Center Community Chat #25

Dear Center Community,

It was great to see the students back after the L-O-N-G February break. Hopefully March will bring about some longer, warmer days...and no more snow!

First, if your students haven't told you, Center's cafe was transformed during the holiday break. Thank you to Ms. Antolini, our food service director, Tacey Martinez and team from Imaginate Your Space for the amazing remodeling. The cafe is a beautiful display of Chelmsford's core values and mascot friends. Be sure to check it out when visiting!

A big shout out to our fourth grade student council members, Ms. Hilberg, Ms. Beauregard & Mr. McGillicuddy for organizing a student assembly on Integrity. The students performed a great skit and gave many great ways to show integrity at home & at school. (see pictures below)

Center School was able to participate in Read for the Record by completing a shared reading of the book See Marcus Grow. Each teacher received a free copy of the book, donated by the Hastie Family. Thank you!

Emergency Notification System and ALICE drills scheduled

Our second ALICE drill was held on Wednesday, 2/25/26. Students did a great job during the drill and we were fortunate to have members of the Chelmsford Police Department & Fire Department on hand to assist us in our efforts. As always, the safety of our school community remains our top priority. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

Taste of Chelmsford Raffle Tickets Now On Sale

This is your last chance to get raffle tickets for The Taste of Chelmsford!

This February, tickets for the Taste of Chelmsford Calendar Raffle are on sale for $25, with only 1,000 tickets available! We're raffling off over $6,000 worth of prizes from Chelmsford-area restaurants and small businesses.

Drawings will take place every day in March, and each ticket can win multiple times! Purchase multiple tickets to increase your chances of winning

See prize details and purchase your raffle tickets today at: www.tasteofchelmsford.com

Staffing:

• Congratulations & welcome to Mr. Murphy, who joined Center staff as a paraeducator in Ms. Pooley's & Ms. Pierce-Clarkes' classrooms. Mr. Murphy attended Center as a student, and is looking forward to supporting students with their learning.

Center Chirps:

• Students will be going out for recess if the real feel temperature is 20 degrees or warmer and it is not raining (snow or a slight drizzle are fine)during your students' recess time slot. Please make sure they have appropriate outerwear. If this is a hardship, please reach out to our counselor or nurse.

• Thank you to all of the parents who have adjusted to pick-up behind the school. We are working to get two lanes of cars in the back (where ever possible). The Chelmsford Police Department is working with us to minimize traffic around the school and on Billerica Road. Students are still getting out in a smooth manner.
• Please be patient and stay attentive in your cars at drop-off & parent pick-up...we have valuable cargo to load and unload!

Looking forward to March & hopefully warmer weather!

Warm Regards,

Donna & Jenn

This year, students across the Commonwealth will be taking The Next- Generation MCAS for our annual standardized state testing. All students in Chelmsford will be taking the computer-based assessment using Chromebooks. Please mark your calendars for the important dates below. We strongly encourage all students to be present and on time these days. If your child is sick, we will have make-up sessions so that they are able to take the assessments when they are able to show their personal best work.

Chelmsford is fortunate to have access to iReady to support student learning. Students have access to this learning tool at home. Please reach out to your teacher if you have difficulty logging on. There is much research to support enhanced student achievement on MCAS when using this valuable tool. Please press here for more information.

ELA MCAS TESTING:

Grade 3:

Wednesday, April 8th, 3rd Grade – Session 1

Thursday, April 9th, 3rd Grade– Session 2

Grade 4:

Tuesday, April 14th, 4th Grade – Session 1

Wednesday April 15th, 4th Grade– Session 2

Math MCAS TESTING:

Grade 3:

Wednesday May 6th, 3rd Grade– Session 1

Thursday May 7th, 3rd Grade– Session 2

Grade 4:

Wednesday May 13th , 4th Grade – Session 1

Thursday May 14th, 4th Grade – Session 2

Links:

http://i-readycentral.com/familycenter/

https://www.curriculumassociates.com/research-and-efficacy

Please find the CPS academic calendar below.

Please note that parents/adults are not allowed to escort their child(ren) to their classroom on school days. Staff members will be in the main lobby to assist all students and guide them to their classrooms. We appreciate your assistance with this.

This year Massachusetts is offering all school lunch and breakfast at no charge to students. This does not automatically make families eligible for any other benefits. We strongly encourage families that feel they are eligible for transportation or extended day reduced tuition to fill out the online free and reduced meal application. The links can be found below. https://cpsnutrition.com/index.php?sid=1478035692058&page=lunchapps

If you do qualify for benefits you most likely will be eligible for SNAP benefits. https://www.mass.gov/snap-benefits-formerly-food-stamps

Some examples of SNAP benefits are discounts on gas, electric utilities and internet services.

Please visit our school nutrition website at https://cpsnutrition.com/index.php?sid=1478035692058 for more information about our program and also a link to the free and reduced lunch application.

Bus Safety:

Parents and caregivers, please support our bus drivers and reinforce expectations for bus safety. Administration has been actively working with NRT and riding buses to reinforce expectations with all students. The link below reviews expectations that are reviewed with all students. Thank you for your continued collaboration.

March

• Monday, March 2: Be Kind Spirit Wear day

• Tuesday, March 10: Gr 1-4 End of Marking Period

• Wednesday, March 11: Half day/Professional day

• Wednesday, March 11: Staff Appreciation

• Wednesday, March 11: Science Fair 6:30-7:30

• Monday, March 16: Para meeting (2) 9:15 - 10:15am

• Wednesday, March 18: 7pm PTO meeting

• Friday, March 20: Gr 1-4 Teacher deadline for posting grades

• Friday, March 20: Chelmsford Pride wear day

• Wednesday, March 25: Gr 1-4 Grades available online for Parents

• Wednesday, March 25; One Center, One Community

April

• Wednesday, April 1: Para-Educator Appreciation day

• Thursday, April 2: World Autism Day

• Friday, April 3: School Librarian Appreciation day

• Monday, April 6: Assistant Principal Appreciation Day

• Monday, April 6: Be Kind, Wear Kind

• Tuesday, April 7: Staff Appreciation Day

• Tuesday, April 7: ½ Day Professional day

• Wednesday, April 8: Gr 3 ELA MCAS

• Thursday, April 9: Gr 3 ELA MCAS

• Wednesday, April 14: Gr 4 ELA MCAS

• Thursday, April 15: Gr 4 ELA MCAS

• Friday, April 17: Chelmsford Spirit Day

• April 20 - 24: April Recess

• Wednesday, April 22: Earth Day

• Tuesday, April 28: Bus Driver Appreciation day

• Wednesday, April 29: Administrative Assistants day

• Wednesday, April 29: 4th Grade Ziti Supper (3 seatings) 4:15-8:00

Center is not only a wonderful place to attend and learn but also a wonderful place to work, as many of our parents/grandparents can attest to.

Substitutes in all areas are always in high demand. Please look at the CPS district website if interested.

The first Monday of the month will be a "Let Your Kind Shine" spirit day. You are invited to wear tops that promote kindness.

The third Friday of the month is Chelmsford/Center Pride spirit day. Sport our district colors, maroon, white, and black.

* Dates may be adjusted due to holidays or breaks. Please look at the weekly calendar of events for specific dates.

A picture speaks a thousand words as they say, and we love to include these in our weekly updates and on the website through our Twitter feed. Please let email Ms. O’Hearn at ohearnc@chelmsford.k12.ma.us. if you do not want your child’s picture included in these forums.