February 11, 2024

Weekly Information for February 9th

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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 12th from 6:00 - 6:30 p.m. If you would like to attend but have not yet registered, please register using this link.


Brian

This week’s topics: 
  • Hourly Substitute Opportunity
  • Div 2 Exhibition Night
  • Pulseras for Sale!
  • Call for Clear Planting Containers
  • Café Wednesday
  • Register Now for Spring Sports!
  • Don’t Miss the Application Deadline (March 1st)!
  • Extending Your Winter Break?
Hourly Substitute Opportunity

Parker is currently seeking responsible, caring adults interested in working with middle and high school students as classroom substitutes. Familiarity with Parker’s mission and academic program is preferred. Substitutes will be called on an “as needed” basis based on their availability and will support students in following plans left by classroom teachers. Please contact Monique at mbeganski@theparkerschool.org if interested.


Div 2 Exhibition Night

Please join us on the evening of Tuesday, February 13th, from 6:30 to 7:30 PM when Division Two Arts and Humanities will host families and students Parker for Division Two Civics Exhibition Night! Division Two AH students worked hard last semester to complete Civic Action Projects. For their projects, students chose a civic issue they are passionate about, researched their issue, and engaged in civic action to address their issue. This night will allow Division Two AH students to present their civic action projects, exhibit their learning, and share their actions with other Parker students, families, and staff.

 

We will ask students to arrive ten to fifteen minutes early to get ready before the event begins. We are so excited to celebrate our students' work with you. Please reach out to any of the Division Two AH teachers with questions you may have.


¡Se venden Pulseras! Pulseras for Sale!

Until February 16, Division 1a Spanish students will be selling bracelets or pulseras before school (8:05-8:25) in the lobby and during lunch (12:30-12:50) in the Cafégymatorium.

 

The Pulsera Project is a fair-trade nonprofit organization that works with artisans in Nicaragua and Guatemala and provides a market for their handmade bracelets or pulseras in schools across the US. Each pulsera costs only $5.00 dollars and comes tagged with a photo and signature of the artist who made it. The money raised from Parker's pulsera sale will sustain employment for nearly 200 artisans and will also fund housing, healthcare, scholarships, social enterprises, and other empowerment programs that benefit artists and communities throughout Central America. Thank you for your support and have a wonderful time coloring the world with The Pulsera Project here at Parker!

 

Click on the link to watch a short video (1:03 mins) to see what The Pulsera Project is all about: The Pulsera Project in 60 Seconds


Call for Clear Planting Containers

The Parker Citizen Science Community Elective group is collaborating with a Devens initiative to plant a pocket forest this spring in P5. A pocket forest is a small area of densely planted native trees, shrubs and ground cover plants, to create a woodland ecosystem in urban areas. As part of this, the group is hoping to do some indoor winter planting that we transplant to the pocket forest site in a few months. We are looking for clear 1-gallon milk or water jugs for our plantings! Bring in and drop off your 1-gallon jugs in the box in the lobby during the week of February 12-16. Interested in learning more about pocket forests? Visit the website: https://climateresilient.wixsite.com/ayerdevens.


Café Wednesday

Come to Café Amore! There will be entertainment, concessions, and maybe even a game or two! It will be held Wednesday, February 14th, from 6:30-8:00 PM in the Cafegymatorium. We can't wait to see you there! Please Note: After-school supervision ends at 3:00 PM on Wednesdays, and students must vacate the building until 6:30 PM. Please plan accordingly.


Register Now for Spring Sports!

The following Parker sports teams will be offered this spring:

  • Baseball
  • Softball
  • Track & Field
  • Ultimate Frisbee
  • Girls’ Co-op Lacrosse through Bromfield

All practices begin on Monday, March 18th, and will be held Monday through Friday that week. Please register as soon as possible using this form: Athlete Registration. Parents must provide proof of a current physical exam at the beginning of every season of participation. Sports User Fee of $300 and is due prior to the first game. Click here for more information.


Don't Miss the Application Deadline (March 1st)!

Parker is currently accepting applications for students entering grades 7, 8 and 9. Siblings of current students planning to attend the Parker School for the 2024-2025 school year MUST complete an application and return it to Parker no later than March 1, 2024. Current students do not need to reapply. You are welcome to call our front office prior to March 1, 2024, to verify your application has been received. You may click here to sign up any of the remaining Information Sessions. The Lottery will be held on Thursday, March 7, at 4 PM. Please send interested friends to parker.school/enroll for more information.


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. You can call and leave one message with all the affected dates any day/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:
Fri - Feb 9 Div 2 & 3 Dance
Tue - Feb 13 Board of Trustees
Tue - Feb 13 Div 2 Exhibition Night
Wed - Feb 14 Café Wednesday
Fri - Feb 16 NOON Dismissal
Mon-Fri; Feb 19-23 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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By Monique Benganski • March 22, 2026
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By Cindy Johnson • March 14, 2026
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Weekly Information for March 6, 2026

By Cindy Johnson • March 7, 2026
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By Cindy Johnson • February 28, 2026
Dear Parker Students, Families and Staff, Thank you to everyone who helped to spread the word about Parker. Enrollment applications for next year continue to be strong and the response from families has been very positive. We have two days left! The application deadline is this Sunday, March 1 and the student lottery is Thursday, March 5 . If you have a neighbor or friend who may be interested in Parker, please share your experiences. And remember, younger siblings need to apply to be eligible for admission. There is a sibling preference in the lottery, but you still need to apply. For additional details and a link to the application visit parker.school/enroll . We welcome NEASC (New England Association of Schools and Colleges) for their Decennial Accreditation visit next week. Every ten years, we invite NEASC into our school to evaluate teaching and learning, academic achievement, school culture, facilities and more. As a result, Parker will continue to be a NEASC accredited school. They will be on campus Tuesday and Wednesday, March 3 and 4, visiting classes, meeting with students and teachers, and reviewing our self-study. We will share the results of their visit and their final report later this Spring. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this two-year process, particularly Marena and Kris who have done excellent work leading the effort! We are thrilled to launch Parker Giving Week from March 16-20 , a new tradition celebrating the anniversary of our charter application — the milestone that opened the doors to the school our students and families know and love today. This year, your impact will be tripled! Thanks to a few incredibly generous donors who have pledged $20,000, every dollar you contribute during Parker Giving Week will be matched 2:1! That means your gift has triple the power to strengthen our programs and enrich our students’ experience. Every penny raised during Parker Giving Week goes directly to our students, supporting: Small class sizes that allow teachers to truly know each learner More direct attention and academic support to help students thrive Greater access to clubs, sports, and activities that build confidence, community, and joy Thank you for your support. Brian

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By Cindy Johnson • February 13, 2026
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Weekly Information for February 6, 2026

By Cindy Johnson • February 7, 2026
Dear Parker Students, Families and Staff, We are a week away from February break, an opportunity to beat our winter colds and dream about warmer days ahead. For a few in our community, it is an opportunity to experience something new as they travel abroad with their Parker classmates. We are sending groups to the Bahamas and the Netherlands again this year. We hope they have a terrific trip. We appreciate the trust of our families and hard work of our staff to make experiences like this possible. We are less than a month away from our March 1st application deadline for new students and families. Thank you to everyone who helps to spread the word and create a positive buzz around the school. If you have a neighbor or friend who may be interested in Parker, please share your experiences. And remember, younger siblings need to apply to be eligible for admission. There is a sibling preference in the lottery, but you still need to apply. We have three information sessions remaining just before and after break. For additional details and a link to the application visit parker.school/enroll . Thank you to everyone who joined us for Fair Funding Week this week. Of the 68 charter schools in Massachusetts, Parker had the most participants! To kick off the week, the Massachusetts Charter Public School Association shared the following video. It is worth a two-minute watch. You will see and hear Parker families and staff throughout the video. https://www.facebook.com/reel/1371197804687927 And our efforts are working! Governor Healy’s budget for next year includes a modest increase in facility funding for charter public schools. While we continue to receive significantly less facility aid than traditional public schools, we appreciate and celebrate steps towards closing that gap. Congratulations to our students on their accomplishments this week. Four Division 1 students recently represented Parker at the Chapter Competition for Mathcounts, a national math competition for middle school students. We are proud to congratulate Nathan Warren, Julia Crighton, Stephen Tatro, and Adam Rhodin for a strong performance—their team came in 3rd place! Our high school Mock Trial Team finished their preliminary trial round this week with an impressive 3-0 win record. They will be advancing to the state tournament, which will be held at Clark University on March 1. We wish them good luck! Thank you for showing up in all sorts of ways to support Parker. We appreciate our community! Have a great weekend. Brian