January 21, 2024

Weekly Information for January 19th

Share Post

Dear Parker families, students and staff,


Congratulations to the 52 students from every division and domain who gatewayed over the past two days. The students did an outstanding job, showcasing their learning, answering questions and welcoming feedback from the audience. Thanks to the peers, teachers and families who supported the students along the way and attended their gateway. It was a terrific celebration of their growth and success.


Next week will be an exciting week of transition for many students. All the students who gatewayed will start in their new division next week. Students in Division 3 begin new classes on Tuesday. We also have six new students in grades 7 and 9 joining Parker next week. They will join Parker 101 and 7th Seminar and jump right into advisory and classes. We are thrilled to welcome these new students to Parker.


So many of our students will either be new to Parker, new to the division or starting a new schedule next week. That’s a lot of change, which can be both exciting and stressful. As always, the Parker community will help students through the transition. Ask for help, say hi to someone new, invite students to eat with you at lunch. We are all better for it.



Have a great long weekend. Monday is a professional development day for teachers as we prepare for the start of second semester. See you all on Tuesday.   


Brian

This week’s topics: 
  • Faculty Planning on Monday
  • Parker Parent Group
  • Valentine Appreciation Event
  • Parker Annual Fund
  • Coach of the Year
  • Yearbooks
  • Don’t Miss the Application Deadline (March 1st)!
Faculty Planning on Monday

There will be no school for students on Monday, January 22. Classes will resume on Tuesday, January 23, for the first day of the second semester.

 

Newly Formed Parent Group

Reminder that parents are welcome to join the Parker Parent and Caregiver Community group (PPCC0. The goal of this informal group is to foster communication and explore ideas for future events related to teacher appreciation and parent/caregiver socializing. We hope to be a resource for families new to Parker and a space where parents/caregivers from different towns can get to know each other, both online and in person, to support one another, the teachers and school.

Join the Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/3718239368409629


Save the date: the PPCC will hold a remote meeting on Monday, February 5th, at 11:00 AM. Meeting link provided beforehand.


Faculty and Staff Valentine Appreciation Event Sponsored by Parker Families

Valentine’s Day is in a few weeks and it's time for the Faculty and Staff Appreciation Event to show our Parker staff a little love. The idea is simple - we are hoping to gift a book or gift card to every staff member. If you would like to participate, you will be assigned a staff member and given information on their book preferences. You would then purchase a book or gift card as a gift from the Parker community for that staff member and drop it off or have it mailed to Parker. If you're ready to sign up or have questions, please complete this form. Thank you for helping to celebrate and appreciate Parker’s stellar staff!

 

Parker Annual Fund

What makes Parker, Parker?

Authentic student teacher relationships. How does that happen? Small class sizes, advisory, low student teacher ratios, and adults that care!

Make a gift today to support the extraordinary things that happen at Parker. We need everyone’s help to reach our $200,00 goal!


Coach of the Year

We congratulated Athletic Director Ben Benoit earlier for being recognized as the Boys' Cross-country Coach of the Year by the United States Track and Field and Cross-country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Now we are congratulating him for being named as the MA State Track Coaches Association Coach of the Year for Boys Division 3 Cross Country 2023! Ben’s coaching peers voted him as the recipient of this honor, and he will be presented with the award at a conference in March. Congratulations, Ben!


Yearbooks

Reminder that yearbook prices will increase by $5 after January 31st. Click here to order your yearbook from Jostens.


Make sure to scroll the page to find the correct version of the book you’d like to order. Yearbook ($55) is the hard cover book, while the soft cover ($35) and Division 1 ($15) books are listed lower on the page as Exclusive Offer. Division 1 books contain everything but sections for Division 2, Juniors, Seniors, and senior parent ad pages.


Seniors: Don’t forget to submit your baby photo and senior portrait by January 31st!

 

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.

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:
Mon - Jan 22 Faculty Planning - No Classes
Tue - Jan 23 Second Semester Begins
Tue-Wed; Feb 6-7 10th Grade Biology MCAS
Fri - Feb 9 Div 2 & 3 Dance
Tue - Feb 13 Board of Trustees
Tue - Feb 13 Div 2 Exhibition Night
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.

Recent Posts

Weekly Information for May 22, 2026

By Gabby Brummer • May 22, 2026
Dear Parker Students, Families and Staff, This is a busy and exciting time of year—in schools generally, and certainly here at Parker. On Wednesday night alone, we hosted Noche Sabrosa, where our 8 th graders made and shared an important dish and spoke about their choice and why it was meaningful to them in Spanish, there was an art competition sponsored by Youth Venture and we capped off the evening with the final Café Wednesday of the year. Busy is not bad. There is a sense of excitement and momentum that can come with busy. It means we are still moving forward, that there is progress to make, that we can be productive. At the same time, there are events at this time of year that have us looking ahead to the future; we are planning celebrations for the end of this year and even looking ahead to the start of next. Seniors are in the final days of portfolio piece revisions, reflection writing, and making decisions about their graduation ceremony. On Tuesday afternoon, thanks to the help of the PPCC, incoming students and families to the Parker community joined us for ice cream and had an opportunity to make connections with each other and with current Parker students and families. Finding the ways to both be in the here-and-now and to stay focused on what we are doing, while also looking ahead to what’s next and getting excited to mark accomplishments with meaningful celebrations creates a dynamic tension in the busyness of this season of the school year. These weeks can be about dedication and hard work. They can be about joyful celebration and reflection. They can be everything in between. I hope you each can experience and appreciate the full blend of the “here-and-now” and “what’s next” in the weeks to come. Wishing you all a restful holiday weekend.  Bex

Weekly Information for May 15, 2026

By Gabby Brummer • May 15, 2026
Dear Parker Students, Families and Staff, At last night’s Board meeting, I reflected on the many ways that Parker shares our model and learns from other schools and school leaders. Charter schools were designed to be laboratory schools, pockets of innovation from which others could learn. Every charter school writes a mission statement and does school a little bit differently, so new ideas may flourish. That certainly describes Parker, our Ten Common Principles, and the many ways that we put students at the center of all learning. Last year, Parker went through our sixth Charter Renewal, a process led by the Department of Education to ensure that charter schools are honoring their mission, ensuring student success, and sharing their learning. We did exceedingly well in our charter renewal. Of the many schools that went through the process at the same time, we were the most highly rated school in the state. One of the highlights was our personalized approach to learning and exemplary dissemination efforts. Over the course of the year, we have welcomed Fulbright teachers from twenty different countries and school leaders from the countries of Georgia and the Netherlands. We hosted aspiring teachers from Harvard College and educators from all around New England. We welcomed state representatives and state senators from our 40 towns, sharing our educational model and asking for their support. We presented at conferences and led workshops, focusing on student engagement, portfolio-based assessment, Senior Exhibitions and more. We showcase our students and their work at each of these sessions. We are typically the only school who attends conferences with our students, providing a platform for students to share their portfolios and reflect on their learning. Our students are always the highlight of the day! These are always rich learning experiences for us. As we reflect on our own struggles and success at Parker, and consider how other schools approach similar challenges, we are better able to meet the current needs of our students. Thanks to these efforts, we are never alone in the hard work of educating our students. Brian

Weekly Information for May 8, 2026

By Gabby Brummer • May 8, 2026
Dear Parker Students, Families and Staff, I did a little internet digging into the etymology of the word appreciation, having been inspired by the Teacher Appreciation surrounding us at school this week. There’s the meaning I think of as somewhat economic—when something goes up in value—and there’s the meaning I think of as more emotional—when you feel gratitude and recognize the worth of someone or something. This week and every week I am deeply appreciative of the incredibly challenging, time-consuming, and critically important work our teachers do in and out of classrooms. Parker teachers put their time and energy into getting to know students well, supporting and challenging students to develop critical thinking skills and good habits of learning, communicating with families, and working with and supporting each other in their daily work and professional learning. While there might be questions about whether our society understands or appreciates the valuable work of teachers, I am grateful to work at a school where our community recognizes the incredible depth, complexity, and importance of what teachers do. As Brian mentioned last week, Senior Project exhibitions are underway now and these incredible projects and demonstrations of learning are just one beautiful representation of the incredibly powerful work our teachers do and how it supports the important work and learning our students do. Thank you to the PPCC for organizing and coordinating this year’s Teacher Appreciation Week activities. Thank you to all the students and family members who have volunteered their time, ideas, messages of appreciation, and other resources to that project. Thank you to all of the educators and teachers in our community—those of you who work at Parker and those of you who work in other schools. Thank you to our Senior Advisors, the class of 2026, and all the community members who have been Senior Project mentors and who are participating as jurors. I am deeply grateful for the dedication and commitment our teachers bring to their daily work and to our community for the appreciation and support you show our teachers regularly. With appreciation,  Bex

Weekly Information for May 1, 2026

By Gabby Brummer • May 1, 2026
Dear Parker Students, Families and Staff, This is an exciting time of year for our Seniors and their team of supporters. Clearly none of our students do it alone. Thanks to their families, teachers, and friends who shaped the values and aspirations of our students – we share in their success. Tonight is a fitting way to kick off the next few weeks as we head up the street for Junior and Senior Prom. We look forward to seeing our students all decked out, celebrating and enjoying one another. Next Thursday, we host the first of four days of Senior Exhibitions, during which every senior shares their senior project in front of a juried panel. This final OP provides every student an opportunity to “demonstrate mastery and exhibit their expertise before family and community.” It serves as the culmination of six years of authentic engagement, hard work, and exhibitions of learning at Parker. This is also a moment of pride for the institution and our approach to learning. Last year, voters in the state of Massachusetts decided that MCAS would no longer serve as a graduation requirement. That prompted state leaders to engage in a year-long process of considering alternatives that could be used to determine a student’s knowledge, skills and dispositions for graduation. Two of the top three competency determinations come directly from our work - student portfolios and capstone projects. We have increasingly shared our approach and welcomed visitors from around the world who want to see our Senior Exhibitions. I was one of those visitors 15 years ago, my first exposure to Parker. What makes our approach unique is the school-wide commitment to academic rigor, personalization and public exhibition – for all students. We are thrilled to celebrate the success and growth of our students in this public way. It is a celebration for our whole school community!  Brian

Weekly Information for April 17, 2026

By Gabby Brummer • April 17, 2026
Dear Parker Students, Families and Staff, Wishing you a wonderful spring break with those who you love! We hope the week off is restful and rejuvenating. We look forward to seeing everyone back at school on Monday, April 27, for a rigorous and celebratory end of the year at Parker. Have a great break! Bex

Weekly Information for April 10, 2026

By Monique Benganski • April 10, 2026
Dear Parker Students, Families and Staff, There is a classic cartoon that I have been thinking about quite a lot lately. The image has two different drawings under the heading “success.” The first image has a straight arrow moving up to the right at a 45 degree angle which is labeled “what people think it looks like.” The second image has an arrow that also moves up to the right that quickly turns from a straight line into a massive, messy tangle before straightening out for the last little bit. This image is labeled “what it really looks like.” I have a longstanding love-hate relationship with this image. Sometimes I look at it and find it a useful reminder that mistakes, wrong turns, and feeling like I might be going in circles is completely normal and to be expected. Sometimes I look at it and yearn for the clean, clear, simple straight line of accomplishing something as and when I planned. At this point in the school year, I often need the reminder of this image. As a student, this was when at least one of my teachers might realize we were “behind” and then speed through the remaining curriculum. This can also be the time of year when students wonder if they are making progress or when they become convinced they are not making progress. Either of these feelings can make it hard to sustain the energy and attention necessary to get out of the tangled mess. This can be a time when we are sitting in that tangle, on the way to some success, that we can’t quite see yet. It’s a time when we have to really focus, work hard to get through the complex challenges, and be willing to revise our original plans. No matter which image resonates with your current experience, I encourage you to remember that what we think about how things will go, and how they actually go, don’t always line up perfectly. I believe that if we pay attention to those points of discrepancy, that just might be where we can find our richest learning. Best wishes for a restful weekend. Bex