CPS Superintendent's Update

Dear CPS Community,

It certainly was an interesting week with the different weather forecasts and patterns reported each day. We have been fortunate up until now to have such mild weather in January that it can seem like a bit of a shock to move into winter weather and storms within a week’s time. Thank you for your patience as we work through each storm. School cancelations are one of the most difficult decisions to make since it involves many people and affects many moving parts of the district beyond the school day hours. Next week looks like a clearer weather pattern, and I am hoping we can get back on track with no interruptions.

Due to the inclement weather on the afternoon of Wednesday, January 25th, we have added a third kindergarten registration day on Wednesday, February 1st, which will run from 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. at the CPS central administration offices, located at 230 North Road in Chelmsford. Kindergarten registration for the 2023-24 academic year must be made by appointment. Please use the appointment link to schedule your time. You may visit our registration page on the CPS website to find all the information and forms needed to register your child. Families who are not able to schedule an appointment next week may complete the registration packet from the website and drop it off at the school administration offices located at 230 North Road. Office hours are Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. There will also be a spring registration period in April. Once the dates become available, we will make the announcement.

Our winter sports season is well on its way with teams racking up many wins against their opponents. If you haven’t caught a game yet, please view our athletic calendar and come cheer on our teams. To get your tickets, Chelmsford High School (CHS) has partnered with GoFan.co, a digital ticketing app for fast and convenient ticket purchases for home games. As a CHS fan, please purchase your ticket ahead of time for your favorite game. While you are purchasing your tickets for your favorite game to attend, don’t forget that we have other amazing events to purchase tickets for including next week’s performance of Matilda Jr. presented to you by the McCarthy Middle School Drama Club. You can purchase your tickets for any of the three performances, February 3rd through the 4th, using the following link. Our student performances are one of kind events that showcase students’ many talents. I promise you will not be disappointed!

Next week ends the month of January and welcomes in the February. Be sure to turn your calendars over. I wish you a wonderful weekend.

Yours truly,

Jay Lang, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

• View complete athletics schedules here.

• Rescheduled Kindergarten Registration, 2/1, By appointment

• CHIPS PTO Meeting, 2/2, 6:30 p.m.

• Chelsmford SEPAC Basic Rights Workshop, 2/2, 6:30 p.m.

• CHS Dual Enrollment Deadline, 2/3, All Day

• McCarthy MS Presents - Matilda Jr., 2/3, 7:00 p.m. & 2/4, 2:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

• Save the Date - CHS L.E.A.D. Club Empowerment Workshop, 3/18, 12:00 p.m.

The Center School PTO is excited to announce the 24th annual Taste of Chelmsford! This year’s Taste continues the new tradition of Taste as a month-long raffle in March, with amazing prizes offered daily from area restaurants and businesses. Funds raised from the Taste directly support enrichment programs for students at Center. Tickets are $25 and each ticket can win 31 times in March! All prizes are valued at $100 or more. Only 1,000 tickets will be sold, so get yours now before they sell out! Purchase your raffle tickets today at: www.tasteofchelmsford.com

The CHS Career Exploration Breakfast will be held on March 15, 2023, from 8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. This breakfast offers CHS juniors the opportunity to select two careers of interest and spend time with a professional in that field. Speakers share their interests, educational background, and what skills are needed to perform their jobs to give juniors career awareness and support in planning their futures. We are looking for professionals in the following careers to volunteer their time to share their experiences with our CHS juniors. If you are interested, please contact Alexandra Cunningham at: cunninghamalex@chelmsford.k12.ma.us.

All seven Chelmsford High School student-musicians who auditioned for the Massachusetts Music Educators Association (MMEA) All-State Festival Saturday, Jan. 21 at Shrewsbury High School, were accepted, the MMEA announced on Monday. CHS’s seven student musicians will perform at the MMEA All-State Festival Saturday, Mar. 4 at Symphony Hall in Boston. To read more about the MMEA event and our students, please visit our website.

Keeping warm during the harsh New England winters is a perpetual challenge for some more than others. It has, however, been made a little easier for folks in the Merrimack Valley in recent years by the students at Chelmsford’s Harrington Elementary School. Harrington students amassed 447 winter hats and pairs of gloves and mittens between Dec. 1-23 in its fifth annual Share the Warmth drive to benefit The Wish Project, an agency in North Chelmsford providing basic necessities and critical assistance to families throughout the Merrimack Valley. The outpour of donations exceeded the 2021 drive of 349 items by nearly 100. To read more about this collection drive, please visit our website.

There are several clubs and organizations at Chelmsford High School that cater to the interests of nearly every student interested in science, technology, engineering, and manufacturing (STEM). But seniors Hope Hebert and Tanya Banerjee were looking for something specific to women. It was in a physics class last year that Ms. Hebert had a revelation: a new club for women, by women interested in pursuing STEM. “We were thinking about all the clubs that are at CHS right now, and a lot of them are male-dominated as far as STEM clubs,” said Ms. Hebert. “So we just decided, ‘you know what, let’s just start our own.’” Please visit our website to read more about the Women in STEM Club.

Next month marks the start of coyote mating season — but don’t be too alarmed. Coyotes are fairly prevalent across Massachusetts, and plenty roam across all areas of Chelmsford, said Animal Control Officer Mark Cianci. They encounter coyotes regularly because the animal’s population is “healthy, for the most part,” he said. To learn more about the local coyote population in Chelmsford, please visit the Lowell Sun.

The Chelmsford High School's gender equality club, L.E.A.D. (Leadership, Equality, Acceptance and Diversity Club) is holding our annual Empowerment Workshop on March 18 from 12:00 - 1:00 pm in the Career Center at CHS, 200 Richardson Road. In the workshop, we educate elementary-age students about gender equality through drawing activities, storytime, and much more. Please use the QR Reader on the attached flyer or sign up by using the following link to attend. We look forward to seeing you on March 18th!

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