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South Row's Home Link

Week of: September 18th, 2023

South Row's HomeLink Week of: September 18th, 2023

Message from the Principals

Hello Families,


This week kicks off our Start with Hello week designed to make all students feel included in our South Row community. We look forward to seeing you at Curriculum Night on Wednesday September 20th. Please see the details below.


September 20th is also our first early release day. Please make sure the office and your child's teacher know their dismissal plan.


Thank you for your partnership. Enjoy your weekend!


Respectfully,

Terri and Jayson

Week at a Glance

Week of Monday, September 18th - Start with Hello Week (Kind Act for the Month)


Monday, September 18th

  • Start With Hello Week begins


Tuesday, September 19th

  • No events


Wednesday, September 20th

  • Early Release Day - Students Dismissed at 11:45 am for staff professional development

  • Reminders for Early Release Days:

    • Students are dismissed at 11:45am
    • Car dismissals should adhere to the following times
    1. Last names A-G- 11:40-11:45am
    2. Last names H-N- 11:45-11:50am
    3. Last names O-Z- 11:50-11:55am
    • Please communicate any changes to your child's dismissal plans to their respective teacher, Mrs. O'Neill (oneilld@chelmsford.k12.ma.us) and Mrs. Sepe (sepek@chelmsford.k12.ma.us). Be sure to also discuss with your child.
    • Lunch is available for take home ONLY through online ordering
    • Students will either have specials or recess (rotates every half day). The first half day, K,1,2 will have specials and grade 3 and 4 will have recess.
    • Snack time may be adjusted and/or not occur depending on your child(ren)'s schedule.
    • Extended Day will be open until 6:00 pm for students signed up on WEDNESDAY. Please provide your child a lunch.
    • Please anticipate possible delays with buses as they navigate an early release schedule
  • Curriculum Night at South Row Elementary School ** Please mark your calendars to join us!
  1. 5 – 5:25 pm: Principal/Assistant Principal Presentation- Cafeteria (K,1,2 families)
  2. 5:30 – 6:15pm: Grades K, 1, 2 Teacher Presentations
  3. 6:15 – 7:00 pm: Specialists/ Reading/ support providers available in classrooms/offices
  4. 7 – 7:25pm: Principal/ Assistant Principal Presentation- Cafeteria -Gr. 3 and 4 families (same as first presentation)
  5. 7:30 – 8:15pm: Grades 3 and 4 Teacher Presentations


Thursday, September 21st

  • No events


Friday, September 22nd

  • No events

Looking ahead...

Wednesday, September 27th

  • School Picture Day


Thursday, September 28th

  • Ice Cream Social, 4:30-7:00pm (Details below)


Friday, September 29th

  • Chelmsford/South Row Spirit Day

Reminders/ Updates

Snacks/Water Bottles: Please remember to send your child to school with a snack and a water bottle. All classrooms have snack scheduled into their day.


Food Services: As your student navigates the new and numerous lunch choices this year please be advised that there will be one main meal each day, listed first. The following items are secondary choices to the main meal.


Hummus Power Pack

Pretzel Meal

Turkey and Cheese Sandwich

Chef Salad w/breadstick


All items listed below the secondary meal choices are sides that students can choose from when they go through the line. The cafeteria staff have been very helpful in helping students and offering items.


CORI Forms: To volunteer in your child's classroom, field trip, etc. a CORI form must be completed. After completion, they are valid for up to 3 years. CORI forms must be completed in person with our main office staff during business hours, no appointment is needed. A valid drivers license is needed at the time of completion.


Pictures Opt Out - Classroom/Building Based/Social Media: If you would like to opt out of having your child's picture shared via our family newsletter, classroom communication or on South Row social media please contact Mrs. Gilbert, Mr. Ramalho and/or Ms. O'Neill ASAP. Please specify what you are opting out of with regards to picture sharing.


Walker Pick-up: Please remember that "walker pick-up" at the front of the building is for those families that are walking or bike riding to school.

Picture Day

SMILE! School Picture Day is coming soon!. O’Connor Studios will be at South Row School on Wednesday, September 27 to photograph all students for individual portraits. Please watch for a paper flyer coming home in your student’s backpack next week. It will feature all the portrait packages available to purchase EITHER in advance online OR on picture day by sending payment to school in the preprinted envelope that will be provided on the flyer.


Each student flyer will have a unique access code preprinted on the order form that will be required to use for any online orders. Please have the form handy when ordering online.


Also, O’Connor Studios offers a discount to families having 3 or more students in the district within the same household ordering packages. Please call the studio at (978) 640-6250 or email them at: customerservice@oconnorstudio.com to find out how to receive this discount prior to ordering.


We will be offering a make up Photo day on November 14th for retakes or for any students that are absent on the September date.



Ice Cream Social

Save the date for our sweet kick-off to the new school year...the South Row Ice Cream Social! We invite all current South Row staff, students, and their families to join us for some fun, fellowship, and of course ice cream on Thursday 9/28 4:30-7:00 on the playground. This is a free event for the South Row Community. The PTO will provide ice cream from Sullys, as well as allergy friendly pre-packaged options, and a toppings bar. We are in need of some volunteer SCOOPER HEROS to pre-scoop, set-up, serve, and clean-up. Please consider sprinkling some kindness on our community with the gift of your time. The link to volunteer is below. Any questions please contact southrowpto@gmail.com. **Please note there is NOT a rain date. In the case of rain we will open the cafe and utilize the bus overhang at the front of the building**


Volunteer Sign-Up link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E45A5AF2CA6F4C25-2023#/

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Start with Hello Week - September Kind Act

Dear South Row Community,


We are excited to announce our first kindness initiative for the 2023/24 school year. During the week of September 18th-22nd we will be participating in Start with Hello Week. Each year in September, thousands of schools and youth organizations nationwide participate in Start With Hello Week to celebrate the amazing work of educators, students, and community members in building socially inclusive learning environments for all students. Start with Hello Week is an initiative we have had great success with in the past at South Row.


Start with Hello Week is designed to teach students the skills they need to create a culture of inclusion, connectedness, kindness, and positive relationships. We want all students and staff at South Row Elementary School to feel welcome, included and appreciated. One of the main components of Start with Hello Week is to greet each other with a smile and positive message. Staff and students will participate in many activities which will promote greeting one another, developing positive relationships, and inclusiveness activities which will engage all members of South Row. It is our goal to instill kindness into our community and be sure that all members of our community feel welcome, valued, and appreciated.


It is our hope and goal from arrival to dismissal students are having positive experiences at South Row. We are confident that this week will continue to highlight what an amazing building the South Row Elementary School already is. We are really excited for this initiative and we hope that you will have the opportunity to ask your children about the activities that they are participating in. Should you have any questions, concerns, or comments about this initiative feel free to contact us.


Sincerely,

Ms. Terri Gilbert, Principal

Mr. Jayson Ramalho, Assistant Principal

Nurse's Corner

Dear South Row Families,


Welcome back! Hopefully you will not be hearing too much from me this year! I have copied a few important policies below. You can also find this information on the CPS website linked here.


We recommend children not come to school if they appear to be ill. We advise you to keep your child home if he/she has a sore throat, severe cold, rash, fever, vomiting and/or diarrhea. Your child needs to stay home if he/she has 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 or 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 to MD clearance at the discretion of the school nurse.

If a child is too ill to remain in school the nurse will call parent/guardian and/or emergency contact numbers for dismissal. The student should not place the call from a school phone or mobile phone.

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.


Here is the school’s injury policy:

It is the parent’s/guardian’s responsibility to notify the school nurse of all surgeries, injuries (i.e., concussions, fractures, sprains, stitches, etc.) When a student has sustained a concussion outside of school activities, parents shall notify the school nurse. Guidelines regarding injuries and non-participation in physical education (P.E.) classes and recess are as followed:

  1. Students with casts, stitches, or splints may not participate in Physical Education class or outdoor recess without written consent from both the parent/guardian and the attending physician.

*All injury notes from the doctor should include the type of injury, any limitations or allowance to participate in such activities and the date the child may return to full physical activities. Parent/guardian wishes may not supersede this medical prescription.

  1. Students need a subsequent doctor’s note when it is safe to resume normal activity in P.E. and/or recess.

  2. Some specified P.E. activities may also require non-participation for the safety of the student and others.

  3. If a student comes to school with a cane, crutches, wheelchair or an assistive device a doctor’s note is required. If applicable, the doctor’s note needs to indicate if the student can or cannot use stairs. An example of this would be a student with the need to wear a brace that would immobilize a knee.

Below is an excerpt from our current Covid protocol. It is not the full protocol - consider it the cliffs notes : ) . The website is not updated with the current protocol yet but if you need it, please reach out to me and I will send it to you via email.


Isolation and exposure guidance and protocols

● Quarantine is no longer required nor recommended for children or staff in these settings, regardless of vaccination status or where the exposure occurred. All exposed individuals may continue to attend programming as long as they remain asymptomatic. A high quality mask should be worn for 10 days, and test 5 days after the exposure on Day 6. If symptoms develop, follow the guidance for symptomatic individuals, below.

● Children and staff who test positive must isolate for at least 5 days. If they are asymptomatic or symptoms are resolving and they have been fever free without the use of fever-reducing medicine for 24 hours, they may return to programming after Day 5 and should wear a high-quality mask through Day 10:

○ If the individual is able to mask, they must do so through Day 10.

■ If the child has a negative test on Day 5 or later, they do not need to mask (please provide documentation for the negative test to the school nurse).

■ If the individual is unable to mask, they may return to programming with a negative test on Day 5 or later.

■ Please notify your school nurse of a positive COVID-19 test result.

● Symptomatic individuals should be sent home and allowed to return to their program or school if symptoms remain mild and they test negative, or they have been fever-free for 2 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication and their symptoms are resolving, or if a medical professional makes an alternative diagnosis. A negative test is strongly recommended for return. Best practice would also include wearing a mask, if possible, until symptoms are fully resolved. For symptomatic individuals, MDPH recommends a second test within 48 hours if the initial test is negative.

● Upon return to school, students who test positive for COVID-19 must complete the “Return to School Form Post COVID-19 Diagnosis” to the Health Office. The form will be emailed to you by the school nurse. Guidelines for return to physical activity and/or sports after testing positive are included in the form and are as follows:

○ For those individuals who test positive who are symptom free or experienced mild symptoms (<4 days of fever greater than 100.4 and < 1 week of mild symptoms) should inform their Health Care Provider (HCP) and the HCP will determine if a follow-up visit is recommended. It is important to monitor for signs and symptoms of myocarditis in regard to return to physical activity and return to sports. This includes monitoring for any chest pain, shortness of breath, unusual heartbeats, or feeling faint. These are indications for stopping physical activity and seeking immediate medical care.

○ For those with moderate symptoms of COVID-19 (≥4 days of fever >100.4°F, ≥1 week of symptoms, an evaluation by their HCP is recommended and individuals should not exercise until they are cleared by a physician.

○ For those individuals with severe COVID-19 symptoms, it is recommended they be restricted from exercise for a minimum of 3 to 6 months and obtain cardiology clearance prior to resuming training or competition. Please bring this form to the Nurse’s Office upon return to school (prior to attending class) and, if indicated, attach the clearance documentation from the healthcare provider to the form.

Below is the full list of symptoms for which caregivers should monitor their children, and staff should monitor themselves.

COVID-19 Symptoms List:

• Fever (100.0° Fahrenheit or higher), chills, or shaking chills

• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath

• New loss of taste or smell

• Muscle aches or body aches

• Cough (not due to other known cause, such as chronic cough)

• Sore throat, when in combination with other symptoms 3

• Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea when in combination with other symptoms

• Headache when in combination with other symptoms

• Fatigue, when in combination with other symptoms

• Nasal congestion or runny nose (not due to other known causes, such as allergies) when in combination with other symptoms


Feel free to reach out to me with any questions.


Warmly,

Nurse V.

Vandevoordts@chelmsford.k12.ma.us
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PTO Corner

Thank you to everyone who attended our first gathering! We loved all the great discussion and seeing many new faces and appreciated the help approving our budget for the year. Remember, there are no member requirements for PTO, all parents are already members amd welcome to join us for our monthly meetings.


There are a BUNCH of opportunities for new faces to help on planning committees this year! If you think you could help with one of these please email us at southrowpto@gmail.com and let us know what you want to do.

- Shadow the ice cream social chairperson with plans to take over next year.

- Assist our Spirit wear Coordinator (ideally with plans to take over next year)

- Join the Pumpkin Fair team - especially looking for a photographer and temp. tattoo master but other options exist too

- Movie Night Team - Assist with room set-up and planning tasks at each event (no technical knowledge needed)

*Note - these are for help with the background and planning of events. If you hope to volunteer to only help at the event itself please watch for the helper sign-ups to come out. Thanks!


Our annual Pumpkin Fair is only a month away! We are well on our way to having a grand event to help us celebrate that this is the 50th time we have hosted it! More details will come soon but some are already out within this Facebook event page if you want to check it out. https://facebook.com/events/s/50th-south-row-pto-pumpkin-fai/937665314138462/?mibextid=Gg3lNB

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Food Services Corner

Please find below:
  • Tentative Breakfast & Lunch Menu
  • Breakfast Sign Up Information
  • Early Release Day Lunch Sign Up Information
  • Direct Link to Food Services webpage



Dear Parents and Families --

Chelmsford Public Schools is utilizing on-line breakfast ordering again this year for ELEMENTARY STUDENTS ONLY.

Instructions on how to set up an account are below. If you need any help, please reach out to the school nutrition department at: (978) 251-5111

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 page.

How to order meals

  1. School Menu-breakfast online ordering
  2. Scroll to day/week you are selecting breakfast (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
  8. Place order

Tentative Breakfast and Lunch Menus

Food Services Website

SOUTH ROW'S PHOTOS OF THE WEEK

We love being back to school!

PRIDE Shout Out Reward for Ms. Sanborn's class!

BE KIND!

Pride Shout Outs

PE FUN!

PRIDE Shout Out Reward for Ms. Stagnone's class!

Care Solace - Are you in need of support?

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Contact the South Row Administrative Team!

Mrs. Terri Gilbert

Principal

gilbertt@chelmsford.k12.ma.us


Mr. Jayson Ramalho, M.Ed.

Assistant Principal

ramalhoj@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

Email: gilbertt@chelmsford.k12.ma.us
Website: https://www.chelmsford.k12.ma.us/Domain/15
Location: 250 Boston Road, Chelmsford, MA, USA
Phone: 978-251-5177
Facebook: facebook.com/SouthRowElementary
Twitter: @CPSSouthRow

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Contact the Main Office Staff