Parker Family Newsletter
September 13, 2026
Principal's Update
Dear Parker Families,
What a wonderful week it was at the Parker! We were excited to welcome our youngest learners to the building, with our Kindergarteners joining us on Tuesday and our PreK friends starting on Thursday. We also held our first fire drill of the school year this week, and our students did an absolute standout job listening closely and following their teachers'.
Looking ahead, we have an exciting week of events around the corner. Please join us for Back to School Night on Thursday, September 17th, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM, you can find the full schedule and details further down in this newsletter. While you are here, be sure to stop by the Best Buddies CASH ONLY bake sale to grab a treat and help them kick off their school year! Finally, get ready for a fun weekend celebrating the Yankee Doodle Homecoming, we will be decorating our school float on Friday evening, and anyone who wants to walk with us in Saturday's parade should meet at the Billerica Mall for the 9:00 AM start.
Best,
Mr. Lutinski
Principal
We are excited to invite you to our Back to School Night on Thursday, September 17th, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Our goal is to make it easy for you to connect with your child’s teachers and our dedicated support staff.
Event Schedule
The evening features two "Explore in Cafe" blocks for meeting specialists and two classroom sessions for meeting teachers.
6:00-6:25 pm: Explore in Cafe (Meet support staff/specialists) or Special Education Classroom Visits
- 6:30-7:00 pm:
- Grades K-2 Teacher Session (Last Names A-L)
- Grades 3-4 Teacher Session (Last Names M-Z)
7:00-7:25 pm: Explore in Cafe (Meet support staff/specialists) or Special Education Classroom Visits
- 7:30-8:00 pm:
- Grades K-2 Teacher Session (Last Names M-Z)
- Grades 3-4 Teacher Session (Last Names A-L)
Explore in Cafe
Visit tables for Special Subjects (Art, Music, PE, etc.), Reading Specialists, Nurses, Psychologists, Administration, PTO, SEPAC, Billerica Scholarship Committe, and Boys and Girls Club.
Special Education Classroom Visits
During the cafe sessions, visit our special education staff in their classrooms if your child works with them:
- Lisa Maher - Room 150
- Liz Litwin - Room 214
- Jennifer Graff - Room 314
- Samantha Oliver - Room 309
- Allie Caggiano - Room 157
- Jaklyn MacDonald - Room 356
- Amy Archibald - Room 231
- Kevin Tighe - Room 237
- Ganna Podoloska - Room 350
- Kimberly Jones - Room 337
Note: Please attend sessions based on your last name to help us manage capacity and parking. If you have a conflict, you are welcome to attend the other session.
We look forward to seeing you!
General Reminders For Morning and Afternoon
- There is NO PARKING allowed on Pages Court
- Temporary parking for afternoon pickup is available at the church lot next to Parker School
Morning Arrival
- All families should be using the rolling drop off method -- CLICK HERE TO VIEW OUR VIDEO
- There is no parking in anything other than a designated parking spot.
- If there are no parking spots left, you must use the rolling drop off.
Afternoon Pick-Up
- If you pick up your student at the end of the day, please remember that dismissal takes places behind the school near the gym.
- There are cones outside for these first few weeks with the grade levels. Please stand in the area of the cones so that staff know what grade level your student is in for pick-up. Signs with your student's name are helpful for the first few weeks.
- To help with parking, families might consider parking at the church that is adjacent to the Parker School and walking along the access road to get to the gym. This is acceptable as long as parking is not for a prolonged period of time.
Thank you again for all of your support as we got students into school safely this first day. We encourage all students who are bus eligible to take advantage of busing.
We are so excited to welcome our students and families back into our school community for another incredible year of learning, growth, and friendship. As we kick off the year, we want to warmly invite all of our fourth grade students and ACCESS and MSS students across all grade levels to consider joining our Best Buddies program!
Best Buddies creates meaningful, lasting friendships between our students and peer leaders, fostering an inclusive community where every child feels connected and celebrated. Here are a few key details about how the program will work this year:
Fourth Grade Peer Leaders: Our fabulous 4th-grade peer leaders will be joining the events to engage, play, and build friendships with our ACCESS and MSS students.
Fully Staffed & Supported: Events will take place after school and will be fully supported by a dedicated team of both Special Education and General Education staff members.
First Event Date: Mark your calendars for our very first Best Buddies event on Thursday, September 24th, right after school!
Official signup forms, event details, and specific timings will be sent home shortly, but we wanted to get this date on your radar early. We are looking forward to a fantastic year filled with fun, connection, and new friendships. If you have any immediate questions about the program, please don't hesitate to reach out to any member of our team.
Kristen Ryan - klryan@billericak12.com
Jenni Graff - jgraff@billericak12.com
Liz Litwin - elitwin@billericak12.com
Julie Fraser - jfraser@billericak12.com
Lori McLaughlin - lamclaughlin@billericak12.com
All students need an active Best Buddies registration in order to participate.
Parker Elementary School
Principal: Mr. Matt Lutinski
Asst. Principal: Ms. Katie Cochran
Special Education Coordinator: Ms. Kristen Ryan
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