Message from Principal Blagg
Hello Parker Community,
We had a whirlwind of a week at Parker with some exciting events and opportunities for growth. The students continue to meet new friends and build new relationships. It is heartening to see our students look to be inclusive and broaden their social circles.
The Day of Awesomeness
On Wednesday we had a school wide celebration culminating with our POP fundraiser. The fundraiser was wildly successful, and the funds raised will directly benefit the students of both Parker and McCarthy in the form of enrichment opportunities. The celebration on Wednesday was truly awesome where all students were able to play with their peers, dance to music, eat some Hawaiian Ice, and enjoy being a kid. Our students demonstrated gratitude for the opportunity and impressed all the adults with how they handled themselves. I want to extend a special thank you to all the parent volunteers for making this day possible. Alysun Kenney, Lisa Bryant, and Emily Dilworth deserve huge thanks for the countless hours of coordination and hard work dedicated to this project. Their selfless devotion to all our students is inspiring!
The Bionic Project
Our sixth-grade students had the opportunity to meet with the Bionic Project today. Their message of inclusion, breaking down misconceptions of disabilities, and accessibility was powerful and meaningful. Many of our sixth grade students also had the opportunity to play amputee soccer in Physical Education today alongside Nico Calabria, the Captain of the US National Amputee Soccer team, and had a great time while playing using adaptive equipment in playing. Their message of inclusion and kindness was profound.
Second Step
We are starting our second unit in Second Step, our social emotional learning curriculum. Grade 5 will be starting a unit on Emotion management and Grade 6 will embark on a unit on Bullying. Below you find an overview of the lessons coming this week for each grade.
Grade 5: Strong Emotions
Summary
In this week’s lesson, your child will learn that it’s possible to anticipate recurring situations that cause them to feel strong emotions so they can plan ways to manage those emotions in the future.
Try This at Home
Tell your child about a recurring situation in your life that typically causes you to feel a strong emotion, like anger or frustration. Ask your child to tell you about similar situations in their life.
Grade 6: Common Types of Bullying
Summary
In this week’s lesson, your child will discuss different types of bullying, and increase their awareness that bullying can look and feel different in each situation.
Question
Ask your child if they have experienced bullying or negative jokes recently. Encourage them to tell you how it made them feel and let them know you’re there to support them.
Have a fantastic weekend with your family and friends. Please encourage your children to carve out some time for pleasure reading!
OCTOBER
IMPORTANT DATES:
Thursday, October 19th - Early Release Day - dismissal @11:10 a.m.
Monday, October 23rd thru Friday October 27th - Scholastic Book Fair
Wednesday, October 25-Pizza, Pumpkins & Paperbacks (see PTO Message below)
Tuesday, October 31st - Costumes for a Cause - more info. to follow-Halloween
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. Please see the attachments below for details and descriptions
Tuesday - October 17th
ASL-Ms. Fitzgibbons-Virtual 3:30-4:00 pm - please email fitzgibbonsm@chelmsford.k12.ma.us to request google classroom (this club will meet bi-weekly)
Book Club-Ms. Beaudoin-Room 125
Fitness Room-Ms. Wilson-in the Fitness Room-Must fill out google form to attend-click link https://forms.gle/MTCnEvczVNYWFsDR9
Intramurals-GYM-Mr. Sullivan/Ms. Clark/Mr. McCarthy-5TH GRADE ONLY TODAY-Must fill out google form to attend-click https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSerDbDjG9pjeonXmGLvQGHWR4lO_yK4CxKlXEuF0soq2PIwEg/viewform?usp=sf_link
Homework Club-Ms. Larrabee/Ms. Morse - Library
Jazz Club-Mr. Linsner-Band Room
Running Club-Mr. Felzani/Ms. Figucia-Meet in the Cafeteria
Stand-Up Parker-Ms. Cranney-Room 110
Yearbook Club-Ms. Flanagan/Ms. Lococo-Room 219
Wednesday - October 18th
Art Club-Ms. Annunziata-Room 4
Fitness Room-Ms. Wilson-in the Fitness Room-Must fill out google form to attend-click link https://forms.gle/MTCnEvczVNYWFsDR9
Intramurals-GYM-Mr. Sullivan/Ms. Clark/Mr. McCarthy-6TH GRADE ONLY TODAY-Must fill out google form to attend-click https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSerDbDjG9pjeonXmGLvQGHWR4lO_yK4CxKlXEuF0soq2PIwEg/viewform?usp=sf_link
Homework Club-Ms. Larrabee/Ms. Morse - Library
Yoga Club/Mindfulness-Ms. MacAllister-Room 123
Thursday - October 19th
No Clubs-EARLY RELEASE-dismissal at 11:10 a.m.
Fitness Room Information
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 13th!
INTRAMURALS SIGN-UP FORM
Intramurals is one our Clubs & Activities that will be offered. Please click on the link below to sign your student up for Intramurals. This will help our Advisors organize teams so that all students will have the opportunity to attend this very popular club.
Select Chorus Auditions on Tuesday, October 17th
Come audition for Select Chorus on Tuesday October 17th after school in Rm 230! Sign up here: https://forms.gle/XraczDZhdixYgYsSA
Select Chorus is an auditioned ensemble that will meet before school on Friday mornings at 7:20am in which ALL students from grades 5 and 6 are encouraged to audition. Students sing more challenging repertoire, take on a greater leadership role, and get to take their singing to the next level all the while learning better to express themselves through their voice. Select Chorus also practices for District & All State Choruses and performs publicly at least three times a year.
Here is the graphic: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-V0MsPdel_UExR5_HzmyDm5AM3oAuKkiyilDfwXNaXg/edit?usp=sharing
Thanks!
Flu Clinic
Chelmsford Public Schools is partnering with Remedium Pharmacy to offer a Flu Clinic for STUDENTS grades 5-12 on Wednesday October 18th. The flu clinic will be on site at each school. If you would like your child to receive the flu vaccine, please pre-register for the clinic using this link: https://www.signupgenius.com/tabs/13574DB0FA1CEE9C0A90-chelmsford5
This clinic is provided by Remedium Pharmacy. Pharmacy staff will bill your insurance plan to ensure coverage prior to the clinic. We ask that you please enter your insurance information if asked during the registration process or provide requested information if we reach out to you for clarification. Thank you in advance for your cooperation. If you have questions regarding this sign-up, please contact the pharmacy directly at 978-251-7070 and we will be happy to assist.
The access code to sign up is: CHELMSFORD (all caps). Please note, there are 3 tabs to select for the school your child attends, CHS, McCarthy and Parker. Be sure to select the school your child attends under the correct tab. The times for the signs up will be:CHS: 7:30am-9:30 am (CHS Learning Commons)
Parker: 10:00am-12:00 pm ( Parker Conference room)
McCarthy: 12:30pm-2:30 pm (McCarthy Conference Room)
The online registration for the Student Flu Clinic will close on Sunday, October 15th at 6:00 pm in order to allow time to process the registrations. Please register by 6:00 pm on Sunday October 15th! It would be helpful to inform your child that they are signed up for the Flu Clinic on October 18, and to inform them of the appointment time that has been selected. Please remind your child to wear a short sleeve shirt on the day of the clinic! Thank you for keeping our school community safe by getting a flu shot!! Please contact your school nurse for any questions.
FROM PARKER PTO
Wow! What an amazing week at Parker! Thank you to all that volunteered to make our Day of Awesomeness truly awesome! We ended our week with an inspiring performance by speed painter, Rob Surette. Thank you to all that attended. We are always looking for parent volunteers to help with our school events, coordinating volunteers and promoting PTO happenings. See volunteer links below. Please save the following dates:
- October 23rd-27th: Scholastic Book Fair is coming to Parker. This traditional book fair will be held during school hours for students. Student information forms, parent information email and revised volunteer sign up link will be sent home the week of October 16th.
- October 25th: Pizza, Paperbacks and Pumpkins 5:00-7:00pm. Spend the evening shopping at our Scholastic Book Fair, eating pizza in the cafeteria or viewing pumpkins aglow in the courtyard. You won't want to miss this Parker Middle School tradition. Information for ordering a family pizza meal deal (pizza, salad and drinks) and pumpkin carving contest coming week of October 16th via parent email. Sign up to volunteer here: https://signup.com/go/ptutNGf
- October 29th: Battle of the Boos trunk decorating contest located at Harrington parking lot on Sunday, October 29th 2:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m. If you love Halloween and decorating, this is the event for you! Register to enter the Harrington/Parker annual trunk decorating contest here: Battle of the Boos Trunk Decorating $15 registration fee to enter the contest. Prizes awarded for 1st-3rd place. FREE trick or treating for all!
- November 7th: Dine to Donate at The Establishment. The Establishment is generously donating 20% of all food sales for Parker and McCarthy Middle Schools. Lunch, dinner or take out orders all apply to this special event. More information to follow.
If you have any questions, please reach out to: PTOparker@gmail.com
As always, thank you for your continued support of our school!
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
