Center Community Chat #9
October 10, 2025
Mid Autumn Festival Celebration
Heggerty Hero in Ms. Rabideau's class
Family Portrait
Dear Center Community,
What an exciting week we've had at Center School! We want to express our gratitude to our CSPTO for their continued generosity. This year, all field trips are fully funded by our CSPTO, eliminating any financial burden for families and providing wonderful enrichment opportunities for our students. We are so thankful to partner with such a generous community. In the next 2 weeks, our third grade students will have the opportunity to visit The Old Garrison House in Chelmsford. It is a great local field trip that helps students learn about earlier life during colonial times in a local museum.
The weather smiled upon us for our first social and fundraising event of the year. Once again, the raffle baskets were amazing, thanks to everyone who donated items and prepared them. A big thank you to all who helped organize the event, sell tickets, and scoop ice cream. It was wonderful to see the smiles as everyone enjoyed their sundaes, knowing the joy will continue as the proceeds go towards supporting future enrichment events.
On Monday, October 13th there will be no school in recognition of Indigenous Peoples' Day. It is a time to honor and celebrate the rich histories, cultures, and contributions of Native peoples in our country
Dismissal Follow-Up:
Parent Pick-Up Cars:
- Please have numbers displayed & be waiting outside of cars to receive your children
- Make 2 rows of cars, pulling all the way up to the orange cones
- Only come from 3:05-3:25 (otherwise traffic backs up on Billerica Road)
- Help students memorize their number (if they have one)
Walkers:
- Parents can wait outside of door 11 (K door) for their children at 3:18
- Have your number cards to show staff
- Please email your teacher/office when your children will be walking
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.
Enjoy the long weekend!
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
Transportation
Bus Safety:
Parents and caregivers, please support our bus drivers and reinforce expectations for bus safety. Administration has been actively working with NRT and riding buses to reinforce expectations with all students. The link below reviews expectations that are reviewed with all students. Thank you for your continued collaboration.
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.