Weekly Bulletin

Good afternoon Parker Families,

It has been great to get back to school after a well deserved Thanksgiving break. The students have been working hard and having fun. It is important that all students fully invest themselves in learning and applying new skills now that we are well into term 2 and routines and structures are well established. Please encourage your child to reach out to their teacher if they need additional academic support. December is always a busy and fun time at school and the season brings with it a good deal of excitement. This time of year can also produce its share of stress and anxiety. Please reach out if any support is needed.

Parent-Teacher Conferences

On Thursday December 7 we will be having our second round of parent-teacher conferences. Many of the slots have been filled up. The link to sign up is below: https://ptcfast.com/schools/Parker_Middle_School

Please make every effort to arrive on time as the time slots are consecutive. If you are late for your appointment then you will need to reschedule the conference for another day.

In School Winter Concert

We will be having a school wide winter concert during the school day on Thursday December 21. We will be walking to the CHS Performing Arts Center to hear students from all three musical ensembles (Chorus, Orchestra, and Band) perform for their teachers and peers. We will leave at the start of the day and return to school right after the concert. We are so excited to celebrate these budding musicians!

Second Step

We continued our social emotional curriculum with our units on Emotion Management for Grade 5 and Bullying and Harassment for Grade 6 this week. It has been heartening to observe the thoughtful discussions our students are having around these important topics. We invite you to discuss these lessons with your child.

Grade 5

Emotion Management

Students continued to work on managing emotions and discussed strategies to cope with difficult circumstances.

Question

Talk to your child about strategies you have employed to cope with missing someone who may be away for an extended period.

Grade 6

Standing Up and Staying Safe

Summary

In this week’s lesson, your child will evaluate each upstander strategy (speaking up, offering support, and telling a trusted adult) in depth, with an emphasis on safety. They’ll evaluate the safety of each upstander strategy in different situations and consider their own level of comfort with each strategy.

Question

Tell your child about a time you used one of these strategies in your life recently. Tell them how you decided which strategy to use.

Have a great week everyone!

IMPORTANT DATES:

Thursday-December 7th - Early Release Day dismissal at 11:10

Thursday-December 7th - Parent/Teacher Conferences

Monday December 25th-Monday January 1st-Winter Break

Tuesday, January 2nd - School Resumes

Order your 2024 Parker School Yearbook today and help your student remember the year forever. For ordering information click on link: www.yearbookforever.com

Reminder to Parker Families - BRRR!!! Cold weather is rolling in....Parker students will still be going outside for recess/outside break. Please remember to BUNDLE UP, warm coats, hats and gloves are recommended.

A big THANK YOU to National Carpet and Flooring for their generous donation to Parker Middle School Band Classes. We really appreciate it!! ~Mr. Linsner

Our after-school programs will start on Tuesday, October 17th. The Activity Fee is $50 per student. PLEASE CLICK ON LINK My School Bucks or send in cash or check 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.

AFTER SCHOOL CLUBS & ACTIVITIES & LATE BUSES

Our after-school programs will start on Tuesday, October 17th. The Activity Fee is $50 per student. PLEASE CLICK ON LINK My School Bucks or send in cash or check 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. Please see the attachments below for details and descriptions

Tuesday - October 24th

Tuesday - December 5th

Art Club - Ms. Annunziata-Room 4 - Grade 6 today

Book Club - Ms. Beaudoin - Room 125

Drama Club-Ms. Robertson/Mr. Chase/Ms. Sparks - Room 230

Intramurals-GYM-Mr. Sullivan/Ms. Clark/Mr. McCarthy- Grade 5-check google classroom

Homework Club-Ms. Larrabee/Ms. Morse - Library

Jazz Band-Mr. Linsner-Band Room

Running Club- Ms. Figucia-Mr. Felzani-Cafeteria

Stand-Up Parker - Ms. Cranney - Room 110

Student Council - All students welcome

Wednesday - December 6th

Fitness Room (Health & Wellness)-Ms. Wilson-in the Fitness Room

Intramurals-GYM-Mr. Sullivan/Ms. Clark/Mr. McCarthy-Grade 6-check google classroom

Homework Club-Ms. Larrabee/Ms. Morse - Library

Jewelry Making - Ms. Lagou-Statholopoulos - Room 240

Yoga Club/Mindfulness-Ms. MacAllister-Room 123

Thursday - December 7th

No Clubs - Early Release - dismissal at 11:10 a.m.

Hello Parker Parents!

Parker Craft Fair: Parker PTO is proud to present our 3rd Annual Craft Fair on Sunday, December 3rd 10:00 AM- 2:00 PM. Stop by our school and shop over 35 local vendors. This is a GREAT opportunity to get a jump start on your holiday shopping and support local businesses. Adult and student vendors are welcome to join the fun. Table spaces are $30 + one raffle donation for adult vendors and $10 + one raffle donation for student vendors. Click link to sign up: https://givebutter.com/jt6Axk

Cookie Stroll: Do you love baking and decorating? Parker PTO will be putting together a cookie stroll for our December staff appreciation. The teacher's room will be transformed into a cookie shop with delicious treats from our families. This activity will occur the week of December 18th. Be on the lookout for The Cookie Stroll sign up in the upcoming weeks.

If you have any questions, please reach out to: PTOparker@gmail.com

As always, thank you for your continued support of our Parker Middle School community!

Parker PTO

To report a Student Absent:

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.

Thank you for your understanding.

Email: robinsond@chelmsford.k12.ma.us
Website: https://parker.chelmsfordschools.org/
Location: 75 Graniteville Road
Phone: 978-251-5133