Byam Family Summer Newsletter #2

Please find the CPS academic calendar below. The first day of school for grade 1-4 is August 26. Doors open at 8:50 am. Kindergarteners will have an orientation on that day (specific time was in your placement letter) and the first full day of kindergarten is August 27. Reminder to our new kindergarten families, students drive to school on Tuesday 8/26 with their parent/caregiver, and stay with their family during the orientation visit. For planning purposes, kindergarten orientation is approximately 45 minutes.

Student School Supplies: As a reminder, Dr. Lang and CPS has purchased student supplies for SY25-26 for all students. These supplies include the traditional items families would buy in the past (crayons, pencil boxes, glue sticks, binders, etc.). Students will still require a backpack but our hope is that providing these supplies will assist families as we begin the school year. If you are interested in donating supplies to the classroom please reach out to your teacher(s).

We encourage you to mark your calendars for curriculum night scheduled for Tuesday, September 16th. Individual teachers will review their forms of communication and information pertaining to the grade-level curriculum. The schedule for that evening is as follows:

• 5 – 5:25 pm: Principal/Assistant Principal Presentation for kindergarten 1st and 2nd grade families in Byam Dining Room
• 5:30 – 6:15pm: kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade teacher Presentations
• 6:15 – 7:00 pm: Specialists/ Reading/ support providers available in classrooms/offices
• 7 – 7:25pm: Principal/ Assistant Principal Presentation for 3rd and 4th grade Families in Dining Room (same as the principal/ap first presentation )
• 7:30 – 8:15pm: Grades 3 and 4 Teacher Presentations

Byam is very fortunate to have an active Parent Teacher Organization, the Byam School Association (BSA). The BSA provides a great deal of support for our students and teachers through enrichment activities, supplies and materials for the school, community-building events, and volunteer support throughout the school year. The first BSA meeting for Byam School will be held on the evening of Wednesday, September 10th at 7 pm in the Byam library. If you are not currently active in our BSA, please consider becoming a part of this amazing team.

Click below video:

Each student is assigned a pick up number as a part of our dismissal system. Kindergarten families who do not already have their pick up number will receive their car pick up number card during kindergarten orientation on Tuesday August 26th. For remaining families who need their car pick up card prior to the first day of school, our main office will be open today through Thursday 9:00-2:00, this week and Monday, 8/25 from 9:00-2:00 for families to pick up. For any questions please contact our Byam clerk Stella Murphy at murphys@chelmsford.k12.ma.us or 978-251-5144.

If you are a family who will not need to use a car pick up number the first week of school, do not feel obligated to pick up your pick up card. Remaining car pick up numbers will be sent home with students in backpacks the first week of school.

Information pertaining to school bus transportation may be found on the Chelmsford Public Schools website at the following link: https://www.chelmsford.k12.ma.us/domain/90. Also, please see the attached flyer and registration directions for more details. It is very important that every student is registered to ride the bus regardless of if there is a fee. Registering now allows the transportation department to begin building routes for optimum efficiency, and if you are required to pay a fee, it saves you money by registering now.

A few reminders about student transportation:

• ALL STUDENTS who desire to ride the school bus to or from school MUST REGISTER EVERY YEAR, even if they are not required to pay a fee.
• ALL REGISTRATIONS AND PAYMENTS are processed ONLINE using MySchoolBucks.
• When registering, each student must be entered separately in MySchoolBucks. This means for families with more than one child riding the bus, a registrationmust be completed for each child.
• MySchoolBucks will provide assistance for using their on-line registration system if needed during the registration process. MySchoolBucks may be reached directly at (855) 832-5226.
• Registrations requesting financial assistance must also apply for and be approved for the free and reduced lunch program. Please email your award letter to the transportation department.

REGISTRATION PROCESS

You will need to look up each student in MySchoolBucks and add each student to your account. Looking each student up will require name and LASID or birthdate. Each student must be registered separately. New students to the district please allow 24 hours prior to registering on MySchoolBucks after completing the required school registration process.

Please arrive a few minutes earlier than your child's bus pick up and drop off time. We request families be patient with the first few weeks of bus transportation pick up and drop off times as the first weeks of school times can vary.

Bus Passes: Expect to receive bus passes in the mail the week of Monday, August 18th. Any questions on bus registration, please click on this link: https://chelmsfordschools.org/departments/transportation/

Bus Reminder: Students are not permitted to switch buses, and are only permitted to ride what is printed on their bus pass.

Massachusetts will again offer free public school lunch and breakfast at no charge to students. Milk only options continue to be at a charge of 75 cents. Students are able to take a breakfast bag in the morning and use it for snack that day. We will review with students the breakfast pick up locations. Families however have the option to 'opt out' of student breakfast, please inform your teacher if you prefer to opt out of student access to school breakfast.

This does not automatically make families eligible for any other benefits. We strongly encourage families that feel they are eligible for transportation or extended day reduced tuition to fill out the online free and reduced meal application. The links can be found below. https://cpsnutrition.com/index.php?sid=1478035692058&page=lunchapps

Please visit our school nutrition home page website at https://cpsnutrition.com/index.php?sid=1478035692058 for more information about our program and also a link to the free and reduced lunch application.

If you do qualify for benefits you most likely will be eligible for SNAP benefits. https://www.mass.gov/snap-benefits-formerly-food-stamps

Some examples of SNAP benefits are discounts on gas, electric utilities and internet services.

We have conducted grade level building tours as we draw closer to the first day of school. These tours are for families new to Byam or any students who'd like to visit the school. Below are the remaining dates and times:

• 8/21 Kindergarten Building Tour 1:00 pm

*Students from any grade can attend these tours.

Please fill out this transportation form by clicking on the pencil icon for your child(ren). If you have multiple children please fill it out for each child. Having this completed prior to the start of school assists us in having an accurate and efficient dismissal. Thank you in advance.

Nurse Pappo will be available for medication drop-offs on the following dates:

Thursday, August 21 from 9:00am-3:00pm

Monday, August 25 from 8:00am-12:00pm

Tuesday, August 26 from 8:00am-4:00pm

Medications must be in the original container with pharmacy label present. Medication orders need to be filled out yearly by both the parent/guardian and MD/prescriber. Please visit the CPS district health page for additional information and medication forms at:

https://chelmsfordschools.org/departments/health-services/health-forms/

Please click the PDF download link below to view the districts family/student handbook for the 2025-26 school year. This handbook can also be found on the CPS Website.

We encourage families to review the CPS Empowered Digital Use Guidelines within the handbook as we have seen an uptick in technology violations as children continue to become more tech savvy. The CPS Empowered Digital Use Guidelines begins on page 51 within the handbook. Adhering to district and school expectations is essential when engaging with technology.

Do you you or anyone you know of seeking full time employment? We are hiring recess aides to be a part of our Byam staff. Contact Betsy Dolan at dolane@chelmsford.k12.ma.us for school spring online application information.

We are also always welcoming new members to add to our Byam substitute pool. Substituting can range from covering roles such as teacher, paraeducator, recess aide, specialists, etc. Training is provided. Contact Bridget Freelove in human resources for more information, freeloveb@chelmsford.k12.ma.us.

If you are interested in volunteering in our school (should an opportunity present itself) please be sure to contact Mrs. Murphy in our school office to make an appointment to fill out a CORI form. All volunteers must have a CORI on file to volunteer.

The BSA struggles with trying to keep you informed without flooding your inbox. We understand some don't have the bandwidth to know more, while others are looking to get more involved...but don't know where to start. If you are one of those people looking to know more please take a moment to fill out the attached form. This does not lock you into anything but helps us filter our "extra" communication more directly to people looking to be more involved with the BSA!

No-cost Registration for Byam Events:

*Financial concerns should never stand in the way of families participating in school events. If you are interested in any Byam activities please contact Lyndsey O’Neil, our school counselor, to register at no cost: oneill@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

Here are some openings the BSA is currently seeking help on, reach out the bsa.chelmsford@gmail.com if you are interested in any of these positions!

We have a number of Byam School community members we are an integral part of our Byam School workday community as Byam substitutes. We are always looking for more substitutes to add to this great group! If you would like to learn more information about the flexibility of substituting at Byam School, email or call Carolyn Quinn at quinncm@chelmsford.k12.ma.us or phone 978-251-5144.

Stay Connected to the Byam School Association, Click on the Live links below for more...

Zoom • Email • Website • Facebook • Minutes • Donate • Volunteering​

Below you will find the Chelmsford Community Education fall course book where there are activities for young children and teens of many ages.

Office: Secretary Quinn quinncm@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

Clerk/Attendance: murphys@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

Principal Fredette fredettej@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

Assistant Principal Dolan dolane@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

Website: https://byam.chelmsfordschools.org/about/
Location: 25 Maple Road, Chelmsford, MA, USA
Phone: 978-251-5144