CPS Superintendent's Update

Dear CPS Community,

As I write this week’s newsletter, I cannot believe it’s already October! The school year is in full swing, routines have been established, we had a great turnout at our open houses, and activities and clubs will soon begin at the middle schools and high school. A tremendous amount of hard work went into planning and preparing for the school year and our staff members are working incredibly hard to provide an exceptional learning experience for their students. I appreciate and continue to ask for your assistance, in only sending your child(ren) to school when they are well and not feeling ill. Please help maintain a healthy and safe learning environment to allow for in-person learning to continue through the school year.

COVID-19 Pool Testing

We completed our first week of COVID-19 Pool Testing and I’m happy to report, that of just over 1,000 tests administered to students and staff, only 1 individual tested positive. While this is great news, I would really like to increase the number of individuals participating in our free weekly COVID-19 Pool Testing initiative. Less than 20% of our student and staff population participated this past week. Please consider signing your child up to participate, it's non-invasive, takes less than a minute, and helps the district identify potential underlying COVID cases (usually in asymptomatic individuals) before they have an opportunity to spread through a classroom or school. You may sign-up at any time to begin participating the following week by providing consent.

CPS Districtwide Facilities Master Plan Update

This Thursday is the first public session for interested parents, students, and staff to attend and participate in a visioning session to review the Chelmsford Public Schools Districtwide Facilities Master Plan. In 2016, we engaged the services of a firm (Dore & Whittier Architects, LLC) to work with us to 1) perform a comprehensive facilities assessment of all Chelmsford Public Schools facilities, 2) develop a short-term 10-year capital plan to address immediate facility needs, and 3) develop a long-term facilities plan for the construction of a new school building in Chelmsford. Please consider joining us at the Chelmsford Elks, 300 Littleton Road, on Thursday, October 7, 2021, from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. as we revisit and work to update the Districtwide Facilities Master Plan. Your attendance and input are welcomed.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Yours truly,

Jay Lang, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

Next week:

• View complete athletics schedules here

• School Committee Meeting Tuesday, 10/5, 6:00 p.m.

• School Committee Facilities Visioning Session, Thursday, 10/7, 6:00 p.m.

Students on Team 6-1 at McCarthy Middle School organized a Walk-A-Thon on Thursday to raise money to help one of their classmates who is working through a medical issue. Their teacher, Mrs. Flannagan, helped students with this project by making the connection to their ELA lessons on "Kindness and Compassion". Her students saw firsthand how truly one small kind act could grow into something huge! Other 6th grade teams of students joined in to help raise awareness and support.

CHS mathematic students are learning hands-on problem-solving math skills in algebra using Prisms of Reality virtual reality sets in the classroom. Prisms of Reality uses best pedagogy for math using immersive tactile environments for students to connect 3D, 2D, and 1D representations of core Algebra and Geometry concepts for deep understanding, retention, and lasting standards-aligned proficiency.

Renovation of the CHS Science Pond Provides Chelmsford Public Schools Students a Unique Classroom. There was an unexpected yet welcome renovation of a classroom at Chelmsford High School over the summer. Unlike all the classrooms in the school system, however, there are no desks, chairs, or whiteboards. Instead, there are fish, frogs, a bit of algae, and dozens of other species. The idea to bring CHS Science pond back to life came from two members of the Class of 2021, Sona Hanslia and Alisha Peeriz, both currently first-year students at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. On a National Science Honor Society online meeting last winter, someone made mention of the neglected state of the Science Pond, and it resonated with them. Read more about the CHS Science Pond on our website.

The World Language Department will be running a weekend trip to Quebec, Canada, in May 2022. This trip is for 8th graders at Parker and McCarthy who are enrolled in a French class. An informational parent meeting will be held on Wednesday, October 13th at 7 p.m. in the McCarthy cafeteria. Please contact Mr. Kantor (kantorm@chelmsford.k12.ma.us) with any questions. For information on the trip and itinerary, visit our website.

The SEPAC along with the Student Services Office is holding its first meeting of the year and community workshop on anxiety. These two events will be virtually on October 13th at starting at 6:30 p.m. for the meeting and 7:00 p.m. for the workshop.

The anxiety workshop will be hosted by CPS School Psychologist, Dr. Vanessa Leary. Please see the meeting link information below to attend the meeting and/or workshop.

SEPAC Meeting & Anxiety Workshop
Wed, Oct 13, 2021 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM (EDT)

Please join this meeting from your computer, tablet, or smartphone.
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/756582789

You can also dial in using your phone.
United States: +1 (872) 240-3311

Access Code: 756-582-789

CHS will be running a community service trip to Puerto Rico during the February vacation of 2022. This trip is open to all CHS students. There is still time to sign up! Please contact Ms. Gill with any questions at gillc@chelmsford.k12.ma.us and review the itinerary on our website. This is a great opportunity to participate in some tourist activities, do some community service, and practice Spanish!

Seal of Biliteracy- Chelmsford High School will offer the Seal of Biliteracy again this year to interested seniors. As part of the requirements to earn the Seal of Biliteracy, students must receive a "meets" or "exceeds" on the ELA MCAS. Current seniors who are interested in qualifying for the Seal must have already taken and passed the ELA MCAS or be registered to take the exam this November at CHS. In order to meet the world language requirement for the Seal, students will take an online proficiency test in January 2022. If you are interested in this opportunity, please register on this Google Form. If you have questions, please email Jess Nollet, World Language Coordinator, at nolletj@chelmsford.k12.ma.us.

Attention Class of 2022 students. Be sure to purchase your CHS Yearbook. Please visit the yearbook page for more information.

Tune into this week's episode to hear ways to get involved at CHS and the Chelmsford community. All Lions Live episodes can be found on the CHSTV site.

CPS Will Continue with its free COVID Pool Testing in schools. Please see more about COVID pool testing on our website.

As we begin our Fall 2021 session, we are excited to return to in-person programming and are offering a diverse collection of courses. We provide a balance of programs to support academic, social, and physical growth. We strive to meet the interests of all of our patrons. The goal of Community Education has always been to bring people together, and now more than ever we are committed to that mission. Please see the course catalog to sign up today.

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