Dear CPS Community,

I hope everyone had a wonderful week and were able to “Beware the Ides of March” on the 15th. If you have heard of the Ides of March, you know you are supposed to beware them. The history behind this lies in Ancient Roman times where in the Roman calendar the Ides of March was considered a deadline for settling debts. Also, you have likely heard of the Ides of March in William Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar, where the soothsayer warned Caesar of the ides and subsequently, was assassinated. Fortunately for us, we had the “Luck of the Irish” on our side with St. Patrick’s Day falling on the 17th to cancel out any warnings!

I am happy to report that COVID-19 positivity rates continue to trend downward and remain low in our district. This has allowed us to resume many traditional events at our schools as we approach spring. This is particularly welcomed news as our schools start to plan for end-of-year events that have been canceled in past years. Also, we have been able to bring back in-person enrichment sessions and increase off-campus field trips for our students. I remain confident that if we continue with our mitigation strategies and all do our part to continue with proper handwashing with distancing, when possible, we will end the school year with normalcy in our schools. I cannot thank everyone enough for all the support to our schools these past few years.

This week’s newsletter has some wonderful highlights that include seasonal celebrations, upcoming events, and showcasing of our students and staff. I hope you enjoy these highlights. We are coming up on many events happening at the schools, so please take some time to review correspondences from your building principal’s newsletters so you are assured to not miss any notable events.

Have a wonderful weekend, and enjoy the great weather.

Yours truly,

Jay Lang, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

Next week:

• View complete athletics schedules here

• Harrington Elementary Math Night, 3/23, 6:30 p.m.

• MMEA Junior District Rehearsals, Field Trips, and Concerts 3/23, 3/25, & 3/26 TBD
  

• McCarthy Rock and Roll Bingo, 3/25, 7:00 p.m.

• Byam Elementary Hootenanny, 3/26, 6:00 p.m.

The Parker Middle School PTO Scholarship is open to any Chelmsford resident high school graduating senior who attended Parker Middle School and will be attending a two- or four-year college or university. Please attach a personal letter describing your experiences at the Parker Middle School and how they influenced your high school years. Please return this application, a personal letter, resume, and your transcript by April 22, 2022. Students are responsible for submitting all required forms. The CHS Guidance office will not send transcripts. Any applications submitted without all requested forms will not be considered in the voting process. Applications should be e-mailed to ptoparker@gmail.com.

APPLICATION LINK

To become fluent in a second language, a student must immerse themself in that culture. For its Spanish language students, the Chelmsford High School World Languages Department did the next best thing: it brought Spanish culture to Chelmsford. For up to the next three years, Leire Perez Quiroz and Carlos Martin-Carracedo, both English educators in their native Spain, will teach Spanish language and culture to CHS students. Both Ms. Perez Quiroz and Mr. Martin-Carracedo are part of an exchange program that sends 700 teachers from Spain to teach in the U.S., 30 of whom are in greater Boston. To read more about our Spanish teachers, please visit our website.

The Chelmsford High School Theatre Guild, is entering the Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild (METG) High School Drama Festival with its performance of the Faith and DespondencySunday, Mar. 20 (1:30 p.m.) at the Carl J. Rondina Performing Arts Center. Tickets cost $15 and can be purchased at the door. To learn more about the performances, please visit our website.

Big Joe the Storyteller was back at CHIPs again this year for our spring enrichment. This past Friday, he brought some new stories and a TON of laughs! Both staff and students enjoyed his stories and puppet friends, and giggles could be heard throughout the school! We love having Big Joe the Storyteller come to our school and we already can’t wait for next year!

Chelmsford Public Schools K-12 Mathematics Coordinator Dr. Matthew Beyranevand was featured on CBS 4 Boston Monday with Levan Reid on the significance of Pi Day, also known as 3/14. In recent years, the significance of Pi Day has grown, which Dr. Beyranevand says is nothing but positive. “It’s become an annual celebration, where students across the globe do an activity related to Pi,” said Dr. Beyranevand. “It’s a great way to better understand Pi and to do something fun and engaging, which at times can be a struggle in math classes.” To read more about this event, please visit our website.

Children are bound to have many questions about the history between the two countries and how the clash may affect the rest of the world. Young people have access to more news streams than ever, and many are concerned. Below are resources for families on how to have discussions about this event.

The National Child Traumatic Stress Network

San Diego County Office of Education

PBS SoCal

Education Week

Welcome back CHS students! As you shift from vacation to study mode remember you have your own tutoring service in Paper Learning. Live editing, solutions to math problems, AND MORE are a mere live chat away! Log on to Paper through your student CLEVER account. To learn more about PAPER, please visit our website.

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