Hello Families,

Well we finally had a snow day! Hopefully it gave staff, students and families a chance to rest with all of the illnesses going around. We are hoping February vacation will help to improve our health here at South Row!

Please help your child to remember to bring sneakers when they have Phys Ed. Snow boots are great for recess, but unsafe for the gymnasium. Also on PE days, a T-shirt under ayers helps when they get hot. Thank you!

Respectfully,

Terri and Jayson =)

Saturday, February 8th

• Gr. 4-12 Choralfest

Monday, February 10th

• No events

Tuesday, February 11th

• Try it Tuesday - zucchini

Wednesday, February 12th

• Grade 4 Enrichment Program - Lights and Lasers (Kellerman, Duncan, Semenza)
• Grade 1 Meteorologist Visit

Thursday, February 13th

• Grade 4 Enrichment Program - Lights and Lasers (Lewis and Tice)

Friday, February 14th

• Grade 4 Assembly to Watch Grade 5 Ensembles
• Red, White, and Pink Day

February 17th-February 21st

• School Vacation Week - No School

Wednesday, February 26th

• Science Fair, 6:30pm

Thursday, February 27th

• Science Fair (Snow Date), 6:30pm

Friday, February 28th

• Chelmsford/South Row Spirit Day

PE Reminder: Please help your child to remember to bring sneakers when they have Phys Ed. Snow boots are great for recess, but unsafe for the gymnasium. Also on PE days, I would suggest students wear T-shirts or layers so they can take their long sleeve off when they get hot. Thank you!

IIQ Help Desk Tickets: Some families have been using an unmonitored email for support with accessing the Aspen Family Portal. Instead, please use the incident IQ request form located on the CPS website under the parent drop down menu. Here is the direct link: https://chelmsford.incidentiq.com/guest/TKHNDKXH/parent-support#top .

Smartphones and Smart Watches: We strongly discourage sending your child to school with smart phones or watches. If your child brings either of these devices to school the expectation is that they are turned off and in their backpack.

Snow and Recess: We have had our first snow fall of the year. Below are some reminders for recess and playing in the snow.

• Students should wear coats, hats, mittens, to school in the winter months.
• Students/families should consider having students bring or wear boots to school depending on conditions.
• We will not be having students put on snow pants to go outside in the snow. However, if students wear boots, they will be able to go in the snow. Activities they will be able to do include (but not limited to):
• Walk around in the snow
• Run in the snow
• Build a snowman
• Make tracks through the snow
• Play follow the leader
• Students will NOT be allowed to:
• Throw snow / Kick snow
• Throw snowballs
• Get pants wet
• If a student forgets their snow boots, they will be able to go outside but will only be able to play on the blacktop area and not in the field or snow-covered areas.

Colder Temperatures: As the winter months approach us, please be sure your child comes to school dressed appropriately for outdoor recess (ie. jackets/sweatshirts, etc).

Snacks: Please remember to send your child in with a snack. The school has a very limited supply that gets depleted quickly and it is not to every students liking.

Community Read-in: The Chelmsford Community Read-In is making its return the week of March 3-7! The idea of the Community Read-In is to have readers who are members of the greater community visit classes for about 20 minutes to read a book or two to a class in grades Pre-K through 6. This is a special visit for these classes because the message it sends the kids is that members of the community, not just their teachers and parents, care about their education and love of reading. This is a really special gift you can give to the children of Chelmsford! If you are interested or know someone who would like to do this please sign up using the link below. Typically parents are not placed in classrooms of their own children.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScX_oyyDzbmk4l1XCgv21BQknN3x_DBxfycvYe4inlwdGJyiQ/viewform?usp=sharing

MCAS Dates: MCAS testing for grades 3 and 4 are as follows:

ELA

Grade 3 - April 7th and 8th

Grade 4 - April 9th and 10th

Math

Grade 4 - May 12th and 13th

Grade 3 - May 14th and 15th

This Saturday, 25 of South Row's 4th graders will be attending and performing in the 14th annual Choralfest! Approximately 100 students from the town's four elementary schoosl have been nominated to take part in this event. They are taught two songs prior to the day, then learn two new songs on Saturday! At 2:00, there is a free concert at the CHS Carl J. Rondina Performing Arts Center (PAC) if you would like to attend. The concert should end around 3:00. If you would like to watch via a livestream link, this one will go live starting at 2:00. https://www.chelmsfordtv.org/event/choralfest-concert/ Congratulations to our SR Nominees!

Dear South Row Families,

A friendly reminder of our illness policy: Your student must be fever-free without the use of fever-reducing medication (Ibuprofen or Tylenol) for 24 hours prior to returning to school. If your child is vomiting, they must be symptom free for 24 hours before returning to school. The full policy can be found here : CPS Illness Policy

Flu A is our most common illness right now. The Flu is often accompanied by high fevers in the 102-103 range. The fever can last for days. It is not uncommon for students to miss a full week of school if they have the flu. There is a prescription medication available called Tamiflu, which decreases the duration of symptoms by 1-2 days. If you think your child might have the flu and you are interested in this medication, call your pediatrician to discuss the benefits vs. risks.

Handwashing is KEY! Practice handwashing with young children. Many of them will put soap on their hands and then immediately rinse it off. Make sure they are moving those bubbles around for 20 seconds, then rinse.

This is a friendly reminder to please monitor your child for head lice. The following information is helpful to keep in mind about head lice:

Head lice can happen to anyone and at any time of year. . 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 student to another by sharing combs, brushes, clothing, and hats.

Please do your part to prevent the spread of this communicable condition by checking your child(ren) on a regular basis. Lice infestation is much easier to treat if caught early. If you should discover a case of head lice, please 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 community. If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact me via email or phone call.

Dandruff and lice are easy to confuse. The two look similar, but close inspection reveals key differences. Nits stick to the hair while dandruff flakes, easily falling off of hair. While dandruff is visible on the scalp, lice lay eggs on hair, not the scalp.

Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions.

Warmly,

Nurse V.

Our Chelmsford Community Read-in is taking place March 3rd through the 7th. This is a time to come together as a community and show our students how much we care about them and supporting them in their literacy journeys. All schools CHIPs through Parker are participating. If you are interested in being a reader, please complete the form below and our coordinator will connect you with a classroom who is in need of a reader! Happy reading! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScX_oyyDzbmk4l1XCgv21BQknN3x_DBxfycvYe4inlwdGJyiQ/viewform?usp=sharing

South Row PTO is hosting a hockey night! Purchase tickets for our upcoming UMass Lowell Riverhawks night here: https://fevo-enterprise.com/event/Southrow2

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.

We welcome you to check out ou Connections Calendar and provide feedback using this link.

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.

The City of Lowell Recreation Department is working on an initiative to provide swimming opportunities for children ages 0-18 with special needs. As they work to build out this program, they need YOUR help. If you are the parent/guardian of a child/children with special needs, please take a few minutes to complete this survey: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScfX0VaSL0mIMGnXosEfncvEWX_0sRuGnrqF40-x907BPoAiQ/viewform

This section is comprised of the following items pertaining to food services

• Website
• Breakfast Information
• Tentative Breakfast/Lunch Menus

Dear Parents and Families --

To better estimate the demand for lunches on half days, CPS Nutrition utilizes online lunch ordering for HALF DAYS ONLY.

For the upcoming half day Wednesday 9/18/24 orders must be received by Friday 9/13/24.

2024-2025 CPS Upcoming Half Day/Early Release dates

● 9/18/24

● 10/24/24

● 11/20/24 (Elem & MS Only)

● 11/27/24

● 12/12/24

● 1/14/25

● 2/6/25

● 3/12/25

● 4/1/25

If you would like your child to have lunch on future half days, the online ordering is open for you to go ahead and select those dates. 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, the student's name should appear on the page.

How to order meals

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

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