Last week, we began our mid-year i-Ready testing, assessing students on their reading progress. This week, students will be taking the i-Ready math assessment on Tuesday, January 14th. Testing will take place immediately following homeroom, so it is important that students arrive to school on time. Please remind students to bring a fully charged computer and headphones to school since the i-Ready assessment is administered on their device. Students should also bring a book of their choice to school with them so they can read silently if they finish before testing is completed. We will run an abbreviated full day schedule following testing.

Caregivers of 8th graders, please mark your calendars for Future Freshman Night at Reading Memorial High School on Thursday, January 23rd, at 6:30 p.m. Check your email for a letter that was sent home on January 7th with all the details about high school planning and course selection.

A reminder that there is NO SCHOOL on Monday, January 20th, in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr., Day. Quarter 2 ends on January 24th, and the new quarter begins on January 27th.

In Partnership,
Jill Story

Principal

THE WEEK AHEAD:

School Site Council Meeting - 1/13, 5:30pm

PTO Meeting - 1/13, 7pm

i-Ready Math testing - 1/14

ON THE HORIZON:

No School: Martin Luther King Jr. Day - 1/20

Future Freshmen Night (RMHS) - 1/23, 6:30pm

S1/Q2 Grades Close - 1/24

S2/Q3 Begins - 1/27

Challenge Day (Endeavor) - 1/29

Challenge Day (Inspire) - 1/30

All 8th graders are invited to learn about the arts at RMHS. There will be an opportunity on January 30 at 7:00. Please refer to this letter for more information!

The RMHS Winter Color Guard is having an open house on Wednesday January 15 at 6:00 in the Gym of Wood End Elementary School. This id for 8th graders who will be coming to RMHS next year. If you don't know what Color Guard is here is a quick explanation.

COLOR GUARD IS A VIBRANT SPORT OF THE ARTS THAT BLENDS DANCE, MUSIC, AND ATHLETICISM TO CREATE CAPTIVATING PERFORMANCES. IT CHALLENGES PARTICIPANTS TO DEVELOP STRENGTH, PRECISION, AND CREATIVITY WHILE WORKING AS A TEAM TO TELL POWERFUL VISUAL STORIES. WHETHER ON THE FIELD OR IN THE GYM, COLOR GUARD OFFERS A UNIQUE AND REWARDING EXPERIENCE FOR THOSE LOOKING TO PUSH THEIR LIMITS AND SHOWCASE THEIR ARTISTIC TALENTS.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Mr. Mulligan at joesph.mulligan@reading.k12.ma.us

📌 PTO MEETING: Please join us for our next PTO meeting, Monday, January 13 at 7 p.m. via zoom. Take a sneak peek at our upcoming agenda. All are welcome!

📌 STOCK THE STAFF ROOM: A big thank you to Jen Hillery, Ally Bosley, Lori Barcikowski, and Quinn & Kate Grant for Stocking the Staff Room with fun and healthy treats last Thursday. Thank you to our Parker families for generous financial donations that enabled us to purchase yummy things to eat and drink. Staff were very appreciative of the exciting snacks filling the shelves.

📌 READING CULTURAL COUNCIL GRANT: Parker PTO just received some exciting news - we have been awarded a $900 grant for the purchase of 6 African drums that will be used in the Parker music program! We need to extend a huge thank you to Sue Fitzgerald for writing the grant on behalf of Parker, and to Ms. DiMuzio for her work in this process as well. This will be a wonderful addition to the music department!

📌 CONGRATULATIONS: As announced by Dr. Milaschewski last month, we wanted to extend a warm Parker congratulations to Dr. Story for being named permanent Principal and Ms. Simpson for being named permanent Assistant Principal of Parker Middle School. We are grateful that both Dr. Story and Ms. Simpson have been serving in their roles as interim principal and interim assistant principal since this past summer, and are happy to know that they will be able to continue the great work they are doing in a permanent capacity. Please congratulate both of them on this exciting news!

SAVE THE DATE!

• M, 1/13: PTO Meeting, 7pm. Via zoom.
• F, 3/21: Corey the Dribbler - https://www.academicentertainment.com/dribbler

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

Hi! I’m Dhanya Bhola, a junior at RMHS and a former student at Parker. I’m offering tutoring for middle school students who need help with their classwork and homework. I can also assist with test and quiz preparation, as well as organizational skills. I believe that learning effective study habits in middle school sets the foundation for success in high school. I would be available Monday and Wednesdays 3:30PM-5:00PM at the Reading Public Library.

If you’re interested, please email me at dhanya.bhola@rdgstudent.com. Thank you!

Past Events:

Recorded events that are 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
• Review tiered system of supports and provide examples
• Outline effective communication channels with your team and school

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

Friends of Reading METCO is a volunteer group of Boston and Reading parents, working together to make connections between families and support the METCO program in our District. Contact ilka@ilkawalkley.com if you’d like to know more.

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.

If you test positive for COVID-19, you should isolate from others while you are ill.

You may begin to resume normal activities with precautions if:

1. You have not had a fever for at least 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medicines; AND
2. Your other symptoms are improving

For at least the first 5 days after you resume normal activities, take these extra precautions:

• Avoid crowded indoor spaces. Wear a mask anytime you are indoors around other people

• Wash your hands often with soap and warm water. If soap and water are not available, use hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol.

Avoid spending time with people who are at increased risk for severe disease

Here is more information about COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses.

Here's a link to the Massachusetts DPH Respiratory Illness Dashboard

Respiratory illness reporting | Mass.gov

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.

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