South Row's Home Link

Hello everyone,

Thank you to everyone who recently completed our AI Survey. This will help provide input into the district's guidance on use of AI at school. We value you feedback and want to ensure that students have an equitable, enriching as well as ethical experience using technology and AI at school.

Please consider stopping by our annual Multicultural Festival on Saturday April 4th. The event runs from 1:00 to 2:30 and includes a wide variety of presentations, food and performances.

Respectfully,

Terri and Jayson

Saturday, April 4th

• Multicultural Festival, 1-2:30pm

Monday, April 6th

• Kindness Matters Day
• Student Grade Level Meetings w/Mrs. Gilbert & Dr. Ramalho
• Student Council, 3:30-4:15pm, PODS
• School Council, 5:30pm, Conference Room
• PTO Board, 6:30pm, Conference Room
• PTO, 7:00pm, Lab

Tuesday, April 7th

• Early Release Day - Teacher Professional Development (students dismissed at 11:45am)
• Boston Bruins Spirit Day - NEW

• Reminders for Early Release Days:

  • Students are dismissed at 11:45am
  • Car dismissals should adhere to the following times
  1. Last names A-G- 11:40-11:45am
  2. Last names H-N- 11:45-11:50am
  3. Last names O-Z- 11:50-11:55am
• Please communicate any changes to your child's dismissal plans to their respective teacher, Mrs. O'Neill (oneilld@chelmsford.k12.ma.us) and Mrs. Sepe (sepek@chelmsford.k12.ma.us). Be sure to also discuss with your child.
• Lunch is available for take home ONLY through online ordering ( see Food Services section below in this newsletter)
• Students will either have specials or recess (rotates every half day).
• Snack time may be adjusted and/or not occur depending on your child(ren)'s schedule.
• Extended Day will be open until 6:00pm for students signed up on TUESDAY. Please provide your child a lunch.
• Please anticipate possible delays with buses as they navigate an early release schedule.
• Book Buddies Bullock/Duncan & Rigby/Webber

Wednesday, April 8th

• MCAS - ELA (Grade 3)

Thursday, April 9th

• MCAS- ELA (Grade 3)

Friday, April 10th

• High Five Friday with CPD
• PTO Movie Night

Tuesday, April 14th

• MCAS - ELA (Grade 4)

Wednesday, April 15th

• MCAS - ELA (Grade 4)

Monday- April 20th - Friday, April 24th

• April School Vacation - No School

Tuesday, April 28th

• Grade 3 and 4 SEL Survey
• Try it Tuesday

Hello CPS Families,

As we continue to grow and evolve as a district, your voice plays a critical role in shaping the direction of our work. We invite you to participate in this survey to share your perspectives, experiences and insights. Thoughtful feedback is essential in helping us develop meaningful guidance documents and policies that reflect the needs, values and priorities of our entire school community.

Over the past two years, our district has made significant progress in expanding efforts around Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), including early stages of implementation across schools. We are now approaching our next critical step: developing clear guidance and policies to support the ethical, equitable, and responsible use of AI in CPS. Your input will help ensure that these efforts are informed, inclusive and aligned with our shared commitment to student success. We kindly ask that you complete this survey by Friday, March 27, so that we may review the data with our working groups. Thank you in advance for your time.

GenAI Implementation Survey for Parents/Guardians

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

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.

Volunteer Reminders: 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!

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

Sign up to Help Mrs. C

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0D4CABAA22ABFC1-63101359-2026

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 are looking forward to this year's Multicultural Festival happening this Saturday from 1-2:30pm at South Row! A treasured tradition of sharing what makes us unique, the Multicultural Festival is one to check out for sure!

Have other ideas for things the PTO could do for events in the future? We always welcome new ideas and faces at our PTO meetings! Next one is Monday, April 6th! We will announce our proposed slate for next year's PTO Board, but would love to have some new faces on the Board! Interested in making a positive contribution in your child's school experience? Join the PTO Board - we're a bunch of friendly helpers working to make a difference in our school community. We would love to have you with us!

We're looking for President/Co-president, Vice-President/Co-VP, and Secretary/Co-secretary positions for the 2026-2027 year.

-Ashley, Sarah, Beth, and Courtney

PTO Board 2025-2026

2026-2027 PTO Executive Board Needs YOU!

Our current board has reached term limits and would love to welcome in some new Board members to help take over the reins! Many of us are still around for another year or two, so there will be plenty of people to reach out to for questions. The current board is willing to co-chair each position, to allow for transfer of information. Email us at southrowpto@gmail.com or grab our ear after the in person PTO meeting Monday night. We'd love to chat and address any concerns you might have! :)

Basket Raffle Committee Looking for Help!

If you are also interested in joining the Basket Raffle Committee and would like to learn more about the behind-the-scenes planning process, please let us know. Additional people would make it possible for us to create sub-committees (similar to the Pumpkin Fair) so we can divide and conquer more easily! This event lends itself to teams such as classroom volunteer coordination, donation collection, basket wrapping, presale ticketing, and day-of-event organizing. We’d love to have a few extra hands to be sure the Basket Raffle can continue once our kiddos move on from South Row.

Contact southrowptobasketraffle@gmail.com for more information!

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.

Right now, we're still looking for shadows for:

- Scholastic Book Fair (for next year's fair)

- Basket Raffle

- Sunshine Dance

- Staff Appreciation Luncheon

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

We’re happy to share that our school is automatically re-enrolled in the Hannaford Helps Schools program! The 2026 program will run from April 5 through May 30. During this time, our community can support our school by shopping for specially marked items. For every 4 participating products purchased, shoppers earn 3 School Dollars. At checkout, customers receive a School Dollar printout that they can redeem online and direct funds to our school.

Using Hannaford To Go? With Hannaford To Go, School Dollars are not provided at pickup. Instead, about a week into May and again a week into June, Hannaford will email you a unique code reflecting the total School Dollars you earned in the previous month from qualifying purchases.

To redeem School Dollars, simply enter the unique printout code and store number on the Hannaford Helps Schools website or app, then select our school. Each School Dollar printout also includes a QR code linking directly to the website, making it quick and easy to redeem School Dollars.

Our next PTO meeting will be happening MONDAY, APRIL 6th in person in the South Row Technology Lab, 7pm.

What's on the agenda?

- Staff Spotlight on 4th grade! Teachers will share what's coming up for 4th grade activities for the end of the school year and what to expect

- Proposed PTO Board slate for upcoming school year - vote to take place at May PTO meeting (May 4th)

- Updates from Mrs. Gilbert and Dr. Ramalho from South Row over the past month

- Updates from Mrs. Duncan and Ms. Semenza on Fourth Grade Activities!

- Updates from Diana Lebeaux, School Committee liaison for South Row & South Row parent

- Financial report from treasurer, Courtney Cooper

- Hear from Parker PTO President, Sarah Mackie about the Parker/McCarthy PTOs!

- Upcoming events and fundraisers

- Open discussion time

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 our meeting link provided in the Home Link newsletter.

Our next Dine-to-Donate event will be happening this coming 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! Your Benefit South Row PTO with your all-in-one stop for lunch, dinner, and dessert!

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