
CPS Superintendent's Update
PERSEVERANCE * RESPECT * INTEGRITY * DEDICATION * EMPATHY
Superintendent's Update - 11.09.2023
Dear CPS Community,
This has been a short week with only three school days for students as we enter a long weekend in observance of Veteran’s Day this Friday. This past Tuesday, our teachers participated in a full day of professional development, which was kicked off by our keynote speaker, Michael Bonner. Michael is a renowned leader, innovator, and performance booster, who is a trailblazer in leadership development and organizational culture. He empowers educators to build genuine relationships and establish a positive organizational culture, vision, and teams. His keynote challenged listeners to reflect, strategize, and execute plans to increase their efficiency in the workplace and personal areas. It was a great way to start our full day of professional learning this past Tuesday.
The weeks are flying by and with that are a few events to keep in mind while planning out your calendar. As I mentioned in last week’s newsletter, there is an early release day for elementary and middle school students only on Wednesday, November 15th, for teachers to hold conferences with families. Elementary and middle school students will be heading home mid-day, while our high school students will remain for a full day of school. Information about how to schedule a conference for students will come from the individual schools. In addition to conferences happening next week, Thursday, November 16th, is the opening night of the CHS Theater Guild’s presentation of Mama Mia! There are two additional evening shows on Friday and Saturday along with a matinee on Saturday. There is still time to purchase your tickets using the following link. The students have been working very hard to bring you another excellent musical this year. Choose the showtime that works best for you and come make a night (or day) of it; you’ll be happy you did! Also, the McCarthy Middle School Project 300 food drive is up and running. This annual food drive is entering its 48th year with donation totals surpassing each previous year. Donations from Project 300 are provided to the Salvation Army and are made available to families in need. Non-perishable food donations are being accepted at McCarthy Middle School until Tuesday, November 14th. Lastly, the Chelmsford Friends of Music (CFROM) are taking pre-orders for Chelmsfordopoly - The Sequel game to benefit the music programs in schools. Chelmsfordopoly - The Sequel is based on the classic Parker Brothers and Hasbro board game Monopoly but features places around Chelmsford. You can read all about this fundraiser in the newsletter below. This would make an excellent holiday gift.
As a reminder, there is no school tomorrow, Friday, November 10th, in observance of Veteran’s Day (11/11). I would personally like to thank all our veterans for their service to our country to preserve the freedoms we have today. The Town of Chelmsford will hold its annual Veteran’s Day event at the Veterans Memorial Park located on North Road between the McCarthy Middle School and Chelmsford Administration Offices on Saturday, November 11th – rain or shine –beginning at 11:00 a.m. All are welcome to attend.
Please enjoy this week’s highlights and have a wonderful long weekend.
Yours truly,
Jay Lang, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Upcoming Events
- Athletics Schedule
- No School, 11/10, All Day
- Veterans Day, 11/11, All Day
- McCarthy & Parker PTO Meeting, 11/13, 7:00 p.m.
- South Row School Picture Retake Day. 11/14, All Day
- School Committee Meeting, 11/14, 6:00 p.m.
- Early Release Elem. and MS Only, 11/15, See school schedules
Campus Bound Live Webinar: Financial Literacy for Students, 11/16, 6:30 p.m.
- Mama Mia! Musical, 11/16 - 11/18 - Evenings 7:30 p.m.; Matinee 2:30 p.m.
- Parker Middle School Picture Retake Day. 11/17, All Day
Massachusetts Music Educators Association (MMEA) Northeast District Senior Festival Auditions, 11/18, All Day
CPS Professional Development with Michael Bonner
Bring Your Project 300 Donations To McCarthy Middle School
Chelmsfordopoly - The Sequel to Benefit CPS Music Programming
Those looking for a unique, one-of-a-kind holiday gift that will benefit a worthy cause will be happy to learn that Chelmsford Friends of Music (CFOM) has created the perfect present. Chelmsfordopoly The Sequel is based on the classic Parker Brothers and Hasbro board game Monopoly but features places around Chelmsford. “It’s played the same way as Monopoly, the key difference being that all of the spaces are sponsored by local businesses,” CFOM co-president Kerrie Moore explained. “Boardwalk and Park Place, for instance, are replaced with Druzy Rose and Graze. The money is sponsored by several businesses. The cards and deed cards are also sponsored.” Proceeds from the sales of the board games will go to CFOM, a non-profit booster organization that supports musical programming within Chelmsford Public Schools. Please visit our website to learn more about Chelmsfordopoly - The Sequel.
Chelmsford High School Students Dive Into The ‘Shark Tank’
Have you ever been waiting out in the cold wondering where your school bus was along its route? Do you lay awake at night worrying about what food items in your fridge or pantry might be expired? Students in Chelmsford High School’s Introduction to Entrepreneurship class have taken real-world problems just like these and developed creative solutions. Last Friday, Nov. 3, they pitched their ideas to a panel of judges in a “Shark Tank” type scenario. The project-based learning exercise was developed by the DifferenceMaker program at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. The collaboration between CHS, the Manning School of Business at UMass Lowell, and the DifferenceMaker program has provided students an opportunity to experience working as a team in a challenging environment and develop the confidence to pitch their ideas to a panel of judges. To learn more about CHS's "Shark Tank", please visit our website.
CHS Introduction to Entrepreneurship - Shark Tank
Board of Health Depression and Anxiety Support Group
CHS Environmental Studies Experiments
CHS Ecology Club Does More For The Community
'The Ecology Club has started off the year with a lot of enthusiasm to do better and do more for not only the high school community but also continue working with the Chelmsford community to bring positive change and build strong relationships. The composting effort during lunches is going on in full swing and so far every month the food waste collected has produced 2.25 tons of compost. That is 2.25 tons of food waste that did not get tossed in the landfill and converted to the greenhouse gasses methane and carbon dioxide! These past few weeks, Ecology Club students participated in two town-wide activities, The Hazardous Waste Day and the Zero Waste Day. Students helped sort through paints brought in by Chelmsford residents, collecting the oil-based ones for proper disposal. For the Zero Waste Day, the students were divided up into a multitude of tasks sorting through clothes and books and helping the town DPW and the Recycling Committee. The membership of the club has risen to almost double the size this year with fellow Presidents Anisha Dantam and Hasya Karthik leading the way to more meaningful activities to continue throughout the school year.
Animal Adventures Visit to Preschool Students at CHIPS
Byam School Gr. 2 Students Learning About Computers and Technology
Resources To Support Attendance
Purchase Tickets to CHS Athletic Events
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.
CPS Employment Opportunities
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.
CPS Health Services
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.
CHELMSFORD PUBLIC SCHOOLS MISSION
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.
Chelmsford Public Schools
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