Welcome Back McCarthy!
August 25, 2023
Hello McCarthy Families,
It is with great enthusiasm and excitement that I welcome you to the 2023-2024 school year at McCarthy! Assistant Principal Calobrisi and I spent most of our time in the building planning and managing a myriad of projects as we prepared to start our first school year as an administrative team. I am looking forward to having students and staff back in the building as we kick-off the 2023-2024 school year. This middle school reconfiguration has been a massive undertaking and I am eager to get started. There are great things ahead for our McCarthy students, staff, and families, and I am thrilled to be a part of it.
This newsletter contains important information that will help ensure a positive start to the school year. Thank you in advance for taking the time to check it out! As always, please reach out to me and/or Kerry with any questions, concerns, or ideas.
Best wishes for a terrific finish to the summer and I look forward to seeing you soon.
Regards,
Jeff Parks, Principal
Meet the Team!
Last spring, the student leadership team at Parker ("PRIDE Reps") came up with a fantastic idea to help students and families learn a little about the McCarthy staff as the 2 schools come together. They created the templates and guiding questions that we used to contribute. I am confident that our staff members have also enjoyed learning about their new teammates through this process! We had great participation, and I am proud to share this fun project with the McCarthy Community. We will encourage staff to continue to add to the presentation as people return to work next week. Enjoy!
Opening Day & First Week
School begins for all McCarthy students on Tuesday, August 29, 2023. School hours are 8:10 am - 2:30 pm. Student drop off will begin at 8:00 am (additional details below). School will be in session on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday next week. The district will be closed on Friday, September 1st, and will reopen on Tuesday, September 5th, following Labor Day weekend. I have included a link to the CPS calendar for your convenience and planning.
Whether the students, staff, and families have been at McCarthy all along, are moving over from Parker, or are new to the district, there is no doubt that we are all in this together! Over the first week, will all be working to adjust to the new schedule and new grade configurations while acclimating to the typical hustle of a new school year. Through a series of grade level assemblies and ongoing interactions with our students, we will be sharing our expectations for academic and social success.
School Hours - 8:10am - 2:30pm
The middle school students in grades 5-8 will continue to ride the same buses to and from school. 7th & 8th graders will be dropped off at McCarthy beginning at 8:00am, and the buses will continue to Parker. At dismissal, beginning at 2:30pm, students will board the buses at McCarthy, and then will travel to pick up the 5th & 6th graders at Parker.
In partnership with the Chelmsford Police Department and CPS Transportation Department, we have made some adjustments to the student drop off/pick up procedures at McCarthy. Please refer to the map below as well.
Overview:
- Students can be dropped off beginning at 8:00am using the large driveway in front of the school. Students being driven to school will enter through the main lobby.
- It is critical that cars pull up as far as possible and do not stop to let each individual student out directly in front of the doors.
- Vehicles must enter off of North Road. No vehicles will be allowed to enter through the Graniteville Rd. entrance as the buses will be traveling/exiting in that direction.
- At 2:30pm, students being picked up will exit through the main lobby to the cars lined up in front of the school.
- Buses will enter off of North Rd. and will drop off on the side of the school closest to the Police Station. Buses will pull as far down as the playground as to not back-up traffic. Students will walk to the "old" parent drop off door and enter the school.
- We will evaluate this procedure and will determine if we need to open additional doors for student entry.
- Students who walk or ride bikes, etc., can also through the main entrance. There is a bike rack located on the left side of the school closest to the staff parking area.
*I anticipate the morning drop off and after-school pick up procedures will be very busy and potentially confusing to start. Please be patient and understand that it will take some time to develop the routine that people are familiar and comfortable with. If we all follow the plan, we can help to ensure a safe and efficient routine for our students.
Please see the attached image showing the drop-off traffic pattern.
New McCarthy Schedule
Students will start with their 1st period class each day. We no longer have the traditional Homeroom period. Attendance will be taken during 1st period. For the purpose of locker assignments, student supply distribution, and other related items, we will use each student’s Monday “SEL” block as the go-to class.
Another new addition to the schedule are the elective blocks. The teachers who are running those classes have created courses related to their typical content area, but not a duplicate of their "regular" classes. We are excited to see these courses evolve as we incorporate more student choice into their school experience.
Please review the McCarthy Schedule Overview 2023-2024 document for additional information on the schedule and team assignments.
Open House Events
Grade 7: Thursday, September 14, 2023, 6:00-7:30pm
Grade 8: Thursday, September 21, 2023, 6:00-7:30pm
I have included a document (below) with all CPS Open House dates for your convenience, and
will reach out with additional details regarding McCarthy's event we we get a bit closer.
Home - School Communication
This year, we will send a weekly bulletin, which will be published each Friday. This bulletin will feature a look at the week ahead so that you and your student(s) will be prepared. I will also send additional communications throughout the year which will be more detailed, and will typically feature an inside look at all-things-McCarthy.
I encourage you to follow me on Instagram and Twitter (“X”) @Principal_Parks for ongoing updates and pictures from our school events. I also use these platforms to send quick updates such as buses running late, school cancellations, etc.
I am always open to your ideas and suggestions as we work to maintain positive and productive home-school communication.
Breakfast & Lunch
Lunch:
- The McCarthy kitchen is being upgraded! We anticipate the full renovation to conclude in mid-October. To start the school year, food services will be preparing and delivering food from the kitchen at CHS. In addition, we will be using 6' outdoor grills to provide the students with a fun lunch experience to start the year.
Breakfast:
- We have made some adjustments to the morning breakfast procedure. We will have 3 separate locations in the building for students to "Grab & Go" with their breakfast as they head to their locker and period 1 class. This will alleviate the congestion in the cafeteria and will help ensure that students make it to their first period class on time and ready to learn.
Attendance
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.
After School Clubs & Activities
I will send more information once the school year begins and I work with staff to determine what we will run and who will serve as the advisor(s).
McCarthy Middle School
Email: parksj@chelmsford.k12.ma.us
Website: https://mccarthy.chelmsfordschools.org/
Location: 250 North Road, Chelmsford, MA, USA
Phone: 978-251-5122
Instagram & Twitter ("X"): @Principal_Parks