January 12, 2024

Weekly Information for January 12th

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Dear Parker families, students and staff,


We are looking forward to Midyear Gateways next Thursday and Friday, January 18-19, 2024. This is an exciting time for our students to share their learning and celebrate a very significant accomplishment. There are 52 students scheduled to gateway across every domain and division. Good luck to all our students!


As we explain on our website…


Students demonstrate mastery of curricular standards in each Division through "Gateway Exhibitions" in which they present and defend their academic portfolios. They carefully examine past assignments and consider their performance on past assessments, review teacher comments, and rate themselves as to whether they meet the expectations for their division. They select a number of pieces that show progress over their time in the division to put in their portfolio, which serves as the permanent record of their learning.


Students present their Gateway Portfolio in a Public Exhibition, before a small audience made up of their advisor, teachers, their parents, other students, and members of the community. The students answer questions about their work and talk about what matters most in their learning, their progress, their struggles, and their goals in the next division. Students' ability to reflect on their work and respond to audience questions is an important element of their demonstrating readiness for promotion.



The Gateway Exhibition is a moment of celebration. Parents often bring food or flowers to make the occasion personal and special. Upon the successful completion of this exhibition, students gateway into the next division. 


Brian

This week’s topics: 
  • Newly Formed Parent Group
  • Youth Venture Update
  • Advocacy Week
  • COVID-19 Reminder
  • Yearbooks
  • Don’t Miss the Application Deadline (March 1st)!
Newly Formed Parent Group

Hello Parker Families! We want to share with you the exciting news of the creation of a new group for Parker families: The Parker Parent and Caregiver Community (PPCC). The goal of this informal group is to foster communication and explore ideas for future events related to teacher appreciation and parent/caregiver socializing. We hope to be a resource for new to Parker families as well as a space where parents/caregivers from different towns can get to know one another, both online and in person, to support one another as well as the teachers and school.


The PPCC will hold monthly meetings to discuss and plan different events for families and teachers. Our next meeting will be via Zoom on Monday, February 5th, at 11:00 am. We'd love to have you join us! Future meetings will happen at different times of day so if this time doesn't work there will be other opportunities. Attending a meeting doesn't mean a big commitment, just an interest in building community with Parker families. We’ll post a link closer to the date, but please feel free to contact any of us if you have questions. And keep an eye out for news of upcoming events!


Want to connect with other Parker families and caregivers now? Are you new to Parker and have questions, like what’s a COW or what is a gateway? If so, please consider joining the newly created Parker Parent and Caregiver Community Facebook group. Parents and caregivers across all divisions are welcome to join. Please note the group is not intended for student participation.


The Parker Parent/Caregiver Community FB group is private. To request group membership, please use the following link: https://www.facebook.com/share/puHLCESpQtXhRKhC/?mibextid=K35XfP. There are a few questions to answer for membership approval and all member requests will be cross referenced to verify current Parker attendance.


We look forward to connecting with you!

Youth Venture Update

The newest Youth Venture group, Shelter Helpers, recently launched their first venture (see photo above). The group consists of Stellan Ogilvie, Zephyr Schermerhorn, Cormac Hildreth, Jaxon Liles, and Gabby Briggs. They will hold a drive in the form of an advisory competition in the spring to collect donations for the Worcester Animal Rescue League. They were awarded more seed money than they requested to help launch their project. Congratulations to the group!


Advocacy Week

On Monday, February 12th from 6-6:30 p.m., the Massachusetts Charter Public School Association (MCPSA) will host a virtual kick-off rally via Zoom to usher in the start of its annual Charter Public School Advocacy Week! Advocacy Week is an opportunity for charter public school families from all across the state to come together to raise their voices to ensure every child in Massachusetts has access to the education and resources they need to succeed.


All Parker families are invited to join this event and represent our school! The event will feature charter public school alumni and families from across the state, and it promises to be an inspiring evening! Register now and tune in on February 12th to learn more about how you can get involved throughout the week.


COVID-19 Reminder

Reminder COVID-19 Symptomatic testing is no longer available at Parker. As with other illnesses, if your student has a fever, they must stay home until they are without fever for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication. If they are presenting with symptoms that make it difficult for them to be in school, please keep your student home. If your student is presenting with COVID-19 symptoms, please test them before sending them to school. Two boxes of free COVID-19 Rapid Antigen test kits labeled with the student’s name were distributed to each student to bring home this week. Lastly, we are requesting that staff, students, and families wear masks to protect others while they are ill at Parker. Please reach out to Nurse Lisa at lzick@theparkerschool.org with any questions.


Yearbooks

Click here to order your yearbook from Jostens. Prices will increase by $5 after January 31st. Make sure to scroll the page to find the correct version of the book you’d like to order. Yearbook ($55) is the hard cover book, while the soft cover ($35) and Division 1 ($15) books are listed lower on the page as Exclusive Offer. Division 1 books contain everything but sections for Division 2, Juniors, Seniors, and senior parent ad pages.


Seniors: Don’t forget to submit your baby photo and senior portrait by January 31st!

 

Don't Miss the Application Deadline (March 1st)!

Parker is currently accepting applications for students entering grades 7, 8 and 9. Siblings of current students planning to attend the Parker School for the 2024-2025 school year MUST complete an application and return it to Parker no later than March 1, 2024. Current students do not need to reapply. You are welcome to call our front office prior to March 1, 2024, to verify your application has been received. You may click here to sign up any of the remaining Information Sessions. The Lottery will be held on Thursday, March 7, at 4 PM. Please send interested friends to parker.school/enroll for more information.

Parents of Athletes

Do you know how to find your way to Parker’s playing locations? We have a GREAT feature on our website with interactive Google maps - just enter your address to receive directions to any of our game and meet locations. Find this feature by clicking HERE.

Upcoming Dates of Note:
Mon - Jan 15 MLK, Jr. Day - No School
Thu-Fri Jan 18-19 Gateways
Mon - Jan 22 Faculty Planning - No Classes
Tue - Jan 23 Second Semester Begins
Tue-Wed Feb 6-7 10th Grade Biology MCAS
Looking for help with or concerning: Please contact:
a specific class or assignment the teacher of that class (see Parker email list)
technical support email: helpdesk@theparkerschool.org
your family's or student's health email: lzick@theparkerschool.org
mental health/emotional support needs email: skelly@theparkerschool.org
food insecurity/free and reduced school lunch needs email: mmckenna@theparkerschool.org

The Francis W. Parker Charter Essential School is committed to equal employment and educational opportunity for all members of the school community and prohibits discrimination on the basis of the basis of race, color, gender, pregnancy or pregnancy status, religion, gender identity, age, national origin, sexual orientation, homelessness, or disability, in the operation of the educational programs, activities, or employment policies.

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