September 11, 2026

Information for September 11, 2026

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Dear Parker Students, Families and Staff,

As you may know, Parker was started 32 years ago by local parents who wanted to play an active role in a new kind of school. Our partnership with families is essential to the success of our students.


There are many ways to get involved. First and most importantly, we appreciate that 100% of our families actively participate in Registration Day on August 26th and PLP days on October 9th and March 12th. Helping students develop personalized goals and learning plans, and building a strong relationship with their advisors, provides a strong foundation for the year. We also welcome you to attend Back to School night next Thursday, September 17th. Families will experience Parker as their child does, following an abbreviated schedule to meet their teachers and get a feel for a typical day. Back to School night begins with Divisional orientations at 6:15 pm and classes start at 7:00 pm. This is a great night to learn about your child’s classes, but not their individual performance. If you have specific questions about your child, please reach out to their Advisors.


We invite families to join the Parker Parent and Caregiver Community (PPCC) and the Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC). To get involved in the PPCC please send them an email at parkercaregivers@gmail.com and join their Facebook page. To get involved in SEPAC email them at parkerpac7@gmail.com. We thank the PPCC and SEPAC for their voice, support, and leadership.


Families are also welcome to join one of the many committees, boards, working groups, or advocacy efforts of the school. If you are intrigued and want to learn more, see Brian or one of our staff members at Back to School Night. We are also looking for substitute teachers and some assistance in the library if you have time in your schedule. If you have questions or are interested, please reach out to Gabby (gbrummer@theparkerschool.org or Bex (bwilusz@theparkerschool.org .


We always need families to help with key elements of the curriculum. For example, Math, Science and Technology (MST) is hoping to schedule up to six field trips for small groups of high-school aged students in the Spring to STEM-related businesses or non-profits in our region. One of our parents hosted students at Bristol Myers Squibb two years ago. Our students had an incredible experience exploring biotechnology research and development. If you may be interested in hosting a small group of Parker students and teachers, please let Brian or Diane (dkruse@theparkerschool.org) know.


Finally, our Seniors need your help with their year-long Senior projects. On Tuesday, September 29th at 7:00 pm we are hosting Community Connections Night, an opportunity for students to share their essential questions and ask for feedback, research ideas, and connections from Parker families. That same night, we host Parker 101 at 6:30 pm for new families to learn more about our program. Many families attend both events that evening.



I hope this is received as it was intended – an open invitation to get involved in ways that work for you and your family. We appreciate and value your partnership! We look forward to seeing you at Parker.


Brian

This week’s topics: 
  • Back to School Night on September 17th
  • Join Parker Concert Band
  • Nature’s Classroom
  • Upcoming IEP Workshop
  • Kitchen Assistant Opening
  • Attendance Line Reminder
  • Event Parking Reminder
Back to School Night is Thursday, September 17

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


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 45).

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 with you under your supervision. Thank you!


Parker’s Concert Band

It’s not too late to join the Parker Concert Band! Even if you missed our informational lunch meeting, you can still take part! Anyone who has learned the basics of a concert band instrument in grades 7-12 is welcome. We hold band rehearsals after school on Tuesdays and Thursday from 3:30 to 4:30 PM, and our first rehearsal will be Tuesday, Sept. 15 in room 12. The band runs for the semester and performs at Café Wednesday at least twice per year. The activity fee for each semester is $100, and need-based assistance is available. We also have several instruments available for loan at no charge. Just stop in to chat with Jim Desmond in room 12 or Teams chat or email him a message at jdesmond@theparkerschool.org


Nature’s Classroom for Division 1

Reminder to Division 1 Families: Nature’s Classroom paperwork and fee are due on Monday, September 21st. If you need another set of forms, please contact your student’s advisor. Please do not allow money to be a barrier for participation; there is scholarship money available confidentially by contacting Michelle McKenna at mmckenna@theparkerschool.org.


Upcoming IEP Workshop

Francis W Parker Charter Essential SEPAC would like to invite the Parents and Professionals to attend the Basic Rights: Understanding the IEP workshop hosted by The Federation for Children with Special Needs. Please see the flyer here for more information and how to register

Kitchen Assistant Opening

Parker is currently seeking part-time help in our kitchen. Click here for more information.


Attendance Line Reminder

Parents/Guardians must notify the school office of any Late Arrivals, Absences, or Early Dismissals by leaving a message on the Attendance Line: 978-772-3293, x1 BEFORE 9 AM of the affected day. If it is AFTER 9 AM, please call the office directly (messages are not cleared after 9 AM). The attendance line is available 24 hours a day, and you can leave a message any day or time prior to the absence and provide all the affected dates with one call. It is important you inform THE OFFICE your child(ren) will be absent, even if you have let the teachers know.


NOTE: Details about your child’s condition should not be shared on the Attendance Line. Please share health details with Nurse Lisa ONLY (x135 or lzick@theparkerschool.org).


Event Parking Reminder

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

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 17 Back to School Night
Tues - Sep 29 Parker 101
Tues - Sep 29 Support our Seniors Potluck
Tues - Sep 29 Community Connections Night
Wed - Oct 7 SAT/PSAT
Fri - Oct 9 Fall PLPs (No Classes)
Fri - Oct 9 School Photo Retakes
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 race, color, sex, pregnancy, religion, gender identity, age, national origin, sexual orientation, homelessness, or disability, in the operation of the educational programs, activities, or employment policies

Recent Posts

Copy of Weekly Information for November 9th, 2026

By Xalli Gordon-Chavez • November 6, 2026
Dear Parker students, families, and staff, As you know, we began the school day with advisory discussions about the hate speech that we found in the boys’ bathroom on Thursday. We are sad, angry, and determined to condemn antisemitism in our community. We appreciate our students and staff engaging meaningfully in conversation about the values that make Parker a safe and welcoming school for all students. We are all in this together. We are a strong, unified, and vibrant community. That was on full display last evening with opening night of Puffs, Parker theatre’s fall show. It was fun, funny and incredibly well performed. Bravo to our actors, stage crew, directors and the audience for a great show. There are two more shows – tonight and Saturday night at 7:00 pm. Buy your tickets HERE . Thank you to everyone who has helped to welcome new students and families to Parker. Our enrollment continues to be strong with 393 students from 40 different cities and towns. We continue to extend offers to students on the waitlist to meet our chartered enrollment of 400 students. We currently have a few open seats in 9 th grade, the one grade without a waitlist, so we are going to do a small midyear lottery in early December. Please spread the word to families with current 9 th graders who may be interested in Parker. The deadline to apply is December 7 th for January admission. We are about to launch our family Ambassador program, a small group of parents and guardians who want to help share their story about Parker. If you are interested in joining us, please email Brian or Monique. We will have our first meeting of the year next Thursday, November 12 th at 6:30 pm on Teams. We will meet a few times (always remotely) to plan and host school events. We appreciate your input and help with those events as we recruit and welcome our newest students. We look forward to the third annual Parker Fun Run and Walk on Sunday, November 22 nd . Join us for a 5k run or 1 mile walk. This is always a fun and meaningful fundraiser for our community and a great kickoff to Thanksgiving week. Sign up HERE . Gabe Jojatu brought down the house with a world-class cello performance for the whole school. It was a truly extraordinary performance to a standing ovation. Thank you, Gabe, for sharing your music with all of us. We will share video clips next week. Finally, thank you to the Senior class for hosting Applefest this afternoon. It is a long-standing fall tradition to host a school-wide event to enjoy apple crisp and our Parker community. Thanks to the Hatlevig family and Shelburne Farms for donating the apples again this year. It was a lovely way to end the week. With gratitude for our community,  Brian

Weekly Information for October 30th, 2026

By Xalli Gordon-Chavez • November 2, 2026
Parker Weekly Family Email for Friday, October 30, 2026 Dear Parker students, families and staff, What a community does together, when and why we gather, and how a group notes and celebrates accomplishments not only reflects what we value but also shapes who we are. It probably goes without saying that as a school, we focus significantly on the learning our students do and the aspects of the program that support intellectual growth. We showcase and celebrate the academic work and learning of our students in many ways—and I would argue that it is just as important that we celebrate and recognize the athletic and artistic accomplishments of our community and that we make regular efforts to build relationships and have fun together. Recently we held the annual 4 square tournament, anticipated yearly by students and faculty alike. This tradition always garners players and fans from throughout the community from Div 1 to the faculty. This past Wednesday featured another fun tradition: the Division 1 Advisory Halloween Party. This event is possible because every advisory takes some ownership for the event. Each group, with the support of their Peer Mentors, hosted a “booth” and students took turns facilitating and playing a series of games. People had fun together guessing the amount of candy in a jar, bowling, spinning wheels of fortune, and racing to unwrap objects from a ball of saran wrap. Events like these demonstrate the value of weaving joy and fun into the serious work and learning we do together in this community. As the fall sports seasons close out or move into post-season, we also have several additional athletic accomplishments to share: the boys’ varsity soccer team celebrated their seniors this week after a final game where all 3 senior members of the team scored goals. Congratulations to the team and seniors San Marshall, Will Schneider, and Connor Wentrup! Our girls’ varsity soccer team has qualified for the state tournament for the 7 th year in a row. Congratulations to the team and their seniors: Keira Collins, Gracie Condon, Fiona Connelly, Elsie Mitchell, Ellen Moriarty, Bontu Piazza, and Delaney Rezac! Turning our eye toward the cross country teams, who ended the regular season undefeated with the middle school boys’ and girls’ teams winning their respective championships, both JV cross-country teams finishing first, and both varsity teams finishing as runners up. Congratulations to all our runners and especially to seniors Elsa Pierpont, Heidi Lewis, Cy Lance, Danny Garrison, Nathan Davis, and Liam Mullen. Looking ahead, we invite and encourage you to join in supporting and celebrating the passions and hard work of our community members in the weeks ahead. Next week, our theater crew will be putting on their production of Puffs. See below for more details and please join the audience for one of the performances. Additionally, the cross-country middle school state finals are November 7 and high school state championships are November 21. Please consider being a spectator and supporter at either or both events. Wishing you all a sunny and safe weekend. Best, Bex

Weekly Information for October 26th, 2026

By Xalli Gordon-Chavez • October 26, 2026
Parker Weekly Family Email for Friday, October 23, 2026 Dear Parker students, families and staff, We want to recognize and celebrate three students who received Letters of Commendation from the National Merit Scholarship Program this week. We are very proud of Arlo Taylor, Chrys Olsen, and Andrew Roberdeau who were in the top 2% of all high school students who took the PSAT last year. We celebrated their accomplishment with a lovely breakfast with their family and friends. Thank you to those who joined us. It felt like a Gateway celebration, with everyone sharing reflections and words of support for Arlo, Chrys, and Andrew. It is a moment of pride for all of us. It was also an opportunity to reflect on Parker, a school committed to intellectual rigor, depth over coverage, and personalization. By challenging our students to use their minds well and engage deeply in real problems, Parker students develop live-long skills. They learn how to learn, not merely what to learn, and develop the habits of learning that set them up for an ever-changing world. We measure these skills through authentic assessments and public exhibitions, not standardized tests. That doesn’t take away from the success of our students on tests like the PSAT. It shows that we can do both – use our mind well and excel at external measures at the same time. One of our goals is to further measure student outcomes directly related to the Parker experience. For example, we are looking at revision data to better understand the rate and efficacy at which students revise their assessments. As you know, our teachers provide extensive feedback on student work with the hope and expectation that students revise. How often do students revise their work and what is the impact when they do? We are committed to telling that story as well. Thank you to everyone who contributes to the proven success of our students.  Brian

Weekly Information for October 16th, 2026

By Xalli Gordon-Chavez • October 20, 2026
Parker Weekly Family Email for Friday, October 16th, 2026 Dear Parker students, families and staff, There’s a “slow hobby” movement that seems to have reached a saturation point in my online media algorithms. Some examples of slow hobbies are knitting, gardening, and reading, but there are many others. At this point, I feel like I see references to this topic or the benefits of slow hobbies relatively routinely, and it got me thinking differently about the upsides of taking time and slowing down, something that is actually quite counter cultural in our fast moving, technology-oriented world. One thing I have learned through all this recent exposure to slow hobbies and their benefits is that there are actually two kinds of dopamine, a key reward chemical in our brains that relates to not only motivation but also aspects of our physical health such as sleep regulation or immune system functioning. There is fast dopamine and there is slow dopamine—and these slow hobbies release slow dopamine, which results in longer lasting, positive effects. To get these longer lasting results though, we have to be willing to put in some time and effort. We have to stick with something and sustain it. As students and advisors wrap up their work documenting Personal Learning Plan (PLP) goals and strategies after last week’s conferences, it occurred to me that this goal setting work is an exercise in slow dopamine release. Students take time to identify real things they want to work on throughout the year, and they develop clear plans and strategies. These goals have the potential to help shape a student’s focus and attention on not just what they are doing in school but how they are developing as a person and learner through that process. At the end of the year, being able to achieve a long-term goal like those our students have just spent time setting in their PLPs also helps release slow dopamine. Along with that, we hope focusing on and achieving these big goals will also help students discover some personal reward in their learning experiences and the accomplishments that can only happen over time. Best wishes for a restful weekend.  Bex

Weekly Information for October 9th, 2026

By Xalli Gordon-Chavez • October 9, 2026
Parker Weekly Family Email for Friday, October 9th, 2026 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. Why do Parker students write Personal Learning Plans and why do we dedicate one day in October and another in March to review PLPs with families? PLPs are an essential component of our personalized education, in direct partnership with families. PLPs provide a structured opportunity for students to develop the Habits of Learning – skills such as perseverance, organization and reflection. PLPs help students develop agency in their own learning, authoring their own goals and strategies that they personally embrace. Our mission is “to move the child to the center of the education process and to interrelate the several subjects of the curriculum in such a way as to enhance their meaning for the child” (Charter, October 1994). Thank you for helping us to do just that. We want to commend all the students and teachers who attended Nature’s Classroom this week. It was a tremendous opportunity for students to step outside their comfort zone and learn in a different setting. We are proud of you for embracing this opportunity. As Kalista and Matt wrote to Division 1 families upon their return, “we were really impressed by the resilience, good humor, and positive middle school energy our students demonstrated here.” Welcome home. Finally, thanks to teachers Anna, Alec, and Gale and students Lana, Lindsay, and Freddie for representing Parker at the CLEE Fall Meeting this week. They shared their work with educators from around the country, presenting our hands-on and reflective approach to learning. We appreciate the many ways that our students and teachers help to disseminate our work. We were recently rated by DESE as “exemplary” at dissemination, a responsibility of charter schools to serve as laboratories and share our learning with others. We are always proud to share our work and learn from others. Have a great weekend. Brian

Weekly Information for October 2nd, 2026

By Xalli Gordon-Chavez • October 5, 2026
Dear Parker Students, Families and Staff, Dear members of the Parker community, The start of something new often feels quite busy to me. Part of that is, I think, the very real number of logistics that need to be managed and the time it takes to get into a routine, and part of it is the emotion that comes with settling in—sometimes excitement, sometimes nervousness, sometimes other feelings—as we get used to how this new thing works and it moves toward familiar. This September has held true to that idea as we all settled into the new school year together and it has felt busy. This past Tuesday, we hosted three different events—Parker 101 for our new families, an event focused on explaining the way assessment and feedback works at Parker as well as how PLP conferences work; Support our Seniors Night, where families share a potluck dinner and hear about the important components of the Senior Project, Senior year, and the path to graduation; and Community Connections Night, where our Seniors share information about and gather resources from community members to support their year-long, individually-designed Senior Projects. In Parker 101, several of our students shared work from their Division 1 gateway portfolios and explained the assignment, what skills they worked to demonstrate, how the revision process works and what they learned by engaging in the work they did. They also talked about the Habits of Learning and how reflecting on their work and learning helped them to learn about themselves and grow. Some of our student presenters’ parents and guardians joined us as well to reflect on their own experiences as they have supported their students through learning at Parker, including helping new families understand how PLP conferences work and the important role families play in that process. As we closed out our Parker 101 session, families were invited to cross the hall and see what their students will be doing when they are seniors—designing a year-long, independent project that includes research, experiential learning, collaboration, developing a product, and presenting their work. I can’t think of a better way to explain what learning at Parker looks like than to let our students speak for themselves and show their real work. It was a gift to hear students reflecting on their learning in Div 1 and to see how all of the Skill Areas and Habits of Learning come together to help students work through their Senior Projects. We always hope that the pieces will come together in the end as we get things started, and this week reminded me not only that the pieces do come together quite nicely, but also of the many different ways they can do so here. That, I believe, is one of the strengths that help us as a school to support students as individual learners and that allows us to balance the Common Principles of goals applying to all students and personalization. Wishing you all the best as we move into October.  Bex