PARKER WEEKLY BULLETIN

Good afternoon Parker Community,

It was a great week at Parker! The staff and students have settled into their routines and have started to explore their content in earnest. Our students have been busy taking iReady Diagnostic tests in both Reading and Math. The results of these tests will help to identify the strengths and areas of growth for each individual child. The iReady program than tailors lessons towards building the identified skills for each individual student. Going forward students will be expected to complete 45 minutes of lessons in both Reading and Math weekly. Consistent weekly completion of this has proven to help students build skills and turn deficits into strengths.

PRIDE PAW WINNERS

We are excited to announce our Parker PRIDE Paw winners for the month of September. Students are recognized by staff members when they demonstrate one of our PRIDE Values (Perseverance, Respect, Integrity, Dedication, and Empathy) with a PAW which then gets put in a lottery for prizes at the end of the month. Each PRIDE PAW Winner won a book from our vending machine along with a prize from the school store. Congratulations to the following students:

Grade 5: Broderick Anctil, Jaymee Buchino, Jake Muccini, Ella Pappert

Grade 6: Cameron Bishop, Samuel Folarin-Jonah, Aarva Pandit, Sara Zawaski

Open House

Sixth grade Open House was a great success last night. It was fantastic seeing the great turnout of our community in support of our students. We look forward to working with all our families. Please be sure to reach out to your child's teachers, counselor, or administration with any specific questions or concerns. We are here for you!

Social Emotional Learning

On Wednesdays the whole school starts the day with a 25-minute Social Emotional Learning lesson. The homerooms have been split in half to create small groups which are conducive to dialogue, collaboration, and community building. Next week we will continue our SEL Curriculum in Second Step with our fifth-grade students continuing a unit on Problem Solving and our Sixth graders continuing their unit on Thoughts, Emotions, and Decisions. Please see conversation prompts to help extend your child's understanding of the concepts explored and discussed.

Grade 5 Problem Solving: When? Where? Who?

Summary

In this lesson, your child will consider when, where, and with whom it would be best to work on an interpersonal problem.

Try This at Home

Ask your child why it’s important to think about when, where, and with whom it would be best to work on an interpersonal problem.

Grade 6: Thoughts, Emotions, & Decisions: Emotions and Your Brain

Summary: In this week’s lesson, your child will learn how different parts of their brains play a part in managing their strong emotions.

Question: Ask your child to teach you about some of the different parts of the brain and how they manage emotions. Look up a picture or video of the brain and learn some more!

Have a great week everyone. Please reach out if you need support.

Warm Regards,

Josh

After school Clubs & Activities are coming soon. Clubs & Activities run from 2:40 p.m. to 3:40 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays each week. Late buses will be provided on those days. Please watch for more information coming soon.

Our after-school programs will be starting soon. 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.

Dear Families,

The Santa Fund is available to help families during the holiday season. For more information, please see the attachment below. If you have any questions, contact information can be found on the attached form. ~Thank you.

Please review our Transportation Protocol, especially related to buses. Please read important information in the document below. If you have any questions regarding transportation or buses, please contact CPS Transportation Liaison, Peter Brekalis at 978-251-5100 or email him at brekalisp@chelmsford.k12.ma.us ~ Thank you.

Bus Registration 2026

Forgot your water bottle? Don't worry! Parker Middle School has water filling stations and water bubblers throughout the building. We also have cups in the office for students to use. ~Thank you.

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.

Dear Parents,

Please see link below for the Chelmsford Public Schools 2025-2026 Family/Student Handbook for your reference. A reminder of our school phone usage policy:

Phone Usage

If students need to contact home, they should see their teacher/administrator to receive permission to use the phone in the classroom or office. Conversely, if a parent needs to speak with a student, the parent should call the school office. All cell phones/communication devices (including apple/iPhone watches) should be off while in school (and stored in backpacks in lockers). Any student using a cell phone/communication device for non-instructional purposes while school is in session will have that cell phone confiscated by administration. A first offense will lead to a warning and the administrator will return the phone/communication devices to the student at the end of the day. Second and subsequent offenses may result in the phone being returned only to the parent and/or further disciplinary actions. (e.g., p. 22)

https://chelmsfordschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Family-and-Student-Handbook-2025-2026-FINAL.pdf

If your student is going to be absent, tardy or dismissed please:

Email: ParkerAttendance@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

Please Send Email: Prior to 9am on the day of the absence. Please Include: Child’s name, Grade, and Reason for absence. We encourage you to use the email option when reporting an absence, dismissal, etc. for efficiency.

**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. Please call the office if you have any questions or need clarification. ~ Thank you for your understanding.

Happy Friday Parker Families! Parker PTO has some exciting activities planned for the 2025/2026 school year! We will be looking for parent volunteers to help throughout the school year. Be on the lookout for more information and volunteer sign ups in the upcoming weeks! A few upcoming activities below:

📆 PTO Meeting Thursday, October 9th @ 6:30 in McCarthy Middle School Library: Join us for the first PTO meeting of the school year! 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.

📚 Scholastic Book Fair The Scholastic Book Fair will be coming to Parker library in October 2025. Students will have the ability to shop during school hours. Stay tuned for volunteer sign ups and more info!

⚽ 🏈 ⚾ 🥍 i9 Sports Fall Season Programs
i9 Sports is once again offering weekend outdoor flag football, soccer, lacrosse, t-ball/baseball, & multi-sports programs for kids ages 3-14 at Nashoba Valley Technical High School in Westford (open to families from anywhere!) beginning Saturday, September 27th! Sign up using the promo code “MSLions!” at checkout and not only will you save $15 OFF the season registration price but you will also be supporting our school. For more information, visit i9Sports.com.

💻 Check out our website for a list of PTO meetings and other information.

If you have any questions and/or want to get involved, please reach out to Parker PTO at PTOParker@gmail.com. As always, thank you for your continued support of our school!

It is a FREE art initiative open to artists of all ages in the Chelmsford community and beyond. All mediums are welcome, including drawing, watercolor, and collage. Participants are encouraged to explore prompts in their sketchbooks, but the prompts can also inspire free-standing artwork. Developed by Parker Middle School artist-educator Ashley Norman, this project is perfect for starting or maintaining an art practice throughout the year. A new calendar of prompts will be shared each month via school email and on Instagram@chelmsford_middle_school_art and @artedgeek.

Want to Share Your Work?

Email your art to normana@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

Directions to set up your account and order:

1. URL Link: https://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-Student's 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

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 Dates:

Wednesday, September 17th

Thursday, October 23rd

Wednesday, November 19th

Thursday, December 11th

Tuesday, January 13th

Thursday, February 5th

Wednesday, March 11th

Tuesday, April 7th

Email: robinsond@chelmsford.k12.ma.us
Website: https://parker.chelmsfordschools.org/
Location: 75 Graniteville Road
Phone: 978-251-5133