January 24, 2026

Weekly Information for January 23, 2026

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Dear Parker Students, Families and Staff,

Congratulations to all the students who Gatewayed over the last two days. It is always a joyful and celebratory moment for our students and a testament to their hard work and perseverance. We appreciate all the friends, family and teachers who helped to make this possible. Congratulations to our whole community.


We are all bracing for a big winter storm coming this weekend. As you know, Monday is a professional development day for our faculty. We will work remotely on Monday so that we are ready for the start of second semester on Tuesday. Depending on the timing of the storm and the cleanup, Tuesday morning may be impacted as well. We will communicate by text, email and through local media outlets if so.


Given recent news about immigration enforcement across the country, I wanted to share the letter that I wrote a year ago. We follow the law and clear guidelines from the Massachusetts Attorney General, prioritizing student safety and parental rights. As I write in the letter, we are “committed to ensuring that students and families may come to school without fear and will comply with all applicable state laws to ensure the protection of our students and families.”


January 31, 2025 letter.docx


Thank you for helping to make Parker an inclusive, safe and affirming community for all our students and families. We look forward to welcoming five new students to Parker on Tuesday. We also hosted over 100 visitors at our first information session of the year last night. The energy and student questions were terrific! If you have any neighbors or friends who are considering Parker, invite them to apply for the lottery and attend one of our upcoming information sessions. See our website for more details.


Enrollment at Francis W. Parker Charter Essential School


Respectfully,

Brian

This week’s topics: 
  • Monday Faculty Planning
  • Fair Funding Week
  • SAT and ACT
  • Parker Concert Band
  • Valentine’s Appreciation
  • Restaurant Gift Cards
  • Yearbooks – Prices Increase Soon!
Monday Faculty Planning

Monday is a faculty planning day, and students should not come to school as there are no classes. Our second semester will begin on Tuesday.


Fair Funding Week

MA Charter Public Schools Fair Funding Week 2026 is coming up- February 2nd – 6th! Did you know that kids attending charter public schools receive less funding for their school buildings than kids attending traditional public schools? As lawmakers get ready to build our state’s annual budget, we have an opportunity to make a difference. Fair Funding Week starts with an inspiring virtual event on Monday, February 2nd from 6-6:30 PM. Register now to join us, along with charter public school families from all across Massachusetts! Thank you, as always, for being a champion for our children!


SAT and ACT

Attention Juniors! If you are interested in taking the school-based SAT or ACT, payment is due to Jinnee by Friday, January 30th. Details are in your email and on Jinnee's bulletin board.  It is highly recommended that you take one of these exams.  If you have any questions, see Jinnee.


Parker Concert Band

Parker Concert Band is accepting new members for the Spring semester! If you have learned the basics of any band instrument, please join us this spring! No auditions are necessary: you just need to have learned the basics of playing your instrument. The band rehearses after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30 to 4:30 PM. The activity fee for each semester is $100 and need-based assistance is available. Need an instrument? Parker has many instruments available for loan at no charge- just ask us! If you have questions or want to join, you can email Jim Desmond jdesmond@theparkerschool.org or Marena Cole mcole@theparkerschool.org or just show up at first rehearsal on Tuesday at 3:30 in room 13!


Faculty and Staff Valentine Appreciation Event sponsored by PPCC

Valentine’s Day is in a few weeks, and it's time for the annual Faculty and Staff Appreciation Book Love Event! The Parker Parent and Caregiver Community (PPCC) invites you 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. Gifts should be delivered before February break begins on the 14th. 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! https://forms.gle/z8GNYDjJ3kpHWcaL9


Restaurant Gift Cards

As we look ahead to Parker’s End‑of‑Year Community Celebration on June 5th at Sterling Street Brewery, we’re planning a fun raffle basket filled with gift cards to local restaurants. If you have a gift card you’re willing to donate, it would be a wonderful way to support our community and add some excitement to the event. Thank you for helping make this celebration extra special! Gift cards can be put in an envelope and given to the front desk with Raffle Contribution written on it. Please include your name so we know who to thank!


Yearbooks – Discounted Price

One week left until prices increase. Order your 2025-2026 yearbook by January 31st for $5 off regular prices. Hard cover and soft cover books all have the same content while the Division 1 books contain the same whole school and Division 1 sections but not the sections for Division 2, Juniors, Seniors, and senior parent ad pages. Currently, hard cover books are $55, soft cover books are $35, and Division 1 books are $15.

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 26 Faculty Planning (no classes)
Tue - Jan 27 Second Semester Begins
Thu - Feb 12 Board of Trustees
Fri - Feb 13 NOON Dismissal
Mon-Fri; Feb 16-20 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 race, color, sex, pregnancy, 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 September 18, 2026

By Gabby Brummer • September 18, 2026
Dear Parker Students, Families and Staff, The first month of the school year is when we start to frame the year ahead. I sometimes think about a picture or piece of art and the difference a frame can make for it. The frame I choose can add definition, it can add substance, it can connect to and expand a smaller object into a larger one; the frame establishes the outline, it directs our eye and attention to whatever is in the middle. As I see it, the frames we start to define in September help us to focus our attention on the year ahead—and all of the challenges, learning, and excitement it will hold. Last night we hosted our annual Back to School Night for families—a chance for parents and caregivers of our students to learn about their student’s division, to meet their student’s teachers, to experience an activity their students have engaged in, and to preview the year ahead. It is one of the ways that we frame the academic work of the year ahead for families and I am always impressed at how much energy we build by coming together for this event. People left here excited and engaged with each other even as we passed 9 PM! We have also been doing important work this month building connections and engaging students in thinking about our essential question. This work and the conversations we’ve had set a frame for our collaboration and how we work together to build community. We have been doing this work through Super Advisory groups: small advisory clusters of students from across different divisions. These initial conversations were led by advisors and then Division 3 students. As we move through the year, students in Division 2 and then 1 will have their own chance to facilitate some activities in Super Advisory, with each session contributing to the evolving picture that will fill the community frame we are establishing together. Please join us for some upcoming events to continue to add your contributions. We hope to see you at Parker 101 if your student is new to the school, or for Community Connections Night to learn about and share resources with the Class of 2027 for their Senior Projects. (Additional information on both events are below.) All of what we do from here will continue to paint the pictures of this year—and it is always an honor to see what the particular community members who are here in this moment contribute to that process. With appreciation for what each of you contributes to our school, Bex

Information for September 11, 2026

By Xalli Gordon-Chavez • September 11, 2026
Dear Parker Students, Families and Staff, As you may know, Parker was started 32 years ago by local parents who wanted to play an active role in a new kind of school. Our partnership with families is essential to the success of our students. There are many ways to get involved. First and most importantly, we appreciate that 100% of our families actively participate in Registration Day on August 26 th and PLP days on October 9 th and March 12 th . Helping students develop personalized goals and learning plans, and building a strong relationship with their advisors, provides a strong foundation for the year. We also welcome you to attend Back to School night next Thursday, September 17 th . Families will experience Parker as their child does, following an abbreviated schedule to meet their teachers and get a feel for a typical day. Back to School night begins with Divisional orientations at 6:15 pm and classes start at 7:00 pm. This is a great night to learn about your child’s classes, but not their individual performance. If you have specific questions about your child, please reach out to their Advisors. We invite families to join the Parker Parent and Caregiver Community (PPCC) and the Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC). To get involved in the PPCC please send them an email at parkercaregivers@gmail.com and join their Facebook page . To get involved in SEPAC email them at parkerpac7@gmail.com . We thank the PPCC and SEPAC for their voice, support, and leadership. Families are also welcome to join one of the many committees, boards, working groups, or advocacy efforts of the school. If you are intrigued and want to learn more, see Brian or one of our staff members at Back to School Night. We are also looking for substitute teachers and some assistance in the library if you have time in your schedule. If you have questions or are interested, please reach out to Gabby ( gbrummer@theparkerschool.org or Bex ( bwilusz@theparkerschool.org . We always need families to help with key elements of the curriculum. For example, Math, Science and Technology (MST) is hoping to schedule up to six field trips for small groups of high-school aged students in the Spring to STEM-related businesses or non-profits in our region. One of our parents hosted students at Bristol Myers Squibb two years ago. Our students had an incredible experience exploring biotechnology research and development. If you may be interested in hosting a small group of Parker students and teachers, please let Brian or Diane ( dkruse@theparkerschool.org ) know. Finally, our Seniors need your help with their year-long Senior projects. On Tuesday, September 29 th at 7:00 pm we are hosting Community Connections Night, an opportunity for students to share their essential questions and ask for feedback, research ideas, and connections from Parker families. That same night, we host Parker 101 at 6:30 pm for new families to learn more about our program. Many families attend both events that evening.  I hope this is received as it was intended – an open invitation to get involved in ways that work for you and your family. We appreciate and value your partnership! We look forward to seeing you at Parker. Brian

Weekly Information for September 4, 2026

By Xalli Gordon-Chavez • September 8, 2026
Dear Parker Students, Families and Staff, Essential questions are rich, complex questions that don’t have single or simple answers. They invite us to wonder about big ideas, to be curious, to seek to understand our own experience in the context of the broader human experience over time and across similarities and differences with others. Good essential questions (which we often call EQs) have a way of calling us to seek out answers and every “answer” raises new questions or illuminates different perspectives, propelling deeper inquiry. Every year, our students help us choose the essential question we will focus on as a school. In the spring, the junior class works in their advisories and as a class to develop themes and rough drafts of questions before debating and discussing and narrowing the many compelling possibilities down to two. On the last day of school, our students vote and at the Big End we share the EQ for the next year. This year’s question is: How can we grow by taking accountability? When I first heard our EQ, my attention went almost exclusively to the end—to the idea of accountability. How do we foster a sense of accountability? Is accountability internally generated or externally enforced—or always both? How does being accountable help foster growth and development? But as I sat with this question and talked about it with colleagues, the richness of the question unfolded and the complexity of what our students have asked us to think about this year came into fuller view. This question focuses on community—on we, not I. This prompts us to think about what holds us together when we aren’t all the same, if we don’t agree or share a common perspective, if we feel pulled by different priorities. It compels us to look around us and generate agreements, foster collaboration, develop alliances, and even to trust. This question asks us to grow—to stretch ourselves, to change, to develop, to move from where we are to a different, hopefully improved, perhaps more complex version of ourselves as a school community. And, finally, this question asks us to consider what we are responsible for, what we might have some ownership of, how we identify and take pride in the quality of our choices, actions, and work. At the start of this year, I am appreciating the way that our students have chosen a question for us that will cause us to dig deep into the way that we both take accountability for and hold each other accountable to our values which the 10 Common Principles outline. I am confident that this EQ will push us to grow and develop together this year and I look forward to all our work together supporting the growth of our students and our school community. Best wishes for a restful holiday weekend.  Bex

Weekly Information for August 28, 2026

By Gabby Brummer • August 28, 2026
Dear Parker Students, Families and Staff, Welcome back to school. We are off to a terrific start! Huge welcome to the 81 new students and eight new staff members who joined us this year. As I said the everyone yesterday morning at the Big Beginning – we all made a choice to come to Parker. We chose a school that challenges students to use their mind well, sets high expectations for all students, and supports one another with a tone of decency and trust. Thank you for choosing Parker. We are all better for it. We want to recognize all the ways that students provide leadership at Parker. Our students serve as elected leaders of the JC and CC, sports captains and theatre leaders, Teaching Assistants and Student Ambassadors. These students and more make up the Parker Peer Leaders program. They played an essential role in welcoming our new students and setting the tone for a positive year ahead. It was great to see 84 students proudly wearing their Peer Leaders shirts at the Big Beginning. We appreciate all our student leaders! Please join us next Wednesday for the third annual Potluck Dinner hosted by the Parker Parent and Caregiver Community (PPCC). The dinner is next Wednesday, September 2 from 6:00-8:00 pm in the Parker auditorium. New and returning students and families are welcome. Please bring a dish and join us. It is a terrific way to kick off the school year, share a meal, and make a new friend. Thank you to the PPCC and the Parker Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) for their voice and leadership. We are looking forward to a great year. We hope to see you next Wednesday. Brian

Weekly Information for June 18, 2026

By Gabby Brummer • June 18, 2026
Dear Parker Students, Families and Staff, Today we hosted the Big End for the 2025-2026 school year. We gathered in the gym for the final time, and we put a punctuation mark on who we have been and what we have done this school year. It’s important that we mark the ending of each year and that we pause to celebrate what we have accomplished, to notice how we have grown, and to reflect on what we have learned. Congratulations to the 214 Parker students who completed 329 gateways this year! Completing a gateway takes a tremendous amount of dedication, commitment and time and these students deserve to be celebrated for their accomplishments. Soon enough, we will find ourselves at the next Big Beginning—and we will focus on a new essential question and set new goals and take on new challenges as a community. In the meantime, it feels important that we take the time to celebrate and appreciate this year’s accomplishments for just a little longer. We will be here over the summer if you need anything, but please note that the main office has different hours than during the school year. Those are listed below for your reference and will be on the school website as well. I wish each of you a restful, restorative summer filled with what you hope for. We look forward to seeing you in August for Registration.  Best, Bex

Weekly Information for June 12, 2026

By Gabby Brummer • June 12, 2026
Dear Parker Students, Families and Staff, It has been a joyful and celebratory week at Parker. 187 students successfully Gatewayed in every division and every domain. The students showcased their learning, reflected on their growth, and celebrated the demonstration of learning that defines Gateways – and as the Common Principle concludes, “the emphasis is on the students’ demonstration that they can do important things.” Congratulations to our students for doing important things at Parker, all year and this week. We are heading towards the Big End next Thursday, June 18th. That is a long tradition of saying goodbye for the summer, signing yearbooks, and having a little fun as a community. Reminder that we have Noon dismissals on both Wednesday and Thursday next week. Junior retreat starts on Monday. Div 1 and Div 2 field trips are on Tuesday. We are pleased to announce that Parker will be helping with the summer camp at the Boys and Girls Club of Leominster and Fitchburg. The camp runs for six weeks for students entering grades 1-8. Parker will be running a series of science exploration sessions. See the attached flyer below for details. We value our terrific partnership with the BGCFL. We will send the final newsletter of the school year next Thursday. Thank you for helping to make Parker a very special place.  Brian