South Row's Home Link
Week of: November 22nd, 2021 & November 29th, 2021
Message from Mrs. Gilbert, Principal
This week's newsletter is a bonanza with two weeks worth of information!! We are doubling up and will not be sending a home link next week. Please read the announcements and updates below to stay informed!
We were happy to host Parent Conferences this week. Thank you to our staff and families for partnering with a goal of creating a safe and supportive environment in which all students will thrive and learn.
Please enjoy a restful and healthy Thanksgiving with your loved ones!
Respectfully,
Terri
Week at a Glance
MONDAY (11.22.21)
- Picture Retakes (more information on the graphic below)
- Student Council Meeting (Duncan/Tice) - 12:30pm
TUESDAY (11.23.21)
- Student Council Meeting (Driscoll/Matthews) - 12:30pm
WEDNESDAY (11.24.21)
NO POOL TESTING
Early Release Day - Thanksgiving Break
Reminders for Early Release Days:
- Students are dismissed at 11:45am
- Car dismissals should adhere to the following times
- Last names A-G- 11:40-11:45am
- Last names H-N- 11:45-11:50am
- 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.
- NO Lunch is served
- Students will either have specials or recess (rotates every half day).
- Snack time may be adjusted and/or not occur depending on your child(ren)'s schedule.
- Extended Day will be open until 3:00pm. Please provide your child a lunch.
Thursday (11.25.21)
- No School - Happy Thanksgiving Break
Friday (11.26.21)
- No School - Happy Thanksgiving Break
Week of November 29th, 2021
MONDAY (11.29.21)
- Hanukkah
TUESDAY (11.30.21)
- End of Term 1 for Grades 1-4
WEDNESDAY (12.1.21)
December Walk to School Day (weather permitting)
Pool Testing
Early Release Day - Parent Conferences
Reminders for Early Release Days:
- Students are dismissed at 11:45am
- Car dismissals should adhere to the following times
- Last names A-G- 11:40-11:45am
- Last names H-N- 11:45-11:50am
- 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.
- NO Lunch is served
- Students will either have specials or recess (rotates every half day).
- Snack time may be adjusted and/or not occur depending on your child(ren)'s schedule.
- Extended day will be open to students who attend on Wednesday. Please provide your child a lunch.
Thursday (12.2.21)
- No events
Friday (12.3.21)
- Officer High Five Friday with the Chelmsford Police Department
Looking ahead
- December Walk to School Day: 12/1 Weather permitting!
- December Half Day for Parent Conferences ( 12/1). Students dismissed at 11:45am. Thank you for making the time to connect with your child(ren)'s teacher. Your partnership and support is appreciated.
- December Vacation: There will be NO SCHOOL for December recess December 24th through January 2nd. School will re-open on Monday, January 3rd, 2022.
Upcoming Spirit Days
- Kindness Matters Day - Monday, December 6th
- Chelmsford/South Row Spirit Day - Friday, December 10th
- Silly Sock Spirit Day - Thursday, December 23rd
Monthly Kind Act
December: We will be facilitating a clothing donation to the Wish Project. Please click on the link to view the flyer to learn more. We hope you will participate if you are able.
Reminders/ Updates for the Week
Thanksgiving Break: As a reminder, there is a half day on Wednesday, November 24th and NO SCHOOL on Thursday, November 25th and Friday, November 26th. School will resume on Monday, November 29th.
Student Council Meetings 11/22 and 11/23: Our fourth grade student council cohorts will meet this week for our November meeting where we will be discussing and signing up for projects.
No Pool Testing on 11/24: There will be no Pool Testing on November 24th. Please plan accordingly.
Turkey Pickup: For families who have coordinated with the Chelmsford Elks for holiday assistance. A friendly reminder that the turkey pickup is this Sunday, November 21 from 10-11 am at the Chelmsford Elks, 300 Littleton Rd, Chelmsford, MA 01824.
Wheelie Shoes: Please be advised that we kindly ask students not to wear wheelie shoes (shoes that have wheels on the soles) to school. This is for safety purposes (specifically to prevent possible injury).
Math Intervention Update: Mr. Fram will be moving on from South Row on November 23rd, 2021. We thank him for his dedication to our students during the last couple of months. We wish him the best.
Therapy Dogs: We are excited to share that we will be having therapy dogs visit South Row school monthly. This is an initiative that our Coordinator of Nursing Services has set up with She's a Keeper (https://www.shesakeeper.dog/) for each building in Chelmsford. The first visit will be on December 14th. We are still working on a schedule and specific details but wanted to provide an OPT out form for families that DO NOT want their child participating/engaging with the therapy dogs. Please only fill out the form if you DO NOT want your child participating.
Should you have additional questions or if you want to communicate an allergy that your child may have to the school please contact Nurse Vandevoordt directly at vandevoordts@chelmsford.k12.ma.us or by phone at 978-251-5177 ext. 2.
We are excited for the therapy dogs to visit South Row as we continue to support our students' social/emotional wellbeing.
International Festival Planning Committee: Our first international festival planning committee will be Monday, December 6th at 4:00pm in the Computer Lab at South Row. Please enter through the extended day door. We hope you will consider joining this committee as we look to celebrate and appreciate the diversity in our building.
Jacket/Sweatshirt Reminder: As we get deeper in the fall and the winter months are fast approaching, we want to remind all families to please monitor the weather to ensure your child is prepared for outdoor recess and snack breaks. We recommend that students bring a sweatshirt and/or jacket to school daily to be sure they are prepared.
Pool Testing/Test and Stay: If you are interested in opting into either of these testing protocols please click on this link to complete the consent form: LINK
Picture Retakes - 11.22.21
From the Music Room
🎵FROM THE MUSIC ROOM🎵:
Here are some of the things we focused on this month!
The whole school has spent time this month learning a stick game from the Salish tribe! We’ve been using this song as an opportunity to discuss indigenous music and culture with each class. Mrs. Cristantiello (art) and I have been doing simultaneous lessons on the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest. Ask your students to sing it for you!
The Coast Salish are a grouping of many tribes of Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest. Their traditional territory included southern Vancouver Island and Parts of British Columbia and Washington State. Villages were usually near water so they could fish and travel easily by dugout canoe. Traditionally, extended families lived in one longhouse and games often involved a sleight-of-hand game known as lahal, which we learned about!
Gr. 2: Over the River and Through the Wood ❄️
This was originally published in 1844 as a poem written by Lydia Maria Child. Eventually, Child’s poem was set to music by an unknown composer and the rest is history. We’ve learned about the lyrics such as what a dapple gray is, why you would need a sleigh in the winter time, and more. I was looking for your student to be able to remember and sing a simple song using head voice. Lyric sheets came home this week or the beginning of next week. Ask your students to sing this song and do the move for you!
Gr. K & 1: Here’s a Pumpkin 🥧
These two grades have learned a rhyme with movements about a turkey dinner.
"Here’s a pumpkin for the pie, apples red to bake. Turkey for the roasting pan, I can hardly wait!"
In some other classes, we said “Tofurky” or “Veggies”! I was looking for your students to perform a series of prescribed lyrics and movements with an appropriate steady beat. Lyric sheets came home this week or the beginning of next week. Ask your student to perform for you!
Gr. 3 & 4: Recorders
We have been working diligently this month to start recorders up this month! 3rd graders and any 4th graders that needed them all received a recorder from me. Both grades received a folder or a binder, a players mask, and a bell cover. Your student is expected to bring these materials with them each music class. I am also setting up their google classroom classes with recorder materials to make practicing at home even easier. We have had discussions on when it is appropriate to practice at home… Is it okay to practice in the kitchen when your grown-up is cooking dinner, the baby is crying, the dog is barking, the phone is ringing? Probably not a good plan. :-)
Gr. 4: Violin 🎻
Dr. Lang has purchased violins for each elementary school! Kate Comeau, the high school orchestra teacher, has been putting together resources for the teachers to use to help introduce this instrument to all 4th grade students! They have been delivered and we will start to alternate when we play recorder in class and when we play violin. Violins stay here in class, whereas the recorders are your students and they go home with them. We will start the first lesson after our November break in December!
Thanks! As always, any questions or comments, feel free to reach out.
~Mrs. Cooper, CooperA@chelmsford.k12.ma.us Twitter/Instagram: @SouthRowMusic
Nurses Corner
Dear South Row Families,
Therapy Dogs
Please be sure to read the above messaging regarding our plans to have therapy dogs in the building. If you have health concerns about your student and the dogs, please reach out to me via email or phone. Email - vandevoordts@chelmsford.k12.ma.us Phone - 978-251-5177 option 2.
Pool Testing
Due to the holiday schedule there will be no pool testing the week of Thanksgiving (11/22-11/24).
Holiday Gatherings
It is hard to believe but Thanksgiving is already upon us! Unfortunately, gathering together this year may lead to bringing home more than just leftovers. If you are alerted by a friend or family member that your child/children have been exposed to Covid-19 over the holiday, please keep them home from school and reach out to me as soon as possible.
Vaccination:
I have been receiving some questions regarding vaccination and how it affects test and stay and pooled testing. If your student has received the Covid vaccine or is fully vaccinated, they are welcome to continue to participate in weekly pooled testing. Once they are fully vaccinated they will be exempt from testing and quarantine protocols. This means that if your fully vaccinated student is identified as a close contact inside or outside of school they will NOT need to quarantine or test (including test and stay) in order to stay in school. If your student becomes symptomatic during the 14 days after exposure, they should stay home from school and seek an outside PCR or Molecular Covid test.
As far as documentation is concerned, you can send it after the first dose or wait until the series is complete.
Please feel free to reach out to me with questions or concerns.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving break!!
Warmly,
Nurse V.
December 1st, 2021 - Walk to School Day!
PTO Corner
Fruit Sale Fundraiser
Our fruit sale through Florida Indian River Groves is running for the whole month of November. Thanksgiving is a great time to sell fruit to your extended family, or consider ordering today to share with family while you wait for the turkey to be ready! Fruit will be shipped within 24 hours of being picked and will arrive at its destination in just a couple of days from the time of ordering. To order online, visit www.foridaindianrivergroves.com and use our school ID code, which is 1026389.
Recess Equipment
One of the things the PTO raises funds for is recess equipment for the school. Balls pop and get lost, chalk gets used up, and indoor recess games lose parts in the normal course of play, so we replenish some of the equipment each year. This year, the recess aides needed a new equipment cart (the old one was missing a wheel!), which took a big piece of our recess budget, so we have collected a wish list from the recess aides and teachers for both outdoor and indoor recess, and put together an Amazon wishlist in case anyone would like to donate a toy or game.
Please see the list at https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/AV0B5P1ZACH7?ref_=wl_share if you would like to help out with recess equipment and games. Thanks in advance for your support!
Holiday Decorations Map
We have gotten feedback that some kids really missed the Fall Decorations Hunt that we did last year as a Covid-friendly community activity, so we are bringing it back for this holiday season!
If you plan to do any decorating for any sort of year-end holidays, sign up here to be included in the map we will be publishing for anyone who would like to drive around or walk around and enjoy the decorations that people have up. The map will be published in the December 10 Homelink, so sign up by December 9. No names will be published on the map, it will simply be a map with pins marking decorated houses.
11.16.21 School Committee Meeting
Food Services
SOUTH ROW'S PHOTOS OF THE WEEK
Please send photos to Mr. Ramalho (ramalhoj@chelmsford.k12.ma.us) to be featured in our Home Link newsletter!
Favorite Book Character Day
Pride Shout Outs
South Row Spirit Day
Recess fun!
Sub Zero Enrichment Program
Science fun in Grade 3!
Contact the South Row Administrative Team!
Principal
Mr. Jayson Ramalho, M.Ed.
Assistant Principal
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
Contact the Main Office Staff
- Mrs. Terri Gilbert, Principal: gilbertt@chelmsford.k12.ma.us, 978-251-5177 ext. 4
- Mr. Jayson Ramalho, Assistant Principal: ramalhoj@chelmsford.k12.ma.us, 978-251-5177 ext. 3
- Mrs. Shannon Vandevoordt, School Nurse: vandevoordts@chelmsford.k12.ma.us, 978-251-5177, ext.2
- Mrs. Debbie O'Neill, Secretary: oneilld@chelmsford.k12.ma.us, 978-251-5177, ext. 0
- Mrs. Kim Sepe, School Clerk: sepek@chelmsford.k12.ma.us, 978-251-5177, ext.0
- Absentee Line: 978-251-5177 ext. 1