Weekly Information for September 27, 2024

Dear Parker families, students and staff,

This week, our Seniors officially declared their areas of interest for their Senior Projects. This is an exciting and important first step in the year-long Senior Project completed by all Parker graduates. The Senior Project is designed to be the culmination of a student’s academic experience, highlighting the skills that they have learned and the process of research, reflection and self-discovery that defines a Parker education. Students are encouraged to pick a topic that merges their interests, passions and curiosities – and something that sparks authentic engagement all year.

Here are a few of areas of interest in the Class of 2025:

• Pitching and producing an animated show
• Custom furniture building
• Marine biology and oceanography
• Using photography and interviews to capture the stories of the elderly
• Upcycling and sustainable fashion

As our students prepare to launch their Senior Projects, we need your help. Please join us for Community Connections on Tuesday, October 1^st from 7:00 - 8:15 pm in the Parker Gymnasium. All Seniors will be available for brief discussions of their declared interest, and they welcome your feedback, resources, connections and ideas. This is always a collaborative and joyful night for our Seniors and the whole community. It is an essential first step to a successful launch of their Senior Projects. And of course, we will invite you again towards the end of the year to see where their ideas took them.

We hope to see you Tuesday night. All Parker families are welcome.

Brian

Parker 101 for Parents/Guardians

Please join us for the second session of orientation to Parker especially for parents/guardians who are new (or relatively new) to the school on Tuesday, October 8th, 7-8:30 PM in Room 27. This session will focus on "everything else" about the school, including the advisory program and PLPs, home-school communication, "discipline", extracurriculars & athletics, food programs, library and technology, and other important family and cultural aspects of the Parker experience. These sessions are live and in person with no virtual link, but we will make the slideshow and handouts available once both sessions are concluded.

Support Our Seniors Potluck on October 1st

Seniors and their families are invited to join in conversation around the expectations, excitement, and challenges of the year ahead on Tuesday, October 1st from 5:30-7 PM in the Gym. Senior Seminar teachers/advisors will provide an overview of the senior year, Senior Project, and the graduation requirements along with this year’s installment of “Dear Diary”—a not-to-be-missed crowd favorite! Please bring a dish to share!

Community Connections Night on October 1st

We invite ALL members of the Parker community to meet with the Class of 2025 and learn about their Senior Projects on Tuesday, October 1st from 7-8:15 PM in the Gym! We hope you will offer suggestions for…

• resources they could access
• people/organizations with whom they might collaborate
• experiential opportunities they could pursue
• product ideas they might consider

Please feel free to bring guests from inside and outside the Parker community! If you are unable to attend but have ideas to share, please review the students’ topic areas in the document linked below, and then you may contact the Senior Seminar teacher for that student: Class of 2025 Senior Project Declarations

AP Exam

Attention Div 3 students! While Parker does not offer traditional AP classes, any student interested in taking an AP exam should see Jinnee by October 1st.

Wellness Committee

Parker Charter School is committed to providing wellness practices according to the Massachusetts State Regulation 105.CMR.215. The Wellness Committee, comprised of stake holders such as food services, teachers, administration, health services, students, and parents/guardians, will promote lifelong health by focusing on educating students and staff regarding healthy choices through the curriculum, after school activities, and community activities by focusing on nutrition education, school meals, nutrition standards, employee wellness, and physical education. The committee will meet at least four times per school year to evaluate the wellness policy and make changes as necessary. If you would like to be part of the Wellness Committee, please reach out to Lisa Zick at [email protected].

PLP Conferences on October 18th

Families will soon hear from their child's advisors to set up a meeting time for PLP Conferences (Personal Learning Plans) – expect an email from advisors early next week. This is a student/family/advisor conference – if you are new to Parker, your child’s advisor will give you a longer introduction to the process! PLP Conferences are one of the traditions that help us to know our students well and support them in being at the center of their own education by setting their own goals for the year. Please look for the email with a booking link from your child’s advisor and select an appointment time on Oct 18. The appointment links are advisory-specific, so be sure to use the link sent in an email by each your child’s advisors if you have more than one student at Parker. If you cannot make any of the times on 10/18 and/or if you need to attend remotely, please email your child’s advisor to set that up. There are no regular classes scheduled on PLP day and your student’s attendance is based on attending the conference.

Parent/Guardian Access to Homework: School Connection app

Parker offers parental access to student class information through several mechanisms. Over the next few weeks, we will share more about those avenues of information here. Today, we are highlighting ‘School Connection’ which is a phone app (part of Microsoft Teams) you can download and then link to your student’s “Teams Assignments” account. This allows you as a parent/guardian to see nightly homework assignments, if that is information that would be helpful to you as you support your student’s success. Please follow the Parker instructions available here: School Connection Create Account.pdf. Note that you will need your student’s Parker email to link the account – the format for those is [email protected]. We will offer some parent “help sessions” to learn more about these resources later this fall, so stay tuned!

LOST & FOUND Pickup

The Lost & Found Closet (across from Room 28) will be CLEARED OUT on Friday, October 11th. Please stop by before that date to check for and claim any items that belong to your loved ones!

Attendance Line Reminder

Please notify the school’s Front Office when your student will be absent, tardy, or dismissed by leaving a message on the Attendance Line any time BEFORE 9:00 AM of the affected day [978-772-3293, ext. 1]. If calling after 9 AM (on the day of the event), please dial ext. 0 and speak with a person. A parent or guardian must call (students cannot call themselves out absent or in late until they are the age of 18). Be sure to leave student name and reason for absence from class.

Going on a trip, extending a school break, or observing a religious holiday? Remember to contact the Front Office to let us know the date(s) your student(s) will be absent any time before the event occurs.

IMPORTANT: You must contact the Front Office even if you have let the teachers know. The attendance line is available 24 hours a day: 978-772-3293 ext. 1

Hourly Substitute Opportunity

Parker is currently seeking responsible, caring adults interested in working with middle and high school students as classroom substitutes. Familiarity with Parker’s mission and academic program is preferred. Substitutes will be called on an “as needed” basis based on their availability and will support students in following plans left by classroom teachers. Please contact Monique at [email protected] if interested.

Flu/COVID Vaccine Clinic

Our Flu AND COVID-19 (Moderna) vaccine clinic has been confirmed for Friday, October 18th, on PLP Day. This clinic is for staff, students, and family members (ages 5 and up). Please schedule your appointment from 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM by clicking this link.

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.