Weekly Information for December 15th

Dear Parker families, students and staff, We just finished our first two days of Senior Exhibitions. We are off to an amazing start! We are so proud of our senior class. Congratulations to the Seniors who already presented and good luck to those who go next week. This is the culmination of your Parker career and the final demonstration of mastery for graduation... Demonstration of Mastery Students should have opportunities to exhibit their expertise before family and community. The diploma should be awarded upon a successful final demonstration of mastery for graduation: an “Exhibition.” Senior Exhibitions are a moment of reflection and celebration for students, families and staff. Students share their Essential Question and outcomes of their Senior projects and reflect on their learning journey. We appreciate the Juniors, staff and members of the community who serve on panels and provide feedback. Thank you to the Senior Seminar teachers who provide incredible support and structure all year. Senior Exhibitions elicit a range of emotions, from relief to nostalgia, as do many of the milestones of senior year. Enjoy the next month and congratulations! Brian

Dear Parker families, students and staff, Thank you to Parker families for launching the new Parker Parent/Caregiving Community Group. Parker was founded by local families who envisioned a different type of school and community. We value and appreciate the tremendous support and leadership of Parker families. There are many ways to get involved in the PPCC, including joining the Facebook group , helping with Teacher/Staff Appreciation, welcoming new families to Parker and more. See the details below. We are planning many fun community events for new and returning families this Spring and summer. Please mark your calendars for a Parker community event kicking off our celebrations of our 30th year of school. This event will be held on June 14th at 5 pm at the Sterling Street Brewery on Jackson Road in Devens, MA . We hope to see you there. Thank you for helping to make Parker a strong and vibrant community. Brian

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