Thursday, March 18
6:04 am School begins at 10:00 AM

Amherst Regional High School
21 Mattoon Street
Amherst, MA 01002
(413) 362-1700
Principal: Mark Jackson

Frequently Asked Questions

If you have a question about ARHS and you cannot find the information on this site, please contact the webmaster. Check back here in a few days to find the answer to your question.

For questions about attendance procedures, please check the Attendance/Tardiness FAQ.

Alumni Database

Does the school maintain a database of alumni? Where can I find information about class reunions?

Yes there is a website for the Amherst Regional Alumni Association at www.arps.org/AlumniAssociation/. Alums can post news to share with classmates and also find an email directory for their class. The Alumni Association was formed just a few years ago, and we are still in the process of building the database.

We post information about reunions as we receive it from individual classes. The school district is not directly involved in organizing reunions.

Sharon Gross is the contact person for the alumni association.

Registration of New Students

If I am new to Amherst, how do I enroll my student at ARHS?

The first step is to contact registrar Cathy Stangroom, who is in charge of new student registration at the high school. See also additional details about registration.

Transcripts

How do I get a copy of my high school transcript if I have already left ARHS?

You need to fill out a release form and pay a $5 fee (per copy).

Registrar Cathy Stangroom is in charge of student records at the high school.

Finding Specific Information

Sometimes I need to find really specific information but I don’t know where to look on the site. How am I supposed to find it?

If you are not sure where to go on the site, you can try the search box located on every page. For example, if you want to know something about the yearbook, type the word "yearbook" into the search box. This will conduct a Google search within the high school site and find all documents related to the yearbook.

A lot of times, you can answer a question by checking the morning announcements. These are also searchable. If you type the word "yearbook" into the search box at the top of the morning announcements, you will see all announcements this year that have included the word "yearbook."

There is also a site index which lists documents and pages alphabetically. A link to the site index can be found at the bottom of each ARHS page.

If none of these searches helps you out, send an email to the webmaster and an FAQ will be posted about your topic.

Announcements Archive

How do I get to the announcements archive?

To see the announcements for the current day, go to "News" on the top menu bar, and then choose "Morning Announcements." Here is the direct URL to the announcements, should you wish to bookmark it:
http://www.arps.org/hss/MorningAnnouncements.jsp

Once you get to the announcements, you have a few options. You can use the menu bar at the top to move to announcements for the previous day or the next day, (if they have been entered). You can continue to hit the "Previous Day" or "Next Day" buttons to look at any desired day.

If you are looking for a certain topic--say you need to know when the PSAT will be given--then try out the search feature. Just type the word "PSAT" into the text field, hit the button that says "Search Announcements" and you will find all announcements that have contained that word.

The morning announcements are maintained by Pat Keenan.

Last Day of School

Why do different calendars show a different day for the last day of school?

The last day of school depends on how many snow days we have. The 2009-2010 school year calendar shows Monday June 14 as the "Earliest Last Day of School." If there are no snow days, then school will indeed end on June 14. However, if we have snow days, then the last day of school will change. The monthly calendar on the ARHS website is updated for each snow day and shows the correct dates for exams in June.

Please be aware that the last day of school in the district is a make-up exam day at the high school. There are no scheduled exams and most students do not need to come to school on that day. This is for the high school only.

Graduation

When is graduation for seniors?

Graduation will be on Friday, June 4, 2010 at 6 pm.

To see all of the important dates for seniors, check our monthly calendar:
http://www.arps.org/hss/Calendar.jsp?school=hs&month=June

Dress Code

Is there a dress-code or guidelines for appropriate dress at ARHS?

This is an excerpt from Section 23a of the Student Handbook:

"Students are expected to dress in a manner consistent with the academic and social goals of our school. Articles of clothing which are distracting or disruptive to the educational process, which violate common standards of decency and modesty, or which contain obscenities, fighting words, or references to gangs, drugs or alcohol are not acceptable. Extremely brief garments or see-through garments are not appropriate for school. Under garments must not be exposed. Any staff member who feels that a student’s attire does not meet these standards may send the student to the Dean for a conference."

Weekend Access

Is there any way to get into the school on weekends? I left my homework on my school account.

The high school building is closed on weekends. Sometimes a small section of the building is open for a specific purpose, such as a performance. Even in this case, students would not have access to their lockers or school computers.

Students can access the files on their computer accounts from home by using an option known as NetStorage, which you can learn about from this tutorial.

Another option is a method known as FTP (File Transfer Protocol). This requires a program like Smart FTP, which is available for free for personal, noncommercial use. The host name to use is: "www.arps.org" and the login name would be something like this: ".cruzj.CL10.stu.soa" (don’t forget the dot at the beginning of the login name!) Your school login password is required.

Senior Year Option

How does the Senior Year Option work?

As an alternative to Directed Study, or as an elective, seniors may choose to develop a plan for community based learning. Each senior who is interested will meet with a guidance counselor to plan his/her experience. With an approved plan a senior could leave school early (E period or D and E periods) to do an independent learning experience for one or more trimesters. The experience might be: community service, an internship, a college class, independent study, work-study, or something similar.

Nunia Mafi and Sherry Balzano are coordinating the Senior Year Option Program.

PE Requirements

What is going on with PE requirements?

Due to budget cuts, we have made significant changes in the graduation requirements for Physical Education. Previously, students needed 8 credits of PE in order to graduate, which was typically satisfied by taking 1 trimester of PE each year for four years.

The current requirement is: 2 credits of PE and 2 credits of Health Education. To complete this requirement, students now take one trimester of Physical Education in 9th grade and one trimester of Health Education in the 10th grade.

Eleventh and twelfth grade students may choose PE as an elective, but are not required to take PE. We encourage all students to maintain their personal fitness by taking PE classes and participating in athletics and other opportunities outside of school.

Jane Ames is the head of the department for Physical Education.

Community Service Opportunities

Can students do community service instead of a study hall?

Yes. This year, we have about 200 students performing a variety of services for the school. Students may act as peer tutors, library aides, office aides, or contribute a special skill, such as assisting with the school web site. They should contact the Guidance Office for information about community service.

Study Hall Requirement

What will the study hall requirement be for the 2009-2010 academic year?

Please see the program of studies and registration materials for information about study halls.

Assistant Principal Miki Lee Gromacki is in charge of the master schedule at ARHS.

Remote Email Access

Why can’t I access my school email account on the ARPS webpage?

In order to access your school email via the web, you need a special password. This password is not related to the password that you already use to log on to the school’s computer network. You set up the special password through Groupwise while you are at school. Once the password exists, you will be able to access your school email by clicking on "ARPS Email Access" from the menu at the bottom of this screen. Go to Room 141 for help in setting up the password.

If you have in fact set up a special password through Groupwise, but you still can’t access your email, there might be a problem with that server. Check back later. If the problem persists, there might be something wrong with your account. Go to Room 141 to report the problem.

Kathy Wilkes in Room 141 helps students use the computer network effectively. She also files work orders to fix problems with a student’s computer account. This assistance is available during the school day, until 2:30 pm.

Work Permits

Who, in the Amherst schools, is responsible for handling work permits?

Work permits are issued by the Office of Student Support Services, located in Room 309 of the high school. Students who are 16 or 17 can come to that office and get a work permit application. The application needs to be filled out by the employer and signed by a parent/guardian. Students who are 14 and 15 also need to obtain a work permit application. The application needs to be filled out by the employer and a doctor, and also signed by a parent/guardian. Students then return the completed application to the office in order to receive their work permit.

Contact Erika Grundstrom in the Office of Student Support Services for more information.

Taking Courses at Greenfield Community College

Where can I find information regarding ARHS’s cooperative program with Greenfield Community College? Specifically, I would like to know (1) how a student becomes eligible (grade requirements, course levels, etc) to apply; (2) how do the school semesters match up; (3) transportation options if a student isn’t yet driving; (4) fees; (5) credits.

Students interested in this program, known as ETP, should contact the guidance office at the high school. Students go through an application process and those who are accepted attend GCC full time. There is a fee for each semester at a greatly reduced rate. Scholarship funds are available for low income students. We provide a daily bus. Students earn both high school and college credits for their classes at GCC.

Guidance counselor Maureen Fleming works with ETP students.

Half Day before Thanksgiving

What time is school dismissed on the day before Thanksgiving? Do all classes meet on that day?

School is dismissed at 11:55 am on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. We follow a special schedule, where all five classes meet for a shortened period.

Discipline Policies

Where can I find a document explaining the school’s discipline policies?

At the beginning of the year, all students receive a copy of the Student Handbook. This booklet includes the school’s discipline code. It is available as a pdf file (1.5 megabytes, may not be suitable for dialup internet connections).. The discipline code is also posted online at http://www.arps.org/hs/Policies/CodeOfConduct.php.

Dean of Students Mary Custard is in charge of discipline for 10th and 12th graders at ARHS. Dean of Students Earl McGraw is in charge of discipline for 9th and 11th graders at ARHS.

Website Error

How do I report on error I found on this website?

We are committed to keeping this site informative, up-to-date and correct. If you encounter a problem while navigating the site, please fill out our error report form.

Mathematics and Computer Education teacher Nina Koch is in charge of the web site at ARHS.

Yearbook

Where do I find information about the yearbook?

Go to http://www.arps.org/hs/Students/Yearbook/

Technology Education teacher Lee Larcheveque is the advisor to the yearbook. He can be reached at yearbook@arps.org or 362-1578.

Courses Not Offered

I’m wondering about certain courses which are not offered this year. Why are the courses not offered? How could I find out more about this?

Some of our courses are offered every other year. As you plan out what you want to take each year, it’s good to look ahead and see when things are offered. For example, you might decide to take something in your junior year because it won’t be offered in your senior year.

In other cases, courses are not offered due to staffing and budgetary considerations. This is especially true for elective courses. Additionally, sometimes courses are offered in the Program of Studies, but then they do not run because not enough people sign up for the course.