South Row's Home Link

Hello everyone,

We held our monthly Student Grade Level Meetings this past Monday with our Student Council members (featured below) helping us host. The story shared is call "My Mouth Is a Volcano!" by Julia Cook. It is a children's book that uses the metaphor of a volcano to teach kids about the importance of listening and not interrupting. It is told from the perspective of a boy named Louis, and humorously illustrates how his "erupting" thoughts and words affect others, helping parents and teachers teach patience and turn-taking in a relatable way. Students were asked to share how the story connects with our core value of respect during the audience participation portion.

Don't forget to stop by the library to check out the Chelmsford Youth Art Show. South Row and the other Chelmsford schools have so many budding artists and the works displayed are incredible.

Respectfully,

Terri and Jayson

Saturday, March 7th

• Instrument Test Drive for Incoming Grade 5 Students to Middle School, 9-11am, CHS

Sunday, March 8th

• Daylight Savings Time starts

Monday, March 9th

• No events

Tuesday, March 10th

• End of Term 2 Grades 1-4

Wednesday, March 11th

• Early Release Day - students dismissed at 11:45am - teacher professional development

• Reminders for Early Release Days:

  • Students are dismissed at 11:45am
  • Car dismissals should adhere to the following times
  1. Last names A-G- 11:40-11:45am
  2. Last names H-N- 11:45-11:50am
  3. Last names O-Z- 11:50-11:55am
• Please communicate any changes to your child's dismissal plans to their respective teacher, Mrs. O'Neill (oneilld@chelmsford.k12.ma.us) and Mrs. Sepe (sepek@chelmsford.k12.ma.us). Be sure to also discuss with your child.
• Lunch is available for take home ONLY through online ordering ( see Food Services section below in this newsletter)
• Students will either have specials or recess (rotates every half day).
• Snack time may be adjusted and/or not occur depending on your child(ren)'s schedule.
• Extended Day will be open until 6:00pm for students signed up on WEDNESDAY. Please provide your child a lunch.
• Please anticipate possible delays with buses as they navigate an early release schedule.
• Book Buddies, Bullock and Duncan/ Rigby & Webber

Thursday, March 12th

• Theme Song Thursday

Friday, March 13th

• Teacher Preview Day for Book Fair, Library
• Boston Symphony Hall Grade 4 Field Trip, leaving at 9:30am

Monday, March 16th

• Book Fair weeks begins (students visit book fair on Library days)
• Placement Letter and Input Form Sent to Grades 1-3 families for SY26/27 from Principals
• Multicultural Festival Committee Meeting, 3:45pm, Conference Room (new members welcome!)

Tuesday, March 17th

• School Spirit Day - Green, Orange and White Day

Wednesday, March 18th

• Scholastic Book Fair Family Night and Game Night

Thursday, March 19th

• Grade 1 Enrichment - Professor Bugman
• Parker Middle School Community Forum, 7:00 pm, Chelmsford Elks Lodge (300 Littleton Road)

Friday, March 20th

• School Spirit Day - Chelmsford/South Row

Wednesday, March 25th

• Grades Available on X2 Grades 1-4

Friday, March 27th

• Tentative Whole School Reward

Monday, March 30th

• Family Input into SY26/27 Placement Process Due to Principals via google form

Tuesday, March 31st

• Try it Tuesday

Thank you for taking the time to support our school! To keep everyone safe and ensure your volunteer experience runs smoothly for you, our students, and staff, here are a few important reminders:

• Please sign in at the office first when you arrive, then obtain a visitor badge from the kiosk.

• Our staff will direct you to your volunteer location, and the teachers will assist you in the space to get you acclimated.

• Head straight to your assigned area and focus on your volunteer tasks and activities there.

• Please stay in your volunteer location throughout your visit rather than moving throughout the building. This helps us keep track of all adults on campus for everyone's safety.

• Please remember student confidentiality in your role as a volunteer in our building.

• Please do not take pictures of students while working with them and/or post pictures on social media.

• For the safety of all students, please don't check in with other children or staff outside your assigned volunteer role, and avoid the cafeteria and recess areas.

• At the end of your volunteering time slot, please report directly to the office to sign out before you leave. Please avoid visits to other locations and take the most direct path to the office.

We're so grateful for your support. These guidelines help us maintain a secure environment for everyone while making the most of your generous time. If you have any questions, our office staff is always happy to help!

Respectfully,

Mrs. Gilbert & Dr. Ramalho

Coats!!: Students will be outside for recess most days throughout the winter months. Please make sure to send your child in with a coat as the temperatures are falling rapidly.

Family Resources: Please use the Family Resources link to fill out our form if your family would benefit from assistance. We offer a variety of resources throughout the year.

Instrument Test Drive for All Current 4th Grade Students

Saturday, March 7, 2026 — Chelmsford High School

Dear Families of Grade 4 Students,

To support you and your child in preparing to select a music class for next year, we are pleased to offer an opportunity for grade 4 students to “Test Drive” many of the instruments offered in the 5th grade beginning instrument programs and meet the grade 5 band and orchestra teachers. This event is for ALL current grade 4 students in the Chelmsford Public Schools.

This event will be held on Saturday, March 7 from 9:00 a.m.– 11:00 a.m. at Chelmsford High School, 200 Richardson Road. This is a rolling entry event — families may arrive any time between 9:00 and 10:30 a.m. to allow approximately 30–45 minutes to try all of the instruments. Please use the main high school entrance (NOT the Carl J. Rondina Performing Arts Center entrance).

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What music classes are offered in grade 5?

A: In grade 5, students select Band, Chorus, Orchestra, or General Music. These classes all meet during the school day. Click the links and read the information below to learn more about the music classes.

• Band

• INTRO TO BAND VIDEO

• Band instruments include woodwind, brass, and percussion family instruments. These include flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, tuba, horn, and percussion instruments. Students perform at two concerts each year and participate in other music opportunities such as assemblies and festivals.

• Chorus

• INTRO TO CHORUS VIDEO

• Chorus involves singing as a group with focus on good vocal production, vocal health, and performing music from a variety of cultures and genres. Students perform at two concerts each year and participate in other music opportunities such as assemblies and festivals.

• Orchestra

• INTRO TO ORCHESTRA VIDEO

• Orchestra instruments include the string family instruments violin, viola, cello, and bass. Students perform at two concerts each year and participate in other music opportunities such as assemblies and festivals.

• General Music

• These classes are similar to the general music classes that students currently take in elementary school. Students will create music, make cultural connections with music, respond to music in a variety of ways, and perform in the classroom.

Q: When do we make the decision to select a music class for next year?

A: You will receive a request to sign up your child for their grade 5 music class later this spring.

Q: If my child selects band or orchestra, when do we need to decide which instrument to play?

A: If your child selects band or orchestra as their grade 5 arts block class, they will decide what instrument they will play when school starts next fall. The band and orchestra teachers will re-introduce the instruments at the beginning of the school year.

Q: Do we need to rent an instrument for band or orchestra?

A: Each student will need a rental instrument for their use. The band and orchestra teachers will describe this process after school starts in the fall. Please do not rent an instrument before then. If your family needs financial assistance acquiring an instrument, please contact your child’s teacher about available options so that your child can participate in their selected ensemble.

We hope the Instrument Test Drive will help to ease the transition for students entering the 5th grade by helping them decide if they may want to participate in band or orchestra.

Please feel free to contact me or any of the teachers through the contact information listed below with questions. We are all looking forward to welcoming this class to Parker Middle School!

Sincerely,

Dr. Christy Whittlesey

K-12 Fine and Performing Arts Coordinator

Email: whittleseyc@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

Grade 5 Music Teacher Contact Information

• Band: Eric Linsner linsnere@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

• Chorus: Jake Petersen (long-term substitute for Martha Robertson through the end of this year): petersenj@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

• Orchestra: Lisa Tiano tianol@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

• General Music: Gillian LaFosse lafosseg@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

ELA - 4/8 and 4/9 (grade 3)

ELA - 4/14 and 4/15 (grade 4)

Makeup will be ongoing through the 17th

Math - 5/6 and 5/7 (grade 3)

Math - 5/13 and 5/14 (grade 4)

Makeups will be ongoing through the 22nd

Scholastic Book Fair challenge and Kind Act collection start next week!

Book Fair Week is nearly upon us! Each year our school partners with a local organization to give back, as well as create a friendly competition where books are the prize! This year we chose The Wish Project, specifically their BITS Bags program. Basic Items for Toddler Success (BITS) bags are put together year-round at Wish and shared with their partner agencies. These bags are given to many children in the Merrimack Valley who may experience developmental delays due to a lack of simple toys & books to stimulate them.

At the fair you’ll have the opportunity to round up your total to help us buy them books OR you can buy books from the fair to donate when you shop at family night.

We are once again offering a friendly competition between classes. As South Row’s Kind Act for March we will be collecting additional items for the BITS bags. Each class that collects 25 or more items will be entered to win $200 worth of books for their classroom! We’ll pick 3 winners.

Items requested for the bags are:

- Bubbles (approx. 4oz)

- Crayons

- Coloring Books

- Beach ball or other ball

- Rubber ducks (large enough to not be a choking hazard)

- Sidewalk Chalk

Participation is optional. Donations can be sent in with your student anytime from March 2 - March 13.

Thank you!

Scholastic Book Fair is coming soon!

Our Scholastic Book Fair will be running March 16th through March 20th. Students will have an opportunity to shop for books during their regularly scheduled library time and families are invited to shop and play BOOKO (book fair bingo) during Family Shopping and Game Night on March 18th from 6-8pm. Shopping is not required to attend BOOKO, so feel free to come on down for a night of fun, even if you will not be getting any books!

IMPORTANT: Due to the recent stop order on new pennies, we will have limited availability during the Book Fair. As such, all cash purchases will be rounded up to the nearest dollar. The extra change will be added to our “Share the Fair” fund to purchase books for our Kind Act partner organization, The Wish Project. Check, credit/debit (adults only), and eWallet payments will not be rounded up, unless you choose to make a donation. Signs will be posted at the Fair, but please talk to your child about this ahead of time to avoid confusion. As a reminder, a 6.25% MA sales tax applies to all purchases.

The Book Fair Committee is looking for volunteers to assist all student shoppers during the Book Fair, as well as help out during Family Shopping and Game Night. If you are interested in volunteering, please sign up HERE. All volunteers must have a valid CORI on file and check in at the main office upon arrival with a valid photo ID. Please note, volunteers during the school day are responsible for helping ALL students during their shift. If you would like to shop with your student, please sign up to help during their library time and plan to assist all students during your shift. Alternately, you may also consider shopping with your student during Family Shopping and Game Night!

Our annual Scholastic Book Fair is a much-loved South Row event and we look forward to another successful year of being able to support literacy in our community. More information about the Book Fair and Family Shopping and Game Night can be found in the flyer below and will also be sent home with students soon.

If you have any questions, you can reach out to the Book Fair Committee at southrowbookfair@gmail.com.

Planning for the 2026 Annual Basket Raffle has already begun!

On Saturday, May 16th, South Row PTO will be hosting our 4th Annual Sunshine Dance! Along with this fun event, we will be holding our 22nd Annual Basket Raffle. Each class will have a themed basket to showcase during the dance. These are no ordinary baskets; they are GINORMOUS baskets and are a beloved South Row fundraising tradition!

In order to make this a smooth and successful fundraiser, we are looking for volunteers to coordinate donation collection for each classroom and to wrap baskets before the event. For more details and to sign up to volunteer, please sign up using the SignUp Genius linked HERE.

Baskets will be on display a few days before and during the Sunshine Dance! More information about the Sunshine Dance and raffle ticket sales will be shared in the coming weeks.

We are also looking for people to join the Sunshine Dance and Basket Raffle Committees and to shadow our planning processes this year so that this beloved event can continue for years to come. The Sunshine Dance is fun for the whole family and the baskets are a fantastic fundraiser for our amazing South Row School!

If you have any questions about volunteering or joining a committee, please reach out to Ashley Cakounes or Michelle Fearon at southrowptobasketraffle@gmail.com.

PTO Corner

We hope your children have enjoyed having our community readers in this week for Chelmsford's Community Read In week. There have been quite a few community members sharing their time to come read to each class. We hope your children came home with stories to tell about these visits. Make sure to ask! 📖 Check out all the fun things coming up from the PTO!

If you have any questions about upcoming events or anything else, reach out to us at: southrowpto@gmail.comor send us a message on our Facebook or Instagram accounts!

-The 2025-2026 PTO Board

Our last South Row Night at the UML River Hawks for this season is TOMORROW, Saturday, March 7th at 6:05pm at the Tsongas Center! Come and represent South Row in your Chelmsford gear or rock your red, white, and blue for UML! Grab a friend and come hang to support our local college team! Tickets are available for purchase:

UML River Hawks Tickets

Ever wondered what goes into making our South Row PTO events happen? Want to help out, but aren't sure where to start? We're currently looking for shadows for each of our upcoming events as parents will be moving up with their children. We'd love to share what we know to keep these South Row School traditions alive for years to come! Interested in learning more about an event? Email us at southrowpto@gmail.com or chat with a Board member today! We'd love to have you!

Know a graduating senior this year? South Row PTO offers a $1,000 scholarship to a former South Row Elementary School student every year. Please pass this information along to any seniors you may know who once attended South Row! Interested applicants must apply by Friday, April 15th, 2026. Scholarship Application

Our next PTO meeting will be happening MONDAY, APRIL 6th in person in the South Row Technology Lab, 7pm. We look forward to connecting with you, sharing what's been going on in the past month, and what's to come!

Can't make it in person? Join us using the meeting link provided in the Home Link newsletter.

Not sure what the PTO is? What are we here for? Join us for our next meeting so hear a bit of what's going on. Find out how our Board helps make all the enrichments and programs at South Row run smoothly!

Add our PTO event calendar, meeting schedule, and the CPS district calendars to keep it all on the go!

Add the PTO Events Calendar

Add the PTO Meeting Schedule

Add CPS District Dates

We will be offering a virtual option for those that would like to join the monthly PTO meeting but can't make it in person. Please use this link to join the meeting virtually.

Please click on the "button" below to access resources and supports available. Do not hesitate to reach out to any support team member with any questions you may have.

**Please note: We continuously update the button below with new resources as they arise.

This section is comprised of the following items pertaining to food services

• Website
• Breakfast Information
• Tentative Breakfast/Lunch Menus

Mrs. Terri Gilbert

Principal

gilbertt@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

Dr. Jayson A. Ramalho

Assistant Principal

ramalhoj@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

Email: gilbertt@chelmsford.k12.ma.us
Website: https://www.chelmsford.k12.ma.us/Domain/15
Location: 250 Boston Road, Chelmsford, MA, USA
Phone: 978-251-5177
Facebook: facebook.com/SouthRowElementary
Twitter: @CPSSouthRow

• Mrs. Terri Gilbert, Principal: gilbertt@chelmsford.k12.ma.us, 978-251-5177 ext. 4
• Dr. Jayson A. Ramalho, Assistant Principal: ramalhoj@chelmsford.k12.ma.us, 978-251-5177 ext. 3
• Mrs. Heather Martin, School Nurse: martinh@chelmsford.k12.ma.us, 978-251-5177, ext.2
• Mrs. Debbie O'Neill, Secretary: oneilld@chelmsford.k12.ma.us, 978-251-5177, ext. 0
• Mrs. Kim Sepe, School Clerk: sepek@chelmsford.k12.ma.us, 978-251-5177, ext.0
• Absentee Line: 978-251-5177 ext. 1