Tonight! Join the fun & help paint our parade banner!

Wondering about the Amherst 250th Parade on Sunday September 27, 2009 at 1:00 pm?  Yes, you can be part of it!

Thanks to parent Becky Demling from Crocker Farm, families from Crocker Farm, Fort River, Mark’s Meadow and Wildwood schools are helping organize a walking float to celebrate the impact the town Libraries have on all children’s lives!

Tonight (Wednesday Sept 9) at the Back to School Potluck please plan to help paint our Mark's Meadow banner!  And find out more how you can march for Mark's Meadow!  The parade will be filmed so you'll be a part of Amherst history!

See Alisa Brewer tonight at the potluck for more info!

Back to School Potluck

Hi everyone!!! It's that time of year again! All the kids are back to school and it is time to come together and celebrate!! We will be having our Back to School Potluck Wednesday Sept. 9 from 5:30-7PM. As a suggestion, we are asking families of students from different grade levels to bring certain kinds of dishes so we have plenty to share:
K-2 Appetizers
2-4 Main dish
5-6 Dessert

If you have children in more than one grade, please bring what you can. The PGG will provide drinks and paper goods. Also, if you could come a little early to help set-up or stay late to clean up, that would be most appreciated!!!

Thanks everyone and WELCOME BACK!!!

School Parent Organizations

Amherst Regional High School
http://www.arhsparentcenter.org/

Amherst Regional Middle School
http://www.armspartnership.org/

Crocker Farm Elementary School
http://crockerfarmpgo.blogspot.com/

Fort River Elementary School (School Council)
http://ftriver.blogspot.com/

Mark's Meadow Elementary School
http://www.marksmeadow.blogspot.com/

Pelham Elementary School
http://www.arps.org/pe/parentcouncil.htm

Wildwood Elementary School
http://www.wildwoodpto.org/

PGG Updates

TONIGHT is the End-of-the-Year-Celebration on the Mark's Meadow Playground.
June 17th 5:30 to 7:30.
THE DUNKING MACHINE IS OUT AND READY TO DUNK.

It looks to be good weather!

BRING YOUR OWN PICNIC DINNER, a BLANKET, TOWELS and DESSERTS to SHARE. (PGG is providing drinks and paper goods.) ALL children must be accompanied by an adult.
ALSO: Bring your check book or some cash.
AMHERSTOPOLY will be on sale for $25. There are 600 copies left in town. GIVE a historical copy as a graduation gift, a goodbye gift or buy one for family fun.
YEARBOOKS will be available for all Students. Suggested donation $3.00
RAFFLE TICKETS for The Graceful Walkers Relay Team Winners will be announced on June 20th at the RELAY FOR LIFE. (see below).

We will also have out all the DISHES LEFT BEHIND from school events this year. Anything left after the picnic will be given to Amherst Survival Center.
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REMINDERS:
6th grade graduation is June 19th. If you have FLOWERS you would like to contribute. Let us know! Flowers can be dropped off after school on Thursday June 18th or before 8:30 AM on Friday June 19th .

Field Day is tomorrow, June 18th 1 PM. Have your children be ready to participate in this fun day.

A Simple Thank You: An opportunity to give a gift to Amherst Education Foundation to thank a teacher CLICK HERE for a direct online link to donate.

Graceful Walkers Relay Team
Lisa, Anita and Joan in the Mark's Meadow School office belong to the Graceful Walkers Relay Team and are one of the teams representing the American Cancer Society RELAY FOR LIFE. The Relay is being held at Look Park in Northampton on June 19th and 20th. We are taking donations to help raise money for cancer research, education, and advocacy. All money raised will be turned in at the Relay. Or donate online. CLICK HERE Graceful Walkers

A Simple Thank You: Give a gift to AEF to thank a teacher CLICK HERE for a direct online link to donate.

RECYCLING: Please come help on Saturday morning 6/13 from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM in Mark's Meadow Auditorium.
How you can help:

1. Come for an hour or two to sort and package Cartridges for shipment.
2. Take finished Boxes to the UPS or Fedex store.
3. Bring your Cartridges in that morning or the day before.
4. We also need plastic shopping bags to wrap the cartridges in for shipping.
   

AMHERSTOPOLY Please bring your forms in before June 15th. and pick your game up at these events.

1. Third Grade play June 9th
2. End-of-the-year Celebration Potluck June 17th
3. Graduation Brunch June 19th

Graceful Walkers Relay Team
Lisa, Anita and Joan in the Mark's Meadow School office belong to the Graceful Walkers Relay Team and are one of the teams representing the American Cancer Society RELAY FOR LIFE. The Relay is being held at Look Park in Northampton on June 19th and 20th. We are taking donations to help raise money for cancer research, education, and advocacy. There is a can in the school office if you can make a donation. All money raised will be turned in at the Relay. Or donate online. Graceful Walkers

Dishes, Dishes, Dishes. Please get your Dishes that have been left from the events of the year. They will be given to the Amherst Survival Center at the end of the school year.

PGG Update and an Opportunity for Kids

Staff Appreciation Luncheon: Wednesday, June 3, 2009 @ Immanuel Lutheran Church (867 N. Pleasant St.)
Food Drop-off: Drop-off a food item/dish at the church between 8:30 AM and 1:00 PM. For those who cannot drop-off during this time, please advise and Koren Berrio can arrange pick up or alternative. If you would like to drop off your food at the MM Office the day before the event, please let Koren know (email: korenberrio71@hotmail.com, mobile: 413-687-3475). Thank you!

Thank you to all the parents who have purchased an AMHERSTOPOLY Game. The Four Elementary Schools have sold nearly 400 of the 1000 games so far and to date we have earned $2000 for our school with another $5000 to come. So order your game now while they last. Attached to the memo is your order form and dates and times you can pick up your copy. Orders can be placed between June 1st and June 15th to get one this year. See order form HERE.

Thank you to Amherst Education Foundation and to all the parents who contributed money to AEF this year. On May 21st, at a reception held at Wunderarts Gallery, Mark's Meadow received a donation from AEF along with the other three Amherst Elementary schools and Pelham of $10000. Mark's meadow intends to use their share for after school clubs and enrichment programs next year. You will also see a flier in the kid's backpacks today, which will allow you to Thank a Teacher by giving a year end gift via AEF.

Thank You to all the staff and families who signed up for Stop and shop A+ Bonus Bucks Program this year. The program has concluded and we earned nearly $1100. That is $350 dollars more than last year! Please make sure you sign up again in September.

Thank You to Ted, Christine Gray-Mullen, Jocelyn Cuffee, and Lynne Weintraub for helping with shipping and collecting of Ink and Laser Cartridges this month. We will be recycling again on Saturday June 13th. Please join us!

Our End-of-the-year Celebration Potluck will be held on June 17th (June 18th rain date) from 5:30 to 7:30. Please come bring your favorite dish and dunk Nick in the dunking machine. Our yearbook is in the works and will be available at this event. If you can help with set up, clean up or buying drinks (PGG supplies the funding for this.) Please let us know. Marksmeadow@gmail.com

Our last PGG meeting of the year will be held Monday June 1st from 6:30 to 8:00 PM. Please come and see what we have accomplished this year as we recap 2008-2009. We are also still looking for a New Co-chair for next year to work with the fantastic Meg Rosa. Let us know if you are interested. I can truly say it is rewarding and fun to give to our kids and our staff in this way!

Sincerely, your outgoing Co-Chair, Tracy Hightower

FUN FOR KIDS

Sugarloaf Youth Track League

Sponsored by the Sugarloaf Mountain Athletic Club and the Town of

Amherst Leisure Services

Come be a part of Amherst's youth track and field league. The first meet is Sunday May 31 at the ARHS track. Bring a picnic and make it a family night at the track!

It's not too late to sign up! We will take additional athletes at any time. Below is a link for the entry form, just print it out and bring it with you on Sunday.

http://sugarloafmac.org/regforms/smac_amherst.pdf

Who: Boys and Girls currently in grades 1-8

Fee: $42/person by 5/8; $52 after 5/8 --- A $10 non-resident fee will be

added to any participant who is not an Amherst resident.

Location: Amherst Regional High School Track

Dates: Team Assignment Night is Thursday, May 28, 5:15 p.m. Arrive on

team night to meet your teammates and coaches and run an informal series

of practice races and relays.

Meets: Sundays, May 31, June 7, 14, 21, 28 (awards night)

(Make-up date: June 25)

Time: 5:15-8:15 p.m.

Diversity Committee Meeting reminder

Diversity Committee Meeting on May 20th at 6:00 in our principal, Nick Yaffe's office. We will be welcoming Allan Goodman from Hampshire college to discuss last month's showing of Race: The Power of Illusion and ask him to share his thoughts about diversity at our school.

All are invited. Childcare is provided for children 4 and older!

Travel soccer try- outs are coming soon!!

Does your child want to play travel soccer for Amherst in the next school year? If so, you need to preregister your child by May 30th for the tryouts which are held in June.

There are boys teams and girls teams for rising 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th graders.

Tryouts for the Amherst Travel Soccer teams will be held between May 31 and June 17.

Mandatory pre-registration forms are due May 30th.

The pre-registration forms, the tryout schedule, and more detailed information about Amherst Travel Soccer can be found on the Amherst Youth Soccer Association website http://www.amherstsoccer.org/

Amherstopoly order form.

Please hand in your order form to your class room teacher Tracy Hightower will get you your game.

Fun things to do May 2nd and 3rd

Something Fun For this weekend: May 2nd and 3rd

SOCCER FEST AT RUDD FIELD UMASS: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday Look at what fun there is for FANS. CLICK HERE

League of Women Voters Book Sale: For more information CLICK HERE

18TH ANNUAL AMHERST ULTIMATE INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT
May 2-3, 2009 Amherst, Massachusetts.

The 18th Annual Amherst Ultimate Invitational Tournament will be hosted by Amherst Regional High School (ARHS) and will take place on Saturday and Sunday May 2-3, 2009. The Tournament will be held at the Ultimate fields at ARHS and Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Thirty high school teams from New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Connecticut, and Massachusetts will compete in one of the largest and most prestigious Ultimate tournaments in the country. Last year’s champions, Columbia High School (New Jersey) and Andover High School (Massachusetts) will return to defend their titles. The ARHS Boys team enters the tournament with a 15-1 record.

On Saturday, games will be played from 9:45am to 5pm at both venues; on Sunday, games will run from 8am to 4:30pm at ARHS. The Tournament will once again be divided into three groups: Girls, and Boys A & B Divisions. The Girls Division and Boys B Division finals will be played Sunday at 1:15pm in Amherst.

The Boys Division A final will be played Sunday at 3pm in Amherst.
Combining the non-stop movement and athletic endurance of soccer with the aerial passing skills of football, a game of Ultimate is played by two seven-player squads with a high-tech plastic disc on a field similar to football.

Amherst is steeped in the history of Ultimate, acknowledged to be to be the birthplace of the sport by an Amherst College student in 1967. Ultimate has grown precipitously over the following 40 years to over 4.9 million competitive Ultimate players around the world (2008). Amherst coaches Tiina Booth and Jim Pistrang formed some of the first competitive teams in the country in the 1970s.

ARHS last won the national Ultimate championship in 2004. Another entry in the tournament will be Columbia High School from new Jersey, which was the first high school Ultimate team ever founded.
For schedules, times, locations, and much more information on the tournament, see: http://www.amherstultimate.org/ai/2009