Center Community Chat #20

Dear Center Community,

What a busy week around the Center community this week. It was great to have educators, students and caretakers alike participating in the family night, professional development and student facing work with Sam Drazin! Sam did an amazing job working with all of our students to learn about empathy and kindness. He tailored every interaction with intentionality, and we look forward to following up his presentations with a variety of activities.

Martin Luther King Day

There will be no school on Monday in honor of Martin Luther King JR.'s birthday. Please take some time to talk to your students about the reason for the day off and honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.. He certainly exemplified the PRIDE values we promote at Center each day.

Families have an upcoming opportunity to support our enrichment programs by taking a break from cooking and eating out at the establishment on Tuesday, January 20th. A percentage of your bill will be donated to Center. Thank you for your continued support!

Kindergarten Registration

Kindergarten registration will be held on Tuesday, January 27, and Wednesday, January 28, from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. each day. If your child will be entering kindergarten in the fall, please visit our website to reserve an appointment time one of those two days. If you have friends or neighbors who will be sending a kindergartener to CPS and don’t have other children in the district, please share this information with them. A full list of stipulations and requirements for registration are available at the link above.

Staffing:

• We are still looking for a recess aide and a paraeducator!

Center Chirps:

• Students will be going out for recess if the real feel temperature is 20 degrees or warmer and it is not raining (snow or a slight drizzle are fine)during your students' recess time slot. Please make sure they have appropriate outerwear. If this is a hardship, please reach out to our counselor or nurse.

• Please note at morning drop off we may create 2 rows in our lower drop-off area to alleviate congestion. When forming 2 rows, please wait for an adult to allow students out of cars and move traffic along.
• Please be patient and stay attentive in your cars at drop-off & parent pick-up...we have valuable cargo to load and unload!

Warm Regards,

Donna & Jenn

Christy

Please find the CPS academic calendar below.

Please note that parents/adults are not allowed to escort their child(ren) to their classroom on school days. Staff members will be in the main lobby to assist all students and guide them to their classrooms. We appreciate your assistance with this.

This year Massachusetts is offering all school lunch and breakfast at no charge to students. 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

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.

Please visit our school nutrition 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.

Bus Safety:

Parents and caregivers, please support our bus drivers and reinforce expectations for bus safety. Administration has been actively working with NRT and riding buses to reinforce expectations with all students. The link below reviews expectations that are reviewed with all students. Thank you for your continued collaboration.

January

• Monday, January 19: No School- Martin Luther King, Jr. day

• Tuesday, January 20: Dine to Donate - The Establishment

• Wednesday, January 21: K - Grades available online for Parents

• Wednesday, January 21: PTO 7:00 pm

• Thursday, January 22: staff appreciation- restock the classroom

February

• TBD- Taste of Chelmsford- Sell in Feb (Raffle in March)

• February 2 - 6: National School Counselors week

• Monday, February 2: Be Kind Spirit Wear day

• Thursday, February 5: Half day/Professional day

• Thursday, February 5: Staff Appreciation

• Tuesday, February 10: Binglo Night: 5:00- 8:00 pm; (3 seatings- 5:00, 6:00 & 7:00)

• Annual 4th grade trip to PAC - 9am

• February 16 - 20: February Recess

• Friday, February 27: Chelmsford Spirit Day

Center is not only a wonderful place to attend and learn but also a wonderful place to work, as many of our parents/grandparents can attest to.

We are currently in search of an amazing recess aide. The job entails supervising large groups of students during recess & lunch. Any interested candidates should apply on School Spring! Please see the link below!

Substitutes in all areas are always in high demand. Please look at the CPS district website if interested.

The first Monday of the month will be a "Let Your Kind Shine" spirit day. You are invited to wear tops that promote kindness.

The third Friday of the month is Chelmsford/Center Pride spirit day. Sport our district colors, maroon, white, and black.

* Dates may be adjusted due to holidays or breaks. Please look at the weekly calendar of events for specific dates.

A picture speaks a thousand words as they say, and we love to include these in our weekly updates and on the website through our Twitter feed. Please let email Ms. O’Hearn at ohearnc@chelmsford.k12.ma.us. if you do not want your child’s picture included in these forums.