PARKER WEEKLY BULLETIN

Good afternoon Parker Families,

It was fantastic to get back to school this week. The kids were excited to reconnect with their peers and teachers and share their experiences from the winter vacation. The students dove back into their studies with vigor and enthusiasm. The mid-year iReady assessments in both reading and math were finished this week. The forthcoming results will give important insight into the progress being made from their diagnostic assessments taken in September. These results identify areas of strength and weakness, and their "My Path" lessons are catered to their individual needs based on these results.

Second Step - Social Emotional Learning

During the month of December, we concentrated our SEL Blocks on our Parker Be the Change Service Learning Project. This week we returned to our Second Step units. Our fifth grade culminated their unit on Bullying and Harassment while our sixth-grade students will continue with the Bullying and Harassment as well. Please find below a summary of this week's lesson along with a prompt for further discussion with your child.

Grade 5: Standing Up and Staying Safe

Summary: In this week’s lesson, your child will evaluate each upstander strategy (speaking up, offering support, and telling a trusted adult) in depth, with an emphasis on safety. They’ll evaluate the safety of each upstander strategy in different situations and consider their own level of comfort with each strategy.

Question: Tell your child about a time you used one of these strategies in your life recently. Tell them how you decided which strategy to use.

Grade 6: Recognizing Bullying

Summary: This week’s lesson will help your child understand the difference between bullying and joking around, and that joking can escalate and become bullying. Helping students understand when joking becomes bullying can reduce negative impacts on others.

Question: Tell your child about a time you witnessed or experienced bullying. Describe how this made you feel and ask your child what they might have felt.

January Artists of the Month

We are proud to announce our January Artists of the Month Cole Muccini and Tarra Phan. Their artwork expresses a vision and spirit that is inspiring! We are so proud of them both!

5th and 6th Grade Socials

We are excited to announce that we will be hosting grade level social events on the next two Fridays right here at Parker. Our amazing PTO is sponsoring the socials which will run from 2:45-4:00 pm right after school. It is a fantastic opportunity for the kids to let loose a bit, have fun with their friends, dance, and play games in a safe setting. I encourage every child to attend! More information can be found below.

Friday January 17: Grade 5 - Grade 5 Snowball Social Permission Slip

Friday January 24: Grade 6 - permission slip will be shared in next week's bulletin

STEM Fair - March 27

We are excited to announce that we are hosting a student STEM Fair on March 27 at Parker. A committee has been formed and a great night has been planned. Please see below for further details about the event. Encourage your child to join in on the fun!

I hope that everyone has a great weekend. Please reach out if you need support!

Warm Regards,

Josh

Important Dates:

Tuesday, January 14th - Early Release Day dismissal at 11:10 a.m.

Friday, January 17th - Grade 5 Social-permission slips will be sent home next week

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

Friday, January 24th - Grade 6 Social-permission slips will be sent home the week of Jan. 20th

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 14th

No Clubs Today - Early Release Day - dismissal at 11:10 a.m.

Wednesday - January 15th

Book Club - Ms. Beaudoin - Room 125

Game Club - Ms. Baker - Library - GRADE 5 TODAY

Fitness Club - Ms. Fitzgerald - Fitness Room

Power Hour - Ms. Panneton - Room 213B

Thursday - January 16th

Art Club - Ms. Annunziata-Room 4-Grade 5 - Group 5A 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.

Yearbooks are on sale! Please visit Yearbook Forever to purchase your yearbook now! No books will be available for sale in June...don't miss out on capturing this year's memories! Side note: Walsworth also sends emails to Parker families with order information . They are legitimate emails.

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

🏒🥅 Riverhawks Hockey -January 11th @ 6:05 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/Parkermccarthymiddle51

🏐🏀 i9 Sports Winter Session

i9 Sports is offering weekend indoor basketball & volleyball programs for kids ages 5-14 at Gametime Sports & Fitness in Lowell (open to families from anywhere to register for!) beginning Saturday, January 11th. Sign up using the promo code “MSLions!” at checkout and not only will you save $15 OFF the season registration price but you will also be supporting our school. For more information, see attached flyer or visit i9Sports.com

🏀 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

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

● 1/14/25

● 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