CPS Superintendent's Update

Dear CPS Community,

It looks like we will be “out like a lamb” next week as we close the month of March. This past Wednesday marked longer days of sunlight with the first sunset at 7:00 p.m. This sunset time provides over 12 hours of daylight each day. I hope the milder temperatures and increased sunlight will provide everyone with more outside time whether to go for a walk, begin your spring yard clean-up, or attend a game – know that warmer weather is on its way to enjoy this spring season. For those of you who are gardeners or would like to start your own garden, March is the time to begin certain seeds indoors, so they are ready for transplant outdoors in April and May. You may check the Almanac for planting dates and beginner guides to get your garden started.

This weekend, students in our Chelmsford High School TedEd Club will be hosting their Third Annual TEDx Youth Showcase on Saturday, March 25th from 1 – 3 p.m. at the Carl J. Rondina Performing Arts Center (PAC). This event is free and open to the public and includes eight CHS student leaders providing 7 – 10 minute speeches in a TED Talk format on topics relevant to students and young adults. These talks are intended to bring people together and ignite discussions about significant topics to students in today’s society. The TedEd Club has student representatives from each grade level with varying viewpoints. Speaker’s topics for Saturday may be found on our website. To learn more about the TedEd Club and to read each student speaker’s biography, please visit their website. The students are looking forward to presenting!

Since the calendar will quickly be turning next week, I would like to remind everyone again about the upcoming student half-day in April. Please remember there was a change to the school calendar for the April half-day. The new day is Tuesday, April 4th. There will be no other half-days after April 4th for the remainder of the school year. You may access the school calendar on our website.

Please enjoy this week’s highlights and have a terrific weekend.

Yours truly,

Jay Lang, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

• View complete athletics schedules here.

• Tedex Youth Presentations, 3/25, 1:00 p.m.

• Byam Hootenanny Talent Show, 3/25, 6:00 p.m.

• Pre-MICCA Open Band Rehersals, 3/28, 6:00 p.m.

• Pre-MICCA Open Orchestra Rehersals, 3/29, 6:00 p.m.

• MICAA Music Festival, 3/31, 2:00 p.m.

• Early Release, 4/4, See school release times

Inspiration, Insight, and ‘a-ha’ moments will be in abundance when the Chelmsford High School TedEd Club hosts its Third Annual TEDx Youth Chelmsford Showcase on Saturday, Mar. 25 (1-3 p.m.) at the Carl J. Rondina Performing Arts Center. The event is free and open to the public. Doors open at 12:45 p.m. Eight CHS student-leaders are scheduled to give 7-10 minute speeches in the TED Talk format on issues relevant to students and young adults to ignite discussion. Please visit our website to view our student speakers and their topics. Use this link to view the previous TedEd Club Talks produced by the CHS students.

Seven students in Ms. Murphy's Early Childhood class at CHS attended the First Annual Educators Rising Conference at UMass Lowell. Students heard from the new Chancellor, Julie Chen, as well as from local Massachusetts chapter leaders. Current members of Educators Rising explain how this program has helped them focus on their goal of becoming teachers. The day ended with a guided tour of North Campus.

The dozen or so Chelmsford High School students who spent February break in Malaga, Spain didn’t really know one another before the trip. Admittedly, they now have a unique connection having spent February 15-26 on the World Languages Department cultural exchange to Malaga. The students sat in a second-floor classroom at CHS discussing their experiences, telling anecdotes, laughing, and marveling at Spanish customs such as dinner at 10 p.m., greetings by a kiss on each cheek, tiny cars, fast drivers, and narrow roads. The cultural exchanges at CHS not only build connections with students and families from other countries. They bond students at CHS, which, said Ms. Nollet, signifies that international exchanges are invaluable educational resources. Please visit our website, to read more about the student exchange experience. To learn about student cultural exchange experiences, please visit the CPS World Languages website.

View Lowell Sun photographer Julia Malakie‘s photo gallery — both backstage and on stage — of the Parker Middle School Drama Club’s production of High School Musical, Jr. High School Musical, Jr., ran Mar. 10-11 at the McCarthy Middle School Auditorium. The Parker Middle School Drama Club is grateful for Ms. Malakie and The Sun for the gallery and attendance. View the Gallery

The Crescendos and The Thursdays, Chelmsford High School’s a cappella groups, finished second and third, respectively, at the Varsity Vocals International Championship of High School A Cappella Northeast Region Semifinal round Sunday at Mechanics Hall in Worcester. The Crescendos compiled 387 points from the judges while The Thursdays compiled 337 points. Spectrum, representing Plymouth North H.S., placed first and advances to the ICHSA Final Friday, Apr. 28 at The Town Hall theater in New York City. To read more about the Crescendos and The Thursdays, please visit our website.

Registration for the Chelmsford Middle School Track & Field Team is open to students of all abilities in grades 5-8. This year, parents/guardians must register their child by Monday, Apr. 6. Event choices may include, but are not limited to:

• Running events
• Hurdles
• Throws (shot put, javelin)
• Jumps (high jump, long jump)…and more!!

In addition to practices, runners will have the opportunity to compete in meets with area middle schools. Participants of all abilities are encouraged to attend meets, although they are never mandatory. Students are responsible for their own transportation to and from any meets.

Register Now | Download Information & Schedule

Registration for Summerfest and SummerQuest full-day summer programs will open on Wednesday, March 22nd at 10 a.m. Register on ChelmsfordCommunityEd.com.

Registration for Summerfest/SummerQuest is based on your child’s grade. Please make sure your child’s grade is correct for this school year before registration. If you need to update your child’s grade, please email us at commed@chelmsford.k12.ma.us before registration opens. Registration under the wrong grade group could cause you to lose your spot in Summerfest/SummerQuest. Please see our website for complete details. All forms listed below will need to be filled out before you can complete registration for each program.

Summerfest: Open 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday. For students in 1st-6th grade.

Dates: July 5th-August 11th To learn more about Summerfest, please visit our webpage.

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