November 3,2025

• In addition, we will use the week to build some momentum for McCarthy's annual PROJECT 300 Food Drive. This is the 51st year of the event (wow!) and we are about 12,000 items short of reaching the 1 Million mark. This is no small feat and should not be overlooked. In its prime, PROJECT 300 was the largest food donation/collection event on the entire East Coast - seriously.

Thank you in advance for your generosity and support as we come together as a school community to help our friends and neighbors in need.

Postural Screening for Scoliosis:

We will conduct our postural screenings on February 2nd-4th. Please read more about what to expect and why we perform in school scoliosis screenings HERE.

Generally, these screens are part of your child's annual physical examination with the pediatrician. If you would like to opt out of this screening, if your child has had this screening with their healthcare provider, please let us know in writing, no later than January 28th. OPT OUT HERE.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uZYZcM-tEq9n4ZQiJzGxsigPmWn8ymIGuY0YdyMx68s/edit?usp=sharing

Visit the Chelmsford Public Schools website. Click on the “RESERVE YOUR APPOINTMENT HERE” link to enter parent/guardian contact information and preferred appointment time within a three-hour window.

January

No School - Monday January 19 Martin Luther king Day

Term 2 Ends - Friday January 23

Kindergarten Registration - January 27 & 28 ( 9am-6pm )

Project 300 - January 12- 20

February

Early Release - Thursday February 5 @11 a.m.

Virtual PTO Meeting - Thursday February 12@ 6:30

Harlem Globetrotters - Saturday February 14 @ 2:00

February Recess - No School Week Of Feb 16-20

UMass Hockey - Saturday February 21 @ 6:05

School Reopens - Monday February 23

Happy Friday McCarthy Families! McCarthy PTO has some exciting activities planned for the 2025/2026 school year! Check out a few upcoming activities below:

🛒 Box Tops for Education: It's As EASY as 1,2,3!

The Box Tops for Education app allows you to earn cash for schools by purchasing participating Box Tops products and scanning your store receipts or digital receipts. You can download the free app for iOS and Android devices, select your school, scan the receipt, and the app automatically identifies and credits your school for the products. Earnings are posted to the school's account and checks are sent to the schools twice a year.

1. Download the App: Get the Box Tops for Education app from your device's app store.
2. Select Your School: Choose a school to support, or find a school in need.
3. Shop: Purchase Box Tops products that have the Box Tops icon.
4. Scan Receipts: Open the app, tap "Scan," and take a clear, well-lit photo of your store receipt to earn cash for your school.
5. Earn: The app automatically identifies the Box Tops products and adds the earnings to your school's account.
6. Receive Funds: Eligible schools receive checks twice a year based on the earnings credited to their accounts.

WAYS TO EARN: Connected Accounts: Connect your account to participating retailers, like Walmart, to automatically earn when you buy eligible products. Bonus Box Tops: Participate in special promotions and sweepstakes to earn extra earnings for your school.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to McCarthy PTO at PTO.McCarthy@gmail.com As always, thank you for your continued support of our school community!

Meeting links will be shared out via newsletters and emails prior to the meeting. Upcoming events, activities and additional information can also be found on the new PTO website: https://pto.chelmsfordschools.org/mccarthy-pto/

Directions to set up your account and order:

1. URL Link: family.onlineordering.linq.com
2. Sign up now: Email, create password.
3. School District: Chelmsford Public Schools
4. Student ID: This can be found on x2- Child’s student ID number
5. Last Name: (You can also search and add siblings/family members at this time). Once this is completed, student’s name should appear on page.

How to order meals

1. School Menu-select online lunch ordering (all schools)
2. Scroll to week of half day/early release date (top right of page)
3. Find date, select meal option
4. Add item to cart/Select Add to order
5. Click on shopping cart icon at top right of page
6. Click Check out
7. Select pick up location: Elementary pick-up location classroom. Middle/high school pick up location cafeteria.
8. Place order

Early Release Date

Thursday, February 5th

Wednesday, March 11th

Tuesday, April 7th

Q: Will my child be assigned to a particular bus?

A: Yes. Bus assignments are published on the school website. Individual student bus assignments are available in the X2 Family Portal.

Q: Will my child be permitted to ride other buses throughout the school year?

A: NO Students must ride only on their assigned bus. Bus swapping or riding to a friend’s house is not permitted.

Winter viruses are on the rise. Please take time to review the district health policy, individual health affects community health.

Please remember to send in all rescue medications with MD orders and parents consent so we can keep students safe. Forms are available HERE. Please update us with any health changes.

-Nurse Clancy and Nurse Maeghan

hughesm@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

clancyr@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

P: 978-251-5122 x2

F: 978-256-9230

REMINDER:

Students are required to have a current physical on file with the health office, per Massachusetts state law. The specific requirement can be found HERE. Physicals can be sent in with your student, faxed or emailed. We are here for any questions or concerns. Thank you!

Your Nurses,

Nurse Maeghan and Nurse Clancy

hughesm@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

clancyr@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

F: 978-256-9230

Lunch/Cafeteria Reminder:

Our school is considered to be "nut aware" and not nut free. Although nuts are allowed, no students are permitted to share food in the building. It is also considered best practice not to have students bring in shelled peanuts for the safety of others. It is important for students to understand that if they are bringing in nut products, they cannot share them regardless of whether the other student is allergic or not. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that no student experiences an anaphylactic response and we can help prevent those events together.

While we have these discussions with students throughout the day, it would be helpful and appreciated if you would address this at home as well.

Email: mccarthy_attendance@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

Please Send Email: Prior to 9am on the day of the absence (same as current voicemail option) Please Include: Child’s name, Grade, and Reason for absence.

We encourage you to use the email option when reporting an absence, dismissal, etc. Parents are still free to use the phone system to report absences, but you are encouraged to use email for greater office efficiency.

If you prefer, you can certainly call the attendance line prior to 9:00am, at 978-251-5122, please press 1.

**PLEASE READ**

We will continue to send automated emails home when students are absent. You will receive the email whether you notified the school or not. In order for an absence to be marked as "Excused", families will need to provide medical documentation.

Thank you for your understanding.

McCarthy Middle School

Attendance Matters

For an absence to be “excused” families need to provide medical documentation. This includes dismissals from the health office, unless your school nurse is requiring the dismissal based on the “Illness Policy” (ie: temperature over 100, vomiting, etc.) set by the Chelmsford School District or nursing judgment based on concerning symptoms that require further assessment or monitoring. Any absences over 3 days require medical documentation to be considered excused.

We want to remind families of the Chromebook damage and loss fee structure. If a device is damaged or lost, our ticketing system will notify you directly.

Tiered Device Repair Costs

• $50: Broken hinge kits, keys/keyboards, exterior housing, trackpad, or camera
• $100: Screen replacement, or multiple $50-tier items (e.g., hinge + keyboard)
• $150: Motherboard damage (e.g., broken port, spill) or a combination of screen + $50-tier damage
• $300: Loss/theft, or multiple damages across tiers (e.g., screen + hinges + keyboard)

Thank you for your attention and support as we work together to ensure responsible and safe use of technology in our schools.

Sincerely,
Bill Silver, Director, ICTS
silverb@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

Moya Charig Covers students A-G @ charigm@chelmsford.k12.ma.us ext.7478

Elyse Seero Covers students H-N @ seeroe@chelmsford.k12.ma.us ext.7465

Jessica Weaver Covers students O-Z @ weaverj@chelmsford.k12.ma.us ext. 7477

They will be happy to answer any questions you might have.

Our after-school programs are starting on Tuesday, October 14th! Please see the list of clubs & activities that we will offer this year. The Activity Card fee is $50 per student. This year, we will be collecting fees using the "MySchoolBucks" platform. This is the same program that handles our bus registration and payment. Please see attached registration information if you do not already have an account.

The $50 dollar activity fee allows students to take full advantage of any clubs they wish to attend. The after-school activities run from 2:30-3:30 on Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday throughout the year. All students also have the option of taking a late bus home. The routes are posted in the school and will not be posted publicly. We will work with students and the drivers to be sure kids take the correct bus home. Since we only have 8 late buses, the stops tend to be more spread out than the “regular” bus runs. After activities, students who are not taking a bus will exit the school through the main lobby and can be picked up there.

*Please do not hesitate to reach out to me with questions, or if we can assist with an activity card for your child.

TERM 1 Aug. 26 – Oct. 31

TERM 2 Nov. 3 – Jan. 23

TERM 3 Jan. 26 – April 3

Term 4 April 6 – June 18

• Front Doors open @ 7:55 a.m.
• Warning Bell to go to class @ 8:08 a.m.
• First Period bell rings @ 8:10 a.m. (students should be in First period Class at this time)
  

• Dismissal is @ 2:30 p.m.

• Arrival Time: Arrival time for students at the McCarthy Middle School is 8:10 a.m. There is no supervision for students before that time.Students are not allowed in the building before 7:55 .