Center Community Chat #12
October 31, 2025
Dear Center Community,
Lot's of time honored traditions at Center at the end of last week & this week! Our K students enjoyed a field trip to Parlee Farm. Such an exciting week with our author, Natasha Lowe visiting 3rd grade and of course our K Paper Bag Parade.
Recycle day will take place on November 8, 2025. Please consider bringing you items to recycle to Central Office for this fundraiser or donating an hour of two. Please see flyer below!
A reminder that there is no school on Tuesday for our professional development day.
Winners of the Chelmsford Public Library Spooky Story Contest
Congratulations to our Center Students!
Kindergarten - 1st Place: Antonio in KRobson
2nd Place: Amelia in KDriscoll
3rd Grade - 1st Place: Naya in 3R
4th Grade - 1st Place: Avyak in 4C
We are so proud of the many Center School students who submitted thier stories.
Students from all schools participated.
Student Council Food Drive – Now Through November 12th!
Our Student Council is excited to kick off a school-wide food drive to support local families in need. From now through Wednesday, November 12th, we are collecting non-perishable food items for The Chelmsford Food Pantry. This includes canned foods, dry goods, children’s snacks, baking essentials, and personal care items. Donations should be brought to the lower lobby and placed in the area marked for each grade level. We’re encouraging a little friendly competition to see which grade can collect the most items! All donations will go toward helping families in our community get the food they need just in time for the holidays. Thank you for your support!
Update on our ALICE Drill:
This week we practiced our ALICE drill. All grades did an amazing job using the information provided to make an informed judgement. The CPD & Chelmsford Fire Department were on site to support us through the process.
Attendance & Tardiness:
Many students are arriving after 9:00 AM. School begins at 9:00 AM. If your child arrives after, it will directly impact their learning and class structures. Please plan accordingly & make every effort to have your students here before 9:00 AM. Please read the flyer regarding attendance below.
Warm Regards,
Donna & Jenn
Food Service Information
This year Massachusetts is offering all school lunch and breakfast at no charge to students. This does not automatically make families eligible for any other benefits. We strongly encourage families that feel they are eligible for transportation or extended day reduced tuition to fill out the online free and reduced meal application. The links can be found below. https://cpsnutrition.com/index.php?sid=1478035692058&page=lunchapps
If you do qualify for benefits you most likely will be eligible for SNAP benefits. https://www.mass.gov/snap-benefits-formerly-food-stamps
Some examples of SNAP benefits are discounts on gas, electric utilities and internet services.
Please visit our school nutrition website at https://cpsnutrition.com/index.php?sid=1478035692058 for more information about our program and also a link to the free and reduced lunch application.
Prevention of tick-born illness begins with you!
1. The single most important thing you can do is check for ticks once a day. Favorite places ticks like to go on your body include areas between the toes, back of the knees, groin, armpits, and neck, along the hairline, and behind the ears. Remove any attached tick as soon as possible and call your doctor if you have concerns about tick-born illness.
2. Use repellents that contain DEET on your exposed skin, and those that contain permethrin on your clothes.
3. Stick to main pathways and the center of trails when hiking to avoid ticks.
4. Wear long-sleeved, light colored shirts and long pants tucked into your socks. This may be difficult to do when the weather is hot, but it will help keep ticks away from your skin and make it easier to spot a tick on your clothing.
NOTE: There is currently no human vaccine available to protect against Lyme disease or any other tick-borne disease found in Massachusetts.
⭐ TAKE THE #TICKCHECKCHALLENGE: bit.ly/3gC4n3n ⭐ The #TickCheckChallenge is an interactive challenge created to help educate and protect kids (and adults!) from Lyme Disease and other debilitating tick-borne diseases. Only 1 in 10 kids performs a tick check after spending time outside. We want that to change. Made especially for kids!
Head lice can happen to anyone.
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 person to another by sharing personal items and by being in close contact with a person who has live lice.
Unfortunately, there is no proven head lice deterrent that will prevent your child from getting head lice. The best you can do is stay alert for suspicious head scratching. Itching is an allergic reaction to chemicals in a head louse’s saliva. Not all kids will experience itching right away but catching this behavior early and treating it will help you stop a head lice problem at its roots.
If you should discover a case of head lice, please call your pediatrician for treatment recommendations, 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 the community.
If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact me via email or phone call.
Rose Remmetter Felzani, MSN, RN
Center School Nurse
Permission to Take Pictures
A picture speaks a thousand words as they say, and we love to include these in our weekly updates and on the website through our Twitter feed. Please let email Ms. O’Hearn at ohearnc@chelmsford.k12.ma.us. if you do not want your child’s picture included in these forums.