PARKER WEEKLY BULLETIN

Good afternoon Parker Families:

It was another busy week at Parker. Today is the first day of Spring and we all look forward to warmer days! Students and staff are working hard as we continue to develop independent study skills in our students. I am proud of the progress being made!

AI - Developing responsible use of Artificial Intelligence

As AI becomes increasingly prevalent in our lives, Chelmsford Public Schools is working on developing guidelines for inclusion in the district Empowered Digital Use Guidelines. A committee has been formed to address AI, and the committee is seeking feedback from staff, students, and parents as a responsible use policy is developed. Please find a link to a parent survey on this topic below. Your opinions are valued! https://forms.gle/etwaP13kHdMJfuoJA

Second STEP - Social Emotional Curriculum

We continued our SEL curriculum this week with our fifth-grade students beginning a unit on Emotion Management while our sixth-grade students continued their unit on Bullying and Harassment. Please find a brief summary of this week's lesson along with a conversation prompt to discuss with your child.

Grade 5: Strong Emotions

Summary: In this week’s lesson, your child will learn that it’s possible to anticipate recurring situations that cause them to feel strong emotions so they can plan ways to manage those emotions in the future.

Try This at Home: Tell your child about a recurring situation in your life that typically causes you to feel a strong emotion, like anger or frustration. Ask your child to tell you about similar situations in their life.

Grade 6: How to Handle Bullying/What is an Ally

Summary: This week's lesson focused on ways to handle a situation where bullying or harassment occurs. Students discussed the importance of serving as an ally to those who have experienced this behavior.

Question: Discuss with your child ways in which you have served as an ally or upstander when confronted with injustice.

STEM Fair - March 26

We are excited to announce Parker's 2nd Annual STEM Fair (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) on March 26. The STEM Fair will offer an opportunity for students to demonstrate their natural curiosity, ingenuity, and spirit of investigation. Many of our students have chosen to work in pairs and teams, which also helps to develop collaboration. The STEM Fair will run from 6:00-7:30pm with officials circulating around the fair posing questions and engaging the students in rich discussions. We hope to see you there!

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

Spring Track is open to 5th and 6th grade students of all abilities. The team will practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:40-3:40. In addition to practices, the team will compete in meets with area middle schools. All students are responsible for their own transportation at the end of practices at 3:40. All students are responsible for their own transportation to and from meets. NO buses will be available for meets. For practices and meets at McCarthy, students will jog over after school with the coaches. Pick up will be at 3:40 at McCarthy in the back parking lot by the track. Late buses will be available for practices at both Parker and McCarthy.

Below you will find a registration link to sign up, a code from Center Sports to order a t-shirt if you want, and the schedule for the season. (The schedule may change as meets are added, and updates will be shared each week.)

Registration link: Sign up by FRIDAY, MARCH 27

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScTUstoNEkozavDNxy7WxF6SjFbAxiQW12jl-ofmOZmtNq_Og/viewform?usp=publish-editor

T-shirt order link from Center Sports: Order by FRIDAY, MARCH 27

https://centersportschelmsford.itemorder.com/shop/

CODE: SJSKD

Orders are optional and will be distributed to students at Parker.

Please email Amy Baker at bakera@chelmsford.k12.ma.us with questions.

Dear Parker Families,

We are excited to share that the fifth grade Innovator Team here at Parker, will be organizing a donation drive to support the Lowell Humane Society. As part of our commitment to service learning and community involvement, students are working together to make a positive impact on animals in need.

The Lowell Humane Society provides shelter, medical care, and loving homes for animals in our community. To help support their efforts, we will be collecting donations of much-needed items such as pet food (unopened), treats, new or gently used towels and blankets, paper towels, cleaning supplies, and pet toys. The Lowell Humane Society Wish List is also included below for more ideas.

The drive will run from March 16, 2026 to March 30, 2026. Donations can be sent in with your child and placed in the designated collection area in our school.

This is a wonderful opportunity for our students to practice empathy, responsibility, and community service while supporting an important local organization. Participation is completely voluntary, but any contribution—big or small—will make a difference.

Thank you for helping us support the Lowell Humane Society and for encouraging your child to be an active, caring member of our community.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to one of the Innovator Teachers.

Sincerely,

Innovator Team

Jennifer Clark

Marybeth Macallister

Melissa Beaudoin

Colleen Marino

Sophia Lupoli

Abigail Rappoport

In order to provide a positive and engaging learning environment it is important that students are freed from unnecessary distractions. Cell phones and smart watches have proven to be a major distraction and source of anxiety and social drama for students.

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 and/or smart watches should be off while in school. Any student using a cell phone and or smart watch while school is in session will have that cell phone and/or smart watch confiscated by administration. A first offense will lead to a warning and the administrator will return the phone to the student at the end of the day. Second and subsequent offenses will result in the phone being returned only to the parent and/or further disciplinary actions.

We would prefer that all cell phones and smart watches remain at home. If the cell phone and/or smart watch accompanies your child to school then please reinforce the expectation that they BOTH will be stored in their backpacks and powered down. Any communication with your child should be conducted through the main office or will be accessed after school has ended for the day. We appreciate your support for this policy. It is our experience that when freed from the pull of their phones and social media students are able to concentrate, be fully present, and be active participants in their education.

Tuesday - March 24th

Art Club–Ms. Annunziata–Room 4–Grade 6 Today

ASL-American Sign Language - Ms. Hamilton - Room 117

Festival Orchestra - Ms. Tiano - Room 8

Intramurals-Mr. McCarthy, Ms. Hardock, Ms. Olsson-GYM-GRADE 5-GROUP 5A

Jazz Band - Mr. Linsner - Band Room

Mindfulness & Crafts-Ms. Marino–Room 124

RUNNING CLUB will be meeting Today, please dress appropriately.

Wednesday - March 25th

Thursday - March 26th

Art Club - Ms. Annunziata - Room 4 - Group 5A

Festival Band - Mr. Linsner-Band Room

Game Club - Ms. Baillargeon-Library- GRADE 5 TODAY

Intramurals - Mr. McCarthy, Ms. Hardock, Ms. Olsson-Grade 5-Group 5B-GYM

Stand-Up Parker-Mr. Lee - Conference Room 240A

BEST BUDDIES, DRAMA CLUB, INTRAMURALS & YEARBOOK CLUB-Please check google classroom for schedule. ~THANK YOU

Friday, March 20th - First Day of Spring 🌷🌼🌺

Thursday, March 26th - STEM Fair 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. see flyer above for details

Tuesday, April 7th-Early Release Day-dismissal at 11:10 a.m.

Monday, April 20th thru Friday, April 24th - April Vacation Week

Monday, April 27th-School Resumes

Thursday, April 9th & Friday, April 10th - Grade 6 ELA-Session I and II

Monday, April 13th & Tuesday, April 14th - Grade 5 ELA-Sessions I and II

Monday, May 4th & Tuesday, May 5th - Grade 5 Science-Sessions I and II

Monday, May 11th & Tuesday, May 12th - Grade 5 Math-Sessions I and II

Thursday, May 14th & Friday, May 15th - Grade 6 Math-Sessions I and II

REMINDER - PARKER MIDDLE SCHOOL HAS SET A 2:15 p.m. CUT-OFF TIME FOR ALL STUDENT DISMISSALS AS IT IS A CRITICAL SAFETY MEASURE THAT ENSURES A SECURE AND ORDERLY END TO THE SCHOOL DAY.

~THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION WITH THIS POLICY. Please contact the office with any questions or concerns.

We only have about 30 yearbooks left for sale! Order yours before they sell out at https://yearbookforever.com/

No books will be available for sale in June...don't miss out on capturing this year's memories!

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.

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.

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

Tuesday, April 7th

Email: robinsond@chelmsford.k12.ma.us
Website: https://parker.chelmsfordschools.org/
Location: 75 Graniteville Road
Phone: 978-251-5133