PARKER WEEKLY BULLETIN

Good afternoon Parker families,

I hope that this note finds you all doing well and enjoying the beautiful autumn weather. It was a busy and productive week at Parker. There are just a few weeks before the end of Term 1and students are fully invested in their studies. Please be sure to reach out to your child's teacher and/or counselor if you have concerns about their progress. We work as a team to meet the needs of the students and value your insight.

After School Clubs and Activities

We are excited to start our clubs and activities next week on October 14. We strongly encourage students to join an after school club where they can make new friends, develop a stronger connection to our school community, and discover a new interest or passion. Clubs run from 2:45-3:45 pm Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Students can be picked up in the back parking lot in the regular drop off/pick up location. Late buses are also offered, making attending after-school activities accessible to all. Encourage your child to get involved!

Social Emotional Learning

Next week the whole school will be taking a social emotional survey. The results of this survey help us to identify students in need of further support and help to drive our enrichment efforts.

Pizza, Pumpkins, and Paperbacks - October 22

We are excited to host our annual Pizza, Pumpkins, and Paperbacks event on October 22. We encourage you to attend this great event with your family where you can have dinner, browse our book fair, and enjoy jack-o-lanterns in our courtyard. Prizes will be given to the best carved/decorated pumpkins, and we encourage your child to submit one for consideration. This is truly a fantastic night. I encourage you to join in on the fun! More details below.

Costumes for a Cause - the week of October 27-31

We are excited to celebrate Halloween at Parker, and we allow our students and staff to wear costumes to school on October 31. We kindly ask costumes not be inflatable, include masks that cover the face, or include weapons. We are suggesting that students bring in a dollar to donate to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund. The Jimmy Fund works to raise money for research and care for those afflicted with childhood cancer. This is a cause we can all rally around. Buckets for donation collection will be set up by Team in the lobby all week and the team that raises the most money will earn an extra recess. All proceeds will go directly towards supporting this fantastic organization. See flyer below.

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

Josh

Come audition for Mary Poppins! October 14th and 15th after school! ALL are welcome to audition! Come prepared with your song based off of the character breakdown With a guardian, read and fill out your information in the form here

Come audition for Select Chorus! October 21st and 22nd before school! With a guardian, please read and fill out your information in the form here. We have a limited number of spots available in the ensemble but welcome ALL to audition!

Auditions are right around the corner!
If you want to be a part of the play, please make sure you have completed all three steps below:

1. Read the audition guidelines on the registration jotform carefully.

2. Register on JotForm (you must be registered to audition).

3. Prepare your audition piece based on the character breakdown.

✅ On the day of your audition:

• Arrive at least 15 minutes before your scheduled time.

• Report to the Art Room/Chorus Room hallway.

• You may leave after your audition.

🚍 Transportation Reminder:
Late buses leave at 3:40 PM, so if your audition is after that, you’ll need to arrange your own ride.
All rides should pick up in the back of the school by the Crooked Springs entrance.

🎭 About Crew This Year:
We’re starting a very small Parker Drama Crew in January for students who want to learn about lighting, sound, props, and backstage work.
If you’re interested, read the crew description in this [interest form] and submit it so we can follow up with you in January!

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.

The Activity Fee is $50 per student. To pay PLEASE CLICK ON LINK My School Bucks preferred method of payment (SEE INSTRUCTIONS BELOW) or send in cash or checks made payable to Chelmsford Public Schools and turn in to 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 2:45-3:45 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.

Please SEE BROCHURE for more details: Parker Middle School Clubs & Activities Brochure 2025-2026

Yearbooks are now on sale! Emails have been sent by our yearbook company (Walsworth) with an ordering link, but you can also order at https://yearbookforever.com/

No books will be available for sale in June...don't miss out on capturing this year's memories!

Happy Friday Parker Families!

🍕📕🎃 Pizza, Paperbacks and Pumpkins is BAAAACK! Join us on Wednesday, October 22nd from 5 to 7pm for this fun family favorite. Check out the decorated pumpkins, get pizza in the cafe and shop at the book fair. To see more details about pumpkin decorating and to sign up click here. To volunteer at the event click here. We will have pizza available to purchase at the event for $3 per slice and $20 per pizza. Or you can pre-order a pizza meal deal (pizza, water and cookies) prior to guarantee availability click here?

📚 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. Please help us staff this Book Fair in the school library. We need help setting it up/tearing it down and staffing it during the school day. Click here to sign up. This link will also let you know when your child’s class will visit the book fair.

💻 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!

Dear Families/Guardians,

We’re excited to celebrate National School Lunch Week (NSLW) from October 14–17, 2025! This annual event highlights the importance of healthy school meals and encourages students to enjoy the nutritious foods available in our school cafeterias. This year’s theme is: - “Taste the World: Your School Lunch Passport” Throughout the week, our school cafeterias will take students on a fun and flavorful journey around the world! Each day, students will have the opportunity to try foods inspired by different countries and cultures, helping them expand their palates and learn about global traditions — all without leaving the lunchroom. Tuesday, 10/14: Italian Feast Wednesday, 10/15: Incredible India Day Thursday, 10/16: Mediterranean Magic Friday, 10/17: Journey to Spain During NSLW the secondary options will be SunButter & Jelly Sandwich, Turkey & Cheese Sandwich, or Ham & Cheese Sandwich. Please visit the school nutrition website for more information on the menu.

https://www.schoolnutritionandfitness.com/webmenus2/#/viewid=689e0c1bf9607846c3114f1c&

site Code=3369

We encourage families to talk with their children about the different foods they try each day, share favorite cultural dishes from home, and even pack international-themed lunches if they choose to bring meals from home. National School Lunch Week is a great reminder of the value of school meals in helping children grow strong, healthy, and curious about the world around them. Thank you for supporting nutritious school meals and celebrating this special week with us! Warmly, Nancy Antolini Director of Nutrition Services Chelmsford Public Schools

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.

Hi Everyone,

The October Sketchbook Spectacular calendars are attached. Like last year, we’ll be tapping into the Inktober prompts to build daily drawing habits and mark-making skills.

I’ve also attached a brief Inktober presentation and value presentation I use to kick things off. Please feel free to adapt or change anything to fit your needs or grade levels.

While we’re at it:

• Do you have any favorite pen-and-ink artists you’d recommend for students?

• Do any of you participate in Inktober (personally or with your classes)? I’d love to connect about it.

Thanks, and cheers to a month of bold lines and creative prompts!

Best,
Ashley

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.

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