CPS Superintendent's Update

Dear CPS Community,

We are in the home stretch with only four weeks remaining in the 2022/23 school year – unless of course you are a CHS senior and are graduating in two weeks. These past few weeks have been a whirlwind with concerts, award nights, and school-sponsored events that collectively culminate the end of another school year. There are even more events to come in the next few weeks as the end of the school year rapidly approaches. Although it is a busy time of year, I hope you attend as many events as your schedule will allow. I would like to thank the many students, staff, and volunteers that have worked hard to make these events possible.

As you mark your calendars for upcoming events, I would like to highlight a significant upcoming milestone for our CHS seniors. Today is the last instructional day for CHS seniors. On Saturday, June 3rd, the CHS Class of 2023 will cross the stage at Tsongas Arena as the 106th graduation class. The end of the school year typically marks the completion of the academic year and the start of summer break, however, for these students, graduation will mark the completion of their secondary education and signifies their readiness to move on to the next phase of life, whether it's entering college, starting a job, or pursuing other post-secondary options. Preparations are underway for their graduation ceremony, and we are looking forward to the speeches and presentation of diplomas that will celebrate all their achievements. It is a time for students, families, and educators to come together and recognize the hard work and dedication that led to this important achievement. Please join me in wishing our seniors “good luck” during their finals next week and hope they enjoy their senior week of events leading up to graduation.

Please enjoy this week’s highlights, and enjoy your weekend.

Yours truly,

Jay Lang, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

• View complete athletics schedules here.

• Byam Walk-A-Thon, 5/20, 10:00 a.m.

• CHIPS PTO Playdate, 5/20, 10:00 a.m.

• Byam Walk-A-Thon, 5/20, All Day

• Middle School Knowledge Bowl Competition, 5/22 &5/22, 6:30 p.m.

• All Town Wind Assemble, 5/22, 7:00 p.m.

• Center School Art & Culture Night, 5/24, 4:30 p.m.

• Harrington School Art Night, 5/25, 5:00 p.m.

• CHS Senior Class Awards Ceremony, 5/25, 6:00 p.m.

• CHS Dance Team Spring Recital, 5/26, 6:30 p.m.

SAVE THE DATES

• Kindergarten, "Meet the Bus" Event, 6/3, 11:00 a.m.

• CHS Graduation, 6/3, 4:00 p.m.

• CHS Junior Cotillion, 6/10, 6:00 p.m.

Six seniors were recently honored as Chelmsford High School named its Lions Pride/Rotary Student of the Month recipients for the month of May, announced CHS Principal Stephen Murray. Seniors Emily Hilton and Hope Zhao were named from Emerson House while Molly Fox and Manasa Praveen were honored from Hawthorne House, and Braydon Gray and Laura Solomon from Whittier House. Sponsored by the Chelmsford Rotary Club for more than 30 years, the Student of the Month program recognizes outstanding students from each of CHS’s three academic houses – Emerson House, Hawthorne House, and Whittier House – for their achievements in and out of the classroom.

“Sabr.” When faced with adversity, Afghans will remind themselves and loved ones to practice patience with those four letters. It’s a commitment to perseverance and hopeful thinking. Please use the following Lowell Sun link to read about this reunification.

For any Chelmsford High School student thinking of taking advantage of the cultural exchange trip to La Rochelle, France in February 2024, any of the students who went in 2023 could give an accurate preview. And it’s all positive:

• Your French will improve remarkably.
• You will become attached to your host family.
• You will fall in love with La Rochelle.
• You and your French counterparts aren’t all that different

All four points were a significant part of the discussion on Thursday, Mar. 9 when 11 CHS students met in a World Languages classroom to discuss the experiences of their February cultural exchange trip to La Rochelle, France. Please visit our website to learn more about this exchange program and to view the picture gallery.

As the summer approaches, so does the urge to celebrate with graduation parties, end-of-season banquets, and barbecues. The junior and senior classes at Chelmsford High School, however, were offered impactful words of caution and graphic images at its 2023 Mock Car Crash on Thursday morning to remind them of the perils and consequences of driving while impaired and/or distracted. Students listened to several speakers including CHS Principal Steve Murray (CHS Class of 1988) and Joshua Blagg (’91), Dean of Hawthorne House, as well as school counselors Daniel McGrath, Dan Rosa, and Christine Lima, each of whom helped organize the event. Please visit our website to read more about this event and to view the gallery of pictures.

The Chelmsford High School Pops performed its spring concert Tuesday, May 9, at the Carl J. Rondina Auditorium at Chelmsford High School. As always, we extend a huge thanks to Pete Pedulla, Tom Peterson, and Chelmsford Telemedia for a terrific production.

Parker Student Ambassadors organized a "Comfort for Cancer" fundraiser this year. They raised money and made blankets for patients at Lowell General Hospital. LGH Nurses Chelsea Cody (Parker alumni), Lauren Lamoureux, and Emma Thompson visited Parker to meet with the ambassadors and collect the blankets. Thanks to all involved!

NRT, the bus company of Chelmsford Public Schools, will host ‘Meet the Bus’ on Saturday, June 3 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m., at 27 Katrina Road in Chelmsford, for incoming kindergarten students to Chelmsford elementary schools.

‘Meet the Bus’ will cover:

• Meeting bus drivers
• Learning about bus safety
• Practice school bus rides
• Other games and activities

For more information, view the attached flyer or contact event coordinator Michelle Perez.

Chelmsford Community Education’s Summer 2023 Programming is now Open for Registration! Chelmsford Community Education’s Summer programming begins on Wednesday, July 5th. New Classes are added weekly. Visit ChelmsfordCommunityEd.com for our full list of programming and like us on Facebook (Chelmsford Community Education) for new class 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