PARKER WEEKLY BULLETIN

Good afternoon Parker families,

I hope that this note finds you all doing well and enjoying the beautiful autumn weather. It was a busy and productive week at Parker. There are just a few weeks before the end of Term 1and students are fully invested in their studies. Please be sure to reach out to your child's teacher and/or counselor if you have concerns about their progress. We work as a team to meet the needs of the students and value your insight.

Social Emotional Learning

All students have been focusing on exploring their heritage and celebrating the diversity within our school community in our SEL Block on Wednesdays. Next week the whole school will be taking a social emotional survey. The results of this survey help us to identify students in need of further support and help to drive our enrichment efforts.

Pizza, Pumpkins, and Paperbacks - October 23

We are excited to host our annual Pizza, Pumpkins, and Paperbacks event on October 23. We encourage you to attend this great event with your family where you can have dinner, browse our book fair, and enjoy jack-o-lanterns in our courtyard. Prizes will be given to the best carved/decorated pumpkins, and we encourage your child to submit one for consideration. This is truly a fantastic night. I encourage you to join in on the fun! More details below.

Costumes for a Cause - October 31

We are excited to celebrate Halloween at Parker and we allow our students and staff to wear costumes to school. We kindly ask costumes not be inflatable, include masks that cover the face, or include weapons. We are suggesting that students bring in a dollar to donate to the Newhouse Animal Rescue right here in Chelmsford. This organization does wonderful work and presented to our students last year. Newhouse Wildlife Rescue was just in the news regarding their beaver, Nibi, when Governor Healy stepped in to allow Nibi to remain as an educational animal. This was due to the fact that Nibi was not prepared to be reintroduced to the wild due to isolation and extended sanctuary. All proceeds will go directly towards supporting this fantastic organization.

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

Warm Regards,

Josh

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

Monday, October 14th - No School - Columbus Day

Thursday, October 17th - Picture RETAKE Day

Monday, October 21st through Friday, October 25th - PTO Scholastic Bookfair

Thursday, October 31st - Costumes for a Cause - see attachment below for details

We are excited to announce our 8th annual "Costumes for a Cause" event on Halloween, Thursday, October 31st, 2024. Students are invited to wear costumes to school for this fun Parker tradition. This year we would like to donate to Newhouse Wildlife Rescue.

Dear Parker Families,

Please send in non-glass, non-breakable storage containers and/or water bottles with your students. We've had several instances of broken glass, creating a safety issue. Plastic or aluminum is preferred.

~Thank you for your help.

ENJOY 10% OFF your order!

CODE: F202410OFF

EXPIRES: July 31, 2025

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Don’t forget to order your FREE Digital SmileSafe card! More about the Smilesafe program here.

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 - October 15th

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

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

Festival Orchestra - Ms. Tiano - Room 8

Homework Club- Ms. Larrabee - Library

Intramurals - Mr. McCarthy - Grade 5 TODAY

Jazz Band - Mr. Linsner - Band Room

Livesmart - Ms. Lyons - Room 102

Mindfulness & Crafts - Ms. Marino - Room 124

Running Club - Ms. Baker -Meet in the Cafe' (sneakers required)

Yearbook Club- Ms. Flanagan & Ms. Lococo - Room 219

Yoga - Ms. Macallister - Fitness Room

Wednesday - October 16th

Book Club - Ms. Beaudoin

Game Club - Ms. Baker - Library

CORRECTION - Dungeons & Dragons - Ms. Engel - Room PC4 - WILL MEET NEXT WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 23rd.

Fitness Club - Ms. Fitzgerald - Fitness Room

Thursday - October 17th

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

Festival Band - Mr. Linsner - Band Room

Fitness Club - Ms. Currier - Fitness Room

Intramurals - Mr. McCarthy - Grade 6 TODAY

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

Friday - October 18th

Select Chorus - Ms. Robertson-Chorus Room 230 at 7:20 a.m.

For DRAMA CLUB please check below for auditions days

All are welcome to sign up for an audition! Please be sure to note the time commitment before taking an audition slot however.

Parker Drama presents: "Wizard of Oz" youth edition. Auditions will take place after school Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday October 15-17. For more information on how to sign up for an audition, how to access google classroom, and time commitment, please see this flyer: https://docs.google.com/document/d/17Zfp_EMHPlbcuTs-nymwRrRgVi2i3yq_92J7RlszLho/edit?usp=sharing

Want to stay active after school? Join us for fitness club! Some of the activities include an intro to fitness with a focus on proper technique and form, an intro to yoga/mindfulness/ stretching, time with the cardio equipment, fitness related games and more! If interested, please complete each section of the form for your child to be considered for joining. If registering more than 1 child, please complete an additional form. We have a max capacity of 20 students at a time in the fitness room. We will try to accommodate as many students as possible by offering 2 days a week (Wednesday and Thursday) for half a year.

We will break into 4 groups- Group A-D.

Group A will attend on Wednesdays October-January.

Group B will attend on Thursday October- January.

Group C will attend Wednesday February- May.

Group D will attend Thursday February-May.

Assigned groups will be posted in the cafe the week before clubs start!

Please complete the form by October 11th!

https://forms.gle/fwksyP7VZTt3Eykn9

Thank you!

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.

Happy Friday Parker Families!

Parker PTO has some exciting activities planned this month! We are looking for parent volunteers to help with some amazing school events this month. Please see information and sign up links below:

🦁 👕 Parker Pride Wear Sale: The Parker Pride Wear Store is open! Orders will be completed and delivered in November. We have some new items this year including: friendship bracelets, quote of the day t-shirts available in all team colors, crop sweatshirts AND Ozzie Superfan apparel. All orders can be placed online via the following link: Parker Middle School Apparel 2024 Fall

📚 Scholastic Book Fair October 21st-October 25th: The Scholastic Book Fair will be coming to Parker library. Students will have the ability to shop during school hours. Each year we ask parents to help staff the fair during school hours so students can shop. Volunteer responsibilities include running cash registers, stocking shelves and helping students purchase items. Please click the link to volunteer for the book fair: Scholastic Book Fair Volunteer Sign Up

🎃 Pizza, Paperbacks and Pumpkins Wednesday, October 23rd 5:30-7:00pm

This event is Parker FAVORITE!!!! Each year, Parker students and staff are invited to enter a free pumpkin carving contest. Families are invited to view the pumpkins aglow in the courtyard, stop in the library to shop our Scholastic book fair and visit the cafeteria to purchase a slice of pizza. Each year we ask parents to help volunteer to run the event. Volunteer responsibilities include putting pumpkins in the courtyard, staffing the pizza table and staffing the book fair. Please click the link to volunteer: Pizza, Paperbacks and Pumpkins Volunteer Sign Up

♻️ E Waste and Junk Day Recycle- November 2nd (8am-12pm): Center Elementary School and McCarthy Middle School PTOs are partnering to help you get rid of junk items that aren't easily disposed of in the trash (appliances, furniture, lawn equipment, grills (no propane), TVs, etc). This is a great way to support our schools--just drive through, donate a small fee & then leave your junk! Please click the link for more information including volunteer opportunities: 2024 E Waste and Junk Day Recycle Information

🏒 Riverhawks Hockey -November 9th @ 6:05 PM: UML Riverhawks will be hosting Chelmsford Middle School night Saturday, November 9th. 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/Parkermccarthymiddle5

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!

Parker PTO

Water bottles are a very popular item with our students. Almost every student in the building brings a water bottle to school. We have water filling stations located throughout the building. It is highly recommended that students label their water bottles. Either with initials on the bottom using a permanent marker, a special sticker, or any unique marker so the student can identify their water bottle. Thank you for your help.

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

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

https://www.schoolnutritionandfitness.com/webmenus2/#/view?id=66eac84ee96f1e8a8e33475a&siteCode=3370

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