CPS Superintendent's Update

Dear CPS Community,

Happy November, everyone! I hope you all had a great week!

I’m pleased to announce that on Wednesday, the South Row Elementary School partial roof replacement project was officially accepted into the Massachusetts School Building Authority’s Accelerated Repair Program. Funding for the schematic design was approved during Fall Annual Town Meeting last week, so this news comes at the perfect time. The plan includes replacing about 76% of the current roof, which is 26 years old and at the end of its useful life. Construction is projected to start during the summer of 2026, and the MSBA would reimburse about 50% of the total cost. The section of roof that will be replaced has solar panels on it, so the project will include removing and resetting those. Read more about this project on our website.

It was yet another successful week for some of our student-athletes, as the Merrimack Valley Conference began announcing its athletes of the year and all-conference selections. Of note are cross country runner Mia McCusker, who earned the Runner of the Year nod, and Kyra Ward, who was chosen as Player of the Year for volleyball. Boys’ cross country coach Brian Crane and volleyball coach Edgar Valdez both earned Coach of the Year honors. Congratulations to all! And as we come to the close of the fall sports season, please join me in wishing our playoff teams the best of luck as they begin their tournament runs!

Tomorrow, the Center Elementary and McCarthy Middle School PTOs are hosting their annual e-waste and junk recycle day fundraiser at the Central Administration Offices from 8 a.m. to noon. They will be collecting all sorts of metal, appliances, electronics and other household items. Also this weekend, LIME is holding its Pumpkin Palooza on Sunday, at the CHS Plateau from 2 to 4 p.m. There will be crafts, games, candy, activities and much more. LIME will also be accepting monetary and non-perishable food donations during the event that will benefit The Paul Center and the Chelmsford Food Pantry. See the flyers in this newsletter for more information about both these great events.

Just a friendly reminder that Tuesday, Nov. 5, is Election Day, and there will be no school. It will be a Professional Development Day for our staff.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and don’t forget Daylight Saving Time ends on Sunday, so make sure to set those clocks back an hour!

Yours truly,

Jay Lang, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

• Athletics Schedule
• Recycle Day: Saturday, Nov. 2, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., Central Administration Offices, 230 North Road
• Daylight Saving Time Ends: Sunday, Nov. 3
• CHS LIME Pumpkin Palooza: Sunday, Nov. 3, 2 to 4 p.m., CHS Plateau
• Professional Development Day - No School: Tuesday, Nov. 5
• Election Day: Tuesday, Nov. 5

As our schools reopen, this is a final reminder that 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.

It's time to purchase your tickets for the upcoming CHS Theatre Guild production of "Beauty and the Beast" at the Carl J. Rondina Performing Arts Center! There will be four performances during the week of Thursday, Nov. 21-Saturday, Nov. 23!

Shows are sure to sell out, so get your tickets now to enjoy this family-friendly musical!

Ticket link: https://our.show/chstheatreguild/bandb

Order the 2025 CHS yearbook online here or by calling 1-877-767-5217. Still need a photographer?

CHS is partnering with O’Connor Studios of Tewksbury located at 1348 Main St., Tewksbury, MA, 01876; and Creative By O’Connor of Leominster, located at 98 Adams St., Leominster, MA, 01453. Pricing starts at $30 per session, which includes six studio indoor/outdoor poses. Contact O’Connor Studios.

For more information on the collection of senior portraits and baby/early childhood photos, visit the CHS 2025 Yearbook page.

Questions or concerns? Contact the Lions Yearbook 2025 editors at lionsyearbook2025@gmail.com

Environmental Studies students mark trees and use the SEEK App to create an index of lichen diversity near the highway. This work is part of a larger study that aims to use lichen as a bioindicator for air pollution.

Students in grades 2 and 4 at South Row Elementary School are learning to sing a Call and Response song called "Jyoti De," a song about Giving Light for Diwali. They are learning to sing in Hindi. Four second grade students felt confident and volunteered to be the leaders for the song and did a great job!

Lion's Pride North Preschoolers went Trick-or-Treating at Chelmsford High School on Wednesday morning, Oct. 30. The CHS students who helped out with the event and decorated the Halloween bags the little ones carried are enrolled in the Discover Teaching class.

Byam Elementary School fourth graders have been learning all about paleontology and dinosaurs. Ms. Grout and Ms. Babson helped them get some hands-on experience with an archaeological dig created by a new augmented reality sandbox. At Harrington Elementary School, Mr. Santos helped students to explore the ocean for sea creatures using the AR digital sandbox.

Six seniors were recently honored as Chelmsford High School named its Lions Pride/Rotary Student of the Month recipients for October, announced CHS Principal Stephen Murray.

Students receiving recognition were Caroline Pitts and Tejas Raja from Emerson House, Jennifer Yu and Jason Dou of Hawthorne House and Sophia Roy and Nate Hart from Whittier House.

Read more about these incredible students by visiting our website.

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.

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.

A partial roof replacement project for South Row Elementary School in Chelmsford has officially been accepted into the Massachusetts School Building Authority’s (MSBA) Accelerated Repair Program. The project was one of 70 proposals from 37 districts across the Commonwealth to receive unanimous approval during the MSBA’s board meeting on Wednesday morning, Oct. 30.

Read more about the project on our website.

The presidential election may still be a week away, but students at Chelmsford High School have already voted, casting their ballots during a mock election on Oct. 16. Class by class, students in grades 9-12 filed into the cafeteria at Chelmsford High and voted for their favorite candidate using an electronic ballot on a Chromebook via Google Form. In order to streamline the voting process, only the presidential nominees appeared on the ballot; no other elections or ballot questions were available. In total, 615 votes were cast during the mock election.

Read more about CHS's successful mock election on our website.

After beating Newton South in penalty kicks in the preliminary round of last year’s Division 1 state tournament, the Chelmsford High girls soccer team was a bit too confident in its next game.

The result was a humbling 10-0 loss to Brookline. It was not only a case of “humble pie” for the 11 returning seniors on this year’s team, but that loss helped motivate the Lions to their first Merrimack Valley Conference Division 1 title, the first since 2001 when head coach Kristina Kea was in the first grade.

Continue reading at LowellSun.com.

The Merrimack Valley Conference is blessed with talented cross country runners every year. The difference this fall is how young some of the top stars are.

The league’s Division 1 girls Runner of the Year is a Central Catholic freshman, Kyla Breslin, who lives in Lowell. The Division 2 girls Runner of the Year is Chelmsford sophomore Mia McCusker.

On the boys side, the Division 2 Runner of the Year is Billerica freshman Mason Niles.

Area coaches were singled out for excellent work as well. The Division 1 girls Coach of the Year is Cullen Hagan of Billerica. The Division 1 boys Coach of the Year is Brian Crane of Chelmsford and the Division 2 boys Coach of the Year is Sydney Fitzpatrick of Billerica.

Continue reading at LowellSun.com.

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.

More than 75 colleges and universities will be sending representatives to Chelmsford High School this fall to meet with students interested in continuing their education at a post-secondary institution. Please see the College Visit Schedule for more details.

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

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.

Wednesday, November 13, 7-8 p.m.

Join Cartwheel and The NAN Project for a free live webinar which will cover mental health questions that kids & teens have but are often afraid to ask, and suggestions for how caregivers can safely and appropriately respond when mental health topics come up in their homes.

The NAN Project works to promote mental health education and suicide prevention programming to schools using a peer-to-peer model.

Register here

Wednesday, December 4, 7-8 p.m.

Kids and teens often feel immense pressure to perform well - be it socially, academically, or in extracurricular activities. Because of these pressures - many youth grow up tying their self-worth to their social status, accomplishments, or accolades, which can have negative impacts on their mental health.
Join Cartwheel and Katie Steele, LMFT for a webinar which looks at achievement culture and the impacts this has on the mental health of our kids and teens - including higher rates of perfectionism, anxiety, and depression. Learn what to do (and not to do) as a parent or caregiver to support your children and help them build a sense of confidence, resilience, and self-worth that is not tied to their achievements.

Register here

Here are just a few 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