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Hello South Row Families,

Welcome to December and snow! There are many engaging events, enrichments and activities heading our way. In the midst of all of the fun we hope everyone will take a minute to reflect on the many things we have to be thankful for and remind ourselves that there are always those in need around us. For our December Kind Act we are partnering with the Wish Project again and hope you will consider donating specific items between now and December 19th. Please see the flyer below for more information.

Earlier this week, the Massachusetts Teacher of the Year winner was announced. As you may recall, our very own Sarah Costello, grade one teacher, was a finalist for the award.The honor of being named a finalist carries with it a $5,000 award for the school from Wellpoint, a health benefits company that sponsored the awards this year. Sarah will work with administration to decide how the funds will be spent in a way that directly benefits the students at South Row. This is a wonderful opportunity, and we are incredibly proud of Sarah for representing the district and making it to the final stage of the competition.

Respectfully,

Terri and Jayson

Monday, December 8th

• Health Screenings w/Nurse Martin

Tuesday, December 9th

• Health Screenings w/Nurse Martin

Wednesday, December 10th

• Health Screenings w/Nurse Martin
• Term 1 Grades Available online for Families
• Grade 3 Enrichment-Discovery Museum (Magnets)

Thursday, December 11th

• Early Release Day - Students Dismissed at 11:45am (Parent/Caregiver Conferences)

• 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 THURSDAY. Please provide your child a lunch.
• Please anticipate possible delays with buses as they navigate an early release schedule.
• Sanborn/Lewis Book Buddies, 9:30am
• Bullock/Duncan Book Buddies, 9:30am
• Rigby/Webber Book Buddies, 10:00am

Friday, December 12th

• School Spirit Day - Chelmsford/ South Row

Friday, December 19th

• School Spirit Day - Pajama and Silly Socks Day

Wednesday, December 24th - January 4th, 2026 - Holiday Break

Monday, January 5th, 2026

• School Resumes - Happy 2026!

This month's student grade-level meetings focused on the pride core value of dedication and the importance of a growth mindset. Student council readers read Abdul's Story. Abdul's Story is a children's picture book by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow that tells the story of a young boy who loves telling stories but struggles to write them down because his handwriting is backward or messy. When a guest writer, Mr. Muhammad, visits his class and shares his own messy notebook, Abdul learns that making mistakes is a normal part of the writing process and that his own stories about his community are valuable. A special thank you to Jenna, Cristian, and Molly for reading to grade levels and assisting with this month's meeting.

Coats!!: Students will be outside for recess most days throughout the winter months. Please make sure to send your child in with a coat as the temperatures are falling rapidly.

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.

• Students are expected to wear coats, hats, gloves, and boots to school in the winter months!

• Students will not need to put on snow pants to go outside. However, if students wear boots, they will be able to go in the snow. You will be able to:

• Walk around in the snow

• Run in the snow

• Build a snowman

• Make tracks through the snow

• Play follow the leader

• If students wear boots, they will NOT be allowed to:

• Throw snow / Kick snow

• Throw snowballs

• Get pants wet

• If students forget 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.

We have an open Long Term Substitute Recess Aide Position for the remainder of the school year. please click on the link below:

https://www.schoolspring.com/jobdetail?jobId=5454672

Do not hesitate to reach out Mrs. Gilbert and/or Dr. Ramalho if you have questions on this opening.

We have a Para Educator position open at South Row. Please click here to view the job posting

https://www.schoolspring.com/jobdetail?jobId=5445511

Do not hesitate to reach out to Mrs. Gilbert and/or Dr. Ramalho if you have questions on this opening.

Hello South Row Families,

I wanted to send out an email with the shortened week where there will be no school link today. Here at South Row we are experiencing an increase in strep throat, primarily in Kindergarten and 1st grade. We have increased our cleaning and sanitation and teachers are encouraging students to wash their hands frequently.

The CDC has great information on strep, you can find the link to the full article here. I have summarized the key points below.

What causes strep throat?

Strep throat is an infection in the throat and tonsils caused by bacteria called group A Streptococcus (group A strep).

What are the symptoms?

Common symptoms may include:

• Fever

• Pain when swallowing

• Sore throat that can start very quickly and may look red

• Red and swollen tonsils

• White patches or streaks of pus on the tonsils

• Tiny, red spots on the roof of the mouth, called petechiae (pronounced pi-TEE-kee-eye)

• Swollen lymph nodes in the front of the neck

Small Children (usually kindergarten, 1st grade) may experience:

• Headache

• Stomach pain

• Nausea or vomiting

• Rash (scarlet fever)

How does it spread?

Group A strep bacteria often live in the nose and throat. People who are infected spread the bacteria by talking, coughing, or sneezing, which creates respiratory droplets that contain the bacteria.

People can get sick if they:

• Breathe in respiratory droplets that contain the bacteria

• Touch something with those droplets on it and then touch their mouth or nose

• Drink from the same glass or eat from the same plate as a person infected with group A strep bacteria

How can I prevent my child from getting strep?

The best way to keep from getting or spreading group A strep is to wash your hands often. This is especially important after coughing or sneezing and before preparing foods or eating.

To prevent group A strep infections, you should:

• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.

• Put your used tissue in the wastebasket.

• Cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve or elbow, not your hands, if you don’t have a tissue.

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

• Use an alcohol-based hand rub if soap and water are not available.

You should also wash glasses, utensils, and plates after someone who is sick uses them. These items are safe for others to use once washed.

How is strep throat treated?

Doctors treat strep throat with antibiotics. Benefits of antibiotics include:

• Decreasing how long someone is sick

• Decreasing symptoms (feeling better)

• Preventing the bacteria from spreading to others

• Preventing serious complications like rheumatic fever

Someone with strep throat should start feeling better in just a day or two after starting antibiotics. Call the doctor if you or your child are not feeling better after taking antibiotics for 48 hours.

Feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns.

Warmly,

Nurse Martin

PTO Corner

We hope you all had a wonderful, restful Thanksgiving break with your families. We at South Row PTO are forever grateful to all of you for your continued support of our school community. We are beyond lucky to have you in our corner - South Row School is better because of you!

Cookie Dash!

We are so excited to put together this year's 2nd annual Cookie Dash on Friday, December 19th! We will decorate and display loads of cookie treats to show our gratitude for all the South Row staff! Staff members will dash around our cookie smorgasboard and take home a plate of cookies to their families to enjoy this holiday season. SIGN UP HERE!

• We are asking for donations of 1-2 dozen homemade/store-bought cookies and volunteers to help decorate! *Cookies may be homemade or purchased. We ask you to include the ingredients list with your cookies (handmade or store bought).
• *Cookies should be dropped off by 9:00am on Friday, December 19th. If you need to drop off before that, please pre-arrange by emailing southrowpto@gmail.com.

Harlem Globetrotters

Looking for an awesome holiday gift experience for the family? Want to get a jump on the shopping rush? Look no further! The Harlem Globetrotters' 100 Year Tour is coming to the Tsongas Center in February! Grab your tickets today and a portion of the sales will also benefit South Row PTO! Tickets are limited, so if you're interested in this opportunity, grab your tickets now HERE!

Parker Middle School Project - Community Forum

The next community forum for the Parker Middle School Building Project will be Wednesday, December 17th from 7-9pm at the Chelmsford Elks. This is a chance to hear about the school building project and lend your voice to the project. Those with Kindergarten and first grade students this year may be among the first grades to experience this new building once built, so your feedback in this process is immensely important. We hope you'll consider attending.

Seeking Treasurer Shadow!

Our wonderful South Row PTO Treasurer, Courtner Cooper, is looking for a shadow to take over for her next year. Courtney's youngest will be off to middle school and we will miss her immensely, but she wants to help a new member shadow this year to get a lay of the land. Curious what a Treasurer does? Reach out to Courtney at southrowtreasurer@gmail.com or southrowpto@gmail.com with any questions!

Next PTO Meeting

We will not have a December PTO, so you'll have to join us in the New Year! Join us for our next PTO meeting, Monday, January 5th at 7pm. The meeting will be held VIRTUALLY ONLY. Please use the link found in the Home Link.

Want to stay up-to-date with it all?

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.

Register Here in English, or choose your language below:

Regístrate para recibir comestibles gratis (Español)

Cadastre-se para receber compras de supermercado grátis (português)

Đăng ký nhận hàng tạp hóa miễn phí (tiếng việt)

nihshulk kiraane ke saamaan ke lie sain ap karen (hindee)

Zhùcè jí kě miǎnfèi lǐngqǔ shípǐn záhuò (Zhōngguó rén)

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