Learning is meaningful.
~EL Education Core Practices
Students build deep understanding of concepts and can apply their skills and knowledge to new contexts and real-world issues. They are learning with a purpose—getting smart to do good—and see that their education is in service of building a better world.
Jenni’s Corner
As we dive into the school year, I’m excited to share some highlights from recent events and experiences that have enriched our students’ learning and strengthened our community. Our 10th-grade students recently returned from an incredible trip to Washington, DC, where they engaged in a hands-on exploration of civics and government. Aligned with their US History coursework, this trip was not only an academic experience but also an opportunity to build their grade-level community. Highlights included tours of the National Archives and the Museum of African American History and Culture, time spent exploring the National Mall and the Smithsonian museums, as well as a tour of the Capitol and a memorial walk through significant landmarks like the Jefferson, King, and Lincoln memorials. The trip concluded with a reflective session on the ride home, connecting their shared experiences to the ongoing work of their learning and growth as a group.
Our Back-to-School Night was another meaningful opportunity for connection. Families came together to experience a “day in the life” of their students, learning about the diverse ways we support both academic and personal growth here at the school. Additionally, we are thrilled to see the first round of our Clubs program taking off with a variety of exciting activities. Students are out in the community engaged in service for food justice and climate protection, exploring nature through fishing and foraging, playing games like D&D and LARPing, getting active with sports, strumming music in the sun, grounding themselves with mindfulness practices, and even creating gadgets in STEM. Whether it’s writing for the school publication, “The Mouth,” or exploring local art, there’s something for everyone, and it’s wonderful to see students following their passions.These experiences are already shaping a rich and dynamic start to our year, and we look forward to many more. Thank you for your continued support of our vibrant school community!
~Jenni
Scene Around Campus
Quick Links
2024-2025 ACADEMIC CALENDAR • SCHOOL EVENTS CALENDAR • SPORTS CALENDAR • COLLEGE VISIT CALENDAR • ALMA DIRECTIONS • Join the FAMILY DIRECTORY AY24-25 • GENERAL PERMISSIONS • OCTOBER MENU • AFTERSCHOOL OPPORTUNITIES
SCHOOL PICTURE DAY ONLINE ORDERING • Fall/Winter Intramurals
Upcoming Events
This list represents everything planned as of the date of this letter. Please refer to the online School Events Calendar for the most current information. College Visits are specific to Juniors and Seniors.
- Thurs. 10/3
- Liv Lohmeier’s Crew Outing
- Eliza Beardslee’s Crew Outing
- Nikki Crosby’s Crew Outing
- College Visit: Endicott College (2pm)
- Mon. 10/7
- Announced Lockdown Drill with the W. Mass School Safety Task Force
- College Visit: Western New England University (11am)
- Tues. 10/8
- 9th Grade – Sugarloaf Hike and Social Studies Fieldwork
- College Visits: Vanderbilt University (11am), Champlain College (2pm)
- Wed. 10/9
- 7th Grade – Wissatinnewag Walking Tour (Millers section)
- Jackie MacNeish’s Crew Outing
- Nikki Walk’s Crew Outing
- Visit with US Army Recruiter (12pm)
- FRCPS Board Meeting on zoom (7-9pm) AGENDA
- Four Rivers Apparel Store closes at midnight (more info below)
- Fri. 10/11
- College Visit: Bennington College (11am)
- Mon. 10/14
- No School: Indigenous People’s Day
- Tues. 10/15
- No School: Teacher Planning Day
- Trustees & Personnel Policy Committee (6-7pm)
- Wed. 10/16
- 7th Grade – Wissatinnewag Walking Tour (Green section)
- 10th Grade Wellness Class to GCC – 5k Practice
- Thurs. 10/17
- 10th Grade to Mass MoCA
- 9th Grade Wellness Class to GCC – 5k Practice
- Fri. 10/18
- School Picture Day – more information below
- College Visit: Maine College of Art & Design
- Wed. 10/23
- 11th Grade PSAT (8:15-11am)
- 12th Grade Senior Documentary Expedition Kick Off
- College Visit: Smith College
- Thurs. 10/24
- Family Council Meeting via Zoom (7:00-7:45pm)
- Fri. 10/25
- 8th Grade to Old Deerfield
In Otter News…
ENHANCED LOCKDOWN DRILL
On Monday, October 7th, we will partner with the Western Mass School Safety Task Force to hold our first of three enhanced lockdown drills. The staff engage in training throughout the year to prepare for emergency events, including lockdowns, shelter in place, and evacuation/reunification procedures. These drills help us to not only practice, but also to identify any areas of needed support. We also inform students of these drills, our procedures during them. Students who require a bit of advanced notification are tended to by our support staff before, during and after these drills. Feedback about the drill will be shared with the community after each drill.
BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT – Gratitude and FEEDBACK SURVEY
As mentioned in the opening, we hosted a well attended back to school night on September 19th. It is a joy to create these opportunities to bring the community together and have caregivers and parents engage with the teams of teachers, our support staff, and experience the conditions we create to provide the learning environment for our students. We strive to make this a welcoming, accessible, and impactful experience.
To that end, we are requesting that you take a few minutes to complete this FEEDBACK SURVEY. This survey is for anyone who attended and anyone who could not attend. It also asks a few questions about your experience with receiving important information to start the school year, like our summer mailings, etc. Thank you in advance for your participation in this survey. Please know we will use your feedback to inform future events and ways we communicate with families.
INTERIM ENROLLMENT LOTTERIES
We are actively recruiting students and families for open spots in our school. Please help us amplify the call for applications for our interim lotteries. This is posted on our Instagram and Facebook pages and will be in Valley Kids as well.
SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAM REVIEW
During the 2023/2024 school year, the Department of Elementary & Secondary Education conducted a program review of the special education program at Four Rivers. The review included an audit of all special education files, a review of policies and procedures, as well interviews with staff members, students and caregivers. While the review was overwhelmingly positive, the review did find that there were two areas where the school received “PARTIAL COMPLIANCE” and both were related to timelines. The full report can be found here: https://www.doe.mass.edu/psm/tfm/reports/#f. If you have questions about any aspect of special education at Four Rivers, please contact Andy Stenson at astenson@fourriverscharter.org
FOUR RIVERS APPAREL STORE IS OPEN!
Our apparel store is up and running! In addition to the variety of items available, we have a few items at the top of the webpage that we are highlighting for fundraising purposes; $3 for each of those sales will help support our Fieldwork and Crew Outings fund.
The store will be open for orders until midnight on Wednesday, October 9th. Orders take about 2 weeks to process and we will notify families once the items are here in the main office.
Ultimate Frisbee related apparel will be available the next time we open the store, in time for the holidays. Link to store: FOUR RIVERS APPAREL STORE
ENERGY DRINKS AT SCHOOL
We’ve seen some students coming to school with multiple energy drinks to consume during the course of the day. We want to partner with caregivers to help students make informed decisions about the impact energy drinks can have on developing minds and bodies. At school we educate students in wellness classes and in our athletics programs on the importance of healthy food and beverage choices and the dangers of overconsumption of energy drinks and caffeine. We are sharing THIS INFOGRAPHIC from the CDC with you all to support any messaging you have from home. Thank you for your support.
SKI/SNOWBOARD CLUB SIGN UP INFORMATION COMING SOON!
Ski/Snowboard Club will begin on January 8th and will run on Wednesdays for 6 weeks, at Berkshire East. We are able to offer transportation and snacks; and lessons and rentals will be available through the mountain.
Fee information will be available soon; there is no reduced or free pricing for this club
Returning chaperones or interested in chaperoning? Please email skiclub@fourriverscharter.org. These emails will go to club leader, Daryl Beck, and logistics coordinator in the front office, Robin Sidel.
Most questions will be answered in the next communication that we send out.
PICTURE DAY – FRIDAY OCTOBER 18th
On Friday, October 18th, we will have our school picture day with the Grynn & Barrett team. We will soon send home the order form, and you are also welcome to order online via this link: https://order.grynnandbarrett.com/login
Prepay Code is: 4E6V7T7P
The G&B team also provides us with a limited number of $22 vouchers for families who would like to access that assistance. Please let Robin (frontoffice@fourriverscharter.org) know if you would like to be added to the list.
Our Picture Retake Day will take place on Monday, December 2nd.
TTRPG CLUB (formerly known as the DnD club) – TUESDAYS 3:05-4:10
The Four Rivers TTRPG Club (formerly known as the DnD club) is back in business! We’re expanding our horizons to be able to play a wide variety of tabletop roleplaying games! We will obviously have a dnd campaign going but if you want to run a one shot (or more) of a TTRPG please feel free to bring it in! We’ll be kicking it off on Tuesday, September 24th in high school room 207 so get ready. If you have any questions feel absolutely free to email me, Ren, at swaggenbeek@fourrivers.org or bring them to our next meeting on Tuesday! Hope to see you soon as we begin our yearly journeys through magic and mystery!!
Yours sincerely, Ren Waggenbeek, Leader of the Four Rivers Dnd Club.
From Family Council
Mark Your Calendars!
Spirit Week Fireside Fun ~ November 21st ~ 5:30- 7:30pm
Come join us for an evening of Fireside Fun during Spirit Week, on Thursday 11/21 from 5:30-7:30! Students and their families are welcome outside by the fire pits to enjoy some snacks and join in music and storytelling and fun group challenges. Marshmallow roasting, hot cider and hot chocolate, glow sticks and community. Musicians can bring their instruments and join in.
This is an annual Family Council-sponsored event. Hope to see you there!
*Contact Marc Guillaume (solarmarc@gmail.com) to get on the Family Council email listserv and keep up to date on the happenings!
Next Family Council meeting is Thursday October 24 at 7 pm on zoom.
Anyone welcome!
Handbook Highlight
5.1 ATTENDANCE POLICY
Good attendance is one component of becoming an effective learner. It also has impacts on the classroom community and frequent group work in our classes. Four Rivers strives to work in partnership with students and caregivers to promote regular school attendance. Paramount to that collaboration is communication between home and school.
EXCUSED ABSENCES
There are reasons why a student might miss school. We do count and track these absences and students are expected to make up any work missed due to absences. In order for an absence to be considered excused, caregivers/parents must report the absence by 8:15 am each day by calling (413)775-4577 or emailing frontoffice@frcps.org.
Excused absences include, but are not limited to, illness/quarantine, religious observance, college visits, court appearance, and major family emergencies.
Because Four Rivers serves all of Franklin County, inclement weather may impact districts throughout the county differently. If your home district is closed due to weather, absences will be marked as “excused”.
If a student is absent for reasons other than these, absences will not be excused and will be recorded as “unexcused”. At five and eight unexcused absences, we will send you a letter, as is legally required and will ask to meet with students and caregivers.
Extended or frequent absences that are the result of a medical or mental health condition, in which case the school develops a 504 Plan and/or Individualized Education Program (IEP) and does not penalize the student for the absences related to that condition. Such a plan will include academic adjustments and/or related aids and services to ensure the provision of a free, appropriate, public education (FAPE).
If your child has a medical or mental health condition that is interfering with regular school attendance, please submit documentation from a health care provider so that we can best support your child’s needs. If you have questions or need assistance with obtaining documentation, please contact the Director of Academic Support. Please refer to the Special Education Evaluation and Placement Procedures if you suspect your child may have a disability and you would like to consider a school based evaluation.
From the Health Office
For important information about health forms, Covid-19 updates, immunizations and physical exams, and medications at Four Rivers, please view the letter sent by school nurse Jazmin Miller to families/caregivers through Alma on Friday, August 23th.
Vaccine clinics are happening starting in October. The schedule and links to register are here. As of right now there is not one happening here at Four Rivers. You can always go to the website to stay updated on vaccine clinics that are happening in the area. https://frcog.org/project/vaccine-information/
Reminders
- Please submit your student’s Annual Health History and Permissions Form if you have not done so already.
Athletics
FALL SPORTS:
The Girls Varsity Soccer team started their season, and they are undefeated! They easily handled Stoneleigh-Burnham, and then won a close game against Vermont Academy JV. So far the top performers have been Captain Sylvia Guillaume with 3 goals and 1 assist on the season (a hatrick against Stoneleigh) and Aida Potter with 3 goals. Goalkeeper Olivia Long has also played really well, getting the clean sheet against Stoneleigh.
The Middle School team has continued to be impressive and they are also undefeated on the season. They beat Mahar 3-2, and then took down Smith Academy 3-1. Silas Kopera has been a standout, both in goal and on the field.
The Boys Varsity meanwhile has had a tougher couple of weeks. They fell to Vermont Academy JV and Hartsbrook, before winning against Putney and shutting out BART. One of the standouts for the Boys Varsity has been their defensive line. Recently it has been Kolin Broderick, Russell Herbert, Oliver Cordeiro, Owen Baril, and Quentin Jones standing strong for the boys and ensuring results like the game against BART.
The Cross Country team continues to run strong! On September 18th they competed at Charlemont and the boys won it again! Meanwhile the girls had enough runners to qualify and they finished in second place with strong performances by Seneca Smith, Charlie Cormier, Loie Acton, Grace Cormier, and MC Hargrove. Our Home Meet was last week, and despite missing quite a few runners away on the DC trip the boys still managed to pull off a second place finish. Will Polatin stood out, taking third overall for the second week in row!
Upcoming Events:
Soccer
- Friday, 10/4 – (Home) BV v Dublin at 4:00
- Friday, 10/4 – (Away) GV @ Putney at 4:00
- Friday, 10/4 – (Away) MS @ PVCICS at 4:00
- Monday, 10/7 – (Away) MS @ Charlemont at 4:00
- Tuesday, 10/8 – (Away) MS @ Mohawk at 4:00
- Wednesday, 10/9 – (Home) GV v Vermont Academy JV at 3:00
Cross Country
- Wednesday, 10/2 – Meet @ Putney at 3:30
- Wednesday, 10/9 – Meet @ Eagle Hill at 3:30
Cleat Swap:
We are collecting cleats, and we currently have some available. If you need cleats for soccer, please contact the athletic director and we will see if there are any that fit. We are still collecting, so if you want to drop off any cleats, you can put them in the box by the front office.
Disc Design Contest:
New discs are coming to Four Rivers, but to make that happen we need your help! We are looking for artwork submissions from students that can be the design on our new discs. If there are multiple designs submitted, a winner will be chosen and will receive a free disc once they arrive.
We have gotten some great designs already! If you have one, please submit it by October 25th to Peter Johnson (athletics@fourriverscharter.org).Check out this link to read about the artwork specifications.Ultra-Star Disc Design Specifications. For inspiration, take a look at some of our past designs!
Reminders
HOMEWORK CLUB
Homework Club runs 3:15-5:00pm Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, and there is no cost to participate. Students that join the Homework Club will meet in the Farmhouse library.
Any student that has not been picked up by 3:15 on a day that Homework Club is running, will be asked to join, and can be signed out from there.
This is separate from and in addition to specific after school help that is offered by our faculty.
ATTENDANCE, 8 IS LATE POLICY, and SIGNING OUT EARLY
- To report your student late or absent please email attendance@fourriverscharter.org, or call 413-775-4577 and leave a message.
- 8 is LATE – If your student arrives at 8am or later, they need to come to the main office to sign in and get a late pass. Caregivers are not required to accompany them into the office.
We can take their school lunch order if they arrive before 9:30am. If arriving later and they need a school lunch, please email frontoffice@fourriverscharter.org.
- If you are picking your student up early you ARE required to come into the office to sign them out. If your student is being picked up by someone that is not listed in Alma as a parent/guardian or emergency contact, please email or call the office in advance.
AFTER SCHOOL HELP WITH FACULTY
Students are encouraged to attend after school help sessions whenever they would like extra support, or even as a time and place to get homework done. There may be times when faculty specifically requests that a student come for after school help in any particular subject.
| After School Help Schedule* ends at 4:15 | |||
| MONDAY | TUESDAY | THURSDAY | |
| Div 1 | English Spanish | Science | Math Social Studies |
| Div 2 | English Science Spanish | Math | Learning Center History Math |
| Div 3 | English Math | Learning Center | Social Studies Science |
*Please note that this schedule is subject to change and that faculty will keep students notified in person of such change
BOARD OF TRUSTEES RECRUITMENT
We are actively recruiting for Board of Trustees members from our community. If you are interested in supporting our school for a term on our board, please review this document detailing BoT representatives’ roles and responsibilities.
Feel free to amplify our call for members by sharing this document with your network. We are in need of members at large as well as members of our committees, including the Trustees and Personnel Policy Committee and our Finance Committee.
~In gratitude, Four Rivers Board of Trustees
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
We are also looking to add educator substitutes to our pool of available people. THIS is the job posting link on School Spring.
Community Corner
4SC FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER
Greenfield Safe Schools, Safe Streets Coalition (4SC), part of the Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG) provides a monthly newsletter full of community based resources and events.
Check it out below: Find out how youth can be part of the mural project for Greenfield Public Library’s Teen Room, sign up for the CTC Coalition meeting, get updated resources on raising youth in a screen-filled world, find a vaccine clinic, be part of the river cleanup, keep mosquitoes away, and learn about local events and programs!
Link: Connections Newsletter
FALL ARTeens AT THE ART GARDEN – APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN, TRANSPORTATION IS AVAILABLE! Please see this letter that was emailed out to families on 10/8 in regards to transportation: ARTeens Transportation
ARTeens is an afterschool program where teens play, work, make art, and create a supportive creative community! ARTeens is a weekly after school program at The Art Garden in Shelburne Falls open to middle and high school teens (ages 12-19).
Our Fall sessions begin the week of October 22nd and run for 7 weeks.
For more info and our participant interest form go to theartgarden.org/for-teens!
AFFORDABLE HOME OWNERSHIP OPPORTUNITY
The non-profit, Rural Development, Inc., is currently accepting applications for a 3-bedroom home in Greenfield that is being sold to an income-eligible, first-time homebuyer.
More information can be found here: https://fcrhra.org/affordable-homeownership/