Center Community Chat #10
October 17, 2025
Dear Center Community,
It has been another busy week at Center School! More of our third grade students had the opportunity to visit The Old Garrison House in Chelmsford. It is a great local field trip that helps students learn about earlier life during colonial times in a local museum. Our student council held their first meeting this week and are busy organizing a food drive for our local pantry. We look forward to seeing many families this Saturday at our Trunk-Or-Treat. As always, it is free for all, please come and enjoy the beautiful fall weather with friends and families.
Congratulations to our 4th Grade Student Council Members:
Rhys B.
Jamie B.
Kenleigh F.
McKenzie H.
Ryo H.
Maya I.
Liam K.
Mabel K.
Tanvi R.
Austin T.
Student Council Food Drive – Now Through November 12th!
Our Student Council is excited to kick off a school-wide food drive to support local families in need. From now through Wednesday, November 12th, we are collecting non-perishable food items for The Chelmsford Food Pantry. This includes canned foods, dry goods, children’s snacks, baking essentials, and personal care items. Donations should be brought to the lower lobby and placed in the area marked for each grade level. We’re encouraging a little friendly competition to see which grade can collect the most items! All donations will go toward helping families in our community get the food they need just in time for the holidays. Thank you for your support!
ALICE drill scheduled
This week we will have grade meetings to explain to students the ALICE protocols and principles in a developmentally appropriate way.
The meeting will show students in grades 1-4 a video to explain the ALICE choices. We hope you will take some time to view this video yourself and talk with your child about this.
Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5UyATnpr2Y
Our first drills will be held the week of October 27. We will notify families once the drills have been completed.
Please do not hesitate to reach out should you have any questions or concerns.
Trunk or Treat Collection for Food Pantry
Trunk or Treat will be held on Center grounds from 1-3 tomorrow. Once again, the Center Student Council will be collecting non-perishable food items for the food pantry. Thank for contributing to this important cause.
Attendance & Tardiness:
Many students are arriving after 9:00 AM. School begins at 9:00 AM. If your child arrives after, it will directly impact their learning and class structures. Please plan accordingly & make every effort to have your students here before 9:00 AM. Please read the flyer regarding attendance below.
Warm Regards,
Donna & Jenn
Don't miss Center's spookiest celebration! Trunk or Treat will be from 1-3 pm on Saturday, 10/18 (rain date: 10/25) Come in costume and trick or treat around the parking lot. There will be games and goodies for all to enjoy, NO TICKETS NEEDED!
Thank you to our CSPTO for coordinating this fun family event!
Food Service Information
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.
Prevention of tick-born illness begins with you!
1. The single most important thing you can do is check for ticks once a day. Favorite places ticks like to go on your body include areas between the toes, back of the knees, groin, armpits, and neck, along the hairline, and behind the ears. Remove any attached tick as soon as possible and call your doctor if you have concerns about tick-born illness.
2. Use repellents that contain DEET on your exposed skin, and those that contain permethrin on your clothes.
3. Stick to main pathways and the center of trails when hiking to avoid ticks.
4. Wear long-sleeved, light colored shirts and long pants tucked into your socks. This may be difficult to do when the weather is hot, but it will help keep ticks away from your skin and make it easier to spot a tick on your clothing.
NOTE: There is currently no human vaccine available to protect against Lyme disease or any other tick-borne disease found in Massachusetts.
⭐ TAKE THE #TICKCHECKCHALLENGE: bit.ly/3gC4n3n ⭐ The #TickCheckChallenge is an interactive challenge created to help educate and protect kids (and adults!) from Lyme Disease and other debilitating tick-borne diseases. Only 1 in 10 kids performs a tick check after spending time outside. We want that to change. Made especially for kids!
Head lice can happen to anyone.
It is not a sign of poor hygiene habits or of being dirty. Even though they do not jump or fly, lice can spread from one person to another by sharing personal items and by being in close contact with a person who has live lice.
Unfortunately, there is no proven head lice deterrent that will prevent your child from getting head lice. The best you can do is stay alert for suspicious head scratching. Itching is an allergic reaction to chemicals in a head louse’s saliva. Not all kids will experience itching right away but catching this behavior early and treating it will help you stop a head lice problem at its roots.
If you should discover a case of head lice, please call your pediatrician for treatment recommendations, notify the health office, as well as the parents of your child’s close contacts. This is the best way to protect your family and the community.
If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact me via email or phone call.
Rose Remmetter Felzani, MSN, RN
Center School Nurse
Transportation
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.
Permission to Take Pictures
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.