Please read ahead for information about what is happening at Parker this week!

New Semester/Quarter - Quarter 3 begins Monday, January 27th. Since this is the first day of a new semester, it will be a Day 1 in the 6-day cycle. Students will receive printed copies of their schedules in homeroom. Some sixth graders may be starting a new World Language exploratory, and all eighth graders will be assigned a new pathways exploratory or Project Block class. Students may also have a new semester elective. If a student wishes to change their semester elective, they must wait for a full 6-day cycle before requesting the schedule change. Course change request forms will be available in the main office beginning on February 3rd for students wishing to make a change. All changes must be processed during the second 6-day cycle.

RMHS 8th grade course selection visit - It was wonderful seeing so many 8th graders and their families at last week's Future Freshmen Night at RMHS. Principal Callanan and Director of School Counseling Ms. Williams will be visiting Parker on Monday, January 27th, to discuss the course selection process and answer any questions students may have. Stay tuned for more information on this process in the coming weeks.

Attendance Reminders - School attendance is extremely important and matters every day. In our attempt to communicate proactively with families regarding attendance, we communicate daily with families about absences and tardies. Additionally, we send out a letter to all families at the beginning of the month that includes total absences to date. Absences are considered excused if your child is sick or has a medical appointment. We request that families please provide documentation from your health care provider if there is an extended absence due to a medical reason. Now that we are at the midpoint in the year, Ms. Simpson will be reaching out to families to schedule attendance meetings if your child has exceeded 10 absences.

Challenge Day - Eighth graders will be participating in Challenge Day this week (Endeavor on 1/29 and Inspire on 1/30). Students should plan to bring a bagged lunch or let their homeroom teacher know (if they haven't already) that they would like a bagged lunch from the cafe. Please check out the Challenge Day website for more information about this valuable experiential learning opportunity.

Report Cards - Term 2 closed on Friday, January 24th. On Friday, January 31st, report cards will be uploaded to the Portal by the end of the day. To access, families should:

• Log onto the Portal
• Click on the blue "E-Locker" tab.
• Click on the "E-Portfolio" tab.

The report card will be in PDF format. It will remain in this folder for the year, but will not stay beyond a year, so please save it for your records.

In Partnership,
Jill Story

Principal

THE WEEK AHEAD:

S2/Q3 Begins - 1/27

RMHS visits Parker to discuss course selection - 1/27

Challenge Day (Endeavor) - 1/29

Challenge Day (Inspire) - 1/30

RMHS Freshman Arts Orientation - 1/30 @ 7pm (RMHS PAC)

Q2 Report Cards released - 1/31

ON THE HORIZON:

Early Release (12:30pm dismissal) - 2/7

PTO Meeting - 2/10 @7pm

Math Team Meet (Melrose) - 2/13

February Vacation - 2/17 - 2/21

Parker Musical - 3/6, 3/7, 3/8

Teacher In-Service (No School) - 3/10

From now until February break, we will be participating in the “Coats for Kids and Families” Drive.

We are looking for adult and children sized warm winter coats. Each year, Anton’s Cleaners aims to collect 50,000 warm winter coats to provide to individuals and families in need. Coats are cleaned by Anton’s Cleaners and made available to a network of over 90 distribution partners made up of local nonprofits, social service agencies, and schools to ensure the coats are given to those who really need them!

Please donate your coats to the large box next to the main stairs on the first floor.

All 8th graders are invited to learn about the arts at RMHS. There will be an opportunity on January 30 at 7:00. Please refer to this letter for more information!

📌 PTO MEETING: Please join us for our next PTO meeting, Monday, February 10 at 7 p.m. via zoom. Take a sneak peek at our upcoming agenda. All are welcome!

📌 PARKER AT THE RED SOX: Parker will once again have a night out at the Red Sox! Save the date for Tuesday, June 3. First pitch is at 7:10pm vs. the Angels. Tickets on sale soon!

SAVE THE DATE!

• M, 2/10: PTO Meeting, 7pm. Via zoom.
• F, 3/21: Corey the Dribbler - https://www.academicentertainment.com/dribbler
• T, 6/3: Parker at the Red Sox vs. the Angels

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

Reading METCO is excited to announce that we will be hosting a roller-skating event for our middle school and high school students and parents at Roller World in Saugus on Thursday March 20th, from 5:00pm-7:00pm. This will be a fun opportunity for students to hangout and mingle after school hours. This allows space Reading and Boston resident parents to meet and engage with one another. Pizza and drinks will be provided. If you are a parent unable to attend, please feel free to send your child with money to buy any additional items that they may want. Please also keep in mind that we are not responsible for your child's money if they do bring it.

You must register for this event as it is on a first come first serve basis. Here is the link to register for this event- Roller World Registration Link

Details for Roller World--

Date: Thursday March 20th, 2025

Time: 5:00pm-7:00pm

Where: Roller World, Saugus, MA- 425R Broadway, Saugus, MA, 01906

BOSTON RESIDENT PARENTS/STUDENTS- this next message is for you-

If you would like your child to attend this event, you must sign your child up through the link provided in this email. If you do not want/signup your child for this event, the school bus will still be taking your child home at the regular after school time of 2:30pm. Additionally, if your child will be attending this event and you're unable to pick your child up by 7:00pm, METCO will be providing transportation back to Boston. However, as their parents/guardians, if you're able to come join the event, we would love that!

As always, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Kindly,

Jerika and Cindy

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.

Hi! I’m Dhanya Bhola, a junior at RMHS and a former student at Parker. I’m offering tutoring for middle school students who need help with their classwork and homework. I can also assist with test and quiz preparation, as well as organizational skills. I believe that learning effective study habits in middle school sets the foundation for success in high school. I would be available Monday and Wednesdays 3:30PM-5:00PM at the Reading Public Library.

If you’re interested, please email me at dhanya.bhola@rdgstudent.com. Thank you!

Reading Lacrosse Association (RLA) is a recognized 501C non-profit that serves over 400 boys and girls annually. Visit www.readinglacrosse.org for more information and to register.

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.

If you test positive for COVID-19, you should isolate from others while you are ill.

You may begin to resume normal activities with precautions if:

1. You have not had a fever for at least 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medicines; AND
2. Your other symptoms are improving

For at least the first 5 days after you resume normal activities, take these extra precautions:

• Avoid crowded indoor spaces. Wear a mask anytime you are indoors around other people

• Wash your hands often with soap and warm water. If soap and water are not available, use hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol.

Avoid spending time with people who are at increased risk for severe disease

Here is more information about COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses.

Here's a link to the Massachusetts DPH Respiratory Illness Dashboard

Respiratory illness reporting | Mass.gov

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.

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