CPS Superintendent's Update

Dear CPS Community,

I hope you all had a great week and have been staying dry!

Last weekend, our student musicians had a spectacular showing at the Massachusetts Instrumental and Choral Conductors Association (MICCA) Festival. MICCA is a rigorous, statewide adjudicated festival in which ensembles are evaluated by expert judges on musicality, technique and artistic performance. Chelmsford sent four ensembles – the Chelmsford High School Orchestra, the McCarthy Middle School Festival Orchestra, the Parker Middle School Festival Orchestra and the All-Town Wind Ensemble – and they all earned gold medals. Please join me in congratulating these talented students and the educators in our music department on this incredible achievement!

April is School Library Month, a time to celebrate the importance of libraries throughout the district and how they help transform learning. April 4 also happens to be National School Librarian Appreciation Day. The librarians in all our schools play an integral role in the daily lives of our students, whether it’s helping them choose the perfect book or assisting them with research for a class project or essay. Please join me in thanking these folks for their passion and dedication to promoting literacy and fostering a love for reading!

Sign-ups for the 5th Annual Youth Police Academy will open on Monday, April 6, at www.chelmsfordpal.com. There will be two weeklong sessions this summer: July 27-31 for fifth and sixth graders and August 17-21 for seventh and eighth graders. Activities include physical fitness, defensive tactics, cyber safety, CPR, motor vehicle law, K9 units, a drone unit, mental health and much more. The academy, which is free, serves as a great opportunity for our middle school students to learn more about what Chelmsford Police officers do on a daily basis. See the flyer included in this newsletter for more information.

Don’t forget that Tuesday, April 7, is Town Election Day in Chelmsford. The polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. You may find more information about candidates for office and voting on the Town of Chelmsford website. As a reminder to our McCarthy families and community members, the school is used as a polling location. Please be mindful of the traffic and increase of community member presence in the area while heading to the polls, traveling around town and driving to and from school to drop off or pick up your children on Tuesday.

Also, just a friendly reminder that next Tuesday, April 7, is a professional development half day, which means students will be released early.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend, and to those who celebrate, Happy Easter!

Yours truly,

Jay Lang, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

• Athletics Schedule

• South Row Multicultural Festival: Saturday, April 4, 1 p.m., South Row Elementary School
• South Row PTO Meeting: Monday, April 6, 7 p.m., South Row Elementary School
• Professional Development Half Day - Early Release: Tuesday, April 7
• Byam School Association (BSA) Meeting: Wednesday. April 8, 7 p.m., Virtual
• Middle & High School Jazz Night: Wednesday, April 8, 7 p.m.
• Middle School PTO Meeting: Thursday, April 9, 6:30 p.m., Virtual
• Aca-Pocalypse: Friday, April 10, 7 p.m., CHS PAC
• Aca-Pocalypse: Saturday, April 11, 6 p.m., CHS PAC
• CHS Class of 2027 Craft Fair: Sunday, April 12, 9 a.m.- 2 p.m., McCarthy Middle School Auditorium
• CHIPS PTO Meeting: Monday, April 13, 6:30 p.m., CHIPS
• Harrington Elementary STEAM Fair: Monday, April 13, 6:30 p.m., Harrington Elementary School
• CHS PTO Meeting: Monday, April 13, 7 p.m., Chelmsford High School
• CHS Career Exploration Breakfast: Tuesday, April 14, 8:30-10:30 a.m., CHS Learning Commons
• Chelmsford School Committee Meeting: Tuesday, April 14, 6 p.m., Central Administration Offices
• Parker School Building Committee Meeting: Thursday, April 16, 6 p.m., Central Administration Offices
• Buddies vs. Badges Charity Basketball Game: Thursday, April 16, 6 p.m., McCarthy Middle School

For more information, please view the following letter from Superintendent Dr. Jay Lang regarding Important Family Contingency Planning Information and Resources:

If you missed the March 24 School Committee meeting, it can be viewed below:

To view the entire list of available scholarships for graduating seniors, please click here.

Chelmsford High School alum Jeff Bauman, Boston Marathon bombing survivor and author of the memoir Stronger, visited CHS this week. After reading his book in their English classes, students participated in a Q&A session and listened to Jeff share stories about his life and experiences since the publication of Stronger, offering a rare glimpse into his professional and personal journey after losing both legs at the marathon bombing in 2013. It was truly an unforgettable experience that brought our curriculum to life and inspired students and teachers alike.

This week in technology class, Byam third graders explored the Science of Flight. They learned about forces that affect how things move, including balanced and unbalanced forces and friction, and discussed why airplanes cannot fly into space. Students then used the Engineering Design Process to plan, create, test and improve their own paper airplanes. They flew their airplanes for a first trial while I measured the distance. After seeing their results, students went back to adjust their designs to see if they could make their airplanes fly farther on the second trial.

Chelmsford High STEMsters recently visited Center Elementary School Extended Day Program for an engaging, hands-on STEM activity where students built their own “balloon cars.” With our awesome high school volunteers, students used simple materials like plastic cups, popsicle sticks, and cardboard to explore basic engineering and physics concepts while designing and testing their creations. The activity encouraged creativity, problem-solving and teamwork, and it was exciting to see students bring their ideas to life through motion and innovation.

Seniors on the Chelmsford High School baseball team gave their jerseys to a staff member at CHS who has made an impact on the player's life.

The Town of Chelmsford is in the process of working with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) in order to construct a new school for the community.

The project has been accepted into the feasibility study phase, with the School Building Committee with LeftField, LLC, serving as the Owners Project Manager (OPM) and Ai3 Architects as the project designer.

Over the past five months, the project team has hosted four community forums regarding the school building project. Chelmsford Telemedia recorded all of these events and have made them available to view here:

If you're looking for additional information about the ongoing Parker Middle School Building Project, please visit our website to learn more and stay updated:

The next School Building Committee meeting will take place on Thursday, April 16, at 6 p.m. at the CPS Central Administration Offices, 230 North Road, Chelmsford.

If you missed the March 19 meeting, you can watch it here:

All eight of Chelmsford Public Schools' PTOs, as well as the Council of Chelmsford Schools, now have their very own website. It's a one-stop shop to find out information about PTO meetings, events, fundraisers, scholarships and much more.

Sketchbook Spectacular is a FREE art initiative open to artists of all ages in the Chelmsford community and beyond. All mediums are welcome, including drawing, watercolor and collage. Participants are encouraged to explore prompts in their sketchbooks, but the prompts can also inspire free-standing artwork. Developed by Parker Middle School artist-educator Ashley Norman, this project is perfect for starting or maintaining an art practice throughout the year. Want to share your work? Email your art to normana@chelmsford.k12.ma.us.

Chelmsford High School is looking to expand its current partnerships to support the Innovation Pathways Program. Final requirements for this program require students to complete an industry-related capstone project or internship during the spring of their senior year in high-need employment areas such as business & finance, information technology, engineering, and life sciences. More information about our pathways can be found here.

If your business would like to be a part of this partnership, please reach out to Ms. DaSilva, the Career and College Facilitator, and Mr. Morris, the K12 Science Coordinator.

This year, Massachusetts is offering all school lunch and breakfast at no charge to students. This does not automatically make families eligible for any other benefits. Families that feel they are eligible for transportation or extended day reduced tuition are strongly encouraged to fill out the online free and reduced meal application.

All four Chelmsford ensembles that participated in the recent Massachusetts Instrumental and Choral Conductors Association (MICCA) Festival earned gold medals, an unprecedented feat in Chelmsford Public Schools’ history.

Dr. Christy Whittlesey, K-12 fine and performing arts coordinator for the district, explained that MICCA is a rigorous, statewide adjudicated festival in which ensembles are evaluated by expert judges on musicality, technique and artistic performance.

Continue reading about the MICCA Festival success on our website.

Dozens of colleges and universities sent representatives to Chelmsford High School during the fall to meet with students interested in continuing their education at a post-secondary institution. More dates for spring visits will be added soon. Please see the College Visit Schedule for more updates.

Follow the CHS Career and College Readiness Center on Instagram: @chs.careercenter

The Chelmsford Public Schools utilizes SchoolSpring to advertise job postings and the online application process. To apply for any of our positions, please visit our website.

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.

Here are some noteworthy events and activities taking place around Chelmsford in the coming weeks:

There are a plethora of local youth sports and scouting organizations that hold fundraisers and recruiting events throughout the school year. Some may also be seeking volunteers. If you're a parent looking for social and skill-building opportunities for your child or children, we have launched a new webpage devoted to just that. In addition to event information, this resource page will also feature links to all the websites or social media accounts for youth sports leagues and scouting troops. So head on over there and check it out!

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.

Click the image above to view this month's Booster Beat.

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

Instagram: @chelmsfordpublicschools X: @CPSchoolsMA