Hello Families,

We are so proud of our budding artists at South Row and hope you have a chance to stop by the Chelmsford Public Library this month to see a variety of artwork on display from across the district. Additionally, student work is featured in the MAEA Youth Art Month virtual show which can be accessed on the website here. and direct link here Enjoy!

Please see this flyer regarding the upcoming Playful Engineers Family Night that compliments the Playful Engineers enrichment taking place at school.

Additionally, as communicated in separate cover, family input into the SY25-26 placement process is due March 31st, 2025. Here is the link to provide input (also included below).

Have a wonderful weekend!

Respectfully,

Terri and Jayson =)

Monday, March 24th

• Playful Engineers Enrichment Program (Grade 4 Classrooms) at Aldersgate Church
• Playful Engineers Family Night for Grade 4, 5:30-7:00pm, Aldersgate Church

Tuesday, March 25th

• Playful Engineers Enrichment Program (Gr. 3 Classrooms) at Aldersgate Church
• Playful Engineers Family Night for Grade 3, 5:30-7:00pm, Aldersgate Church

Wednesday, March 26th

• Grades Available online portal Gr 1-4 (click here for directions)
• Playful Engineers Enrichment Program (Abbott, Bullock, Richman, and Patriquin) at Aldersgate Church

Thursday, March 27th

• Playful Engineers Enrichment Program (Frasca, Costello, Rigby and Cassidy) at Aldersgate Church
• Playful Engineers Family Night for Grades K and 1, 5:30-7:00, Aldersgate Church

Friday, March 28th

• Tentative Whole School Reward

Monday, March 31st

• Placement input due from families

Tuesday, April 1st

• Early Release Day - Teacher Professional Development - students dismissed at 11:45am
• Book Buddies Duncan/Bullock in the Cafe

Wednesday, April 2nd

• Para Educator Appreciation Day - Thank you to our Support Staff!

Thursday, April 3rd

• Animal Adventures Gr. 4 Enrichment Program

Friday, April 4th

• School Librarian Appreciation Day - Thank you Ms. Hamm
• Multicultural School Spirit Day - This is a great opportunity to celebrate the diversity in our South Row community. We encourage students and staff to dress in attire representing where their family originated or clothing representing their culture(s).

Saturday, April 5th

• Multicultural Festival, 1:00-3:00pm - Mark your calendars!

Monday, April 7th

• Kindness Matters Day - Students and staff encouraged to wear kindness shirts and/or complete kind act
• MCAS - Grade 3 - ELA
• Student Council, 3:30-4:15pm
• School Council, 5:30pm, Conference Room
• PTO Board Meeting, 6:30pm, Conference Room
• PTO Meeting, 7:00pm, Lab

Tuesday, April 8th

• MCAS - Grade 3 - ELA
• Try it Tuesday
• Curious Creatures Kindergarten Enrichment,
• Grade 4 Field Trip to the Performing Art Center, Internet Safety Speaker

Wednesday, April 9th

• MCAS - Grade 4- ELA
• Wingmasters Enrichment Program (Grade 2)

Thursday, April 10th

• MCAS - Grade 4 - ELA

Friday, April 11th

• MCAS Make Up (also will carry over to the following week as needed)

Monday, April 12th

• Student Grade Level Meetings w/ Mrs. Gilbert & Mr. Ramalho

Friday, April 18th

• No School - Good Friday

Monday, April 21st - Friday, April 25th - No School - April Vacation

• School Bus Drivers Appreciation Day, 4/22, Thank you Bus Drivers!
• Administrative Professionals Day, 4/23 - Thank you Mrs. O'Neill and Mrs. Sepe!

Monday, April 28th

• Welcome Back to School!

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

March is Youth Art Month! That means it’s ART SHOW SEASON!

The Chelmsford Public Library is now hosting the District Wide Art Show. This show will be up throughout the month of March. Ten South Row students have artwork on display!

March 17th is the opening day for the https://massarted.com/youth-art-month/’s Virtual Exhibit. There will be student artwork from all over the state of Massachusetts on view through April. Ten South Row students will have artwork displayed!

Youth Art Month 2025 - Massachusetts Art Education Association

The Statewide Youth Art Month exhibit is virtual again this year. Teachers of artists in grades preK-12 are invited to participate in this year’s virtual Youth Art Month exhibit. MAEA members of students in grades 9-12 may also exhibit work in the Massachusetts Amazing Emerging Artists Recognitions exhibit, which is a juried exhibit for massarted.com. Here is the direct link to the virtual show.

Recurring Reminders:

• 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.

• 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 .

Dear South Row Families,

Happy Spring!

We had a sudden burst of GI illnesses but it seems to have resolved as quickly as it came on. Fingers crossed that it stays that way!

Please send me your updated physicals for your 3rd and 4th grader if you have not already done so.

Warmly,

Nurse V.

Thank you for an amazing 2025 Book Fair!

We have wrapped up our annual Scholastic Book Fair and are blown away by the excitement and participation amongst the students, staff, and families! Student shopping days were filled with smiling and happy faces, whether the students were purchasing books, “window” shopping, or reading through the many Scholastic books that the fair had to offer during their library specialist time. Family Shopping and Game Night was equally successful, with enthusiastic BOOKO players in the cafeteria and eager shoppers filling the library!

A special thank you to everyone who made this weeklong event possible, including school administration, Ms Hamm, the custodians, and of course – our volunteers!

Online shopping is still available through March 27th at https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/southrowelementaryschool.

See you at next year’s fair!

Charity Drive Update

Additionally we wanted to report that we collected over $3,000 worth of hygiene products (shampoo, conditioner, body wash/soap) for Community Teamwork in Lowell this year during our Clean Sweep Stakes Challenge! Our items were delivered 3/18 to an appreciative and enthusiastic staff at Community Teamworks. They were truly blown clean off their feet with the generous donation! I included a few pictures below. We had a 100% participation rate, all classes participated, and nearly all collected 25 or more items and were entered in our drawing for 1 of 3 $200 gift certificates to the Scholastic Book Fair. The winners were: Mrs. Cassidy, Mrs. Stagnone, and Mrs. Kellerman’s classes. Congratulations and thank you to all who participated!

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.

South Row PTO was awarded $20,000 to use within the school and we NEED your input! We are putting together a steering committee to help us determine how to use the funds. Interested in joining? We're looking for parents from all grade levels to help us with this committee. Join by clicking HERE.

Can't commit to the committee, but still want to provide ideas for how the money could be spent? Fill out our survey HERE!

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