South Row's Home Link
Week of: September 13th, 2021
Message from Mrs. Gilbert, Principal
We look forward to seeing your on Curriculum Night! Please make sure to take a look at the details below, there have been some time and format changes. Also, please consider minimizing the number of family members that attend for safety reasons. Thanks in advance!
Respectfully,
Terri
Week at a Glance
- Kindness Day - Students and staff are encouraged to wear "Be Kind" shirts (if you have them), or shirts with kind messages on them. If your child does not have kindness wear, encourage them to do something kind for an adult or peer. We will have a school wide kindness day once a month. All spirit days are OPTIONAL.
- PTO Meeting, 7:00PM- Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone. https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/250544837 You can also dial in using your phone. United States: +1 (872) 240-3212 Access Code: 250-544-837 New to GoToMeeting? Get the app now and be ready when your first meeting starts: https://global.gotomeeting.com/install/250544837
Tuesday 9/14:
Curriculum Night: We appreciate your patience as our Curriculum Night plans are finalized. The times and arrangements have changed a little bit, so please read the details below. The administrative presentation that takes place prior to classroom visits will now be pre-recorded and sent home to minimize the number of people gathered in one space. Please enter the building through the main entrance regardless of where you are heading.
- Open house will be fully in-person (an opening admin recording will be sent in advance)
- All individuals must wear masks in the school buildings at all times
- We strongly suggest only one (1) family member attend on behalf of your child to minimize the number of adults coming into the schools, but we understand this might not be feasible for some families
- The administrative team will be visible throughout the building during presentations for parent questions
- Custodians and contracted cleaning vendors will fog the buildings after each session before students and staff return to school the next morning
Our timing will also be slightly adjusted with this format:
Grades K-2- 5:30-6:15
Specialists/Support Staff- 6:15-7:00
Grades 3-4- 7:00-7:45
Wednesday 9/15:
- International Dot Day: Students are encouraged to wear clothing with Dots. To learn more about International Dot Day click on this link . As always, spirit days are OPTIONAL!
Thursday 9/16:
- No events
Friday 9/17:
- No events
Looking ahead...
Start with Hello Week: South Row will be hosting "Start with Hello Week" as our Kind Act for the month of September. We will celebrate the week of September 20th. The purpose of start with hello week is to continue to create a socially inclusive environment for students. We will discuss the power of saying hello, being friendly to all, and of course, being kind. Teachers and staff members will engage students in activities, discussions, and lessons that focus on inclusiveness and being welcoming to all.
Recess: We will be transitioning back to an open recess concept the Week of September 20th. Please see more information below in this week's home link
Early Release Day: September 22nd. Students are dismissed at 11:45am for teacher professional development.
Ice Cream Social/ Truck: Will be held on Tuesday, September 28 from 4:30-7. Rain date September 29. Please see more information below in the PTO corner.
Reminders/ Updates for the Week
PTO Meeting: We look forward to seeing you "virtually" at our first PTO meeting this Monday. Please click on the link above in the "week at a glance" to join the meeting.
Arrival and Dismissal Reminders: We are getting better and better each day! Thank you SO much for your continued support, trust, and flexibility with the arrival and dismissal process. Please take a few moments to review the following reminders.
Cars:
- Car Arrival: As a reminder cones will go up at the access road entering the parking lot at promptly 9:00am. If you are running late, and the cones are out, please drive to the main office, ring the bell, and a staff member will assist you in getting your child into the building. As a reminder, the loop opens at 8:45AM.
- Car Arrival Doors: All students grades K-3 will enter Door #9 (by grade 3) at arrival. Grade 4 will continue to use back pavement to PODS.
- Car Dismissal: Please continue to have your students number clearly displayed on your car. Once your child is in your car, please take your number off your window. Please be prepared to give Mr. Ramalho (and/or) his designee a thumbs up that your child is in the car. This will support us in a smooth dismissal process. Additionally, please practice your number with your child. As a reminder, students will not be allowed to go into cars until all cars in the four car lines come to a complete stop. Please be sure cars are in PARK and that you DO NOT leave the loop unless directed by a staff member.
Buses:
- Please continue to bare with us as our bus drivers continue to get acclimated to their routes. Please allow 10-15 window both in the morning and afternoon.
- Students are expected to have masks ON when riding on the bus. Please remind your child(ren) of this.
Walkers:
- Walkers will continue to be picked up by an adult in the field in front of the basketball court.
- Students MUST be accompanied by an adult unless approval has been granted by building administration.
Change in Dismissal Plans: As a reminder, if there is a CHANGE to your child's dismissal on a given day, please EMAIL the classroom teacher, Mrs. O'Neill, and Mrs. Sepe. We do ask that families try to be as consistent as possible with dismissal.
****Please contact the school as early as possible for dismissal changes (before 2:00) so we can make sure your student gets where they need to go at the end of the day!!
Interested in Substituting in CPS?: The Chelmsford Public Schools is looking for substitutes in our school. If you are interested, consider applying through school spring by clicking on this link. If you have any questions and/or would like to substitute at South Row, reach out to Mrs. Gilbert and Mr. Ramalho for more information.
Lunch: At this time students will not be able to get a second lunch. We will let you know if/when this changes. Also, please look at the lunch menu with your students so they understand their options for the week.
Helpful Lunch Tip: If you DO NOT want your child getting a lunch at school on a given day, please be sure to communicate it with them. It is important that families have a discussion with their child on their individual lunch plans. We recommend doing this before school daily. Our teachers do take lunch counts daily which our Food Services team depends on as they prepare food prior to lunch. If children change their minds and/or get in the lunch line when they didnt in fact "order a lunch", it can cause a domino effect and impact future lunch periods. Thanks for your support with having a lunch plan with your child. As a reminder, school lunch is free this year.
Recess Updates:
- Beginning the WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 20th we will transition back to an open recess format. This will allow students access to all recess areas daily (playground, playpad, basketball court, wall ball, and field) and provide opportunities to interact with students from other classes.
- All kindergarten students will be using the playground and playpad area as we transition to this concept. Kindergarten students are also not allowed to use the monkey bars.
- Indoor recess will still be held in classroom communities where students will remain masked.
- As a reminder, students are not required to wear masks during recess (outdoors) but are welcome to if they would like.
- All recess aides will be actively supervising students within their recess zones. There will still be one main recess aide assigned to each classroom for indoor recess and as a point of contact.
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
Photos on Social Media/Website: We try to take lots of pictures throughout the year and include them on our home link, website, facebook, and twitter account. If you would like to OPT your child out of being in pictures, please email Terri Gilbert (gilbertt@chelmsford.k12.ma.us) and Jayson Ramalho (ramalhoj@chelmsford.k12.ma.us) by October 1st, 2021.
CORI Forms: As a reminder, if you are looking to engage in potential volunteer opportunities, you must complete a CORI form in person with our main office staff. Feel free to come to the building Monday-Friday between 10-2 to complete this with either Debbie or Kim.
Picture Day is Coming Soon...
Nurses Corner
Dear South Row Families,
Thanks to generous donations from two South Row community members, I now have reusable and extra disposable masks available for students who need them! Please reach out to me via email if you would like me to give your child a reusable mask!
If you have not already done so, you can find the consents for pool testing and test and stay here.
Please continue to send in updated physicals and emergency forms.
As a reminder, if a member of your household is sick and awaiting covid test results or planning covid testing, please thoughtfully consider keeping your student home until the test results have returned.
Feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns.
Warmly,
Nurse V.
vandevoordts@chelmsford.k12.ma.us
978-251-5177 option 2
September 7th, 2021 School Committee Meeting
CPS Parent Student Handbooks
PTO Corner
Student and Business Directories
The PTO will once again be having two online school directories. You can sign up for either or both directories in one form, which can be found at tinyurl.com/srdirectory21-22. Please fill out the form by Monday, September 20.
The student directory will be available for families only on a password-protected page of our website. The password will be shared with all families when the directory goes live in a few weeks. In order for your child to be included in the directory, you must opt in by filling out the directory form.
We will also offer a service to the entrepreneurs in our school community. If any parent has a business that they would like to list, you can also enter that information on the directory form. The business directory will be available on our website without password protection. We encourage everyone to look here when in need of a service so that you can help out other South Row families.
Ice Cream Social
Mark your calendars - the Ice Cream Social is back!!! We will be doing it a bit differently this year, and holding it outside. We will have an ice cream truck in the back parking lot by the playground on Tuesday, September 28 from 4:30-7. Drop by any time in that timeframe to buy an ice cream from the truck and play on the playground with your friends. Rain date September 29.
PTO Meeting
Please join us for our first PTO meeting of the year on Monday, September 13 at 7:00PM. We are sticking with virtual meetings, at least for now. You can join the meeting using the following link:
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/250544837
You can also dial in using your phone.
United States: +1 (872) 240-3212
Access Code: 250-544-837
New to GoToMeeting? Get the app now and be ready when your first meeting starts: https://global.gotomeeting.com/install/250544837
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!
Morning meeting in grade 2!
Morning meeting in grade 1!
Good times in PE!
Fundations in Kindergarten!
Having a blast reading in Mrs. Bullock's classroom!
Engaged in reading!
Loving reading!
Mrs. Gilbert "the special guest reader" in Mrs. Stagnone's class!
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