CPS Superintendent's Update

Dear CPS Community,

As we close out the week, we head into a long weekend. As a reminder, Monday, May 27th is Memorial Day. Memorial Day is recognized each year in honor of the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. This federal holiday is observed annually on the last Monday of May. On this day, many people will visit memorials and attend ceremonies to pay tribute to those who sacrificed their lives for our freedoms. Our schools will be closed on Monday in honor of this day. The Town of Chelmsford, in partnership with the Merrimack Valley Vietnam Veterans, Inc. (MVVV), will host a parade – this will be the first year the parade has happened since the pandemic in 2020. Please see the Town Manager’s Newsletter for more information about the parade and program.

Messages from our schools about events and happenings are coming fast and furious as we approach the end of the school year. I would like to direct your attention to a particular correspondence of importance that you have received through our district and schools’ communication lines, our Family-School Relationship Survey. We are currently surveying all Chelmsford Public Schools (CPS) families 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 truly want to know what you think about our schools. We have partnered with Panorama Education to conduct our 2024 Family Survey. Panorama safeguards your privacy, keeping your responses anonymous. The survey takes a few minutes to complete and will be a valuable source of information for us as we work to make improvements to our schools and district. You may complete the survey on-line until Friday, June 14th using a computer, tablet, or smartphone by visiting the following webpage: CPS Family-School Relationship Survey. If you have multiple CPS school-aged children, please feel free to fill out multiple surveys to represent each individual child’s experience. Once on the webpage, you will be able to select your child’s school to complete the survey. Thank you in advance for your time and thoughtful responses. If you have any questions about the survey, you may contact your child’s Principal.

CHS Senior Week begins next week with many events for our soon to be graduates that lead up to the much-anticipated graduation day on Saturday, June 1st. With breakfasts, barbeques, and banquets, our graduating seniors’ schedules are packed with activities that are sure to create wonderful memories. One event to take note of is the CHS Senior Prom on Wednesday, May 29th. This event begins with a tradition of students and families gathering at the Chelmsford Town Common to take photos before the students depart for the prom at the Castleton Banquet Center in Windham N.H. Beginning around 4:00 p.m., the area surrounding the town common becomes very congested as onlookers gather to see our students dressed in their finest before they leave for the evening. Be sure to mark an alternate route if your daily travels bring you near the town common area next Wednesday.

The music, awards, and end-of-year celebrations continue and are highlighted below this week. I hope you enjoy the highlights and your long weekend.

Yours truly,

Jay Lang, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

• Athletics Schedule

• No School, Memorial Day, 5/27, All Day

• CHS Senior Week, 5/28-5/31

• CHS Senior Breakfast, 5/28, 8:00 a.m.
• CHS Senior Barbeque, 5/28, 11:30 a.m.
• CHS Senior Prom, 5/29, 6:00 p.m.
• CHS Senior After Party, 5/29, 11:00 p.m.
• CHS Senior Yearbook Assemble, 5/30, ??
• CHS Senior Banquet, 5/31, 6:00 p.m.
• CHS Class of 2024 Graduation, 6/1, 4:00 p.m.
• SATs, Exam, 6/1, 8:00 a.m.

Six seniors were recently honored as Chelmsford High School named its Lions Pride/Rotary Student of the Month recipients for May, announced CHS Principal Stephen Murray. Students receiving recognition were Varnika Mandava and Eshal Hussain from Emerson House, Kristen Shea and Nawal El Hakkaoui of Hawthorne House and Kiera Miller and Allyse Miller from Whittier House. Please visit our website to read more about these students and their accomplishments.

Chelmsford High School held its inaugural Future Teachers Signing Day on Thursday, May 23, in the Career Center at CHS. The purpose of the event is to celebrate graduating seniors who are pursuing a career in education. Five seniors were in attendance for the ceremony, but there are a dozen who have made the commitment to become educators. Please visit our website to view the gallery of pictures from this event.

The Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents (M.A.S.S.) has awarded Dr. Jay Lang, Superintendent of Chelmsford Public Schools, with the 2024 President’s Award. Prior to that, he served as Deputy Superintendent of Finance and Operations for the Lowell Public Schools for 13 years while his tenure in Lowell extended over 20 years. The honor was bestowed upon Dr. Lang during the M.A.S.S. President’s Annual Spring Meeting on Thursday, May 23. Dr. Lang has been the Superintendent of Chelmsford Public Schools since 2015. Please visit our website to read more about this award and Dr. Lang's accomplishments.

The intermittent rain showers did not dampen the spirits of those who turned out on Saturday, May 18, for the 24-Hour Relay hosted by Chelmsford High School‘s Leaders In Motion Everywhere (LIME) Club. Throughout the event, students engaged in water gun fights, viewed movies, sang some karaoke, participated in a volleyball tournament and enjoyed ice cream at midnight. All of the money raised from the event benefited several local charities, including Chelmsford Food Pantry, Chelmsford Senior Center’s Meal on Wheels, Chelmsford Alumni Association, Chelmsford Police Crime Prevention Activities, Chelmsford Fire Department’s S.A.F.E. Programs, The Wish Project and the CHS Principal’s Fund. Please visit our website to view the gallery of pictures from this event.

While end-of-school and summer fun bring excitement for many, students of all ages can still struggle and sometimes significantly during the summer months. Summer can also be especially stressful for parents and guardians as they juggle work and caregiving. Join us for our webinar on June 5th at 7:00 p.m., focused on anxiety, mood changes, and different areas of challenge that students and families can experience during the months away from school. We will discuss practical tips and strategies to support kids and teens during the summer months, and how we can help them (and us!) be ready for the transition back to the classroom. Please use the following link to registrar for this event.

Congratulations to the students in our mixed-grade ensembles McCarthy Gr 7-8 Festival Orchestra and Gr 6-12 All Town Wind Ensemble, who played their hearts out at their concert on Tuesday evening. These groups demonstrate the potential of student mentorship to influence a group’s success, as older students have supported the growth of younger musicians throughout the year with impressive results! Bravo to all student musicians and their directors: Vinny DeStefano, Luke Miller, and Matt Sexauer.

Chelmsford Community Education has new and exciting programs this summer like Robot Commanders, Riddle Rovers Escape Room, Plant Pioneers, Skyhawks Ultimate Sports, and AI (Artificial Intelligence) Adventures. Attached is a full catalog of all offerings.

Most of our programs are age or grade specific, so verify that your child’s age and grade information is correct before attempting to register. To update any incorrect information on your account, call us at 978-251-5151. To view Chelmsford Community Education’s summer programs, please visit Chelmsford Community Education.

Be sure to follow us on social media to keep up with the latest on all the fun at Chelmsford Community Education. Our Facebook page is “Chelmsford Community Education” and our Instagram page is “CommedWestlands.”

Questions? Contact us at Commed@Chelmsford.k12.ma.us or 978-251-5151. We can’t wait to see you this summer!!

Chelmsford Public Schools held a public information session related to the Parker Middle School Building Project on Thursday, March 28. Superintendent Dr. Jay Lang shared a plethora of information about the project as the district moves into the Massachusetts School Building Authority‘s Eligibility Period on April 1. If you weren’t able to make it, please watch the video below.

Please see our list of open positions at the Chelmsford Public Schools. We would love for you to join our team.

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
Twitter: @ChelmsfordPS