PARKER WEEKLY BULLETIN

Good afternoon Parker Families,

We had another great week at Parker with the students engaged in exploration, discovery, and investigations. The sixth grade enjoyed a fantastic assembly on Ancient Egypt and were able to investigate artifacts and immerse themselves in what it must have been like to live in Egypt over three thousand years ago. The fifth grade had a wonderful social today after school filled with music, games, snacks, and time to have fun being a kid! I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to the PTO and our staff volunteers for putting on this great event. We look forward to hosting the sixth grade social next Friday on January 24 from 2:45-4.

It seems hard to believe but Semester 1 and Term 2 are coming to a close next week! Grades will close for Term 2 on Wednesday January 23rd and report cards will be published the week of January 27-January 31. Second semester classes will begin on Thursday January 24. The vast majority of students will not have their schedules changed as they have full year classes. Those students who take non performance music and studio art will be switching classes. Please be sure your child has turned in any outstanding assignments prior to Wednesday. As always, please reach out to the teacher with any specific concerns.

Parker STEM Fair - March 27

We are excited to host the Parker STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Fair on March 27. A committee has been set up to organize this event and we are excited to get students to join in on the fun. Please see all pertinent details below. Please encourage your child to submit a project wither alone or with a group of friends!

Social Emotional Curriculum - Second Step

The SEL lessons this week focused on Emotion Management for our fifth grade students while our sixth grade students continued their unit on Bullying and Harassment. Please see a short summary of the lesson along with a conversation starter. Further discussion with home helps our students make personal connections to the material and helps to deepen understanding.

Grade 5: Strong Emotions

Summary

In this week’s lesson, your child will learn that it’s possible to anticipate recurring situations that cause them to feel strong emotions so they can plan ways to manage those emotions in the future.

Try This at Home

Tell your child about a recurring situation in your life that typically causes you to feel a strong emotion, like anger or frustration. Ask your child to tell you about similar situations in their life.

Grade 6: Responding to Online Bullying

Summary

In this week’s lesson, your child will use what they know about in-person bullying to compare it to online bullying. They’ll learn and apply different strategies for responding to online bullying in a safe and healthy way.

Question

Tell your child your thoughts on how social media has changed since you were in school. Ask your child about their thoughts on the benefits and disadvantages of social media in the world today.

Have a great weekend everyone. Please reach out if you need support.

Warm Regards,

Josh

We are excited to announce that the Chelmsford Council of schools is bringing in Katie Greer for grade level presentations during school for students on Thursday January 23. Ms. Greer will also give a free presentation for parents at the CHS Performing Arts Center on Thursday Night at 6pm. Ms. Greer is a nationally known expert on Internet Safety and Cyberbullying. Please see a note from Ms. Greer on the topics covered in her presentation:

Kids today are digital natives and I want to help them learn how to have a healthy relationship with technology. I’m not here to lecture kids about what’s appropriate and what’s not. My approach is to walk teens through a decision-making process that considers the immediate and long-term impact of everything they do online - the AWESOME and the not-so-awesome. I want to have a meaningful conversation that empowers them to question the big picture.

Some topics covered include:

• Privacy – what does it mean?
• Technology tattoos – the good & the bad
• Gaming online – tips & tricks
• Social media rules & guidelines
• Balance online – how is our mental health impacted?
• Tech permanency – how this can help/hurt
• Sexting
• Cyberbullying
• Being a responsible online consumer

This is a wonderful opportunity! I hope to see you all there on Thursday night!

Important Dates:

Monday, January 20th - No School - Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Friday, January 24th - Grade 6 Social - click here: Grade 6 Social Permission Slip

Important Walsworth Yearbook Announcement:

Please note that our yearbook company’s website malfunctioned, and any orders received between 1/1/ 25 and 1/15/ 25 have been cancelled. The site mistakenly listed the yearbooks with a cost of $0. If you ordered a yearbook during these dates, please note that your order must be resubmitted. If you paid for extras

( name stamping, supplements, icons, etc.) your method of payment will be credited for these charges.

Those affected by this error will also receive an email from our yearbook advisors reminding you to re-order.

We apologize for the inconvenience this has caused.

The site has been fixed, so please visit Yearbook Forever to purchase your yearbook now. No books will be available for sale in June.

Email: ParkerAttendance@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

Please Send Email: Prior to 9am on the day of the absence. Please Include: Child’s name, Grade, and Reason for absence. We encourage you to use the email option when reporting an absence, dismissal, etc. for efficiency.

**PLEASE READ**

We will continue to send automated emails home when students are absent. You will receive the email whether you notified the school or not. In order for an absence to be marked as "Excused", families will need to provide medical documentation. Please call the office if you have any questions or need clarification. ~ Thank you for your understanding.

Our after-school programs will start on Tuesday, October 15th. The Activity Fee is $50 per student. To pay PLEASE CLICK ON LINK My School Bucks or send in cash or checks made payable to Chelmsford Public Schools and turn into your child's homeroom teacher. The activity fee allows students to take full advantage of any clubs they wish to attend. The after-school activities run from 2:40-3:40 on Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday throughout the year. Students also have the option of taking a late bus home. The routes are posted in the school and will not be posted publicly. We will work with students and the drivers to be sure students take the correct bus home. Since we only have 8 late buses, for both McCarthy and Parker the stops tend to be more spread out than the “regular” bus runs. After activities, students who are not taking a bus will exit the school into the Crooked Spring Road lot and can be picked up there.

See Clubs & Activities BROCHURE here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10fSdKRgUuamin-mEgMJbeLrUcsHo7dLMiSVEMC6RtLU/edit?usp=sharing

Tuesday - January 21st

Art Club - Ms. Annunziata - Room 4 - Grade 6 TODAY

ASL-Ms. Fitzgibbons-VIRTUAL- join google classroom from home code:yqtuwha

Drama-Check google classroom for specific details

Festival Orchestra – Ms. Tiano-Room 8

Homework Club-Ms. Larrabee-Library

Intramurals- Mr. McCarthy-GYM- GRADE 5 TODAY

LIVESMART - Ms. Lyons - Room 102

Mindfulness & Crafts – Ms. Marino-Room 124

NO RUNNING CLUB TODAY

Yoga- Ms.Macallister-Fitness Room

Wednesday - January 22nd

Book Club - Ms. Beaudoin - Room 125

Game Club - Ms. Baker - Library - GRADE 6 TODAY

Fitness Club - Ms. Fitzgerald - Fitness Room

Power Hour - Ms. Panneton - Room 213B

GET ORGANIZED AND BE ON-TIME CLASS - with Ms. Senkal in Room PC1–5 week class for any students interested in getting organized and having fun doing it!

Thursday - January 23rd

Art Club - Ms. Annunziata-Room 4-Grade 5 - Group 5B TODAY

Drama Club -Check google classroom for specific details

Fitness Club - Ms. Currier - Fitness Room

Intramurals - Mr. McCarthy - Grade 6 TODAY

Stand-Up Parker- Ms. Mikk - Conference Room 5

Parker students are invited to create a STEM project for the 1st Annual Parker STEM Fair! This is a fun event intended to nurture the children’s interest in science, technology, engineering and math. There is no judging, but a STEM fair official will visit every project and talk to each child about their topic.

Please see attachment below for more information and details. STEM Fair Registration Form

Reminder to Parker Families - BRRR!!! Cold weather is here. Parker students will still be going outside for recess/outside break. Please remember to BUNDLE UP, warm coats, hats and gloves are recommended.

Parker PTO is working hard to create community building events for our students, families and staff members. Check out a few upcoming activities below:

🪩 6th Grade Social-January 24th 2:45-4:00: Parker PTO is excited to be supporting socials for our students. During socials, kids will have the opportunity to dance with friends, play games in the gym, play group games, take photos at our photo booth and have a snack. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the main office. We would love extra volunteers to have to help make this a successful event for all. Please click the link to sign up: https://signup.com/go/cnguVAx

🏒Riverhawks Hockey -February 7th @ 7:15 PM: UML Riverhawks will be hosting Chelmsford Middle School night Saturday, January 11th. Puck drop is at 6:05 P.M. Meet all your middle school friends at the Tsongas for a great night of hockey. Tickets are $15 each. Click link to order tickets: https://fevo-enterprise.com/event/Parkermccarthymiddle52/offer

🏀 Harlem Globetrotters: Join Middle School families as we watch the Harlem Globetrotters at the Tsongas Center in Lowell on Monday, February 11th at 7 p.m.! Be prepared to see amazing basketball talent mixed in with crazy comedy, great choreography, and audience participation - great family friendly entertainment! Tickets can be purchased via the following link: https://fevo-enterprise.com/event/Parkermccarthymiddle8

🗓️ PTO Meeting Thursday, February 13th @ 6:30 in McCarthy Library:

Join us for our monthly PTO meeting! Parker & McCarthy PTOs work collaboratively to provide community building activities, provide enrichment programs for our students and families and support our teachers. We encourage any middle school parent/guardian to join us to learn about upcoming events and activities throughout the school year.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to Parker PTO at ptoparker@gmail.com. As always, thank you for your continued support of our school!

Best,

Parker PTO

Dear Parents and Families --

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

For the upcoming half day Wednesday 9/18/24 orders must be received by Friday 9/13/24.

2024-2025 CPS Upcoming Half Day/Early Release dates

● 2/6/25

● 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

Click on the link below to view the January Lunch Menu:

Email: robinsond@chelmsford.k12.ma.us
Website: https://parker.chelmsfordschools.org/
Location: 75 Graniteville Road
Phone: 978-251-5133