Dear Parents/Guardians,
On behalf of all the
staff at the middle school we want to thank you for a wonderful start to our
school year. Your children came to
school ready to learn and eager to be positive, contributing members of our
school community. It was wonderful to
see so many of you at our team breakfasts. We hope you will always feel welcome
to come to school on many more occasions.
Beginning the week of
September 10th, late buses will be available on Mondays, Tuesdays
and Thursdays to Amherst, Pelham, Leverett and Shutesbury. The buses will leave the middle school at
approximately
We look forward to
seeing you on Thursday, September 27 for our Open House. This is an evening for parents/guardians to
learn more about your child’s school experience. You’ll have the chance to experience a
modified sample of your child’s schedule, meet each of the teachers and hear
about curriculum, class expectations, and upcoming events. It is also a wonderful opportunity to meet
the parents/guardians of your child’s classmates. We encourage you to exchange phone numbers
with parent/guardians of your child’s friends so that you can be in touch with
each other about activities in which your child is involved.
(Continued
on Page 2)
As your child begins to
socialize with peers with whom you may not be familiar, it is particularly
important for the adults in their lives to be in close communication. Check in with each other. Support each other as you set appropriate
limits and boundaries and guidelines for your children. Talk with each other about providing
supervision for your children at Friday evening high school football games.
(Middle school students will not be admitted to attend night games unless
accompanied by an adult) Be in touch
with other parents to insure supervision at parties and sleep-overs. Ask questions. Your child needs and benefits from your
active presence in their lives.
A few last reminders
about the Open House evening. The
evening will start promptly at
We’ll see you on the 27th!
Fran
Ziperstein Mike Hayes
PRE-PAYMENT
OF LUNCH ACCOUNTS
The Middle School lunch
program is accepting pre-payment of your student’s lunch money. You can send a check or cash in with your
student, they can give it to any cashier and it will be applied to their
account. You may also mail a check to
Ruth Hatt, Cafeteria Manager,
FREE
AND REDUCED LUNCH FORMS
Free and Reduced Lunch
Forms are due back to the ARMS office by Friday, September 28. On Monday, October 1, any students who were
previously receiving free or reduced lunch and have not returned their form
will be removed from the Free and Reduced lunch list in the cafeteria.
There will be an open
meeting for all parents and guardians of Middle School students. Meetings
are held once per month on Wednesday or Thursday evenings.
Wednesday,
September 19, 2007
7:00
PM to 8:00 PM
Middle
School Library
SUSTAINED
SILENT
Every Thursday morning
students begin their day with Sustained Silent Reading in their
advisories. Some classrooms are in need of high interest
magazines, books, and comic books, so if you have anything you could
donate, we would really appreciate it. There is a box in the main office
for contributions. Thanks in advance for your help.
STUDENT INFORMATION
Your child brought home emergency cards and other
important material on the first day of school.
Please be sure these have been filled out and returned to us at
school. It is critical that we have this
information available to us so that we can take the best possible care of your
child.
A BETTER CHANCE WALK
The Amherst A Better Chance Fall Foliage Walk will
return this year on Saturday, October 13th with all of the fitness fun it has
provided for the past 35 years. A
tradition in
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Once again, we are looking
forward to our second annual Change for
Change contest to help raise money for Amherst A.B.C. program. During the week of October 1, middle school
students can bring in loose change to contribute to the contest. Many parent volunteers are needed after school
(2:30-3:30) in Room C-1 from Monday, October 1 to Friday, October 5 to count
change and make a daily graph which keeps the students motivated! Please contact Jennifer Welborn (362-1901 or
Welbornj@arps.org) if you are able to volunteer for even a few
hours. Any help is very much appreciated. Thank You!
ENGLISH
LANGUAGE EDUCATION (ELE)
ELL Teachers, Ms. Ortiz
and Ms. Reyes, and student-teacher from UMass, Ms. DosSantos are very happy to
welcome English language learners from around the world. Our students represent
the countries of:
To support students’ learning and transition to
the Middle School we will offer an ELE After-School Homework Club which will
take place in room C-12A every Tuesday from 2:30-3:30 p.m. Donations of snacks and beverages are
GREATLY appreciated!
FALL TESTING: The Department of Education requires that all
new students be tested with the following assessments: Mass. English Language Assessment-Oral
(MELA-O), observation protocol will take place from October 1-31; and the Mass.
English Proficiency Assessment (MEPA) will be administered on October 23-24,
and the 25th will be make-up day.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Ms.
Ortiz or Ms.Reyes at (413)362-1929.
We are delighted to
announce the arrival of Jovan James Devlin Eck who was born on August 31. Congratulations to Justin Eck, English
teacher on our Crimson team and his wife, Christine.
As you know, meeting the needs of our students is
our most important job. With that in mind, you may be able to help us.
As with any year, we lose substitutes because they
become employed full time, move from the area, have a change in schedule, etc.
And it only makes sense that as we delete names from the substitute list we
need to add new names.
Basically, we are always in need of substitute
teachers, substitute paraprofessionals, and substitute nurses. Do you know of anyone who enjoys children
and might be interested in becoming a substitute in the Amherst-Pelham Schools?
Please know that we ask all our applicants for their preferences so we can
provide a good match.
If you think of someone
who may be interested, please ask him/her to contact Gretta Tucker at
413-362-1807 for more information. Interested
persons may apply on line at www.arps.org
AREAS of RESPONSIBILITIES
Mike, Fran and Libby work closely as the administrative
team of our middle school. Although we are
each involved in all aspects of the life of our school, we have designated
particular areas of key responsibility for each of us.
·
CURRICULA,
INSTRUCTION and ASSESSMENT- Mike Hayes
·
STUDENT
MANAGEMENT- Libby Hurley
·
SCHOOL
SAFETY- Libby Hurley
·
SCHEDULING
and TECHNOLOGY-Mike Hayes
·
STUDENT
SERVICES and SUPPORT PROGRAMS – Fran Ziperstein
·
FACILITIES/BLDG.
MANAGEMENT (Custodians, Food Services, Transportation) and PERSONNEL- Fran Ziperstein
·
STAFF
EVALUATION and SUPERVISION-Fran Ziperstein, Libby Hurley and Mike Hayes
·
AFTERSCHOOL
CLUBS –Fran Ziperstein
School Committee
meetings are held at
September 11, 25; October
9, 23; November 6, 20;
December 4, 18; January 8, 22; February 5, 26;
March 11, 25; April
8, 29; May 13, 27; June 10
SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Elaine Brighty, Chair
elbrighty@amherst.edu
253-2173
Michael Hussin,
Vice-Chair
mwhussin@crocker.com
256-4942
Kathleen Anderson,
Secretary
kdqanderson@hotmail.com
256-1583
Andy Churchill
achurchill@educ.umass.edu
549-1786
Sonia Correa Pope
spope@sabis.net
549-9345
Maureen Ecclestone
mcecclestone@comcast.net
Marianne Jorgensen
204
mjorgensen@rcn,com
259-1842
Michael Katz
Chrystel Romero
chrystel.romero@gmail.com
549-0006
CHART FOR “DAY” ROTATION
FOR THE MS
As you know, we have a new schedule this year
which is built on an 8-day rotation. We
have provided a chart at the end of this newsletter showing the days of the
rotation for the entire school year.
|
TIPS ·
See for yourself what it’s
all about. Ask your child to
demonstrate Instant Messaging, or check out a social-networking site. ·
Tell children to never share
personal information online. E-mail address and cell phone numbers should be
guarded. ·
Tell children that they
should never post pictures of themselves on the internet and let them know that
this has seriously harmed other children in the past. ·
Limit the amount of time
children spend online. ·
Monitor contact and teach on-line
manners. ·
Keep computers in
heavy-traffic areas. ·
Purchase tracking software
that can block inappropriate messages and websites, as well as track online
activity. ·
Know your children’s on-line
friends. ·
Your child should understand
that bullying is never OK. ·
Ask your child to report
threatening messages. ·
Assure bullied children you
will not take away the phone or computer. ·
Never respond to a bully. ·
Print messages if harassment
continues. ·
Report the situation to the
bully's ISP. ·
Change your child's email
address if necessary. Sources: Allan Beane, Ph.D., How To
Help Your Child Be Bully Free, StopTextBully.com, Nationalcoalition.org,
Wiredsafety.org, and ARMS Counselors |
Internet Safety for Teens
Compiled by
Most of our students come to us with solid values and generally
treat other people well. However, all
kids can fall into the habit of crude, negative exchanges in chat rooms, blogs,
and social-networking sites, and while Instant Messaging, where that type of
communication is common. Over time, such
habits may have an impact on what kind of people our children grow into. Negative exchanges can escalate quickly, and
kids may behave in unexpected, impulsive, and hurtful ways.
Author Parry Aftab (www.aftab.com)
notes that cyberbullying can take many forms.
It can be a website where children can vote for the ugliest or most
unpopular girl/boy in the school. It can
involve sending personal information or images to others, sometimes obtained
without the teen’s knowledge, or posting these on-line for the public to
see. Former friends may betray password
information, leaving an entire account open for vandalism. Because of the anonymity and indirect
electronic contact, children may feel freer to engage in cyberbullying than in
direct confrontation with another child.
We often become aware of situations only after the fact, when the
hurt feelings, or, in some cases, illegal behaviors, are reported to us at
school. The following information is
offered to assist parents in monitoring children’s internet use, with the hope
of avoiding negative and hurtful experiences for kids. We believe that, with guidance and
appropriate supervision, our young people can learn to profit from the best
uses of technology while avoiding the dangers of misuse.
Following are excerpts from an article entitled, “e-bully” by
Camille Jackson, Teaching Tolerance
magazine, Spring 2006:
Bullying has never been easier. Any child, operating in relative
anonymity on the Internet at any time of day or night, can harass and
intimidate peers. Wired Safety.org Teen Angels and other experts offer guidance
for teachers and schools struggling with cyberbullying. A barrage of derogatory
comments blasted 13-year-old Megan (for security and privacy, students' first
names only are used) each time she signed on to her computer. The hurtful
instant messages came from people the
A supposed friend also was behind a bullying attack on 11-year-old
Max of New York. That "friend" stole Max's password, shared it with
others, then wreaked havoc on Max's personal computer account.
Bullying has gone high tech as kids, usually between age 9 and 14,
use personal computers, cell phones and PDAs (personal digital assistants) to
intimidate and manipulate their peers. Bullying behavior can manifest in
instant messaging, cell phone text messaging, online gaming, chatrooms, blogs
(online journals), and social networking websites. Technology allows cyberbullies to harass
their victims after school and on weekends. With children spending hours at a
time wired to communication devices, they are increasingly vulnerable to
aggressive online behavior. Because the bad behavior occurs off-campus, school
districts struggle to identify and punish cyberbullies.
Even the notion of "who started it" becomes complex with
cyberbullies. As 13-year-old Victoria of New Jersey pointed out, cyberbullies
are often people who have been bullied: "They want to be a different
person online because they want to feel stronger about themselves."
More children are affected by cyberbullying than initially
thought, with some parents and educators none the wiser. A 2004 study of 1,566 students by i-Safe
Derek Rangel, a parenting consultant and founder of
StoppingSchoolViolence.com, said sometimes kids are embarrassed about being
bullied and think they can handle it alone.
"A lot of kids don't tell parents because that's a double penalty;
parents will take away the phone or computer privileges," he said. Rangel
urges adults to discuss cyberbullying with children "before it becomes a
problem, because then it will be easier to handle."
At first Parry Aftab, a lawyer and cyber crime expert, didn't get
it. Why don't kids, as she says, "slowly back away from the computer"
when someone sends a nasty message? Then
she talked to students in her Wired Safety.org Teen Angels program and realized
pre-adolescents struggle socially, and online communities are vital. For these
students, the need for friendship, the need to belong, is greater than the risk
of being bullied. "In middle
school, kids don't get a chance to know who you really are. They are lost in
the crowd," Aftab said. "There's a need, and social networking sites
are important."
But "social networking," too often, can turn into
antisocial bullying. In Bullying and Harassment, A Legal Guide for Educators,
author Kathleen Conn writes, "because cyberbullies do not have to confront
their victims directly, they may feel emboldened and uninhibited, making their
messages more vicious than they would be in a personal confrontation."
GLOSSARY
Instant Messaging: Users can see who
among their friends is online and send messages and images instantaneously
Buddy List: A list of friends'
screen names that a user can instant message by clicking
Chatroom: A public or
private space on the Internet where buddies can have lengthy typewritten
conversations
ISP: Acronym for 'Internet service
provider.' Examples include AOL, Hotmail, Earthlink.
Social Networking websites: A complex web of friends connected online by common interest.
Example: MySpace.com, Friendster.com
Blogs: Short for 'weblog,' an online
journal that is frequently updated and intended for the general public
CYBERBULLYING WEBSITES
The Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use
offers effective strategies to help young people behave in a safe, responsible,
legal manner when using technology.
Canadian-based Cyberbullying.org
may be the world's first website specifically dedicated to this issue.
WiredSafety.org
provides help, information and education to Internet and mobile device users of
all ages.
StopTextBully.org
helps kids, parents and teachers handle "text bullying" -- conducted
through personal computers, cell phones and PDAs.
Chart for “Days” in the MS Rotation
|
Date |
ARMS Day |
Date |
ARMS Day |
Date |
ARMS Day |
Date |
ARMS Day |
|
9/17/07 |
4 |
11/20/07 |
8 |
2/6/08 |
4 |
4/16/08 |
8 |
|
9/18/07 |
5 |
11/21/07 |
1 |
2/7/08 |
5 |
4/17/08 |
1 |
|
9/19/07 |
6 |
11/26/07 |
2 |
2/8/08 |
6 |
4/18/08 |
2 |