PARKER WEEKLY BULLETIN
Week of 4-14-2025
Message from Principal Blagg
Good afternoon Parker Families:
We had another busy and fun filled week at Parker. Our sixth-grade students took the English/Language Arts portion of the MCAS this week. I am happy to report that the students worked diligently and gave their best efforts. It was evident that the students were well prepared by our fantastic teachers as seen in the organization and preparation they used prior to writing their essays. I am very proud of their efforts!
Term 3 Report Cards
Term 3 report cards are now available to be viewed on the X2 Aspen Family portal. Please be sure to reach out to your child's teachers or counselor with any specific questions or concerns. As a reminder the Grade 5 counselor is Melissa MacIsaac, and the Grade 6 counselor is Dr. Autumn Dolan. We have seen tremendous growth in our students as they have gained confidence, skills, and independence as the year has progressed.
Social Emotional Survey
We will be administering the Spring SEL survey to all our students on Wednesday April 16 during our SEL block. Chelmsford values input from our community, and we consider students as important partners to improve our communication, academic program and overall experience for our school communities. The survey content will ask students to self-reflect on the following content topics; Sense of Belonging, Supportive Relationships, Social Awareness, Self-Management and Emotion Regulation.
PRIDE Awards - Term 3
Students were presented with Pride Awards for Term 3 today. Deserving students were recognized for their consistent demonstration of our PRIDE values (Perseverance, Respect, Integrity, Dedication, Empathy) throughout the marking term. Nominating staff wrote a small message on each student's award detailing the reason for receiving the award. These fantastic students serve as role models to their peers and represent the very best of who we are as a Parker community. We are so proud of them! Please see the pictures below.
Have a great weekend everyone. Please reach out if you need support.
Warm regards,
Josh
CONGRATULATIONS!
GRADE 6
Sara Abdelghany, Desmond Billings, Elyse Bilo, Eve Callaghan, Lillian Cockley, Charlotte Currier, Bernadette Daley, Olivia DeRosa, Jack Dussault, Anika Elaiyaraja, Arya Fearon, Naisha Giduthuri, Stone Hogan, Julia Hurley, Derek Keefe, Henrik Lammert, Luke Leonard, Elizabeth Linstad, Amelia Mackie, London Manzano, Niko Milona, Evan Murphy, Connor Oakes, Mackenzie Olsson, Somavatey Orn, Akshaj Pallapothu, Shreyansh Pant, Connor Pappo, Dylan Pappo, Andrew Pender, Frank Pino, Henry Roman, Elizabeth Ruete, Katon SooHoo, Claire Sousa, Nathan Sousa, Nicholas Tan, Alexandria Taylor, Lucy Thornton, Ruth Yang, Bridget York, Max Zeng
GRADE 5
Clark Allard, Zach Baguma, Kai Barnhart, Micah Bernstein, Matthew Beshay, Liana Borowick, Taylor Brannelly, Olivia Brown, Addison Curran, Gavin Dewallace, Hieu Doan, RJ Doughty, Maggie Dwyer, Nava Elumalai, Bella Fallier, Avaleen Garvey, Camden Geoffroy, Wren Gervais, Owen Gubatose, Christos Hantzis, Olivia Hartwig, Ella Haskell, Kaitlyn Hilton, Aiden Holahan, Vincent Huynh, Charlotte Jeffers, Cillian Keogh, Celina Kressin, Laura Kroin, Taylor Le, Angelina Lemay, Nayeli Morales, Tyrone Muwulya, Vismay Nair, Grace Noel, Meagan O'Brien, Gretta O'Leary, Leana Olson, Xavier Ortiz, Kennedy Ostler, Emma Oun, Ansh Patel, Zoey Pazmino, Arjun Pisal, Julia Ramos, Lucas Rau, Joel Riju, Angelina Sanchez, Maddie Sees, Safa Shahid, Matt Shea, Ananya Shree, Emily Stott, Kion Tatton, Bridget Towne, Vihaan Vijay, Kaleigh Wilson, Sean Zavagnin, Sara Zawaski
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
APRIL
Tuesday, April 15th-Buddies vs. Badges-see flyer below
Thursday, April 17th- HATS AND HOODS DAY FOR A CAUSE see flyer below
Friday, April 18th - No School
Monday April 21st through Friday April 25th-April Vacation - No School
Monday, April 28th - School Resumes
MCAS TESTING DATES
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
YOUTH POLICE ACADEMY FOR GRADES 5 THRU 8
LOST AND FOUND
LAST CALL FOR LOST AND FOUND ITEMS
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
FROM THE HEALTH OFFICE
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
APRIL SKETCHBOOK SPECTACULAR
HANNAFORD HELPS SCHOOLS
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 15th
Art Club– Ms. Annunziata – Room 4 – Grade 6 Today
ASL-Ms. Fitzgibbons-join google classroom from home code:yqtuwha
Dungeons and Dragons–Ms. Engel–Library-GRADE 5 (On Tuesday This Week)
Festival Orchestra – Ms. Tiano – Room 8
Fitness Club– Ms. Currier – Fitness Room
Homework Club – Ms. Larrabee
Intramurals – Mr. McCarthy – Grade 5 Today
Jazz Band – Mr. Linsner – Band Room
Mindfulness & Crafts – Ms. Marino – Room 124
Running Club–Ms. Baker & Mr. Suleski–Meet at the Band Room Hallway
Wednesday - April 16th
Book Club – Ms. Beaudoin – Room 125
Fitness Club – Ms. Fitzgerald – Fitness Room
Game Club–Ms. Baker-Library GRADE 6
Power Hour – Ms. Panneton – Room 213B
Thursday - April 17th
Art Club–Ms. Annunziata–Room 4 GRADE 5 - GROUP 5A TODAY ONLY
Festival Band - Mr. Linsner-Band Room
Intramurals-Mr. McCarthy-GYM-GRADE 6 TODAY
Stand-Up Parker -Ms. Reinert–Conf. Room 5
Yoga-Ms.Macallister-Fitness Room
SAVE THE DATE!
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.
PARKER ATTENDANCE
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.
CHELMSFORD MIDDLE SCHOOL "SHOWBOAT"
FROM PARKER PTO
New information please read!
Parker PTO is working hard to create and promote community building activities for our students, staff and middle school families. We have lots of fun spring activities to do in the upcoming weeks. Check out a few highlights below:
🏈 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
👟 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
🏒 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
⚾ 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! Less than 100 tickets currently available for purchase. 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
🎤 Lions' Middle School Showboat You won't want to miss this amazing talent show starring our very own middle school students grades 5-8! The Chelmsford Middle School Showboat talent show is happening on Saturday, May 10th at the CHS Performing Arts Center (PAC), with two shows. Fifth and sixth grade will take the stage from 5 to 6:30 p.m., and seventh and eighth grade will perform from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tickets link will be available soon! Contact Showboat Director and parent, Karyn Crouthamel at lionsmiddleschoolsshowboat@gmail.com
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
WHAT'S FOR LUNCH?
Click on the link below to view the APRIL Lunch Menu:
https://www.schoolnutritionandfitness.com/webmenus2/#/view?id=67c5e271d6096357206a14af&siteCode=3370Parker Middle School
Email: robinsond@chelmsford.k12.ma.us
Website: https://parker.chelmsfordschools.org/
Location: 75 Graniteville Road
Phone: 978-251-5133