CPS Superintendent's Update

Dear CPS Community,

Wow! What a great start to the 2023/24 school year we had this past week. I welcome everyone back and hope you are as excited as I am about getting back into the swing of things this fall as we begin another school year together. I hope you had a wonderful summer and are ready for an exciting new school year. It was great to see our staff, students, and families this past week, and especially exciting to welcome our new Kindergarten and pre-school students as they begin their educational journey with us! All our staff worked very hard to prepare our buildings and classrooms to be ready to greet students upon their arrival this year. Teachers and building administrators spent countless hours preparing our schools for the return of students. This was especially true at the middle schools, as we performed the final shifts related to the grade level realignment at McCarthy and Parker Middle Schools. A very special thank you and recognition goes to our facilities staff this summer as they not only performed the regular deep summer cleaning of our school facilities but also coordinated and implemented significant moves and school betterment/improvement projects this summer districtwide. We accomplished a tremendous amount in just 8 weeks – I can’t wait for you to see our improvements and work with you to continue to develop, expand, and improve programs and services to best meet all students’ needs. We are off to a great start!

It was a short welcome-back week, and we are headed into the long weekend. As a reminder, there is no school for all students on Friday, September 1, 2023, or Monday, September 4, 2023. Schools will resume on Tuesday, September 5, 2023 after the Labor Day weekend. If you have not done so already and desire your child(ren) to ride the big yellow school bus to/from school, please be sure to register as soon as possible. Information on how to register is provided below in the newsletter.

Again, welcome back to school and another exciting year in the Chelmsford Public Schools. Please take time to review news from the summer and enjoy pictures of activities from the past week in the newsletter below. Please enjoy your weekend, we are going to have a great 2023/24 school year in Chelmsford!

Yours truly,

Jay Lang, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

• Athletics Schedule
• No School, 9/1 & 9/4, All Day
• School Committee Meeting, 9/5, 6:00 p.m.
• CHS Musical Auditions, 9/5 & 9/6, Afterschool

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.

Each year, the schools hold an open house for families to visit and learn more about what students are learning at school. Please mark your calendars with the following dates below to visit your child(ren) schools!

Apply now for free and reduced lunch.

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 Chelmsford Public Schools Social and Emotional Learning staff met on Monday, Aug. 28 for an informal meet-and-greet at the Chelmsford High School Career and College Readiness Center. Chelmsford’s SEL is on hand to support every student with all things related to personal and social skills and emotional well-being, as well as academic and career issues. View the full staff by school here.

Joshua Blagg was named the Principal of the Col. Moses Parker Middle School in April and began the role on Monday, July 3. Previously, Mr. Blagg had been the Dean of Hawthorne House at Chelmsford High School since 2010 following 12 years in the classroom at CHS, McCarthy Middle School, and South Row Elementary School. Please visit our website to read more about Principal Blagg.

Christina Mitza, a native of Billerica, Mass., was named the Dean of Hawthorne House at Chelmsford High School. Ms. Mitza comes to Chelmsford following 18 years as an English teacher, the last five in the Billerica Public School system (2018-23), and 13 years at Nissitissit Middle School in Pepperell, Mass. Please visit our website to read more about Dean Mitza.

Because she believes there are no small or big roles in any theatre production, Erin Maitland’s transition as Chelmsford High School’s first theatre director in more than 20 years should be quite smooth. A native of Methuen, Mass., Ms. Maitland began the role on July 1. Please visit our website to read more about Erin Mairland.

The Theatre Guild will stage a musical production of “Mamma Mia” Thursday through Saturday, Nov. 16-18, at the Carl J. Rondina Performing Arts Center. Auditions are scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 5, and Wednesday, Sept. 6 with callbacks slated for Friday, Sept. 8. Rehearsals are scheduled for Monday-Wednesday from 5-8:30 p.m. beginning Monday, Sept. 11. Please visit our website for more information about the CHS musical.

This month marks two years since the evacuation at Kabul, in which more than 120,000 Afghans fled the country after the Taliban regained control of the city. Close to 100,000 now call the United States home, but hardships followed many of them across the border.

Continue reading at LowellSun.com

REGISTER NOW: The Chelmsford Schools World Languages Department is still seeking families for a life-changing, 11-day hosting experience with students and educators from Almeria, Spain. Sign up here: https://forms.gle/ZCf9hnzR6RpZ3jpGA

Please see the College and Career Event Schedule for CHS students. 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.

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