CPS Superintendent's Update

Dear CPS Community,

I hope everyone had a wonderful week back following April Vacation and is looking forward to a busy and productive few weeks ahead as we move into the month of May.

May 5-9 is Teacher Appreciation Week, a special opportunity to reflect on our educators' incredible impact, not only on our students and their families, but also on our community as a whole. The history of this nationally-recognized occasion dates back to 1953 when First Lady of the United States, Eleanor Roosevelt, urged Congress to set an official holiday to celebrate the important work of educators throughout the country. Here in Chelmsford, the PTOs and building administrators do a fantastic job of coordinating special events and treats to show our teachers just how much they’re appreciated. I encourage everyone to take a moment next week to thank the educators who make a positive impact on our children; it would mean the world to them!

The Parker School Building Committee is hard at work getting things rolling on our new building project, having met several times over the past few months. We are currently in the process of selecting an Owners Project Manager (OPM) that will be working closely with us as we continue forward. We have put forth LeftField LLC as our choice for OPM; the firm is based out of Boston and has worked with numerous school districts and universities on a variety of building projects, including our recent kitchen renovation at Chelmsford High School. Once LeftField gains approval from the Massachusetts School Building Authority on May 12, we will be able to move onto the next step in the process. Going forward, we will continue providing project updates in this weekly newsletter, as well as on our website!

Spring concert season is in full swing with the middle and high school bands performing a jazz night this past Wednesday. The McCarthy Middle School Band will have their spring concert on Monday, May 5. Looking ahead, we have the Middle School Chorus Pops Concerts on May 13; the Middle School Orchestra Pops Concert on May 15; and the CHS Pops Concert on May 21. Rounding out the month will be the All-Town Wind Ensemble Concert on May 28. Then on June 5, the Parker Middle School Band will close out the season with their spring concert. So mark your calendars and make sure to catch some of our incredibly talented student-musicians in action before summer vacation.

If you’re looking for something to do this weekend, there are quite a few things happening around the CPS community. Byam Elementary School is holding its annual Walk-A-Thon tomorrow morning beginning at 10:00 a.m. The Center Elementary and McCarthy Middle School PTOs are hosting their spring Recycle Day tomorrow, as well. And the CHS Theatre Guild will be performing its first-ever Cabaret tonight and tomorrow night at the Carl J. Rondina Performing Arts Center; show times for both performances is at 7:00 p.m. and tickets can be purchased here.

Have a great weekend and stay dry!

Yours truly,

Jay Lang, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

• Athletics Schedule
• CHS Theatre Guild Cabaret: Friday & Saturday, May 2 & 3, 7 p.m., CHS PAC
• E-Waste & Junk Recycle Day: Saturday, May 3, 8 a.m.-noon, Central Administration Offices
• Byam Walk-A-Thon: Saturday, May 3, 10 a.m. Byam Elementary School
• McCarthy Band Concert: Monday, May 5, 7 p.m., CHS PAC
• Byam Art Night: Tuesday, May 6, 5 p.m., Byam Elementary School
• Center Art Show: Wednesday, May 7, 5-7 p.m., Center Elementary School
• School Committee Meeting: Tuesday, May 6, 6 p.m., Central Administration Offices
• Kindergarten Registration: Wednesday, May 7, 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Central Administration Offices (by appointment only)
• Middle School Showboat Talent Show: Saturday, May 10, 5 p.m. CHS PAC
• Junior Cotillion: Saturday, May 10, 6-9 p.m., Chelmsford High School

The Chelmsford Public School Committee will meet on Tuesday, May 6, 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.

If you missed the April 29 School Committee meeting, watch it here:

Our district values your feedback! We are currently surveying the Chelmsford Public Schools families in order to gain insight into your perception of our school and district's effectiveness. We also want to better understand barriers to families accessing our schools and programs.

To ensure we continue to provide high quality, rigorous learning experiences that meet the needs of our learners and prepare them for college and career, we need your feedback. We want to know what you think.

You may complete the survey online between now and Friday, June 13, using a computer, tablet or smartphone by visiting this website: https://surveys.panoramaed.com/chelmsfordma/family25/surveys.

*Click the image above to purchase tickets*

To see more images from Thursday's dress rehearsal, please visit our website.

In Mrs. Fidler’s Technology Lab at Harrington Elementary School, first graders have been learning about Engineering and the Design Process. They explored the steps that engineers take to design solutions to existing problems. Students have been solving their own design challenges in class, such as keeping a city safe from flooding in a PBS kids game called “Don’t Flood the Fidgets." They will also be virtually designing their own inventions to solve a problem that they identify in their own communities.

The Town of Chelmsford is in the process of working with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) in order to construct a new school for the community. The project has been accepted into the feasibility study phase, with the School Building Committee currently focused on selecting an Owners Project Manager.

If you're looking for more information about the ongoing Parker Middle School Building Project, please visit our website to learn more and stay updated:

Watch the most recent Parker School Building Committee meeting here:

*Click on the image above to purchase tickets!*

Chelmsford Community Education's Summer 2025 Programming is now open for registration!

This season, we have several new youth classes including:

• Minecraft Innovators
• Coding & Game Design
• Music Production 101
• Inventor's Workshop
• Ellixi Beauty Product Creators Laboratory

... along with a selection of classes and day trips for adults!

Visit ChelmsfordCommunityEd.com for our full list of programming and like us on Facebook (Chelmsford Community Education) and Instagram (@commedwestlands) to learn about new class announcements as they happen.

To redeem School Dollars, all shoppers need to do is enter the unique printout code and store number on the Hannaford Helps Schools program website and select their school. Each School Dollar printout has a QR code that will bring shoppers directly to this link, ensuring that redeeming School Dollars is as easy as possible. Please note that the in-store collection tower has been eliminated. However, schools will be able to turn in School Dollar printouts.

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.

After being adopted at Chelmsford High back in 2022, the composting program that was initiated by the school’s Ecology Club is thriving. As of May 1, the program had already diverted 13,490 pounds of compostable items from the waste stream since the beginning of the 2024-25 school year.

Having been involved with the Ecology Club since the inception of the composting program, senior Anisha Dantam said she’s proud of how it’s been received.

“Over the course of the last three years, we have been able to generate more and more compost each month, which is really awesome,” she said. “I think we started out around 2 tons per month, and now we’re up to 3 tons per month.”

To continue reading about the success of the composting program, please visit our website.

The Merrimack Valley Conference has long been hailed as one of the state’s top outdoor track leagues. On Wednesday, April 23, Billerica, Lowell, Tewksbury, Chelmsford and Central Catholic showed why at the Jack Lang Invitational at the McCarthy Middle School in Chelmsford. Winning events for Chelmsford were Xavier May in the mile (4:37.02), Matt Monnes in the two mile (10:20.55), Philip Rosen in the 400 hurdles (59.77) and Dylan Tarini in the triple jump (43-4.5). On the girls side,

Chelmsford received victories from Kate Leonard in the 800 (2:21.05), Brianna Cairns in the high jump (4-10) and Emily Towne in the pole vault (8-6).

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.

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.

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!

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