Mark's Meadow PGG

Friday, November 6, 2009

Mt Holyoke Study

Professor Francine Deutsch from Mount Holyoke College is conducting a study on how parents balance housework and childcare. We are particularly looking for families where both spouses work at least 20 hours/week for pay, are native speakers, and where the fathers share the load of household chores and parenting tasks. Participating couples will each take part in a 15-minute phone interview with a student research assistant at their convenient time.
If you are interested in our study, please contact Fong at ta20p@mtholyoke.edu, or 413-230-6793.
Thank you so much for your time and consideration!

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Free Family Event

Dear Teachers and Parents,

We are looking forward to seeing your students next Tuesday for the Cirque Mechanics performance of A Birdhouse Factory. In anticipation of this event the Fine Arts Center is hosting a FREE family circus day on Sunday, November 8^th from 2pm – 4:30pm in the Fine Arts Center Concert Hall lobby. If you have e-lists for parents or other appropriate means of contacting families we would appreciate your sharing this information. Hope to see you there!

Want to Run Away and Join the Circus!?
Join us for Wunderle's Big Top Workshop

Sunday, November 8, 2:00 – 4:30 PM, Concert Hall Lobby, free and open to all ages!

An interactive circus adventure appropriate for a wide range of skill levels and ages. Participants can partake in the entire workshop or leave at any point. Equipment to be taught may include, but is not limited to: juggling scarves, balls, rings, and clubs, spinning plates, devil sticks, diablos, feathers, hula hoops, and jump ropes. Plus, human stunts such as clowning and entertaining tricks for all will be taught. A former international performer with the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, Troy Wunderle is the founder of Wunderle's Big Top Circus and is the Big Top Tour Director of Circus Smirkus in Vermont.

Wunderle's Big Top Workshop is presented in anticipation of the appearance of Cirque Mechanics in Birdhouse Factory: an extraordinary troupe of Cirque du Soleil, Pickle Family Circus, and Moscow Circus veterans who transform the mundane into the magnificent. Cirque Mechanics will perform at the Fine Arts Center Concert Hall on Tuesday, November 10 at 7:30 PM and a sold-out school performance that morning at 10am.

For more information on Wunderle's Big Top Workshop, see www.bigtopadventures.com. Information and tickets for the November 10 evening performance by Cirque Mechanics are available at the Fine Arts Center website.

Halina Kusleika
Assistant Director of Programming, Fine Arts Center
15 Curry Hicks
University of Massachusetts Amherst
100 Hicks Way
Amherst, MA 01003-9267
ph. 413.545.4157
fax 413.545.0132
www.fineartscenter.com

Monday, November 2, 2009

Stop and Shop, Big Y and More....

This is an easy way to raise funds for our school and it doesn’t cost you anything except for a few minutes of your time to sign up at the places that you shop. If you have friends or family members that shop at Stop and Shop, Big Y, Target, Atkins, and A 2 Z. Let them know they can designate Mark’s Meadow Elementary School to benefit from their purchases. As the holidays approach please look at these store for your purchases.

Last year and this school year-to-date our families that have enrolled in Big Y’s Education Express program have earned a total of more than 450,000 Education Express Points for Mark’s Meadow. These points will be redeemed to purchase school equipment from the Big Y Education Express catalog. In the past we have purchased a drum set for the Music department. So this program really helps us in keeping our programs full of fun and enriching. It is necessary to enroll your card every year. If you have not re-enrolled your Big Y card for this school year please take the time to do so. You can do this by going online to http://www.bigy.com/education/edexp_sign_up.php, or simply stop by Big Y customer service next time you are in the store.

This school year 46 families and staff members have re-enrolled in Stop & Shop’s A + education reward program. Last year we had 98 families signed up and earned over $1000 for the PGG. It is necessary to enroll your card every year. If you have not re-enrolled your Stop & Shop card yet, you can do this by going online to http://www.stopandshop.com/aplus or simply stop by Stop & Shop customer service next time you are in the store. Our school number is 05187.

We currently have only 13 families enrolled in Target’s Red Card Program: Take Charge of Education. Last year we earned $375 from Target. Our school ID # is 58646.Sign up now. https://sites.target.com/site/en/corporate/page.jsp?contentId=PRD03-005174.

Don’t forget to mention Mark’s Meadow at A 2 Z. We earned over $135 in gift certificates last year. These gift certificates were used as prizes at community events last year.

Atkins is also offering education rewards as well. Please use your cards that were given out last year when shopping at Atkins we have the opportunity to earn as much as $500. If you don’t have an Atkins card please send and email to marksmeadow@gmail.com to request one.

You and your family members will be relieved and glad to sign up for these programs when they find out they don’t have to buy wrapping paper to raise money for our school.

AMHERSTOPOLY ORDER FORM

AEF Trivia Bee Raises $6150 For Our Schools!

The Amherst Regional Middle School auditorium was "abuzz" with contestants and spectators at the Amherst Education Foundation's 15th Annual Trivia Bee on Thursday, October 29. 120 contestants, many in costumes, competed for bragging rights to the title of Amherst area trivia champion. Hosted by AEF President Katie Allan Zobel and emceed by State Representative Ellen Story, the evening of challenge, wit and fun netted a record $6,150.00 for the benefit of Amherst, Pelham, Leverett and Shutesbury schools.

While area schools are the big winners from the event, bragging rights belong to the team of bee champion Jones Group Realtors, comprised of Doug Albertson, Tim McGee, Maureen Porter and Micki Sanderson, who won an exciting sudden death playoff against competitors New England Finishing and the Amherst College Center for Community Engagement. Winning prizes for best costume were the teams from Atkinson Family Practice (Slum"doc" Millionaires), Attorney David Noonan (the Harry Potters) and Minuteman Pest Control (the H1N1 Swine Patrol.) Awards for best team spirit went to the Amherst Club, New England Greenscape and the Amherst College Center for Community Engagement. The audience contest, themed Amherst 250th, offered a unique glimpse into Amherst 's past and was won by Jackie Churchill.

The trivia bee marks AEF's first fundraising event since the organization completed its strategic plan last year, and launches what promises to be a new era in AEF history. AEF's mission is to provide significant and consistent support for area teachers and students by awarding grants, funding district-wide projects, and encouraging teacher innovation and academic excellence.

The event was underwritten by Northampton Cooperative Bank and made possible by the local businesses who provided sponsorships for the teams, donated prizes and/or helped with publicity. The Amherst Education Foundation is profoundly grateful to these businesses for their support, and is already looking forward to another successful Trivia Bee in 2010. For more information, or to make a tax-deductible gift to the schools via AEF, please visit our website at www.amhersteducationfoundation.org.

Friday, October 30, 2009

LSSE Opportunity For Fun On Veterans Day

Some of you may already be aware, but through the school year, the Amherst Leisure Services and Supplemental Education Department (LSSE) is offering bigger fee reductions for qualifying Amherst families. We are also expanding the income level guidelines to include families that may not have qualified earlier (you would be surprised how many families now qualify). Under new procedures, LSSE is now offering 75%, 50% or 25% fee reduction for youth programs based on new, less restrictive guidelines for families. Subsidies will apply to LSSE youth sports programs, day camps, the after school program, aquatics, education, recreation classes and more.

How did these beneficial changes come about? For years the Town of Amherst has offered fee reduction support for LSSE programs, but in the recent difficult budget year the tax support has been reduced. Fortunately, thanks to a new Community Development Block Grant and additional fundraising, support from organizations and individual donors, we have been able to move forward on this program.

We understand that in this tough economy many families are struggling. It is our hope that the deeper discounts will help make a difference so that your students may participate. To find out if a family that you are servicing qualifies, please have them review and complete the attached guidelines. Provisions of our grant require more proof of eligibility and you will find a longer subsidy application. We are happy to help families in completing the forms. If they need assistance, please have them call an LSSE registration staff member at 259-3065 or stop by our office.

Submitted by LSSE

UMass host a Forum of Senatorial Candidates

This may be of interested to some parents:

A forum for candidates running for the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by the death of Edward M. Kennedy will be held at the University of Massachusetts Amherst on Sunday, Nov. 8 at 7:30 p.m. in Bowker Auditorium. The forum is sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts and public radio stations WFCR and WNNZ. It is free and open to the public.

An opportunity to register to vote will be available beginning at 6:30 p.m. at Bowker Auditorium. Parking for the forum is available in the Campus Center Parking Garage, which is adjacent to Bowker Auditorium, located in Stockbridge Hall.

For more information call 617-523-2999.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

FAMILY FUN! BUZZ ON OVER.

The AEF 15th Annual Trivia Bee Thursday, Oct. 29

It's the AEF 15th Annual Trivia Bee

The Amherst “not to miss” event of the year!

Thursday October 29th at 7:00 p.m.
Amherst Middle School Auditorium

Join us for trivia, laughs, costumes, refreshments and raffles.
Admission is free with donations to AEF welcome.

See our website for details: http://amhersteducationfoundation.org/
or contact Mary Donoghue at 253-7016 Aj.donoghue@verizon.net.All proceeds benefit the public schools of Amherst, Pelham, Leverett and Shutesbury

Underwriting generously provided by Northampton Cooperative Bank

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Public Forum for Redistricting and background information.

Monday, October 5, 2009

Pancake Breakfast

Pancake Breakfast

Sponsored by
Amherst Fire S.A.F.E. Program
Student Awareness of Fire Education
Sunday, October 18th
7:30-11:30AM
North Fire Station
603 East Pleasant St.

Pancakes w/real maple syrup, sausage, juice, milk, coffee, tea
Donations to benefit S.A.F.E. Adults $6, Child $4
Entertainment: The Horse Mountain Jazz Band