CPS Superintendent's Update

Dear CPS Community,

Welcome to 2023! I hope you had a wonderful vacation and holiday season. We had a smooth transition back to school this week for students and staff; the schools were buzzing with excitement as everyone reconnected with their friends, teachers and colleagues. Time is flying by with today marking the 81st day of school with 99 more days until June. I am incredibly grateful that we are back in the full swing of school this year as if we were in pre-pandemic times. Everyone I speak with has commented about how much better this school year has been both personally and professionally, and I look forward to continuing this in the future.

In my correspondence prior to the break, I announced a change to the April half-day for this current school year calendar, moving from Thursday, April 13th to Tuesday, April 4th to accommodate voting at McCarthy Middle School. Please be sure to make this change on your calendar for the current school year. As you continue to plan, I would like to make you aware that the 2023/24 school year calendar was approved by the school committee at their December 6, 2022 meeting. Please find the calendar on our website for your convenience. Also, please note that kindergarten registration starts this month for the 2023/24 school year on Tuesday, January 24th, and Wednesday, January 25th. Registration is by appointment only using the following link. Anyone registering will be contacted to confirm the date and time to come to Central Office to meet with a school secretary from the child’s elementary school to complete the registration process. Additional information about the required paperwork is available using the link above. Please spread the word to any family, friends, and neighbors that may have a kindergarten-aged child entering the school district for the first time.

As we begin earth’s new year-long journey around the sun in 2023, tonight marks the first full (Wolf) moon of the year. I am looking forward to many more “firsts” for our district as we continue through the school year. Please enjoy some new 2023 “firsts” and some “lasts” from 2022 highlighted this week.

Yours truly,

Jay Lang, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

• View complete athletics schedules here.

• Byam School Roller Skating Night, 1/9, 6:00 p.m.

• Early Release, 1/10, All-Day -See School Release Times

• Byam Elementary BSA Meeting, 1/11, 7:00 p.m.

• Parker MS, PTO Meeting, 1/11, 7:00 p.m.

• CHIPS PTO Meeting, 1/12, 6:30 p.m.

• Council of Schools Meeting, 1/12 6:30 p.m.

• CHS Innovation Pathways Applications Due, 1/13, All Day

2023-2024 SCHOOL YEAR KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION

BY APPOINTMENT ONLY

(Approximately 15-minute appointments)

TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY, JAN. 24 & 25, 2023

9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION CENTRAL OFFICE

230 NORTH ROAD, CHELMSFORD, MA

Book Your Appointment Now

Click on the RESERVE YOUR APPOINTMENT link to enter parent/guardian contact information and preferred appointment time within a three-hour window. You will then be contacted to confirm a date and time for your registration appointment. Registration packets may also be dropped off at the School Administration Office, 230 North Road, Chelmsford, MA:

Monday – Friday; 8 a.m.-4 p.m., if you are not able to attend these two dates.

In addition to the completed student registration packet, the required documentation to submit is listed on the CPS Student Registration page. For additional information or questions on kindergarten registration please contact Jane McDonald at mcdonaldj@chelmsford.k12.ma.us; or 978-251-5100, ext. 6901

Six seniors were recently honored as Chelmsford High School named its Lions Pride/Rotary Student of the Month recipients for the month of December, announced CHS Principal Stephen Murray. Seniors Jessica and Rachel O’Brien were named from Emerson House while Nathaniel Murray and Nhyira Nkansah were honored from Hawthorne House, and Jash Bhut and Julia Williams from Whittier House. Sponsored by the Chelmsford Rotary Club for more than 30 years, the Student of the Month program recognizes outstanding students from each of CHS’s three academic houses – Emerson House, Hawthorne House, and Whittier House – for their achievements in and out of the classroom. To learn more about each of our students of the month, please visit our website.

Instead of asking for new clothes for the holidays, some high schoolers gave theirs away. The Wings Initiative — started at Phillips Academy in Andover last year — encourages teenagers to practice sustainability by donating their clothing to those in need. In late July, the club made its way to Chelmsford High School, one of 13 other schools to adopt the organization and its mission. Chelmsford’s club leader, senior Avelinn Loughran, 17, said she wanted to start a youth-based charity because there really weren’t any in school. Loughran and four other upperclassmen then formed their own Wings Initiative, and they’ve since collected more than 600 clothing items with a goal to reach 1,000 by the end of the year. To read more about this club's initiatives, please use the following link.

Innovations Pathways applications are due to the Career & College Readiness Center on Friday, Jan. 13 by the end of the day. Please complete the application process using the following link on our website.

Chelmsford High School celebrated six student-athletes Thursday morning at its Division III Commitment Day. Continuing their careers at the Division III level include:

• Liam Martin (lacrosse), Wentworth Institute of Technology
• Sidney Schwartz (softball), Bridgewater State University
• Aisling Harrington (basketball), University of New England
• Victoria Apostolakes (lacrosse), Endicott College
• Shaylee Wright (lacrosse), Westfield State University
• Ryan Lally (lacrosse), Plymouth State University
• 
  

Please see the gallery of photos from this day on our website.

First rehearsal pictures of the Massachusetts Music Educators Association - Northeast District Senior Festival at New England Conservatory. Students from the CHS Band, Chorus, and Orchestra ensembles will perform with other students from surrounding high schools this Saturday at NEC.

Chelmsford Community Education's Winter Spring 2023 class schedule begins on Monday, January 23rd and registration opens on Monday, December 19th!

This season we have many new classes like:

• Baking
• Photography
• Reiki
• Self Defense
• Home Organization

along with favorites like:

• SAT Test Prep
• Chess
• Cooking
• Art for Children and Adults
• Yoga

Trips are back! We are so pleased to be partnering with Best of Times travel to bring trips back to the Chelmsford Community. To see all the programs we have to offer during our winter-spring session, go to: ChelmsfordCommunityEd.com. Be sure to check our website often and like us on Facebook (Chelmsford Community Education) and Instagram (commedwestlands) for announcements as they happen.

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