CPS Superintendent's Update

Dear CPS Community,

As we close out the month of May, I would like to take a moment to recognize Monday, May 30th is Memorial Day. Memorial Day, which became a federal holiday in 1971, is observed on the last Monday of May in honor of the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Many people will visit cemeteries and memorials, and/or attend ceremonies to honor those who sacrificed their lives for our freedom. Please take time to recognize our service people this weekend. As a reminder, there will be no school on Monday, May 30th in honor of this day.

In my correspondence to you earlier in the week about the tragic events that played out in Uvalde, Texas, I highlighted the importance of reaching out if you, a family member, or someone you know is struggling and in need of support. I worked closely with our building administrators to emphasize adherence to our school safety protocols and procedures to keep our students and staff safe. We regularly review our school safety protocols and procedures with local first responders – we will do so again this summer to ensure we continue to implement current best practices for school safety and preparedness. We have a close partnership with our local law enforcement and first responders, it is a partnership I value in Chelmsford. While some have asked if we should continue with our prescheduled options-based safety drills in the coming weeks, given the event in Texas and the unease some students and staff may be experiencing, we would be remiss to not continue our current practices and trainings that allow our schools to ensure everyone has the training to respond in an emergency situation. Our schools do a good job of conducting age-appropriate training and having follow-up discussions with students. We must remain vigilant in providing a safe and secure learning environment for our students and staff.

Prior to the pandemic, the district and school committee were in the process of drafting a new strategic plan to identify goals to guide the work at our schools for the next several years. That work was interrupted by the pandemic, however, was reinitiated this winter after our return to full-time in-person learning. We contracted with District Management Group (DMGroup) to help conduct a needs assessment and craft priority areas for the district to focus on, and from which to develop goals and action steps for the years to come. Stakeholder meetings were held this past winter and spring with staff and community members. Key focus and priority areas were identified for our schools and we would like to invite you to a community input session to allow for feedback on these priority areas as the strategic plan is finalized. An overview of the strategic planning process and outcomes will be provided at our televised June 7th school committee meeting and again at three public input sessions (two virtual and one in-person) held on Wednesday, June 8th at 9:00 a.m. (virtual), 3:00 p.m. (virtual), and 6:00 p.m. (in-person). The school committee and I welcome you to join us for a session. Please see information and links below to join us on June 8th.

I wish you a wonderful and safe long weekend.

Yours truly,

Jay Lang, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

Next week:

• View complete athletics schedules here.

• No School, 5/30, All Day

• Senior Prom, 5/31, 6:30 p.m.

• Class of 2022 Senior Awards, 6/2, 9:00 a.m.

• Class of 2022 Senior Yearbook Assembly, 11:30 a.m.

• Class of 2022 Senior Barbeque, 6/2, 12:00 p.m.

• Chelmsford Booster Club Meeting, 6/2, 7:00 p.m.

• Class of 2022 Graduation Rehearsal, 6/3, 9:00 a.m.

• South Row PTO Movie Night, 6/3, 6:45 p.m.

• SATs, 6/3, 8:00 a.m.

• Parker 8th Grade Dance, 6/3, 7:00 p.m.

• CHS Commencement, 6/4, 4:00 p.m.

Chelmsford Public Schools and education consultant District Management Group will hold three community input sessions Wednesday, June 8 regarding Chelmsford’s strategic plan for the school system. The first of two virtual sessions will take place from 9-10 a.m. while the second is scheduled for 3-4 p.m.

Join the Morning Session | Join the Afternoon Session

The in-person session is slated for 6-7 p.m. at the McCarthy Middle School Library, located at 250 North Road in Chelmsford.

The Town of Chelmsford will celebrate the 105th Commencement of the Chelmsford High School Class of 2022 on Saturday, June 4, 2022 (4 p.m.) at the Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell. Admission is free and unlimited to the families of the Class of 2022. Members of the Class of 2022 are required to be at the Tsongas Center by 3 p.m. The Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell is located at 300 Martin Luther King Way, Lowell, Mass. 01852.

Graduation rehearsal is scheduled for Friday, June 3 (9 a.m.) at the CHS Plateau.

• DOWNLOAD: 2022 Commencement Invitation

The Chelmsford High School Theatre Guild compiled 17 award nominations as Mount Wachusett Community College’s Theatre at the Mount (TAMY) announced its nominations for the 2022 High School Musical Theatre Competition, released last week. The nominations were based on the Guild’s production of Pippin, which ran from Nov. 18-20 at the Carl J. Rondina Performing Arts Center. Among the many nominations, Pippin is one of six productions nominated for Best Overall Production in the large school division. Seven CHS student-actors received nominations in eight individual categories while the CHS cast received 10 nominations in 11 ensemble categories. To learn more about CHS Theatre Guild TAMY nominations, please visit our website.

Six seniors were recently honored as Chelmsford High School named its Lions Pride/Rotary Student of the Month recipients for the month of May, announced CHS Principal Stephen Murray. Seniors Chloe D’Agostino and Abigail Rice were named from the Emerson House while Benjamin Hogan and Grace Mattsen were honored from the Hawthorne House, and Lyla El-Gamel and Aidan Phuong from the Whittier House. To read more about the CHS Students of the Month, please visit our website.

On May 21-22, nearly 200 CHS students took part in the 24-Hour Relay. Students participated by forming 18 teams and setting up campsites on the Carson Track and Field. Activities included a parade of teams, themed laps, a volleyball tournament, water fights, karaoke, midnight ice cream (courtesy of Sully’s), and early morning movies. Together, students raised over $6,000 to be distributed to local charities.

Artist extraordinaire Rob Surette, who has been featured on The Today Show and Good Morning America among others, performed his ‘speed painting’ show at the McCarthy Middle School Friday, May 20. To learn more about this event, please visit our website and the links below.

VIEW: Rob Surette’s Website AmazingHeroArt.com

WATCH: In Search of Genius

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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