PARKER WEEKLY BULLETIN

Good Afternoon Parker Families,

It was a great week to be at Parker Middle School. It is exciting to see all the learning and engagement in the classrooms as I visit. Students are collaborating, problem solving, and creating under the direction of our truly fantastic staff. As the workload increases, please be sure to encourage your child to set a consistent schedule with which to find a balance between homework completion, extra-curricular activities, time for independent reading, and fun!

After School Clubs and Activities Begin Tuesday October 14

We are excited to get our after-school clubs and activities started for the year. A wide range of clubs and activities are offered on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 2:40-3:40. Late buses are available for transport home. Parents pick up will be out back as usual. Please see below for the activities brochure and how to register your child. We encourage all students to participate! There is a club or interest for everyone, and we have often found that students develop lasting passions and friendships through these opportunities.

October Art Activities - Sketchbook Spectacular

Ms. Ashley Norman, one of our incredible art educators, is sharing this month's art prompts. She has created this calendar to encourage students to express themselves and develop their creativity. All students are encouraged to participate and share their creations. Please see attached flyer.

Social Emotional Learning

Next week we will continue with our social emotional curriculum during our SEL block on Wednesdays. The fifth grade will continue their unit on problem solving while our sixth-grade classes will continue their unit on Thoughts, Emotions, and Decisions. Please see the prompts below to continue the discussion at home with your child.

Grade 5: Solutions Web

Summary

In this lesson, your child will evaluate solutions to an interpersonal problem by thinking about the problem from each person’s point of view.

Try This at Home

Tell your child about a simple interpersonal problem that you’ve experienced and describe each person’s point of view about the problem. Ask them to help you think of solutions and predict the possible outcomes of each solution.

Grade 6: How Emotions Affect Your Decisions

Summary: In this week’s lesson, your child will analyze how strong emotions can influence their decision-making abilities, as well as how those decisions can affect their relationships.

Question: Ask your child what sorts of things trigger strong emotions in them. Ask them how you can show support when those things happen.

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

Warm Regards,

Josh

Congratulations to Tirth Bhagat and Cindy Kefallinos

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!

After school Clubs & Activities are COMING SOON! 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 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 2:40-3:40 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 BELOW FOR A SNEAK PEAK OF THE CLUBS & ACTIVITIES BEING OFFERED THIS YEAR! Click here: 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 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!

Join us next Thursday, October 9th at the 📆 PTO Meeting @ 6:30 in McCarthy Middle School Library: for the first PTO meeting of the school year! Parker & McCarthy PTOs work collaboratively to provide community building activities, provide enrichment programs for our students and families and support our teachers. We encourage any middle school parent/guardian to join us.

🍕📕🎃 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.

⚽ 🏈 ⚾ 🥍 i9 Sports Fall Season Programs
i9 Sports is once again offering weekend outdoor flag football, soccer, lacrosse, t-ball/baseball, & multi-sports programs for kids ages 3-14 at Nashoba Valley Technical High School in Westford (open to families from anywhere!) beginning Saturday, September 27th! Sign up using the promo code “MSLions!” at checkout and not only will you save $15 OFF the season registration price but you will also be supporting our school. For more information, visit i9Sports.com.

💻 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