Dear Center Community,

What an action-packed week at Center School!

We kicked things off with BINGLO on Tuesday. This annual event continues to be a big hit, being sold out again this year. We thank the organizers and all those who offered experiential prizes. Next year, a plan is in place to have three sessions so no one will have to miss out.

Wednesday, we had a wonderful PRIDE Assembly organized and presented by our fourth-grade students. The community learned about RESPECT, and everyone joined in singing R-E-S-P-E-C-T together—it was a fantastic moment!

Students also enjoyed two exciting enrichment opportunities: Let’s Make Sense for first grade and Dig It for second grade, both engaging and educational experiences.

A huge thank you to our amazing PTO for the thoughtful Valentine's socks and candy for our teachers! It was also heartwarming to see our community donning their pink, red, and heart-themed outfits as they celebrated Valentine’s Day together.

It was a wonderful week of learning, community, and fun!

Emergency Notification System and ALICE drills scheduled

On Thursday, we introduced our new emergency alert notification system to staff and students. To enhance safety, lights and speakers have been installed in key areas of the building where large groups gather, such as the cafeteria and gym, where it may be more difficult to hear announcements.

In the event of an emergency and some drills, an administrator will activate the system with both visual and audio alerts. Specific colors will illuminate on the system, and a message will be broadcast in those locations to provide clear instructions.

Students and staff had the opportunity to see and hear how the system works today, helping to ensure everyone is familiar with its purpose and operation.

Our second ALICE drill will be held the week of February 24 - February 28. Students did a great job during our first drill and teachers will review expectations prior to the second one. We will notify families once the drill has been completed.

As always, the safety of our school community remains our top priority. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

Taste of Chelmsford Raffle Tickets Now On Sale

The CSPTO is excited to announce the Taste of Chelmsford calendar raffle!

This February, tickets for the Taste of Chelmsford Calendar Raffle are on sale for $25, with only 1,000 tickets available! We're raffling off over $6,000 worth of prizes from Chelmsford-area restaurants and small businesses. Drawings will take place every day in March, and each ticket can win multiple times! Purchase multiple tickets to increase your chances of winning

See prize details and purchase your raffle tickets today at: www.tasteofchelmsford.com

Enjoy the break. The next update will be shared on February 28th.

Warm Regards,

Dianna and Donna

Students in 4O vote for the 2024 Center School Caldecott winner, best artwork in a picture book.

Center School favorites:

Cherry Mo for Home in a Lunchbox

Deborah Freedman for Partly Cloudy

And local winner Ryan T for CATerpillar!

Robert Smalls was a hero who showed incredible bravery. Born into slavery in 1839, he made history during the Civil War when he took control of a Confederate ship and sailed himself, his family, and other enslaved people to freedom. He later became a U.S. Congressman, working to improve education and rights for African Americans. Smalls’ story is a powerful reminder of those who came before us who showed their PRIDE. Mr. Smalls persevered and was dedicated to his fight for freedom. His legacy continues to inspire people of all ages to stand up for what is right!

The cold/flu season is upon us at Chelmsford Public Schools. We want to keep your children and our teachers healthy. Here are some ways we can work together to decrease the spread of illness.

• Wash hands frequently, especially before eating. If handwashing is not available, use hand sanitizer instead.

• Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or cough into sleeve not your hand. If you can't control when/where you cough/sneeze, wear a mask instead.
• Keep your child home when sick (Symptoms such as fever cough, sore throat, bad headache, body aches, or chills)

• Keep your child home with a temperature of 100 degrees or higher. Your child can return to school after their temp is < 100 for 24 hours without any fever reducing medicine AND when your child is feeling well enough to participate in normal activities.

• Keep your child home from school if they have vomiting and/or diarrhea. Your child can return to school 24 hours after his/her last vomiting and/or diarrhea episode and they are feeling well enough to participate in normal activities.

Any symptoms that persist or worsen should be evaluated by a primary care physician. Please notify our offices if your student is diagnosed with the flu by their doctor.

In addition to academics, we know students are very busy with sports and activities. Please do not send your student to school sick! This is for your child’s benefit and for the benefit of other students, teammates, and staff.

**** It is not too late to get the Flu Vaccine****

CHELMSFORD STUDENT HOUSEHOLDS

Whether you live in a single-family home, a duplex or condex, a condominium, or an apartment, sign up for your NO COST Mass Save Energy audit here:

***Mass Save program is only available to residents in condos/apartments that are 4 units or less.

www.HWE.Works/Chelmsford. Enter the name of your student's school In the REFERRAL CODE on the form.

After your audit is complete, the town energy audit team will donate $25 to the Council of Chelmsford Schools (CoCS).

Help the Council of Chelmsford Schools, a 501(c) organization composed of all of the PTOs in the Chelmsford School District, and at the same time Improve your home energy efficiency. You can have a Mass Save® energy audit every 2 years with incentives recently increased.

The Chelmsford Clean Energy and Sustainability Committee is promoting this program as part of a town- wide effort to improve our home energy efficiency campaign.

On Thursday, March 6th we will have a Pajama Day for students and staff to celebrate National School Breakfast Week. The nutrition department will serve a “breakfast for lunch” on the menu that day.

This year, students across the Commonwealth will be taking The Next- Generation MCAS for our annual standardized state testing. All students in Chelmsford will be taking the computer-based assessment using Chromebooks. Please mark your calendars for the important dates below. We strongly encourage all students to be present and on time these days. If your child is sick, we will have make-up sessions so that they are able to take the assessments when they are able to show their personal best work.

Chelmsford is fortunate to have access to iReady to support student learning. Students have access to this learning tool at home. Please reach out to your teacher if you have difficulty logging on. There is much research to support enhanced student achievement on MCAS when using this valuable tool. Please press here for more information.

ELA MCAS TESTING:

Grade 3

Monday, April 7th, 3rd Grade – Session 1

Tuesday, April 8th, 3rd Grade– Session 2

Grade 4:

Wednesday, April 9th, 4th Grade – Session 1

Thursday April 10th, 4th Grade– Session 2

Math MCAS TESTING:

Grade 4:

Monday May 12th, 4th Grade– Session 1

Tuesday May 13th, 4th Grade– Session 2

Grade 3:

Wednesday May 14th , 3rd Grade – Session 1

Thursday May 15th, 3rd Grade – Session 2

Links:

http://i-readycentral.com/familycenter/

https://www.curriculumassociates.com/research-and-efficacy

Chelmsford Public Schools - 4th-Grade Instrument Test Drive

Saturday, March 1st from 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM at Chelmsford High School

Fourth-grade musicians, the annual instrument test drive is coming up on March 1st!

This is an excellent opportunity to try the band and orchestra instruments to help you make an informed decision when selecting your fifth-grade class.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out with questions about fifth-grade music class options.

Mr. McGillicuddy

mcgillicuddyc@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

Bravo! Congratulations, ChoralFest Participants!

As always, Center School was represented well at Chelmsford’s Annual ChoralFest! Thank you to our participating students and families.

Here is the concert recording.

February

• Taste of Chelmsford- tickets on sale for a March draw

• February 17 - 21: February Recess

March

• Saturday, March 1: Grade 4 Instrument Test Drive, 9-11

• Monday, March 3: Be Kind Spirit Wear day

• March 3- 7: Community Read-In -to be confirmed

• Wednesday, March 5, Annual K-12 Youth Art Month Exhibit Reception, CPL 5-6 PM

• Tuesday, March 11: Gr 1-4 Term 2 End of Marking period

• Wednesday, March 12: Half day/Professional day

• Wednesday, March 12: Lunch and Recess Aide mtg: 9:15 - 10:15

• Wednesday, March 12: Science Fair; 6:30-8:00

• Friday, March 14: Chelmsford Spirit Day

• Wednesday, March 19, CSPTO mtg Center Library, 6:30-7:30

• Friday, March 21: World Down Syndrome Day

• Friday, March 21: Gr 1-4 T2 Teacher deadline for posting grades

• Wednesday, March 26: Gr 1-4 T2 Grades available online for parent/guardian

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.