Amherst Regional Middle

Dear Parents/Guardians,

As we head into these next few months, many images come to mind. It’s a time of thankfulness and gratitude and sharing, long days and early darkness, freezing temperatures and harsh winds. It is a time that we often rush to get out from the cold and get home before dark. It is a time filled with anticipation and joyfulness for some, and disappointment and emptiness for others. Too often, it is a time that we don’t pause to listen or watch nor pay attention carefully enough to those around us. We are keenly aware that the next few months in particular, is a time for us to be sure to be listening, watching, and sensitive to the well being of our community. We continue to honor our commitment to maintain a learning community in which each individual feels known, respected and safe. We are paying attention to the well-being of every individual, child and adult, in our school, every day.

Responding to the safety and well being of our school community takes on many forms. The national, local and school spotlight has focused our attention on bullying. We are working hard to interrupt teasing and bullying. We are clear that bullying refers to physical, verbal and non-verbal interactions and we are responding with strong, clear consequences. We are working with the individuals who are bullying as well as the targets and by-standers.

One of the areas we have been grappling with at the school, district and national level is how to respond to the “code of silence”. We are well aware of the complex issues which result in the reluctance of some students and adults to come forward with information which could affect the well being and safety of individuals and our schools. We reiterate our commitment to be good listeners, careful observers, and active responders. We encourage adults and students to pay close attention to that “uh-oh” feeling. We emphasize the need for students and adults to tell someone when they are feeling uncomfortable or unsafe, or they see/hear something that gives them that feeling. We continue to work at being a community in which students and adults believe that their concern will be taken seriously and will be treated with respect and sensitivity.

As a district we have devoted a great deal of attention to responding to issues of safety. Our school district is guided by a PRISM model to address school safety issues. The P focuses on planning, preparation and prevention. The R refers to the response and the I to the intervention. The S focuses on support and the M refers to monitoring to insure the lasting effectiveness of the intervention. The PRISM framework has been a useful model in developing our safety plans.

Libby Hurley, our assistant principal, is the safety plan coordinator for our school. She has been instrumental in the development and implementation of our school’s Safety Plan. She has worked closely with other district leaders and the Amherst Police and Fire departments to develop a plan in the event of a safety emergency. Our school’s Safety Captains and staff have been trained in safety plans including evacuation, lock down and shelter–in place protocol.

We are honored to be working with your children everyday and take very seriously the responsibility of their safety and well being. As always, we need your help in this important work in the following ways:

Listen, observe and stay connected to your child and his/her friends.
Talk with your child about that ‘uh-oh” feeling. Encourage them to know that feeling in themselves and trust that it is worth paying attention to and telling someone about.
Make sure your child knows when it is important for them to tell an adult if he/she or a friend is at risk. Think with your child to determine when “loyalty” (Code of Silence) is okay and when it is not.
Discuss with your child what they would do if they heard about a dangerous situation.
Talk with your child to insure that he/she has someone in the school they feel safe going to regarding a safety issue, bullying situation, etc.
Fran Ziperstein

Keep in touch with us. Please let us know if you have concern regarding the safety and well being of your child. Work with us to help keep the school safe for your child and others.

SCHOOL CANCELLATION INFORMATION

As the snow approaches, we want to provide you with a list of the media outlets that will be contacted in the event of school cancellations, delays or early dismissal. Notices will also be recorded on the school information line.

Radio:

WRNX –Holyoke - 100.9 FM

WHMP – Northampton 1400 AM/Greenfield-1240 AM/Springfield-1600 AM

WRSO - Greenfield 93.9 FM

WHAI - Greenfield - 98.3 FM / WPVQ - South Deerfield - 95.3 FM

WHYN- Springfield - 93.1 FM

Television:

WWLP – Springfield - Channel 22

WGGB – Springfield - Channel 40

WSHM – Springfield - Channel 67 (3 on cable)

School Information Line: 362-1898

Please be prepared for the possibility of an early dismissal on bad weather days. Be sure we have current contact and emergency information. Discuss an early dismissal plan with your child.

NEW EARLY DISMISSAL AND LATE START SCHEDULE

The early dismissal and late start schedule for the remainder of the school year has been changed. The reason for this change was that if we continued to just drop the first two classes for each late start day, those classes would not meet as many days a year as other classes. The schedule for these days has been altered to assure that each period meets approximately the same number of times throughout the school year.

Date	Reason	Schedule for the Day:
November 21	Early Dismissal	Advisory, A, B, C, H
November 29	Early Dismissal	Advisory, A, B, C, G
December 13	Late Start	Advisory, D, E, G, A
January 10	Late Start	Advisory D, F, B, A
February 14	Late Start	Advisory, A, E, G, F
March 14	Early Dismissal	Advisory, A, C, E, G
March 20	Late Start	Advisory, C, E, A, B

SCHEDULE CHANGES FOR 2^ND TRIMESTER

At the beginning of 2^nd trimester, students will get a new schedule. For most students, the only change on it will be the new Exploratory they are taking 2^nd trimester. It will be in the same period that their current Exploratory class is in. There are a few students who will either add or drop Math Plus and/or Reading/Writing Workshop. Parents/Guardians will be contacted if that is happening for their child.

Additionally, we are piloting the use of bells to mark the beginning and ending of each class period. We are hoping the bells will provide school wide consistency to help students get to class on time. Various clocks in the building are not synchronized resulting in varied times of dismissal from classes.

STUDY ISLAND

Many of you have asked us what you can do at home to help your child continue to improve his/her math skills. We’re writing to give you information about Study Island, a resource available to you and your children to support the work they’re doing in school in math. We began using this practice program last year and found it to benefit students in brushing up on their skills as well as preparing students for the Math MCAS tests.

Many schools in Massachusetts are currently using Study Island and are reporting improvement in standardized math scores. Study Island being web-based means that any ARMS student can access the program from school, home, the library, or anywhere and at any time that they can get online on a computer. There is no need to download anything, and there is no cost to students. Through the program, students will be able to do numerous math practice problems selected by their math teacher to reinforce important skills.

Teachers and other adults can get extensive assessment information from the Study Island to help adjust the program to best meet each student’s needs.

Information about how to use Study Island at home is listed on a separate page in this newsletter. We encourage you to become involved by asking your student to show you what they are doing with it. Although they will be using it in class, many students will benefit most from this is they also use it outside of class. We hope that regular use will result in students being more confident and more relaxed as they go into MCAS, and that that will be reflected in higher scores for all.

If you have any questions about Study Island, please call or email your child’s math or science teacher.

MUSIC NOTES

All of the ensembles are busy preparing for the first round of concerts. The following is a list of dates that you should have on your calendar:

November 14^th MS Auditorium 7:30 P.M. - Grade 8 Band, Orchestra, and Chorus

November 27^th MS Auditorium 7:30 P.M. - Grade 7 Band, Orchestra, and Chorus

November 30^th Lighting of the Merry Maple, steps of Town Hall 4:30 P.M. - Grade 7 Chorus

All of these concerts are free and open to the public

AMHERST REGIONAL FRIENDS OF THE PERFORMING ARTS

We are a group of parents who are working to raise funds for the Performing Arts Programs at ARMS and ARHS. Last year our fund-raising helped purchase

1. Music and supplies for the Department

2. Partial payment for the HS Dance Floor

Our fund-raising took on such activities as:

· Selling water, bumper stickers and reusable water bottles at school concerts and theatre performances

· Adopt-an-Instrument Program: Adopt an instrument for a year and help pay the repairs of that instrument

· Instrument Swap Night: Sell an old instrument or look for a new one

The funds that we raise will go toward school instrument repairs and purchases, scholarships for students to take lessons, purchase of a dance floor for the HS dance program, and field trips to professional concerts and performances.

Our next meeting will be on November 15^th at 7:30 in the ARHS Instrumental Room.

For more information, e-mail David Ranen, Dept. Head at ranend@arps.org or Pam LeDoux at pldx@comcast.net

VOCATIONAL SCHOOL REPRESENTATIVES

A reminder to parents/guardians that the Smith and Franklin Tech Vocational Representative will be here December 5^th @ 9A.M. If students are interested, please have them sign up with Denise Boyd, 8th grade guidance counselor.

ALL-CALL FOR SUBSTITUTES!

As with any year, we lose substitutes because they become employed full time, move from the area, have a change in schedule, etc. It only makes sense that as we delete names from the substitute list we need to add new names to meet the needs of all the children in the Amherst/Pelham schools.

We are in need of substitute teachers, substitute paraprofessionals, substitute one on one paraprofessionals, and substitute nurses. Our greatest needs for substitutes are for substitute nurses and substitute paraprofessionals, who work one on one with children with special needs of all ages.

Do you know of anyone who might be interested in becoming a substitute in the Amherst-Pelham Schools? Please know that we ask all our applicants for their assignment preferences so we can provide a good match. If you think of someone who may be interested, please ask him/her to contact Gretta at 413-362-1807 or tuckerg@arps.org. Online applications are accepted at www.arps.org. (Select Main Page, then Human Resources, and then Job Postings.)

Thank you for spreading the word!

Using Study Island from Home

Since the Study Island state assessment program is completely web-based, students can access it from any computer with an Internet connection and a standard web browser (Internet Explorer or Netscape). Results from students study sessions are recorded and made available to the teachers. This includes results from sessions completed at home.

The program is divided into sections. Each section is made up of 1O to 25 topics. Each topic contains about 20 to 25 questions with explanations. All topics are accompanied by a lesson, which includes some brief information about the material covered by the questions in the topics. It is helpful to view the lesson before answering the questions in the topic.

Follow the instructions below, in order to use the program:

1. Go to www.studyisland.com

2. Enter your username and password at the upper-left of the screen, and click "Login".

3. Note: Students win receive a username and password from their teacher at school. Click on the section tab (math, reading. etc.) that you wish to work on.

4. You must complete at least 10 pretest questions before moving on to the topic in the section. Students will complete the pretest in school.

5. Once you complete the "Pretest," you may work through the remainder of the topics in any order you like. You must "pass" all topics before taking the "Post Test".

6. To pass a topic, you must satisfy the topic's passing requirements which are based a minimum number of questions answered (usually 10) and. a minimum percentage correct (around 70%). A blue ribbon icon is displayed next to all passed topics.

7. Once you have passed all the topics in the section, you have to pass the "Post Test" for the section before the section is complete. Ignore this step if the section has no "Post Test".

8. When you pass all topics in all sections, you have completed the program and will be well prepared to take the state test.

To access the Reports:

1. After your child has logged in, select a subject from the left-hand side of the screen to access the reports.

2. Here, you will find a variety of reports with information such as how much time your child has spent on various subjects, how they used their time, and what questions they missed. You will also be able to compare your child with other children in their class and in their state that are using Study Island. You can select reports by Subject or select the Summary option to get all subjects.

AMHERST REGIONAL MIDDLE SCHOOL

Individual Family to School Communication Agreements

Revised 7/15/07

This document has been developed by the Family School Partnership and middle school faculty to clarify various aspects of home-school communication. It is intended to align understanding and expectations to facilitate a positive and effective partnership.

Home-School Communication - It is our goal to have relevant, timely, respectful communication between home and school. Communication may be via email, telephone, mail or hand carried by students.

Parent/guardians, teachers and administrators will make every effort to respond to communication within 2 working school days of receipt.

Telephone numbers, mailing and email addresses of record are provided by parent/guardians annually through the emergency contact card filled out by each student at the beginning of each school year and will be updated as needed. It is the responsibility of the p/g to keep the school informed of accurate contact information.

Parent/guardians should contact teachers first if there is a concern about specific classroom related issues. However, guidance counselors and administrators are always available to discuss issues with parent/guardians.

Absences - It is critically important for students to be at school and be on time every day. Regular attendance allows for a consistent academic experience, high level of engagement and a sense of belonging in the school community.

Parent/guardians need to notify the school of a student absence by calling the designated telephone line 362-1984. The student will bring a note of explanation the day he/she returns to school. No student will be dismissed from school before the close of the school day except in case of illness or other emergency, unless the school receives written request from the parent/guardian. A parent/guardian or designated adult needs to come in to the building to sign out a child if the child leaves school before the end of the school day.

Parents/guardians will be notified of unexcused absences, school tardiness or repeated class tardiness. The school will notify parents/guardians (by telephone) of a child's unexcused absence. In the event of repeated unexcused absence or tardiness, the school will notify the parent/guardian in writing. Students with a pattern of poor attendance or excessive absences will be referred to the Office for Student Services for investigation and intervention.

If a student is absent for one day, he/she should check with classmates to find out the assignments. Parent/guardians may call or email the office (battistonis@arps.org) on the second consecutive day of absence before 8:00 a.m. to request homework that can be picked up in the office after 3:00 p.m. If a call is received after 8:00 a.m., the homework may not be available until the following day. Homework requests will be given to the student's subject teachers. Upon his/her return to school, students are strongly encouraged to see teachers after school in order to check in and/or complete any missing work.

Parent/guardians should notify teachers of planned absences at least one week in advance. For absences of a week or longer, please notify the school and teachers will make their best efforts to provide missed school work in advance. We remind families that some classroom experiences cannot be provided as "school work" nor can they be provided in advance (i.e., labs, simulations, group projects).

Academic Issues and Progress

Parent/guardians are encouraged to contact teachers directly with any questions or concerns about individual student progress.

Teachers will contact parent/guardians if they believe a student is struggling with academic material, or is frequently not completing assignments in his/her class.

Curriculum maps for all subjects are posted on the district website (www.arps.org) and available in paper copy at the main office. Individual teacher/class expectations are distributed at the Open House, and are available by email or paper copy by request.

Parent/guardians may schedule conferences directly with individual teachers or through the guidance counselor if meeting with the child's entire team is necessary.

Health and Safety Issues -The school nurse will contact parent/guardians by telephone in the case of an illness or injury that requires the student to leave school, or if there is a concern about follow-up or frequency of visits.

Vision, hearing and postural screenings are done annually through the school health office. Dates of health screenings are announced in the newsletter and online school calendar. (www.arms.org). Parent/guardians of children identified as needing follow-up as a result of health screening findings will be contacted by mail.

Parent/guardians should notify the nurse of any medical or medication issues that might impact a student's academic performance, ability to learn or ability to participate in school activities.

Upon entering ARMS, all students are required to have up to date state mandated immunization records.

Social and Behavior Issues - Parent/guardians will be contacted by email or telephone of any formal disciplinary action on the day of infraction. A message will be left for parents/guardians if it is a minor infraction (e.g. Blue slip). For infractions that are more serious, the school will continue to attempt to contact the family until it is confirmed that the family has been informed of the situation.

School staff and administrators have many conversations with students regarding social and behavior issues. School staff will contact parents/guardians about social or behavioral concerns should it seem evident that parent/guardian involvement is necessary for the well-being of their child, or other students.

Parent/guardians are encouraged to notify the guidance counselor should they become aware of social issues (e.g. bullying, name-calling, teasing) that are interfering with their child's participation in school academics or activities. We take these issues very seriously and will work to intervene immediately.

Parent/guardians are encouraged to notify the guidance counselor of any important life-changing event (e.g. serious illness, death, divorce) that might affect a child's performance and participation in school.

School Activities -Teachers and program leaders will publish rehearsal, performance, athletic practice and game information to participants' parents/guardians through paper copy and/or email. Changes to the schedule (except emergency changes due to weather, etc.) will also be communicated in paper copy, email and will be available on the school's website.

Parent/guardians will notify performing arts directors or coaches of a student's inability to participate in games or performances by email or hard copy as far in advance as possible.

Teachers and program leaders will publish opportunities to participate in regional, state and national competitions in hard copy or email to all eligible participants. Likewise parent/guardians will indicate a student's intention to participate by email or hard copy.

CONTACT PHONE NUMBERS

School Office: 362-1850

7th grade counselor Mr. Sadiq 362-1843 sadiqt@arps.org

8th grade counselor Ms. Boyd 362-1841 boydd@arps.org

Student Services Secretary: Ms. Holmes 362-1840 holmes@arps.org

Health Room: 362-1974

Absentee Line: 362-1984

School Cancellation Line: 362-1898