Weekly Bulletin

Week of September 4, 2023

MESSAGE FROM PRINCIPAL BLAGG

Good afternoon,

The first week of the school year is in the books for Parker Middle School. After a long summer of planning, it was refreshing and exciting to have the students back in school. There are over 800 students at Parker this year and 600 of them are completely new to the building. I am so impressed with how the students are handling this transition. Meeting so many new people can be both exciting and daunting at the same time.

At our grade level assemblies, we were able to review school wide expectations and the importance of being inclusive and being "upstanders". We discussed looking out for one another and offering support to those in need through words and actions. We are seeking to build a supportive community where all students are respected, supported, and feel a sense of belonging. We do this through embracing our PRIDE values and working to exemplify them in our actions.

The students engaged in community building activities on their teams and will start to dive into the content next week. Please find attached some pictures of our first day photo booth and our staff picture. I hope that you and your family enjoy a fantastic long weekend and that the kids come back rested and ready to learn.

Warm regards,

Josh

SEPTEMBER

IMPORTANT DATES:

Friday, September 1st & Monday, September 4th-No School

Monday, September 11th-Parker PTO Mtg-@McCarthy Library

Tuesday, September 12th-Grade 5 Open House-6-7:30 P.M.

Tuesday, September 19th-Grade 6 Open House-6-7:30 P.M.

Wednesday, September 20th-Early Release-dismissal @11:10 a.m.

Thursday, September 28th-School Picture Day

SCHOOL HOURS

Front Doors open at 8:10 a.m. for buses
Back door opens at 8:00 a.m. for students being dropped off (students wait in the Cafe' until 8:10 a.m.)
Homeroom bell rings at 8:20 a.m. (students should be in homeroom at this time)

Dismissal is at 2:40 p.m.

Please call the office if you have any questions 978-251-5133. ~Thank you.

BUS REGISTRATION INFORMATION

All students are required to register every year if they would like to ride the bus, even if they do not need to pay a fee. If all students register to ride the bus, the district has more accurate student/rider data, therefore bus routes may be established with better efficiency and on-time performance. The determination of a fee or no fee is based on the grade of the student and the mileage between home and school. Please click link for more information on bus registration. https://chelmsfordschools.org/departments/transportation/

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 calls home when students are absent. You will receive the call whether you called/emailed or not. The reason is that we do not have the ability to review every email or phone call, and then manually remove each contact prior to the calls going out at 10:00AM.

In order for an absence to be marked as "Excused", families will need to provide medical documentation.

Thank you for your understanding.

FROM PARKER PTO

Welcome Parker Families!

Parker PTO has some exciting activities coming up this month! We will be looking for parent volunteers to help with some amazing school events. Be on the lookout for a volunteer sign up in the upcoming weeks! Please save the following dates:

Monday, September 11th: Parker/McCarthy PTO meeting at 7:00 pm at McCarthy library. With the 2023 realignment of our middle schools, the PTO at both schools will join forces and hold one joint meeting each month. Together we will collaborate to plan and execute some joint events and fundraisers. We will also work to keep each other apprised of other school-specific happenings. We encourage any middle school parent/guardian to join us and let us know how you think we can make this transition even better for our students and their families!

Monday, September 11th: Power of Purpose (POP!) student fundraiser. Be on the lookout for information regarding this fundraiser

Wednesday, October 11th: Day of Awesomeness! Students will be participating in a one of a kind obstacle course with their classmates. More details to follow along with volunteer opportunities!