September 15, 2023

Weekly Information for September 15th

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Dear Parker families, students, and staff,

We just ended our first full week of the school year at Parker. Students are settling into their classes, working hard, making new friends and establishing routines. They are also tired and ready for a break this weekend. All very normal for what has been a great start to the year. It was a very tough week for Parker families who live in Leominster. We had several students and families directly impacted by the flooding. We offer our support to students and families affected.

As you may know, Ted and Nancy Sizer served as co-principals in 1999, the fourth year of the school. Towards the end of the year, Ted reflected:

What is Parker? It is a secondary school that is inventing itself. The common principles of the Coalition of Essential Schools provide a base, but the practical expression of those ideas arises from an often cumbersome process that involves trustees, teachers, students, and families. Every year this expression has been adjusted, both because the school is growing and because we did not get it quite right the first time. The ambiguity inherent in this process is awkward, but it the necessary price of having a place that secures its legitimacy by engaging everyone in its creation and evolution.

Now in our 29th year, we continue to ask these questions. What is Parker? What is the practical expression of those ideas today? What is our vision for the future?

This year will explore these questions as part of a Strategic Planning process. We welcome the input of students, families, teachers, trustees and those who love Parker. The result will be a five-year Strategic Plan that tells a compelling story of who we are and who we want to become, stays true to the Ten Common Principles, names our challenges and their root causes, and clearly articulates our priorities. This is an important exercise of reflection, something that we do well at Parker.


You will be invited to share your thoughts in surveys and public forums across the year. We are also looking for a few parents/guardians and students to join a Strategic Planning Committee to help facilitate discussions, review feedback and draft the plan. We have partnered with professionals skilled at leading schools through this process. We kick off in early October and will meet twice a month, virtually in the afternoon through early Spring. We anticipate 4-8 hours of time per month. If you are interested in being considered for the Strategic Planning Committee, please reply to this form. We will review and select the committee by the end of the month. Thank you very much for your support and interest.


https://forms.office.com/r/HQSWiThnP8


Have a great weekend.

Brian


This week’s topics:
  • Back to School Night
  • SEPAC Meet & Greet
  • Event Parking Reminder
  • Flu Vaccine Clinic
  • Afterschool Concert Band
  • Instruments Sought
  • Community Handbook
  • Netherlands Exchange Trip
  • MART Transportation







Back to School Night is September 21st


Please plan to join us for Back-to-School Night activities, as listed below!


5:45—6:15: SEPAC Meet & Greet


SEPAC: (Special Education Parent Advisory Council): Drop-in to Room 9.


6:15—6:45: Divisional Information Sessions

  • Div 1: Introduction to Division 1 (meet in the Gym).
  • Div 2: Introduction to Division 2 (meet in the Auditorium).
  • Div 3: Program and Graduation Requirements for Division 3 (meet in Room 48).

7:00—9:00: Visit your students’ classes and meet their teachers!


Parents/Guardians will receive their schedule for the evening at 7:00 PM in their child's advisory room.


Please Note: This event is for parents/guardians—not for students. We ask students to stay at home.  If your child or children must join you, they must be always under your supervision (e.g., they should not be wandering the halls). Thank you!
Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) Meet & Greet


Come Join the Parker SEPAC (ParkerPAC) for a Meet & Greet before Back to School Night begins in Room 9 on Thursday, September 21, between 5:45 and 6:15 PM!


The F.W. Parker Charter Essential School’s Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) is a parent-led group providing support to parents & guardians of children who have an IEP or 504 Accommodation Plan. SEPAC membership is open to everyone in the Parker Community.

The Parker SEPAC is actively seeking members for the 2023-2024 school year. Please stop by to learn more!


Event Parking Reminder

During school events, our on-campus parking is insufficient for our whole school community. Please use the Museum Lot (P-5), located across Jackson Road on Antietam Street, and allow guests with limited mobility to use the available spaces on campus. Thank you!


Flu Vaccine Clinic

A flu vaccine clinic will be held during PLP Day on Friday, October 13th, from 8:00 AM – 4:00 AM. Please CLICK HERE to register!

Please register now so enough vaccines are brought for everyone. The COVID vaccine won’t be available until October. More information regarding the COVID-19 vaccine is forthcoming.


Afterschool Concert Band

Come brass, woodwind, and percussion players, and join the band! Parker is starting up an afterschool concert band this fall! If your student plays any band instrument, please encourage them to join us. No auditions are necessary: you just need to have learned the basics of playing your instrument. The band will rehearse every week Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3:30 – 4:30 PM, and run for the semester. The activity fee for the semester is $100. Students can come by for an informational lunch meeting on Tuesday, September 19 in Room 13 to learn more. If they can’t make the meeting, they should stop in to chat with Jim Desmond in Room 13 or Marena Cole in Room 43. Also, if your student doesn’t play a band instrument but still wants to make music, they should consider joining Parker Music Makers during Community Block: a flexible group that meets once a week to play songs, strum ukuleles, write songs, and make music however we decide to. Signups will happen next week.


Instruments Sought

Is there a clarinet, flute, or trombone gathering dust in your attic, closet, or basement? We are looking for playable brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments to loan to students that would like to play in the band but don’t own their own instrument. Please email Jim jdesmond@theparkerschool.org or Marena mcole@theparkerschool.org about loaning or donating unused instruments! Thank you for your support!


Community Handbook

A copy of the Community Handbook can be found on the school website under Students & Parents.

Netherlands Exchange Trip - April  & May 2024

Open to Sophomores and Juniors, this is a full immersion program where students spend a week in their exchange family’s home as well as in activities. Experience the life of a Dutch teenager, attending school and local sightseeing. Then, host your new friend here for a week, showing them the American way of life.


​​​​​​​There will be an informational Teams Meeting for PARENTS on Monday, September 18th at 7 PM. Interested families should email Anna for the link.


Contact for more information: Anna – asolon@theparkerschool.org or Piña – pmadera@theparkerschool.org
MART Transportation


NEW: If you’re interested in shuttle service from Bolton, Boxborough, Littleton or Stow, please call MART at the number below. They currently provide taxi/livery service but are willing to start shuttles from these towns.



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.

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:
Tue - Sep 19 Board of Trustees
Thu - Sep 21 Back to School Night
Mon - Oct 9 Fall Holiday - No School
Fri - Oct 13 Fall PLPs - No Classes
CLICK HERE TO SUPPORT THE PARKER FUND!
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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Weekly Information for November 14, 2025

By Cindy Johnson • November 14, 2025
Dear Parker Students, Families and Staff, We have two exciting weekend events ahead of us. Please join us on Saturday, November 15 at noon for the State Championships of the Girls and Boys Cross Country Teams at Willard Field on Devens. The Girls finished fifth and the Boys finished first in District Championships last weekend, with both teams qualifying for States. The Boys have won the State Championship four of the last eight years. The Boys race starts at 12:30 pm and Girls race at 1:15 pm. Visit the Parker tent for snacks and hot chocolate. All are welcome! Next weekend, we host the second annual Parker Fun Run on Saturday, November 22 at 10:00 am (rain date is 11/23). All ages are encouraged to run, walk, skip, or jump and there will be category-based prizes. All proceeds benefit the school. To register or find out more, visit http://www.parker.school/funrun . Thanks to everyone in the Parker community who advocated on behalf of Parker and charter public schools statewide. The state legislature is considering multiple bills that would limit access and cut funding to charter public schools. We appreciate Luciana Hayner, Ginny Tang, and Gayane Hanyaloglu who testified on Beacon Hill; Jen Stach, Cory Stach, and Talia Bigelow who met with their representatives; and countless others who made their voices heard. As a result of our advocacy efforts, state leaders have shelved the anti-charter components of the legislation. We will continue to advocate on behalf of the thousands of students who benefit from schools like ours. If you want to become involved, please contact Katrina at ktedstone@theparkerschool.org . As we approach Thanksgiving, we want to remind families about pickup and drop-off times: When we have a noon dismissal, please pick up your child at noon. Faculty and staff also have a noon dismissal on these days, so the building closes at that time. We will post the sign board a few days before as a reminder. In the morning, the building opens at 7:30 AM and students arriving before 8:00 AM go to the library, which is supervised. After 8:00 AM, students may access the rest of the building and pick up breakfast from the cafeteria. After school, students may study in the library, which is supervised, for a short time after the end of the school day. On Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, families should pick up no later than 4:30 PM. On Wednesdays, families should pick up no later than 3:00 PM. After school help with teachers occurs on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday and ends at 4:15 PM. Students may wait for a ride in the library until 4:30 PM after attending after school help. The MART shuttle is available before and after school to/from Bolton, Lancaster and the Boys and Girls Club in Leominster for Parker students. Please contact MART directly to pre-register. Students who are participating in after school activities, such as athletics, theatre, and clubs will be supervised during designated activity times and should be picked up at the end of scheduled activities. Thank you. Have a great weekend. Brian

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By Cindy Johnson • November 8, 2025
Dear Parker Students, Families and Staff, As you know, the Ten Common Principles are at the heart of what we do as a school. The first of the Ten Common Principles is “Learning to use one’s mind well,” reminding us that we should prioritize fostering intellectual growth and critical thinking over teaching more “stuff.” If schools are designed to help students grow and develop their intellectual skills, it’s important that teachers have ways to talk to students not just about the final outcome or goal they are working toward, but also about their development and progress along the way. Another of the common principles is the “Demonstration of Mastery” which prioritizes students showing that they can incorporate the skills they are learning and developing in the context of important, real-world tasks. These core beliefs and a deep commitment to engaging students in their own learning and growth inform the way we share and report student progress. We focus in these reports on both Habits of Learning and the level of mastery students demonstrate in the academic skill areas through their assessments and revisions. No one’s hard work and progress is reduced to a mathematical average. Teachers and advisors celebrate strengths and areas where they have seen growth, and they offer suggestions and next steps for continued learning. On the afternoon of Wednesday, November 12, you will receive your student’s first progress report of the year via email (sent from Parker notifications). Resources to help you orient yourself and make sense of the report will be included. Students will have already seen the reports and spent time reading and reflecting on them with their Advisors on Wednesday afternoon. If you have any questions after receiving the reports, or speaking with your student about their reflection work, please do not hesitate to reach out to your student’s advisor or teachers directly with questions. We appreciate your trust in us, your on-going collaboration, and the support you provide your students every day. Thank you and have a restful weekend.  Bex

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By Cindy Johnson • November 1, 2025
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Weekly Information for October 24, 2025

By Cindy Johnson • October 26, 2025
Dear Parker Students, Families and Staff, Have you ever heard of a root cellar? Or maybe you have one? I have found myself thinking about root cellars and how they work a lot as we head toward the late fall when the trees are bare and the days get shorter. Root cellars (and I am not an expert) are these relatively ingenious spaces that use the natural conditions of the ground below the frost line to create a stable environment that helps preserve and store food. Before we had indoor refrigeration, they were an essential tool for food storage. They helped ensure access to fresh food and healthy sustenance all year long. Certain characteristics of this time of year can make it seem like not much new is happening—that there is no growth or change. Maybe that is why things like the first snowfall can be so exciting. I like to think of this time of the year as a little bit like a root cellar—it’s a time to store up all the excitement and growth from the fall and to use it to fuel what’s next. It might have a bit more of a “keep going” feeling to it than a “look at all these new things” feeling, and it gives us a way to savor and benefit from the abundance of the fall and to look forward to the ways it might support the new growth cycle in the spring. In terms of schoolwork, this might look like repeated practice of certain skills, or it might feel like slow progress in the assessments of academic work. It might mean being asked to rethink and redo and revise work, putting in time and energy and believing in growth we might not see or feel yet. The fall sports seasons are headed toward their close and the girls’ varsity soccer team moved their record to 11-3, avenging an early season loss against Monty Tech, while the boys’ varsity soccer team also avenged an early season loss with a tie against Abby Kelley this week. The cross-country team performed well at Conference Championships, with boys’ varsity winning with a perfect score, girls’ varsity coming in second with many personal records, and boys’ and girls’ JV also winning their races. Whether it’s one of these athletic accomplishments, or the memories of the Mirror Lake field trip, the 4 Square tournament, Community Connections Night for Senior Projects, or the class of 2027 30 Gourd challenge, there are many different memories and experiences we can put into our root cellar at the moment to sustain us as we move toward what’s next. Wishing you all a restful fall weekend. Bex

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By Cindy Johnson • October 17, 2025
Dear Parker Students, Families and Staff, Thank you for joining us for today’s PLP meetings. We appreciate the hard work that students and advisors put into the day, creating goals and strategies for the year ahead. Many of our students were both nervous and excited to lead their PLP meetings. Congratulations on this important milestone. PLPs are an essential component of our personalized education, in partnership with families, that defines Parker. Great day! Congratulations to Seniors Elsa Achtem and Dylan Stark who were honored as Commended Students in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship program. This award is generally reserved for the top two percent of PSAT test takers each year. We are very proud of their success and contributions to Parker! Thank you, Elsa and Dylan. We are nearing the end of the regular season for our Fall sports. We have had 120 student athletes participate, a record high. Congratulations to our Girls Soccer team for posting an 11-3 record. They continue to climb the state power rankings as they look forwards to the postseason tournament. Our Girls and Boys Cross Country teams continue to roll, both finishing the regular season undefeated at 10-0. The Boys team won the prestigious Twilight Invitational last week. We are looking forward to an exciting postseason. We would love to see Parker fans turn out in support! Our Parker theatre is hard at work building sets, learning lines, rehearsing scenes for two exciting shows – Governing Alice and Eurydice – performed back-to-back on December 11-13. As profiled in our school newspaper, “The plays will be fun and tragic and silly! Please come if you enjoy catharsis!” Join us. Have a great weekend. Brian

Weekly Information for October 10, 2025

By Cindy Johnson • October 10, 2025
Dear Parker Students, Families and Staff, I have been spending a lot of my time in Advisory lately—visiting sometimes with 2 or 3 advisories in a day. These visits are helping me to meet one of my goals for the fall which is to get to know all our students—yes, to learn almost 400 names (first names first—last names later…) but also to know our students as more than names and faces. During these visits, I have had the privilege of asking and answering questions about each other like “What is something you are proud of?,” drawing 10 second animals, sharing a meal, playing 4 on a couch, playing reverse charades, and sharing a rose, bud, and thorn for the week. Earlier this year, I talked about building a strong foundation at the start of the year. In that metaphor, the advisory program is a cornerstone of our foundation at Parker, with four important purposes that include academic advising, community service, community conversations, and group dynamics/recreation. It’s a student’s advisor who checks in with them weekly about their academic work and progress. It’s the advisor who coordinates and hosts the Personal Learning Plan (PLP) conferences twice a year. It’s the advisor who supports this small group of students in building community during morning and afternoon advisory each day. Advisory is at the heart of so much of what we do as a school to get to know our students well and foster community. When we have an important issue to discuss or want to learn about something together, we will turn to community conversations and our “Super Advisories,” cross-age constellations of multiple Advisory groups. Advisory is critical not only to how we personalize the experience of school for students but also to the work of fostering a tone of decency and trust in our community, two of our 10 Common Principles. In the last thirty years, more schools have developed and implemented advisory programs. I see this as a sign they are recognizing something we have always believed: that when students feel a sense of safety, belonging, and community, they engage more fully in their learning, and that when at least one adult knows a student well, they are more successful in school. I hope you will get your own glimpse into the special and important work our advisors do through the upcoming PLP conferences—and I hope you will build your own relationship with your student’s advisor so that we can partner in supporting our students as they learn. Wishing you a restful long weekend ahead! Bex