Four Rivers Charter Public School is dedicated to educating young people for lives of learning and service. The school offers a rigorous college preparatory program aligned with the Massachusetts curriculum frameworks and an emphasis on character development for moral and social responsibility. Three central themes — nature, technology and community — guide teaching and learning at the school, engaging students and teachers in a fundamental question of our times: how do we find the healthy, sustainable interrelationship of the natural world, technology in its many forms, and the human community? The school works closely with parents and seeks both to serve and to learn from the many resources of Franklin County.
~Four Rivers Mission Statement
Message from the Head of School and Principal
In the coming weeks, we will welcome families and students who are interested in becoming part of the Four Rivers community. Just as all of you once did, these families likely feel a deep connection to our mission and share a belief in how schools can inspire and support young people. At Four Rivers, we live our mission every day—through the experiences we create, the ways we weave our character virtues into lessons, crew, clubs, intensives, athletics, drama, lunchtime routines, and family council events. Every member of our community contributes to nurturing our strong culture through thousands of daily interactions that bring our mission to life.
These upcoming events are a wonderful opportunity to extend and showcase those interactions to our guests. I am thrilled that our student ambassadors will once again lead the sessions and tours, giving visitors an authentic view of what makes Four Rivers special. These events are a celebration of learning, where we highlight high-quality work students have poured their effort into this semester and reflect on expeditions and investigations from past years. They offer a glimpse into the meaningful learning journey we undertake together and the impact we have on each other.
This work—creating a school where experiential, high-quality programming thrives—is at the heart of who we are. To sustain this mission and provide the impactful experiences our students enjoy, we rely on the generous support of our community. I invite you to consider a contribution to our Sustainability Fund, which funds the work that makes Four Rivers extraordinary. Your donations help ensure we can continue to deliver the kind of education that changes lives. CLICK HERE to make a tax deductable donation.
Thank you for your ongoing support, for the intention and time that goes into planning and hosting these events, and for being part of the Four Rivers community. Together, we make our mission a reality.
Wishing you all warmth and light this holiday season!
~Jenni Manfredi
Quick Links
2024-2025 ACADEMIC CALENDAR • SCHOOL EVENTS CALENDAR • SPORTS CALENDAR • COLLEGE VISIT CALENDAR • ALMA DIRECTIONS • Join the FAMILY DIRECTORY AY24-25 • GENERAL PERMISSIONS • DECEMBER MENU • AFTERSCHOOL OPPORTUNITIES • UMBRELLA ORDERS • SUBMIT A QUOTE!
SKI & SNOWBOARD CLUB REGISTRATION
FOUR RIVERS APPAREL STORE
Upcoming Events
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Please refer to the online School Events Calendar for the most current information.
Thurs. 12/19 – 8th Grade Service Work
– Dow/Morse Crew Service at The Arbors
– Madeline Leue’s Crew Outing
– Family Council’s Fireside Fun Event (5:30-7:30pm)
Fri. 12/20 – Alumni Open House (10-11:45am)
– Early Dismissal at 12:30, lunch served, one bus route – no transfers
Mon. 12/23-Wed. 1/1 – NO SCHOOL – WINTER BREAK
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!
Thurs. 1/2 – Dow/Morse Crew Outing
Fri. 1/3 – 2nd and Final Deadline for Ski & Snowboard Club – more info below
In Otter News…
ADMISSIONS SEASON
We welcome and appreciate your support with student recruitment! Your help spreading the word and sharing your family’s experience at Four Rivers is truly invaluable. Below are a couple of easy ways you can contribute.
- Post About the Application
- Share and repost our posts on Facebook and Instagram to your social media accounts to inform friends and family about the opportunity to join our school community.
- Post about the application in relevant Facebook or other online groups (local and parenting-focused) of which you are a member. Copy and paste the post below or edit it to reflect your voice.
- Our family is a part of the Four Rivers Charter Public School community, and the school is now accepting applications for students in grades 7-12 for next school year. You can learn more and apply at https://fourriverscharter.org/how-to-apply/. Be sure to submit your application by Monday, Feb. 24th, 2025, at 3pm. Feel free to message me to learn more about my family’s experience!
- Share Your Family’s Experience Online
- Help other families understand what makes our school so special. Share your family’s positive experience at Four Rivers by leaving a review on any or all of the sites below!
Tours
School and classroom tours are on Wednesdays from 8:30-9:30am on 1/8, 1/15, 1/29, 2/5 and 2/12
Space is limited. Families can pre-register by emailing frontoffice@fourriverscharter.org, or calling 413-775-4577.
Upcoming Open Admissions Information Sessions for prospective students and families – pre-registration not required. All information sessions will start with an opening presentation in the High School Common Room followed by tours led by our student ambassadors.
Wednesday, January 8, 2025: 6-7:30pm
Wednesday, January 29, 2025: 6-7:30pm
Saturday, February 1, 2025: 10-11:30am
CHILLY WEATHER – Reminder for all
That chilly time of year is upon us again! While maybe not the wintery wonderland many students are dreaming of, Winter is here. At Four Rivers, time outside is a part of our approach. That’s why during the winter we continue to do things like outdoor recess, walks around campus, and more.
Our policy for when we stay in or go out is based on temperature and conditions. If it is 20 degrees or below (including windchill!) we will always offer an indoor recess and break options. Otherwise, students should come to school prepared for time outside. If a student forgets their coat or does not have a warm enough layer, we are lucky enough to have not just one, but two free coat closets! All they need to do is ask a staff member and any of us will be more than happy to help them out. If they just need to borrow the coat for the day, we can do that! If they want to keep the coat, they can!
STUDENT LEADERSHIP
Four Rivers relies on positive and constructive pathways of communication between students and staff as we believe our community is only made better by lifting student voices and honoring their experiences. Through Crew Council, each Crew in the school is guaranteed representation at weekly meetings of our version of Student Council. In those meetings, representatives share kudos, questions, and concerns that their peers share with them and organize events like our recent Spirit Week. One of the concerns we have been having regular discussions about is how to make important changes to our parking lot procedures for drop off and pick up. Please be patient as we work on this complicated topic!
Four Rivers recently joined the Western MA Association of Student Councils which provides opportunities for our representatives to meet with Student Council representatives from all over our region and share the work they do as leaders. We are looking for what we can learn from other schools while also sharing our unique model of student leadership with them.
Service learning at FRs – Four Rivers students have been out and about in the community learning through various service activities. Here are a few examples of how students are living our mission of “lives of learning and service.”
- In Clubs, our once a week multi-age choice-based groups, students recently participated in four projects: one was working with a local community member who donated sleeping bags to unhoused individuals; the second was picking up trash around town for the DPW; the third was Climate club, who raised over $600 in a bake sale for climate-related causes; and the fourth was the Hot Chocolate Run in Northampton raising money for Safe Passage.
- In crew, Morse/Dow’s 9th grade crew has been The Arbors many times to provide company and crafts to residents in the memory unit.
- In Intensives, two groups focused their 2.5 days on service: One group participated in March for the Food Bank and raised $1000 for the Food Bank of Western Mass (not too late to Donate!) and one group did A LOT of food prep for Stone Soup’s Thanksgiving/Day of Mourning community meal.
SKI & SNOWBOARD CLUB
We have a few more spaces available in the club. Berkshire East is allowing a second deadline – January 3rd – for students that would like to join and need lift tickets and rentals only. They are not able to add anyone else for lessons.
Please only register if you are sure that your student can participate.
LINK: Ski & Snowboard Club Sign Up Form AY24-25
If you have any questions, please email skiclub@fourriverscharter.org
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OUR NEW SCHOOL STORE IS READY!
LINK: FOUR RIVERS APPAREL STORE
We have moved our school store over to Soundscape Merchandise, based in Belchertown, MA
Some of the benefits/features of our new store are as follows:
● Open 24/7/365 days a year
● Customizable placement of any of our designs on any of the items
● Over 100 items to choose from!
● Orders are printed and fulfilled on demand as they are placed
● Quick response time for creating and adding new designs
● Bulk discounts available based on total number of items, with any combination of products and designs
LINK: FOUR RIVERS APPAREL STORE
Here’s a diagram of where ordering options are found when viewing a product:
From Family Council
New Date: Fall Fireside Fun – THIS THURSDAY!
The fire ban has been lifted and the Fall Fireside Fun has been rescheduled for December 19th 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!Hope to see you all there!
Calling All Acts for the Variety Show 2025!
The Four Rivers Annual Variety Show is Friday, February 7, 2025 at the Shea Theater! The Show features singing, dancing, juggling, bands, skits, magicians, gymnastics, spoken word and more! New performers welcome! No experience necessary! We are here to support! There are also opportunities to participate in stage crew.
Please fill out this Google Form to sign up: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfRv9obq0yvCESl4XHq1MPt6wvMpSPFTNp6v9XmtbBdqHQPOg/viewform
There will be an interest meeting for all students that would like to participate, on Tuesday, Nov. 26th from 3:15-4pm, in the Common Room.
If you have questions, please email the director, Stephanie Marshall-Meehleder at Stephmarshallmusic@gmail.com.
Raffle Volunteer Sign Ups!
With the Variety Show comes our really fun RAFFLE! This bucket raffle is the Family Council’s only annual fundraiser and provides funds for our school for fun community events we host, school dances, school trips and other requested things to support our community. The raffle features all kinds of wonderful donations from our community. WE NEED YOU to make this event a success! Click here to learn more about how you can help:
Next Meeting
The next Family Council meeting is Thursday, January 23rd at 7 pm on zoom. https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87919219613
All are welcome!
*Contact Marc Guillaume (solarmarc@gmail.com) to get on the Family Council email listserv and keep up to date on the happenings!
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.
As the weather is getting colder, or fluctuating for fall so far, illnesses are increasing in the community. Students and staff have been out with illnesses. One of the illnesses that is being diagnosed is pneumonia. Even the CDC has stated they are seeing an increase in pneumonia this year, especially in children. More information on pneumonia can be found here. Please reach out if you have any questions that I may be able to answer.
Screenings
Over the next few months I will be conducting screenings. Please read for information on screenings. It will go over what screenings are done and for what grades. There is also a form for opting your child(ren) out of screenings. The due date for the form is Monday, 12/2/24. Please let me know if you have any questions or would prefer a paper copy.
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
Basketball
Our Basketball season has started! If you are still interested in playing this is your last chance to sign up. Basketball Sign-up.
We had our first games last week, and so far our teams are undefeated. Our JV group took down Putney in a close game 34 – 25 on Tuesday, while our Varsity team had convincing wins against St. Michaels 67-34, and White Oak 57-42. Against St. Michaels it was Cooper Whitney leading the way with 21 points, while in the White Oak game it was Henry Schwerin with 19 points.
Our Middle School has been practicing hard and has their first game this week.
Basketball Games This Week
Monday, 12/16, Home – BV v Hartsbrook at 5:30
Tuesday, 12/17, Away – BV @ BART at 4:00
Thursday, 12/19, Away – MS @ PVCICS
The full schedule is available on the school website Sports Schedule
Intramural Ultimate
Our Intramural season finishes this week. Running is still going on until February. We will have a short indoor intramural ultimate session starting in February. Check the Currents for sign-ups as we get closer to that time!
Booster Club Update
The Four Rivers Boosters held our first concessions stand on Monday, 12/16 and raised $91! Thanks to the parents who donated food and to the fans who supported the sale!
Our next sale will be at the boys Varsity home game on Monday 1/6 at 5:30. We will be looking for baked goods donations.
The Boosters Club is looking for one or two students/parents who are interested in helping to create and maintain the sports bulletin board in the upper school.
Please reach out to Emily Whitney (emilyw15@comcast.net) if you would like to get involved. Go Otters!
Reminders
WELLNESS CLASSES, FIELDWORK AND OUTINGS HAPPENING OFF-CAMPUS
Please check with your student regarding their schedule, if you need to drop them off late or pick them up early. It is important to be aware if it will be during a time that their class is off campus for any reason.
Outings that are not part of the regular schedule are noted on the School Events Calendar.
Wellness classes have begun going off campus on a weekly Once again we have the fortunate opportunity to use the gym facilities at Stoneleigh-Burnham School at 574 Bernardston Rd. in Greenfield, for all grades.
Community Corner
Please see the linked letter, from teen librarian, Francesca Passiglia., regarding this wonderful Community Service Opportunity at Greenfield Public Library.
LINK: Community Service Opportunity at Greenfield Public Library
