Dear Center Community,

Thank you to our CSPTO for stocking our staff freezer with scrumptious ice cream treats this week and to those who attended our first CSPTO meeting. We appreciated the updates from Maria Santos and all of our board members. It was great meeting new caregivers, and we look forward to working with you this year. We look forward to seeing you on Thursday at Curriculum night.

Curriculum Night

We are looking forward to our annual Curriculum Night on Thursday, September19th. Please see the schedule below:

• Grades 3-4; 5:00-6:15 p.m.-Principal Presentation and Classroom Presentations

• All Grades; 6:15-7:00 p.m.—Specialist and Special Educator Time

• Grades K-2; 7:00-8:15 p.m.-Principal Presentation and Classroom Presentations

• This is an opportunity for caretakers to meet with Center staff. Please make child care accommodations for your children as this an adult only event.

• Curriculum night is an opportunity to meet your child’s teacher, see their class, and learn about the curriculum. We respectfully ask you to refrain from asking questions pertaining to your children, this will be reserved for conferences.

• Please note that classrooms will be closed until the grade level classroom presentations. If you have children in both grade levels, feel free to attend only one of the parent meetings in the cafeteria, as it will be the same presentation twice. The Schedule will be as follows:

Drop Off and Pick Up Request

We ask that families leave their pets at home for drop off and pick up. We have several students and family members who are not at ease around dogs and want to ensure the comfort and safety of all.

Staff Update

Welcome to Durgish Nandini who joined Center as a lunch and recess aide and Nicole Sylvester as our student support administrative team chairperson.

Gabrielle Morin, our new school psychologist will be starting on September 16th.

Marsha Gilmore will be returning as our reading interventionist and Ishita Thakur and Gabriella May will be math interventionists. Welcome all!!

Support Available At Center School, there are a number of free and reduced cost programs and donations, offered throughout the year, for example, free backpacks and school supplies, gift cards, holiday support, Thanksgiving meals etc. If these resources would be helpful, please fill out the attached 2 question form This information is confidential and will remain exclusively with the administration. You will not need to provide any additional documentation and we will reach out as options arise. Please contact Mrs. Fulreader if you have any questions.

https://forms.gle/zotYEnqVWCjcuuii8

A reminder that Wednesday is a half day for all students. Students will be dismissed at 11:45. Please let your child's teacher know if this results in a change to their dismissal plans.

Please note that picture day will now be on October 21st.

Have a great weekend.

Warm Regards,

Dianna and Donna

To commemorate this very important date in history, we read the book "The Man in the Red Bandanna" by Honor Crowther. When Welles Crowther was a young boy, his father gave him a red bandanna, which he always carried with him. On September 11, 2001, Welles Crowther saved numerous people from the upper floors of the World Trade Center South Tower. "The Man in the Red Bandanna" recounts and celebrates his heroism on that day.

This is a special reminder to those around us that "not all heroes wear capes."

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

● 9/18/24

● 10/24/24

● 11/20/24 (Elem & MS Only)

● 11/27/24

● 12/12/24

● 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

Constitution and Citizenship Day is celebrated each year on September 17th to mark the anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution. Each year, since 1952, the President of the United States proclaims the day as Constitution and Citizenship Day and since 1956 they have proclaimed the week of September 17th through September 23rd as Constitution Week.

The Constitution is a living and active document that both establishes a foundation for our governmental structure and protects our rights and liberties as citizens of this great country.

Dear Caregivers,

This is a friendly reminder to check your child regularly for ticks and be on the lookout for symptoms of head lice.

Prevention of tick-born illness begins with you!

1. The single most important thing you can do is check for ticks once a day. Favorite places ticks like to go on your body include areas between the toes, back of the knees, groin, armpits, and neck, along the hairline, and behind the ears. Remove any attached tick as soon as possible and call your doctor if you have concerns about tick-born illness.

2. Use repellents that contain DEET on your exposed skin, and those that contain permethrin on your clothes.

3. Stick to main pathways and the center of trails when hiking to avoid ticks.

4. Wear long-sleeved, light colored shirts and long pants tucked into your socks. This may be difficult to do when the weather is hot, but it will help keep ticks away from your skin and make it easier to spot a tick on your clothing.

NOTE: There is currently no human vaccine available to protect against Lyme disease or any other tick-borne disease found in Massachusetts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4vpi1L3nIY

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Head lice can happen to anyone.

• It is not a sign of poor hygiene habits or of being dirty. Even though they do not jump or fly, lice can spread from one person to another by sharing personal items and by being in close contact with a person who has live lice.

• Unfortunately, there is no proven head lice deterrent that will prevent your child from getting head lice. The best you can do is stay alert for suspicious head scratching. Itching is an allergic reaction to chemicals in a head louse’s saliva. Not all kids will experience itching right away but catching this behavior early and treating it will help you stop a head lice problem at its roots.

• If you should discover a case of head lice, please call your pediatrician for treatment recommendations, notify the health office, as well as the parents of your child’s close contacts. This is the best way to protect your family and community.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact me via email or phone call.

Rose Remmetter Felzani, MSN, RN

Center School Nurse

84 Billerica Rd, Chelmsford, MA 01824

Phone: 978-251-5155 (option 2)

Secure Fax: 978-926-0721

felzanir@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

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• September

• Tuesday, September 17: National Constitution Day

• Wednesday, September 18: Half day/Professional day

• Thursday, September 19: Curriculum Night, 5-6:15 PM grades 3&4, 7-8:15 PM grades K-2

• Friday, September 20: Chelmsford Spirit Day

October

• Friday, October 4: co-president’s meeting 9:15-10:15

• Monday, October 7: Be Kind Spirit Wear day

• Thursday, October 10: Ice cream social; 5:00-6:00 & 6:00-7:00 (cafe for inclement weather)

• Monday, October 14: No School (Columbus day/Indigenous peoples day)

• Friday, October 18: Chelmsford Spirit Day

• Saturday, October 19: Trunk-or-Treat; 1:00-3:00 PM (rain date Oct. 26th)

• Monday, October 21, Picture Day

• Thursday, October 24: Half day/Professional day

• Thursday, October 24: Lunch and Recess Aide mtg: 9:15 - 10:15

• Thursday, October 24: Read for the Record Day

The Chelmsford Public School District has implemented a new visitor management and screening service at every school building. The system is called Visitor Aware, and it is designed to ensure that only safe visitors are allowed access to our buildings. Visitor Aware provides an additional layer of security for your children by validating the identities of anyone entering the premises, determining if they are a potential threat, and keeping accurate records of all school visits.

Visitors are required to have a valid state issued identification card, such as a driver’s license, to check in to ensure the accuracy of the information provided. Valid identification is also used to ensure that the person checking in is the same as the ID holder. The identification card must be non-expired and contain a picture of the visitor.

The following information is collection during a check in:

• First Name

• Middle Name

Your name, date of birth, state, and sex are used to ensure you are not on any sexual offender registry across all 50 states, as well as ensuring you are not a national or international watch list such as FBI watch lists, OFAC blocked persons, DTC debarred parties, etc.

Your visitor profile may only be viewed by users specifically granted access by school administration and is not available outside the Visitor Aware administration area. Your information is never sold, transferred, or accessible to any person outside Visitor Aware, and all access to your visitor profile from within the Visitor Aware administration area is recorded.

Visitor Aware is a great addition to our already well secured buildings, and will further assist us in keeping all schools as safe as possible.

I hope that everyone has a safe and healthy school year. In the event that your student has an illness or injury, please send one email to their teacher, the nurse and the main office.

For your convenience, here are the CPS guidelines for returning to school after illness:

We recommend that children do not come to school if they appear to be ill. We advise caregivers to keep students home if they have a sore throat, severe cold, rash, fever, vomiting and/or diarrhea. Students need to stay home if they have any of the following:

• Strep Throat: If strep throat is suspected and the child either has had a negative throat culture or has been on antibiotics and fever-free for a full 24 hours.

• A fever over 100: May return to school when he/she is fever-free for 24 hours without medication (e.g. Tylenol or Advil).

• Vomiting and/or diarrhea: May return to school 24 hours after his/her last vomiting and/or diarrhea episode.

• Red or pink itchy eyes with crusty and or green/yellow drainage: May return to school the day after treatment for 24 hours and has no further eye discharge.

• Head Lice or nits (eggs): The nurse will assess the student for the presence of head lice or nits. If head lice or nits are detected, the nurse will contact the parent/guardian and provide education on lice treatment. Based on the discretion of the school nurse, some situations may warrant a dismissal from school

• A rash of unknown cause: May require MD clearance at the discretion of the school nurse.

• After a major illness, injury or hospitalization, a doctor's note may be required to return to school. (ie: new cast/crutches/assistive device, and after stitches/surgery/hospital visit).

Parents/guardians are required to notify the school if your child contracts any contagious diseases (e.g. Chicken Pox, Strep Throat, Whooping Cough, Fifth’s Disease, Conjunctivitis, Scabies, Impetigo, Ringworm or Head Lice, etc.). If a child has been absent due to a communicable disease, a physician’s release may be required before returning to school.

Rose Remmetter Felzani, MSN, RN

Center School Nurse

Phone: 978-251-5155 (option 2)

Secure Fax: 978-926-0721

felzanir@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

she/her/hers

This year, and moving forward, Massachusetts is offering all school lunch and breakfast at no charge to students. This does not automatically make families eligible for any other benefits. We strongly encourage families that feel they are eligible for transportation or extended day reduced tuition to fill out the online free and reduced meal application. The links can be found below. https://cpsnutrition.com/index.php?sid=1478035692058&page=lunchapps

If you do qualify for benefits you most likely will be eligible for SNAP benefits. https://www.mass.gov/snap-benefits-formerly-food-stamps

Some examples of SNAP benefits are discounts on gas, electric utilities and internet services.

Please visit our school nutrition website at https://cpsnutrition.com/index.php?sid=1478035692058 for more information about our program and also a link to the free and reduced lunch application.