Family Newsletter
November 9, 2025
Dear Parker Elementary School Families,
We hope you're having a wonderful start to November. We wanted to quickly highlight a few important upcoming dates and events. Please remember that there will be no school this Tuesday, November 11th, in observance of Veteran's Day. Looking ahead to Wednesday evening, we invite all families to attend our PTO Meeting! This month, we will also be hosting our annual Title I Family Meeting at the PTO meeting.
Next weekend, we have our highly anticipated Annual Craft Fair and Holiday Shop happening next Saturday! This is a event is for the whole community, and we truly hope to see many of our Parker families there to enjoy the crafts and students who can access our Holiday Shop. Please see the section below for times and location.
Best,
Matt Lutinski
Principal, Parker Elementary School
Hello Parker Library Families. Happy November!
Students have been busy in the library during the past two months learning about the different genres of books available to them. We’ve covered Picture Books, Non Fiction Books, Biography Books, Holiday Books and Comic Books so far. We will be learning about Fiction Books soon. As of November 1st, students have checked out and returned a whopping 3,844 books. Way to go kids! In October the top three book titles circulated included Dog Man, Scarlet Shedder by Dav Pilkey, Pablo and Splash by Sheena Dempsey and Guts by Raina Telegemeier. These three books are all COMIC books and reflect their popularity.
All students in Kindergarten to Grade 4 have Google accounts that they use to access the Library Google Classroom. Kindergarteners have been busy learning letter recognition and keyboard placement skills to type in their names and Google passwords. We’re making progress slowly but will hopefully move toward success soon. Students are encouraged to extend their learning in the library at home. There may be an activity or assignment they want to finish or a website link they’d like to try again. To access their accounts at home, guide students to https://login.classlink.com/my/billerica then have them use their Google log in credentials. If students do not remember their log in information, email dmcdonnell@billericak12.com and it will be sent home with them. In the Library students learn to navigate to the Launchpad then Google Classroom. If you are worried about internet safety, all student Google accounts are protected within the Billerica bubble. Students can not email or communicate with anyone outside of the Billerica Public School system and vice versa; outside communication is blocked.
Since September students in the library have also learned about book care, parts of a book and how to search the online card catalog. They have created biography fortune tellers highlighting someone’s life, designed a “book” baseball card, practiced the skill of “click, hold and drag” when solving book cover jigsaw puzzles, and replicated digital animals by drawing shapes. Additionally students have practiced keyboarding with Typing Club typingclub.com (grades 2, 3, & 4) and Keyboard Climber (kindergarten and grade 1) https://www.tvokids.com/school-age/games/keyboard-climber-1 .
In the coming months we will participate in The Hour of Code, a worldwide movement that aims to introduce millions of students to computer science through one-hour coding activities. With Hour of Code, we aim to demystify coding and show that anyone can learn the basics, inspiring future interest in computer science. Some of the activities we use include pencil and paper tasks learning block coding as well as online lessons included in Code.org. Each student will be assigned their own Code.org account. Additionally students will be using hands-on programmable robots called Matatabots. Matatabots use block tiles to assemble a simple program to make the robot move, turn and dance.
A special thank you to the Parker PTO! They donated FIVE copies of the new Diary of a Wimpy Kid Party Pooper book by Jeff Kinney. They have since flown off the shelves since the moment they were put on display. Thank you again PTO for always supporting us in the library. We see the hard work you truly give to our students.
As you can see we are very busy in the Library. Thank you to all volunteers who faithfully reshelve the books each week and assist the library with projects and displays. If you have any questions or want to volunteer, please feel free to contact me at dmcdonnell@billericak12.com
Flu and Cold Season: Keeping Your Family Healthy
As the weather changes, flu and cold symptoms begin to appear. While these illnesses can sometimes be unavoidable, there are several steps you can take to help prevent them and keep everyone healthy.
Best Practices to Prevent Illness:
Wash hands frequently with soap and warm water, especially before meals and after using the bathroom. A fun way to make sure kids wash long enough is to have them sing the ABC’s while scrubbing.
Get plenty of rest, drink fluids, eat a balanced diet, and dress warmly (jackets, hats, mittens/gloves) for cold weather.
Get a flu shot: It’s the best defense against the flu and helps protect everyone in your family.
When Should Your Child Stay Home
Please keep your child at home if they have:
A fever of 100°F or higher (they must be fever-free for 24 hours without medication before returning).
Vomiting or diarrhea (they must be symptom-free for 24 hours and able to eat and drink normally).
Unexplained rash with fever.
Strep throat or any illness requiring antibiotics (they must be on antibiotics for 24 hours before returning).
Redness in the eye with drainage and pain.
Sore throat with fever or rash.
A frequent cough.
Additional Health Notes:
If your child’s cold symptoms last more than 10 days or worsen, please consult with a doctor. If your student is in 3rd grade, remember to submit an updated physical (dated after September 2024) as soon as possible.
Feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns about your child’s health.
Stay healthy and safe this season!
Erin Bucham BSN,RN, NCSN
Kate Inzenga BSN,RN,
Hi Parker Families,
We want to first thank you all for all of your help to make the beginning of the year so successful! We could not do what we do without you all!
It's Holiday tree festival time! As always, we are putting together a tree at the library Holiday tree festival. Our theme this year is Toy Story! We are asking for your help with donations for the tree. I will attach the Amazon wish list for the tree. The items can be shipped right to Danielle Johntson's house (her address is listed under the registry) If you have it shipped to your house, please drop it off to the school by November 14th. As always, you can email the PTO @ parkerelementarypto@gmail.com with any questions!
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1KSVVR5Z4X0VY?ref_=wl_share
Thank you
Parker PTO
In today’s tough economy, many families are feeling the impact of rising costs and financial stress. At Parker school, we want our students and families to know they are not alone. In Billerica we have the Community Pantry, BillericaCommunityPantry.com. You can easily sign up and receive groceries by appointment. It is stocked with a variety of non-perishable food items, household essentials, and products—all available free of charge to families in our community.
If your family could benefit from this resource and you are unsure how to navigate the sign-up process, please reach out confidentially to our school Social worker Sarah Coffey at scoffey@billericak12.com or call her direct line at 978-528-6819.
Parker Elementary School
Principal: Mr. Matt Lutinski
Asst. Principal: Ms. Katie Cochran
Main Office: Ms. Judy Butler, 978-528-8610
Attendance: 978-528-8610
Nurse: 978-528-8620
Website: https://www.billericak12.com/schools/parker-elementary
Location: 52 River Street, Billerica, MA 01821