Parker Post: Welcome Back!

I hope this message finds you well and that you're enjoying the final days of summer. As we approach the start of a new school year, I want to share some important updates and express my excitement for the year ahead!

We are looking forward to welcoming all students back on Wednesday, August 28th. Students have a full day of school on 8/28 and 8/29 and then are off for the long weekend, returning on Tuesday, September 3rd. Please note that students will have school pictures taken on Thursday, August 29th.

I will be relying on this newsletter as the primary tool for communication with families throughout the year. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me at any point if questions or concerns arise. The school-family partnership is an important one, and Parker staff are eager to support your children in their growth and development during this crucial time in their lives.

In partnership,

Jill Story

Principal

Students at each grade are placed on a team, which consists of an ELA, math, science, and social studies teacher. Students will be assigned a homeroom and advisory teacher based on their team assignment; however, please note that students do not travel with their homerooms throughout the day. They will be mixed up with students from their team as they move from class to class. Teachers will support 6th grade students with this transition, knowing that they moved with their homerooms in grade 5.

Students will go off team for specials, world language classes, electives, and exploratory classes (new this year!). 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)

Maria Arthur - special education teacher

Abigail Campbell - special education teacher

Ashley Cocchiaro - science teacher

Linnea Frye - computer science teacher

Brian Daly - special education paraeducator

Mykel Derring - METCO coordinator

Erica Freeman - special education teacher

Ryan Maloney - math teacher

Lillian Queenan - special education teacher

Beth Simpson - assistant principal

During the school year, the building is open to students beginning at 7:15 a.m. each day. From 7:15 a.m. to 7:40 a.m. students will report to the cafeteria. At 7:40, they will be allowed into the corridors of the school. If a student needs to see a teacher prior to 7:40, they may do so by signing in at the main office desk (if the teacher is available). All students should be in homeroom by 7:50 each morning and will be considered tardy if not present in homeroom at that time.

Drop off will occur both on Temple and King Streets starting at 7:35 a.m. Only staff may enter the school parking lots, so please do not pull into either of the school parking lots to drop off or pick up students. Stay right and allow traffic to keep moving on the left (both Temple and King Streets). Students may enter or dismiss through the main doors in the front of the building or the cafeteria doors in the back of the building.

The school day ends at 2:30 p.m. Students exit via the front, side, or rear doors of the building and may be picked up on Temple Street or King Street.

Student schedules are available in the portal. Please see this document for instructions on how to access schedules. The creation of student schedules is a collaborative effort, with considerable time and deliberation involved in placing students on teams and in groups. The placement process takes all aspects of students' academic, social, and emotional development into account, with each student being assigned to a team where they can learn and grow.

For the 2024-2025 school year, we have adopted a waterfall schedule, with classes meeting at a different time each day in a predictable rotation. Additionally, we have adjusted the daily bell schedule slightly to increase instructional time for each class by twenty minutes each week. All students have a project block meeting time on their schedule (formerly team time), where students will engage in various project-based learning experiences.

In addition to the core academic classes of ELA, math, science, and social studies, sixth graders will take art, music, P.E., as well as band, chorus, band and chorus, or an art elective. New this year, sixth graders will also take one quarter of Spanish exploratory and one quarter of French exploratory. The world language exploratory courses will enable students to learn about the history, culture, and traditions associated with Spanish and French languages, better informing their 7th grade world language selection, which will be made in the spring. Seventh graders will have world language, art, music, and P.E., as well as band, chorus, band and chorus, art elective, introduction to coding, or media literacy.

Pathways Exploratory Courses

In an effort to align with RMHS and expose students to more academic and career options, eighth grade students are all enrolled in Computer Science, Digital Ethics & Leadership, Financial Literacy, and Information Literacy. They also will be taking P.E., and band, chorus, or an additional elective each semester. Eighth graders will also rotate through four different pathways exploratory offerings (one each quarter): Civic Action, Clean Energy, Engineering, and Public Health. English and math interventions and enrichment will also occur during this time.

Returning 7th and 8th graders may notice their schedules look a little different, with the addition of project blocks on their schedules and the new waterfall of classes. We believe these changes will lead to increased student engagement and stronger academic outcomes.

📌 WELCOME BACK! Hello Parker community and welcome to the new school year! The Parker PTO is looking forward to working with all of our staff, students and families in the year ahead.

📌 PTO MEETING: Join us for our first PTO meeting of the year, Monday, September 9 at 7 p.m. at Parker Middle School and via Zoom (link will be provided). All are welcome!

📌 PARKER FAMILY FUN NIGHT: We hope to see you at our Parker Family Fun night on Friday, September 6 from 6-7:30pm on the King Street Lawn. There will be pizza, cotton candy, snacks, lawn games, four square and music. Bring a picnic and come celebrate the start of the school year together! All students, staff and families are welcome! Free!

📌 PTO MEETING DATES: Mark your calendar for this year’s PTO meetings (subject to change due to school events). Please check the newsletter and PTO page for the most up-to-date information.

📌 SAVE THE DATE!

- FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2024: Parker Family Fun Night, 6-7:30pm

- MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2024: 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

First Day of School for Students - August 28th

School Picture Day - August 29th

Labor Day weekend - NO SCHOOL 8/30 & 9/2

Parker Family Fun Night - 9/6, 6:00 p.m.

PTO Meeting - 9/9, 7:00 p.m.

Nature's Classroom Information Night - 9/10, 6:30 p.m.

Back to School Night - 9/19, 6:45 p.m.

Welcome back from the health office! 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 prior to the first day of school, please contact mary.giuliana@reading.k12.ma.us

Medication drop off times are 8/28 and 8/29 between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.

For students who are new to the school, you should have received a separate email with an activation link to set up your portal account.

The portal will be used as a primary resource and method of communication. It includes the calendar, Parker News, school resources, your child’s schedule, grades, homework and report cards. Also, any email I send, is saved in your parent portal for future reference. When you access the portal, please make sure you go to the header that says forms and fill out the forms that are under that tab.

• The Technology Agreement is necessary for both a parent and the student to fill out in order for students to then be assigned a personal 1:1 computer to use for the year (students must be logged into the Portal to see their agreement; they will be guided in this process once back at school). Computer use will be limited until both the parent and the student have signed this contract.

• NEW THIS YEAR is the Reading Public Schools Laptop Insurance Program. This optional insurance is highly encouraged to safeguard against any damages that may occur to student laptops. Program Details: Laptop Issuance: Each student will receive a laptop for school use only. Quality Assurance: Our IT team has thoroughly inspected and configured these laptops to guarantee they are in good working condition. Action Required: If your child notices any damage upon receiving the laptop, they/you must report it to IT Department within 24 hours. Failure to report damage within this timeframe means you will be responsible to pay for the repairs.

• Repair Costs with the RPS Insurance Policy: FREE for up to two damage incidents per year. $100 if laptop is lost or stolen (one incident per year).
• Repair Costs without the RPS Insurance Policy: Display Repair/Replacement: $200 Keyboard Damage/Missing Keys: $150 Laptop Exterior Damage: $100 Replacement Power Adapter: $50 Replacement Laptop: $600

• The primary parent should fill out the Pupil Information Form.

• All adult-type contacts should update the Contact Form. If you don't see a Pupil Information Form or the Technology agreement, that just means you aren't the Primary Parent (but make sure the Primary Parent fills out the proper forms!)
  

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 Meg Powers: meg.powers@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