PARKER WEEKLY BULLETIN

Good afternoon Parker families,

We had an excellent week at the Parker Middle School. The students are working hard and having fun! After school clubs and activities began this week and there was great engagement from our students. It is not too late to register your child, and I would encourage anyone interested to join! See details below.

Pizza, Pumpkins, and Paperbacks - October 22

We urge everyone to attend this fantastic event. Students are encouraged to enter the pumpkin carving/decorating contest. Students can bring their pumpkins in on Wednesday morning or have them dropped off in the main lobby on Tuesday after school. Prizes will be given for the most creative creations! The pumpkins will be displayed in the courtyard and lit up with tea lights. A scavenger hunt created by 5th grade teacher Ms. Devito will also be held for those interested with a prize offered to the winner. The book fair will be running in the library which offers great choices to encourage reading and exploration. All this and pizza will be offered too! Please see more details below. We hope to see you there!

Wednesday October 22 - New Parker Middle School Community Forum

Chelmsford Public Schools is currently working on a new Parker Middle School Building Project. We are meeting internally with the school department in visioning sessions as we energetically plan for a much-needed new school in Chelmsford. Next Wednesday will be the first of three community forums on the new school held at 7 pm at the Chelmsford Elks Lodge located at 300 Littleton Road. I encourage you to attend if at all possible to learn about this exciting new project!

Thursday October 23 - Half day Professional Development

Social Emotional Curriculum - Second Step

We will continue our SEL curricula next week with our fifth graders continuing their unit on Problem Solving while our sixth-grade students continue with their unit on Thoughts, Emotions, and Decisions. Please see a brief summary of each lesson along with a conversation prompt to share with your child. Kids make meaning when they can connect concepts with their own experience!

Grade 5: Let’s Reflect

Summary

In this lesson, your child will reflect on whether a solution to an interpersonal problem worked for everyone involved.

Try This at Home

Ask your child how they can know when they’ve found a good solution to an interpersonal problem.

Grade 6: Managing Your Emotions

Summary: In this week’s lesson, your child will learn and practice several emotion-management strategies to help them make good decisions when they’re feeling a strong emotion.

Question: Ask your child what strategy they like to use when they realize they need to manage their emotions. Share a strategy you like to use and see if it’s also helpful for them.

Warm Regards,

Josh

The month of October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an international health campaign that raises awareness for breast cancer and promotes proactive screening to reduce the risk of the disease. The color pink became synonymous with breast cancer in 1992 when SELF magazine distributed pink ribbons in an effort to raise awareness of the disease. Now, during the month of October, there are countless campaigns designed to support those with breast cancer, educate people about risk factors, encourage women and men to get screenings, and raise money for cancer research.

Let's all wear PINK on Friday, October 24th to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

Dear Parker Families,

Please send in non-glass, non-breakable food/storage containers and/or water bottles with your students. We've had several instances of broken glass, creating a safety issue. Plastic or aluminum is preferred.

~Thank you for your help.

BRRR!!! Cold weather is coming. Parker students will still be going outside for recess/outside break every day, weather permitting. Please remember to wear appropriate clothing, sweatshirts, warm coats, hats and gloves are recommended.

Mary Poppins Jr. Auditions Update
Auditions and callbacks are now complete — Congratulations to everyone who participated and prepared! We had over 140 students audition, and we’re so proud of the effort and enthusiasm from everyone involved.

The cast list will be emailed by Monday to all registered Parker Drama members and families. If you have not done so already, please be sure to:

• Join our Google Classroom: (classroom link)

• Check the Poppins Rehearsal Schedule: (POPPINS SCHEDULE)

Our first read-through will be Tuesday, October 21st, until 4:30 PM, followed by our Family Meeting at 7 PM that same evening.

If you are not present for the read-through, we will assume you are declining your role and remove you from our cast and mailing list.

Select Chorus Update:

Select Chorus auditions are coming up next week before school Tuesday and Wednesday, October 21st and 22nd before school! With a guardian, please read and fill out your information in the form here. We have a limited number of spots available in the ensemble but welcome ALL to audition!

Clubs & Activities run from 2:40 p.m. to 3:40 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays each week. Late buses will be provided on those days.

The Activity Fee is $50 per student. To pay PLEASE CLICK ON LINK My School Bucks preferred method of payment (SEE INSTRUCTIONS BELOW) or send in cash or checks made payable to Chelmsford Public Schools and turn in to your child's homeroom teacher. The activity fee allows students to take full advantage of any clubs they wish to attend. The after-school activities run from 2:45-3:45 on Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday throughout the year. Students also have the option of taking a late bus home. The routes are posted in the school and will not be posted publicly. We will work with students and the drivers to be sure students take the correct bus home. Since we only have 8 late buses, for both McCarthy and Parker the stops tend to be more spread out than the “regular” bus runs. After activities, students who are not taking a bus will exit the school into the Crooked Spring Road lot and can be picked up there.

Please SEE UPDATED BROCHURE for more details: Parker Middle School Clubs & Activities Brochure 2025-2026

Yearbooks are now on sale! Emails have been sent by our yearbook company (Walsworth) with an ordering link, but you can also order at https://yearbookforever.com/

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

📚 Scholastic Book Fair

Oct. 20 to Oct. 24 – during school hours

The Scholastic Book Fair is coming to the Parker Middle School library. Students will have the ability to shop during school hours. Check out the book fair webpage to shop and get more information. All proceeds from the book fair support our school library and the book vending machine.

We need your help!! Sign up for a shift and see when your child’s class will be shopping here. Make it easy for your child by setting up an e-wallet. eWallet is a convenient, secure digital payment option for the Book Fair.

🍕📕🎃 Pizza, Paperbacks and Pumpkins

Weds, Oct. 22 from 5 to 7pm

Bring the whole family to this fun event! Check out the decorated pumpkins, get pizza in the cafe and shop at the book fair.

• Fill out this form if you wish to participate in our FREE pumpkin carving contest. All students and teachers are welcome! All creations must be dropped off on Weds, Oct. 22nd between 8am-3pm at Parker Middle School and then picked up at Parker Middle School by Fri, Oct 24th. Carved pumpkins should be suitable for viewing by younger audiences. Electric tea lights candles will be distributed on the day of the event.
• Prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place.
• All participants will be entered to win one of three raffle baskets.
• We need your help volunteering at the event! To sign up to help set up, clean up, serve food or staff the book fair click here.
• Want to guarantee dinner? Pre-order a pizza meal deal (Zesty's pizza, water and cookies) here. We will have pizza available to purchase at the event for $3 per slice and $20 per pizza, but no guarantee we won't sell out. Gluten free pizza and cookies available for pre-order and at the event.

🧣🎁 Parker Craft Fair

Sun, Dec 7

Do you love crafts and crafty people? Then we have the volunteer position for you! We need some very special volunteers to shadow two of our existing volunteers. We set up a lovely holiday shop in the café and hallways of Parker Middle School that showcases the talents of local and student vendors. It also features a gingerbread house making competition and raffles.Interested in helping? Email PTOParker@gmail.com.

💻 Check out our website for a list of PTO meetings and other information.

🙋Check out our Facebook page for ongoing updates and information.

If you have any questions and/or want to get involved, please reach out to Parker PTO at PTOParker@gmail.com As always, thank you for your continued support of our school!

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.

Dear Parents,

Please see link below for the Chelmsford Public Schools 2025-2026 Family/Student Handbook for your reference. A reminder of our school phone usage policy:

Phone Usage

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/communication devices (including apple/iPhone watches) should be off while in school (and stored in backpacks in lockers). Any student using a cell phone/communication device for non-instructional purposes while school is in session will have that cell phone confiscated by administration. A first offense will lead to a warning and the administrator will return the phone/communication devices to the student at the end of the day. Second and subsequent offenses may result in the phone being returned only to the parent and/or further disciplinary actions. (e.g., p. 22)

https://chelmsfordschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Family-and-Student-Handbook-2025-2026-FINAL.pdf

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.

Hi Everyone,

The October Sketchbook Spectacular calendars are attached. Like last year, we’ll be tapping into the Inktober prompts to build daily drawing habits and mark-making skills.

I’ve also attached a brief Inktober presentation and value presentation I use to kick things off. Please feel free to adapt or change anything to fit your needs or grade levels.

While we’re at it:

• Do you have any favorite pen-and-ink artists you’d recommend for students?

• Do any of you participate in Inktober (personally or with your classes)? I’d love to connect about it.

Thanks, and cheers to a month of bold lines and creative prompts!

Best,
Ashley

Dear Families,

The Santa Fund is available to help families during the holiday season. For more information, please see the attachment below. If you have any questions, contact information can be found on the attached form. ~Thank you.

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

Early Release Dates:

Wednesday, September 17th

Thursday, October 23rd

Wednesday, November 19th

Thursday, December 11th

Tuesday, January 13th

Thursday, February 5th

Wednesday, March 11th

Tuesday, April 7th

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