CPS Superintendent's Update

Dear CPS Community,

With Thanksgiving soon approaching, each year I reflect on what I am thankful for and fortunately, there is a lot! Although at times there is an air of uncertainty as we emerge from a pandemic and are grappling with volatile economic and political times, I am still able to find the many things I am grateful for and experience each day. One thing that remains at the top of my list are the tremendous accomplishments of our students, staff, and families. I am appreciative of the hard work and support of the entire CPS community to provide an amazing education for all our students. When talking with my peers in other communities, I am always so proud to share the many accolades and successes of our students and staff, as well as feel a sense of pride knowing other districts look to Chelmsford as the standard to apply to their own. I am thankful to be part of a community that supports and prioritizes education. I want to personally thank each of you for your individual support that creates the collective whole of the Chelmsford Public Schools. As next week is a shortened school week, I will not be sharing an additional newsletter before the Thanksgiving break. However, there are a few things I would like to highlight below to prepare for our return after the break.

On Wednesday, November 30th at 6:00 p.m., I will be holding a remote/virtual parent information session that may be accessed at the following link. The purpose of the session is to review the middle school realignment/reconfiguration discussion from the Spring of 2022. This is an opportunity to hear about the considerations, discussions, and elements that went into the decision-making process to proceed with the realignment/reconfiguration beginning next year, the 2023/24 school year. Last school year, the Chelmsford Public Schools conducted two substantial reviews of our buildings and programming offered to students in grades 5 – 8 at McCarthy and Parker Middle Schools with outside consultants Dore & Whittier Architects and District Management Group (DMGroup). Superintendent working groups and community input sessions to examine our buildings and practices were also convened.

After reviewing the recommendations from both consulting groups, superintendent working groups, and input from the community sessions, the decision was made to realign/reconfigure the McCarthy and Parker Middle School grade levels at the beginning of the 2023/24 school year from two separate grade 5 – 8 schools, to two new grade reconfigurations that result in Parker as a grade 5/6 middle school and McCarthy as a grade 7/8 middle school for all children in Town. This implementation will provide a more age-appropriate grade level configuration of students, more equitable class sizes, and more consistent student and staff schedules and programming at each school. I welcome you to join me remotely on November 30th to hear about what went into the decision-making process to proceed with the realignment/reconfiguration beginning next year, the 2023/24 school year. If you are unable to attend, I will post the information session recording to the CPS website following the session. Alternatively, a recording of last year's session may be accessed at the following link. I will be holding virtual office hours monthly beginning December 7, 2022, for interested parents to join, ask clarifying questions and discuss the implementation timeline.

Although we have had a very mild and even unseasonably warm November, it is inevitable that at some point we will encounter weather that may impact the opening of schools. Below, please find the process and procedure used in the event of inclement weather or other events that may impact opening/holding school:

CPS Inclement Weather (Snow Day) Procedure

If school is delayed or canceled this winter, a message will be communicated consistently with past practice as follows:

• An e-mail and telephone message will be sent to the primary contact number of each student and staff member in the district. This is a great time to verify your primary contact number in X2, our student/staff database, at which you desire to be contacted is accurate. If no message is received, school is being conducted as usual that day;

• A message will be displayed on the Chelmsford Public Schools webpage notifying the public of the status of school for the day. If no message is displayed, school is being conducted as usual that day;

• A message will be displayed on local television channels 4, 5, 7, and 25. If no message is displayed, school is being conducted as usual that day.

To allow parents and staff a little extra time to plan and prepare for a school closure, whenever possible, I attempt to make an announcement the night before when it is evident from the forecast that school will be impacted. This is not always possible and many times I need to wait until the early morning hours to make a decision for the district. Under these circumstances, I will endeavor to make and announce a decision by 5:30 a.m. on the day school will be impacted.

Please enjoy the upcoming break next week. I hope you enjoy some rest and relaxation with your families as you spend a few days away from school. Happy Thanksgiving!

Yours truly,

Jay Lang, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

• View complete athletics schedules here.

• Parker MS Grade 5 Band Concert, 11/21, 7:00 p.m.

• Early Release, 11/23, All levels

• No School, Thanksgiving Break, 11/24 & 11/25, All Day

• CHS Photo Retakes, 11/28, All Day

• South Row Elementary Photo Retakes, 11/29, All Day

• CHIPS Photo Retakes, 11/30, All Day

• Middle School Reconfiguration Listening Session, 11/30, 6:00 p.m.

• CHIPS PTO Meeting, 12/1, 6:30 p.m.

• Harrington Elementary Photo Retakes, 12/2, All Day

• SAT Testing, 12/3, 8:30 a.m.

• McCarthy MS Grade 5 Band Concert, 11/28, 6:30 p.m.

On November 30th at 6:00 p.m., Dr. Lang will hold a virtual information session about the McCarthy and Parker Middle Schools realignment for the 2023/24 school year. Please use the following link to register and attend this meeting. You will receive an email confirmation once you have completed the registration process.

Honor and thanks were the themes Wednesday morning as the Harrington Elementary School held its annual Veterans' Day Assembly. The Assembly honored more than 50 veterans and active military members related to the Harrington students, faculty, and staff. Grades 1 and 2 singers performed our National Anthem and “You’re a Grand Ole Flag,” as well as “Thank a Veteran” and “America The Beautiful,” led by music educator Matthew Buono. To view the picture gallery of this event, please visit our website.

For the second straight year, the Career and College Readiness Center at Chelmsford High School hosted its Veterans Panel in front of more than 20 students. A cast of eight veterans representing five branches of the military were on hand to discuss their experiences and offer advice to students considering the military after high school. To learn about the participants, and key takeaways, and to view the picture gallery of this event, please visit our website.

Chelmsford’s Matrix Marderosian looks for a shot during a game against Greater Lawrence Tech while playing in the Unified Basketball Jamboree at Lowell High School on Friday. Four games were played at once, and each team was guaranteed at least four 18-minute games in front of a packed gym of fans, family, city council members, and school officials. Teams were introduced one by one, each walking through the tunnel of cheerleaders that went on to cheer the games all night. Lowell school officials even gave a few words to start the festivities. Please use the following link to read more about this event.

Congratulations to the 11 Swimmers and Divers of the CHS Girls Swim and Dive Team who competed in the States and led the Lions to a 4th Place Finish!

CHS Environmental Studies students had their first harvest of the school year! Through the learning of hydroponic systems, students grew 1.75 kg of romaine lettuce since mid-September to donate to the Merrimack Valley Food Bank.

Please join the Chelmsford High School and curriculum department administration on Wednesday, December 7th from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center (PAC) located at 200 Richardson Road to learn more about all things high school and how you can best prepare for the transition of your child(ren) to CHS. Please see Principal Murray's notice to families for more information about this event.

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