CPS Superintendent's Update

Dear CPS Community,

Anticipation is in the air as we are one week from winter break. Each day and evening have been packed with events with even more to come! Mother Nature held true to the forecast and added a little snow to the excitement of the month putting us in a weather pattern of ups and downs. It’s all part of the season that we New Englanders get to talk about with family and friends.

As we begin the countdown to the break, I want to inform you about an additional Department of Elementary and Secondary (DESE) district review when we return in the new year. This past October, a notification was sent about DESE’s Office of Public School Monitoring (PSM) conducting a Tiered Focused Monitoring Review of Chelmsford Public Schools’ special education programming in the new year. In addition to this review, the district is undergoing a second program review. During the week of January 9th, DESE’s Office of Language Acquisition (OLA) will conduct a Tiered Focused Monitoring Review of the Chelmsford Public Schools. The Office of Language Acquisition reviews each district’s and charter school’s English Language Education (ELE) program every six years to monitor compliance with federal and state English learner education laws and regulations. Part of the on-site visit and review process includes a parent outreach component. The district will send a survey to the parents of students whose records the review team examines. The survey focuses on key areas of their child’s English learner education program. Survey results will be reviewed by OLA and they will contribute to the monitoring report. Please see the copy of the notification for more information about the upcoming site visit for this review.

As a reminder, next week is a full school week with vacation starting at the end of the day on Friday, December 23rd. Friday is also a full day of school with dismissal at the regular scheduled times. In the meantime, please enjoy this week’s highlights and have a wonderful weekend.

Yours truly,

Jay Lang, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

• View complete athletics schedules here.

• Harrington Elementary Spirit Week, 12/19-12/23, All Day

• School Committee Meeting, 12/20, 6:00 p.m.

• Chelmsford All-Town Wind Ensemble Concert, 12/20, 7:00 p.m.

• First day of Winter, 12/21, All Day

• Parker Middle School Orchestra Concert, 12/21, 7:00 p.m.

• McCarthy Middle School Band Concert, 12/22, 6:0 p.m.

• No School 12/26-1/2. All Day

She recently turned 15, but when Lucy Frankland begins completing applications for work and/or college, she can add the title of ‘published illustrator.’ A freshman at Chelmsford High School, Lucy’s illustrations – 15 of them – are featured throughout the new young adult sci-fi fantasy novel “Cryptid Academy,” by Sudbury, Mass.-based author Howard Wolke, a family friend. To read more about Lucy, please visit our website.

Lillian Rogers of Chelmsford, a freshman at Chelmsford High School, reprises her role as the Spirit of Christmas Past in this version of Charles Dickens’ classic novella "Christmas Carol" at the Hanover Theater December 17th - 23rd. Continue reading at lowellsun.com

This past Tuesday, the ECO Club visited students at Parker Middle School to spread environmental awareness. They also taught students about how to separate disposables, including compost, to prepare them for composting at the high school! This collaboration was a wonderful way for students from both schools to connect, make new friends, and learn a little more about how to help the planet!

Harrington School Librarian, Mrs. Defreitas held an M & M guessing game in the library this week. Calvin P., a 4th grader guessed was the winner with a guess of 582. The exact number in the jar was 583! What a guess! Calvin won a bag of goodies for his great guess! Congratulations!

Chelmsford Community Education's Winter Spring 2023 class schedule begins on Monday, January 23rd and registration opens on Monday, December 19th!

This season we have many new classes like:

• Baking
• Photography
• Reiki
• Self Defense
• Home Organization

along with favorites like:

• SAT Test Prep
• Chess
• Cooking
• Art for Children and Adults
• Yoga

Trips are back! We are so pleased to be partnering with Best of Times travel to bring trips back to the Chelmsford Community. To see all the programs we have to offer during our winter-spring session, go to: ChelmsfordCommunityEd.com. Be sure to check our website often and like us on Facebook (Chelmsford Community Education) and Instagram (commedwestlands) for 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