Principal Rubino's Weekly Update

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This week 8th grade students will take Science MCAS on Tuesday and Wednesday. While 8th grade students are taking the Science MCAS grades six and seven will take iReady Reading and iReady math - one on Tuesday and one on Wednesday.

Also this week, Parker Middle School hosts Open House and our Multicultural Night on Thursday from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. (Note: There is an early release for students that day at 12:30 p.m.) Both events happen simultaneously and we highly encourage you to stop into the cafeteria for the Multicultural Night before or after you visit your child's team area and classrooms. Team Leaders will be reaching out to you if they haven't already regarding the structure of the evening. Some teams ask families to sign up for a timeslot, while other teams encourage you to drop by when you are able. If you have any questions about the evening, please reach out to your child's team leader. If you are preparing food or bringing food for Multicultural Night, please ensure the food is labeled with ingredients. All food prepared and served should be peanut free and tree nut free.

On Wednesday, May 22, Dr. Story and I will host a Zoom meeting at 7 p.m. to discuss the new Pathway Exploratory classes and other changes to the schedule for the 2024/2025 school year. The Zoom link is below in the calendar updates. The meeting will be recorded and I will email the recording to families if you are unable to attend the live Zoom session.

Thanks to our families and staff for joining us at Parker Beautification and the Parker Family Fun Night. I truly enjoy when our community comes together in ways such as these as we welcome one another and join together in the spirit of inclusivity and kindness. Thank you, Parker PTO, for your help with organizing these events too.

Reminders from last week -

Sixth grade families, please mark your calendars for the 7th grade trip to Nature's Classroom - Wednesday, Oct. 23 - Friday, Oct. 25. More information will be sent via email soon!

Seventh grade families, the annual 8th grade Boston team building scavenger hunt and lunch cruise has been booked for Thursday, Oct. 17.

But the school year is not over yet...

Please see below for all the upcoming activities and join us when you can! I will continue to update the list, so please check back here for the most recent information.

Please read on for important dates for the week ahead and beyond.

This Week:

• Tuesday, May 21
• Grade 8 Science, Technology Engineering MCAS
• ELA iReady (grades 6 & 7 only)
• Wednesday, May 22
• Grade 8 Science, Technology Engineering MCAS
• Math iReady (grades 6 & 7 only)
• Cribbage Tournament - After school in the Parker cafeteria
• Pathway Exploratory & Schedule Zoom with Principal Rubino and Assistant Principal Story
• 7 p.m. via Zoom: https://readingpsma.zoom.us/j/83574723940
• Thursday, May 23
• Early Release for students (12:30 p.m.)
• Multicultural Night - During Open House 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. (note the time change to accommodate families!)
• Featuring food from Del Sur Empanadas and T'AHAPS 529
• Parker Open House - 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Looking Ahead

• Tuesday, May 28
• Grade 8 Civics Performance Task MCAS
• Wednesday, May 29
• Franklin Park Zoo Field Trip Grade 6 (Unity)
• Thursday, May 30
• Spring Concert Grade 6 at 6 p.m.
• Spring Concert Grade 7 at 7:45 p.m.
• 8th Grade Field Trip to Kimball Farm
• Friday, May 31
• Franklin Park Zoo Field Trip Grade 6 (Synergy)
• 2nd Act Performance - Grade 8 @ 1 p.m. (more info to come)
• Monday, June 3
• Grade 8 Civics End of Course MCAS
• Move Up Day - starting about 1 p.m.
• The RMHS Future Freshmen Night II is Monday, June 3rd at 6 - 7pm in the RMHS field house. The future freshmen will have a chance to meet the coaches, directors, conductors, advisers for clubs, sports teams etc.
  
• Wednesday, June 5
• Grade 8 Class Picture at 1 p.m.
• Thursday, June 6
• Spring Concert Grade 8 at 7 p.m.

Last Week of School

• Monday, June 10
• Field Day
• Talent Show
• School Council at 5:30 p.m. - in person and via Zoom
• Agenda
• https://readingpsma.zoom.us/j/85211218653
  
• PTO at 7 p.m. - in person and via Zoom
• https://readingpsma.zoom.us/j/89440949482
• Tuesday, June 11
• Field Day (rain date)
• Wednesday, June 12
• Science Expo Day - 8:15 to 12:30 p.m.
• All School Enrichment - Hagarmania Extreme Science at 1 p.m.
• Thursday, June 13
• Grade 8 Promotion Ceremony followed by the dance
• Ceremony begins at 6 p.m. and dance ends at 8:30 p.m.
• Friday, June 14
• Last Day of School - dismissal at 10:45 a.m.

To access the 2023-2024 District Calendar, click here.

To access the Cultural Holidays Calendar, click here.

Parker GSA students visited the teen room at the Reading Public Library after school to help create a display for Pride month. RMHS GSA also worked on it earlier in the month.

Parker Leaders & Parker Student Council in collaboration with the Parker PTO beautified the Parker grounds after school on Thursday. Students, staff, and families all worked together to mulch and plant flowers! It was a lot of fun and a great display of our core values- kindness, community, & personal best!

📌 PTO MEETING: Join us for our next meeting, Monday, June 10 at 7 p.m. at Parker Middle School and via Zoom. Take a sneak peek at our upcoming agenda. All are welcome!

📌 PTO ROLES: The Parker PTO is looking to fill a few coordinator roles for the next academic year and we’d love to have you join us. Grab a friend and volunteer together! Reach out for more information if you’d like to help plan:
Restaurant Night: Plan occasional restaurant nights with local eateries

8th Grade Activities: Help plan our celebration in the spring

Email to join the crew! parkerptopres@gmail.com

📌 STAFF APPRECIATION: It’s staff appreciation month and our chance to show our gratitude to the dedicated educators at Parker Middle School. While middle school teachers and staff may not typically receive gifts from families like in elementary school, we have the opportunity to honor them with tokens of our appreciation. THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR DONATIONS SO FAR!

A sneak peek of last Friday’s Succulents & Target Gift Card treat:

📌 PARKER BEAUTIFICATION: Thank you to all of the students and families who turned out to help with Parker Beautification Day last Thursday! The front of Parker has new mulch and flowers thanks to your donations and hard work!

📌 PARKER PTO SPRING FAMILY FUN NIGHT: Thank you to all of the Parker volunteers who helped set up, staff and clean up from our event on Friday night. A big thank you to Jay & Jorge, our fabulous night custodians, for all of their help. It was so wonderful to see so many future and current Parker families in attendance! The weather was beautiful for outdoor games and fun. We’ll see you again in the fall for our PTO Welcome Back Night. The ever-popular cotton candy machine will be back in action again!

SAVE THE DATE!

- 1ST DAY SCHOOL SUPPLIES: Coming soon! School supply kits for the next academic year will be on sale shortly.

- MULTICULTURAL NIGHT: Come join in this exciting new event! Families are encouraged to participate by sharing your background, Thursday, 5/23, 5-7pm. PTO is providing empanadas from Del Sur Empanadas in Reading!

- PARKER AT THE RED SOX: Tuesday, 6/4/24. Tickets sold in January.

- FIELD DAY: PTO is treating Parker to Richie’s Italian Ice during field day! Allergen-safe (GF, DF, dye-free available)

- HAGERMANIA (ALL-SCHOOL ENRICHMENT): Parker students will be treated to an Extreme Science program on Wednesday, June 12. They’re going to end the school year with a BANG! Check it out: https://hagermania.com/extreme-science-school-assembly/


📌 WAYS TO STAY CONNECTED:

Email: parkerptopres@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ParkerPTO
Instagram: @ParkerMSPTO
Parker PTO webpage: tinyurl.com/ParkerPTOpage - access all of our info, agendas and meeting minutes.

*REGISTRATION WILL OPEN MAY 20th FOR THE 2024 FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY PROGRAM*

• Season will begin on Wednesday, September 4th and will run for approximately 9 weeks

• Practices will take place every Mon/Wed/Fri from 3:15-4:20 pm at the Birch Meadow fields

• Participation in 3-4 inter-town cross country meets (schedule TBD)

• Participation in invitational meets, State Championship Meet and USATF meets (dependent on race organizer guidelines)

• Optional summer training runs at Memorial Park every Tuesday and Thursday morning from 8:15-8:45 am This program is open to Reading middle school boys and girls of all running abilities.

The primary purpose of the Middle School Cross Country team is to engage young runners who are interested in developing their skills in this sport. Focus will be on proper training, form and technique, core and other strengthening drills. BUT most of all, we have fun!

Prior experience is not required. However, student athletes should run enough over the summer to be able to sustain a minimum of 15-20 minutes of continuous running at the start of the season.

Please consider the following when determining whether or not to sign up your student athlete: Due to demand, this program has always had capacity constraints. So please ensure that your child will be able to balance this program with their other activities and be able to fully participate.

We plan to accept as many student athletes as possible. The program is run under the direction of Head Coach Dan Princic, along with Assistant Coaches Meghan Doyle, JC Honer and Laura LaFrancesca. Coach Princic brings over 20 years of coaching experience from middle school to the collegiate level.

The registration includes a full team uniform (for those who need it) and entry fees to all meets. Team registration is limited to ensure a quality experience for all runners. Register online starting May 20th at 7:00 pm at: https://go.teamsnap.com/forms/431640 For questions regarding registration or program details, please email forrmsxc@gmail.com.

RMHS Cheerleading tryouts will be in the RMHS Field House

6/4 from 5-7 pm

6/5 from 6-8 pm

6/6 from 6-8 pm

All students must register and be approved online to tryout. Here is the link for registration.

https://rmhs.reading.k12.ma.us/en-US/athletics-aa0594c3/how-to-register-for-sports-6db9e73e

Please contact Coach Angiolillo with any questions at kellypugliese615@gmail.com

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RMHS Dance Team tryouts (including 8th graders that will be attending Reading Memorial High School next year) will be in the Parker Middle School gym on

Tuesday June 11 from 3:30-5:00 pm

All students must register and be approved online to tryout. Here is the link for registration.

https://rmhs.reading.k12.ma.us/en-US/athletics-aa0594c3/how-to-register-for-sports-6db9e73e

Please contact Coach Smith with any questions at kristina.smith@reading.k12.ma.us

Click the photo above to register for a webinar to help families engage in conversations with their teens around mental health.

Parker Middle School is pleased to announce that we will be hosting a Multicultural night on Thursday, May 23rd from 6:30 - 8 p.m., which is the same night as Open House. Check out your child's classroom and then stop in to the fair. Our World Language teachers will have tables setup representing both Spanish and French speaking countries in the cafeteria. In addition, we would like to extend the opportunity for all students’ backgrounds to be on display as well by inviting families to participate if interested.

Please complete the attached google form Here if you would like to participate in either of the 2 options as follows:

• Display only - Students will create tri folds representing your country of origin for display in the cafeteria on multicultural night

• Display with Table Participation - Families will be provided their own table to introduce their country, culture and background to the school community through traditional clothing, flags, instruments, music, art, typical dishes, interesting facts, etc.. Students will create the tri fold display during advisory to assist.

Multicultural night is the perfect time to celebrate diversity and inclusion. Parents, students and teachers are all invited to be part of this exciting event!

If you have any questions, please reach out to Ms. Taranto or Ms. Santiago at maria.taranto@reading.k12.ma.us or jerika.santiago@reading.k12.ma.us

School Attendance: As you know, school attendance is extremely important and matters every day. In our attempt to communicate proactively with families regarding attendance, we have been sending out letters to families if your child has more than five absences (regardless of whether they are considered excused or unexcused). Absences are considered excused if your child is sick or has a medical appointment. We do ask families to provide documentation from your health care provider if there is an extended absence due to a medical reason. As we work through what works best to maintain this ongoing communication with families, we have decided to pilot a monthly attendance letter to all families. This letter will be sent through the portal at the beginning of the month and will outline all of your child’s absences. Assistant Principal Story will reach out to families directly to set up attendance meetings if your child has exceeded 10 absences.

Please mark your calendar for the following dates for MCAS testing:

• ELA 6 - 8: Tuesday, April 9 and Wednesday, April 10

• Math 6-8: Wednesday, May 15 and Thursday, May 16

• STE 8: Tuesday, May 21 and Wednesday, May 22

• Civics 8 performance task: Tuesday, May 28

• Civics 8 end of course test: Monday, June 3

It's important that students are present in school on the days of MCAS testing.

The Special Education Parent Advisory Council works for the understanding of, respect for, and support of, all children with special needs in the community (including ALL children on IEPs or 504 plans and children who may require specialized support). Watch this brief introductory video to learn more!

Visit the SEPAC WEBPAGE

Sign up for our mailing list

Follow SEPAC on Facebook or Instagram

Year-End Business Meeting:

The Reading SEPAC Board will hold an open, public business meeting and discussion on Tuesday, May 21st at 6pm via zoom. Please register to receive the zoom link.

If you attend only one SEPAC business meeting this year, this would be the one!

Tuesday, May 21, 6PM (Virtual)

• Special Education Budget overview presentation by Derek Pinto (Director of Finance and Operations)

• Changes between the 2023/24 and 2024/25 Special Education Budget

• Special Education Budget funding priorities for the next school year

• Opportunity for parents to ask questions

• Student Services updates on new school positions created last year

• Annual SEPAC survey results

• Pre-viewing and discussing SEPAC’s plans for 2024-25

• Family Leadership Program Series Overview

Please Click Here to Register for the SEPAC Business meeting. The zoom link will only be sent to registered individuals.

Tuesday, June 11, 11-1PM (In-person at Northern Bank’s Community room or join virtually)

Come have lunch with other SEPAC families and some members of the Reading SEPAC Board. For this month’s gathering, SEPAC will organize a special afternoon tea with sandwiches, scones, hot tea, and ice tea to celebrate the end of year. If you have a favorite cup & saucer you have been dying to use, this is a great opportunity to take it out of the cupboard. But even if you don’t, we will have plenty.

Feel free to bring a festive pastry of your choice or your own brown bag lunch, especially if you or your loved one has a special diet. Please bring your own non-alcoholic beverages if you will be joining us.

A picnic blanket will be set up with toys for any kids who want to join and don’t need a chair. Feel free to bring other toys your child wouldn’t mind sharing with others.

This will be an informal monthly gathering on the 2nd Tue of the month just to hang out with other SEPAC families.

Space is limited to 8 adult seats in person and unlimited virtually.

Please Click Here to Register for the June SEPAC Lunch Meetup.

SEPAC Annual Survey - Last week to respond:

Our annual survey will be open for one more week, closing on Tuesday, May 21.

If you haven’t already done so, please share your feedback on what SEPAC events you enjoyed and what more we can do to improve Reading SEPAC. Please fill out this brief, anonymous survey to help your SEPAC Board to plan for the 2024-2025 school year. It should only take a few minutes.

Past Events:

Recorded events that’s available on the Reading SEPAC Website:

The New IEP Presentation

Transition Presentation

• For parents and caregivers whose child has an IEP and will be transitioning (between schools, grades, levels, or are new to the school district)

Extended School Year (ESY) Presentation Recording

MCAS & Students with Disabilities Presentation

Multi Tiered System of Support (MTSS) Presentation Recording Available on the Reading SEPAC Website

• Review tiered system of supports and provide examples

• Outline effective communication channels with your team and school

***Should you wish to reach out to Reading SEPAC anonymously, please use this form

Recently, the MA DPH updated the COVID guidelines. Here are updated guidelines that pertain to staff and student absence who have any respiratory illness, including COVID.

You may begin to resume normal activities with precautions if:

1. You have not had a fever for at least 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medicines; AND
2. Your other symptoms are improving.

You may still be able to spread the virus that made you sick, even if you are feeling better.

For at least the first 5 days after you resume normal activities, take these extra precautions:

• Avoid crowded indoor spaces. Wear a mask anytime you are indoors around other people
• Wash your hands often with soap and warm water. If soap and water are not available, use hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol.
• Avoid spending time with people who are at increased risk for severe disease.

For the complete guidelines, go to this site.

"Since its founding during the peak of the Civil Rights Movement, the METCO program has enrolled tens of thousands of Boston students of color in predominately white school districts, creating the opportunity for those districts to experience the advantages of learning and working in a racially and ethnically diverse setting."

Principal

Dr. Jill Story

Assistant Principal

Email: rochelle.rubino@reading.k12.ma.us
Website: https://www.reading.k12.ma.us/parker/
Location: 45 Temple Street, Reading, MA, USA
Phone: 781-944-1236
Twitter: @WSParkerMS