South Row's Home Link

Hello everyone,

First off, we hope you enjoy the picture at the top of this week's newsletter, which features our 4th-grade field trip to Boston Symphony Hall. It was a wonderful field trip. A special thank you to Mrs. Cooper for her organization.

Secondly, we are so looking forward to the Book Fair and Family Game Night this week. We hope you will considering stopping by to shop or play a little Book-O. We can't thank the book fair team enough for all the coordinating and planning that has taken place to make this a great week and event. Thank you Michelle Fearon, Chrystal Begay, Denille Ruth and Liz Haugner for you dedication!

Lastly, we will also be celebrating green, orange and white spirit day on March 17th in honor of St. Patrick's Day. Students are encouraged to wear the colors of the day.

Enjoy the weekend!

Respectfully,

Terri and Jayson

Please remember to have your license with you when you check in at the main office kiosk upon arrival. Your license is required to check in and obtain a visitor badge to proceed to your designated location within our building.

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, 6-8pm

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

Monday, March 23rd

• K Enrichment Program (Good Pickin Farm-Bunnies)

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.

• Please remember to have your license with you when you check in at the main office kiosk upon arrival. Your license is required to check in and obtain a visitor badge to proceed to your designated location within our building.

• 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

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.

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

Hello South Row Community!

As Spring arrives we are continuing to see cases of influenza sporadically at South Row. There have been no patterns or cluster within grades or classrooms. I wanted to share some brief information about the flu and a few reminders about ways to help keep our students healthy.

About Influenza (Flu)
Influenza is a common viral illness that circulates during the fall and winter months. The two main types that affect people are Influenza A and Influenza B. Both can cause symptoms such as:

• Fever
  

• Cough
  

• Sore throat
  

• Runny or stuffy nose

• Body aches
  

• Headache
  

• Fatigue
  

• Sometimes vomiting or diarrhea in children
  
  

Flu spreads easily from person to person through respiratory droplets when someone coughs, sneezes, or talks.

Ways to Help Keep Children Healthy

• Encourage frequent handwashing with soap and water.
  

• Teach children to cover coughs and sneezes with their elbow or a tissue.
  

• Keep children home if they are sick, especially if they have a fever. Students should remain home until they are fever-free for at least 24 hours without fever-reducing medication and feeling well enough to participate in school activities.
  

• Ensure children are getting adequate rest, hydration, and balanced nutrition.

If your child is sick and you would like to test for Flu, most pharmacies sell a combination COVID/Flu test for purchase. Pediatrician offices also can test for the flu during a sick visit. If your child does test positive for the Flu, please notify me via email. This helps me monitor trends, notify families in classrooms if there seems to be a pattern, and encourage increased cleaning. Below are some options for combination flu/covid testing sold at local pharmacies:

Looking Ahead to Spring Allergy Season
With spring approaching, seasonal allergies will soon become more common. If your child experiences seasonal allergy symptoms such as sneezing, itchy eyes, nasal congestion, or coughing, this is a good time to connect with your child’s pediatrician or allergist to discuss when to begin seasonal allergy medications.

Many providers recommend starting medications before pollen counts begin to rise, which can help reduce symptoms once the season begins.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss your child’s health needs, please feel free to reach out.

Wishing everyone a healthy end to winter and a smooth transition into spring!

Warmly,

Nurse Martin

martinh@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

(T) 978-251-5177

(F) 978-256-9475

It’s finally here! Next week is our Scholastic Book Fair!

Flyers with information about the fair went home in your child’s backpack last week. Students will have the opportunity to shop the fair during their regularly scheduled library specialist block. A Family Shopping and Game Night will be held on Wednesday, 3/18 from 6-8pm. We look forward to seeing you there!

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 still in need of volunteers to help students at the fair, during Family Shopping and Game Night, and breaking down the fair. Please sign up HERE to volunteer or email us at southrowbookfair@gmail.com.

Our Scholastic Book Fair Challenge wrapped up today. All donated items will be delivered to this year’s Kind Act partner organization, The Wish Project. The winners of the Scholastic drawing will be announced next week…stay tuned!

Thank you for your continued support!

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 you enjoyed our last UMass Lowell River Hawks game of the season! We've really enjoyed partnering with them to bring some fun opportunities to the South Row community. Make sure you stay tuned for any new events that might pop up in the near future! We are still looking for shadows for some of our upcoming events. See what they are all about, lend a hand, and see if it is a good fit for you!

Right now, we're looking for shadows for:

- Scholastic Book Fair

- Basket Raffle

- Sunshine Dance

- Staff Appreciation Luncheon

Interested? Message southrowpto@gmail.com or chat with a Board member today and we'll get you connected with the head of the committee. We hope you'll consider helping us!

-PTO Board 2025-2026

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 Wednesday, 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.

Our next Dine-to-Donate event will be happening on Tuesday, April 7th - our last half day Professional Development day of the school year! Grab some lunch, plan for dinner, and Little Z's too?

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