Message from Principal Blagg
Good afternoon,
It seems hard to believe that we are already a quarter of the way through the year?! The year has been action packed and filled with great new experiences and new friends for our students. Term 1 report cards will be posted this afternoon and can be found on the X2 Aspen Family portal. Report grades are important in that they provide insight into the areas where your child is thriving while highlighting areas in need of improvement. It is important to emphasize to your children the importance of building on the skills they have gained while working hard to address their academic weaknesses. We want to promote a growth mindset where mistakes are seen as an opportunity to improve oneself. We are holding the first of two parent conference days on Wednesday November 20. Please see the link below to sign up for a time slot. The second day of parent conferences will be Thursday December 12.
https://ptcfast.com/schools/Parker_Middle_School
Term 1 PRIDE Award Winners
We are proud to announce our term one PRIDE Award winners. These awards honor those students who have consistently demonstrated one or more of our PRIDE Values (perseverance, respect, integrity, dedication, and empathy) throughout the term. Staff member nominate deserving students and write a short passage outlining their contributions to our school community. Those students honored with this award are eligible for our highest distinction at the end of the year where their name be enshrined on our PRIDE Wall. Each team will select four students for the PRIDE Wall at the end of the year. See list of students below.
Parker November Artists of the Month
I am proud to announce that Grayson Archambault (Grade 5) and Fiona Chiodo (Grade 6) have been selected for their excellence in art for the month of November. Their art will be on display in the main lobby for all to enjoy. We are so proud of you!
Social Emotional Learning - Second Step
We continued our work on Wednesday on our Bullying/Harassment Unit in Grade 5 and Problem Solving/Goal Setting Unit in Grade 6. This week this valuable work continues. Please see a short summary of next week's lessons and a conversation starter to discuss it.
Grade 5 - Bullying Harassment
Lesson 4: How to Be an Upstander
Summary: In this week’s lesson, your child will learn three “upstander strategies” for responding to bullying. They’ll practice analyzing different bullying situations and choosing an upstander strategy they think would work best for each situation.
Question: Ask your child about the three upstander strategies they learned and which one (or ones) they feel most comfortable with. Let them know they can always come to you if they need someone to talk to.
Grade 6 - Problem Solving/Goal Setting
Lesson 5: Breaking Down Your Goals
Summary: In this week’s lesson, your child will practice breaking big goals down into smaller, short-term goals.
Question: Think of a time you achieved a big goal, such as learning to drive or graduating from school. Tell your child about your goal and the series of smaller steps you needed to take to achieve it. Ask your child to tell you about a goal they have.
Veterans Day
I hope everyone has a great long weekend. Let us all to take time to honor our veterans who have served our country. The Student Council led a drive to have students honor those in their family who have served our country and their names were written on stars that adorn our front hall. We owe so much to those who have committed themselves to protect the freedoms we hold so dear.
Check out our talented young artists here at Parker Middle School. Click here: www.instagram.com/chelmsford_middle_school_art
AFTER SCHOOL CLUBS & ACTIVITIES & LATE BUSES
Our after-school programs will start on Tuesday, October 15th. The Activity Fee is $50 per student. To pay PLEASE CLICK ON LINK My School Bucks or send in cash or checks made payable to Chelmsford Public Schools and turn into your child's homeroom teacher. The activity fee allows students to take full advantage of any clubs they wish to attend. The after-school activities run from 2:40-3:40 on Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday throughout the year. 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 students take the correct bus home. Since we only have 8 late buses, for both McCarthy and Parker 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 into the Crooked Spring Road lot and can be picked up there.
See Clubs & Activities BROCHURE here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10fSdKRgUuamin-mEgMJbeLrUcsHo7dLMiSVEMC6RtLU/edit?usp=sharing
Notice to All Grade 5 Families:
In accordance with the MDPH regulation 105 CMR 200.400, the vision of each student in the public schools is to be screened in the year of school entry, annually through grade 5, once in grades 6 through 8, and once in grades 9 through 12. If your student wears eyeglasses or contact lenses, please make sure that they bring them to school. Vision screenings will be done in December and January.
If your child does not pass the initial vision screening, a letter will be sent home alerting you to the need for a follow-up with your primary doctor.
You have the option to excuse your child from this screening. Please send an email to kamenidesl@chelmsford.k12.ma.us asking that they be excused or send in a note with your child and ask that they drop it off at the nurses’ office.
Don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns.
Lisa Kamenides, RN & Donna Foley, LPN
Yearbook 2024-2025
Yearbooks are on sale! Please visit Yearbook Forever to purchase your yearbook now! No books will be available for sale in June...don't miss out on capturing this year's memories! Side note: Walsworth also sends emails to Parker families with order information . They are legitimate emails.
Don't Forget to Order This Year's School Pictures
ENJOY 10% OFF your order!
CODE: F202410OFF
EXPIRES: July 31, 2025
Don’t forget to order your FREE Digital SmileSafe card! More about the Smilesafe program here.
FROM PARKER PTO
Happy Friday Parker Families!
Thank you to all that have participated in our recent PTO events! Parker PTO is working on creating community building events for our students and families. Check out a few upcoming activities below:
🗓️ PTO Meeting Thursday, November 14th @ 6:30 in McCarthy Library:
Join us for our monthly PTO meeting! Parker & McCarthy PTOs work collaboratively to provide community building activities, provide enrichment programs for our students and families and support our teachers. We encourage any middle school parent/guardian to join us to learn about upcoming events and activities throughout the school year.
🏒Riverhawks Hockey -November 9th @ 6:05 PM:
UML Riverhawks will be hosting Chelmsford Middle School night Saturday, November 9th. Puck drop is at 6:05 P.M. Meet all your middle school friends at the Tsongas for a great night of hockey. Tickets are $15 each. $5 from the purchase of every ticket using the unique code will be donated to PTO. Click link to order tickets: https://fevo-enterprise.com/event/Parkermccarthymiddle5
❄️☃️ Parker Craft Fair- Sunday, December 8th 10:00 am-2:00 pm:
Parker PTO is proud to present our 4th Annual Craft Fair on Sunday, December 8th 10:00 AM- 2:00 PM. Stop by our school and shop local vendors. This is a GREAT opportunity to get a jump start on your holiday shopping and support local businesses. Adult and student vendors are welcome to join the fun. Table spaces are $30 + one raffle donation for adult vendors and $10 + one raffle donation for student vendors. Click link to sign up: 2024 Parker Middle School Craft Fair
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to Parker PTO at ptoparker@gmail.com. As always, thank you for your continued support of our school!
Parker PTO
From our School Nutrition Department
Dear Parents and Families --
To better estimate the demand for lunches on half days, CPS Nutrition utilizes online lunch ordering for HALF DAYS ONLY.
For the upcoming half day Wednesday 9/18/24 orders must be received by Friday 9/13/24.
2024-2025 CPS Upcoming Half Day/Early Release dates
● 11/20/24 (Elem & MS Only)
● 11/27/24
● 12/12/24
● 1/14/25
● 2/6/25
● 3/12/25
● 4/1/25
If you would like your child to have lunch on future half days, the online ordering is open for you to go ahead and select those dates. Set Up Your Account Now
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, the student's name should appear on the 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
What's for Lunch?
Click on the link below to view the November Lunch Menu:
Parker Middle School
Email: robinsond@chelmsford.k12.ma.us
Website: https://parker.chelmsfordschools.org/
Location: 75 Graniteville Road
Phone: 978-251-5133