PARKER WEEKLY BULLETIN

Good afternoon Parker Families,

We had a very busy and fun filled week at Parker. The highlight of the week without question was our First Annual Parker STEM Fair held on Thursday night. We had over 65 students participate in the STEM Fair and the project presentations were truly impressive. It was fantastic to see our students work individually or in teams using the scientific method to explore a topic of their choice. I was so impressed with the student presentations as they explained their hypothesis, procedure, data, and conclusions while making it interactive and fun! The students were able to orally present their findings, answer questions, thoughtfully consider their process, and what they learned. Special thanks go to Rick Cockley, Kshitija Pandit, and Ann Sevigny for organizing this wonderful event. It was so well organized, and each student's project was discussed and celebrated. We hope that we have started a great new Parker tradition! Please see some great photos from last night below!

Second Step - Social Emotional Learning

We continued our SEL curriculum this week with our fifth grade students continuing a unit on Empathy and Kindness while our sixth grade students continued their unit on Developing a Positive Sense of Self. Please find a brief summary of this week's lesson along with a conversation prompt to discuss with your child.

Parker PRIDE PAW Winners

Congratulations to the students who were recognized as Parker PRIDE Paw winners for the month of March. Students are awarded PAWS by their teachers for demonstrating one or more of our PRIDE values. (Perseverance, Respect, Integrity, Dedication, and Empathy). When students earn a PAW they put the ticket in a grade level bucket, and at the end of the month four winners are randomly chosen per grade. The following winners chose a token to the Book Vending Machine or a gift certificate to the School Store. We are proud of all students who earned a PRIDE PAW this month!

Grade 5 - Saksham Dongre, Xuan Doan, Nina Machain, and Riot Horan

Grade 6 - Ellie McConnell, Grady White, Cameron Mackenzie, and Stone Hogan

Grade 5: A Different Point of View

Summary

In this lesson, your child will practice building empathy for different groups affected by a community problem. Learning more about each group’s point of view will help them find solutions that can work better for everyone.

Try This at Home

With your child, think about a problem in your community and make a list together of what you could do to learn more about someone else’s point of view. If possible, try out one of your strategies.

Grade 6: Thinking Short-Term and Long-Term

Summary: In this week’s lesson, your child will learn how to evaluate short-term and long-term feelings when making a decision using guiding principles.

Question: Tell your child about a decision you made. Describe how it made you feel, both in the moment and after some time passed. Ask your child how short-term and long-term feelings can help them make decisions they feel good about. Have a great weekend everyone. Please reach out if you need support!

Warm regards,

Josh

Tuesday, April 1st-Early Release Day-dismissal at 11:10 a.m.

Wednesday, April 2nd - Autism Acceptance Day - WEAR RED!

Tuesday, April 15th-Buddies vs. Badges-see flyer below

Friday, April 18th - No School

Monday April 21st through Friday April 25th-April Vacation - No School

Monday, April 28th - School Resumes

Thursday & Friday - April 3rd and 4th -Grade 5 ELA

Tuesday & Wednesday - April 8th and 9th - Grade 6 ELA

Monday & Tuesday - May 5th and 6th - Grade 5 Science

Monday & Tuesday - May 12th and 13th - Grade 5 Math

Thursday & Friday - May 15th and 16th - Grade 6 Math

The Lost and Found racks are chock-full of your students stuff! Coats, jackets, sweatshirts, hats, water bottles and much more. Please ask your students to check it out for any lost or missing items. All unclaimed items will be donated over the April break. ~ Thank you

Dear Parent/Guardian,

Massachusetts General Law c. 71, s. 57 requires all publicly enrolled students in grades 5 through 9 to receive annual postural screening for scoliosis. Postural screening is essential as your child is going through his/her most rapid growth rate during 5th-9th grade. During this time, early detection of spinal curvature can create opportunities for the easiest treatment to correct the growth of the spine. These screenings are generally part of your child’s annual physical examination with their primary care provider. However, we will conduct scoliosis screenings at school to ensure all students meet this requirement.

Postural screenings will occur during all PE classes from Friday, April 11th through Thursday, April 17th. I will screen all the girls, and Mr. McCarthy will screen the boys. All screenings are done individually, and student privacy is provided for. We ask that female students wear or bring a bathing suit top on the day of the screening; sports bras may cover the scapula and obscure the visualization of the spine and therefore are not optimal. Males will be asked to remove their shirt to ensure appropriate visualization of the bare back to properly see the curves of the spine. If your child is not comfortable participating in this screening during the school day, you may decline the screening by contacting the school nurse. We recommend, in this case, contacting your health care provider to ensure they have been screened at their annual physical.

If your child has recently had a scoliosis screening by their primary care physician, and you would like to excuse them from this screening, please email the school nurse. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the school nurse at kamenidesl@chelmsford.k12.ma.us. Please put Postural Screening in the subject line of the email.

Lisa Kamenides, MSN, RN, NCSN

School Nurse kamenidesl@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

To redeem School Dollars, all shoppers need to do is enter the unique printout code and store number on the Hannaford Helps Schools program website and select their school. Each School Dollar printout has a QR code that will bring shoppers directly to this link, ensuring that redeeming School Dollars is as easy as possible. Please note that the in-store collection tower has been eliminated. However, schools will be able to turn in School Dollar printouts. Just send into the Parker Main Office.

Our after-school programs will start on Tuesday, October 15th. The Activity Fee is $50 per student. To pay PLEASE CLICK ON LINK My School Bucks or send in cash or checks made payable to Chelmsford Public Schools and turn into your child's homeroom teacher. The activity fee allows students to take full advantage of any clubs they wish to attend. The after-school activities run from 2:40-3:40 on Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday throughout the year. Students also have the option of taking a late bus home. The routes are posted in the school and will not be posted publicly. We will work with students and the drivers to be sure students take the correct bus home. Since we only have 8 late buses, for both McCarthy and Parker the stops tend to be more spread out than the “regular” bus runs. After activities, students who are not taking a bus will exit the school into the Crooked Spring Road lot and can be picked up there.

See Clubs & Activities BROCHURE here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10fSdKRgUuamin-mEgMJbeLrUcsHo7dLMiSVEMC6RtLU/edit?usp=sharing

Tuesday - April 1st

NO CLUBS TODAY - Early Release day-dismissal at 11:10 a.m.

Wednesday - April 2nd

Book Club – Ms. Beaudoin – Room 125

Dungeons and Dragons–Ms. Engel–Library-GRADE 5 ONLY TODAY

Festival Band - Mr. Linsner-Band Room (on Wednesday this week)

Fitness Club – Ms. Fitzgerald – Fitness Room

Game Club–Ms. Baker-Library GRADE 6 ONLY TODAY

Power Hour – Ms. Panneton – Room 213B

Thursday - April 3rd

Art Club–Ms. Annunziata–Room 4 GRADE 5 - GROUP 5B TODAY ONLY

Intramurals-Mr. McCarthy-GYM-GRADE 6 TODAY

Stand-Up Parker – Ms. Mikk – Conf. Room 5

Yoga- Ms.Macallister-Fitness Room

Fun Best Buddies Event "BUDDIES vs. BADGES". On Tuesday, April 15th at 6:00 p.m. at the McCarthy Middle School Gymnasium. Please show your support and come join us in cheering on the students! See flyer below.

Email: ParkerAttendance@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

Please Send Email: Prior to 9am on the day of the absence. Please Include: Child’s name, Grade, and Reason for absence. We encourage you to use the email option when reporting an absence, dismissal, etc. for efficiency.

**PLEASE READ**

We will continue to send automated emails home when students are absent. You will receive the email whether you notified the school or not. In order for an absence to be marked as "Excused", families will need to provide medical documentation. Please call the office if you have any questions or need clarification. ~ Thank you for your understanding.

The Parker and McCarthy Middle Schools Present the "ShowBoat" Talent Show on Saturday, May 10th, 2025! Contact Karyn Crouthamel at lionsmiddleschoolsshowboat@gmail.com with any questions.

Parker PTO is working hard to create and promote community building activities for our students, staff and McC families. We have lots of fun spring activities to do in the upcoming weeks. Check out a few highlights below:

📅 Parker Calendar Raffle: Thank you to all that sold calendar raffles! Winners are announced daily on Parker Middle School Parents Facebook page and prizes are sent home daily with students. Student participation grand prize will be announced on Monday, March 31st. Congratulations to this week's winners: Zachary M. (3/24), Richie Ciardi (3/25), Ashley Reid (3/26), Kate O'Malley (3/27) and Prisiclla Borowick (3/28)!

🏈 Massachusetts Pirates April 12th: Join your middle school friends for some high-flying IFL action as the Mass Pirates look to defend home field against Fishers Freight on Saturday, April 12th at 7 PM! A portion of every ticket will be donated to the Parker & McCarthy PTOs and used for end of year festivities! Click link to purchase tickets:

https://fevo-enterprise.com/event/Parkermccarthymiddle27

🏒 Boston Fleet April 26th: Join your middle school friends for some hard-hitting PWHL action as the Boston Fleet look to defend home ice against the Toronto Sceptres on Saturday, April 26th. Start time is TBD at the moment. A portion of every ticket will be donated to the Parker & McCarthy PTOs and used for end of year festivities! Click link to purchase tickets: https://fevo-enterprise.com/event/Parkermccarthymiddle3

⚽ 🏈 ⚾ i9 Sports Spring Season Programs: i9 Sports is offering weekend outdoor flag football, soccer, t-ball/baseball, & multi-sports programs for kids ages 3-14 at Nashoba Valley Technical High School in Westford (open to families from anywhere to register for!) beginning Saturday, April 5th. Sign up using the promo code “MSLions!” at checkout and not only will you save $10 OFF the season registration price but you will also be supporting our school. For more information, see attached flyer or visit i9Sports.com.

👟 2025 Parker Pride Run Lace up those sneakers! The 2025 Parker Pride Run is on Sunday, May 18th @ 9am. Early bird pre-registration of $20 available until April 19th. All are welcome to participate! Registration includes: event t-shirt, swag bag, drinks and snacks at finish line and raffle tickets. Event t-shirts only available for pre-registration. Prizes awarded for top three finishers for various grade levels and adults. Click link to register for the event:

https://runsignup.com/Race/MA/Chelmsford/ParkerPrideRun

⚾ Middle School Night at Fenway: Join Chelmsford Middle School Families at Fenway Park on May 6th @ 6:45 P.M. to see the Boston Red Sox vs.Texas Rangers AND watch McCarthy students perform the national anthem! Tickets are $40 each and can be purchased via the following link: https://givebutter.com/RedSox2025 Tickets will be "tossed" to your MLB Ballpark App closer to the game day. Please write down which email address you use to order these tickets as that is the email address we'll use to "toss" you your tickets.

🥏 Boston Glory: Join your middle school friends for some high-flying professional Ultimate Frisbee™ at any 2025 regular season home game (April - August) at Hormel Stadium in Medford. Save $5 on general admission and $5 of every ticket will be donated to the Parker & McCarthy PTOs! Use code CHELMSFORD25 or click the link to purchase tickets: https://shop.bostonglory.com/discount/CHELMSFORD25

♻️ E-Waste and Recycle Day: Save the date: Saturday, May 3rd 8:00 am- Noon. Center Elementary School and McCarthy Middle School PTOs are partnering to help you get rid of junk items that aren't easily disposed of in the trash (appliances, furniture, lawn equipment, grills (no propane), TVs, etc). This is a great way to support our schools--just drive through, donate a small fee & then leave your junk! Please see flyer for more information and click link for volunteer opportunities: E-Waste Volunteer Link

As always, please don't hesitate to reach out to Parker PTO at parkerpto@gmail.com Thank you for your continued support of our school!

Best,

Parker PTO

Dear Parents and Families --

To better estimate the demand for lunches on half days, CPS Nutrition utilizes online lunch ordering for HALF DAYS ONLY.

For the upcoming half day Wednesday 9/18/24 orders must be received by Friday 9/13/24.

2024-2025 CPS Upcoming Half Day/Early Release dates

● 4/1/25

If you would like your child to have lunch on future half days, the online ordering is open for you to go ahead and select those dates. Set Up Your Account Now

Directions to set up your account and order: 1. URL Link: family.onlineordering.linq.com

2. Sign up now: Email, create password.

3. School District: Chelmsford Public Schools

4. Student ID: This can be found on x2- Child’s student ID number

5. Last Name: (You can also search and add siblings/family members at this time). Once this is completed, the student's name should appear on the page.

How to order meals

1. School Menu-select online lunch ordering (all schools)

2. Scroll to week of half day/early release date (top right of page)

3. Find date, select meal option

4. Add item to cart/Select Add to order

5. Click on shopping cart icon at top right of page

6. Click Check out

7. Select pick up location: Elementary pick-up location classroom. Middle/high school pick up location cafeteria.

8. Place order

Click on the link below to view the APRIL Lunch Menu:

https://www.schoolnutritionandfitness.com/webmenus2/#/view?id=67c5e271d6096357206a14af&siteCode=3370

Email: robinsond@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

Website: https://parker.chelmsfordschools.org/

Location: 75 Graniteville Road
Phone: 978-251-5133