CPS Superintendent's Update

Dear CPS Community,

It’s the final countdown! There are only nine more school days until we close out the 2023/24 academic school year. This past week was full of events, especially for our CHS seniors who started off the week with their prom, after prom party, class barbeque, banquet, and graduation practice leading up to the main event this Saturday, June 3rd, when they walk across the stage and graduate. The graduation ceremony will take place at the Tsongas Arena in Lowell at 4:00 p.m. If you are interested in watching this year’s graduation, it will be live-streamed by Chelmsford Telemedia. Please use the following link to view the ceremony.

June is widely recognized as Pride Month, a month dedicated to celebrating and supporting the LGBTQ+ community. Pride Month is observed in many countries around the world and is marked by various events, parades, festivals, and activities that promote equality, diversity, and inclusivity. The origins of Pride Month may be traced back to the Stonewall riots, which occurred in New York city in June, 1969. The riots were a series of demonstrations by the LGBTQ+ community against police harassment and discriminatory laws. The events at Stonewall Inn sparked a movement for LGBTQ+ rights and became a catalyst for organizing Pride marches and events. Pride Month is an opportunity for people to come together, raise awareness about the issues faced by the LGBTQ+ community, and celebrate the progress that has been made towards equality. Chelmsford Public Schools is committed to ensuring equality and inconclusion of all community members.

Further recognized in June is the federal holiday Juneteenth, also known as Emancipation Day or Freedom Day. This annual holiday is celebrated on June 19th in the United States. It commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans and serves as a reminder of the end of slavery in the United States. The origin of Juneteenth dates to June 19, 1865, when Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and proclaimed that all enslaved people in the state were free. This announcement came two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by President Abraham Lincoln, as it took time for the news to reach all parts of the country. Juneteenth was officially recognized as a federal holiday when President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law.

As we are winding down this school year, we are preparing for next year. Our 2023/24 school year bus registration is underway. We need to begin to collect data on riders for the fall so efficient routes may be developed for the start of the school year. Please note that all students who desire to ride the school bus to or from school must register every year, even if they are not required to pay a fee. Also, we have an “early bird”payment discount available for registrations received by July 4, 2023. Information pertaining to school bus transportation may be found on the Chelmsford Public Schools Transportation web page.

Congratulations to the students and families of the CHS Class of 2023! I look forward to celebrating with you tomorrow at your ceremony. Enjoy this week’s highlights and have a wonderful weekend.

Yours truly,

Jay Lang, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

• View complete athletics schedules here.

• SAT, 6/3, 8:30 a.m.

• Kindergarten, "Meet the Bus" Event, 6/3, 11:00 a.m.

• CHS Graduation, 6/3, 4:00 p.m.

• CHIPS "Under The Sea" Week, 6/5-6/9, All Day

• Parker School Gr. 6 Transition Field Trip to McCarhty School, 6/5, 8:45 a.m.

• Center School Kindness Spirit Day, 6/5, All Day

• Parker School Gr. 7 Transition Field Trip to McCarhty School, 6/6, 10:45 a.m.

• School Committee Meeting, 6/6, 6:00 p.m.

• McCarthy School Gr. 5 Transition Field Trip to Parker School, 6/7, 10:15 a.m.

• Meet and Greet the McCarthy MS Administrators, 6/7, 6:00 p.m.

• Center School PTO Meeting, 6/7, 7:00 p.m.

• Byam BSA Meeting, 6/7, 7:00 p.m.

• South Row Fitness Festival, 6/7, All Day

• Unified Game Day, 6/7, 9:45 a.m.

• Harrington School Field Day, 6/8, All Day

• South Row School Field Day, 6/8, All Day

• Center School Field Day, 6/8, All Day

• Parker School Gr. 8 Awards, Ice Cream Social, 6/8, All Day

• Parker School Dress Up Dance, 6/8, TBD

• Teddy Bear Picnic, 6/8, 9:30 a.m.

• Parker School Gr. 8 Canobie Lake Trip, 9/9, All Day

• CHS Junior Cotillion, 6/10, 6:00 p.m.

• Meet and Greet the Parker MS Administrators, 6/13, 6:00 p.m.

• Last Day of School - Students, 6/15, Half-Day Schedule

As a reminder, Thursday, June 15th will be the last day of school for students. This is a half-day; please follow your school's early release schedule. High School students will follow their finals schedule during the last day of school.

The 2023 Chelmsford Integrated Pre-School (CHIPS) ‘Touch-a-Truck’ proved to be a huge hit with our young students, evidenced by our photos below. We send our heartfelt thanks to the good folks at the following agencies and businesses for volunteering their time and insight and sharing their vehicles with us:

• Chelmsford Police Department
• Chelmsford Fire Department
• Pridestar Trinity EMS
• Chelmsford Department of Public Works
• Christopher’s Towing

Please visit our website to view the gallery of pictures from the event.

Parents and guardians are invited to two (2) “meet and greet” sessions with the new McCarthy and Parker Middle School administrators for the 2023/24 school year. Please see the information below for each event. The administrators are looking forward to meeting you.

Meet the McCarthy Middle School Administration

Who: Principal: Dr. Jeff Parks; Asst. Principal: Kerry Calobrisi

When: Wednesday, June 7th

Where: McCarthy Middle School Library

Time: 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.

Meet the Parker Middle School Administration

Who: Principal, Josh Blagg; Asst. Principal, Mark Souza

When: Tuesday, June 13th

Where: Parker Middle School Library

Time: 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.

Chelmsford SEPAC will be holding a virtual meeting on Wednesday, June 7th at 7:00 p.m. Please see the meeting access information below. For more information about the Chelmsford SEPAC, please visit our website.

SEPAC Meeting

Jun 7, 2023, 7:00 – 8:30 PM (America/New_York)

https://meet.goto.com/821956445

You can also dial in using your phone: +1 (646) 749-3122 Access Code: 821-956-445

Agenda:

• Update on 2023-2024 new items

• Middle school transition
• Elementary ASD program changes - Byam/Harrington

• Special Education Opportunity Review–DM Group

• New IEP– DESE

• Workshop Topic Interests

• SEPAC Board–elections

NRT, the bus company of Chelmsford Public Schools, will host ‘Meet the Bus’ on Saturday, June 3 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m., at 27 Katrina Road in Chelmsford, for incoming kindergarten students to Chelmsford elementary schools.

‘Meet the Bus’ will cover:

• Meeting bus drivers
• Learning about bus safety
• Practice school bus rides
• Other games and activities

For more information, view the attached flyer or contact event coordinator Michelle Perez.

Six seniors were recently honored as Chelmsford High School named its Lions Pride/Rotary Student of the Month recipients for the month of June, announced CHS Principal Stephen Murray. Seniors Torrence Borletto-McCray and Sriya Yerasu were named from Emerson House while Manny Marshall and Annemarie Tyros were honored from Hawthorne House, and Maya Aggarwal and Waka Umaoka from Whittier House. Please visit our website to read more about our students.

Senior Martin Coleman was named the Student of the Year for Whittier House while seniors Nhyira Nkansah and Joseph Mitri were named the Students of the Year for Hawthorne and Emerson houses as Chelmsford High School announced its Class of 2023 Senior Award recipients Thursday, May 25, at the Carl J. Rondina Performing Arts Center. Please visit our website to read more about these students' accomplishments and to view the gallery of photos from the event.

Please use the following link to read the summer edition of the CHS newspaper, The Voice

7:19 Sports presents its first-ever production of Coaches’ Corner. Join host Katherine Lesire to see how our coaches share their valuable experiences, thoughts, and perspectives on their sports and teams.

The Chelmsford Public Schools Grades 6-12 All-Town Wind Ensemble gave its spring performance on Monday, May 22, at the Carl J. Rondina Performing Arts Center at Chelmsford High School. We are always grateful to Chelmsford Telemedia for producing another terrific broadcast. Use the link below to watch the concert and please visit our website to view the gallery of pictures from the event.

Enjoy the fun video tour of the 2023 STEAM Fair. (S.T.E.A.M. is Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Math.) Hosted by Glenn Dissinger, Ph.D. – Professor in the UMass Lowell Chemical Engineering Department. Produced by Eric and Afshan Maase. Edited by Chelmsford Telemedia volunteer, Delana Gallant. If anyone in other Chelmsford Public Schools is interested in a STEAM Fair they should feel free to contact the Steam Fair Sponsors (eric_maase@uml.edu) to discuss how to make one possible at their school.

Chelmsford Community Education’s Summer 2023 Programming is now Open for Registration! Chelmsford Community Education’s Summer programming begins on Wednesday, July 5th. New Classes are added weekly. Visit ChelmsfordCommunityEd.com for our full list of programming and like us on Facebook (Chelmsford Community Education) for new class announcements as they happen.

Chelmsford Public Schools has partnered with Paper to provide unlimited access to trained tutors so every student can ask questions, work through problems, and grow their confidence—at no cost to families.

Paper is an online, on-demand tutoring service that provides students with unlimited, 24/7 academic support. Whether they’re stuck on homework, studying for a test, or need someone to read and make suggestions for their writing, there will always be experts available online to assist students one-on-one in all subject areas and in more than four languages. See Paper FAQs to learn more.

Please use the following link to access the K-12 CPS Family and Student Handbook and CHS Handbook Addendum for the 2022/23 School Year.

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 the Health Services page on the website for all your health services needs.

The Chelmsford Public Schools utilizes School Spring to advertise job postings and the online application process. To apply for any of our positions, please visit our website.

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