Parker Post: Welcome Back!

Welcome to the 2026–2027 School Year!

I hope your summer was filled with fun, sunshine, and plenty of time to relax and recharge! Each year, I find myself caught between two familiar feelings--wondering how summer could possibly take so long to arrive, and then wondering how it could have passed so quickly. After many years as an educator, I’ve come to appreciate this rhythm of the school year: the anticipation of summer, the freedom of those long days, and then, almost before I’m ready, the excitement of returning to the routines, relationships, and energy of school.

This summer brought a particularly meaningful reminder of how quickly time passes. Last week, I dropped off my two oldest children at college. My middle child, Brian, began his freshman year at Gettysburg College, while my oldest, Jackie, started her senior year at Hamilton College. Amid the moving, unpacking, decorating, and inevitable good-byes, my Facebook memories were also arriving each day, bringing photos and reminders of their first days of school over the years. While those memories were sometimes a little bittersweet, they also reminded me just how quickly children grow and how fleeting each stage can be.

Our students spend only three years at Parker, but those three years are incredibly important. Middle school is a time of tremendous growth and change; a time when children become adolescents, discover new interests and strengths, develop greater independence, and begin to explore who they are and who they want to become. By the time they leave us, they are ready to take on the next chapter of their educational journey.

We look forward to welcoming students back on Wednesday, September 2nd. September 2nd & 3rd are full days of school (School Picture Day is on 9/3), and students are off on September 4th and September 7th for Labor Day weekend.

This newsletter will serve as the main way I share updates and information with families throughout the year. If you ever have questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out.

We are so excited to welcome our students back to Parker and begin another year of learning, growth, and community together!

In Partnership,

Jill Story

Principal

THIS WEEK:

Wednesday, September 2 - First Day of School

Thursday, September 3 - School Picture Day

Friday, September 4 & Monday, September 7 - No School: Labor Day Weekend

ON THE HORIZON:

September 8 - School Reopens

September 11 - PTO Parker Family Fun Night, 5:30 - 7pm

September 11 & 12 - Rosh Hashanah

September 14 - PTO Meeting, 7pm (on Zoom)

September 21 - Yom Kippur

September 24 - Early Release (dismissal @12:30pm); Back to School Night, 6-7:45pm

September 25 - Early Release (dismissal @12:30pm)

September 30 - October 2 -7th Grade Outdoor Classroom Overnight Field Trip

To access the 2026-2027 District Calendar, click here.

For the daily rotation and a list of important Parker dates, click here.

Students at each grade are placed on a team, which consists of an ELA, math, science, and social studies teacher. Students will be assigned a homeroom and advisory teacher based on their team assignment; however, please note that students do not travel with their homerooms throughout the day. They will be mixed up with students from their team as they move from class to class. Teachers will support 6th grade students with this transition, knowing that they moved with their homerooms in grade 5.

Students will go off team for specials, world language classes, electives, and exploratory classes. If you need to connect with your child's teachers, please reach out to the Team Leader as the primary point of contact. Team Leaders will be communicating regularly with families throughout the year.

TEAM LEADERS:

Team Synergy - Jane Costa (jane.costa@reading.k12.ma.us)

Team Unity - Elisabeth Bean (elisabeth.bean@reading.k12.ma.us)

Team Justice - Andrew Spinali (andrew.spinali@reading.k12.ma.us)

Team Integrity - Steve Olivo (steve.olivo@reading.k12.ma.us)

Team Inspire - Julie Merrill (julie.merrill@reading.k12.ma.us)

Team Endeavor - Ryan Maloney (ryan.maloney@reading.k12.ma.us)

Natalie Bunta - Music/chorus teacher

Kelly Corbett - Special education teacher

Justin Fell - Art teacher

Amy Foley - Grade 7 LEAD Special education teacher

Claire Horn - French teacher

Brad Jackson - Health teacher

Sarah Leandro - Grade 6 ELA teacher

Nicholas Lynch - Merrimack Fellow in special education

Colleen McBain - Special education paraeducator

Viana Mendes - Spanish teacher

Aine O'Doherty - REACH Special education teacher

Lindsey Ruscak - Grade 6 Science teacher

Victoria Ryan - Team chair

Jazmin Santos - School psychologist

Ann Walsh - School psychologist

Lily Wildrick - REACH social worker

Ms. Ryan manages the evaluation process for students on IEPs. We are excited to welcome her back to Reading Public Schools!

During the school year, the building is open to students beginning at 7:15 a.m. each day. From 7:15 a.m. to 7:40 a.m. students will report to the cafeteria. At 7:40, they will be allowed into the corridors of the school. If a student needs to see a teacher prior to 7:40, they may do so by signing in at the main office desk (if the teacher is available). All students should be in homeroom by 7:50 each morning and will be considered tardy if not present in homeroom at that time. Caregivers will receive an auto-generated email when students are marked tardy or absent.

Drop off will occur both on Temple and King Streets starting at 7:35 a.m. Only staff may enter the school parking lots, so please do not pull into either of the school parking lots to drop off or pick up students. When you are dropping off your child, please pull over along the right side of the road to drop off, keeping traffic along the left side moving forward. Do not drop off your child without pulling over, as this creates an unsafe situation for students once they exit the vehicle. Please also be mindful of staff who are pulling into the school driveways. Adherence to these guidelines will ensure a smooth and efficient drop off.

The school day ends at 2:30 p.m. Students exit via the front, side, or rear doors of the building and may be picked up on Temple Street or King Street.

Many students ride their bicycles to school. Please remind your children that they should not ride their bicycles through the parking lot or driveway due to vehicles entering and exiting the school parking lot. Students will be reminded to walk their bicycles along the sidewalk until they have reached Temple Street.

For students who take the bus, please note that the bus is an extension of school; therefore, all Parker MS behavior expectations apply. Students should be seated and respectful on the bus to ensure a safe ride to and from school. Your support in reinforcing this message is appreciated.

Student schedules are available in the portal. Please see this document for instructions on how to access schedules. The creation of student schedules is a collaborative effort, with considerable time and deliberation involved in placing students on teams and in groups. The placement process takes all aspects of students' academic, social, and emotional development into account, with each student being assigned to a team where they can learn and grow.

At Parker, we follow a waterfall schedule, with classes meeting at a different time each day in a predictable rotation. Each class meets for fifty minutes a day, with a twenty-six minute Advisory occurring once a week on Wednesdays. In addition to the core academic classes of ELA, math, science, and social studies, sixth graders will take art, music, P.E./health, as well as band, chorus, band and chorus, or an art elective. Sixth graders will also take one quarter of Spanish exploratory and one quarter of French exploratory. The world language exploratory courses will enable students to learn about the history, culture, and traditions associated with Spanish and French languages, better informing their 7th grade world language selection, which will be made in the spring. Seventh graders will have world language, art, music, and P.E./health, as well as band, chorus, band and chorus, art elective, introduction to coding, or media literacy.

Pathways Exploratory Courses

In an effort to align with RMHS and expose students to more academic and career options, eighth grade students are all enrolled in Computer Science, Digital Ethics & Leadership, Financial Literacy, and Information Literacy. They also will be taking P.E./health, and band, chorus, or an additional elective each semester. Eighth graders will also rotate through various pathways exploratory offerings: Art Exploratory, Civic Action, Clean Energy, Engineering, Fitness, Public Health, Sculpture, and Walking for Wellness. English and math interventions and enrichment will also occur during this time.

On Wednesdays, students will have Advisory. During Advisory, students meet in smaller groups with an assigned Advisory teacher. The goal is to foster a sense of belonging for all students through the implementation of curriculum that is designed to reinforce Parker's core values of kindness, community, and personal best.

Free and Reduced Price Meals and benefits are available to families who believe they may qualify. If your family chooses to apply please complete a "Free and Reduced Meal Price Application Form." Meal applications are now available online at LINQ Connect.

Forms are also available in PDF Format and can be obtained on this page or requested from school officials. Applications should be returned (completed) to any school office. You will be notified by mail of your child's status. Until notification you must provide your child with a lunch or lunch money.

Only complete one application per family. The information you give will be used to determine or prove your child's eligibility for free or reduced-priced meals. This information may also be used for other state or federally funded school benefits. This information is also used to provide families with financial scholarships for After School Activities, field trips, and extracurriculars.

Factors considered in the application process are household size and total household income. HOUSEHOLD SIZE is considered all persons, related or unrelated: Including parents, children, grandparents who live in your home and share living expenses. The TOTAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME is the income each household member received last month before taxes - this includes wages, social security, pension, unemployment, welfare, child support, alimony, and any other cash income.

Please see the attachments below for instructions to set up your LINQ account and the application forms.

As you complete your student's Annual Forms Packet in PlusPortals, please take a few minutes to review the Reading Public Schools Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) with your student. Students must complete and sign their required annual forms before they can pick up their district-issued laptop.

This year, we added clarification to the AUP about caring for district-issued laptops and the difference between normal wear and tear and damage. We understand that laptops used every day will show signs of normal use. Minor scratches and scuffs, normal wear on the keyboard or touchpad, and normal battery aging are expected and are not considered damage. Cracked screens, broken or missing keys, damaged cases or hinges, liquid damage, and damage caused by drops or improper handling are not considered normal wear and tear and may result in repair charges.

We also strongly encourage families to consider the RPS Laptop Insurance Program. For $50 for the entire school year, insurance covers accidental damage and power adapter replacement with no deductible for up to two incidents. Without insurance, repair costs can include $150 for keyboard damage, $200 for a damaged display, or up to $600 to replace a laptop. The insurance program covers lost or stolen laptops with a $100 deductible.

Please complete the forms in PlusPortals before laptop distribution so your student is ready to receive their laptop. While completing the forms, we encourage you to review the AUP together and consider enrolling in the Laptop Insurance Program for the school year.

Thank you for helping us keep our students' technology protected and ready for learning!

Need assistance logging in to the Parent Portal? Locked out of Google Classroom? Can't get into your school email account?

For all technology questions related to the portal, school email, or Google Classroom, please reach out to Parker's Technology Integration Specialist, Linnea Frye (linnea.frye@reading.k12.ma.us).

Please see the attached PTO Welcome Letter.

Save the Dates:

• The first PTO meeting is Monday, September 14th at 7:00 pm on Zoom - All parents/guardians are welcome to attend!
• Annual Family Fun Night at Parker will be Friday, September 11th, 5:30pm -7pm (*Details to follow)

PTO BOARD:

Co-Presidents: Dennis Camacho & Monica Mohleji

Treasurer: Anita Bhatia

Secretary: Margo Smith

It's not too late to order your school supplies! The PTO has partnered with School Tool Box to make ordering school supplies a breeze! Online ordering continues through the first month of school.

This is a PTO fundraiser and 10% of all sales go back to the Parker PTO!

• Email: parkerptopres@gmail.com
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/ParkerPTO
• Instagram: @ParkerMSPTO, www.instagram.com/parkermspto
• Parker PTO webpage: tinyurl.com/ParkerPTOpage
• Instagram: @ParkerMSPTO, www.instagram.com/parkermspto
• Parker PTO webpage: tinyurl.com/ParkerPTOpage

Friends of Reading METCO is a volunteer group of Boston and Reading parents, working together to make connections between families and support the METCO program in our District. Contact ilka@ilkawalkley.com if you’d like to know more.

If you need to connect with your child's teachers, please reach out to the Team Leader as the primary point of contact. Team Leaders will be communicating regularly with families throughout the year.

TEAM LEADERS:

Team Synergy - Jane Costa (jane.costa@reading.k12.ma.us)

Team Unity - Elisabeth Bean (elisabeth.bean@reading.k12.ma.us)

Team Justice - Andrew Spinali (andrew.spinali@reading.k12.ma.us)

Team Integrity - Steve Olivo (steve.olivo@reading.k12.ma.us)

Team Inspire - Julie Merrill (julie.merrill@reading.k12.ma.us)

Team Endeavor - Ryan Maloney (ryan.maloney@reading.k12.ma.us)

Access to the portal can be found on the Parker website (https://parker.reading.k12.ma.us/en-US) by clicking on the PlusPortals button. Your username should be your personal email. If you have questions about your account, please contact Linnea Frye: linnea.frye@reading.k12.ma.us

Jill Story, Principal

Email: jill.story@reading.k12.ma.us

Beth Simpson, Assistant Principal

Email: beth.simpson@reading.k12.ma.us

Website: Walter S. Parker Middle School
Location: 45 Temple Street