Dear Center Community,

The sun certainly shone upon Center this week. It was great to get the students outside for learning and play. On Thursday, Center participated in the Read for the Record challenge. Please see the pictures above. Thank you to the Hastie family for donating the book to each of our classrooms so we could participate. Thanks also to the CSPTO for treating us to delicious homemade fall snacks on Thursday. What a "sweet" surprise. AND- thank you to Steve Callaghan, Mr. Woodman, all those who worked so hard to spread mulch on our playground! We are so fortunate to partner with such a dedicated, generous, and kind community.

Halloween

Just a reminder for Thursday, students can wear festive fall colors , no costumes please. One exception to this is our K students will wear their paper bags for the parade.

Trunk-or-Treat

What a wonderful turn out at Center's Trunk-or-Treat! Thank you to the many volunteers who organized the event and the families who created fun trunks and helped make it such a successful tradition. It was a beautiful day and fun was had by all! Many non-perishable items were collected for the food pantry and we truly appreciate all of the support.

Alice Drills

This week Center School practiced our ALICE drills and everyone did an amazing job! We will have two more before the school year ends and we will notify you of them a week in advance.

Lost and Found

Our lost and found at Center School is growing exponentially. In order to address this,

2 carts will be set up outside at dismissal for families to claim any lost items. In the future, please label your child's/childrens' clothing to help us in returning items.

Toys/Personal Items from Home

We kindly ask that students refrain from bringing toys and personal items, such as footballs, from home to school. These items often get lost and can cause distractions during the school day, as disputes arise over who gets to play with them. Recently, some students have been bringing footballs to recess that are too hard, leading to concerns about safety and the potential for injuries. Additionally, bringing personal footballs has sometimes led to exclusion of other students from games. Many thanks to Art Santos, our technology integration specialists, who donated some footballs until this order comes in. Thank you for your cooperation and support!

Help Still 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.

Enjoy the weekend.

Warm Regards,

Dianna and Donna

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

On SATURDAY, November 2nd (8am – 12pm) McCarthy & Center School PTOs are holding their very popular Recycle Day fundraiser, and they need volunteers!! Come help us greet drivers, unload donated items, and load those items into the recycle company's truck . All Middle & HS students are welcome to volunteer and earn up to 5 hours of community service. We also need parents to volunteer as well.

Signup at: https://signup.com/go/tJJQfMx

** Students 14 years and younger must have a parent/guardian volunteer with them**

We appreciate your support!!

October

• October 29 & 30th : 3rd grade field trips to Garrison House

• Thursday, October 31: K Paperbag parade

November

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

• Friday, November 1: Natasha Lowe author visit- 3rd grade
  

• 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

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

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

• Friday, November 15: Picture retake day

• 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

Fall has arrived and the start of the respiratory virus season will begin soon, including flu and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). COVID-19 continues to circulate as well.

We encourage all eligible staff, students and community members to get updated flu and COVID-19 vaccines. Getting these vaccines increases your chances of staying healthy this year and by extension, keeping our Center community healthier too!

Why should I get the vaccines?
Getting vaccinated is the best way to prevent illness and reduce the risk of severe disease and hospitalization. When you get vaccinated, you also protect the people around you, including those who are at higher risk of complications for respiratory illnesses.

Who should get the Flu, COVID-19, and RSV Vaccines?

• Flu - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends everyone ages 6 months and older get a flu shot every fall before the start of flu season. You can find more information about the flu and flu vaccine on the CDC website.

• COVID-19

• The CDC recommends that EVERYONE ages 6 months and older get a dose of the updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine. This is especially important if you are 65 years or older, at high risk for COVID-19, or have never been vaccinated.

• RSV

• The CDC recommends everyone aged 75 years or older receive an RSV vaccine.

• It is also recommended for people aged 60 or older with certain medical conditions. Please see the CDC website for a complete list of conditions.

• It is recommended for pregnant people who are 32 to 36 weeks during the months of September through January.

• The CDC recommends a one-time vaccine for RSV. You can find more information about RSV and the RSV vaccination on the CDC website.

Where can I get these vaccines?

We encourage patients to contact your PCP or local pharmacy to get vaccinated.

To find a local pharmacy for flu, RSV, or COVID-19 vaccines, you can go to vaccines.gov or, call 1-800-232-0233.

COVID-19 Tests & Updated Guidelines

Starting at the end of September, residential households in the U.S. can order four home rapid antigen COVID-19 tests for free at COVIDTests.gov.

The CPS Covid-19 protocols can be found on the CPS website: CPS COVID Health Protocols

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.