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Dear Parker families, students and staff, Thank you to the teachers and students in the Spanish domain and the Senior Seminar who, this last Wednesday night, pulled off the annual double-header of Noche Sabrosa and Senior Project Exhibition Night ! Thank you, as well, to all the families and community members who took time out of their evening to support the many students whose projects and hard work – either in Spanish class or in their Senior Projects – were on display. The Spanish hallway corridor was jam packed with sweet and savory smells – and lots of Spanish language discussion – and the Gym had the energy and buzz of a convention hall. It was a lovely evening of community in our building, and it wouldn’t have been possible without long hours of staff planning, setting up, and cleaning up; it also would not have been possible without all the love and support of families and friends. I hope that you have a terrific April break. Brian

Dear Parker families, students and staff, Dear Parker Students, Families, and Staff, Thank you for your flexibility and resilience with the delayed opening on Thursday. With students coming from 40 towns, the storm impacted students and families very differently. As always, we encourage you to make the decision that is right for your family based on local conditions. Thank you for your partnership. A huge shout out to the cast and crew of 13 Roses , Parker’s Spring show that opened Thursday. Join us on Friday or Saturday night for the last two shows. 13 Roses features multiple short vignettes about love, directed and performed by Parker students. It is funny, sweet and wildly entertaining. Please see two notes below regarding the solar eclipse on Monday, April 8th and student attendance at Parker building off a recent NT Times article. Thanks to Diane, Carter and Jon Churchill for their leadership and reflections. Have a great weekend, Brian Solar Eclipse Note On Monday, April 8, we will have the rare and exciting opportunity to view the solar eclipse. While we will not be in the zone of totality, we will see almost 95% of the sun blocked by the moon. We have ordered eclipse-viewing glasses for every student, which we will distribute on Monday, and we plan to use Monday’s academic advising time from 3:10-3:30 to go to the Outback for viewing. Div 1 MST classes will definitely be spending some time on Monday learning about eclipses as a part of our current space unit! Because the eclipse will peak at 3:29, this will bump right up against our normal 3:30 dismissal time. Students can depart at 3:30 if they wish, but realistically, we anticipate that many will still be watching and carpool will likely be impacted. Please consider delaying pickup by 10 or 15 minutes, or parking in P5 and joining us at 3:20 in the outback to watch as well. Diane Student Attendance Note Last week, the New York Times ran an article titled, “ Why School Absences Have ‘Exploded’ Almost Everywhere .” The crux of the article deals with the claim that the COVID-19 pandemic and the ways in which schools across the country changed their operations during the pandemic – including remote schooling, changes in how teachers assess learning, and changes in attendance tracking - have “changed families lives and the culture of education.” This article is not the first of its kind in recent months, and it is not saying anything that hasn’t already been in the national discussion, via various media outlets and research centers; it does, however, share some fascinating statistics and anecdotes, and is worth the read if you have a few minutes. In that same vein, here are a couple notes regarding absenteeism at Parker in recent years: Parker is not special in the context of this national conversation. Our chronic absenteeism numbers (defined in the article as having missed 10% or more of school days to date – 18 days or more over a full school year) have increased as follows: prior to the pandemic, 1 in 8 Parker students missed more than 10% of the year. Following the pandemic, that proportion has grown to 1 in 6 students. What feels most notable is that the change happened over the course of only two school years, 2019-2020 and 2020-2021, and has held steady since. Though the numbers are not the same in every district in the region – some are lower than ours and others are higher – this pattern of a sharp, significant increase that then holds is consistent everywhere across Massachusetts. The above article suggests it’s consistent just about everywhere in the U.S. So how do we feel about this, and what should we do? At Parker, our policy on attendance reflects our belief that “regular, timely attendance is vital to ensure academic progress” and “each student’s interaction with her or his classmates and advisory peers on a daily basis is a critical component of the learning process.” Every student and every family faces significant challenges in the course of their lives, and we know that some challenges are so great they unavoidably conflict with a child’s ability to attend school regularly. Yesterday morning, while leading a session with visiting prospective students for next year and group of current Parker “host” students, Carter spoke about our Advisory program and said, “The whole point of Advisory at Parker revolves around the fact that you, the student, are the leader of your own education, but there are a lot of people, including those in your advisory group, who are on your team, backing you up.” Families are, of course, key players on that team, and as your teammates, we want to join you in encouraging your kids to come to school so they can learn with their peers, build and maintain community friendships, and help keep Parker the great place it is. And, of course, when they have a fever, we hope they get plenty of rest and feel better soon.  -Carter Cox & Jon Churchill

Dear Parker families, students and staff, We appreciate your support for the culture of adult collaboration and continuous learning that defines the Parker faculty. We are lucky to work with thoughtful and committed professionals who embrace this team approach. We meet as teaching teams every day, with extended opportunities on early release Wednesdays. We use that time to plan lessons and design curriculum, learn and grow as a faculty, and discuss ways that we can better support students individually and collectively. These opportunities for professional development are important in every school, none more so than Parker. This past Wednesday was a great example of how our commitment to professional growth supports student learning at Parker. Once a year, we invite secondary educators from around the region to join us for a workshop called Looking at Student and Adult Work. This is not only an opportunity to disseminate our work, a requirement of all charter schools, it also helps to shine a light on key elements of our program and welcome feedback. During the session, Parker teachers shared the goals and expectations for standards-based assessments in their class. Participants used protocols to make observations and build meaning, referring to Parker’s articulated Criteria for Excellence, associated rubrics, and the work itself. This represents an essential opportunity to ask for feedback, reflect and revise – just like our students. All the best, Brian

Dear Parker families, students and staff, It was a blustery start to the Spring sports season, but we are excited to kick off the season. We have over 100 students participating in Baseball, Softball, Girls Lacrosse with Bromfield, Ultimate Frisbee, and Track and Field. We are looking forward to a fun and competitive spring. Students are still welcome to sign up for any of these sports. Please see Ben Benoit or Lisa Zick to register. Please join us for the upcoming Spring Show at 7:00 PM on April 4, 5 and 6 . Our students are hard at work and making great progress. This year’s Spring Show is entitled 13 Roses . As the title implies, each student-directed play is a short love story - some silly, strange or a little dark. No tickets will be sold in advance, so please arrive early to buy your ticket at the door for $10 . We look forward to seeing you! We are excited to experience the upcoming solar eclipse on Monday, April 8th as a school community. On Devens, we will experience 94% totality at 3:29 pm. We are planning to spend the last block of the day outside as an extended Advisory, dismissing at 3:30 pm as normal. We will provide every student with certified eclipse glasses to ensure safety. We look forward to this exciting and rare learning opportunity. Have a great weekend. Brian

Dear Parker families, students and staff, It was great to see everyone in the building today for PLP conferences. It is an important moment of reflection for our students as they review their progress on their personal goals for the year. Among the topics of conversation today for some students was daily attendance and tardies. This has been an area of focus statewide, led by the Governor and Secretary of Education. It is obviously essential for students to show up on time and ready to learn every day. We appreciate that many absences are the result of documented health concerns. We take a hands-on and personal approach to attendance, informing and partnering with families across the year. Please talk to your advisors or Carter with specific concerns about your child’s attendance. Good luck to our Seniors and all students preparing to Gateway at the end of the year. Thanks to those who attended the Support our Seniors potluck this week. To all our students, work hard, reflect, revise and take a few risks. We look forward to a busy and exciting Spring ahead. Thank you to everyone who welcomed our visitors from Georgia this week, particularly the Parker families who hosted Georgian students in your home. It was fun to learn and share alongside our international guests. Congratulations to the Green team for a huge win at the buzzer in this week’s Student-Faculty Basketball game. The event was immensely fun including when Kafi, our referee, declared herself in charge and decreed Monday to be a school holiday (which it was already scheduled to be). Have a great (long) weekend! Brian

Dear Parker families, students and staff, We are looking forward to Spring and the longer days ahead, aided of course by the start of daylight savings this Sunday. We had a brief taste of Spring today. We are excited to welcome ten student visitors from the country of Georgia this week, one of two student exchanges that we are hosting this year. Thank you to the families who are hosting. We look forward to seeing all students and families at PLP conferences next Friday, March 15 th . This is an important opportunity to check in on PLP goals, successes, and challenges. We will also check in on attendance and tardies, emphasizing the importance of classroom time to student learning and growth. Thank you for joining us as always. Reminder that we have a March holiday on Monday, March 18. That is also the first day of Spring sports including Baseball, Softball, Track & Field, Ultimate Frisbee and Girls’ Co-op Lacrosse through Bromfield. All students are welcome to participate in one of these sports. Please contact Lisa Zick with registration questions and Ben Benoit with sports-related questions. Have a great weekend. Brian

Dear Parker families, students and staff, This week we welcomed everyone back from February break, celebrated Black History month and addressed another issue of antisemitism in our community. That sentence is jarring and hard to read. As articulated in the Ten Common Principles, at Parker, we “explicitly and self-consciously stress values of un-anxious expectation, of trust and of decency.” We “honor diversity and build on the strength of its communities, deliberately and explicitly challenging all forms of inequity.” We are a strong and vibrant community that supports one another and speaks up when our norms are violated. We stand in solidarity with students, families and staff who are targeted with hate speech and intimation. Thank you to all the students, families and staff who continue to serve as upstanders. One of the cards that we wore in honor of Black History Month quotes Toni Morrison, who challenges us to “make a difference about something other than yourselves.” We appreciate everyone in our community who positively influences those around us. Thank you for joining us on Friday, March 15th for PLP conferences. We host PLP conferences twice a year to create personalized goals and provide feedback and coaching. The Personal Learning Plan (PLP) is an essential tool and process by which we personalize learning for all students. It helps our students define their personal goals and the support that they need to achieve those goals. It also helps us know students well as individuals and build strong, collaborative relationships with students and their families. If you haven’t done so already, please schedule a 30-minute conference with your child’s advisor. If you have a conflict on that day, communicate directly with your child’s advisor to schedule another time. We are also looking forward to an important professional development opportunity for our staff on Wednesday, March 27. On that day, we will dismiss students at 12:00 noon to welcome colleagues from schools across New England for several Looking at Student Work sessions. It is an essential opportunity for feedback, calibration and connection in the service of ensuring authentic, standards-based assessment at Parker. Thank you for your flexibility with this disrupted yet important day. With respect and appreciation, Brian

Dear Parker families, students and staff, I hope that you and your family have a terrific February break. We look forward to the Division 2 Exhibition, March PLPs, the start of Spring sports and more when we get back. Please see the approved 2024-2025 school calendar linked below. The Board of Trustees approved the calendar last evening. Thank you to everyone who participated in the Charter Public School Advocacy Week. We appreciate your participation in the virtual kick-off rally and for sending emails to your legislators to advocate for our schools and our students. Our voices – and our powerful stories of student success in charter public schools – have certainly been heard. Thank you, as always, for your partnership. Have a great break. Brian

Dear Parker families, students and staff, I hope that you had a great week and you are looking forward to February break. We spent time in Extended Advisory this week reviewing midyear Progress Reports with all our students. Please take time at home to do the same. We asked our students to reflect on areas of strengths and next steps in each of their classes. This is an essential moment for reflection and growth for our students. Thank you to everyone who helps to spread the word about Parker this time every year. The application deadline for next year’s lottery is three weeks from today, March 1, 2024. We have two information sessions remaining on February 15th and February 27th. Please encourage your friends to attend. ( Enrollment at Francis W. Parker Charter Essential School (theparkerschool.org) Thank you to all the families who help to make transportation a little easier with carpools and the new MART shuttle. With your help, we have started running MART shuttles to and from Leominster and Bolton every day. If you are interested in learning more, please contact Keary Connors at 978-665-2274. Please join us on Monday night for the start of Advocacy Week led by the Massachusetts Charter Public School Association. We celebrate the impact of charter public schools and advocate for equitable funding, particularly for facilities. Thank you to everyone who registered to attend the virtual kick-off rally on Monday, February 12 th from 6:00 - 6:30 p.m. If you would like to attend but have not yet registered, please register using this link . Brian