CPS Superintendent's Update

Dear CPS Community,

Welcome back to school and to the 2024 new year! I hope your break and holiday season gave you much-needed time to rejuvenate as we begin the journey in the new year. Although it was a short week, we had a smooth transition back to school, and it was wonderful to see the schools “come alive” again with students and staff refreshed and ready to continue learning.

Prior to winter break, I announced a date change to the March half-day from Wednesday, March 6th to Tuesday, March 5th to accommodate voting at McCarthy Middle School for the Presidential Primary. Please be sure to update your calendar for the current school year. As a reminder for planning next year, the 2024/25 school calendar was approved by the school committee at their December 19, 2023 meeting. You may access the 2024/25 calendar on our website. Also, please note that kindergarten registration begins this month for the 2024/25 school year on Tuesday, January 30th and Wednesday, January 31st. Registration is by appointment only using the following link. Anyone registering will be contacted to confirm the date and time to come to our Central Administration Building located at 230 North Road to meet with a secretary from your child’s designated elementary school to complete the registration process. Additional information about required paperwork for this appointment may be found here. Please spread the word to any family, friends, and neighbors that may have a kindergarten-aged child entering the school district for the first time.

Continuing with the planning theme, I will be starting my Community Coffee sessions in 2024 for school and community members to come talk about all things CPS. Prior to COVID, these sessions were held throughout the school year and were a great way for community members to come meet in a relaxed atmosphere to ask questions or just learn about the happenings in the schools. There will be three sessions throughout the winter and spring months with the first happening on Wednesday, January 31st from 8:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. at the Java Room located at 14 Littleton Road, with subsequent dates on Tuesday, March 5th and Thursday, May 2nd. I hope you will be able to join me on any or all available dates.

It looks like we are heading into our first snowstorm of the year late Saturday into Sunday. Right now, the heaviest snow looks to be in the early morning of Sunday, with snow totals still up in the air; however, all forecasts are predicting plowable snow amounts. Please keep an eye on the weather as it may impact events scheduled on Sunday. You will be hearing about any cancelations through event hosts directly.

Please enjoy this year’s “firsts” in this week’s newsletter. Have a wonderful weekend and stay safe and warm during the storm.

Yours truly,

Jay Lang, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

• Athletics Schedule
• CHIPS PTO Meeting, 1/8, 6:30 p.m.
• Early Release Day, 1/9, All Day
• Stringfest, 1/10, 4:30 p.m.
• McCarthy/Parker Middle Schools PTO Meeting, 7:00 p.m.
• Center Elementary School PTO Meeting, 1/10, 7:00 p.m.
• Campus Bound Webinar, 1/11, 6:30 p.m.

Over the past couple weeks, the musicians and vocalists within Chelmsford Public Schools have been entertaining the ears of audiences at the Carl J. Ronda Performing Arts Center with their winter 2023 concerts. Please visit our website to view the images from these joyous concerts.

The performances included:

• Chelmsford High School Winter Concert, Dec. 13
• Parker & McCarthy Middle School Chorus Concert, Dec. 14
• Parker Middle School Band Concert, Dec. 18
• All-Town Wind Ensemble Concert, Dec. 19
• McCarthy Middle School Band Concert, Dec. 20
• Parker Middle School In-School Concert, Dec. 21
• Parker & McCarthy Middle School Orchestra Concert, Dec. 21

The CPS Wellness Advisory Committee is excited to announce the CHS Wellness Fair for students and staff on Wednesday, March 6th from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Conrad Gymnasium. We are actively seeking local, wellness related vendors to participate, utilizing interactive stations to help engage with over a thousand students and staff at CHS. Registration is free for vendors but must be confirmed with our Wellness Fair Chairs: Katie Simes (simesk@chelmsford.k12.ma.us) and Stephanie Quinn (quinns@chelmsford.k12.ma.us) by January 26th. If you would like to learn more, please see our flyer or reach out to Katie or Stephanie.

Kindergarten registration begins this month for the 2024/25 school year on Tuesday, January 30th and Wednesday, January 31st. Registration is by appointment only using the following link. Anyone registering will be contacted to confirm the date and time to come to our Central Administration Building located at 230 North Road to meet with a secretary from your child’s designated elementary school to complete the registration process. Additional information about required paperwork for this appointment may be found here. Please spread the word to any family, friends, and neighbors that may have a kindergarten-aged child entering the school district for the first time.

From perfectly cooked rice and roasted vegetables to bagels that are crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside, the newly renovated kitchen at McCarthy Middle School is up and running and turning out some great food. “I’m like a kid in a candy store,” said Nancy Antolini, director of nutrition services for the district, about all the shiny, new equipment. That new equipment includes two Alto-Shaam Prodigi Pro combination cooking ovens, as well as a range, griddle and charbroiler, all from Vulcan. Of course, the addition that has everyone, from the students to the administrators, excited is the Ovention conveyor pizza oven. The new, cutting-edge equipment will allow the kitchen to run more efficiently and give staff the ability to provide more menu options. “As kids get older, they want to have more and more choices,” McCarthy Middle School Principal Dr. Jeff Parks said. Please visit our website to learn more about the McCarthy School kitchen renovation.

Chelmsford Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Jay Lang laid out a few possibilities to the School Committee for a new school building project centered around the Parker Middle School after the district was invited into the eligibility period for project funding by the Massachusetts School Building Authority. Lang emphasized to the School Committee that the need for a new school building in Chelmsford is born out of two issues: The age of all of Chelmsford’s existing school buildings and an anticipated rise in enrollment over the coming years. Please continue reading about the school building project at the Lowell Sun.

The Town of Chelmsford Health Department is hosting a series of presentations on mental health at the Chelmsford library every month. The series consists of four sessions, each featuring a different expert on a specific topic related to mental health.

The first session will take place on Tuesday, January 16th, and will feature Jon Mattleman, a renowned therapist and speaker who specializes in depression and anxiety among teens. He will share practical tips and strategies for managing anxiety and recognizing when a teen may need professional help. The presentation is open to both teens and adults and will last for one hour.

Mark your calendars! The CHS Marching Band is excited to collaborate with The Establishment in North Chelmsford to host a Dine to Donate event. The Establishment is generously donating 20% of all dine in and take out food orders from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 9. The Establishment is located at 75 Princeton St., North Chelmsford. Remember to say that you are ordering to support the CHS Marching Band! Thank you for all your support! Go Lions! 🦁

The Center School PTO is excited to announce the Taste of Chelmsford calendar raffle! This year’s raffle will run in February, and has amazing prizes offered daily from area restaurants and businesses. Funds raised from the Taste directly support enrichment programs for students at Center. Tickets are $25 and each ticket can win 29 times in February! All prizes are valued at $100 or more. Only 1,000 tickets will be sold, so get yours now before they sell out!

Purchase your raffle tickets today at: www.tasteofchelmsford.com

Registration for Chelmsford Community Education’s Winter/Spring 2024 class schedule opens on Friday, December 15th. Please use the following link to view all the programs we have to offer during our winter/spring session. Be sure to check our website often and like us on Facebook (Chelmsford Community Education) and Instagram (commedwestlands) for announcements as they happen.

Chelmsford Community Education is seeking a long-term substitute childcare supervisor. To learn more and apply, please see the job posting using the following link.

Chelmsford High School has a cashless system for admittance to its regular season home athletic events. To get your tickets, CHS has partnered with GoFan.co, a digital, cashless ticketing app used by more than 10,000 schools, for fast and convenient payments for regular season home games. CHS fans are encouraged to download the GoFan app. For Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association postseason tournaments, the MIAA also utilizes GoFan.co as its own ticketing system. Visit the MIAA Ticket Information page.

The CPS Health Services Department is committed to providing evidence-based/ best practice holistic nursing care to the unique, culturally diverse students of Chelmsford Public Schools. In collaboration with all stakeholders, we advocate for their safety and healthcare needs. We are dedicated professionals who are committed to bridging health care with education and making a positive impact on the present and future wellness of Chelmsford’s school community. Please visit Health Services.

The mission of the Chelmsford Public Schools is to educate, engage, prepare, and empower well-rounded and knowledgeable learners who PERSEVERE through challenges, demonstrate RESPECT and INTEGRITY in their words and actions, are DEDICATED to their community, and display EMPATHY as global citizens while discovering and pursuing their full potential.

Email: information@chelmsford.k12.ma.us
Website: https://chelmsfordschools.org
Location: 230 North Road, Chelmsford, MA, USA
Phone: (978) 251-5100
Facebook: facebook.com/chelmsfordpublicschools
Twitter: @ChelmsfordPS