Byam Newsletter

In observance of Labor Day, school will not be in session on Friday and Monday. We will resume on Tuesday, September 2. Have a great long weekend!

Please join us in welcoming our new Byam staff:

• Allie Cecere- Fellow (1st grade)

• Caitlin Feltus- PE Teacher

• Grace Gibson- Paraeducator

• Courtney Morgan- Guidance Intern

• Carolyn Quinn- Secretary

• Jen Stonehouse- Paraeducator

Not new to our staff but a new name, Ms. O'Neil, our school counselor, was married over the summer and is now Mrs. Tuccelli. (please use her previous email address to reach her)

Arrival and dismissal times are always our busiest times of the school day. Thank you to everyone for their patience as we start out the year and everyone gets used to new routines. Our bus times and driver pick up times should be closer to the regular schedule next week. Please be reminded that when driving on school grounds that we use caution and slow speeds as we have students, staff and families using multiple sidewalks. When buses are stopped and their lights are flashing it is unlawful to pass.

If you've not yet filled our transportation form, please fill it out by clicking on the pencil icon for your child(ren). If you have multiple children please fill it out for each child. Having this completed prior to the start of school assists us in having an accurate and efficient dismissal. Thank you in advance.

We encourage you to mark your calendars for curriculum night scheduled for Tuesday, September 16th. Individual teachers will review their forms of communication and information pertaining to the grade-level curriculum. The schedule for that evening is as follows:

• 5 – 5:25 pm: Principal/Assistant Principal Presentation for kindergarten 1st and 2nd grade families in Byam Dining Room
• 5:30 – 6:15pm: kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade teacher Presentations
• 6:15 – 7:00 pm: Specialists/ Reading/ support providers available in classrooms/offices
• 7 – 7:25pm: Principal/ Assistant Principal Presentation for 3rd and 4th grade Families in Dining Room (same as the principal/ap first presentation )
• 7:30 – 8:15pm: Grades 3 and 4 Teacher Presentations

Byam is very fortunate to have an active Parent Teacher Organization, the Byam School Association (BSA). The BSA provides a great deal of support for our students and teachers through enrichment activities, supplies and materials for the school, community-building events, and volunteer support throughout the school year. The first BSA meeting for Byam School will be held on the evening of Wednesday, September 10th at 7 pm in the Byam library. If you are not currently active in our BSA, please consider becoming a part of this amazing team. More information about how to get involved is below.

Click below video:

All students who ride the bus, must register every year. Information pertaining to school bus transportation may be found on the Chelmsford Public Schools website at the following link: https://www.chelmsford.k12.ma.us/domain/90.

Please click the PDF download link below to view the districts family/student handbook for the 2025-26 school year. This handbook can also be found on the CPS Website.

We encourage families to review the CPS Empowered Digital Use Guidelines within the handbook as we have seen an uptick in technology violations as children continue to become more tech savvy. The CPS Empowered Digital Use Guidelines begins on page 51 within the handbook. Adhering to district and school expectations is essential when engaging with technology.

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Chelmsford Public Schools requires all families to review and acknowledge the Student Empowered Digital Use Guidelines each year. This document outlines the expectations for how students use and care for district technology, whether it’s classroom devices in the elementary grades, or a 1:1 Chromebook in grades 5–12. A completed parent/guardian sign-off is required for a student to use school technology.

Beginning Friday, August 22, 2025, the primary contact listed in Aspen X2 will receive an email from Droplet (no-reply@mail.droplet.io). If you do not see the message in your inbox, please check your spam or junk folder. Families with multiple students will receive a separate email for each child.

When you open the email, please follow the link to review and sign the documentation, which will be pre-filled with your child’s information. In addition to acknowledging the technology guidelines, you will also be able to:

• Indicate your preference for student photo/video release.
• (For grades 11–12 only) Choose whether or not to share student contact information with military recruiters.

This form may be completed digitally from any internet-connected device. If you require a paper copy of the guidelines and sign off please request one from your school, and it will be sent home with your student. We ask that you complete the sign-off by Friday, August 29, 2025. Beginning Friday, September 5, 2025, any student without a completed form will have their login account temporarily deactivated until the sign-off is received.

Please also take a few minutes to review the technology guidelines with your child(ren), as several protocols have been updated from previous years.

Finally, we want to remind families of the Chromebook damage and loss fee structure. If a device is damaged or lost, our ticketing system will notify you directly.

Tiered Device Repair Costs

• $50: Broken hinge kits, keys/keyboards, exterior housing, trackpad, or camera
• $100: Screen replacement, or multiple $50-tier items (e.g., hinge + keyboard)
• $150: Motherboard damage (e.g., broken port, spill) or a combination of screen + $50-tier damage
• $300: Loss/theft, or multiple damages across tiers (e.g., screen + hinges + keyboard)

Thank you for your attention and support as we work together to ensure responsible and safe use of technology in our schools.

Sincerely,
Bill Silver
Director, ICTS
Chelmsford Public Schools
silverb@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

Medications and Medical Forms:

• If you have not sent in your child's inhaler or epi-pen with updated medical forms please deliver them to the nurse's office next week. Both the parent and MD portions of the forms need to be filled out. Prescriptions need to be in original containers with pharmacy labels present. Health forms can be found at : https://chelmsfordschools.org/departments/health-services/health-forms/

• Thank you to everyone who has returned their student's emergency contact and health forms. If you have not- please send them in on Monday with your child.

Snacks/Extra Clothes:

As a reminder we do not keep extra snacks or changes of clothing in the Nurse's Office. Please pack a change of clothing in your child's backpack and a daily snack.

Illness Policy:

We recommend children do not come to school if they appear to be ill. We advise to keep your child home if he/she has a sore throat, severe cold, rash, fever, vomiting and/or diarrhea. Your child needs to stay home if he/she has any of the following:

• Strep Throat: If strep throat is suspected and the child either has had a negative throat culture or has been on antibiotics and fever free for a full 24 hours.
• A fever over 100: May return to school when he/she is fever free for 24 hours without medication (e.g. Tylenol or Advil).
• Vomiting and/or diarrhea: May return to school 24 hours after his/her last vomiting and/or diarrhea episode.
• Red or pink itchy eyes with crusty and or green/yellow drainage: May return to school the day after treatment for 24 hours or has no further eye discharge.
• Head Lice or nits (eggs): The nurse will assess the student for the presence of head lice or nits. If head lice or nits are detected, the nurse will contact the parent/guardian and provide education on lice treatment. Based on the discretion of the school nurse, some situations may warrant a dismissal from school
• A rash of unknown cause: May require to MD clearance at the discretion of the school nurse.

If a child is too ill to remain in school the nurse will call parent/guardian and/or emergency contact numbers for dismissal. The student should not place the call from a school phone or mobile phone.

Parents/guardians are required to notify the school if your child contracts any contagious diseases (e.g. Chicken Pox, Strep Throat, Whooping Cough, Fifth’s Disease, Conjunctivitis, Scabies, Impetigo, Ringworm or Head Lice, etc.). If a child has been absent due to a communicable disease, a physician’s release may be required before returning to school.

Injury Policy:

It is the parent’s/guardian’s responsibility to notify the school nurse of all surgeries, injuries (i.e., concussions, fractures, sprains, stitches, etc.) When a student has sustained a concussion outside of school activities, parents shall notify the school nurse. Guidelines regarding injuries and non-participation in physical education (P.E.) classes and recess are as followed:

1. Students with casts, stitches, or splints may not participate in Physical Education class or outdoor recess without written consent from both the parent/guardian and the attending physician.

*All injury notes from the doctor should include the type of injury, any limitations or allowance to participate in such activities and the date the child may return to full physical activities. Parent/guardian wishes may not supersede this medical prescription.

1. Students need a subsequent doctor’s note when it is safe to resume normal activity in P.E. and/or recess.
2. Some specified P.E. activities may also require non-participation for the safety of the student and others.

3. If a student comes to school with a cane, crutches, wheelchair or an assistive device a doctor’s note is required. If applicable, the doctor’s note needs to indicate if the student can or cannot use stairs. An example of this would be a student with the need to wear a brace that would immobilize a knee

Head Lice:

The following information is helpful to keep in mind about head lice:

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 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.

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/from-insects-animals/Pages/signs-of-lice.aspx

Thank you!

Nurse Pappo

Do you you or anyone you know of seeking full time employment? We are hiring recess aides to be a part of our Byam staff. Contact Betsy Dolan at dolane@chelmsford.k12.ma.us for school spring online application information.

We are also always welcoming new members to add to our Byam substitute pool. Substituting can range from covering roles such as teacher, paraeducator, recess aide, specialists, etc. Training is provided. Contact Bridget Freelove in human resources for more information, freeloveb@chelmsford.k12.ma.us.

If you are interested in volunteering in our school (should an opportunity present itself) please be sure to contact Mrs. Murphy in our school office to make an appointment to fill out a CORI form. All volunteers must have a CORI on file to volunteer.

The BSA struggles with trying to keep you informed without flooding your inbox. We understand some don't have the bandwidth to know more, while others are looking to get more involved...but don't know where to start. If you are one of those people looking to know more please take a moment to fill out this form. This does not lock you into anything but helps us filter our "extra" communication more directly to people looking to be more involved with the BSA!

No-cost Registration for Byam Events:

*Financial concerns should never stand in the way of families participating in school events. If you are interested in any Byam activities please contact Lyndsey O’Neil, our school counselor, to register at no cost: oneill@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

Here are some openings the BSA is currently seeking help on, reach out the bsa.chelmsford@gmail.com if you are interested in any of these positions!

We have a number of Byam School community members we are an integral part of our Byam School workday community as Byam substitutes. We are always looking for more substitutes to add to this great group! If you would like to learn more information about the flexibility of substituting at Byam School, email or call Carolyn Quinn at quinncm@chelmsford.k12.ma.us or phone 978-251-5144.

Stay Connected to the Byam School Association, Click on the Live links below for more...

Zoom • Email • Website • Facebook • Minutes • Donate • Volunteering​

Below you will find the Chelmsford Community Education fall course book where there are activities for young children and teens of many ages.

Office: Secretary Quinn quinncm@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

Clerk/Attendance: murphys@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

Principal Fredette fredettej@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

Assistant Principal Dolan dolane@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

Website: https://byam.chelmsfordschools.org/about/
Location: 25 Maple Road, Chelmsford, MA, USA
Phone: 978-251-5144