February 8, 2025

Weekly Information for February 7, 2025

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Dear Parker students, families and members of the Parker community,


I hope you enjoyed our first snow day of the year. With our busy lives and fast pace, snow days give us an unscheduled day off to hopefully unplug and enjoy time with family. I hope you went outside and played in the snow!


Thank you to our custodians John, Greg and Ben for their hard work all year, particularly on snow events. We appreciate their early mornings to ensure a safe return to school. When there is snow in the forecast, John and I connect throughout the night and early morning to determine if it is safe to open. While we were able to make the call the evening before, that will not always be the case. We will try to communicate no later than 6:00 am. Closings and delays will be posted on the website, shared with local news outlets and communicated by an automated phone call. With students coming from 40 towns and cities, we recognize that your local conditions may vary. Please make the best decision for you and your family, including if that means staying home on a snowy day that we have school.


We are very proud to be celebrating our 30th Anniversary this year. We are among the first five charter schools in the state to reach this milestone. It is a testament to hard work, community support and thousands of students, families and staff who wanted to do school differently and better. A lot has changed in the world over the last thirty years, but Parker’s commitment to putting students first, challenging them to use their minds well and supporting one another with a tone of decency and trust has not wavered. We all share this accomplishment. Please join us for our 30th Anniversary Gala and fundraiser on Saturday, April 5th, at the Bull Run in Shirley. For more information and to buy tickets, please visit www.parker.school/gala. We are expecting over 200 attendees, with half of the tickets already sold. Thank you for joining us.


Respectfully,

Brian

This week’s topics: 
  • Math Counts!
  • Help with a Senior Project!
  • ¡Se venden Pulseras! Pulseras for Sale!
  • PROM Date Set
  • Seeking Creative Donations
  • Join the Dance Team!
  • Norovirus Information
  • Substitute Nurses Needed
  • Extending Winter Break?
Math Counts!

Congratulations to the students who competed in the Central MA Chapter Competition of MATHCOUNTS at Westborough High School on Wednesday. MATHCOUNTS is a national math competition for middle school students in grades 6-8. The competition is designed to help students build confidence and appreciate math. We appreciate their representation of Parker and look forward to competing again next year!


Help with a Senior Project!

Hi, my name is Will Dawes, and I am doing my senior project on small engine repair. I am looking for chainsaws and leaf blowers that don’t run that I could fix for you. If you have anything like this, please reach out to me at william.dawes@theparkerschool.org. Thank You!


¡Se venden Pulseras! Pulseras for Sale!

From February 10th through February 14th and AGAIN from February 24th through the 28th, Division 1a Spanish students will be selling bracelets or Pulseras during lunch (12:30-12:50 PM) in the Cafégymatorium. Each Pulsera costs only $5.00 dollars and comes tagged with a photo and signature of the artist who made it. The money raised will help sustain employment and other empowerment programs that benefit artists and communities throughout Central America. Thank you for your support!


Prom Date Set

This year’s Prom will be on May 23, 2025, from 6-10 PM at Mt. Wachusett Ski Area. Look for more information in April!


Seeking Creative Donations

As part of Parker's 30th celebration at the Bull Run restaurant on April 5th, we're seeking community-sourced items for the live auction and raffle baskets. Donation ideas are only limited by your imagination! Some ideas: insider access to a special venue—tickets to sports, arts, or music events—vacation home weeks/weekends—chat about your favorite topic over lunch—handmade jewelry, crafts, or art—favorite books—a day out sailing or fishing—lessons or sessions in your “thing” (massage, yodeling, golf, making jelly, writing, knitting - it’s all great!)—power-washing, carpentry, plumbing, etc. Please email your idea with a detailed description to: Dawn Van Patten (hellodawnvp@gmail.com)


Join the Dance Team!

Join Parker’s new dance team! All experience and grade levels are welcome! The season will run through June and the team will develop routines to perform at various school functions. Practices are on Wednesdays from 2:00-4:00 and Saturdays from 9-12. (Saturday practices start on 2/8.) The cost to participate is $100 for the season (need-based assistance is available). Students must register and provide proof of physical prior to the first practice.
Please click here to register: https://forms.office.com/r/w9iNsHZbNs. Contact Laurel with questions at lronan@theparkerschool.org.


Norovirus Information

Click here for information about norovirus from Nurse Lisa.


Substitute Nurses Needed

We are looking for substitute nurses to help in the Health Office and to go on occasional field trips with the students. If you are an LPN or RN, please email Nurse Lisa at lzick@theparkerschool.org if you are interested.


Planning an extended family trip during the WINTER BREAK in FEBRUARY?

Please LEAVE A MESSAGE on the ATTENDANCE LINE: 978-772-3293, x1 - available 24 hours a day. It is important you inform THE OFFICE that your child(ren) will miss additional days, even if you have let the teachers know. Please call and leave a single message with all the affected dates any day or time before the morning of the first affected day.

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 - Feb 13 Board of Trustees
Fri - Feb 14 NOON Dismissal
Mon-Fri; Feb 17-21 Winter Break
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 October 24, 2025

By Cindy Johnson • October 26, 2025
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

Weekly Information for October 17, 2025

By Cindy Johnson • October 17, 2025
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. PLPs are an essential component of our personalized education, in partnership with families, that defines Parker. Great day! Congratulations to Seniors Elsa Achtem and Dylan Stark who were honored as Commended Students in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship program. This award is generally reserved for the top two percent of PSAT test takers each year. We are very proud of their success and contributions to Parker! Thank you, Elsa and Dylan. We are nearing the end of the regular season for our Fall sports. We have had 120 student athletes participate, a record high. Congratulations to our Girls Soccer team for posting an 11-3 record. They continue to climb the state power rankings as they look forwards to the postseason tournament. Our Girls and Boys Cross Country teams continue to roll, both finishing the regular season undefeated at 10-0. The Boys team won the prestigious Twilight Invitational last week. We are looking forward to an exciting postseason. We would love to see Parker fans turn out in support! Our Parker theatre is hard at work building sets, learning lines, rehearsing scenes for two exciting shows – Governing Alice and Eurydice – performed back-to-back on December 11-13. As profiled in our school newspaper, “The plays will be fun and tragic and silly! Please come if you enjoy catharsis!” Join us. Have a great weekend. Brian

Weekly Information for October 10, 2025

By Cindy Johnson • October 10, 2025
Dear Parker Students, Families and Staff, I have been spending a lot of my time in Advisory lately—visiting sometimes with 2 or 3 advisories in a day. These visits are helping me to meet one of my goals for the fall which is to get to know all our students—yes, to learn almost 400 names (first names first—last names later…) but also to know our students as more than names and faces. During these visits, I have had the privilege of asking and answering questions about each other like “What is something you are proud of?,” drawing 10 second animals, sharing a meal, playing 4 on a couch, playing reverse charades, and sharing a rose, bud, and thorn for the week. Earlier this year, I talked about building a strong foundation at the start of the year. In that metaphor, the advisory program is a cornerstone of our foundation at Parker, with four important purposes that include academic advising, community service, community conversations, and group dynamics/recreation. It’s a student’s advisor who checks in with them weekly about their academic work and progress. It’s the advisor who coordinates and hosts the Personal Learning Plan (PLP) conferences twice a year. It’s the advisor who supports this small group of students in building community during morning and afternoon advisory each day. Advisory is at the heart of so much of what we do as a school to get to know our students well and foster community. When we have an important issue to discuss or want to learn about something together, we will turn to community conversations and our “Super Advisories,” cross-age constellations of multiple Advisory groups. Advisory is critical not only to how we personalize the experience of school for students but also to the work of fostering a tone of decency and trust in our community, two of our 10 Common Principles. In the last thirty years, more schools have developed and implemented advisory programs. I see this as a sign they are recognizing something we have always believed: that when students feel a sense of safety, belonging, and community, they engage more fully in their learning, and that when at least one adult knows a student well, they are more successful in school. I hope you will get your own glimpse into the special and important work our advisors do through the upcoming PLP conferences—and I hope you will build your own relationship with your student’s advisor so that we can partner in supporting our students as they learn. Wishing you a restful long weekend ahead! Bex

Weekly Information for October 3, 2025

By Cindy Johnson • October 3, 2025
Dear Parker Students, Families and Staff, It was a busy and exciting week at Parker. We have certainly hit our stride a month into the new school year. Thank you to everyone who joined us for Community Connections Night at Parker. Our Seniors did a terrific job describing their Senior Projects and welcoming ideas, connections, opportunities and resources as they launch. We appreciate all the families and friends who joined us. You provide invaluable guidance to our students! If you were unable to join us but still want to share your suggestions, please review the students’ topic areas in the document linked below, and then you may contact the Senior Seminar teacher. Class of 2026 Senior Project Declarations of Interest On Wednesday, we spent a lovely day at Mirror Lake on Devens with our Division 1 students. We do this trip every two years, providing a unique opportunity for Div 1 Advisories to work and play together. The highlight is always the cardboard boat race. After careful planning and team construction, one member of each Advisory captains their boat on a short course. Thank you to all the Division 1 students and Peer Mentors who tried something new and learned about teamwork and engineering. Congratulations to our Boys Cross Country team for winning the Ocean State Cross Country Invitational for the first time in school history. Our Boys Varsity team finished first out of 55 of the best schools from the region. We also placed 5th in the Boys JV race, 2nd in the Boys Freshman race and had three medalists in the Girls Freshman race. Outstanding showing at a very competitive meet. Finally, this week we welcomed students from Sophianum, our sister school in the Netherlands. We are delighted to host this exchange program for the second time, hosting ten Dutch students at Parker in October and then sending ten Parker students to the Netherlands in April. We are very proud of all the students and families who stepped towards this opportunity, sharing their homes and culture with students from across the world. This is a fun and important exchange for all of us. We look forward to seeing you in two weeks, Friday, October 17th for PLP day. Have a great weekend. Brian

Weekly Information for September 26, 2025

By Cindy Johnson • September 27, 2025
Dear Parker Students, Families and Staff, I’ve been thinking a lot about the idea of community lately—what shapes and supports it and why it matters. I think at its core, a community is more than a mere group of people. There is a degree of shared investment in a common purpose or a common value that brings communities together—and there is a willingness and commitment to doing work aligned to our shared purpose or values collectively that both grows from and contributes to community. These traits ideally contribute to a feeling of connection or even belonging that are at the heart of true community. There are many places where I get to see the ways that the people who inhabit Parker every day are building and shaping community. Earlier this week, for example, I spent two blocks with the senior class as they came together as a group to share their Senior Project Declarations—short summaries of what they plan to study for the year, who they will work with, and what they will create. There was a theme song. Each student took a turn sharing their work. Everyone else in the group listened respectfully and celebrated the work others shared. These students already know each other. They have worked together for years—in and out of the classroom—and still, this shared experience gave them an opportunity to learn even more about each other and to share a moment that was at once common and highly individual. This highlights one of the aspects of community that might be easily overlooked: genuine community is not an exercise in sameness, even though it is about something shared. Real community grows from an investment in creating connection across differences, learning together, supporting each other in doing challenging things. Next Tuesday, September 30, we are hosting several events (see details below) including Community Connections Night—which will give any member of the Parker community a chance to come learn about this year’s Senior Class Projects and offer resources and ideas to support the seniors’ ongoing work. We hope you will join us if you can and invest some of your own time and energy in both getting to know and contributing to our rich and vibrant school community. Best wishes, Bex

Weekly Information for September 19, 2025

By Cindy Johnson • September 19, 2025
Dear Parker Students, Families and Staff, It was great to see everyone at Back-to-School night last evening. Thank you for joining us and experiencing Parker as your child does. It was a positive and affirming night for all of us. Parker was founded in 1995 by local parents who wanted to do school differently. They imagined a school where their child was challenged to use their mind well, where they would be known deeply by their teachers in a community with a culture of decency and trust. We are proud to have lived that mission, in partnership with Parker families. We look forward to seeing you at PLP conferences on Friday, October 17th. Your child’s advisor will send details and an opportunity to sign up for a 30-minute session soon. Fall PLP conferences are an essential opportunity for the student to create their own learning goals for the year, with support from their family and advisor. These goals are often aligned to the Parker Habits of Learning including inquiry, organization, collaboration, reflection and perseverance. Students prepare their plans and prep for the meeting in Advisory across the next month. It is a productive and iterative process with meaningful results for our students. Thank you for your help. We appreciate the leadership of the Parker Parent and Caregiver Community (PPCC), founded two years ago to foster an involved and inclusive community. All families are welcome to join the Facebook group at Parker Parent and Caregiver Community | Facebook . Thank you to the PPCC for everything that they do to build and sustain our community, including the warm welcome you extended to new students and families across the spring and summer. We are all better for it. Please join us for a coffee with Bex on Wednesday, October 1st at 8:30 AM in Room 40. As our new Principal, Bex welcomes your perspective and feedback. Join us to say hi. Thank you for your partnership! Brian