What's up Marks's Meadow!

Important things in the coming weeks:

AMHERST EDUCATION FOUNDATION (AEF) Grants are due February 8th.... but need the Principal's and the Superintendent's signature by February 1st. Good Luck!

OPEN FORUM: An Open Forum hosted by the SGC and PGG will be held on February 5th from 6:30 to 8:00. Come hear what the PGG / SGC are up to, asked question, make comments and enjoy desserts. This is a night for parents and guardians to speak out about what is happening in our school.

AMHERST WINTER FEST challenge: Crocker Farm School is challenging Marks Meadow to a race. in the CARDBOARD CLASSIC. This looks like fun!! Event is held at the Cherry Hill golf course at 2:30 to 7 PM, February 9th. Other fun activities surround this event. If you are interested in helping build a classic sled out of cardboard please contact Tracy Hightower. tracy@waterfieldfarms.net

MULTICULTURAL FAIR PLANNING is under way. If you have volunteered to help plan or provide help on the day of the event please come to the meeting. If you have not volunteered yet and want to, please come to the meeting. February 6th, 2:30 PM Nick Yaffe's office. If you want to participate but can not make the event contact Nick Yaffe at 413-362-1011 or yaffen@arps.org.
Thank you to these people for volunteering to assist for the Multicultural Fair on the volunteer sheet sent home in November.

• Christine Gray-Mullen
• Crystal Ives
• Katherine Song
• Sarah Kinney
• Tammy Smith
• Zhiguo Lai
• Jeremy Barker Plotkin

News this week at Mark's Meadow: Featuring Scence Night

SCIENCE NIGHT: WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 13th
What "sparks" your interests about science?
What "ignites" your curiosity?
Do you get a "positive charge" when you think about your kid learning something new?
Forget your "negative reaction" to one more request.

The more you put in, the more your kids get out of it. A corollary statement to Newton's 1st law of Motion: "A body at rest stays at rest unless acted upon by an outside force."
In other words, if we do nothing nothing is going to happen.

Have you had enough of these silly phrases?! Then just volunteer.

SCIENCE NIGHT IS LESS THAN A MONTH AWAY. WE NEED YOUR HELP!

If you can do an experiment or help plan the evening, or if you can help with set up and break down of the venue, on the night of the event. Please contact Alyssa Melnick. She is working hard to bring this event together for your kids. Volunteer today to show your appreciation for her hard work and for an enrichment program that is a tradition at Mark's Meadow.
Contact: Alyssa Melnick, alyssaruth@earthlink.net or call 549-3614.
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Next thing: After School Basketball

Help is needed with the
After School Basketball Program

Help supervise the Students between their games,
(coaching experience isn’t even necessary!)
Snack and Homework Stations are set up.
Adults are needed to keep things working well.

Mostly Mondays starting at 3:05
Help with some or all games.

Contact Nick if you are able to help out.

Yaffen@arps.org or 413-362-1311

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Multicultural Night:

We are forming a team of leaders and assistance for this wonderful event happening on March 19th. Please contact Nick. Yaffen@arps.org or 413-362-1311

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Amherst Education Foundation:

Grant applications due on February 8th. View what grants have been given to Mark's Meadow in the past. To access the grant application click on the Amherst Education Foundation link to the right.


Posted with loving hands by Tracy Hightower.

Monday - January 14 - NO SCHOOL - SNOW DAY

Enjoy the snow! Read a good book! Watch a movie! Play a board game!

2 Time Sensitive Messages

Multicultural Fair Emergency Meeting:
Meeting in Nick's office at 2:30 Wednesday January 16th, 2:30 PM. If you have volunteered to help or if you haven't, now is the time to meet. The Multicultural Fair is set for March 19th and we need everyone's participation to make this community event greater than ever. Nick is looking for leaders and volunteers. Find out what is all about!
Amherst Education Foundation
The deadline for Amherst Education Foundation (AEF) grant applications is February 8 at 5 pm! We need your help in getting the word out to the Mark’s Meadow community about this wonderful opportunity. Past winners include teachers, staff and community members, but the real winners are our kids and our schools! The grant application can be found at http://www.amhersteducationfoundation.org/Grants along with submission requirements and a listing of past awards.

Those of you with little ones

Come visit Spring Street Preschool at their annual OPEN HOUSE on Feb 9, 2008, 10 am - 12 pm. The school is located at 64 Spring Street behind the First Congregation Church. Now accepting applications for preschoolers ages 2.9-5 years for the 2008-2009 school year. For more information contact Alicia at 256-8442 or email at springstreetpreschool@verizon.net

THE STATE OF THE AMHERST REGIONAL PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

THE STATE OF THE DISTRICT AND MISSION STATEMENT REVISION--
JOIN US
ON JANUARY 23RD

If you ask most of our faculty and staff, "What is our mission?" they will most likely respond, "Every Student, Every Day!" A lengthier conversation will bring attention to our focus on academic achievement; words like "academic engagement" and "school membership / sense of belonging;" and a commitment to Social Justice.

Recently, there has been significant discussion about concepts of equity and excellence in relation to our mission, our programs, and our focus. I find this discussion healthy and necessary. As we have established efforts in our Latino Student Initiative, our curriculum evaluations, our work in social justice as the next steps to the Becoming A Multicultural School System comprehensive initiative, our work on teacher evaluation, and many others, this recent discussion of academic excellence fits into the dialogue--and our models and frameworks--quite well.

Like any viable strategic plan, after assessing the proverbial lay of the land and beginning work on critical models and frameworks, the next step is to revisit the Mission... and the Vision... and the Values of the organization.

I would like to invite you to attend a one and one-half hour session with us on Wednesday, January 23. You can attend a community meeting at 1:00 p.m. at the Bangs Center or at 7:00 p.m. in the Middle School cafeteria to begin this work. PLEASE join us. Make sure your voice is heard. Childcare will be provided for the evening session.

Alisa Brewer-Amherst Select Board Member and Mark's Meadow Parent

Science Night Needs Volunteers

To ALL FAMILIES AND STAFF OF

MARKS MEADOW

VOLUNTEER FOR

WHAT: SCIENCE NIGHT

· Hands-on experiments

· Have fun while you learn

WHERE: MARK’S MEADOW GYM

WHEN: WED., April 9th 6:00-7:PM

HOW: CALL OR WRITE TO ALYSSA

413-549-3614 alyssaruth@earthlink.net

YEARBOOKS PHOTOS

CALL FOR YEARBOOK PHOTOS - ALL CLASSES
The yearbook committee would like to have a page of photos for each classroom at Mark's Meadow for this year's yearbook so if you have pictures from your child(ren)'s classroom, field trips or class events, please drop them off in the office or, if digital, email to Patty O'Brien at fzrope@gmail.com. Please include the classroom in the email or with the photo. All hard copy photos will be returned.

VOLUNTEERS!!!!!

We are looking for leaders for these events that are coming up in the new year or already in progress:

Movie Night & Bake Sale
Multicultural nigh
Date Night
Ink Jet/Laser Cartridges and Cell Phone Recycling Program
Volunteer Coordinator (Help get Volunteer forms in)


These programs need assistance they are in action and need some helpful hands and minds:

Ink Jet/Laser Cartridges and Cell Phone Recycling
Science Night
Multicultural Night
Community fund raising Team, Stop and Shop, Target, A2Z, Food for Thought, Atkins etc...


There is so much more, sooo... please turn in your forms and let Tracy Hightower know if you want to lead.