PARKER WEEKLY BULLETIN

Week of 9-16-2024

Message from Principal Blagg

Good afternoon Parker Families,

It was a wonderful week at Parker where we celebrated Kindness and Inclusion with our first Spirit Week of the year. Students enthusiastically embraced the spirit days and were consistently caught doing acts of kindness for their peers and teachers. It is heartening to see how contagious looking out for one another can be and in doing we helped to reinforce our values and school community.

Bionic Project

We had a fantastic week with the Bionics Project visiting sixth grade classes in small group workshops. They also held 5th grade assemblies focusing on dismantling disability bias and developing empathy and inclusivity in our community. The experience was capped with several Physical Education classes having the opportunity to play soccer using assistive technology (crutches). This was an eye opening experience which made for a fun and meaningful experience for all involved. Ask you child about their experience with these transformative leaders.

6th Grade Open House - Wednesday September 18

We are excited to host our annual 6th grade Open House on Wednesday September 18 from 6-7:30 pm. This is a great night to meet your child's teachers, learn about the expectations and structures of the school, and to tour the building. There will be time to conference individually with the teachers later in the year as this noight is dedicated to curriculum and expectations. Parking is limited especially with Pop Warner Football practice occurring on the adjacent fields so please plan on arriving before 6 pm. Please find the schedule below. You will report to your child's homeroom teacher to start the night. We look forward to seeing you all there on Wednesday!

Schedule 9/18 Grade 6

The Schedule for the night is as follows:

6:00 - 6:30 Core Classes

Team 6A The Entrepreneurs - Gillies/Lupoli PC7, Hogan PC5, Aylward- Dube PC1

Team 6B The Engineers- Colon- Cody Room 209, Felzani Room 203, Martin Room 201

Team 6C The Inventors - LoCoco- Flanagan Room 219, Vu --Baker Room 216

Team 6D The Architects - Skaff Room 118, Abbasciano Room 119, Suleski-Sullivan Room 117

6:35 -7:00 Special Education, Literacy Support, ELL

Special Ed Ms. Stutz Room 107

Special Ed. Ms. Athanas Room 233

Special Ed. Ms. Butler Room 212A

Special Ed. Ms. Corbo. Room 206

Special Ed. Ms. Cranney Room 110

Special Ed. Ms. Giordano Room 20

Special Ed. Ms. Hansbury Room 231

Special Ed. Ms. Komperda Room 108

Special Ed Ms. Mangiaratti Room 223

Special Ed. Ms. Myllmaki Room 225

Special Ed. Ms. Rochwarg Room 18

Special Ed Ms. Wolfe/Berges Room 212B

Speech Ms. Kurth Room S-3

Literacy Support Ms. Magnuson Room 103

ELL - Ms. Ghali Room 250

6:35 - 7:15 - Specialists and Fine Arts

Health, PE, Computer, Library, Art - Gymnasium

Chorus, General Music, Band, Orchestra - Cafeteria

Have a wonderful week everyone and reach out if you need support!

Josh

From the Nurses: Answers to frequently asked questions.

INJURY POLICY

Parent(s)/guardian must notify the school nurse of all surgeries and injuries (i.e., concussions, fractures, sprains, stitches, etc.) Parents shall notify the school nurse when a student has sustained a concussion outside of school activities. Guidelines regarding injuries and non-participation in physical education (P.E.) classes and recess are as follows:

Students with casts, stitches, or splints may not participate in Physical Education class or outdoor recess without written consent from both the parent/guardian and the attending physician.

*All injury notes from the doctor should include the type of injury, any limitations or allowance to participate in such activities, and the date the child may return to full physical activities. Parent/guardian wishes may not supersede this medical prescription.

Students need a subsequent doctor’s note when it is safe to resume normal activity in P.E. and/or recess.

Some specified P.E. activities may also require non-participation for the safety of the student and others.

If a student comes to school with a cane, crutches, wheelchair, or other assistive device, a doctor’s note is required. If applicable, the note needs to indicate whether the student can or cannot use stairs. An example of this would be a student who needs to wear a brace that immobilizes a knee.

IMPORTANT DATES:

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

Wednesday, September 18th - Open House for Grade 6 Curriculum Night 6-7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, September 18th - Early Release Day dismissal at 11:10 a.m.

FROM PARKER PTO

Happy Friday Parker Families!

Parker PTO has some exciting activities planned for the 2024/2025 school year! We will be looking for parent volunteers to help with some amazing school events throughout the school year. Be on the lookout for more information and volunteer sign ups in the upcoming weeks! Check out a few upcoming activities below:

📆 PTO Meeting Thursday, September 19th @ 6:30 in McCarthy Library: Join us for the first PTO meeting of the school year! Parker & McCarthy PTOs work collaboratively to provide community building activities, provide enrichment programs for our students and families and support our teachers. We encourage any middle school parent/guardian to join us to learn about upcoming events and activities throughout the school year.

🏈 ⚽️ ⚾️ i9Sports: Looking for fun, instructional, and convenient youth sports options for the kids this fall? We’ve teamed up again with i9 Sports on a deal to help save Parker & McCarthy families big this season AND help support the Parker & McCarthy PTOs! i9 Sports is offering weekend flag football, soccer, t-ball/baseball, & youth "multi-sports" discovery programs for kids ages 3-14 at Nashoba Valley Technical HS in Westford (open to families from anywhere to register for!) beginning Saturday, September 21st. Sign up using the promo code “MSLions!” at checkout and not only will you save $15 OFF the season registration price for any upcoming fall or winter season program, but i9 Sports will also donate $5 back to the Parker & McCarthy PTOs for every registration received using promo code “MSLions!”!

📚 Scholastic Book Fair The Scholastic Book Fair will be coming to Parker library October 21st-October 25th. Students will have the ability to shop during school hours. Families will have the opportunity to shop online or during our annual Pizza, Paperbacks and Pumpkins event. You won't want to miss this Parker favorite! Each year we ask parents to help staff the fair during school hours so students can shop. Volunteer responsibilities include running cash registers, stocking shelves and helping students purchase items. More details to follow including date for Pizza, Paperbacks and Pumpkins, online shopping link, and volunteer sign up in the upcoming weeks.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to Parker PTO at PTOParker@gmail.com. As always, thank you for your continued support of our school!

From Parker Drama

AUDITION FOR WIZARD OF OZ YOUTH EDITION!

AUDITIONS: October 15-17 Tues, Weds, or Thurs after school

Prepare 30-45 seconds of a song that shows off your voice and acting!

A song from another musical? Pop song?
A song that feels good to you to sing?
A song where you can show emotion in facial expressions and physicality?

Before auditioning, please make sure you are available for….

REHEARSALS TUES/THURS AFTER SCHOOL UNTIL 4:30

SIGN UP LINK: AUDITION SIGNUP LINK

Join student google classroom for more information

Email: parkermsdrama@gmail.com with any questions!

Water Bottles

Water bottles are a very popular item with our students. Almost every student in the building brings a water bottle to school. We have water filling stations located throughout the building. It is highly recommended that students label their water bottles. Either with initials on the bottom using a permanent marker, a special sticker, or any unique marker so the student can identify their water bottle. Thank you for your help.

From our School Nutrition Department

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

● 9/18/24

● 10/24/24

● 11/20/24 (Elem & MS Only)

● 11/27/24

● 12/12/24

● 1/14/25

● 2/6/25

● 3/12/25

● 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