Parker Post

It's hard to believe we are already a quarter of the way through the 24-25 school year!

Term 1 closed on Friday, November 1st, and grades for the first term will be available in the portal at the end of the day on Friday, November 8th. Students will receive copies of their Quarter 2 schedules in homeroom on Monday. There is no school on Tuesday, November 5th, due to the Election and Staff Professional Development.

As we approach the upcoming presidential election, we recognize that students may have questions or opinions about what they are hearing and experiencing. At Parker, our goal is to provide a respectful and supportive environment where students can explore their thoughts, learn about the democratic process, and engage in civil discourse. Teachers may discuss the election within the context of history, government, or social studies, helping students learn how elections work, why they are important, and how our country upholds democratic principles.

For families, this time offers an opportunity to have conversations at home about civic responsibility, the value of diverse perspectives, and the importance of informed decision-making. Please know that we are here to support students as they navigate these complex topics, and we welcome your partnership as we aim to create an inclusive and respectful space for learning.

Thank you for your continued support.

Warm regards,

Jill Story

Principal

Quarter 2 begins Monday, November 4th. Students will receive printed copies of their schedules in homeroom. Some sixth graders may be starting a new World Language exploratory, and all eighth graders will be assigned a new pathways exploratory or Project Block class.

It's not too late to register! Please see the attachment below for a list of After School Activities that begin the week of November 4th. If your student is interested in participating, please complete the registration form and return it to school with payment.

On October 28th, you should have received a communication from your child's Team Leader with information about how to sign up for conferences. If you missed it or were unable to sign up, please reach out to your child's Team Leader for an alternate time.

On Friday, November 8, report cards will be uploaded to the Portal by the end of the day. To access, families should:

• Log onto the Portal
• Click on the blue "E-Locker" tab.
• Click on the "E-Portfolio" tab.

The report card will be in PDF format. It will remain in this folder for the year, but will not stay beyond a year, so feel free to save it for your records.

Please see the attached document for information about how to request transcripts and letters of recommendation if your child is applying to private or technical schools.

Last month, students completed the i-Ready Reading and Math diagnostic tests in order to gather benchmark data. i-Ready is an online program that helps identify each student's strengths and areas for growth, which assists us with personalizing supports and monitoring their progress throughout the school year. i-Ready allows us to meet your child where they are and provides us with data to inform instruction.

The i-Ready Diagnostic is an adaptive assessment that adjusts its questions based on student responses. Each item a student receives is based on their answer to the previous question. For example, a series of correct answers will result in slightly harder questions, while a series of incorrect answers will yield slightly easier ones. The purpose of this is not to give your child a score or grade but to determine how to best support their learning.

We will be administering the i-Ready assessments three times over the course of the year in order to more effectively evaluate student learning and provide targeted support. Please see the letter below with information about how to access your child's iReady results.

By now you should have received your child's Spring 2024 MCAS results, which were mailed home the week of October 21st. Student achievement scores are represented on a continuum, with a score of 530-560 defined as Exceeding Expectations, 500-529 as Meeting Expectations, 470-499 as Partially Meeting Expectations, and 440-469 as Not Meeting Expectations. Our goal is to have as many students as possible earning Meeting or Exceeding Expectations, which indicates that they are making grade-level progress.

Students who received a score of Partially Meeting Expectations or Not Meeting Expectations will be receiving additional reading and math support during Project Block. Some students received added support Quarter 1, while others will be receiving that support Quarter 2, 3, or 4. Sixth and seventh grade students will rotate through their teachers during the scheduled Project Block time, while eighth grade students will work with either their ELA teacher, math teacher, or the reading/math interventionists for additional support in the course curriculum or to close gaps in skills deficits. Students who are assigned to an ELA or math section during Project Block will still have an opportunity to enroll in pathways exploratory courses a different quarter and will be given preference based on interest.

Please review the MCAS presentation below for information regarding Parker's 2024 scores and subsequent action steps. We are so pleased with the school's progress in narrowing achievement gaps and look forward to continued growth and success.

Phyllis Fagell, author of Middle School Superpowers, will be presenting an interactive virtual session on “Helping Kids Make Smart, Ethical Decisions” on November 14th at 6pm.

Sign up for the Walk it like you ROCKET RMHS 5K! on 11/24 Two options to race: a 5K and a fun run!

*All proceeds raised will go directly to the RMHS senior class and all the fun senior activities, i.e. prom, senior week, and graduation.

We will have two different races scheduled: a true 5k and an age 10 and under ½ mile fun run! We encourage the whole family to participate!

Here are a few details about the fundraiser:

• Event Date: Sunday November, 24th
• Start Time: 8:30 AM 10&U and 9:00 5K
• Location: Birch Meadow Elementary School (27 Arthur B Lord Dr.)
• Registration Fee: $15 Fun Run & $30 5k

Link to Register: https://runsignup.com/Race/MA/Reading/WalkItLikeYouRocket

The Week Ahead:

Q2 Begins - 11/4

No School: Election Day/Staff PD - 11/5

Veterans Day Assembly - 11/8, 1:30 p.m.

Q1 Report Cards published in portal - 11/8

On the Horizon:

No School: Veterans Day - 11/11

School Site Council meeting - 11/12, 5:30 p.m.

PTO meeting - 11/12, 7 p.m.
No School: Caregiver Conferences - 11/15

Author Jessie Janowitz visits Parker (6th graders) - 11/20

Early Dismissal (10:45 dismissal) - 11/27

No School: Thanksgiving Recess - 11/28 & 11/29

📌 PTO MEETING: Please join us for our next PTO meeting, Tuesday, November 12 at 7 p.m. at Parker Middle School and via zoom. Take a sneak peek at our upcoming agenda. All are welcome!

📌 DONATION REQUEST: Check out what the Parker PTO accomplished last year! All of this was entirely made possible because of family donations.

To make this a successful year, the PTO is asking for a donation of $100 per family. We are sensitive that this may pose a financial burden, so please contribute as you are able to do so. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Please send in your family’s donation of $100 by December 1st. This enables us to meet our fall financial obligations. We can accept donations via credit card, Venmo, PayPal, and ACH payments. Checks are also welcome and should be made payable to Parker PTO and sent in to the Parker Main Office. Pay online: https://givebutter.com/ParkerPTO. (On Apple iPhones, use Safari to access the Venmo option. On Android devices, use Chrome. On desktop computers, use any browser.)

📌 THANK YOU: We appreciate the Parker families that have submitted their PTO donations for matching gifts through their companies! Please consider checking with your employer as to whether your PTO donation can be matched as this provides extra funds that the PTO can put towards enrichment and activities for this school year.

📌 PARKER FALL APPAREL SALE - LAST DAY TO PURCHASE!: The Fall Apparel Store is open until midnight Sun 11/3!

Shop online to get your Parker gear, including tees, sweatshirts, pajama pants, winter hats, and more! These are perfect for upcoming holidays, celebrations, and birthday gifts!

Shop online to get your Parker gear, including tees, sweatshirts, pajama pants, winter hats, and more! These are perfect for upcoming holidays, celebrations, and birthday gifts!

https://tinyurl.com/ParkerFall2024

Order deadline is Sunday, November 3rd. Items will be delivered to Parker by the end of November and sent home in student backpacks.

Apparel is made to order and all sales are final. Please check sizing charts before ordering.

* Be sure to note in the comments box if something is a gift to arrange for alternate pickup! *

Questions? Contact Kate Grant: katefgrant@gmail.com

📌 HOLIDAY PIE SALE, SUN 10/20/24 - W 11/13/24: Once again the Parker PTO is working with Wilson Farm of Lexington to provide us with delicious pies for the holiday season! These are 10” pies, and they’re frozen so you can use them throughout the holidays.

The cost is $15 each. As always, all of the money raised will go right back to the Parker PTO and the students! (Payment can be made through https://givebutter.com/ParkerPies or by sending a check made payable to the Parker PTO to the front office or your child's homeroom.)

Please Note: The pies are delicious and sold year round in the freezer at Wilson Farm. They are not, however, made at the Wilson Farm Bakery.

PIE PICK-UP: The pies can be picked up from the Parker Lobby Tuesday, November 26th, from 5pm to 7pm. This will be the ONLY available time to get your pies as we have no way to store them.

Orders can be placed by:

• Filling out the Google Form: https://bit.ly/ParkerPieSale2024 or

• Returning the order form below to the Parker School Office or your child's homeroom

***OPTIONAL: DONATE PIES TO THE READING FOOD PANTRY FOR THANKSGIVING! ***

Purchase a pie to DONATE to the Reading Food Pantry for Thanksgiving. Indicate the number of pies and we will take care of the rest!

PLEASE NOTE: DONATED PIE ORDERS MUST BE IN BY WED NOVEMBER 6TH!

If you have any questions please contact Kate McLeod at kate.fugina@gmail.com

📌 SAVE THE DATE!

• F 10/18 - SUN, 11/3: Parker Fall Apparel sale! https://tinyurl.com/ParkerFall2024
• SUN, 10/20 - W 11/13: Holiday pie sale! Purchase pies for yourself and/or donate pies to the Reading Food Pantry for Thanksgiving! Donate pies to the Reading Food Pantry by 11/6. https://bit.ly/ParkerPieSale2024
• CHARLESTON WRAP SALE: Opening next week. Gift wrap for all occasions, candles, home decor and more!
• PARKER PTO’S FESTIVAL OF TREES SUBMISSION: Help the PTO outfit our awesome Festival of Trees tree donation. More info coming next week!
• T 11/12: PTO Meeting, 7pm. In person and zoom.
• W, 11/20: Author Jessie Janowitz visits Parker 6th graders! https://www.jessiejanowitz.com/

📌 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

To learn more about Reading SEPAC, please visit our website: Reading SEPAC Website

Should you wish to receive our monthly newsletter, please send an email to SEPACReading@gmail.com

Please note that Reading SEPAC IS OPEN TO ALL parents/caregivers and not only families who have a child with special needs as we offer various opportunities to connect with other families and provide learning experiences.

Past Events:

Sarah Ward’s 360 Thinking Model (a link to the recording was emailed directly to all registrants on Oct 24 (Thu) via Zoom; recording will be available for 30-days)

Please email Reading SEPAC at SEPACReading@gmail.com if you would like access to the recording.

Recorded events that’s available on the Reading SEPAC Website:

• The Right to Read Panel Discussion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qw_oIuqkUt0
• The New IEP Presentation
• MCAS & Students with Disabilities Presentation
• Multi Tiered System of Support (MTSS) Presentation

***Should you wish to reach out to Reading SEPAC anonymously, please use this form

Friends of Reading METCO is hosting their fall social event for caregivers (adults only) on Saturday November 16, 2024 from 12:00pm-4:00pm. Come join us! Please register here: FORMetco- Eventbrite Link

If you plan on attending, please also fill out this form so coordinators are aware of who will be attending: FORMetco- Google Form

On Saturday November 23, 2024 from 4:00pm-6:00pm, the Reading METCO team will be hosting a family fall event at V! Healthy in Boston. There will be activities such as pumpkin and apple decorating, arts and crafts, games, food, and drinks.

Please register here.

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)

On Wednesdays, students will have Advisory. During Advisory, students meet in smaller groups with an assigned Advisory teacher. The goal is to foster a sense of belonging for all students through the implementation of curriculum that is designed to reinforce Parker's core values of kindness, community, and personal best.

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, please contact kate.shmulsky@reading.k12.ma.us.

Health Services Updates: The Health Services Department would like to share some important reminders. Parents/guardians/caregivers should review the RPS illness guidelines here. If your child requires medication at school, including an Epipen or inhaler, ensure you complete and submit this form. Reading Public Schools utilizes the SNAP Health Portal for electronic health records, allowing secure uploading of medical documents and private messaging with school nurses; an email has been sent to parents with login details and the portal can be accessed here.

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 Linnea Frye: linnea.frye@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