Dear Center Community,

Each year, the Rotary Club of Chelmsford generously donates dictionaries to all of our third grade students as part of the Dictionary Project. Their mission is of this program is to assist all students in becoming good writers, active readers, creative thinkers, and resourceful learners by providing them with their own personal dictionary. The dictionaries are a gift to each student to use at school and at home for years to come. Educators see third grade as the dividing line between learning to read and reading to learn, so the organization encourages their sponsors to give dictionaries each year to children in the third grade.

Our K students enjoyed welcoming Pumpernickel Puppets performance. In order for these wonderful enrichment opportunities to continue, the PTO is looking for volunteers They can't provide the programs without your participation. Please open the PTO Pulse below to see how you can help.

Center Chirps:

• Nurse Felzani is in need of small pants (sizes 4/5 and 6/7) for the nurses' office and would gladly take outgrown clothes that anyone is willing to donate.

Given that next week is a short one, our next chat will be published on Friday, December 6th. Enjoy the holiday!

Warm Regards,

Dianna and Donna

Reversing letters and numbers, such as writing "b" instead of "d" or flipping digits, is a common part of early learning and often a normal stage of development. To better understand which reversals are developmentally appropriate we encourage parents and educators to read the handout in the button below. It offers practical tips for helping children overcome these challenges in a supportive and stress-free way. Remember, reversals are not always a sign of a bigger issue—sometimes they’re just part of the process of learning!

The holidays are right around the corner! Resources for holiday support are now available. Any families who can benefit from additional support should reach out to Sarah West, School Counselor, via email at wests@chelmsford.k12.ma.us. A few local Chelmsford community programs generously provide help for the holidays and Sarah West can help coordinate this with any family in need.

Forms for Beacon Santa (Due 10/31), Secret Santa (Due 11/8) are attached at the bottom of this newsletter and paper copies are available in the main office at Center. Please note the individual deadlines for form submissions as they are approaching soon. "

Thank you

Sarah West

November

• Wednesday, November 27: Early release - Thanksgiving recess

• Thursday, November 28: No School (Thanksgiving)

• Friday, November 29: No School

December

• Monday, December 2: Special Educators appreciation day!

• Monday, December 2: Be Kind Spirit Wear day

• Friday, December 6: Gr 1-4 Teacher deadline for posting grades

• Friday, December 6: PTO co-president’s meeting; 9:15-10:15

• Monday, December 9-13: Gift Room

• Wednesday, December 11: Gr 1-4 grades available online for parents/guardians

• Thursday, December 12: Half day/Conferences

• Friday, December 20: Chelmsford Spirit Day

• Winter Recess: December 23 - January 3

At Center School, there are a number of free and reduced cost programs and donations, offered throughout the year, for example, free backpacks and school supplies, gift cards, holiday support, Thanksgiving meals etc. If these resources would be helpful, please fill out the attached 2 question form This information is confidential and will remain exclusively with the administration. You will not need to provide any additional documentation and we will reach out as options arise. Please contact Mrs. Fulreader if you have any questions.

https://forms.gle/zotYEnqVWCjcuuii8

This year, and moving forward, Massachusetts is offering all school lunch and breakfast at no charge to students. This does not automatically make families eligible for any other benefits. We strongly encourage families that feel they are eligible for transportation or extended day reduced tuition to fill out the online free and reduced meal application. The links can be found below. https://cpsnutrition.com/index.php?sid=1478035692058&page=lunchapps

If you do qualify for benefits you most likely will be eligible for SNAP benefits. https://www.mass.gov/snap-benefits-formerly-food-stamps

Some examples of SNAP benefits are discounts on gas, electric utilities and internet services.

Please visit our school nutrition website at https://cpsnutrition.com/index.php?sid=1478035692058 for more information about our program and also a link to the free and reduced lunch application.