Message from Principal Blagg
Good afternoon Parker Families:
I hope that this note finds you all doing well. Only in New England is it sixty-five degrees and sunny one day and then a winter nor'easter the next! Regardless, we persevere, and the promise of warmer and brighter days lay ahead. We had a very busy week with the administration of the ELA MCAS for both grades 5 and 6. Any student who missed one or both of the sessions will participate in make-up sessions on Monday and Tuesday April 8 and 9. The Math MCAS is not until early May, so we all have a chance to take a breather!
Term 3 report card will be coming out next week. I encourage you to have thoughtful conversations with your child reflecting on their progress, improvements, and lingering areas in need of attention and improvement. Do not hesitate to reach out to your child's teacher(s) with any clarifying questions or concerns.
Social Emotional Learning Survey
All students will be taking a social emotional learning survey this Wednesday during their SEL Block. A similar survey was given in October to gauge the social and emotional welfare of our students. The results of these surveys help us determine areas of concerns for the individual student but also for trends. We then will provide programming, curriculum, and support targeted at any areas in need of more support. We aim to be proactive in helping students feel safe, heard, and valued in our school community.
Hats and Hoods for a Cause day - Friday April 12
On Friday, April 12th, we will have a Hats and Hoods Day for a Cause! If you would like to wear a hat or hood, please make a donation in homeroom that will go to Newhouse Wildlife Rescue! They are right here in Chelmsford and they do amazing work rehabilitating wildlife in the area! Donations help Newhouse run and provide these services so please consider wearing a hat or a hood and making a donation to this wonderful organization!
Chelmsford ranks among nation’s top communities
for support of music education
for TWELVE consecutive years!
Chelmsford Public Schools has once again been honored with the Best Communities for Music Education designation from The NAMM Foundation for its outstanding commitment to music education! This is Chelmsford’s TWELFTH consecutive year receiving NAMM’s Best Communities for Music Education designation.
Now in its 25th year, NAMM’s Best Communities for Music Education award program recognizes outstanding efforts by teachers, administrators, parents, students and community leaders who have made music education part of a well-rounded education. Designations are made to districts and schools that demonstrate an exceptionally high commitment and access to music education.
The BCME survey requires districts to answer detailed questions about funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, support for the music program and community music-making programs. Responses were reviewed by The Music Research Institute at the University of Kansas.
The announcement of this year’s Best Communities for Music Education designation brings attention to the importance of keeping music education part of school’s core education and music’s vital role in student success in school. Research into music education continues to demonstrate educational/cognitive and social skill benefits for children who make music: After two years of music education, researchers found that participants showed more substantial improvements in how the brain processes speech and reading scores than their less-involved peers and that students who are involved in music are not only more likely to graduate high school but also to attend college as well. In addition, everyday listening skills are stronger in musically trained children than in those without music training. Significantly, listening skills are closely tied to the ability to: perceive speech in a noisy background, pay attention, and keep sounds in memory. Later in life, individuals who took music lessons as children show stronger neural processing of sound: young adults and even older adults who have not played an instrument for up to 50 years show enhanced neural processing compared to their peers. Not to mention, social benefits include conflict resolution, teamwork skills, and how to give and receive constructive criticism.
“CPS music teachers and students deserve this recognition for their creativity, dedication, and effort,” commented Fine and Performing Arts Coordinator Dr. Christy Whittlesey. “We should all take pride in contributing to a community that values music-making in schools and beyond!”
For more information about the Chelmsford music programs, please contact Fine and Performing Arts Department Coordinator Dr. Christy Whittlesey at whittleseyc@chelmsford.k12.ma.us.
Parker Cultural Diversity Night
As a reminder we have unfortunately postponed our Cultural Diversity Night planned for April 11 due to a lack of participation. We thank those families who did volunteer to participate and are committed to celebrating the rich cultural and ethnic traditions present in our school community.
I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend. Please reach out if you need support!
Warm Regards,
Josh
AFTER SCHOOL CLUBS & ACTIVITIES & LATE BUSES
Our after-school programs will start on Tuesday, October 17th. The Activity Fee is $50 per student. PLEASE CLICK ON LINK My School Bucks or send in cash or check 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.
Tuesday - April 9th
Art Club – Ms. Annuziata – Room 4 – GRADE 6
Book Club – Ms. Beaudoin – Room 125
Homework Club-Ms. Larrabee&Ms. Morse-Library
Intramurals – Mr. McCarthy/Mr. Sullivan/Ms. Clark-Grade 6
Jazz Band–Mr. Linsner–Band Room
Running Club - Mr. Felzani, Ms. Baker-meet in the Cafeteria
Stand-Up Parker – Ms. Cranney - Room 110
Wednesday - April 10th
Fitness Room (Health & Wellness)-Ms. Wilson-in the Fitness Room
Intramurals-Clark, McCarthy & Sullivan - GYM - Grade 5
Homework Club-Ms. Larrabee/Ms. Morse - Library
Jewelry Making Club - Ms. Annunziata - Room 4
Yoga Club/Mindfulness - Ms. Macallister - Room 123
Thursday - April 4th
Art Club - Ms. Annunziata - Room 4 - GRADE 5 TODAY
Festival Band - Mr. Linsner - Band Room
Festival Orchestra - Ms. Tiano - Room 4
Fitness Room(Health & Wellness)-Ms. Wilson-in the Fitness Room
Game Club - Ms. Baker - Library
Intramurals-Clark, McCarthy&Sullivan - GYM - Grade 6
BEST BUDDIES FAMILY REMINDERS
Best Buddies google classroom (code: gdxp5eo). Please make sure your child is enrolled as a member through Best Buddies - students not enrolled as a member will not be able to participate in the next event.
Upcoming Events are:
Wednesday, April 24th - 2:40 to 3:40 in the Parker Cafe'
Saturday, May 11th - Best Buddies Walk. More details to follow. Make sure you are on the Remind app or subscribed to texts! Each student attending will have their own transportation. In the meantime you can register here: https://bestbuddiesfriendshipwalk.org/centralmass - Be sure to register your child as an existing team: Parker Middle School
June Event - To be announced
Download the remind app for announcements and reminders of activities or simply follow the image below:
FROM PARKER PTO
The Middle School community has had a busy couple of weeks! Thank you to all who have participated in our recent events! A few more fun activities are coming your way! Check out the highlights below:
🗓️ Congratulations to this week's calendar raffle winners!
March 29th: Jeanne Hogan
March 30th: Gavin C
March 31st: Nancy Harvey
Student Participation Grand Prize Winner: Abigail M.
Additional Student Participation Winners: Ryan S., Alfred Z. and Jaxson H.
Thank you to all that supported our calendar raffle. Total funds raised will be announced the week of April 10th.
📅 Thinking of getting more involved? Attending a PTO meeting is a great way to start! Come join the conversation about enrichment, fundraising, teacher appreciation and more at the Parker & McCarthy PTO meeting Monday, April 10th @ 5:30 in the McCarthy library. All are welcome to attend. Board positions are available for the 2024/2025 school year.
👕 Thank you to all that ordered Pride Wear through Center Sports. Orders will be sent home with students the week of April 10th.
🎤 The Lions' Middle School Showboat will be Saturday, May 18th at the CHS Performing Arts Center (PAC). You won't want to miss this amazing talent show starring our very own middle school students grades 5-8! Tickets will be on sale soon. Contact Showboat Director and parent, Karyn Crouthamel at lionsmiddleschoolsshowboat@gmail.com
⚾ 🏈 ⚽ i9 Sports is opening a new location in Westford. i9 Sports offers weekend instructional league programs for kids ages 3-14. To show appreciation to Parker & McCarthy families, i9 Sports is offering a special promotional code to Chelmsford Middle School students. Sign up before 4/10/2024 using the promo code “MSLions!” at checkout and not only will you save $20 OFF the season registration price, but i9 Sports will also donate $5 back to the Parker & McCarthy PTOs. Click link to sign up: i9Sports.com
👟 Lace up those sneakers! The 2024 Parker Pride Run is back! Run, walk or roll with families and friends along this 2 mile course through the neighborhoods surrounding Parker on Sunday, May 19th @ 9am. Early bird registration of $20 available until April 20th. Registration includes: event t-shirt, swag bag, drinks and snacks at finish line and raffle tickets. Prizes awarded for top three finishers for various grade levels and adults. Click link to register for the event:
https://runsignup.com/Race/MA/Chelmsford/ParkerPrideRun
⚾ Join Chelmsford Middle School Families at Fenway Park on Thursday, May 30th @ 7:00 P.M. to see the Boston Red Sox vs. Detroit Tigers. Tickets are $40 each and can be purchased via the following link: https://givebutter.com/gMsmi9 Tickets will be "tossed" to your MLB Ballpark App closer to the game day. Please write down which email address you use to order these tickets as that is the email address we'll use to "toss" you your tickets.
If you have any questions, please reach out to: ptoparker@gmail.com
As always, thank you for your continued support of our Parker Middle School community!
ATTENDANCE
To report a Student Absent:
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.
Thank you for your understanding.
Parker Middle School
Email: robinsond@chelmsford.k12.ma.us
Website: https://parker.chelmsfordschools.org/
Location: 75 Graniteville Road
Phone: 978-251-5133
