Hello Families,

With the upcoming Book Fair, Spring has certainly sprung and with it a wide variety of events and enrichments on the horizon.

Please consider volunteering to help organize or share in running an upcoming event. It is a great way to get involved and you will have the pleasure of giving back to our wonderful South Row community.

As a reminder, this upcoming Wednesday, March 12th is an early release day for teacher professional development. Students are dismissed at 11:45am. Please mark your calendars accordingly, and let your child's teacher, Mrs. O'Neill (oneilld@chelmsford.k12.ma.us) and Mrs. Sepe (sepek@chelmsford.k12.ma.us) know of any changes to their dismissal plans.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Respectfully,

Terri and Jayson =)

Monday, March 10th

• Community Teamwork Donation continues this week

Tuesday, March 11th

• End of Term 2 - Grades 1-4
• Try it Tuesday - dried cranberries

Wednesday, March 12th

• Early Release Day - Staff Professional Development - students dismissed at 11:45am
• Book Buddies, Duncan/Bullock classes

• Reminders for Early Release Days:

  • Students are dismissed at 11:45am
  • Car dismissals should adhere to the following times
  1. Last names A-G- 11:40-11:45am
  2. Last names H-N- 11:45-11:50am
  3. Last names O-Z- 11:50-11:55am
• Please communicate any changes to your child's dismissal plans to their respective teacher, Mrs. O'Neill (oneilld@chelmsford.k12.ma.us) and Mrs. Sepe (sepek@chelmsford.k12.ma.us). Be sure to also discuss with your child.
• Lunch is available for take home ONLY through online ordering ( see Food Services section below in this newsletter)
• Students will either have specials or recess (rotates every half day).
• Snack time may be adjusted and/or not occur depending on your child(ren)'s schedule.
• Extended Day will be open until 6:00pm for students signed up on WEDNESDAY. Please provide your child a lunch.
• Please anticipate possible delays with buses as they navigate an early release schedule.

Thursday, March 13th

• No events

Friday, March 14th

• No events

Monday, March 17th

• Book Fair Week - students visit during library specials block all week
• School Spirit Day: Green, Orange and White Day
• Placement Input letter sent to families

Tuesday, March 18th

• Grade 1 Professor Bugman Enrichment Program

Wednesday, March 19th

• Grade 4 Boston Symphony Field Trip
• Family Book Fair Shopping and Game Night, 5:30-7:30pm

Wednesday, March 26th

• Grades Available online portal Gr 1-4

Friday, March 28th

• Tentative Whole School Reward

Monday, March 31st

• Placement input due from families

PE Reminder: Please help your child to remember to bring sneakers when they have Phys Ed. Snow boots are great for recess, but unsafe for the gymnasium. Also on PE days, I would suggest students wear T-shirts or layers so they can take their long sleeve off when they get hot. Thank you!

IIQ Help Desk Tickets: Some families have been using an unmonitored email for support with accessing the Aspen Family Portal. Instead, please use the incident IQ request form located on the CPS website under the parent drop down menu. Here is the direct link: https://chelmsford.incidentiq.com/guest/TKHNDKXH/parent-support#top .

Smartphones and Smart Watches: We strongly discourage sending your child to school with smart phones or watches. If your child brings either of these devices to school the expectation is that they are turned off and in their backpack.

Snacks: Please remember to send your child in with a snack. The school has a very limited supply that gets depleted quickly and it is not to every students liking.

MCAS Dates: MCAS testing for grades 3 and 4 are as follows:

ELA

Grade 3 - April 7th and 8th

Grade 4 - April 9th and 10th

Math

Grade 4 - May 12th and 13th

Grade 3 - May 14th and 15th

Basket Raffle

Our GINORMOUS Basket Raffle needs volunteers to help things run smoothly! Sign up to help collect, shop, and wrap for your child's class today! Many hands make light work! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E45A5AF2CA6F4C25-55017975-2025

Help South Row provide for others and your child's class can have a chance to win $200 in books from the Scholastic Book Fair!

Scholastic Book Fair challenge and Clean Sweep Stakes are underway!

Book Fair Week is nearly upon us! Each year our school partners with a local charity to give back, as well as create a friendly competition where books are the prize! This year, we are holding a Clean Sweep Stakes benefiting Community Teamwork. Per their request, we are collecting the following full-size items: shampoo, conditioner, body wash/bar soap.

Each class that collects 25 or more items will be entered to win $200 worth of books for their classroom at the book fair! We will randomly draw and announce 3 winners before the Book Fair which will run March 17th through March 21st.

Participation in the Clean Sweep Stakes is optional. If you would like to participate, please send items in with your student or drop in the front office with a note indicating your child’s classroom teacher any time between March 3rd and March 14th.

Thank you!

Scholastic Book Fair is coming soon!

Our Scholastic Book Fair will be running March 17th through March 21st. Students will have an opportunity to shop for books during their regularly scheduled library time and families are invited to shop and play BOOKO (book fair bingo) during Family Shopping and Game Night on March 19th from 5:30-7:30pm. Shopping is not required to attend BOOKO, so feel free to come on down for a night of fun, even if you will not be getting any books!

The Book Fair Committee is looking for volunteers to assist all student shoppers during the Book Fair, as well as help out during Family Shopping and Game Night. If you are interested in volunteering, please sign up HERE. All volunteers must have a valid CORI on file and check in at the main office upon arrival with a valid photo ID. Please note, if you are planning to come in to help just your own student during their library time, you do not need to sign up or have a CORI, however, you must still check in at the main office with a valid photo ID.

Our annual Scholastic Book Fair is a much-loved South Row event and we look forward to another successful year of being able to support literacy in our community. More information about the Book Fair and Family Shopping and Game Night can be found in the flyer below and will also be sent home with students soon.

If you have any questions, you can reach out to the Book Fair Committee at southrowbookfair@gmail.com.

Planning for the 2025 Basket Raffle has already begun!

On Saturday, May 17th, South Row PTO will be hosting our 3rd Annual Sunshine Dance! Along with this fun event, we will be holding our 21st Annual Basket Raffle. Each class will have a themed basket to showcase during the dance. These are no ordinary baskets; they are GINORMOUS baskets and are a beloved South Row fundraising tradition!

In order to make this a smooth and successful fundraiser, we are looking for volunteers to coordinate donation collection for each classroom and to wrap baskets before the event. For more details and to sign up to volunteer, please sign up using the SignUp Genius linked HERE.

Baskets will be on display a few days before and during the Sunshine Dance! More information about the Sunshine Dance and raffle ticket sales will be shared in the coming weeks.

This is a fun event for the whole family and the baskets are a fantastic fundraiser for our amazing South Row School!

If you have any questions, please reach out to Ashley Cakounes or Michelle Fearon at southrowptobasketraffle@gmail.com.

We will be offering a virtual option for those that would like to join the monthly PTO meeting but can't make it in person. Please use this link to join the meeting virtually.

We welcome you to check out ou Connections Calendar and provide feedback using this link.

Please click on the "button" below to access resources and supports available. Do not hesitate to reach out to any support team member with any questions you may have.

**Please note: We continuously update the button below with new resources as they arise.

The City of Lowell Recreation Department is working on an initiative to provide swimming opportunities for children ages 0-18 with special needs. As they work to build out this program, they need YOUR help. If you are the parent/guardian of a child/children with special needs, please take a few minutes to complete this survey: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScfX0VaSL0mIMGnXosEfncvEWX_0sRuGnrqF40-x907BPoAiQ/viewform

This section is comprised of the following items pertaining to food services

• Website
• Breakfast Information
• Tentative Breakfast/Lunch Menus

Dear Parents and Families --

To better estimate the demand for lunches on half days, CPS Nutrition utilizes online lunch ordering for HALF DAYS ONLY.

2024-2025 CPS Upcoming Half Day/Early Release dates

● 3/12/25

● 4/1/25

If you would like your child to have lunch on future half days, the online ordering is open for you to go ahead and select those dates. Set Up Your Account Now

Directions to set up your account and order: 1. URL Link: family.onlineordering.linq.com

2. Sign up now: Email, create password.

3. School District: Chelmsford Public Schools

4. Student ID: This can be found on x2- Child’s student ID number

5. Last Name: (You can also search and add siblings/family members at this time). Once this is completed, the student's name should appear on the page.

How to order meals

1. School Menu-select online lunch ordering (all schools)

2. Scroll to week of half day/early release date (top right of page)

3. Find date, select meal option

4. Add item to cart/Select Add to order

5. Click on shopping cart icon at top right of page

6. Click Check out

7. Select pick up location: Elementary pick-up location classroom. Middle/high school pick up location cafeteria.

8. Place order

🎟️ Tickets On Sale Now! 🎟️

Join Parker Middle School for a magical journey down the Yellow Brick Road in The Wizard of Oz: Youth Edition! https://our.show/wooparker25

📅 Show Dates & Times:
🌟 5th Grade Performances – Thursday, March 20 & Friday, March 21 at 6:00 PM
🌟 6th Grade Performances – Saturday, March 22 at 2:00 PM & 6:00 PM

📍 Location: McCarthy Auditorium, 250 North Rd, Chelmsford, MA

For the first time, each show will feature just one grade—don’t miss this exciting new tradition! Get your tickets today! ✨👠🌪️

Mrs. Terri Gilbert

Principal

gilbertt@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

Mr. Jayson Ramalho, M.Ed.

Assistant Principal

ramalhoj@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

Email: gilbertt@chelmsford.k12.ma.us
Website: https://www.chelmsford.k12.ma.us/Domain/15
Location: 250 Boston Road, Chelmsford, MA, USA
Phone: 978-251-5177
Facebook: facebook.com/SouthRowElementary
Twitter: @CPSSouthRow

• Mrs. Terri Gilbert, Principal: gilbertt@chelmsford.k12.ma.us, 978-251-5177 ext. 4
• Mr. Jayson Ramalho, Assistant Principal: ramalhoj@chelmsford.k12.ma.us, 978-251-5177 ext. 3
• Mrs. Shannon Vandevoordt, School Nurse: vandevoordts@chelmsford.k12.ma.us, 978-251-5177, ext.2
• Mrs. Debbie O'Neill, Secretary: oneilld@chelmsford.k12.ma.us, 978-251-5177, ext. 0
• Mrs. Kim Sepe, School Clerk: sepek@chelmsford.k12.ma.us, 978-251-5177, ext.0
• Absentee Line: 978-251-5177 ext. 1