November 22, 2024

Weekly Information for November 15, 2024

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Dear Parker families, students and staff,

We are honored to have been invited to speak at the New England Association of School and Colleges (NEASC) conference in Boston today. Our talk was entitled, “Performance Based Promotion – Putting Students at the Center of All Learning.” We asked… what would it look like if you replaced tests and letter grades with projects, portfolios and public exhibitions? What if students moved on to the next level, not based on age or time, but when they demonstrated proficiency on essential skills?

 

Thank you to teachers Dawn Crane and Marena Cole and students Charlotte Churchill, Helene Gailliard, Taitum Christanski, Adelina Stamm, Kai St. Laurent and Jaiya Valentin Chase for leading the session. They explained how we design and complete projects, share feedback, make revisions and progress through the program. The students shared portfolio pieces and reflected on the role of hard work, reflection and revision on their success. It was a fantastic opportunity to introduce Parker and what authentic learning and mastery looks like at our school. Great job team!


We will not publish a newsletter next week as we head off for break Wednesday at Noon. So, we would like to wish all students, families and staff a very happy Thanksgiving holiday. We are grateful to learn and work in such a welcoming, challenging and loving environment. We are grateful for everyone in our community who makes it so. Happy Thanksgiving.


Brian

This week’s topics: 
  • 2025 Calendars
  • Fall Show
  • Absences Around Thanksgiving
  • TOYS for TOTS
  • Ski and Snowboard Club
  • Winter Sports Registration
Student Artwork Calendars

Click here by December 9th to order a fabulous 2025 wall calendar featuring Parker student artwork! Calendars will be available for pick up by December 18th. Proceeds support The Parker Fund. Don’t miss out and order your calendar now!


Fall Show

Parker Theater is proud to present Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. This timeless tale of love and tragedy will thrill you, make you laugh, and break your heart. There will be dancing, romance, poetry, and lots of swordfights! The show will be performed three times in the Parker Auditorium.

  • Thursday, December 12, 2024, at 7 PM
  • Friday, December 13, 2024, at 7 PM
  • Saturday December 14, 2024, at 7 PM

Tickets can be purchased online before the show for a discounted price of $12.50 (including $2.25 fee) or for $15 cash at the door. Click here to purchase your tickets now. All shows will be general seating.


Absences Around Thanksgiving

If your student will be absent additional days, remember to contact the main office and let us know. The attendance line (978-772-3293, ext. 1) is available 24 hours a day and can be called any day/time which is before 9 AM of the affected day(s).

 

TOYS for TOTS

Help Parker support this great cause by dropping off new, unwrapped toys in the TOYS for TOTS donation bin located in the Front Lobby of our school beginning November 12th until December 6th. Please help our effort to bring a ray of holiday joy to a child in need. The toys, books and other gifts collected and distributed by Marines and volunteers to disadvantaged children offer them recognition, confidence and a positive memory for a lifetime. THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT! For more information, visit www.toysfortots.org.   

 

Ski & Snowboard Club

Reminder, there will be a $30 price increase on 12/1, so be sure to sign up before then. Check here for details and to register. Program begins 1/8.

   

Winter Sports Registration

Reminder to sign up for Winter sports by Sunday, December 1st. Winter Sports will include Boys and Girls Middle School and High School Basketball, Winter Track, Boys Ice Hockey (hosted by Littleton) and Girls Ice Hockey (hosted by Acton-Boxborough). The teams will start practicing on Monday, December 2nd.

 

Please click here to register: Athlete Registration

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:
Wed - Nov 27 NOON Dismissal
Thu-Fri; Nov 28-29 Thanksgiving Break
Thu - Dec 12 Board of Trustees
Thu-Sat; Dec 12-14 Fall Show!
Fri - Dec 20 NOON Dismissal
Mon-Tue; Dec 23-31 Holiday Break
Wed - Jan 1 New Year's Day (NO SCHOOL)
Thu - Jan 2 Faculty Planning (NO CLASSES)
Fri - Jan 3 Classes Resume
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 March 6, 2026

By Cindy Johnson • March 7, 2026
Dear Parker Students, Families and Staff, I hope you all are safe and warm on this wintry day. As Brian shared in his last letter: this week, Parker hosted visitors from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) as part of our accreditation process. The group of 7 educators and leaders from around New England included people who have visited Parker before and others who were visiting for the first time. Their work was to get to know our school and to review and evaluate our work on the goals and priorities we as a school identified. They visited classes, they met with different groups of teachers and students, and then they told us what they saw and made recommendations for next steps in our work. It’s a bit like finishing a big assessment, turning it in, and then getting it back with feedback before you revise. They will write a full report on their visit, and when we have it, we will share it with all of you, but they did give us a preview. In a relatively short visit, the team was able to “get” us, and they praised many improvements we have made and celebrated much of what we do well. They were impressed with a lot of what they observed and learned—and the thing they highlighted most in their reflection with the faculty was what they heard from our students, which seems perfectly right. After all, Parker was founded by families who wanted a school that would put their students at the center of their learning. Our visitors heard our students talk about what matters to us as a community (they even passed a pop quiz to name all 10 of the Common Principles!), the hard work they are asked to do, and how they have grown. What the students conveyed was a sense of community and care that supports them to take risks in their learning and grow—and that is just what we hope each and every student will experience. With spring PLPs coming up next week, we hope you too will get a glimpse into what our visitors saw on the individual level with your student/s. We hope the spring PLP conferences will give your students an opportunity to reflect on the hard work they have been doing, what they have learned, how they have grown, and what’s next. Both as individuals and as a school, it’s important to both celebrate progress and set our sights on new challenges. Wishing us all warmer days ahead! Bex

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By Cindy Johnson • February 28, 2026
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By Cindy Johnson • February 13, 2026
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By Cindy Johnson • February 7, 2026
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By Cindy Johnson • January 30, 2026
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By Cindy Johnson • January 24, 2026
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