South Row's Home Link

Hello South Row Families,

The halls are filled with laughter,
The year is wrapping bright,
And Spirit Day is calling us
PJs and silly socks in sight!

Our whole-school cheer is growing,
A Move Down Day delight,
Where students get a sneak peek
At last year's classrooms shining bright.

The PTO is ready
For a staff-sized sweetened splash
Get set, amazing teachers,
It’s the tasty Cookie Dash!

Grade 4 is snipping snowflakes,
Each one a work of art,
Filling windows with winter magic
Made straight from the heart.

With holiday break approaching,
We wish in every way
A healthy, safe, and restful
Vacation on its way.

So here’s to joy and kindness,
To memories warm and true—
Happy holidays to all of you,
And a peaceful new year, too!

Respectfully,

Terri and Jayson

Monday, December 15th

• No events

Tuesday, December 16th

• No events

Wednesday, December 17th

• No events

Thursday, December 18th

• No events

Friday, December 19th

• School Spirit Day - Pajama and Silly Socks Day
• Whole School Reward: Move Down Day
• PTO Staff Treat: Cookie Dash

Tuesday, December 23rd

• Gr. 4 Snowflake Activity in Classrooms, 9:30-11:00am

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

Monday, January 5th

• School Resumes - Happy 2026!
• Kindness Matters Day, students and staff encouraged to wear kindness shirts and complete a kind act
• Gr.4 Student Council, 3:30-4:15pm
• School Council, 5:30pm
• PTO Board Meeting (Virtual), 6:30pm
• PTO Meeting (Virtual), 7:00pm

Tuesday, January 6th

• ACCESS testing begins

Wednesday, January 7th

• End of Term 1 (Kindergarten)

Tuesday, January 13th

• Early Release Day - Staff Professional Development - Students dismissed at 11:45am
• Bullock/Duncan Book Buddies, 9:30am
• Rigby/Webber Book Buddies, 10:20am
• Family Engagement Night with Sam Drazin from Changing Perspectives, Location: TBD

Wednesday, January 14th

• Student Grade Level Meetings w/Mrs. Gilbert, Dr. Ramalho, and Sam Drazin from Changing Perspectives

Friday, January 16th

• School Spirit Day - Tie Dye Day

Monday, January 19th

• No School - MLK Day

Wednesday, January 21st

• Kindergarten Term 1 Grades Available on X2

Friday, January 23rd

• School Spirit Day - Chelmsford/South Row
• PTO Movie Night, 6:30pm

Tuesday, January 27th

• Gr. 3 and 4 SEL Survey

Wednesday, January 28th

• Kindergarten Enrichment (Mike Bent - Magician)

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 are in DESPERATE NEED of bakers to donate cookies for our Cookie Dash next Friday, December 19th!! We're looking to provide a smorgasbord of cookies for staff to pack up and bring home for the holidays with your support! Cookies can be homemade or store bought (please include ingredient list whether homemade store bought). We're looking to fill a BUNCH of spots so we have enough cookies to share around with our wonderful staff.

• 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.

Ready to don your baking hat and apron and help us out? Sign up HERE!!

Spirit Wear Update

Spirit Wear orders are arriving! Hooray! If you placed an order and chose "office pickup," your items will be available for pickup at the Main Office starting Monday. If you had chosen "backpack delivery" for your items, they will be sent home with your child some time next week.

Our Spirit Wear Coordinators have a few items in stock that can be fulfilled immediately, if you're looking for a quick gift for the holidays. See what's in the store HERE!

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.

Events Coming Up!

In the new year we have some fun things planned and we want to share them with you! See what our first few months of 2026 will bring below!

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