst Regional Middle School. We strive to create a supportive and welcoming community for students, their families, teachers and administration by hosting events, organizing programs that foster a productive and positive environment; be a resource for information and engagement; and funding academic and ARMS community initiatives. Contact the PGO at armspgo@gmail.com
Friday, June 5, 2020
Thursday, June 4, 2020
Tuesday, June 2, 2020
Recipient of the ARMS 2019-20 Educator Award- Congratulations goes to...
June 1, 2020: Amherst Regional Middle School English teacher Ben Levy was announced today as the recipient of the 2019-20 Educator Award.
Congratulations to teacher Ben Levy, recipient of the ARMS PGO Educator Award!
The ARMS PGO celebrates our teachers and staff again; we wish you all the best!
Please check press release in English & Spanish
Best regards & stay safe & sound! Keep up the ARMS spirit!
The ARMS PGO team
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Press Release June 1, 2020
The Amherst Regional Middle School Educator Award for 2019-20 will be awarded to English teacher Ben Levy. The award, given by the Amherst Regional Middle School Parent Guardian Organization (ARMS PGO), is based on three main criteria: student support, collaboration with colleagues, and contributions to the ARMS community.
Levy, heading into his eleventh year of teaching at ARMS, was nominated by ARMS parents as well as staff. In the nomination comments, he was lauded for his work both in the classroom and in the broader school community.
In the classroom, he encourages thoughtful debate and uses art and music to illustrate points about the material under discussion. One nomination said, “Ben tells stories and shows videos that are so memorable that students remember them years later.”
Along with the curriculum, he advocates for his students’ social and emotional well-being. “He is frequently in touch with parents and guardians and finds ways to connect with students who are struggling with their academics,” said a nominator. He provides daily mindfulness practice in the classroom, something he has shared with other staff.
In the school community, Levy “is a level-headed planner, always finding ways to make new ideas work. Ben is a problem-solver,” according to a nomination. These ideas can take the form of team-wide projects in collaboration with other teachers, or improving systems like the parent-teacher conference process, or leading MCAS training for staff. He makes slideshows for his team and uses humor to communicate messages clearly. Levy also “masterminded” the Active Bystander curriculum, which covers real issues that students encounter such as bias, bullying and speaking out on injustice. Students, both current and former, have mentioned the importance of these lessons.
Summing up Levy’s value, one nomination said, “ARMS is a better place with Ben here. Ben has worked hard to help make ARMS a place where students not only become better writers and readers, but also develop as thoughtful, considerate, and respectful young adults.”
Ben Levy is the sixth recipient of this award, administered annually by the ARMS PGO. Students, parents, and ARMS staff were invited to submit nominations in February. Levy was one of eight eligible staff members nominated. A vote was held among fellow staff members, and three finalists were chosen. The final selection was made by the PGO’s Educator Award Committee. Mr. Levy will receive a certificate and a $500 award from the ARMS PGO, and his name will be engraved on the Educator Award plaque in the library of the middle school.
Please contact armspgo@gmail.com with any questions.
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Comunicado de prensa
PARA PUBLICACI脫N INMEDIATA
El Premio al Educador de la Escuela Intermedia Regional Amherst para 2019-20 se otorgar谩 al maestro de ingl茅s Ben Levy. El premio, otorgado por la Organizaci贸n de Padres Guardianes de la Escuela Intermedia Regional de Amherst (ARMS PGO), se basa en tres criterios principales: apoyo estudiantil, colaboraci贸n con colegas y contribuciones a la comunidad ARMS.
Levy, en su und茅cimo a帽o de ense帽anza en ARMS, fue nominado por los padres y el personal de ARMS. En los comentarios de nominaci贸n, fue elogiado por su trabajo tanto en el aula como en la comunidad escolar en general.
En el aula, alienta el debate reflexivo y utiliza el arte y la m煤sica para ilustrar puntos sobre el material en discusi贸n. Una nominaci贸n dec铆a: "Ben cuenta historias y muestra videos que son tan memorables que los estudiantes los recuerdan a帽os despu茅s".
Junto con el plan de estudios, aboga por el bienestar social y emocional de sus estudiantes. "脡l est谩 en contacto frecuente con los padres y tutores y encuentra formas de conectarse con los estudiantes que est谩n luchando con sus acad茅micos", dijo un nominador. Brinda pr谩ctica diaria de atenci贸n plena en el aula, algo que ha compartido con otro personal.
En la comunidad escolar, Levy “es un planificador equilibrado, que siempre encuentra formas de hacer que las nuevas ideas funcionen. Ben es un solucionador de problemas ”, seg煤n una nominaci贸n. Estas ideas pueden tomar la forma de proyectos de todo el equipo en colaboraci贸n con otros maestros, o mejorar sistemas como el proceso de conferencia de padres y maestros, o dirigir la capacitaci贸n MCAS para el personal. Hace presentaciones de diapositivas para su equipo y usa el humor para comunicar mensajes con claridad. Levy tambi茅n "ide贸" el curr铆culum de Active Bystander, que cubre problemas reales que los estudiantes enfrentan, como prejuicios, intimidaci贸n y denuncia de injusticias. Los estudiantes, tanto actuales como anteriores, han mencionado la importancia de estas lecciones.
Resumiendo el valor de Levy, una nominaci贸n dijo: “ARMS es un lugar mejor con Ben aqu铆. Ben ha trabajado duro para ayudar a hacer de ARMS un lugar donde los estudiantes no solo se conviertan en mejores escritores y lectores, sino que tambi茅n se desarrollen como j贸venes adultos reflexivos, considerados y respetuosos ”.
Ben Levy es el sexto destinatario de este premio, administrado anualmente por ARMS PGO. Estudiantes, padres y personal de ARMS fueron invitados a presentar nominaciones en febrero. Levy fue uno de los ocho miembros del personal elegibles nominados. Se realiz贸 una votaci贸n entre los miembros del personal y se eligieron tres finalistas. La selecci贸n final fue realizada por el Comit茅 de Premios Educadores de PGO. El Sr. Levy recibir谩 un certificado y un premio de $ 500 del ARMS PGO, y su nombre estar谩 grabado en la placa del Premio al Educador en la biblioteca de la escuela secundaria.
P贸ngase en contacto con armspgo@gmail.com por cualquier pregunta.
Tuesday, May 5, 2020
Thursday, April 30, 2020
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:
- 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!
- 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!
- 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!
- 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
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/
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
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