Hello Families,

As a reminder, there is no school on Monday the 16th as it is MLK Day. Additionally, please be sure to send your student to school with a winter coat during the cold weather months. It gets very chilly at recess!

We used our January grade level meeting to introduce the topic of nutrition to students covering basic nutrition facts and the food groups. We will continue with this theme for the months of February and March. We are encouraging students to try new foods and welcome families sending in pictures of this happening! Please see below for more information.

Our 2023 Parent Discussion Night will be on January 25th. We look forward to seeing you there. Please see below for additional information. We will be offering childcare!!!!

Respectfully,

Terri and Jayson

Monday, January 16th

• No School - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Tuesday, January 17th

• No events

Wednesday, January 18th

• International Festival Planning Committee Meeting, 3:45 pm

Thursday, January 19th

• No events

Friday, January 20th

• Tie Dye Spirit Day - Wear your favorite tie-dye shirts

Monday, January 23rd

• Begins the Great Kindness Challenge Week
• PTO Sponsored Winter Challenges and Activities during specials all week
• Vision and Hearing Screening
• Kindergarten Enrichment: "Mike Bent" Magic Show

Tuesday, January 24th

• Vision and Hearing Screening
• Incoming Kindergarten Registration (Central Office), 9:00am-6:00pm - need appointment more details to follow

Wednesday, January 25th

• Vision and Hearing Screening
• Kindergarten Grades Available on X2. Click here for directions
• Incoming Kindergarten Registration (Central Office), 9:00am-6:00pm - need appointment more details to follow
• Save the date: Parent Discussion Night at South Row, 6:30 PM

Thursday, January 26th

• Save the date: Parent Discussion Night (snow date) at South Row

Nutrition Unit at Student Grade Level Meetings: The Student Grade Level Meetings for the months of January, February and March will focus on nutrition. This week student council members read a story called the "Two Bite Club" about nutrition. Our goal is to share the basics of nutrition, host some activities related to nutrition and inspire students to try new (and healthy) foods. We encourage families to send in pictures of their child(ren) trying new foods at home. These will be included in our slide presentations in February and March. The culminating experience will be a whole school enrichment with Foodplay in March sponsored by our PTO. We appreciate your partnership in this endeavor, eat well!!

Winter Activities Week in Specials: The PTO and our amazing specialists will be hosting a winter activity week during students' specials blocks the week of January 23rd. Each specialist will have their own activities with winter based themes. We will be needing some volunteers to execute this successfully. Please click on the link below to view our volunteer opportunities for the week. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0e45a5af2ca6f4c25-winter#/

Water Bottles and Student Belongings: Please be sure your child's name is labeled on water bottles, jackets, lunch boxes, etc. Over the last few months, many families have dropped off items that students may have forgotten at home. The main office can get very busy, and having items labeled would be appreciated and support items in not getting lost and getting to your child in an efficient manner. We do kindly ask that families please double-check backpacks in the morning before students head to school to be sure students have what they need for a successful day. Items that get dropped by the office after school is in session take time to get to your child. Thanks for your partnership.

Smart Watches: Some students have received Smart Watches over break. Although watches are not directly mentioned in our student handbook they do have SMART capabilities (i.e., taking pictures, games, texting) and should not be used or worn in school. Please refer to pages 17 and 18 in the link below for more information.

HANDBOOK: https://chelmsfordschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/English-2022-2023-Family-and-Student-Handbook_FINAL.pdf

Save the date - South Row Science Fair 2023 - The Science Fair will be held in person on February 28th with a snow date of March 1st. Click here to review information on the science fair and here to register.

SAVE THE DATES:

• Movie Night - February 3rd
• Quick Click Photography - March 2nd
• Book Fair - March 13-17

Looking ahead (Early Release Day Change): Due to town elections, the school committee voted on a calendar change for the April early release day originally scheduled for Thursday, April 13th. This early release day has now been moved to Tuesday, April 4th. Please update your calendars accordingly. Click here for the updated district calendar.

Lost and Found: The picture below is just a sampling of our lost and found. All unclaimed items will be donated at the end of the month. Please stop by to take a peek or encourage your child to see if items are theirs.

Theme: "A Day in the Life of a South Row Student!"

Learn More about the event by clicking here or on the image below.

It would be helpful if you plan to attend or are interested, please complete the google form linked here or below to help us best plan for the event.

Don't miss out on this evening! =)

2023-2024 SCHOOL YEAR KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION

BY APPOINTMENT ONLY

(Approximately 15-minute appointments)

TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY, JAN. 24 & 25, 2023

9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION CENTRAL OFFICE

230 NORTH ROAD, CHELMSFORD, MA

Book Your Appointment Now

Click on the RESERVE YOUR APPOINTMENT link to enter parent/guardian contact information and preferred appointment time within a three-hour window. You will then be contacted to confirm a date and time for your registration appointment. Registration packets may also be dropped off at the School Administration Office, 230 North Road, Chelmsford, MA:

Monday – Friday; 8 a.m.-4 p.m., if you are not able to attend these two dates.

In addition to the completed student registration packet, the required documentation to submit is listed on the CPS Student Registration page.

For additional information or questions on kindergarten registration please contact Jane McDonald @ mcdonaldj@chelmsford.k12.ma.us; or 978-251-5100, ext. 6901

Dear South Row Families,

Please see below for some health office reminders.

Returning to school after illness:

If a student has a fever (temperature of 100.0 or higher), they must be fever-free for 24 hours before they can return to school.

If a student has unexplained vomiting or diarrhea (not due to chronic disease), they must be symptom-free for 24 hours before returning to school.

Guidelines for returning to school after illness can be found here.

The full Covid Protocol can be found here.

We will be conducting health screenings at the end of January.

HEALTH SCREENINGS January 23rd, 24th, and 25th

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health Regulation requires students be screened at Chelmsford Public Schools at certain intervals. In elementary school, your child will be screened for:

• Hearing: Grades *K, 1, 2, 3

• Vision with stereopsis testing: Grades *K, 1, 2, 3

• Visual acuity: Grade 4

• Height/Weight Grades 1, 4

*Kindergarten: Upon entering kindergarten ,or within 30 days of the start of school, the guardian shall present to school the Health Care Provider documentation from within the previous 12 months that the child has passed a vision screening. If your kindergarten child is missing a hearing or vision screening, it will be done at school.

Please make sure your student brings or wears their prescribed eyeglasses at school for the vision screening. Alternatively, if your child is currently under the care of an optometrist and you would like to opt out of the vision screening, please email me at vandevoordts@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

If you choose to have your child opt out of any of these screenings, please email me to exclude your student from participating. Please email me opt out requests by Wednesday January 18th. vandevoordts@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

Feel free to reach out to me with any questions.

Warmly,

Nurse V.

SAVE THE DATE:

Movie Night - February 3rd

Quick Click Photography - March 2nd

Book Fair - March 13-17

We had a great meeting this past Monday and here is a brief recap for those that couldn’t make it:

Mrs. Gilbert and Mr. Ramalho shared the theme for the next round of grade level meetings is food/nutrition. If your child chooses to try new foods as a result of these meetings, feel free to take a picture and share with Mr. Ramalho. 😊 Mrs. C (the art teacher) spoke about the amazing mural she has planned for Winter Week and how excited the kids are for it. Donna Newcomb, our school committee rep, reported on Chelmsford's drive for funding a new Middle School building and the move to digital ticketing for school sporting events. Of course, these are just snippets of the great information they all shared. We also shared a list of PTO events coming up and heard from many of our parent volunteers who coordinate those events. If you are curious to hear more about what goes on in the school community, please plan to attend our next meeting on Monday Feb 6th. ALL are welcome.

Please find below:

• Tentative Lunch Menu
• Direct Link to Food Services webpage

Dear Parents and Families --

Reminder CPS Nutrition has initiated online breakfast ordering for elementary students beginning after the holiday break. This initiative is to help manage food waste and due to labor shortages.

Orders must be placed the Wednesday prior to the week you are selecting.

If you are having difficulty setting up an account, please reach out to contacts below and we will gladly assist you.

Nancy Antolini, Director of Nutrition Services

• Email: antolinin@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

Holley Ready, School Nutrition Office Manager

• Email: readyh@chelmsford.k12.ma.us
• (978) 251-5111 ext: 5641

Thank you- School Nutrition

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, student’s name should appear on page.

How to order meals

1. School Menu-breakfast online ordering
2. Scroll to day/week you are selecting breakfast (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
8. Place order

Please send photos to Mr. Ramalho (ramalhoj@chelmsford.k12.ma.us) to be featured in our Home Link newsletter!

Mrs. Terri Gilbert

Principal

gilbertt@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

Mr. Jayson Ramalho, M.Ed.

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
• Mr. Jayson Ramalho, Assistant Principal: ramalhoj@chelmsford.k12.ma.us, 978-251-5177 ext. 3
• Mrs. Shannon Vandevoordt, School Nurse: vandevoordts@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