Hello Families,

Thank you to our families for all of your support and appreciation this year. We look forward to jumping into January with renewed enthusiasm and dedication.

Enjoy a healthy and safe week no matter how you are spending it. We are lucky to have a community of families like you! See you in the new year.

Respectfully,

Terri and Jayson

Monday, December 26th - Monday, January 2nd

• December Break - NO SCHOOL!
• Happy Holidays!
• SCHOOL RESUMES - TUESDAY, JANUARY 3RD

Monday, January 2nd

• No School

Tuesday, January 3rd

• School Reopens - Happy 2023!
• School Wide Reteaching of our Passport Expectations

Wednesday, January 4th

• No events

Thursday, January 5th

• No events

Friday, January 6th

• Chelmsford/South Row Spirit Day

Monday, January 9th

• Kindness Matters Day - wear your favorite kindness shirt and/or complete a kind act!
• Student Grade Level Meetings
• Student Council Group A Meeting, 3:30pm
• School Council Meeting, 5:30pm, Conference Room
• PTO Board Meeting, 6:30pm, Conference Room
• PTO Meeting, 7:00pm, Cafeteria

Tuesday, January 10th

• Early Release Day (Teacher Professional Development), students dismissed at 11:45am

Monday, January 16th

• No School - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Friday, January 20th

• Tie Dye Spirit Day - Wear your favorite tie-dye shirts

Monday, January 23rd

• Begins the Great Kindness Challenge Week
• PTO Sponsored Winter Challenges and Activities during specials all week
• Vision and Hearing Screening
• Kindergarten Enrichment: "Mike Bent" Magic Show

Tuesday, January 24th

• Vision and Hearing Screening
• Incoming Kindergarten Registration (Central Office), 9:00am-6:00pm - need appointment more details to follow

Wednesday, January 25th

• Vision and Hearing Screening
• Kindergarten Grades Available on X2
• Incoming Kindergarten Registration (Central Office), 9:00am-6:00pm - need appointment more details to follow
• Save the date: Parent Discussion Night at South Row

Thursday, January 26th

• Save the date: Parent Discussion Night (snow date) at South Row

Tissues, Tissues, Tissues!!: We are in desperate need of tissues school wide if you are interested in donating! We are just entering the cold and flu season so anything donations would be greatly appreciated.

ELL Review at South Row: On January 11th, South Row will participate in the DESE’s Office of Language Acquisition (OLA) Tiered Focused Monitoring Review of the Chelmsford Public Schools. The Office of Language Acquisition reviews each district’s and charter school’s English Language Education (ELE) program every six years to monitor compliance with federal and state English learner education laws and regulations. Part of the on-site visit and review process includes a parent outreach component. The district will send a survey to the parents of students whose records the review team examines. The survey focuses on key areas of their child’s English learner education program. Survey results will be reviewed by OLA and they will contribute to the monitoring report. Please see the copy of the notification for more information about the upcoming site visit for this review.

Save the date: Parent Discussion Night: January 25th with a snow date of the 26th.

Save the date: Incoming Kindergarten Registration SY23-24 : This will be taking place on Tuesday, January 24th, and Wednesday, January 25th from 9:00AM-6:00PM in the Central Office Conference Room. Information on scheduling a 15-minute appointment time will be shared on the CPS website the week of January 3rd. Those parents who can’t make either date can walk-in at their convenience after January 25 at Central Office between 8AM-4PM. We wanted to share this information as a save-the-date for now.

Save the date - South Row Science Fair 2023 - The Science Fair will be held in person on February 28th with a snow date of March 1st. Click here to review information on the science fair and here to register.

Dear South Row Families,

I hope everyone has a healthy and fun Winter break!

Please see the below message from the CPS Nursing Department:

As we move into the winter months, there are strategies to keep our school community safe and healthy. Remember to follow these simple precautions to prevent illness:

• Stay home if feeling sick

• Avoid contact with individuals who are sick

• Avoid sharing cups and utensils

• Wash hands frequently for at least 20 seconds with soap and water

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth

• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash

This is the time of year where we typically see an increase in the number of illnesses in our schools. Based on information from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, influenza (flu) activity is increasing nationally, and troubling early data showing drops in flu vaccine uptake this season, the CDC has issued an urgent reminder about the importance of vaccinating for flu. Hospitalization rates in kids for respiratory illnesses are among the highest seen at this time in about a decade so far this season.

Getting a flu shot is the most important action a person can take to prevent flu and its potentially serious complications. Everyone 6 months and older should get a flu vaccine as soon as possible to protect against the flu.

The flu vaccine:

• Reduces the risk of flu illness

• Can be given at the same time as a COVID-19 vaccine, for people who are due for both

• Protects against four different flu viruses - even if an individual has already gotten the flu, other flu viruses are circulating and it’s possible to get flu more than once a season

Staying updated with the COVID-19 boosters will protect against the coronavirus and prevent serious illness. The COVID-19 vaccine and boosters are safe and effective. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics strongly encourages vaccinating for the flu and COVID-19.

Additionally, health care providers have observed an increase in the number of cases of RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) in children in recent months. Infants and children may be particularly susceptible to seasonal respiratory viral infections during the 2022-2023 fall and winter because they have had limited previous exposure to these respiratory viruses. There has also been many cases of suspected norovirus illness. Please follow the preventative measures listed above to ensure the health and wellness of our school community!

Please feel free to reach out to me if needed.

Warmly,

Nurse V.

vandevoordts@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

It’s no secret that our students are brrrrr-iliant! We are SNOW excited to celebrate them with a full week of wintery fun during our Specialists’ classes January 23-27, 2023! To help us have an (Arctic) blast, we need YOUR help! Come “chill out” with us by clicking the link here to volunteer your time throughout our winter week. We can’t wait to FREEZE the day with you!❄️

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E45A5AF2CA6F4C25-winter

Winter Break is upon us! There have been lots of fun events and fundraisers already this school year but we have plenty coming up too! Please check out our list of upcoming things for the 2023 part of this school year. Please also think about if you can volunteer your time for any.

· Winter Week – January 23-27 (see link above for volunteer sign-up)

· Science Fair – 2/28 @6pm presented by the School Council – watch for volunteer request soon

· March 2 - Quick Clicks with Farmhouse Photography – more details soon.

· March 13-17 – Book Fair – volunteers needed during the school day to help classes shop, run cash registers, and restock books.

· March 13-17 – Community Read-In: Need 1-2 volunteers to coordinate the readers for the entire South Row School

· Meadow Farms catalog fundraiser – coming in April

· Ginormous Basket Raffle Fundraiser – date TBD – keep an eye out for volunteer needs.

· International Fair – date TBD but on a weekend – volunteers will be needed to help coordinate and run the event and to present during it too!

· Author’s Day – Spring date TBD – occurs during the school day and volunteers will be needed.

Please find below:

• Tentative Lunch Menu
• Direct Link to Food Services webpage

Dear Parents and Families --

To help better manage food waste and due to labor shortages, CPS Nutrition will begin online breakfast ordering for elementary students only. This will begin after the winter holiday break on Tuesday, Jan. 3.

Orders must be placed the Wednesday prior to the week you are selecting. Due to the holiday, orders for the week of Jan. 3 must be placed by Wednesday, Dec. 21.

Also...WE ARE HIRING! Earn money while your students are at school and join us in school nutrition! We offer school year positions and an annual clothing allowance.

APPLY NOW

---

Set Up Your Account Now

Directions to set up your account and order:

1. URL Link: 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- Child’s student 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.

How to order meals

1. School Menu-breakfast online ordering
2. Scroll to day/week you are selecting breakfast (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
8. Place order

Please send photos to Mr. Ramalho (ramalhoj@chelmsford.k12.ma.us) to be featured in our Home Link newsletter!

Mrs. Terri Gilbert

Principal

gilbertt@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

Mr. Jayson Ramalho, M.Ed.

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
• Mr. Jayson Ramalho, Assistant Principal: ramalhoj@chelmsford.k12.ma.us, 978-251-5177 ext. 3
• Mrs. Shannon Vandevoordt, School Nurse: vandevoordts@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