South Row's Home Link

Hello everyone,

We hope everyone has enjoyed our 2026 Boot Camp and that students have become a little bit more independent with their coat and backpack skills. Our South Row Kindness Challenge this past week included both at home and at school challenges and students were treated to an uplifting quote each morning as we endeavored to spread kindness.. The family kindness trackers that were sent home can be use for months to come to inspire kindness both in school and at home.

Our Student Grade Level Meetings on Monday will feature Student Council readers sharing a book called "Maybe Just Ask Me" by Katie Mazeika. The story is based on the author’s own childhood experience. This book follows a young girl who wants to bring discussion of her disability into the open, exploring themes of acknowledging and celebrating differences. This story complements our recent work with Sam Drazin at last month's grade level meetings.

Additionally we will be celebrating Global Play Day on February 5th. During Global School Play Day, schools carve out time for free play during the school day without the use of screens, structure, or adult direction. The idea is to let children explore their creativity, problem-solving skills, and social interactions in an unstructured and spontaneous environment. We have had great success over the past few years hosting this day and look forward to doing it again.

Respectfully,

Terri and Jayson

Monday, February 2nd

• Student Grade Level Meetings w/Mrs. Gilbert & Dr. Ramalho
• School Council, 5:30pm, VIRTUAL
• PTO Board Meeting, 6:30OPM, VIRTUAL
• PTO Meeting, 7:00PM, VIRTUAL [use this link]

Tuesday, February 3rd

• Grade 3 Plimoth Patuxet Enrichment Program
• Spotlight on South Row at School Committee, 6:00pm

Wednesday, February 4th

• No events

Thursday, February 5th

• Global Play Day

• Early Release Day - Staff Professional Development - Students dismissed at 11:45am

• 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.
• Book Buddies (Duncan & Bullock & Rigby and Webber)

Friday, February 6th

• No events

Saturday, February 7th

• Choralfest at CHS, 9:00-3:00pm

Monday, February 9th

• Multicultural Festival Planning Committee Meeting, 3:45 pm, Conference Room (new families welcome to support the planning of this event!!)

Tuesday, February 10th

• Grade 1 Enrichment Program (WBZ Meteorologist Visit)

Thursday, February 12th

• Grade 4 Enrichment Program (Discovery Museum- Lights & Lasers)

Friday, February 13th

• Red, White, and Pink Spirit Day
• Gr. 4 Trip to Performing Arts Center (5th Grade Performances), 9:30-10:45 am

Monday, February 16th- Friday, February 20th

• No School - February Vacation
• Mon. Feb. 16th, 6-8 pm: Family Skate Night at Roller Kingdom Skate Night Tickets

Wednesday, February 25th

• South Row Science Fair, 6:30-8:00 PM

Thursday, February 26th

• South Row Science Fair (SNOW DATE), 6:30- 8:00 PM

Friday, February 27th

• Chelmsford/South Row Spirit Day

Dear Families,

Please make sure your child brings or wears sneakers on the days they have Physical Education. Boots and other non-athletic shoes are not safe for running or participating in activities in the gymnasium. Students who do not have appropriate footwear will need to sit out for safety reasons.

Thank you so much for your support in helping your child be prepared and ready to participate!

Sincerely,
Rebecca Brown
Physical Education Teacher

Science Fair: Registration is now open for our annual Science Fair that will be held on February 25th from 6:30 to 8:00. The snow date is February 26th. For more information you can use this link and to register use this link.

Multicultural Festival Planning: We are in the early stages of planning our annual Multicultural Festival which will take place from 1:00 to 3:00 on Saturday April 4th. If you are interested in helping out in anyway please reach out to Terri or Jayson. Our next planning meeting is scheduled for Monday February 9th at 3:45. All are welcome to attend!

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.

ELA - 4/8 and 4/9 (grade 3)

ELA - 4/14 and 4/15 (grade 4)

Makeup will be ongoing through the 17th

Math - 5/6 and 5/7 (grade 3)

Math - 5/13 and 5/14 (grade 4)

Makeups will be ongoing through the 22nd

Hello South Row Families,

Our School Council is excited to share information about our upcoming Science Fair scheduled for Wednesday, February 25th from 6:30pm-8:00pm. Please click on the link to view information pertaining to this special event. The document includes all logistics and event-specific details. Additionally, click here for the link to the 2026 Science Fair Registration.

Thank you in advance for taking the time to review the information and discuss it with your child(ren) to see if they are interested in participating. If you or your child(ren) are interested in seeing what the event looks like, please click here to watch a video from a past event.

Should you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out to southrowsciencefair@gmail.com.

Respectfully,

Mrs. Gilbert & Dr. Ramalho

• 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.

Hello South Row Families,

I’m sending out a slightly different Nurse’s Corner this week with a small request. The health office is currently running low on extra clothing for students, especially pants. I am also happy to accept t-shirts, shorts and sweatshirts.

If your child has gently used clothing they have outgrown and you no longer need, I would be so grateful for your donation. These items help us support students who need a change of clothes during the school day. Donations may be sent in with your child—if possible, please label the bag “Nurse” or “Nurse Martin” so I know it is intended for the health office.

We often need a variety of sizes, including larger sizes, as clothing needs are not always accident related. Students may need to borrow clothes for many everyday reasons, such as falling in a puddle at recess or spilling lunch.

Thank you so much for your generosity and continued support. It truly helps us care for our students throughout the school day.

Nurse Martin

Email: martinh@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

Fax: 978-256-9475

This weekend is our 2nd annual Winter Craft-ernoon! Tiny Tiles Mosaics is coming and we'll be making beautiful coasters! Also LOADS of free crafts to make and take! See you there!

Here's a look at what's coming up!

- Sat. Jan. 31st, 1-3pm: Crafternoon with Tiny Tiles Mosaics at S.Row Cafeteria Buy Tile Coasters HERE or To-Go Rock Kits!

- Sat. Feb. 14th, 2pm: Harlem Globetrotters at Tsongas Center Globetrotters Tickets

- Mon. Feb. 16th, 6-8pm: Family Skate Night at Roller Kingdom Skate Night Tickets

- Mon. Mar 2 - Fri. Mar. 6th: Community Read-In Week Sign up to Read

- Sat. Mar. 7th, 6:05pm: UMass Lowell River Hawks vs. BU Terriers at Tsongas Center River Hawks tickets

If you have any questions about any upcoming events, don't hesitate to reach out to us! southrowpto@gmail.com

- South Row PTO Board

2nd Annual Crafternoon with Tiny Tile Mosaics

Tomorrow, Saturday, January 31st we're hosting our 2nd annual Crafternoon from 1-3pm. This year Tiny Tile Mosaics will be here with beautiful tiles to create your own specially designed drink coaster. Tiles Coasters

Can't make the event in person? Grab a mosaic rock kit to do at home! To-Go Rock Kit A portion of the sales from the coasters and kits will benefit the South Row PTO. You can order yours today!

There will also be FREE crafts available for making and taking, so whether you stay the afternoon and make a coaster or come for the free activities, we hope you will join us! There will be light refreshments sold as well. We are thankful to the Chelmsford High School National Honor Society for helping with this event. We hope to see you there!

LAST DATE to order tickets for the Harlem Globetrotters 100th Anniversary Tour is February 7th, so grab yours now for a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the family! The Harlem Globetrotters' 100 Year Tour is coming to the Tsongas Center February 14th at 2pm! Grab your tickets today and a portion of the sales will also benefit South Row PTO! Tickets are limited, so if you're interested, grab your tickets NOW!

Skate night is back! Please plan to join other South Row families at our skate night, exclusive to our school. We'll be there on Monday, February 16th from 6-8pm at Roller Kingdom in Tyngsboro. Bring your own skates or take advantage of their rentals (skates or blades). Reserve your spot today for a lower price than at the door. $5 if you bring your own skates, $8 if you need to rent.

South Row Skate Night

Plan to get dinner from the concession stand and the PTO gets back a percentage of the food sales. Hope to see you there!

Our annual town-wide Community Read-In event is coming up, March 2-6th at CHIPS, Byam, Center, Harrington, South Row, and Parker. We are always looking for volunteers to read to classrooms across the district. If you choose to participate, please know you will not be placed in a classroom with your own student(s), but rather sharing a love of literacy with others within our wider community.

If interested, please fill out the form HERE and as the event grows nearer, a liaison will connect with you to let you know where you're placed for the week. Sign up to read once, twice, or even MORE! Show your Chelmsford pride by reading to our students!

Seeking Treasurer

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!

Our next PTO meeting will be all virtual this coming Monday night at 7pm. We look forward to connecting with you, sharing what's been going on in the past month, and what's to come! Join us using the meeting link provided in the Home Link newsletter.

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.

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