CPS Superintendent's Update

Dear CPS Community,

I hope you all had a great vacation week and smooth transition back to school. Somehow, we’ve already reached the last day of February and are gearing up for a very busy March. With no holidays or vacations, it is what we in education call a “long month,” providing several weeks of uninterrupted learning.

Tomorrow morning is the annual Instrument Test Drive for our current fourth grade students. This spring, students will select the music program in which they will participate in fifth grade. In the meantime, we know that you may have questions about the programs we offer. Our incredible team of music educators will be available during tomorrow’s event to answer your questions, while offering children the opportunity to try out all the instruments. If your child is in fourth grade at any of our elementary schools, I encourage you to attend this event. More information is provided in this newsletter.

Next week, March 3-7, is National School Breakfast Week and our wonderful nutrition services team has some great meals planned for our students, including a Breakfast for Lunch Day on Thursday, which coincides with Pajama Day. The Chelmsford Community Read-In is also happening next week, and we are so excited to have so many wonderful volunteers signed up to read to our students!

March is Youth Art Month, and students from grades K-12 will have artwork on display at Chelmsford Public Library, hanging in the lobby and meeting room, as well as three-dimensional work in the children's room and the display case. Next Wednesday, March 5, from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m., the library will host an opening reception during which members of the public can meet with student artists, along with their families and teachers.

The Chelmsford High School Theatre Guild put on a tremendous performance during last night’s open dress rehearsal for their most recent production, “Song of Souls.” It was great to see so many community members come out to support them as they prepare for the Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild’s High School Theater Festival preliminaries on Saturday in Leominster. Please join me in wishing the entire cast and crew the best of luck!

Have a fantastic weekend!

Yours truly,

Jay Lang, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

• Athletics Schedule
• Instrument Test Drive: Saturday, March 1, 9 a.m., Chelmsford High School
• Community Read-In: March 3-7
• School Committee Meeting: Tuesday, March 11, 6 p.m., Central Administration Offices
• Professional Development Half Day: Wednesday, March 12, Early Release for Students
• Center Elementary School Science Fair: Wednesday, March 12, 6:30 p.m.
• CHS National Honor Society Induction Ceremony: Thursday, March 13, 6:30 p.m., CHS PAC

• Byam Celebrating Us Multicultural Festival: Wednesday, March 19, 6:30 p.m.

If you missed the Feb. 25 School Committee meeting, watch it here:

All students riding the school bus must be registered regardless if a fee is required.

Register Now

Please keep in mind the following:

• All riders must be registered online.
• INCOMPLETE REGISTRATION: Anyone who has received an e-mail message regarding an incomplete bus registration and/or has not completed the registration will not receive a bus pass or be on the driver’s passenger roster.
• ALTERNATE ADDRESS: Any student using an alternate address must contact the transportation department immediately. All riders' addresses are automatically reset to the home address each year. Alternate addresses must be for all 5 days of the week.
• FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE: Anyone who has chosen the 'seeking financial assistance' option during registration must apply and be approved for the free and reduced lunch program.

For more information, contact the Transportation Office at 978-251-5100 or by e-mail at brekalisp@chelmsford.k12.ma.us.

Is your child in fourth grade and interested in learning mote about band and orchestra instruments as they prepare to enter middle school? They can give all the instruments a try, as well as meet with our music educators on Saturday, March 1, at the main CHS entrance. To ensure a smooth flow to the morning, please do your best to adhere to the schedule below.

Join Parker Middle School for a magical journey down the Yellow Brick Road in "The Wizard of Oz: Youth Edition!"
Show Dates & Times:
5th Grade Performances – Thursday, March 20, and Friday, March 21, at 6 p.m.
6th Grade Performances – Saturday, March 22, at 2 & 6 p.m.
Location: McCarthy Auditorium, 250 North Road, Chelmsford
For the first time, each show will feature just one grade - don’t miss this exciting new tradition!

Tickets are available now and can be purchased here.

To view more photos from Thursday's dress rehearsal, please visit our website.

Chelmsford High students in Honors Chemistry use diffraction glasses to look at line spectra.

To view more photos from Wednesday's event, please visit our website.

CHS senior Sophia Roy came in 4th place in Informative Speaking at the Harvard National Speech and Debate Tournament over the Feb. 15-17 long weekend. She is a national level speech competitor and will be continuing her run at two upcoming national tournaments this spring. She has worked tirelessly over the last four years to establish herself at this high level of competition and has garnered attention from some of the top Ivy League and other prestigious universities.

Members of the Chelmsford High School Ecology Club attended a compelling talk by Massachusetts State Senator Michael Barrett at the Chelmsford Library. The event, organized by the local Climate Action Committee, provided a platform for Senator Barrett to discuss his ongoing efforts in shaping climate action legislation within the Commonwealth. He detailed the significant strides Massachusetts has made in addressing climate change, highlighting key legislative initiatives and future plans. The Senator's presentation emphasized the urgency of continued action and the importance of community involvement in achieving sustainability goals.

Courtesy of the Council of Chelmsford Schools, Digital Health & Safety expert Katie Greer will return to the district on Tuesday, April 8, to present to our CHS students and rising fifth graders. She will again offer a session for parents/guardians at 7 p.m. that night in the Performing Arts Center (PAC).

While much of Katie's work is directed to a younger audience, she acknowledges that many adults are mystified by the digital world we live in. For this reason, she offers a program that helps parents navigate the new normal of technology.

She aims to help parents who want to better understand the boundaries (and opportunities!) of tech. Some of what she'll discuss includes:

• Updates on the latest tech trends including popular apps, social networking trends, gaming, sexting and more.
• Social media age limitations - and how often kids are breaking them
• Privacy settings, location services, check-ins: Are your devices set-up safely?
• Advice for having real conversations with your child to foster a positive online experience for your family, with suggested restrictions and rules
• Digital health check-in: Is your family doing a good job balancing life and technology? Most KIDS say "NO!"
• Smartphones & Age: What's the average age kids get smartphones? Are there alternatives? Is there a right age for kids to get smartphones?

Learn more about what Katie Greer discussed with the CPS middle school students on January 23rd.

Sketchbook Spectacular is a FREE art initiative open to artists of all ages in the Chelmsford community and beyond. All mediums are welcome, including drawing, watercolor and collage. Participants are encouraged to explore prompts in their sketchbooks, but the prompts can also inspire free-standing artwork. Developed by Parker Middle School artist-educator Ashley Norman, this project is perfect for starting or maintaining an art practice throughout the year. Want to share your work? Email your art to normana@chelmsford.k12.ma.us.

Chelmsford High School is seeking guest speakers to discuss their career journey with a group of Innovation Career Pathway students. CHS is looking for guest speakers in the following fields: Information Technology/Computer Science, Business & Finance, Life Science and Engineering/Manufacturing. If you have experience in any of these fields and are interested in sharing your career and career path with high school students, please reach out to Career and College Readiness Facilitator, Alex Cunningham at cunninghamalex@chelmsford.k12.ma.us.

The Center School PTO is excited to announce the Taste of Chelmsford calendar raffle!

This year’s raffle will run in March, 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 31 times in March! 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.

This year, Massachusetts is offering all school lunch and breakfast at no charge to students. This does not automatically make families eligible for any other benefits. Families that feel they are eligible for transportation or extended day reduced tuition are strongly encouraged to fill out the online free and reduced meal application.

Elementary students in Chelmsford have been spending more time in the sand these days with the addition of some new augmented reality (AR) learning tools that have been added to their schools.

The AR sandboxes that have been installed at South Row, Harrington, Center and Byam Elementary Schools are coming in helpful for educators teaching lessons about everything from landforms to archeology.

The software allows students to dig into the sand, uncovering virtual dinosaur bones and artifacts, and shape the sand into piles, forming virtual volcanoes that “erupt.”

Continue reading about our new AR sandboxes on our website.

Through a relationship with UMass Lowell, Chelmsford Public Schools is once again hosting several Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement (TEA) Fellows.

Fulbright TEA brings international, secondary-level teachers to the United States for a six-week program. The Fellows take academic seminars for professional development at a host university. They observe classrooms, create lessons and share their expertise with teachers and students at the host university and at local secondary schools.

This year, Chelmsford is hosting five Fulbright TEA Fellows – three at Chelmsford High School and two at McCarthy Middle School.

Learn more about this year's group of Fulbright TEA Fellows on our website.

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

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 cold/flu season is upon us at Chelmsford Public Schools. We want to keep your children and our teachers healthy. Here are some ways we can work together to decrease the spread of illness.

• Use good hand hygiene and wash hands frequently.
• Cover coughs with a tissue or cough into sleeve not your hand.
• Keep your child home when sick (Symptoms such as fever cough, sore throat, bad headache, body aches, or chills)

• Keep your child home with a temperature of 100 degrees or higher. Your child can return to school after their temp is < 100 for 24 hours without any fever reducing medicine AND when your child is able to participate in normal activities.

• Keep your child home from school if they have vomiting and/or diarrhea. Your child can return to school 24 hours after his/her last vomiting and/or diarrhea episode.

Any symptoms that persist or worsen should be evaluated by a primary care physician. Please notify our offices if your student is diagnosed with the flu by their doctor.

In addition to academics, we know students are very busy with sports and activities. Please do not send your student to school sick! This is for your child’s benefit and for the benefit of other students, teammates, and staff.

**** It is not too late to get the Flu Vaccine****

These virtual events are part of Cartwheel's free webinar series for parents, caregivers and school staff.

Do you want to help your student succeed in life but struggle with working together on tasks and goals? Many educators and parents feel frustrated and thwarted in their efforts to teach responsibility, motivation and persistence to students, especially those with ADHD or learning differences.

Join Cartwheel and Dr. Sharon Saline for insight and tools on how to effectively motivate all kinds of students both at school and at home. Building upon a strength-based, collaborative approach, Dr. Saline will show you how to teach all-important executive functioning skills related to motivation and tools to increase buy-in and reduce conflict in home and at school.

Register here.

Sometimes, big feelings can take over a household. Sometimes they're our kids' feelings, and sometimes they're our own!

Join Cartwheel and Janine Halloran, LMHC for a webinar to learn practical tips on how to help kids and teens cope with big feelings.

By starting from a foundation of connection and co-regulation, Janine will provide strategies you can teach your kids (and yourself) for noticing, welcoming, and neutralizing big emotions before they take over the household. Attend this webinar if you are hopeful for more peace and patience and less arguing in your home.

Register here.

More than 75 colleges and universities sent representatives to Chelmsford High School this fall to meet with students interested in continuing their education at a post-secondary institution. To learn more, check out the College Visit Schedule.

Follow the CHS Career and College Readiness Center on Instagram: @chs.careercenter

Here are some noteworthy events and activities taking place around Chelmsford in the coming weeks:

There are a plethora of local youth sports and scouting organizations that hold fundraisers and recruiting events throughout the school year. Some may also be seeking volunteers. If you're a parent looking for social and skill-building opportunities for your child or children, we have launched a new webpage devoted to just that. In addition to event information, this resource page will also feature links to all the websites or social media accounts for youth sports leagues and scouting troops. So head on over there and check it out!

Looking for information about the ongoing Parker Middle School Building Project? Visit our website to learn more and stay updated. And if you missed the public information session that was held in the spring, during which Superintendent Dr. Jay Lang shared a plethora of information, view it here:

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 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

Instagram: @chelmsfordpublicschools X: @CPSchoolsMA