Parker Post

It was wonderful seeing so many families at conferences this past Friday. For those who participated, we would love for you to share your feedback via the survey linked below and here.

This coming week is a full week of school (the only full week in November!), followed by a short week due to the Thanksgiving holiday. The Parker Leaders are collecting food donations for the Reading Food Pantry to support the community during the holiday season. If you are able to contribute, we are asking students to donate at least one of the items on the list. Students can bring in the item(s) to their homeroom through Monday, November 25th.

We are collecting the following items:

Thanksgiving Items:

• Boxed stuffing mix (like Stovetop)

• Instant mashed potatoes in boxes or packets.

• Jars of turkey gravy or dried gravy mix packets.

• Dry macaroni.

• Canned yams (canned goods should come with a pop-top lid)

• Canned cranberry sauce.

• Canned veggies (green beans, corn, peas)

• Cornbread mix.

Other General Needed Items:

• Microwave Popcorn

• Cookie Packages (Chips Ahoy, Oreos, Milano, Nutter Butter)

• Hot Cocoa Package Box

• Crackers

• Tissue Boxes

• Paper Towels

• Toilet Paper

Thank you in advance for your support!

In partnership,

Jill Story

Principal

THE WEEK AHEAD:

Author Jessie Janowitz visits Parker (6th graders) - 11/20

Parker Math Team Meet @ Stoneham - 11/21

ON THE HORIZON:

Early Dismissal (10:45 a.m. dismissal) - 11/27

Thanksgiving Recess: NO SCHOOL - 11/28 & 11/29

Early Release (12:30 p.m. dismissal) - 12/6

PTO Meeting - 12/9, 7 p.m.

Musical Auditions - 12/9 & 12/10

Musical Call Backs - 12/16

Grade 8 Concert - 12/12

Grades 6 & 7 Concerts - 12/17

Grade 7 Christmas Carol Field Trip - 12/18

Thank you to those families who participated in our first middle school caregiver conferences this past Friday. We would greatly appreciate your feedback via this anonymous survey so that we can better identify what went well and what we can modify for future conferences. The survey will be open through Friday, November 22nd.

This year's 8th graders are enrolled in the new pathways exploratory courses, due in part to the My Career and Academic Plan (MyCAP) funding made available through DESE. Students have the opportunity to take up to four different exploratories--Civic Action Project, Clean Energy, Engineering, and Public Heath--which are aligned to RMHS's Innovation Pathways and provide students with exposure to various disciplines and fields. Students in Nancy Fowke's Civic Action class last quarter successfully advocated for a compost bin at Parker. Way to go, Sadie, Caleigh, and Om for getting this project off the ground! Thank you, Mrs. Fowke, for helping to advise these students on how to make a difference in their community!

Please see the attached document for information about how to request transcripts and letters of recommendation if your child is applying to private or technical schools.

Sign up for the Walk it like you ROCKET RMHS 5K! on 11/24 Two options to race: a 5K and a fun run!

*All proceeds raised will go directly to the RMHS senior class and all the fun senior activities, i.e. prom, senior week, and graduation.

We will have two different races scheduled: a true 5k and an age 10 and under ½ mile fun run! We encourage the whole family to participate!

Here are a few details about the fundraiser:

• Event Date: Sunday November, 24th
• Start Time: 8:30 AM 10&U and 9:00 5K
• Location: Birch Meadow Elementary School (27 Arthur B Lord Dr.)
• Registration Fee: $15 Fun Run & $30 5k

Link to Register: https://runsignup.com/Race/MA/Reading/WalkItLikeYouRocket

Kick off your holiday season on Saturday and Sunday, December 7th and 8th by visiting Reading Education Foundation’s (REF) 22nd annual Festival of Trees, a winter wonderland of decorated holiday trees donated by local families, organizations, businesses and schools that festival visitors can win for themselves! This signature REF fundraising event, held at Reading’s Parker Middle School, is a magical and memorable community holiday tradition for adults and children of all ages. Fun can be had for all ages while raising money that REF provides to the Reading schools through teacher-initiated grants. There is local entertainment throughout both days including live performances by school choruses, bands and local groups. Food trucks will be outside selling items at the event. Lucky winners of tree raffles will be selected at closing on Sunday night.

Tree Donations

REF has a goal of 100 donated trees this year – please consider donating one! We welcome trees from PTO’s, grade levels, groups and staff. This is a great way to showcase the creativity and curriculum of the Reading Public Schools. You don’t need to spend a lot on a tree – just a fun theme and a few gift cards or small tokens (especially from our local businesses) are all you need. Remember, you don’t even need a tree as we’ve seen hockey sticks, bookcases and other itemS serve as a “tree”. If you are interested in donating a tree please email us at reftreedonor@gmail.com and include the following:

- Name of Tree Donor

- Contact information & phone number

- Tree Name

Advanced Ticket Sales Are Open

Raffle tickets purchased in advance will be preprinted with purchaser’s raffle number on the back, saving patrons the time and hassle of entering their personal information. Visit readingef.org to purchase tickets.

REF, non-profit foundation, is committed to supporting innovation and excellence in the Reading Public Schools. REF’s goal is to enhance and increase educational opportunities for all Reading students by providing funds for projects that go beyond the scope of traditional classroom learning. To learn more about REF, advance sales, opportunities to donate a tree, and see a schedule of events, visit the REF website at www.readingef.org.

📌 PTO MEETING: Please join us for our next PTO meeting, Monday, December 9 at 7 p.m. at Parker Middle School and via zoom. Take a sneak peek at our upcoming agenda. All are welcome!

📌 DONATION REQUEST: Check out what the Parker PTO accomplished last year! All of this was entirely made possible because of family donations.

📌 THANK YOU: We appreciate the Parker families that have submitted their PTO donations for matching gifts through their companies totalling over $550 in extra funds for the Parker PTO! Please consider checking with your employer as to whether your PTO donation can be matched as this provides extra funds that the PTO can put towards enrichment and activities for this school year.

📌 HOLIDAY PIE SALE PICK UP: Thank you to our Parker community for donating 50 pies to the Reading Food Pantry for Thanksgiving!! We are so grateful for your generosity.

All purchased pies can be picked up from the Parker Lobby Tuesday, November 26th, from 5pm to 7pm. This will be the ONLY available time to get your pies as we have no way to store them.

📌 PARKER PTO FESTIVAL OF TREES DONATION: Once again the Parker PTO is participating in the 2024 Festival of Trees. This year's theme is based on the Parker Drama spring musical, "Curtains," which is a murder mystery comedy set in 1960's Boston. This is a fun theme to work with! There are a couple ways you can help us make this year's tree a success:

1. Purchase an item from our amazon wish list (it will be sent directly to us!): https://tinyurl.com/ParkerFOT24

2. Make a monetary contribution on Give Butter (link below) for us to purchase Gift Cards to local Reading businesses. We are looking for monetary donations to purchase these gift cards:

$25 to Bagel World

$25 to Whitelam Books

$25 to Perfectos

$25 to Pizza World

$25 to Nella's Pizza

$25 to Fat Larry's

$25 to Cal's

$25 to Cupcake City

$25 to Calaresso's

Sign up here to donate: https://givebutter.com/Curtains

Please make all donations by December 1 so that we have time to get any last minute items before set up on the 6th! We hope to see you at the Festival of Trees December 7th & 8th!

Thank you for your support,

Julie Sheeran & Alicia Weaver

📌 CHARLESTON WRAP: The Charleston Wrap sale is open now through 12/4! https://tinyurl.com/ParkerCharlestonWrap24

Shop online for upcoming holidays, gift wrap, candles, eco-friendly items, personalized gifts, kitchen items, gourmet snacks and more. A portion of all sales will be donated to Parker. Shop now and items are delivered after ordering - no waiting for the end of the sale!

📌 SAVE THE DATE!

• SUN, 11/9 - W, 12/4 CHARLESTON WRAP SALE: Gift wrap for all occasions, candles, home decor and more! https://tinyurl.com/ParkerCharlestonWrap24
• PARKER PTO’S FESTIVAL OF TREES SUBMISSION: Help the PTO outfit our awesome Festival of Trees tree donation. Donate by 12/1. https://tinyurl.com/ParkerFOT24 and https://givebutter.com/Curtains
• W, 11/20: Author Jessie Janowitz visits Parker 6th graders! https://www.jessiejanowitz.com/
• T, 11/26, 5-7pm: Pick up purchased holiday pies in the Parker Lobby.
• M, 12/9: PTO Meeting, 7pm. In person and zoom.

📌 WAYS TO STAY CONNECTED:

• Email: parkerptopres@gmail.com
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/ParkerPTO
• Instagram: @ParkerMSPTO, www.instagram.com/parkermspto
• Parker PTO webpage: tinyurl.com/ParkerPTOpage

To learn more about Reading SEPAC, please visit our website: Reading SEPAC Website

Should you wish to receive our monthly newsletter, please send an email to SEPACReading@gmail.com

Please note that Reading SEPAC IS OPEN TO ALL parents/caregivers and not only families who have a child with special needs as we offer various opportunities to connect with other families and provide learning experiences.

Recorded events that are still available on the Reading SEPAC Website:

• The Right to Read Panel Discussion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qw_oIuqkUt0
• The New IEP Presentation
• MCAS & Students with Disabilities Presentation
• Multi Tiered System of Support (MTSS) Presentation

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

Friends of Reading METCO invites you to our annual Holiday Brunch in Reading on 12/7/24, starting at 10.30am.

Friends of Reading METCO is a volunteer group of Boston and Reading parents, working together to make connections between families and support the METCO program in our District. Contact ilka@ilkawalkley.com if you’d like to know more.

On Saturday November 23, 2024 from 4:00pm-6:00pm, the Reading METCO team will be hosting a family fall event at V! Healthy in Boston. There will be activities such as pumpkin and apple decorating, arts and crafts, games, food, and drinks.

Please register here.

If you need to connect with your child's teachers, please reach out to the Team Leader as the primary point of contact. Team Leaders will be communicating regularly with families throughout the year.

TEAM LEADERS:

Team Synergy - Jane Costa (jane.costa@reading.k12.ma.us)

Team Unity - Elisabeth Bean (elisabeth.bean@reading.k12.ma.us)

Team Justice - Andrew Spinali (andrew.spinali@reading.k12.ma.us)

Team Integrity - Steve Olivo (steve.olivo@reading.k12.ma.us)

Team Inspire - Julie Merrill (julie.merrill@reading.k12.ma.us)

Team Endeavor - Brian James (brian.james@reading.k12.ma.us)

On Wednesdays, students will have Advisory. During Advisory, students meet in smaller groups with an assigned Advisory teacher. The goal is to foster a sense of belonging for all students through the implementation of curriculum that is designed to reinforce Parker's core values of kindness, community, and personal best.

Please be aware that any medication must be brought in by parents and signed in with a nurse, with the exception of epipens and inhalers which may be brought in by students. Please note that all medications require a physician order and parent consent. You may upload any medical documentation, including copies of orders and physicals, privately through the health portal here. Please see illness guidelines here. If you have any medical questions that you would like to discuss with the nurse, please contact kate.shmulsky@reading.k12.ma.us.

Health Services Updates: The Health Services Department would like to share some important reminders. Parents/guardians/caregivers should review the RPS illness guidelines here. If your child requires medication at school, including an Epipen or inhaler, ensure you complete and submit this form. Reading Public Schools utilizes the SNAP Health Portal for electronic health records, allowing secure uploading of medical documents and private messaging with school nurses; an email has been sent to parents with login details and the portal can be accessed here.

Access to the portal can be found on the Parker website (https://parker.reading.k12.ma.us/en-US) by clicking on the PlusPortals button. Your username should be your personal email. If you have questions about your account, please contact Linnea Frye: linnea.frye@reading.k12.ma.us

Jill Story, Principal

Email: jill.story@reading.k12.ma.us

Beth Simpson, Assistant Principal

Email: beth.simpson@reading.k12.ma.us

Website: Walter S. Parker Middle School
Location: 45 Temple Street