McCarthy Family Update

Happy Holidays!

I hope you are well and doing your best to keep up with the calendar. I am looking forward to spending some time with my family and friends, and I am sure you are looking forward to the same. No matter what you celebrate, I hope you give it the attention it deserves. We wait all year for certain events, and if we are not intentional, they breeze by far too quickly. I encourage you to unplug, take a deep breath, and enjoy the season. Ferris Bueller said it best; " Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

Thank you in advance for taking the time to read these updates and I look forward to seeing you again soon.

Stay well,

Jeff

We will kick off 2026 with a fun McCarthy Spirit Week when we return from Winter Break. I recognize that most schools have their Spirit Week events leading up to break, but that's too easy! I believe that the week leading up to a vacation has its own energy and excitement. Coming back? Not so much.

In addition, we will use the week to build some momentum for McCarthy's annual PROJECT 300 Food Drive. This is the 51st year of the event (wow!) and we are about 12,000 items short of reaching the 1 Million mark. This is no small feat and should not be overlooked. In its prime, PROJECT 300 was the largest food donation/collection event on the entire East Coast - seriously.

Thank you in advance for your generosity and support as we come together as a school community to help our friends and neighbors in need.

Spirit Week Themes

PROJECT 300 Info

Overall, our students are great about following our cell phone policy. We do have some kids who test the limits and we work with those students and families directly. There is pending legislation that could change the way we manage student devices in school. Until then, we will continue to follow our McCarthy protocol.

It is important to reinforce that we have landlines available in the office for students to use at any time. We have staff members who answer the phones when calls come in, and can help students who may need to call a family member during the school day. Despite what you may hear, students do not need to text or call using cell phones during school hours.

Lastly, we have a growing number of students who are asking for a "break" or a walk during class time. We are seeing a large number of students who are taking "laps" or leaving class for up to 10 minutes at a time. The teachers are working hard to keep track of the students who leave class to use the restroom, etc., but we are recognizing that some students are taking advantage of the ability to leave as teachers do not want to deny a student who asks to use the restroom.

I share this information in hopes that you will have a discussion at home and reinforce the importance of students staying in the classroom during the school day.

We will conduct our annual MCAS testing this spring. We worked to stay in line with Parker and CHS so the families with students at multiple levels can share a similar experience. Here is the McCarthy MCAS Schedule for 2026.

The district has hosted several forums to help inform the community on the new School project. This is a massive effort and will help support the future of our wonderful town. There is little doubt that we are in need of a new school as our population expands, and it is important that our residents understand the impact of this endeavor. I encourage you to follow along with the process, and share this information with your neighbors and friends.

We have a wonderful group of students and staff who meet regularly to share ideas and information that help support a healthy and fun school culture. In addition to the daily tasks, the committee will play a major role in our PROJECT 300 efforts this year.

Mr. Cowan and I had the opportunity to present at the School Committee meeting on December 2nd. The highlight of the meeting was 8th grade star Lena Felzani, who joined us to discuss all-things-McCarthy. Here is a link to the meeting if you want to tune in!

As an FYI - all SC meetings are streamed live thanks to our friends at Chelmsford Telemedia.

Each Friday, the McCarthy Weekly Bulletin comes from our main office at 2:30PM (Thank You, Mrs. Mannion!) The bulletin is very detailed and has lots of information for our families to keep you up to speed on all-things-McCarthy. I encourage you to give it a look regularly, and I have linked this week's info here for your convenience:https://app.smore.com/n/2dh0t

Dr. Lang also sends a weekly communication on Friday evenings. This is a broader look at the entire district, and is a fantastic way to stay informed on our entire district. Here is a link to the most recent communication from the Superintendent: https://app.smore.com/n/pvbqa

McCarthy & Parker PTOs work collaboratively to provide community building activities, provide enrichment programs for our students and families and support our teachers. We encourage any middle school parent/guardian to join us to learn about upcoming events and activities throughout the school year.

We held our first meeting of the year in our McCarthy Library. It was well attended, and gave our new Assistant Principal, Chris Cowan, an opportunity to meet several of our supportive parents and families.

Moving forward, PTO meetings will be held virtually until May. We are hopeful that this will be more convenient for our families and teachers, and will help boost attendance and participation.

Meeting links will be shared out via newsletters and emails prior to the meeting. Upcoming events, activities and additional information can also be found on the new PTO website: https://pto.chelmsfordschools.org/mccarthy-pto/

December:

Winter Break: December 24th - January 4th

*Tuesday, December 23rd is a full school day

January:

Monday, January 5, 2026 - School Reopens

Thursday, January 8, 2026 - PTO Meeting @6:30PM (virtual)

Tuesday, January 13, 2026 - Early Dismissal for students at 11:00

Monday, January 19, 2026 - No School for students

Friday, January 23, 2026 - End of Term 2

Friday, January 30, 2026 - McCarthy School play - "Mean Girls" @7PM at McCarthy

Saturday, January 31, 2026, McCarthy School play - "Mean Girls" @ 2PM & 7PM

February:

Thursday, February 5, 2026 - Early Dismissal for students at 11:00

Thursday, February 12, 2026 - PTO Meeting @6:30PM (virtual)

February Break: February 16th - 20th

If your child is going to be absent from school, you can either email or call to let us know.

Email: mccarthy_attendance@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

Please Send Email: Prior to 9am on the day of the absence (same as current voicemail option)

Please Include:Child’s name, Grade, Reason for absence

I encourage you to use the email option when reporting an absence, dismissal, etc. Parents are still free to use the phone system to report absences, but you are encouraged to use email for greater office efficiency.

If you prefer, you can certainly call the attendance line prior to 9:00am, at 978-251-5122, choose Option 1.

In order for an absence to be marked as "Excused", families will need to provide medical documentation.

Thank you for your understanding.

Email: parksj@chelmsford.k12.ma.us
Website: https://mccarthy.chelmsfordschools.org/
Location: 250 North Road, Chelmsford, MA, USA
Phone: 978-251-5122
Instagram & X: @Principal_Parks