Congratulations to Parker senior, Caleb Hatlevig, on his recognition as a Commended Student in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program. Generally, the top 2%-3% of PSAT scorers receive commended student status, or about 34,000 students out of the millions that take the test.
October 20, 2023
Weekly Information for October 20th
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Dear Parker families, students and staff,
Congratulations to our varsity soccer teams on their regular seasons! Our girls finished with a 10-3-2 record and finished with the best goal differential in the Colonial Athletic League. Next Monday they travel to Tahanto for their first game in the CMass tournament. They will likely qualify for the MIAA state tournament! And good luck to our boys varsity soccer team as they head into their first round CMass playoff matchup next Tuesday at West Boylston. Our JV teams continued to emphasize skill development, fun, and playing time for all. And our participation numbers are showing an upward trend.
Our boys cross country team capped off a 9-0 regular season (now undefeated in the league since 2007) and had big wins at the Twilight Invite and the Bay State Invitational. Our girls team finished at 7-2 in the league. Both teams host the League Championships next Tuesday at Devens, and then embark on a lengthy post-season run with Middle School States (at Devens) on Nov 4, Districts at Northfield Nov 11, and the MIAA state finals Nov 18 at Devens.
Shout-out to senior Wyatt Gallant, our participant on the Ayer Shirley football team. Wyatt is a star on both offense (4 touchdowns) and defense (3 interceptions,16 pass deflections)!
We are very much looking forward to the fall show this year! The mid-December performance will be a production of the Caucasian Chalk Circle, a play by Bertolt Brecht. The play retells the biblical story of King Solomon, who once had to judge a case in which two mothers claimed to be the parent of the same child. Set in post WW2 Georgia, Brecht's version interrogates the ideas of motherhood, of the validity of the law, and of what it really means to deserve something. Between acting, set building, and production work, over thirty students are helping bring this show to life.
We are proud of all our students’ accomplishments in and out of school!
Have a great weekend!
Brian
This week’s topics:
- Last Day for Current Lottery Applications
- Parker SEPAC Invite
- Winter Sports Registration
- Ski and Snowboard Club
- Yarn Needed!
- Dental Care at Parker
- Film Club
- Senior Projects – Offer Your Ideas
- Join the Band
- Lawn Signs
- Carpool List and Student Directory
- MART Transportation
Last Day for Current Lottery Applications
Today is the last day for lottery applications for current openings in grades 7 and 9! If you know any current 7th or 9th grade students who want to come to Parker, please check with them today to make sure they’ve applied.
If more applications are received than there are available spaces, a lottery will be drawn on October 23 at 4:00 PM. Enrollment offers will be made with an intended start date of November 6, 2023. We are also accepting applications for students entering grades 7, 8 and 9 next year until Thursday, February 1st. Direct interested families to www.parker.school/enroll.
Parker SEPAC Invite
The ParkerPac (SEPAC) invites you to join a zoom presentation from Rachel Enad of Mass Advocates for Children on Basic Rights in Special Education at 7 PM on Tuesday, October 24th.
This workshop provides an overview of the special education laws of students with disabilities and the supports and services they are entitled to in order to receive a free and appropriate public education (FAPE). The workshop will address legal standards, the special education process, parent and student participation rights, and evaluation rights. Please check your email for the link and passcode to join the meeting. Contact Jesse Lowe (SEPAC Chair) with questions at (978) 618-0775 or jesselowe7@mac.com.
Winter Sports Registration
The following Parker winter sports teams will be offered:
- Winter Track
- Basketball (Middle School, JV, and Varsity)
- Boys High School Hockey Co-op with Littleton and Bromfield
All practices begin on Monday, November 27th, and will be held on Monday through Friday that week. Please use the following link to register your student as soon as possible for a winter sport: https://forms.office.com/r/szqjERZksc For more information click here: https://www.theparkerschool.org/students-parents/athletics
Ski & Snowboard Club
Registration is opening soon for Parker Ski and Snowboard Club! Check here for details. Chaperones are needed!
YARN Needed!
Our Friday Community Electives knitting group requests donations of yarn to help them make blankets to donate to community organizations. If you have extra yarn at home (or if you can purchase some to donate), they would appreciate it. Crochet hooks and knitting needles are welcome as well. You can drop donations off in Room 22.
Dental Care at Parker (Caring for Kids)
Students have an opportunity to receive dental care here at Parker School through the Caring for Kids program on Friday, November 17th. Please read about Caring for Kids HERE and complete the documents by clicking HERE and return to Nurse Lisa as soon as possible. The dental program provides a dental examination, x-rays, fluoride treatment, sealants, and teeth cleaning. There is no direct cost to the patient. However, if the child has insurance, the insurance will be billed. If you have any questions, please email Lisa Zick at lzick@theparkerschool.org.
Parker Film Club Returns
Parker Students: Grab your mustached detective potatoes and turn off that nature documentary, because Parker Film Club is starting up again! Are you into making absurd and sometimes super serious (but not really) films with friends? Is it your passion to be in front of or behind a camera? Do you have a talent for writing crazy scripts? Well then, we certainly have the place for you. Every Wednesday, starting on the 25th, the super amazing Parker Film Club will meet in the library from 1:30-3:00 PM! We hope to see you there! If you have any questions, please reach out to lindsay.wolfson@theparkerschool.org or abigail.landsman@theparkerschool.org
Class of 2024 Senior Projects - Offer Your Ideas!
Thanks so much to all the members of Parker’s community who have offered ideas/suggestions to the Class of 2024 thus far. If you haven’t had a chance yet, please spend a few minutes listening to the Senior Project topics that students plan to pursue this year! The link below will give you access to each senior’s “elevator speech” and provide a space for you to offer ideas, resources, contacts or other helpful information that can push their projects forward!
Parker Class of 2024 Senior Projects: CLICK HERE to share ideas, resources, and contacts!
Respond with ideas for a few seniors or all! Remember to click submit at the bottom of the form when you are done! Thanks! (Senior Seminar Teachers: Debbie, Jim, Ryan, & Henry)
Join the Band
Reminder the band will continue accepting new members, so if you have another activity ending and want to join, please contact Jim (room 13 or jdesmond@theparkerschool.org) or Marena (room 43 or mcole@theparkerschool.org). Rehearsals are every Tuesday and Thursday from 3:30-4:30 PM in room 13, and there are instruments available if you don’t have your own but have basic playing skills. Participation fee is $100 per semester.
Lawn Signs
Reminder we appreciate your help spreading the word about Parker to people in our sending towns during this current enrollment season. These signs are made of waterproof coated biodegradable paperboard and do not need to be returned. Signs can be picked up in the foyer or from the front sidewalk.
Updated Carpool List & Student Directory
Reminder a copy of the updated Carpool List may be picked up at the front office (hard copy only). Also, a printed Student Directory can be purchased at the front office for $3. If you would prefer to have a directory mailed to you, you can send $5 to Parker School or pay $5 online via UniPay under Misc, Fees, Other.
MART Transportation
Reminder to click here for more information about a potential shuttle from Bolton, Boxborough, Littleton or Stow. MART currently provides taxi/livery service from these towns but are willing to start shuttles with enough participation. Contact Keary Connors at keary.connors@mrta.us if interested.
Click here to learn more about taxi/livery service from Bolton, Boxborough, Lancaster, Littleton, Lunenburg, Sterling, or Stow.
MART also offers shuttle service to and from the Boys and Girls Club of Fitchburg and Leominster. Pickup is at 7:45 AM and drop off is at 4:15 PM at BGCFL. Cost is $4/ride or $80/month. Call MART directly at 800-922-5636 Option 3 by at least 4:30 PM the day before the ride is needed. Ask for the Devens Workforce Ride Program – Parker Charter and Boys and Girls Club.
Sports Schedule
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 under “Students & Parents>Athletics>Directions to Athletic Venues” or just click HERE.
| Upcoming Dates of Note: | |
|---|---|
| Wed - Oct 25 | PSATs |
| Wed - Oct 25 | Café Wednesday |
| Thu - Oct 26 | Board of Trustees |
| Fri - Nov 10 | Veterans Day - No School |
| 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.
Recent Posts
Dear Parker Students, Families and Staff, I often find this time of year provides a reminder to me to have hope amidst the short, dark, cold winter days we endure. By mid-January, I can start to see signs of more light, and sometimes we experience an unseasonably warm day or two—and these changes, though small or temporary, remind me that little by little, every day, tangible things are changing. The Winter Solstice had 6 hours and 12 minutes less daylight than the Summer Solstice. That’s a pretty dramatic difference—but it happened a little bit at a time. Going the other direction works the same way; first we gain only a few seconds of light each day, but by early January, we are gaining a minute of light each day, and by early February, several minutes a day. Change is funny like that—sometimes it happens so gradually we don’t see or feel its impact right away and sometimes it barrels in so we are acutely aware of it. The physical shock of greeting students at the front door this morning in much colder temperatures than yesterday morning is a fine example of the latter. This was a change not to be ignored, and even though I knew to expect it, that didn’t mitigate the jarring effects. Still, that brief respite of days edging toward 50 degrees can fuel my hope that warmer days are coming. Learning is rarely a predictable increase like the amount of light we gain daily moving from winter to summer, but it is often an incremental shift. Sometimes the slow building of skills starts to become evident only with what feels like a lot of effort and time. If you have a student about to complete a mid-year Gateway, you will soon see this sort of change and growth in their work right before your eyes. If your student is working toward a June gateway, or even a gateway next January or June, I would encourage you to look for those small, incremental changes between here and there. Those sometimes-tiny changes are like the extra moments of light in a winter day; they are adding up to something bigger that will be well worth the wait, and I hope that can give us all a little hope this time of year. Best wishes for a restful weekend and a meaningful celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday on Monday, January 19. Bex
Dear Parker Students, Families and Staff, We had the rare treat of a two-week winter break this year. It was great to welcome our well-rested students back to school on Monday. We have a busy three weeks remaining of the first semester. Students are completing assessments and many are preparing for Midyear Gateways. 68 students will Gateway, in every division and domain, on January 22-23. We look forward to celebrating this important milestone with our students and their families, teachers and peers. Second semester brings new electives for Division 3 students, new Community Blocks for all students, and the anticipation of end-of-year activities. We have officially kicked off student recruiting for next year. We have five information sessions scheduled in January and February, we are about to send postcards to prospective students, and we have a terrific group of student and adult Ambassadors. Thank you to everyone who helps to spread the word about Parker and welcome new students and families. Word of mouth has always been the most effective way that we introduce Parker to new families. If you have a neighbor or friend who may be interested in Parker, please share your experiences. We’d love your help boosting our school’s visibility. When you see our posts on Facebook or Instagram , please take a moment to like and share them with your networks. Your support helps us reach more families and celebrate the great things happening in our community. Additionally, remember, younger siblings need to apply to be eligible for admission. There is a sibling preference in the lottery, but you still need to apply. For additional details and a link to the application visit parker.school/enroll . We appreciate everyone who contacted their legislator and advocated for charter schools this fall. As you may know, there are multiple pieces of legislation under consideration that would lower the cap of charter-eligible students and limit funding for charter public schools. Many families are surprised to learn that students attending charter public schools receive less state funding than their peers in district schools. As lawmakers begin shaping next year’s state budget, we have a critical opportunity to make our voices heard and push for the equitable funding that our students deserve. We are about to launch Fair Funding Week 2026 led by the Massachusetts Charter Public School Association. We hope that you will join us for this virtual week of celebration, advocacy, and collective action from February 2-6, 2026. Fair Funding Week kicks off with an inspiring virtual rally on Monday, February 2nd from 6:00–6:30 PM. Register now and stand with us Have a great weekend. Brian
Dear Parker Students, Families and Staff, Wishing you and your family a very happy holiday! We had a busy and festive week at Parker – with hard work, holiday parties, and our community coming together for those in need. Thank you to everyone who donated food, toys, or sports equipment to our campus drives. We are proud of the Parker community for always stepping up! We look forward to seeing you in the New Year. Enjoy the long break with those who you love. Brian
Dear Parker Students, Families and Staff, One of the magical things about working in schools is the chance to get to know students as whole people. Yes, of course, we can come to know our students well as learners because this is the work we spend much of our time on together, but the ways we get to see our students as leaders, as curious young adults with big questions, passionate interests, and developing understanding of themselves and their world is also an important part of knowing our students well. The process of watching someone grow and change over the course of their years in a school is both humbling and inspiring to me. I have been appreciating the way that each milestone in the progression of the school year and each new experience I have at Parker showcases and gives me another way to get to know our students as whole people, individually and collectively. Seeing the student leaders of the Youth Venture club introduce and facilitate the Q+A with our all-school speaker, Maria Milagros, on Wednesday is just one recent example. The students who bravely asked questions in the whole group or stayed to ask an individual question also demonstrated their interest in learning about and understanding the experiences of others and their puzzling through how the experiences of others might or might not resonate with their own. This isn’t the only example of course. I think about the Division 2 students and their Civic Action Projects. Some students shared about their work and learning in our all-school gathering last Friday—but everyone had to identify something that mattered to them, learn about the issue and the context, and then take some action to improve what they thought needed improvement. I can’t wait for you to be able to see this work from our students later this spring! These are two examples from this week—but there are many others. What do you learn about students when you see them in the school play? (Opening Night was amazing! There are additional performances tonight and Saturday at 7pm.) What do you learn about students when you see them coaching younger students about their choices in the hallway? What do you learn about students by watching them play a basketball game? I can definitively say that all of what I learn in these moments has led to new understanding and greater appreciation of both individuals and the Parker community. As we head into the final school week of 2025, I hope you have an opportunity to join us for at least one of the games, meets, plays, and presentations that happen at this time of year—and I hope you can see the magic of our students and your student/s as they grow and change right in front of our eyes each day. Best wishes, Bex
Dear Parker Students, Families and Staff, Winter came very early this year. There is always something special about the first snow day of the year – a rare unscheduled day in our otherwise hectic lives. Thanks to our custodial crew of Sal, Greg and Ben for working hard through the day so that we could reopen safely on Wednesday. Calling a snow day or delayed opening can be tricky, as it was in this case. We monitor weather forecasts and assess the conditions on Devens and our neighboring communities. There may be some cases where a storm impacts some communities more than others. Because Parker students come from over forty cities and towns, it’s important for families to exercise personal judgement, based on local conditions, when deciding whether to travel to campus during inclement weather. If school is cancelled or delayed, we inform students and families using an automated text, email, local media, and our website. We will try to communicate by 6:00 AM. On delayed openings, school starts at 10:30 AM and all the classes are shortened. We heard that a few families received the email but not the text message announcing the cancelation early Tuesday morning. If you did not receive a text message, and you would like to receive future messages, please text YES to 79041. You must opt-in to receive these messages through BrightArrow. Next Wednesday, December 10th, we are delighted to welcome Maria Milagros to speak with Parker students and staff in an all-school meeting. She will share her story of transformative perseverance and deliver an empowering message to our students, “Transform your story, transform your life.” For more information, visit Maria’s website at https://www.mariamilagros.net/ . Following Maria’s presentation, advisors will lead an activity whereby students reflect on her message and express gratitude and affirmations. Thank you to Emilie Shannon and Youth Venture for sponsoring and hosting this important discussion. They have provided extraordinary leadership and voice in creating this program, one of the many ways that Youth Venture serves our community. We can’t wait for opening night of the Fall Show. Parker Theater is proud to present a double-header of Greek Tragedy: Governing Alice and Eurydice . The first play adapts Sophocles' Antigone and asks what happens when doing the right thing means breaking the rules. The second play adapts the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, a tragic story about music, words, love, and loss. There will be artwork, live music, tricycles, a house made of string, and busy, busy stones! Tickets are available at TicketStage - Parker Theater Tickets . Shows are on December 11th, 12th, and 13th at 7:00 PM. See you at the theater. Brian
Dear Parker Students, Families and Staff, We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. I had this quote on the whiteboard in my office several years ago, and every time I thought about erasing it and putting up different words of wisdom, someone would ask about it, refer to it, connect it to something they were doing or seeing or working on and I would decide to keep it up, feeling anew its pervasive relevance to the life of a school and the work of teaching and learning. I think what I appreciate about these words is that they acknowledge the connection between practice and performance, between the daily work we must do behind the bigger, public moments that showcase our work. Certainly, for our students these ideas are present in their classes with Parker’s emphasis on practice, feedback, and revision as the path to demonstrating mastery, but if you have ever trained at something—academic, athletic, musical, etc.—you likely know this relationship well from your own experience too. I admit I also find something a little unsatisfying about this quote in that it doesn’t seem to recognize the importance of celebration in this practice to performance loop. If we don’t take time to notice, acknowledge, and appreciate the work we do and the progress we make, we lose something important in the process. Research says not only should we celebrate the performances that go well, but we can stay motivated and make more progress when we pay attention to the places where our daily practice is demonstrating and contributing to growth. The importance of the practice-to-performance loop has been really clear in the close of the fall sports season and there are some notable athletic accomplishments to celebrate! Congratulations to Senior Emma Petricca who was selected to the 2025 Central MA Senior All-Star soccer team whose game will take place this Sunday (see additional info below). Last Saturday, the boys’ and girls’ cross-country teams wrapped up their seasons with impressive performances. The girls’ team finished 11th in the MIAA State Championships and the boys’ team won the MIAA State Championship! In addition to the team’s accomplishments, Parker senior Nathaniel Henshaw won the race and became the first individual champion in school history. Please join me in celebrating these students’ accomplishments—and take a moment to think about one of your own to celebrate too. Wishing you a restful weekend, Bex
