Dear Center Community,

We enjoyed watching some surprise guests on the playground this week.

Staff Updates

We were thrilled to welcome back Ishita Thakur and Gabriela May as math interventionists and Marsha Gilmore as a reading interventionist this week. They are able to provide general education support to our students in these respective areas through May.

Volunteers Needed

Looking for a way to help out but have limited time and can't make it into the school? Katie LaRochelle needs some assistance preparing some project folders for students. Please email her at larochellek@chelmsford.k12.ma.us if you are able to donate a couple of hours of your time.

School Council Opening

Center School, as required by law, has a school council composed of staff members, parents, and a member of the community, if one is available. There should be an equal number of parents and staff members, not including administrators. If there are more interested candidates than openings the PTO holds an election so parents can choose their representatives.

The council works with school administrators to adopt educational goals for the school that are consistent with local educational policies and statewide student performance standards, identify the educational needs of students attending the school, review the annual school building budget, and formulate a school improvement plan.

We have one opening on the council currently. If you are interested in joining, please email me a biography and I will share these with the community so you can select a person to serve on the council. Council members typically serve a three year term. Meetings are held approximately 5 times during the year and are held on Thursdays from 4-5 PM.

Support Available

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

Have a great weekend.

Warm Regards,

Dianna and Donna

October

• Friday, October 4: co-president’s meeting 9:15-10:15

• Monday, October 7: Be Kind Spirit Wear day

• Wednesday, October 9: K fieldtrip to Parlee Farms

• Thursday, October 10: Ice cream social; 5:00-6:00 & 6:00-7:00 (cafe for inclement weather)

• Thursday, October 10: 1st Grade Field Trip to Discovery Museum
  

• Friday, October 11: 1st Grade Field Trip to Discovery Museum

• Monday, October 14: No School (Columbus day/Indigenous peoples day)

• Friday, October 18: Chelmsford Spirit Day

• Saturday, October 19: Trunk-or-Treat; 1:00-3:00 PM (rain date Oct. 26th)

• Monday, October 21, Picture Day

• Thursday, October 24: Half day/Professional day

• Thursday, October 24: Lunch and Recess Aide mtg: 9:15 - 10:15

• Thursday, October 24: Read for the Record Day, Piper Chen SIngs

November

• Assess by 11/22: Gr 1-4 Opinion Writing Prompt (located in the K-4 Curriculum Drive)

• Friday, November 1: PTO co-president’s meeting 9:15-10:15

• Saturday, November 2: Recycle day; 8:00-12:00

• Monday, November 4: Be Kind Spirit Wear day

• Tuesday, November 5: No School - Professional development day

• Friday, November 8: Picture retake day

• Monday, November 11: No School (Veteran’s day)

• Wednesday, November 13: CSPTO meeting; 6:30-7:30 PM

• Tuesday, November 19: Optional Curriculum Drop-In 8-8:45am in Library

• Wednesday, November 20: Half day (Elementary and MS only)

• Friday, November 22: Chelmsford Spirit Day

• Wednesday, November 27: Early release - Thanksgiving recess

• Thursday, November 28: No School (Thanksgiving)

• Friday, November 29: No School

Injuries, big and small, are a normal part of life for school-aged children. Adults can help children to develop resilience and self-care skills by the way we respond to injuries.

In her 2022 article, Sarah Wallwork shares 5 tips for adult caregivers. 5 Tips for building kids' resilience after minor injuries

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For more serious injuries, children need to be evaluated by a medical professional, but these useful tips still apply to more serious injuries as well.

If your child has an injury during the school year, Please be aware of the CPS guidelines for returning to school after injury:

Please keep students home after any major injury (i.e. ER visits, concussions, fractures, sprains, stitches, etc.) until they are checked out by a doctor and cleared to return to school.

• Students who come to school with casts, stitches, or splints will not be able to participate in PE or outdoor recess without a doctor's note. Notes should include the type of injury, any limitations or allowance to participate in activities, and state when they may return to full physical activities. If the student requires medical treatment in school after an injury, the note should include this information as well.

*Parent/guardian wishes may not supersede this medical prescription.

**Students who have been on activity restrictions will need another doctor’s note when they have been cleared to return to normal/full activity at school.

• A doctor’s note is also required for students to come to school with a cane, crutches, wheelchair or an assistive device such has a walking boot. This note needs to indicate if the student can or cannot use the stairs.

All the CPS health policies can be found on the district website: https://chelmsfordschools.org/departments/health-services/health-policies/

As always, please reach out with any questions or concerns.

Take care,

Nurse Rose

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.