Author Archives: wildwoodpgo

Thanks for your support!

Posted on by
Thanks to your support, the PGO was able to support two exciting projects that culminated this week:
On Friday, June 15, the 5th grade put on their American Independence performance, coached by Enchanted Circle Theater.
The Wildwood Mosaic Mural, made by Ms. Rivera’s art classes, is now hanging outside the front entrance of Wildwood to welcome all who come through our doors.

When you give to the PGO, you help create memorable learning opportunities for the children of Wildwood. Thank you for your ongoing support.

End of School Year Picnic 2018

Posted on by

Where:

Wildwood Elementary School (Basketball Court area/playground)

When:

Wednesday, June 20th (rain date… Tuesday, June 19th)

5:15 – Ribbon cutting for 5th and 6th grades art installation at front door of
school
5:30- Picnic, Dunk Tank, Student Performances

What to bring:

Food and drinks for your family
Reusable/disposable cups and plates
Blanket / Chairs to sit on
Plenty of excitement

Request to the 5th grade parents:

Please plan to meet on the metal playground at 6:15 to discuss  making your kids sixth grade year special.

View Flyer in English

View Flyer in Spanish

 

Happy Summer from the PGO

Posted on by

On behalf of the PGO Leadership team, thank you for your generous time, donations and support in making it another great year at Wildwood. On Thursday, June 21 the PGO blog and newsletter takes a break for the summer.  Have a restful and restorative summer!

Staff Appreciation Events

Posted on by
The Wildwood PGO will be showing our appreciation for our wonderful teachers, staff, custodians and bus drivers next week.  Here is a list of Staff Appreciation Events coming up.  Parents and guardians are welcome to join any of these gatherings.
Monday 18th June
8:45am     Bus Driver appreciation at the front of the school
11:00am    Morning Custodians appreciation in the school
3:00pm     Afternoon Custodians appreciation in the school
Tuesday 19th June
9:10am   Goodbye Assembly in the gym, marking the retirement of 5 staff members – Julie Rivera (Art), Susie Secco (1st Grade), Marjorie Ackerman (OT), Carol Cochrane (PT) and Laura Cohen (Paraprofessional)
1:15-2:30pm  Staff Appreciation Wagon, wheeled around the school to all staff members
3:00pm   Goodbye and retirement gift presentation to the beloved driver of bus #18, Bill Glucksman. Outside the school at the bus loop.

Free Summer Meals for Kids

Posted on by

UMass’ Baby Berk Food Trucks will be providing FREE SUMMER MEALS! The meals are available to all kids and teens (18 and under). No ID necessary. No registration required.

The UMass Baby Berk Food Truck will be providing meals at the following Amherst locations every Monday, Wednesdayand Friday from June 25 to August 10 (excluding 7/4/18):

10:30 – 10:45 a.m., Rolling Green Apartments, 1 Rolling Green Drive
11:00 – 11:20 a.m., Colonial Village Apartments, 81 Belchertown Road
11:40 – 11:50 p.m., Butternut Farms Apartments, 12 Longmeadow Drive
12:10-12:30 p.m., South Point Apartments, 266 E. Hadley Street
1:00 – 1:30 p.m., Village Park Apartments, 497 E. Pleasant Street
1:55 – 2:05 p.m., Olympia Oaks, 85 Olympia Road
2:20 – 2:45 p.m., North Village Apartments, 990 N. Pleasant Street
3:10 – 3:30 p.m., Mill River Recreation Area, 95 Montague Road

Follow the truck: @UMASSBABYBERK

The PGO needs YOU!

Posted on by
While all parents and guardians are automatically members of the PGO, there are many ways to have a more active role in the Wildwood PGO.
If you are interested in learning more about becoming part of the PGO Core Leadership group, please contact us by emailing wildwoodelementarypgo@gmail.com or contacting me directly at sheilahpjones@gmail.com.
Thank you so much.
Posted in PGO

Baystate Textiles Recycling Program at all ARPS Schools

Posted on by


Now you can drop your clothing and other textiles in any condition into collection bins located at each school. Convenient and easy! The collections are weighed weekly and each school’s PGO will receive a check based on the bulk weight. Help the Wildwood PGO earn FREE CASH while also helping our planet Earth by up-cycling your textiles. Thanks!

 

View Flyer

Summer garden volunteers needed

Posted on by
We are looking for support from families to

help the school gardens have a healthy summer growing season. Families are invited to join Leila and Jen for an on-site garden volunteer training at your school on Saturday, June 9th

(Wildwood @ 9 AM, Fort River @ 10:15 AM, Crocker Farm @ 11:30 AM). In the session (under an hour) you’ll  become familiar with the garden space, learn about the plants we’re growing, and learn how to access and use the garden tools. The summer volunteer “work” is fun and kid-friendly! Families who help care for the gardens are also welcome to harvest from the gardens as certain crops become ready.


Sign ups for summer weeks will take place at the orientation sessions. Volunteers will also be asked to sign a liability waiver, per district protocol.

 
If you are interested in caring for the garden this summer, please complete this short form. Questions can be sent to Jennifer Reese at reesej@arps.org.

AEF Stars in our Schools – Perfect Teacher/Staff Gift!

Posted on by

starsin our schoolsRecognize teachers and staff at the end of the year with a gift in their honor!

Now is the time to let teachers and staff members know how much your appreciate their hard work, expertise, care, and dedication.

You can strengthen our schools with a tax-deductible gift to Amherst Education Foundation (AEF) in a teacher’s or staff member’s name. AEF will deliver a personalized recognition card to your honoree/s.

Please make your gift online or send your gift by mail by June 15 to guarantee delivery to honorees before their last day of the school year. As always, thank you for supporting public education and AEF, and thank you recognizing the Stars in Our Schools!

Click here to complete online gift form
Print PDF for mailing here
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here’s what educators say about Stars in Our Schools:

“Receiving a star is one of the most meaningful gifts to get. I love receiving these because I feel truly appreciated as a teacher, and I know that the donation people make is going back to a great organization that really supports our schools.” – ARMS Co-Assistant Principal and ELL Teacher Alicia Lopez

“I was really moved when I received some Stars in Our Schools cards in my mailbox indicating that the parents of some of my students had donated to AEF in my honor. AEF does very important work to support teachers and programs at ARMS, so a monetary gift is like thanking a teacher twice!” – ARMS Science Teacher Jennifer Welborn

“I have had the good fortune to be honored by parents and members of the Amherst community through their ‘Stars in our Schools’ donations to AEF. When making their donations, parents and relatives have commented specifically that they see their children singing with joy and self-confidence and that they have an appreciation for music of different world cultures. It is deeply satisfying to know that what we do in the schools gets carried out into the community.” – Fort River Elementary School Music Teacher Anne Louise White (retired 6/2017)

Share your thoughts and help Amherst create an economic development strategy

Posted on by

toaAmherst has begun the process of creating an economic development strategy. The town has engaged the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission as consultants to report on key economic indicators, an analysis of the retail market, and strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis. Amherst residents are invited to share feedback and have their ideas incorporated in the final SWOT analysis by filling out three surveys. The surveys can be found: here.

ARHS Summer Olympics hosted by the class of 2020

Posted on by

Do you like fun and competition? Come to the first annual ARHS Summer Olympics hosted by the class of 2020. Join us on Wednesday June 13th from 4:00-6:30 on the ARHS track.
Compete against your friends and family for only a $5 participant  fee and see who the real Amherst Olympian is! All age groups welcome.
Pizza and subs will be sold at the event.
Contact Class Officers Aarti Lamberg or Eli Solvin with questions. Lambergac@arps.org
Sloviner@arps.org

Feather Press Studio Update

Posted on by
Thanks to everyone who has signed up for summer art at Feather Press Studio! I am looking forward to working with your children! Drawing and Painting and Sculpture classes are now full with a waitlist, and there are just a couple of spaces left in
Printmaking and Early Childhood Art.

Scholarships available: Feather Press Studio, with the generous support of a Wildwood family, is offering two full scholarships for the Early Childhood Art program this summer. Please check the website for more specific information on this and other classes, and indicate if you are interested in a scholarship for your child.

Finally, we have begun taking registration for after school fall classes. The fall schedule is flexible, so if dates and times don’t work, please let us know and we will see if we can adjust our fall scheduling.

Wishing everyone a restful and joyful summer!
Julie Lapping Rivera

ARPS PGO Spring Public Meeting

Posted on by

When: June 12th at 3:15 PM

Location: The Works, downtown Amherst

Agenda

Introductions

Individual School Updates

Taxes and State Filings

Group Fundraisers

-UMACC (United Way)

-Valley Gives

-Florence Bank

-Amazon Smile

Other Business not anticipated by the chair

Adjourn

ARHS Project Graduation/Senior Party Volunteers Needed!

Posted on by

Message posted on behalf of ARHS PGO:

Please consider joining in the 35+ year-old tradition of throwing a SAFE Party for the Graduating Seniors and their invited guests. Over 40 local businesses stepped up to sponsor this event in 2017. It truly takes a village!

We need volunteers at the event to help with registration, security, monitoring games, shuttle, set-up and clean-up, first aid, etc.  The party happens after Graduation on Friday June 8th and runs from 10:30 pm to 3:00 am.  we need volunteers for all sorts of time slots. This year the party will be at Hampshire Athletic Club on Gatehouse Road in Amherst. 

All ARHS families encouraged to volunteer!

Click here for party details

Click here to volunteer via Sign-Up Genius or for more information please contact:

Tracy Farnham

413 531 7641

tqfarnham@gmail.com

Children’s Learning and Development Research

Posted on by

The Cognitive Neuroscience Group at the MGH Institute of Health Professions in Boston is recruiting children who are (or are soon turning) 8 or 10 years old to participate in a research study funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). This is a longitudinal study that follows children over a period of 3 consecutive years. Our goal is to improve understanding of learning in children. The study consists of 1 in-person visit (about 2.5 hours) per year for 3 years (weekdays/weekends). During this visit, children play several games on the computer and complete several language/memory tasks. The lab visit includes safe and noninvasive EEG recording. The day after the visit, kids complete a quick follow-up task from a home/library computer. Payment is $60 per year.

We provide free all day parking at the Navy Yard. Please email us at cnglead@mghihp.edu or call us at (617) 643-4821 if you are interested or if you have any questions. More information can be found at: https://clinicaltrials.partners.org/study/feedback_learning

WMWP Summer Youth Writing Programs

Posted on by

Screen Shot 2018-05-31 at 5.33.43 PM

Western Massachusetts Writing Project Summer Youth Writing Programs:
Write. Find your voice. Change the world.

E452 South College, University of Massachusetts Amherst For more information, e-mail wmwp@english.umass.edu or call (413) 545-5466 To register or apply for a scholarship, visit the WMWP website, http://www.umass.edu/wmwp/

Click here to download the flyer: WMWP Summer Youth Writing Programs

This is not a school-sponsored program.

2018 Wildwood Multicultural Fair – Come celebrate our diversity

Posted on by

Date: Thursday, May 31st, (rain date- Thursday, June 7)
Location: Behind Wildwood Elementary School
Time: 5:30 – 7:30 pm

DON’T FORGET! This coming Thursday is our celebration of cultural diversity. In addition to a fantastic community potluck there will be international performances, a fashion show, family photographs, and activities / games / crafts. We look forward to seeing you!

Please bring:
  • A dish to share (Remember Wildwood does not allow nuts! A form will be provided so you can list the ingredients.)
  • Drinks for your family (Water will be provided.)
  • Reusable plates, cups, napkins, and utensils for eating in order to reduce waste.
  • A blanket or mat to sit on (This is an outside event.)

There is still time to perform or be part of the fashion show! Just check-in with the Welcome Table and we will add you to the list. If you have any questions or to volunteer: contact Becky Miller at wildwoodelementarypgo@gmail.com. This event is sponsored by the Wildwood PGO.

Are you interested in art? Wildwood Elementary School Art Studio needs help in the next few weeks!

Posted on by

1. Wednesday, June 6: We need a few “maker-oriented” folks to help put a mosaic together with a visiting mosaic artist between 12 and 6:00 PM (you do not need to come for the whole time; any time you can donate would be very helpful).

2. Monday, June 11 or Tuesday, June 12: We need help grouting the murals. Time as yet to be determined.
3. First two weeks in June: We need a few parents to help take down and colate student art work. Time to be determined.
If you would like to help, please email Julie Rivera at riverajl@arps.org.

Request from the ARMS PGO

Posted on by

Calling all incoming Middle School parents to be a part of the Middle School PGO.

We are going to have a transition meeting one evening during the first week of June, so that the current PGO can download all of our knowledge to the future PGO, and so we can try to fill some of the leadership roles for next year.  Even if you are not interested in taking a leadership role, we need lots of general PGO members to help with various events and activities. Please consider coming to hear about the PGO. There will be refreshments!!

If you are interested and willing to join us, please fill out this Doodle with your availability, so we can schedule the meeting as soon as possible:

https://doodle.com/poll/s76k2p9quttecqkf

Thank you!

The ARMS PGO

Internet Safety For Families

Posted on by

Please note that the newsletter incorrectly mentioned the location of the event as ARHS. The event is being held at ARMS.

The U.S. Attorney General’s Office will host a presentation: Keeping Children Safe and Secure Online: A Project Safe Childhood Presentation for Families on May 29, 2018, from
7:00 pm – 8:30 pm at ARMS.

The presentation will include: being safe and secure online; Social Media 101; Digital Footprint; Gaming; Sexting and Cyberbullying; Sextortion; and Internet Predators

For further information, go to

Documentary Screening – Resilience: The Biology of Stress and the Science of Hope

Posted on by

Hadley Public Schools and Clinical & Support Options are pleased to present a screening of “Resilience: The Biology of Stress and the Science of Hope” followed by a conversation led by Kristal Cleaver, LICSW, Director of Community Education for CSO.  Wednesday, May 30th, 6 – 8 pm at Hopkins Academy Cafeteria, 131 Russell Street, Hadley.

“Resilience is a documentary about the lifetime effects of adverse childhood experiences (divorce, substance misuse, mental illness, domestic violence, and others) and the role everyone in a community can play in reversing them.  Trailer: https://vimeo.com/137282528

You’ll have an opportunity to hear about HPS programs to build resilience and learn about community resources.

Everyone over age 14 encouraged to attend.  Refreshments will be served.  RSVP requested (but not required) by May 25 for food planning: rdenenfeld@hadleyschools.org

Wildwood Multicultural Fair – MAY 31st (rain date is Thursday, June 7)

Posted on by

SAVE THE DATE! Plan on attending Wildwood’s end-of-the-year community potluck, which celebrates the diversity of our school. In addition to a fantastic meal there will be a variety of activities, including a fashion show, performances (music, dance, song, etc.), and arts/crafts/games. If you would like to perform or help with the event please send an email to Becky Miller at wildwoodelementarypgo@gmail.com.

Request from Ms. Susan Wells – Asking for Yearbook photos

Posted on by

Jennifer Haugsjaahabink and I are working on the 2017-2018 yearbook! We are seeking photos from the following PGO events:

  • Science Night (both upper and lower)
  • Dance Night
  • The 6th grade sale and carwash
We are hoping to include a PGO page with these events but we need pictures please!  Can you help us?  Please send the photos to my email: wellss@arps.org
Thank you!
Susan Wells

4th Annual SEPAC Stars in Our Schools Call for Nominations

Posted on by

Do you know of someone (student, parent, staff, community member, etc.) who you would like to recognize for their dedication, creativity, patience, and determination in helping students who receive special education to experience success?

The Amherst-Pelham Regional Schools SEPAC encourages you to nominate such excellence in our learning community so that we may all publicly thank these individuals for the important way they influence our students.  Honorees will be celebrated at an awards ceremony: Cookies, Cupcakes, and Kudos on June 15th (more details are forthcoming).

Please email the completed Nomination Form (attached here in English and Spanish) and Nomination Statement to: SEPAC@ARPS.ORG

or mail to: ARPS, Student Services Office, 170 Chestnut Street, Amherst, MA 01002

All nomination information must be received by May 18, 2018

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1D81UbgP_fsY3LNTAQHiGVhMzZAivuWZVWWUwAPrxiZ0/viewform?ts=5acf6aa0&edit_requested=true

2018-2019 AEF Excellence Grants Announcement

Posted on by

Heading into its 25th year, the Amherst Education Foundation announces its Excellence Grants for the 2018-19 academic year.  Totaling $29,000.00, the grants are spread across the Amherst Elementary Schools, the Amherst Regional Middle School, and the Amherst Regional High School.

Of particular interest to elementary families is the winning proposal from Jennifer Reese, Elementary Science and Garden Coordinator:

ELEMENTARY GARDEN-BASED LEARNING 

Grantee: Jennifer Reese, Elementary Science and Garden Coordinator

Grant Amount: $5,000.00

Schools: Wildwood, Fort River, and Crocker Farm

Description: Garden educator Leila Tunnell will lead all second grade students in year-round garden-based learning at school and on field trips to Brookfield Farm.  Each elementary school will create universally accessible raised beds.  The curriculum will build on lessons individual teachers have used in kindergarten and first grade and will provide second graders with the opportunity to learn about our local ecosystem, food sources, collaboration, and problem solving.

Read about the other grantees here: https://www.amhersteducationfoundation.org/grants/