DON'T MISS OUT ON THIS T-SHIRT!
Register for the Parker 5K Fun Run by 9/25 to be guaranteed a t-shirt! www.parker.school/run
This will be a fun community event- come run, walk, skip, or jump the 5K- in a Halloween costume or not!
September 8, 2024
Weekly Information for September 6, 2024
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Dear Parker families, students and staff,
We are off to a great start to the school year. We are proud of all our students for engaging so meaningfully and joyfully in Parker. We want to recognize all the new students who have joined us this year. Attending a new school can be very stressful and hard, particularly in the beginning. It can also be incredibly rewarding and transformative. We are very proud of you for coming to Parker, for working hard in your classes, for meeting new people and showing resilience when you face obstacles. We are a better school and a better community because of you!
I also want to thank our older students for their outstanding leadership over the first two weeks. Division 3 students are serving as teaching assistants, mentors, captains and ambassadors. They have embodied the tone of decency and trust. That was on display yesterday in our first Super Advisory of the year. Through fun name games and ice breaker activities, we are starting to get to know one another across divisions. We meet again next week to begin unpacking the Essential Question (EQ) of the year: “Who do we want to become?” Thanks for being you and making a positive contribution to your community!
This Wednesday, September 11, 2024, we mark the 23rd anniversary of the September 11th attack. We remember family and friends we lost on that day, honor those who serve in the military and as first responders, and reflect on the humanity that unites us all.
We look forward to seeing parents and caregivers at Open House on Thursday, September 19th. We will share the full schedule and details next week. Thank you for joining us and experiencing Parker as your child does.
Have a great weekend,
Brian
This week’s topics:
- Back to School Night on September 19th
- Parker 5K Fun Run
- Parker Parent/Caregiver Community
- Faculty Appreciation
- Parker Concert Band
- Harvard Pavilion Grand Opening
- Parker Life Reminders
- Drop-off and Pick-up
- MART Shuttle
- Meal Information
- Directory and Carpool List
Save the Date!
Back to School Night is Thursday, September 19th! Details will be provided next week. 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 with you under your supervision. Thank you!
Parker Parent/Caregiver Community (PPCC)
Welcome to the 2024/2025 school year at Parker!
The PPCC is a parent/caregiver led group with a mission to create a space where parents/caregivers from different towns can get to know one another, both online and in person, to support one another and our families, as well as the teachers and school. We are a resource for new-to-Parker families and returning families alike. We foster community by organizing events related to teacher appreciation and parent/caregiver socializing, by maintaining our own Facebook page, and by communicating with the administration, parents and caregivers about their needs and volunteer opportunities as they arise.
If you have questions for or about PPCC, want to join our email list, or are interested in a leadership role within the organization, send us an email at parkercaregivers@gmail.com.
Our Facebook page is a great place to get your questions answered and connect with other families! Join here: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/Dtmu843m6YcJM2rv/?mibextid=K35XfP
Want to get involved? We will be holding our first planning meeting of the year virtually on September 11th at 7:00 PM. Please join us by clicking the link found in your weekly email!
Faculty Appreciation from PPCC
Our teachers and staff go above and beyond to support our kids and families! One way we show them our appreciation for all they do is to provide weekly snacks to sustain them during their Wednesday staff meetings. You can find out more details and sign up to contribute here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4AA4A829A1FA7-parker2
Join the Parker Concert Band (a call to all brass, woodwind, and percussion players)!
Parker invites band instrument players from all grades, 7-12, to join our concert band. We hold band rehearsals after school on Tuesdays and Thursday from 3:30 to 4:30 PM. The band runs for the semester, culminating with a performance at Parker’s student-led coffeehouse, “Café Wednesday”. The activity fee for each semester is $100, and need-based assistance is available.
If you have learned the basics of any band instrument, please join us this fall! No auditions are necessary: you just need to have learned the basics of playing your instrument.
Need an instrument? Parker has the following instruments available for loan at no charge: trumpet, trombone, baritone (euphonium), French horn, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, flute, and clarinet. We also have concert drums for percussion players.
Students who are interested should plan to come by our informational lunch meeting on Tuesday, September 10 in room 13 to learn more and sign up. If you can’t make the meeting, stop in to chat with Jim Desmond in room 13 or Marena Cole in room 43. Get your lunch first and then come join us!
ALSO: We are always accepting donations and loans of band instruments that may be lurking in closets! If you have instruments, please email Jim jdesmond@theparkerschool.org or Marena mcole@theparkerschool.org.
If you don’t know how to play a band instrument but still want to make music, consider joining the Parker Singers during community elective block. We meet about every other Friday to sing fun songs together. Signups will happen in the coming weeks.
Parker Life Reminders
School Begins at 8:30 AM. Please plan to get your children to school by 8:15 AM so they may be present in their advisories by 8:30 AM. Breakfast can be picked up in the cafeteria and taken to advisory. Students arriving between 7:30-8:00 AM should go to the library.
Parents/Guardians must notify the school office daily of any Late Arrivals, Absences, or Early Dismissals. Please let the office know of an absence before school starts using the Attendance Line, which is available 24 hours a day at 978-772-3293 x1. In the case of a prolonged absence, the student’s parents/guardians should notify the principal or designee in a timely manner. It is not acceptable for students to call themselves in late, absent, or dismiss themselves. Parents are notified when their child is not in attendance without any prior notification regarding the absence. Teachers take attendance in every class and notify the school office if any student is missing.
Students should be in a supervised space with an adult after school. Students who are not working with a teacher, participating in an adult-supervised after-school activity, or with a coach should go to the library or lobby. Students should be picked up no later than 4:30 PM on M, Tu, Th, F and 3:00 on Wed. There is no after-school supervision on noon dismissal days although some sports may have practice or games.
Drop-Off and Pick-Up Norms
The following practices will help reduce congestion and make drop-off and pick-up times flow more smoothly:
- Only TURN RIGHT out of the parking lot during peak traffic times
- Consider an off-peak pickup time with your student: 3:45 instead of 3:30, for example
- Drop-off and Pick-up students on Antietam Street and have students use stairs to access school
- Use the lot at P-5 across Jackson Road as a “cell phone lot” to standby until your student is ready or have them walk to you there
Please refer to this page for our Traffic Flow Plan.
MART Shuttle
MART currently offers shuttle service with stops in Bolton at the Country Cupboard, Lancaster at the Library, and Leominster at the Boys and Girls Club of Fitchburg and Leominster.
Students pay $4 per ride or $120 per month. Students are welcome to use the service every day, one or both directions, or as needed. To schedule, call 978-345-7711 and select Option 3. For questions, contact keary.connors@mrta.us.
To participate in the after-school Teen Program at the Boys and Girls Club, students will need to join the club for $30 per month. For additional details, see their website at Boys and Girls Club of Fitchburg and Leominster. We will also be running our co-op Robotics program with the BGCFL again this year.
Meal Information
Reminder one free breakfast and one free lunch per day are available to all students this year. Children enrolled at Parker are eligible for these free meals regardless of free and reduced status. Additional information and the current menu are available on the cafeteria page of our website. https://www.theparkerschool.org/news#Cafeteria
Student Directories and Updated Carpool List
The student directory and an updated carpool list will be available towards the beginning of October.
Lunch Menu
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 by clicking HERE.
| Upcoming Dates of Note: | |
|---|---|
| Thu - Sep 13th | Board of Trustees |
| Tue - Sep 19th | Back to School Night |
| Wed - Sep 25th | School Photo Retakes (morning) |
| 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, 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
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
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
Dear Parker Students, Families and Staff, We had a joyful and spirited week at Parker, highlighted by the Division 1 Halloween party and costume contest on Wednesday. Thank you to all the teachers and Peer Leaders who host this special event every year. To all our students, have fun celebrating Halloween this evening. Be safe and make good choices. We are looking forward to the start of postseason competition for Fall sports. Girls Varsity Soccer is headed to the state playoffs! We enter the playoffs with a 14-4 record. First round games are announced tomorrow. Most likely we play on Tuesday or Wednesday next week, with a chance to host the first round on Devens. Go Parker! Our Middle School Cross Country Team is competing tomorrow in the MS State Championships on Devens. Our High School XC Team will compete Saturday, November 8 on Devens with the hope of finishing high and qualifying for the MIAA All-State Championship at midday on Saturday, November 15 th on Devens. Save the date! Good luck to all our runners! In the next few days, you will be receiving a letter in your mailbox announcing the Annual Fund. In the letter, I profile the experiences and successes of one of our seniors, Wren Fountain. Thank you to Wren and her family for sharing her story of perseverance and love and the important role that Parker played in her progress. Thank you and congratulations to Wren! The letter serves as a kickoff to the Annual Fund appeal, our yearly fundraiser. As you may know, the funding model for public charter schools does not cover the costs of building or maintaining our school. As a result, we divert up to 15% of our operating budget to meet our facility costs every year. We believe that our students deserve access to the same resources as students across the state. As I write in the letter, every penny that we raise goes directly to our students – in the form of small class sizes, more direct attention and academic support, and greater access to clubs, sports and activities. We worry about our ability to maintain ratios of 8 students to every one adult. While the funding model wants us to increase class sizes, or change our hands-on, reflective and iterative approach to learning – we do more with less and we turn to our friends for help. Help us maintain our challenging and personalized model for all students. We appreciate your generosity and support! Click Here to donate Brian
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
