Solitude and Reflection
~EL Education Design Principle
Students and teachers need time alone to explore their own thoughts, make their own connections, and create their own ideas. They also need to exchange their reflections with other students and with adults.
Message from the Head of School and Principal
A Busy and Exciting Start to Semester 2!
Dear Four Rivers Community,
The second semester is in full swing, and what a busy and inspiring few weeks it has been! On February 13th, our senior class premiered their documentary, Rethinking Recovery, at the Garden Cinema to a packed house. Kudos to the seniors and everyone who supported this impactful project! The film will be screened for the rest of the school in small groups on March 14th, ensuring that all students have the chance to engage with its powerful message.
Our Variety Show and Raffle was another grand success, filling the Shea Theater with joy, camaraderie, and incredible performances. A huge shoutout to our dedicated Family Council for organizing and hosting this wonderful tradition and fundraiser. On February 28th, we hosted our Black Excellence Month Symposium, featuring many different workshops led by Four Rivers staff, students, and valued community partners—including the Black Student Union from Greenfield High School. We were honored with two keynote speakers; Naomi Bledsoe of the FRCOG’s Communities that Care Coalition and Partnerships for Youth, AND Gloria Matlock, the executive director of Twice as Smart. Thank you to everyone who contributed to making this a meaningful and enriching event!
This past weekend, our Drama Club wowed audiences with three incredible performances of Treasure Island at the Shea Theater. The students, both on and off stage, showcased the power of learning through the arts, demonstrating the hard work, creativity, and deep collaboration it takes to bring a production like this to life. Congratulations to the entire drama program and Leah Plath for yet another outstanding show!
Looking ahead, we are preparing for Student-Led Conferences (SLCs) on March 12th and 13th. These conferences provide students with a platform to reflect on their progress, set goals, and take ownership of their learning. SLCs are an essential part of how we foster character development and empower students to become effective learners and leaders.
Finally, tomorrow, March 4th, from 11:00-2:00, a team from our school will lead a presentation to renew our EL Education Credential. This is a distinction Four Rivers has earned every five years since near its founding. We are proud to share our journey toward equitable outcomes for all students and the ways we leverage our partnership with EL Education. A heartfelt thank you to the teachers, students, and board members participating in this process—we are excited to tell our story.
Thank you all for your continued support and engagement in our vibrant school community!
Warmly,
Jenni Manfredi
Quick Links
2024-2025 ACADEMIC CALENDAR • SCHOOL EVENTS CALENDAR • SPORTS CALENDAR • ALMA DIRECTIONS • Join the FAMILY DIRECTORY AY24-25 • GENERAL PERMISSIONS
HEALTH INFO FOR FAMILIES
LUNCH MENU FOLDER
SUBMIT A QUOTE! • FOUR RIVERS APPAREL STORE
Four Rivers Students: NEXT YEAR COMMITMENT, AY 2025-2026
STUDENT LED CONFERENCES: pickAtime
10th Grade “DO SOMETHING” Surveys 2025
PLUS-SIZE MODELS WANTED – Senior Ex Project
ULTIMATE – REGULAR SEASON – SIGN UP FORM
Upcoming Events
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Please refer to the online School Events Calendar for the most current information.
Tues. 3/4 – EL Credential Renewal Presentation
Wed. 3/5 – Jackie MacNeish Crew Outing
– Ski & Snowboard Club Week 6
Thurs. 3/6 – Dental Program – See Health section for more info
– Team Adventure Race – See Athletics section for more info
Fri. 3/7 – Connections Conference
Tues. 3/11 – 9th Grade I-Search Library Trip to GCC Library
– MS Girls Ultimate Experience – See Athletics section for more info
Wed. 3/12 – Early Dismissal at 12:30, Student-Led Conferences (more info below)
– School lunch served, School bus at 12:30, one bus route
– Ultimate Informational Meeting at 4pm, See Athletics section for more info
Thurs. 3/13 – Student Led Conferences – beginning at 3:15
Fri. 3/14 – Senior Documentary Screening
– Early Dismissal at 12:30, School lunch served, School bus at 12:30, one bus route
In Otter News…
COMMON ROOM MURAL
Given recent funding from Greenfield Cooperative Bank and from the Family Council, we are moving forward in partnership with Commonwealth Murals to vision a mural that celebrates cultural diversity at Four Rivers. The concrete next steps will be scheduling a facilitated session – led by Commonwealth Murals – with students to develop the vision for the mural. A small group of students will work with an artist to then paint the mural. PLEASE NOTE: We are still looking for a final funding partner to help us ensure the high-quality completion of the mural. Maybe you or someone you know would like to be that funder? Please contact Alison Rheingold (arheingold@fourriverscharter.org) if you are interested. Thank you!
YOUR VOICE MATTERS: Be A Part of the Movement for Excellent Public Education in MA
The Massachusetts Charter Public School Association (MPCSA) serves as the voice of the highest performing charter public school sector in the nation. In partnership with educators, families, and other partners across K-12 education, MCPSA advocates for public policy to ensure all children in the Commonwealth have access to high-quality public education opportunities. Additionally, MCPSA monitors state and federal policies that impact charter public schools, their students, and their families, and advocates for policies that positively impact our community – and against policies that would harm our community. And MCPSA needs your help in these efforts! Even in small ways, you can help make a big difference.
Get involved today! Sign up for MCPSA’s e-newsletter using your personal email address, and follow MCPSA on Facebook, Instagram, X, or LinkedIn to get connected and learn more about how you can become a part of the movement to ensure every child in Massachusetts receives an excellent education.
STUDENT LED CONFERENCES
Time to schedule conferences!
Link: pickAtime
Wednesday 3/12 – school is in session 8:00-12:30; conferences start at 12:30; lunch will be served, the school bus will drop students all in one route, no transfers.
Thursday 3/13 – school is in session 8:00-3:05; conferences start at 3:15.
Friday 3/14 – school is in session 8:00-12:30; lunch will be served, the school bus will drop students all in one route, no transfers.
For 12th graders – Student Led conferences in March are optional. You will receive an email if your student’s advisor would like to meet with you and your student.
KEY CARDS
Students should bring their key card to school each day to avoid being locked out of buildings. If a key card is lost or not working please report it to kjosephs@fourriverscharter.org as soon as possible. Students who require more than two replacement cards will be billed $5 for each additional card. Clear protective sleeves are available in the front office.
10th GRADE “DO SOMETHING” SURVEYS – from Nikki Crosby
Sophomores have created some amazing surveys in order to collect and analyze data relevant to their Do Something research. Links and descriptions can be found here: 10th Grade “Do Something” Surveys 2025
They are hoping to incorporate survey results into their research papers, so your serious and considerate input is very much appreciated.
Please let me know if you have trouble taking a survey and I will contact students who need to edit their sharing permissions – ncrosby@fourriverscharter.org.
PLUS-SIZE MODELS WANTED! – from Evie Bird
My senior expedition about reinventing plus size fashion is going to involve a magazine with the goal of embracing bodies we don’t see represented in media and fashion. I will have models wearing clothing up-cycled and styled by me for photo shoots. These shoots don’t have specific dates set but will be in early spring. If you identify with being mid-sized, curvy, or plus size in any way, and are willing to be part of this project, please fill out this form!
Current Employment Opportunities
- Director of Operations and Finance
Full Job Description - Substitute Spanish Teacher (covering a leave)
Full Job Description - Substitute School Nurse
Full Job Description - Substitute Teacher
Full job description
From Family Council
WOW! What an amazing time at this year’s Variety Show! A big thank you to everyone involved! We will have a full report of the earnings from the ticket sales and awesome raffle and more kudos soon. But we wanted to at least say how proud we are of all of the performers and how filled up we all are being part of such an extraordinary event!
Our next Family Council meeting is March 27 at 7 via zoom. We’ll be starting to plan our Spring Picnic. https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87919219613
*To get on the Family Council email listserv and keep up to date on the happenings fill out this form https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScxNloDv1zYxoydsD7pGJoOg3axUDzdlv0oM_OrsC6cnbwI0A/viewform
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.
Covid Tests
- Free Covid tests can be ordered and delivered to your house. They do have a limit for how many can be ordered per household.
- The Covid tests ordered for school have come in. There are 5 tests per box. Please contact the health office or front office if you would like a box.
Screenings:
Wednesday, 3/5/25 will be 8th grade for SBIRT screening
Monday, 3/10/25 will be 7th grade for height, weight, vision, hearing, and postural screenings, finishing them
Tuesday, 3/11/25 will be 8th grade for postural screenings
Thursday, 3/13/25 will be 10th grade for SBIRT screening
Health screenings will happen during Wellness classes. For SBIRT they will be pulled from other classes. Becky will be helping me to conduct them. If I received an opt out form or an updated physical where providers have done the screenings already, I will not do screenings for those students. If I receive an adjustment for certain screenings, I will do so for those students. Students do have the option to refuse screenings. If this happens a note will be sent home for their provider to do the screenings. If a student shows outside of normal findings for vision and hearing, a reattempt will be done at another date. If there are still findings outside the norm, a referral will be sent home. These referrals will need to be filled out by their provider and returned to me, especially if there are accommodations. Please let me know if you have any questions. jmiller@fourriverscharter.org or (413) 775-4577.
Dental program:
The dental program will be happening on Thursday, March 6th. Please let me know if you have any questions or would like a registration form, jmiller@fourriverscharter.org or (413) 775-4577 ext. 3.
Reminders
- Please submit your student’s Annual Health History and Permissions Form if you have not done so already. There are still a lot that I am missing.
- Covid and Flu vaccines can be done at various pharmacies . As of right now there is not a vaccine clinic happening at Four Rivers. You can always go to the website to stay updated on where you can receive Covid and Flu vaccines in the area. https://frcog.org/project/vaccine-information/
Athletics
Boys Varsity Team from left to right: (back row) Coach Alex Pawell, Miles Retzlaff, Kolin Broderick, Henry Schwerin, Ethan Hannon, Riley Stanclift, Head Coach Ashley Schenk, (front row) Captain Cooper Whitney, Captain Senior Meir Dragon, Senior Eliot Sanborn, Osiah Ballard, (not pictured) Russell Herbert
Basketball
Congratulations to our Boys Varsity Team! They finished an undefeated season by beating White Oak 62-43 in the semifinals and Hartsbrook 55-25 in the finals and winning the RVAL Championship! If you want to read more about it, check out this great article from the Recorder. If you want to watch the semifinal game, use this link. The finals game is coming soon!
It was a great season for our boys in many ways. The last two seasons ended in heartbreak as they were beaten by Eagle Hill in the finals both times. This year, they not only went undefeated and beat Hartsbrook in the final, but also took down Eagle Hill twice during the regular season. Two of the standouts for the team were the seniors Meir Dragonand Eliot Sanborn who both played big roles. Meir was a force in the paint, pulling down rebounds and getting blocks, while he was also able to score from all over the court, knocking down three pointers and finishing at the rim. Eliot might not have stuffed the stat sheet as much but always seemed to find a way to make big shots. Whether it was making three 3-pointers in quick succession against Eagle Hill to help our team stay ahead in a close contest, or dropping in the first basket in the semifinals against White Oak (also a 3-pointer). Our team this year is less senior-heavy than we have been in the past, which bodes well for the future, but those two and their impact on the game will certainly be missed!
Our Boys Varsity team was not the only team finding success recently. Our Middle School finally did it! They got their first and second wins of the season! The first one was a nail biter as they held on for a close win against Eaglebrook 16-15. Silas Kopera led the way for the team, scoring 8 points. Their second win was a little more comfortable, but still close as they defeated Hopkins Academy 32-26. Nick Ward was the top scorer with 14 points for our team. Congratulations to the Middle School on a hard, well-fought season.
Middle School Team from left to right: Will Polatin, Quinn Gibbons, Aksel Kotright-Clark, Nick Ward, Jonah Wiles, Silas Kopera, Finn Waggenbeek (not pictured) Josiah Coy
Team Adventure Race:
Our Intramural Running group is hosting an exciting one-time event. Join them on Thursday, 3/6 for a fun race. Use this link to sign up.
MS Girls Ultimate Experience:
We are going to be hosting a special event for Middle School Girls to get introduced to Ultimate. We will meet in the Stoneleigh-Burnham gym on Tuesday, March 11 from 3:30-5:30. This is a free event, and transportation will be provided from and to Four Rivers. It’s a great opportunity to have fun and try out the sport of ultimate. Use the link to sign up. Ultimate Experience
Ultimate:
Our Ultimate Season is starting soon. The planned start date is Monday, 3/17 although that may change depending on weather conditions. You can sign up using this link. Also there will be an informational meeting before the season on Wednesday, 3/12 at 4:00. Everyone who is planning on playing ultimate or interested in learning more about it, is encouraged to attend. You can find more information about it at this link.
Reminders
NEXT YEAR COMMITMENT
Thank you to all who have taken the time to complete our next year commitment form. As we plan for next academic year, it is helpful for us to know which students will be staying with us and if others will be transferring to other educational institutions or pathways. We, of course, would love for all of our students to stay with us, but we know needs and plans change for some students and families. Open communication is really helpful for us to also be prepared to support any transitions.
We ask that everyone complete the form; the options for responses are:
- Yes, we will be re-enrolling our student in Four Rivers for AY 2025-26.
- No, we are not re-enrolling, and our student’s place may be offered to a new applicant.
- We are unsure about our enrollment plans. Please hold a place for us while we decide.
LINK: Four Rivers Students: NEXT YEAR COMMITMENT, AY 2025-2026
A LIVABLE FRANKLIN COUNTY FOR ALL
Next month the 8th grade will be embarking on a new learning expedition: Livable Franklin County. The purpose of this expedition is to explore some of the needs present in our community, and engage with community members who are working to meet these needs. We are hoping to help students answer the question: “What does it mean to be an engaged community member?” This expedition will be a mix of exploration inside the classroom, fieldwork out in the community, and guest speakers with various experiences with these issues. The expedition will culminate with a presentation for the public at the beginning of April. We hope you will join us!
Community Corner
Eventide’s March 23 concert is dedicated to the memory of John Bos, a founding member of FR first board. The chorus is directed by former Four Rivers faculty member Joe Toritto.
Sunday, March 23, 3:00 pm until 4:15 pm
Second Congregational Church, 16 Court Street, Greenfield MA 01301
Dancify is a new dance series for young (and young-at-heart) folks on third Fridays.
It’s designed to be a space where roughly teen-aged people and their friends/families can come and learn some partner dance and traditional dance vocab (lesson 7-8pm) and then dance to contemporary pop music using those skills (dance 8-9:30ish).
There is no upper or lower age limit, but the songs/lyrics are not G-rated and the dancing leans towards energy, fun, and sometimes chaos. If this sounds like your thing, we’d love to have you!
Fiery Hope singers are delighted to announce their spring concert!
