FSC Parent Newsletter

As the holiday season approaches, the district is preparing for the Annual Holiday Drive, an initiative designed to support families in our community who may need assistance with food, clothing, gifts, or other essentials during the holidays. If your family would like to receive support, please fill out the Holiday Giving Needs Application by the end of the day Thursday, September 18, 2025. The survey is completely confidential and will only be used to inform the planning team to ensure there is meaningful and appropriate support. Your responses will help determine how best to allocate resources and reach families who could benefit from support.

Please Note: Completing the survey helps us understand your family's needs, but it does not guarantee that we will be able to provide assistance for every request. We will do our best to support as many families as our resources allow.

Holiday Giving Needs Application

If you are not in need of assistance this year but know of a family in our district who may be, please encourage them to complete the survey or reach out to us directly.

Warm regards - Amherst Holiday Giving Planning Team at Amherst CSD

• Daniela Wolfe dwolfe@amherstschools.org
• MacKenzie Shanahan mshanahan@amherstschools.org
• Jen Noe jnoe@amherstschools.org
• Marlana Howard mhoward@amherstschools.org
• Jordan Francis jfrancis@amherstschools.org
• Pam Primerano pprimerano@amherstschools.org
• Juliane Grover jgrover@amherstschools.org

We’re excited to re-introduce our updated Virtual Calming Space—a supportive online resource through Amherst Central Schools, designed to help students manage stress, relax, and refocus when they need it most.

Why is it helpful?
Our Virtual Calming Space offers developmentally appropriate tools and activities to help students cope with anxiety, improve their mood, and build emotional resilience. It includes calming music, visual relaxation, mindfulness videos, guided meditation, yoga and more—perfect for use at school or at home.

How to access it:
On our school website, visit your building's main page and click the “Family Support Center” icon along the right side of the page. Under the “Local & National Resources” section along the left, click on the “Virtual Calming Space.”

You can also find the Virtual Calming Space under the Students & Parents tab on each building’s website.

We encourage you to explore it together with your child and talk about how they can use it whenever they need a moment to reset.

Digital Dangers is a virtual presentation designed to inform parents about the most pressing only safety concerns and give parents resources to use at home. The In-Person Watch Group will be in the Amherst Middle School auditorium from 6-8 p.m. Check in is at 5:45 p.m. View the Flyer.

This will be the only presentation FBI Buffalo will do on this topic for schools in our region during this school year, so if you want to receive the information, make sure you attend!

September always marks a significant time at Amherst CSD, where we open our doors to students for the start of a brand new school year. It also marks a critically important occasion, as the district comes together to shine a light on Suicide Prevention Month. This month-long observance serves as a reminder to our community to foster understanding, compassion and support for those struggling with suicidal thoughts. This effort, aims to raise awareness, destigmatize conversations around suicide and provide resources for those in need.

This year's nationwide campaign, “Start a Conversation. Be the Difference” helps to support suicide prevention by addressing mental health openly through honest conversations and sharing encouraging “notes” with those who struggle. Despite being an incredibly important topic, conversations about mental health aren’t as common as they should be. By promoting Suicide Prevention Month, we aim to encourage conversation, help familiarize the public with the 988 Lifeline and create actionable change in our schools and community.

We want our students, families and employees to feel seen and supported — not just during Suicide Prevention Month, but every day of the year. Help is always here. By cultivating a sense of community and keeping this issue in the public eye, we can encourage action and help save lives.

Here are three small steps you can take this Suicide Prevention Month, that have a lasting impact.

1. Start a Conversation: No matter how big or small, actions make a lasting impression and are a message of hope to those who are struggling. Silence around suicide can be isolating and very dangerous. An encouraging message, a moment of recognition or a supportive comment can help open the doors to larger conversations.

2. Fight Stigma: By having open, honest conversations about suicide and suicide prevention, we can challenge misconceptions and fight negative stereotypes. This also makes it easier for people to reach out without fear of judgment.

3. Remember Those We’ve Lost: For those who have lost someone to suicide, this month can also be a time for remembrance, healing and support. Giving people an opportunity to share their stories can increase connections and help people feel supported.

The 988 Lifeline is here with local help for any kind of behavioral health support. The Lifeline offers local resources and support for people in crisis, people who just need to talk and people worried about someone in their life. If you are interested in additional information or resources, please reach out to the Family Support Center.

Dates and time to be released in the October edition of the FSC Newsletter. If you want to register now, please call FSC for more information and registration.

• Triple P Parenting Program - Parents of children ages 0 -12 - Call FSC for information.
• Triple P Parenting Program - Parents of tweens and teens - - Call FSC for information.

Register Here.

The workshop will be facilitated by staff from the Clarence Schools Family Support Center and Amherst Schools Family Support Center. However, the workshop is open to any parents or caregivers across WNY who have children ages birth through age 11.

The workshop will be virtual (Zoom) on Thursdays from 12 pm-1 pm on the following dates:

• October 16
• October 23
• October 30
• November 6
• November 13

We exist to provide community resources and support to families in the pursuit to create well-adjusted and confident children.

Help us build our lending library of books on mental health and social emotional learning topics, as well as parenting books. Can you purchase a book on their wish list? There's a wide variety to select from. View the wish list.