CPS Superintendent's Update

Dear CPS Community,

It is not an early April Fools’ joke that today is the last day of March and April is on our doorstep. Hopefully, with the calendar change tomorrow, you don’t encounter any pranks or practical jokes. April Fools’ Day is an annual celebration with tricks performed in “good fun” to elicit some laughs. Many people tap into their more creative sides to dispense with some hilarious and even often over-the-top attempts to bamboozle those around them for entertainment purposes. Be on the lookout this weekend for pranks that may come your way.

With the end of March comes the beginning of term 4 and the continuation of the third trimester of school for our students. Be on the lookout for correspondence from schools about term 3 grades at the middle and high school levels in the coming week. Please keep in mind that April is a unique month that includes a half day, a no-school day, and a vacation week, with MCAS testing mixed in for all grade 3 – 8 and grade 10 students. Next week, Tuesday, April 4th is the last early release day of the year for staff professional development. There is also no school on Friday, April 7th. April vacation is set for two weeks later from the 17th – the 21st. This month happens very quickly and soon enough, May will be on our doorstep. You will receive updates and testing schedules directly from the schools about upcoming days off and grade-level testing through school correspondence.

April 4th is the annual Town Election Day in Chelmsford. The polls are open from 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. You may find more information about candidates for office and voting on the Town of Chelmsford website. As a reminder to our McCarthy families and community members, the school is used as a polling location. Please be mindful of the traffic and increase of community member presence in the area if you are traveling to the polls, around town, and/or driving to/from school to drop off/pick up your children on Tuesday.

To learn more about the middle school realignment that is happening next year, the CHS TV Crew students, under the direction of Tom Peterson, have created a short documentary. The students did a terrific job putting this together as another way to communicate information. Please take time to watch this student-created production, which is not only informative but showcases the amazing skills learned in their video production class at CHS.

Although it will rain this weekend, the weather looks warmer. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Yours truly,

Jay Lang, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

• View complete athletics schedules here.

• Early Release, 4/4, See school release times

• Annual Town Elections, 4/4, 7:00 a.m.

• CHS Career Exploration Breakfast, 4/5, 8:45 a.m.

• CHIPS PTO Meeting, 4/6, 6:30 p.m.

• SAT Registration Deadline, 4/7, All Day

• No School, 4/7, All Day

The Council of Chelmsford Schools will award two scholarships, in the amount of $1,000 each, to two graduating Chelmsford High School Seniors, who plan to attend a two- or four-year college in the fall of 2023. The Council will also award $100 to each of the Chelmsford Public Schools staff members who inspire the recipient’s essays. Please use the following link to access the application. The deadline to apply is April 24, 2023.

In honor of baseball opening day, the School Nutrition department served a "Fenway-themed" lunch yesterday, that included hotdogs, popcorn, and ice cream. The students were excited to celebrate during lunch for this annual spring event!

Six seniors were recently honored as Chelmsford High School named its Lions Pride/Rotary Student of the Month recipients for the month of March, announced CHS Principal Stephen Murray. Seniors Charlotte Kennedy and Ashleigh Sorbet were named from Emerson House while Amelia Kelley and Cole Pelkey were honored from Hawthorne House, and Ryan Clark and Elizabeth Onyearbor from Whittier House. To learn more about the CHS Students of the Month, please visit our website.

Chelmsford High heavyweight wrestler Thomas Brown dominated against the best of the best, scoring a national championship at the NHSCA High School Nationals in Virginia Beach, Va., on Sunday, March 26th. A 6-foot-4, 270-pound grappler, Brown ran a wrestling gauntlet over the three-day tourney, winning seven matches in the sophomore 285-pound bracket. But he saved his best for last in the finals against Lucas Stuerenberg, defeating the Cincinnati, Ohio strongman in a 15-1 major decision. Continue reading about Thomas Brown in the Lowell Sun.

Chelmsford High School’s 7:19 Sports presents its 2022-23 Winter Sports Wrap-Up, hosted by Nathan Wilder and Brendon Barth. View the timestamps below to fast-forward to your sport:

• 00:00 Intro
• 00:31 Girls and Boys Track
• 4:26 Boys Swim and Dive
• 7:21 Boys Wrestling
• 9:55 Boys and Girls Hockey
• 13:05 Girls Basketball
• 15:14 Boys Basketball
• 15:38 Outro

The CHS Ecology Club students were at McCarthy Middle School today educating students on composting and its benefits. They did so by enacting a short skit on composting, poster making, playing a sorting game as well as with a competitive Kahoot. The middle school students were very enthusiastic and engaged as they participated in each of the activities. The Ecology Club hopes these students will be future ambassadors of composting as they come to the high school and that they will encourage their classmates into doing the same. Thank you to Principal McPhee for allowing us to visit and to Mr. Murray for always supporting the club in our green endeavors.

Chelmsford Community Education’s Summer 2023 Programming is now Open for Registration! Chelmsford Community Education’s Summer programming begins on Wednesday, July 5th. New Classes are added weekly. Visit ChelmsfordCommunityEd.com for our full list of programming and like us on Facebook (Chelmsford Community Education) for new class 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