CPS Superintendent's Update
PERSEVERANCE * RESPECT * INTEGRITY * DEDICATION * EMPATHY
Superintendent's Update - 11.8.2024
Dear CPS Community,
I hope you all had a great week and have been able to enjoy this unseasonably warm weather we’ve been having!
Monday is Veterans Day, a time for us to thank and show our gratitude for all of those who served this great nation. Harrington Elementary School once again held a fabulous Veterans Day assembly this morning, honoring local veterans. Chelmsford High School will be holding its annual Veterans Panel on Tuesday morning, during which several guest speakers will share details about their military experience with students. And the CHS Booster Club will be hosting its Veterans Day Dinner on Monday at The Establishment, offering complimentary meals to veterans to show appreciation for their service.
The Town of Chelmsford will be having its annual Veterans Day Observance on Monday, Nov. 11, at 11 a.m. at Chelmsford Veterans Memorial Park, which is located at 230 North Road (between McCarthy Middle School and the Central Administration Offices). During the ceremony, there will be a name dedication for the newest memorial stone being added to the park. Everyone is invited to attend and show appreciation for all the veterans in our community; the ceremony will proceed rain or shine.
With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I want to acknowledge the generosity and kindness of spirit happening at several of our schools. Center Elementary School is currently holding a food drive for the Chelmsford Food Pantry. South Row Elementary School just wrapped up a coat drive with Anton’s Cleaners. Byam Elementary School is running a coat drive for Debbie’s Treasure Chest. At Chelmsford High, the GIVE Club will be making care packages that will be taken to the Harvard Square Homeless Shelter later this month. The Interact Club will be holding a donation drive, collecting gently used winter clothing for local shelters. And it won’t be long before Project 300 will be in full swing over at McCarthy Middle School.
In case you hadn’t heard, tickets for the CHS Theatre Guild’s production of "Beauty and the Beast" are now on sale. The cast and crew have been hard at work preparing, and it’s bound to be a great show! There will be four performances at the Carl J. Rondina Performing Arts Center the week before Thanksgiving. Tickets are going fast, so make sure to secure your seats for this family-friendly musical by visiting https://our.show/chstheatreguild/bandb.
And, finally, a friendly reminder that there is no school on Monday in recognition of Veterans Day. So have a wonderful long weekend!
Yours truly,
Jay Lang, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Upcoming Events
- Athletics Schedule
- Veterans Day: Monday, Nov. 11, No School
- School Committee Meeting: Tuesday, Nov. 12, 6 p.m. Central Administration Offices
- Class of 2025 Craft Fair: Sunday, Nov. 17, 9:30-2:30 p.m., Chelmsford High School Gym
- School Committee Meeting: Tuesday, Nov. 19, 6 p.m., Central Administration Offices
- CHS Theatre Guild presents "Beauty and the Beast": Nov. 21-23, CHS PAC
- Thanksgiving Break: Nov. 28-29, No School
School Committee Meeting - Nov. 12
The Chelmsford Public School Committee will meet on Tuesday, Oct. 15, at 6 p.m. at the Central Administration Offices, 230 North Road. The meeting can be viewed on Comcast channel 22 or Verizon channel 36. It will also be live-streamed by Chelmsford Telemedia.
The agenda for Tuesday's meeting can be found here.
Today in History
CPS Bus Registration
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.
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.
School Picture Retakes
Get Your Tickets for "Beauty and the Beast"
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 Chelmsford High School Yearbook
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
CHS Interact Club's Winter Donation Drive
Veterans Day Cards at Center Extended Day
The students of Center Extended Day, over the last couple of days, recognized Veterans Day by making cards, which will be delivered to the Chelmsford Senior Center, as well as cards for school custodian, Mr. Woodman, who is a veteran.
A Great Week at Byam
Shark Tank at CHS
CHS Shark Tank was held on Thursday, Nov. 7, allowing students in Business Entrepreneurship to take real-world problems and develop creative solutions.
The winning group this year was MudBud; they will go on to compete at the 6th Annual UMass Lowell High School Rocket Pitch 2024 Competition.
Favorite Book Character Day at South Row
Kindergarten Math Stations At Center
Join the November Sketchbook Spectacular
Seeking Guest Speakers
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.
Forthcoming School & PTO Fundraisers
*click on image above to register*
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.
In The News
The Sun: Chelmsford High nets first state tournament volleyball win since 2015
The Chelmsford High girls volleyball team Friday night delivered the program’s first state tournament win since 2015. The Lions advanced with a solid 3-1 victory over King Philip on the road during a Div. 1 round of 32 match by scores of 25-19, 22-25, 25-14, 25-23. No. 17 Chelmsford (15-6) eliminated No. 16 King Philip (13-8) thanks to Kyra Ward, who earned the game-winning kill. Ward was superb with 25 kills, 25 digs, three aces and two blocks. Maggie Luke was immense with 41 assists and 10 digs, while Emily Dibble contributed 10 kills and Tessa McDonald added eight kills.
Read the full High School Roundup at LowellSun.com.
The Sun: Chelmsford High boys, girls soccer teams bounced from tournament
During the regular season, the Chelmsford and Methuen girls soccer teams tied twice. So when the teams met up for the third time Monday night at Simonian Stadium in a Division 1 preliminary round state tournament game, naturally after 80 minutes the game was tied, this time at 1-1. The teams played two 10-minute sudden-death overtime periods and were still tied before Methuen, the No. 33 seed, prevailed in penalty kicks (3-1) to come away with a 2-1 victory over the No. 32 seeded Lions.
CPS Employment Opportunities
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.
CPS Health Services
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.
Flu Clinic For Students
Chelmsford Public Schools is partnering with Remedium Pharmacy to offer a Flu Clinic for students in grades 5-12 on Friday, Nov. 15. The flu clinic will be on site at each school.If you would like your child to receive the flu vaccine, please pre-register for the clinic using this link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/CHELMSFORD111524.
The access code to sign up is: CHELMSFORD (all caps). Please note, there are 3 tabs to select for the school your child attends, CHS, McCarthy and Parker. Be sure to select the school your child attends under the correct tab. The times for the signs up will be:
- CHS: 7:30-9:30 a.m. (Learning Commons)
- Parker: 10 a.m.-noon (Health Office)
- McCarthy: 12:30-2:30 p.m. (Health Office)
The online registration for the Student Flu Clinic will close on Wednesday, Nov. 13 by 2 p.m. to allow time to process the registrations. Please register by 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 13! Please inform your child that they are signed up for the Flu Clinic on Nov. 15 and inform them of the appointment time that has been selected. It may be helpful to write down the time and day of the Flu Clinic Appointment and give this information to your child. Please remind your child to wear a short sleeve shirt on the day of the clinic.
Thank you for keeping our school community safe by getting a flu shot. Please contact your school nurse for any questions.
Upcoming Cartwheel Webinars
Can We Talk? How to have conversations with kids & teens about mental health
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.
Raising Resilient and Confident Kids in the Age of Achievement Culture
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.
College Visit Information
2024-25 Career & College Events at Chelmsford High School
Follow the CHS Career and College Readiness Center on Instagram: @chs.careercenter
Around Town
Here are just a few noteworthy events and activities taking place around Chelmsford in the coming weeks:
Community Organizations & Events
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!
Parker Middle School Building Project
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:
CHS Athletics
Purchase Tickets
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.
Important Links & Resources
CHELMSFORD PUBLIC SCHOOLS MISSION
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.
Chelmsford Public Schools
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
Communications & Media Director