March 9, 2025

Weekly Information for March 7, 2025

Share Post

Dear Parker students, families and staff,


We are looking forward to Spring and the longer days ahead, aided of course by the start of daylight savings this Sunday.


We also start looking forward to an exciting and busy end to the school year. That kicks off with Spring PLPs next Friday, March 14. This is an important opportunity to review PLP goals and the successes and challenges experienced by our students. Many students will create a Gateway plan, detailing portfolio pieces and competencies needed to Gateway at the end of the year. Finally, we will review attendance and tardies, emphasizing the importance of classroom time to student learning and growth. Thank you for joining us.


Reminder that we have a March holiday on Monday, March 17. Spring Sports start the following day on Tuesday, March 18, including Softball, Track & Field, Ultimate Frisbee and Girls’ Co-op Lacrosse through Bromfield. All students are welcome to participate. Please contact Lisa Zick with registration questions and Ben Benoit with sports-related questions.


Finally, we want to thank everyone who helped spread the word about Parker. We hosted the enrollment lottery yesterday for the largest class of applicants in the last ten years. There is a ton of excitement and positive energy around Parker! We will be hosting a series of Shadow Days and social opportunities for our new students and families to get to know Parker. Thank you for helping make Parker a welcoming and affirming community.


Have a great weekend. See you at PLPs next week.


Brian

This week’s topics: 
  • Spring PLPs
  • Blacksmithing Demo on PLP Day
  • We Still Need Your Help
  • Spring Sports Registration
  • Volleyball Club
  • Lost and Found Pickup
  • Medications at School
  • Donations Needed
  • Enrollment Thanks
Spring PLPs

Spring PLPs are on Friday, March 14. See below for more information about how to book your appointment!


  • On that day, there will be NO CLASSES for students; instead, teachers spend that day in conferences with families/students to check in on student goals, progress, and PLPs. Each family (with their student) will be asked to come to school for a 30-minute appointment. Your child’s advisor has been in touch with more information and details along with a LINK to sign up. These links are customized by each advisor, so you do need to use the specific link that was sent by the advisor to sign up. Email your child’s advisor if you do not have a link from them yet.
  • If you are not able to make it for an appointment on March 14 (and need another day or time of day), please reach out directly to your child’s advisor to find another day/time that is mutually possible. If (on March 14 or any other day), you need to attend remotely, please reach out to your child’s advisor to request a remote link for the scheduled slot.


Blacksmithing Demo on PLP Day

Do you like fire? Hot metal? Learning about an almost forgotten craft? Then stop by the front circle on PLP day, March 14th from 10 AM-3 PM! Come see a blacksmithing demonstration, hear the ring of an anvil, and maybe even experience a bit of it yourself! Drop by or reach out to Henry Matchett with questions!


WE STILL NEED YOUR HELP!

Gifts from our current families are an essential foundation to our fundraising efforts and are a show of support for Parker’s extraordinary faculty, staff, and program.

It is our goal to have 100% participation among our current families. EVERY gift matters and makes a difference!

To make your 2024-2025 school year gift, click here.


Spring Sports Registration

The sports being offered this season:

  • Track & Field
  • Ultimate Frisbee
  • Girls' Lacrosse - Co-op by Bromfield
  • Softball

The season will start on Tuesday, March 18th. Register by Monday, March 17th using this link: Spring Sports Registration


Proof of Physical REQUIREMENT for Student Athletes: Parents must provide proof of a current physical at the beginning of EVERY SEASON their student is participating in. A current physical is valid for 13 months from the day of the physical. Students with expired physicals will be ineligible to participate until a current physical form is submitted. Even if you have submitted proof of physical for a previous season, you must submit it for subsequent seasons. Upload proof of current physical to the Health Portal.


Sports User Fee of $300 and is due prior to the first game. It is preferred that the fee be paid online using an electronic check or credit card at: https://unipaygold.unibank.com/transactionInfo.aspx?CustomerID=1093. If writing a check, make it payable to Parker School and send it to the Main Office. There will be a family cap of $1,200 for the school year. Financial support is available for those who qualify. Please contact Michelle McKenna in the Business Office at mmckenna@theparkerschool.org for more information.



Volleyball Club

Reminder Parker’s BRAND-NEW volleyball club is open for signups! We will be having our first practice on Thursday, March 20th, from 4:00-5:15 PM after school. The season will last for eight Thursdays and involve a variety of skill drills and scrimmage playing. Everyone is welcome to join, no matter their level of experience playing volleyball or division. The fee for joining will be $25, and we ask you to fill out permission forms and the fee as soon as possible to claim your spot! Thank you, and we’ll see you on the court soon! Register here at: https://forms.office.com/r/3XRb6gUSpw.


Lost & Found Pickup

The next pickup of lost & found items will be on Tuesday, March 18th. You may stop by any time to see if there is anything that belongs to your loved ones. Spring PLP Day (March 14) would also be the perfect time to check and claim any items left behind.

Donations Needed

The Health Office is in need and would appreciate donations of new or gently used t-shirts with no design or logos, gym shorts, and lounge pants/sweatpants. All sizes are needed. Thank you!


Medications at School

Students should not carry over-the-counter or prescription medications at school. With proper authorization from their medical provider, parents, and the school nurse, some students may carry an EpiPen, inhaler, diabetic supplies, or other emergency medicine. All other medications should be kept and administered by the school nurse. Proper documentation is required for all medications. Email Nurse Lisa at lzick@theparkerschool.org with questions.


Please make sure your student isn’t carrying any medication during school, and more importantly, please speak to your student about not ever accepting any medication from other students.


Enrollment THANKS

MANY THANKS to everyone in the Parker Community for their support during our Annual Enrollment Period, Including our Information Sessions, Classroom Visits, Socials, and Shadow Days.  A special Thank You to everyone who picked up and posted YARD SIGNS! If you still have one up, please take it down and recycle it. The waterproof coated paperboard has done its job for the season. This work is not possible without your help, and we appreciate your time and effort!

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:
Wed - Mar 12 Support Our Seniors Dessert Potluck
Fri - Mar 14 Spring PLPs - NO CLASSES
Mon - Mar 17 March Holiday - NO SCHOOL
Wed - Mar 19 Café Wednesday
Thu - Mar 20 Board of Trustees
Tue - Mar 25 10th Grade ELA MCAS
Wed - Mar 26 NOON Dismissal - Faculty Planning
Thu - Mar 27 10th Grade ELA MCAS
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 January 16, 2026

By Cindy Johnson • January 16, 2026
Dear Parker Students, Families and Staff, I often find this time of year provides a reminder to me to have hope amidst the short, dark, cold winter days we endure. By mid-January, I can start to see signs of more light, and sometimes we experience an unseasonably warm day or two—and these changes, though small or temporary, remind me that little by little, every day, tangible things are changing. The Winter Solstice had 6 hours and 12 minutes less daylight than the Summer Solstice. That’s a pretty dramatic difference—but it happened a little bit at a time. Going the other direction works the same way; first we gain only a few seconds of light each day, but by early January, we are gaining a minute of light each day, and by early February, several minutes a day. Change is funny like that—sometimes it happens so gradually we don’t see or feel its impact right away and sometimes it barrels in so we are acutely aware of it. The physical shock of greeting students at the front door this morning in much colder temperatures than yesterday morning is a fine example of the latter. This was a change not to be ignored, and even though I knew to expect it, that didn’t mitigate the jarring effects. Still, that brief respite of days edging toward 50 degrees can fuel my hope that warmer days are coming. Learning is rarely a predictable increase like the amount of light we gain daily moving from winter to summer, but it is often an incremental shift. Sometimes the slow building of skills starts to become evident only with what feels like a lot of effort and time. If you have a student about to complete a mid-year Gateway, you will soon see this sort of change and growth in their work right before your eyes. If your student is working toward a June gateway, or even a gateway next January or June, I would encourage you to look for those small, incremental changes between here and there. Those sometimes-tiny changes are like the extra moments of light in a winter day; they are adding up to something bigger that will be well worth the wait, and I hope that can give us all a little hope this time of year. Best wishes for a restful weekend and a meaningful celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday on Monday, January 19. Bex

Weekly Information for January 9, 2026

By Cindy Johnson • January 10, 2026
Dear Parker Students, Families and Staff, We had the rare treat of a two-week winter break this year. It was great to welcome our well-rested students back to school on Monday. We have a busy three weeks remaining of the first semester. Students are completing assessments and many are preparing for Midyear Gateways. 68 students will Gateway, in every division and domain, on January 22-23. We look forward to celebrating this important milestone with our students and their families, teachers and peers. Second semester brings new electives for Division 3 students, new Community Blocks for all students, and the anticipation of end-of-year activities. We have officially kicked off student recruiting for next year. We have five information sessions scheduled in January and February, we are about to send postcards to prospective students, and we have a terrific group of student and adult Ambassadors. Thank you to everyone who helps to spread the word about Parker and welcome new students and families. Word of mouth has always been the most effective way that we introduce Parker to new families. If you have a neighbor or friend who may be interested in Parker, please share your experiences. We’d love your help boosting our school’s visibility. When you see our posts on Facebook or Instagram , please take a moment to like and share them with your networks. Your support helps us reach more families and celebrate the great things happening in our community. Additionally, 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 appreciate everyone who contacted their legislator and advocated for charter schools this fall. As you may know, there are multiple pieces of legislation under consideration that would lower the cap of charter-eligible students and limit funding for charter public schools. Many families are surprised to learn that students attending charter public schools receive less state funding than their peers in district schools. As lawmakers begin shaping next year’s state budget, we have a critical opportunity to make our voices heard and push for the equitable funding that our students deserve. We are about to launch Fair Funding Week 2026 led by the Massachusetts Charter Public School Association. We hope that you will join us for this virtual week of celebration, advocacy, and collective action from February 2-6, 2026. Fair Funding Week kicks off with an inspiring virtual rally on Monday, February 2nd from 6:00–6:30 PM. Register now and stand with us Have a great weekend. Brian

Weekly Information for December 19, 2025

By Cindy Johnson • December 19, 2025
Dear Parker Students, Families and Staff, Wishing you and your family a very happy holiday! We had a busy and festive week at Parker – with hard work, holiday parties, and our community coming together for those in need. Thank you to everyone who donated food, toys, or sports equipment to our campus drives. We are proud of the Parker community for always stepping up! We look forward to seeing you in the New Year. Enjoy the long break with those who you love.  Brian

Weekly Information for December 12, 2025

By Cindy Johnson • December 12, 2025
Dear Parker Students, Families and Staff, One of the magical things about working in schools is the chance to get to know students as whole people. Yes, of course, we can come to know our students well as learners because this is the work we spend much of our time on together, but the ways we get to see our students as leaders, as curious young adults with big questions, passionate interests, and developing understanding of themselves and their world is also an important part of knowing our students well. The process of watching someone grow and change over the course of their years in a school is both humbling and inspiring to me. I have been appreciating the way that each milestone in the progression of the school year and each new experience I have at Parker showcases and gives me another way to get to know our students as whole people, individually and collectively. Seeing the student leaders of the Youth Venture club introduce and facilitate the Q+A with our all-school speaker, Maria Milagros, on Wednesday is just one recent example. The students who bravely asked questions in the whole group or stayed to ask an individual question also demonstrated their interest in learning about and understanding the experiences of others and their puzzling through how the experiences of others might or might not resonate with their own. This isn’t the only example of course. I think about the Division 2 students and their Civic Action Projects. Some students shared about their work and learning in our all-school gathering last Friday—but everyone had to identify something that mattered to them, learn about the issue and the context, and then take some action to improve what they thought needed improvement. I can’t wait for you to be able to see this work from our students later this spring! These are two examples from this week—but there are many others. What do you learn about students when you see them in the school play? (Opening Night was amazing! There are additional performances tonight and Saturday at 7pm.) What do you learn about students when you see them coaching younger students about their choices in the hallway? What do you learn about students by watching them play a basketball game? I can definitively say that all of what I learn in these moments has led to new understanding and greater appreciation of both individuals and the Parker community. As we head into the final school week of 2025, I hope you have an opportunity to join us for at least one of the games, meets, plays, and presentations that happen at this time of year—and I hope you can see the magic of our students and your student/s as they grow and change right in front of our eyes each day. Best wishes, Bex

Weekly Information for December 5, 2025

By Cindy Johnson • December 5, 2025
Dear Parker Students, Families and Staff, Winter came very early this year. There is always something special about the first snow day of the year – a rare unscheduled day in our otherwise hectic lives. Thanks to our custodial crew of Sal, Greg and Ben for working hard through the day so that we could reopen safely on Wednesday. Calling a snow day or delayed opening can be tricky, as it was in this case. We monitor weather forecasts and assess the conditions on Devens and our neighboring communities. There may be some cases where a storm impacts some communities more than others. Because Parker students come from over forty cities and towns, it’s important for families to exercise personal judgement, based on local conditions, when deciding whether to travel to campus during inclement weather. If school is cancelled or delayed, we inform students and families using an automated text, email, local media, and our website. We will try to communicate by 6:00 AM. On delayed openings, school starts at 10:30 AM and all the classes are shortened. We heard that a few families received the email but not the text message announcing the cancelation early Tuesday morning. If you did not receive a text message, and you would like to receive future messages, please text YES to 79041. You must opt-in to receive these messages through BrightArrow. Next Wednesday, December 10th, we are delighted to welcome Maria Milagros to speak with Parker students and staff in an all-school meeting. She will share her story of transformative perseverance and deliver an empowering message to our students, “Transform your story, transform your life.” For more information, visit Maria’s website at https://www.mariamilagros.net/ . Following Maria’s presentation, advisors will lead an activity whereby students reflect on her message and express gratitude and affirmations. Thank you to Emilie Shannon and Youth Venture for sponsoring and hosting this important discussion. They have provided extraordinary leadership and voice in creating this program, one of the many ways that Youth Venture serves our community. We can’t wait for opening night of the Fall Show. Parker Theater is proud to present a double-header of Greek Tragedy: Governing Alice and Eurydice . The first play adapts Sophocles' Antigone and asks what happens when doing the right thing means breaking the rules. The second play adapts the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, a tragic story about music, words, love, and loss. There will be artwork, live music, tricycles, a house made of string, and busy, busy stones! Tickets are available at TicketStage - Parker Theater Tickets . Shows are on December 11th, 12th, and 13th at 7:00 PM. See you at the theater.  Brian

Weekly Information for November 21, 2025

By Cindy Johnson • November 22, 2025
Dear Parker Students, Families and Staff, We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. I had this quote on the whiteboard in my office several years ago, and every time I thought about erasing it and putting up different words of wisdom, someone would ask about it, refer to it, connect it to something they were doing or seeing or working on and I would decide to keep it up, feeling anew its pervasive relevance to the life of a school and the work of teaching and learning. I think what I appreciate about these words is that they acknowledge the connection between practice and performance, between the daily work we must do behind the bigger, public moments that showcase our work. Certainly, for our students these ideas are present in their classes with Parker’s emphasis on practice, feedback, and revision as the path to demonstrating mastery, but if you have ever trained at something—academic, athletic, musical, etc.—you likely know this relationship well from your own experience too. I admit I also find something a little unsatisfying about this quote in that it doesn’t seem to recognize the importance of celebration in this practice to performance loop. If we don’t take time to notice, acknowledge, and appreciate the work we do and the progress we make, we lose something important in the process. Research says not only should we celebrate the performances that go well, but we can stay motivated and make more progress when we pay attention to the places where our daily practice is demonstrating and contributing to growth. The importance of the practice-to-performance loop has been really clear in the close of the fall sports season and there are some notable athletic accomplishments to celebrate! Congratulations to Senior Emma Petricca who was selected to the 2025 Central MA Senior All-Star soccer team whose game will take place this Sunday (see additional info below). Last Saturday, the boys’ and girls’ cross-country teams wrapped up their seasons with impressive performances. The girls’ team finished 11th in the MIAA State Championships and the boys’ team won the MIAA State Championship! In addition to the team’s accomplishments, Parker senior Nathaniel Henshaw won the race and became the first individual champion in school history. Please join me in celebrating these students’ accomplishments—and take a moment to think about one of your own to celebrate too.  Wishing you a restful weekend, Bex