Weekly Bulletin

Good afternoon Parker Families,

We had a wonderful week at Parker Middle School. Ms. Adler's Art classes completed a fantastic social activist art installation. These two tapestries are proudly hanging in the hallway outside the library and demonstrate our students' commitment to creating a more just, safe, and inclusive world. We are so proud of them! In addition, we held a very successful cancer fundraiser today under the direction of sixth grade student Jenna Cormier. It was Hat or Hoodie Day where participating students and staff were asked to donate a dollar to St. Jude's Hospital. St. Jude's is a leading hospital for the research and care for those with childhood cancer. The whole community rallied around Jenna's leadership and was able to raise significant funds to help this great cause. In both cases Parker students are empowered to make a positive difference in their community. In my experience when students are out front leading truly wonderful things are possible!

Artists of the Month

Congratulations to Parker Artists of the Month Kiara Pacheco and Grace Parker. We are so proud of your creativity and dedication to the craft.

We have another busy week ahead of us at Parker Middle School:

PRIDE Week and SOUPER BOWL - February 12-16

The Parker Community will be hosting a weeklong Spirit Week and Food drive to benefit the Chelmsford Food Pantry. Our student council has organized a spirit week with different theme days. Student Council member will also be presenting to their peers in homeroom daily reinforcing and defining our core PRIDE values (Perseverance, Respect, Integrity, Dedication, and Empathy). Students will be asked to bring in items to be donated to the food pantry. Please see below for more specific information on the food drive and what items are most in need of replenishment to help out our community. We will be delivering the food to the pantry on Friday February 16. Our PRIDE Week will culminate with grade level celebrations where we will play ultimate volleyball. This week promises to be fun while demonstrating our commitment to our core values and to community service.

Best Buddies Informational Tuesday February 13

We are excited to announce the birth of a chapter of Best Buddies at Parker Middle School under the direction of Ms. Kristian Kurth and Ms. Alexandra Hansbury. Best Buddies is an organization that builds friendships between people with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities, offering social mentoring while improving the quality of life and level of inclusion. The meeting will be after school in the cafeteria on Tuesday.

Social Emotional Curriculum

We will continue our SEL Curriculum with Second Step. Fifth grade will begin a new unit on Problem Solving while sixth grade will continue their unit of Thoughts and Emotions. Please see below for prompts to continue the conversation at home with your child.

Grade 5 Problem Solving

Beginning to STEP

Summary

In this lesson, your child will learn how to begin to solve an interpersonal problem. This includes finding a way to feel calm, saying the problem respectfully, and deciding whether an adult’s help is needed.

Try This at Home

Ask your child what kind of interpersonal problems they can solve on their own, and when they might need an adult’s help.

Grade 6 Thoughts and Emotions

Raising Awareness About Managing Emotions

Summary

In this week’s lesson, your child will create a storyboard (a visual plan for a video) that will inform their peers about the benefits of using emotion-management strategies.

Question

Ask to see your child’s storyboard. If they can’t bring it home, ask them to describe it to you.

Have a great weekend as we get a glimpse of some early Spring. Please reach out if you need support.

Warm Regards,

Josh

IMPORTANT DATES:

Monday, February 12th through Friday, February 16th - 17th Annual "Souper Bowl" see flyer below

Monday, February 12th through Friday, February 16th - Spirit Week - Show your Parker Pride this week!! See flyer below with themes for each day!

Tuesday, February 13th - Best Buddies Parker Middle School Chapter-see flyer below

Monday, February 19th through Friday, February 23rd - WINTER BREAK

Order your 2024 Parker School Yearbook before January 24th, 2024 to lock in the lowest price! Help your student remember the year forever—don't miss out! For ordering information click on link: www.yearbookforever.com

Tickets are now on sale for Parker Drama Club’s production of "Annie Kids" This show is the first of its kind in Chelmsford- an entire production comprised of 5th and 6th graders! There are 4 chances to catch and support our awesome team of 110 cast members!

March 8 at 6pm (Featuring 5th Grade Leads)

March 8 at 7:30pm (Featuring 5th Grade Leads)

March 9 at 2pm (Featuring 6th Grade Leads)

March 9 at 6pm (Featuring 6th Grade Leads)

We bet your bottom dollar that you will have a great time with us! Buy Tickets Here: https://our.show/parker/anniekids

Fitness club runs on a half year schedule to accommodate as many students as possible. Students have to sign up in order to attend the club, they CANNOT just show up.

Group A (Wednesdays October- January) last day to attend will be January 31st

Group B (Thursdays October-January) last day to attend will be February 1st

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Group C (Wednesdays February- May) first day to attend is February 7th

Group D (Thursdays February- May) first day to attend is February 15th (8th is a half day= no clubs)

​*** If a student was signed up and assigned Group C or D in the beginning of the year, I reached out to a parent's email on 1/16 to confirm.

If a student is interested in joining and wasn't previously signed up, please email me! I will try my best to accommodate them while keeping club numbers at a safe level. My Email is: Schremsp@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

Thanks- Mrs. Wilson!

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 - February 6th

Art Club - Ms. Annunziata - Room 4 - GRADE 6 TODAY

Book Club – Ms. Beaudoin – Room 125

Drama Club-Ms. Robertson, Mr. Chase, Ms. Sparks-Café

Homework Club-Ms. Larrabee&Ms. Morse-Library

Intramurals-Clark, McCarthy&Sullivan - GYM - Check Google Classroom

Jazz Band–Mr. Linsner–Band Room

Running Club-Mr. Felzani, Ms. Figucia, Ms. Baker-Meet in the cafeteria

Stand-Up Parker – Ms. Cranney - Room 110

Wednesday - February 7th

Fitness Room (Health & Wellness)-Ms. Wilson-in the Fitness Room

Intramurals-Clark, McCarthy&Sullivan - GYM - Check Google Classroom

Homework Club-Ms. Larrabee/Ms. Morse - Library

Jewelry Making Club - Ms. Annunziata - Room 4

Yoga Club/Mindfulness-Ms. MacAllister-Room 123

Thursday - February 8th

Art Club - Ms. Annunziata - Room 4 - GRADE 5 TODAY

DRAMA CLUB - Ms. Robertson/Mr. Chase/Ms. Sparks-Cafe'

Festival Band - Mr. Linsner - Band Room

Festival Orchestra - Ms. Tiano - Room 8

Game Club - Ms. Baker - Library

Intramurals-Clark, McCarthy&Sullivan - GYM - Check Google ClassroomI

Parker PTO has some exciting activities coming up! Check out the important dates below:

UML River Hawks Hockey Game: UML Riverhawks will be hosting Chelmsford Middle School night. Friday, February 9th. Puck drop is at 7:15 P.M. Meet all your middle school friends at the Tsongas for a great night of hockey. Over 165 tickets sold! Tickets are $10 each. Click link to purchase tickets: https://fevo-enterprise.com/event/Parkermiddle4

Harlem Globetrotters: Join Middle School families as we watch the Harlem Globetrotters at the Tsongas Center in Lowell on Monday, February 12th at 7pm! Be prepared to see amazing basketball talent mixed in with crazy comedy, great choreography, and audience participation - great family friendly entertainment! Almost 200 tickets sold!! Link closes Friday night at 10 pm. Tickets can be purchased via the following link: https://fevo-enterprise.com/event/Parkermccarthymiddle?r=8

PTO Meeting: Join Parker and McCarthy PTO on Monday, February 12th at 5pm in the McCarthy library to learn more about how PTO supports our middle school community. Learn about upcoming activities and volunteer opportunities.

Dine to Donate January 2024: Tired of cooking? Parker & McCarthy PTOs have partnered up with Weco to offer a unique dine to donate January 17- February 13th. Order pre-made meals, appetizers and desserts to cook at home for the whole family. #dinnersolved! Click here to see the Chelmsford Middle School Menu!

2024 Calendar Raffle: This year Parker and McCarthy PTOs collaborated to create 2 awesome calendar raffles with amazing prizes. Each school has their own unique calendar! Calendar raffle tickets will be sold February 6th- February 27th. Winners will be drawn every day in March. Students will receive 10 calendars to sell on Monday. Each time a student sells 10 calendars, their name will be entered into a student participation drawing for an incredible grand prize. More calendars are available at the main office.

Middle School Night at Fenway Park: 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!

Reminder to Parker Families - BRRR!!! Cold weather has arrived....Parker students will still be going outside for recess/outside break. Please remember to BUNDLE UP, warm coats, hats and gloves are recommended.

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.

Email: robinsond@chelmsford.k12.ma.us
Website: https://parker.chelmsfordschools.org/
Location: 75 Graniteville Road
Phone: 978-251-5133