November 8, 2025

Weekly Information for November 7, 2025

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Dear Parker Students, Families and Staff,

As you know, the Ten Common Principles are at the heart of what we do as a school. The first of the Ten Common Principles is “Learning to use one’s mind well,” reminding us that we should prioritize fostering intellectual growth and critical thinking over teaching more “stuff.” If schools are designed to help students grow and develop their intellectual skills, it’s important that teachers have ways to talk to students not just about the final outcome or goal they are working toward, but also about their development and progress along the way.

 

Another of the common principles is the “Demonstration of Mastery” which prioritizes students showing that they can incorporate the skills they are learning and developing in the context of important, real-world tasks. These core beliefs and a deep commitment to engaging students in their own learning and growth inform the way we share and report student progress. We focus in these reports on both Habits of Learning and the level of mastery students demonstrate in the academic skill areas through their assessments and revisions. No one’s hard work and progress is reduced to a mathematical average. Teachers and advisors celebrate strengths and areas where they have seen growth, and they offer suggestions and next steps for continued learning.

 

On the afternoon of Wednesday, November 12, you will receive your student’s first progress report of the year via email (sent from Parker notifications). Resources to help you orient yourself and make sense of the report will be included. Students will have already seen the reports and spent time reading and reflecting on them with their Advisors on Wednesday afternoon. If you have any questions after receiving the reports, or speaking with your student about their reflection work, please do not hesitate to reach out to your student’s advisor or teachers directly with questions.

 

We appreciate your trust in us, your on-going collaboration, and the support you provide your students every day.

Thank you and have a restful weekend.


Bex

This week’s topics: 
  • AppleFest Thank you
  • TOYS for TOTS
  • Calendar Art – Last Call
  • Absences Around Thanksgiving
  • Ayer Police Department Trainings
  • Food Assistance for Families in Need
  • Dental Visit – Caring for Kids
  • Parker Ski & Snowboard Club
  • Part-time Kitchen Help
  • Athletics Schedule
  • Upcoming Dates of Note

AppleFest Thank you


Thank you to our seniors for hosting AppleFest today, a not-so-secret tradition with homemade apple crisp and a community gathering. We appreciate the Hatlevig family and Shelburne Farm in Stow for contributing the apples again this year! Thank you for bringing our community together as one.
TOYS for TOTS

Help Parker support this great cause by dropping off new, unwrapped toys in the TOYS for TOTS donation bin located in the Front Lobby of our school November 12th until December 10th. Please help us bring a ray of holiday joy to a child in need. The toys, books, and other gifts collected and distributed by Marines and volunteers to disadvantaged children offer them recognition, confidence and a positive memory for a lifetime. THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT! For more information, visit www.toysfortots.org.


Calendar Art – Last Call!

Reminder to submit student artwork for the 2026 Parker Calendar by November 10th. The calendar will be delivered before the holiday break and can be ordered here! Submit your artwork online here. Contact Katrina, Monique, or Sheila with any questions!


Absences Around Thanksgiving

If your student is extending Thanksgiving break, remember to contact the main office and let us know when your student(s) will be absent. The attendance line (978-772-3293, ext. 1) is available 24 hours a day and can be called any day/time which is before 9 AM of the affected day(s).


Ayer Police Department Trainings

The Ayer Police Department is conducting firearm training drills near the border of Ayer and Devens on the following dates:

  • Monday, November 10, 11 AM to 3 PM
  • Wednesday, November 12, 3:30 to 8:30 PM

We share this information so our community members in the area during these drills understand what they are hearing.


Food Assistance for Families in Need

We are currently collecting grocery store gift cards which can be distributed to families in our school community who are in need of food assistance. If you would like to donate a gift card, please drop it off at the main office. Additionally, a list of local organizations that provide food assistance is linked below if you wish to donate or volunteer at one of these agencies.


If you are in need of food assistance, please email or call Laurel Ronan (LRonan@theparkerschool.org), (978) 772-3293 x 111 to request gift card assistance. Additional resources for local food assistance are also available here.


Dental Visit - Caring for Kids

Students have an opportunity to receive dental care here at Parker School through the Caring for Kids program on Friday, November 21st. Please read about Caring for Kids HERE  and complete the documents by clicking HERE and return them to Nurse Lisa as soon as possible.


The dental program provides a dental examination, x-rays, fluoride treatment, sealants, and teeth cleaning. There is no direct cost to the patient. However, if the child has insurance, the insurance will be billed. If you have any questions, please email Lisa Zick at lzick@theparkerschool.org.


Parker Ski and Snowboard Club

Registration is open for Parker’s Ski and Snowboard Club! Click here for details and to register. Price increases after 12/1. Program begins 1/7. Chaperones are needed!


Part-time Kitchen Help

Parker’s kitchen is looking for someone to join their team. Please reach out to kitchen@theparkerschool.org if interested

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:
Tue - Nov 11 Veterans Day - NO SCHOOL
Thu - Nov 13 Board of Trustees
Fri - Nov 21 Caring for Kids Dental Visit
Sat - Nov 22 Parker 5k Fun Run
Wed - Nov 26 NOON Dismissal
Thu-Fri; Nov 27-28 Thanksgiving 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

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Copy of Weekly Information for November 9th, 2026

By Xalli Gordon-Chavez • November 6, 2026
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Weekly Information for October 30th, 2026

By Xalli Gordon-Chavez • November 2, 2026
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Weekly Information for October 26th, 2026

By Xalli Gordon-Chavez • October 26, 2026
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Weekly Information for October 16th, 2026

By Xalli Gordon-Chavez • October 20, 2026
Parker Weekly Family Email for Friday, October 16th, 2026 Dear Parker students, families and staff, There’s a “slow hobby” movement that seems to have reached a saturation point in my online media algorithms. Some examples of slow hobbies are knitting, gardening, and reading, but there are many others. At this point, I feel like I see references to this topic or the benefits of slow hobbies relatively routinely, and it got me thinking differently about the upsides of taking time and slowing down, something that is actually quite counter cultural in our fast moving, technology-oriented world. One thing I have learned through all this recent exposure to slow hobbies and their benefits is that there are actually two kinds of dopamine, a key reward chemical in our brains that relates to not only motivation but also aspects of our physical health such as sleep regulation or immune system functioning. There is fast dopamine and there is slow dopamine—and these slow hobbies release slow dopamine, which results in longer lasting, positive effects. To get these longer lasting results though, we have to be willing to put in some time and effort. We have to stick with something and sustain it. As students and advisors wrap up their work documenting Personal Learning Plan (PLP) goals and strategies after last week’s conferences, it occurred to me that this goal setting work is an exercise in slow dopamine release. Students take time to identify real things they want to work on throughout the year, and they develop clear plans and strategies. These goals have the potential to help shape a student’s focus and attention on not just what they are doing in school but how they are developing as a person and learner through that process. At the end of the year, being able to achieve a long-term goal like those our students have just spent time setting in their PLPs also helps release slow dopamine. Along with that, we hope focusing on and achieving these big goals will also help students discover some personal reward in their learning experiences and the accomplishments that can only happen over time. Best wishes for a restful weekend.  Bex

Weekly Information for October 9th, 2026

By Xalli Gordon-Chavez • October 9, 2026
Parker Weekly Family Email for Friday, October 9th, 2026 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. Why do Parker students write Personal Learning Plans and why do we dedicate one day in October and another in March to review PLPs with families? PLPs are an essential component of our personalized education, in direct partnership with families. PLPs provide a structured opportunity for students to develop the Habits of Learning – skills such as perseverance, organization and reflection. PLPs help students develop agency in their own learning, authoring their own goals and strategies that they personally embrace. Our mission is “to move the child to the center of the education process and to interrelate the several subjects of the curriculum in such a way as to enhance their meaning for the child” (Charter, October 1994). Thank you for helping us to do just that. We want to commend all the students and teachers who attended Nature’s Classroom this week. It was a tremendous opportunity for students to step outside their comfort zone and learn in a different setting. We are proud of you for embracing this opportunity. As Kalista and Matt wrote to Division 1 families upon their return, “we were really impressed by the resilience, good humor, and positive middle school energy our students demonstrated here.” Welcome home. Finally, thanks to teachers Anna, Alec, and Gale and students Lana, Lindsay, and Freddie for representing Parker at the CLEE Fall Meeting this week. They shared their work with educators from around the country, presenting our hands-on and reflective approach to learning. We appreciate the many ways that our students and teachers help to disseminate our work. We were recently rated by DESE as “exemplary” at dissemination, a responsibility of charter schools to serve as laboratories and share our learning with others. We are always proud to share our work and learn from others. Have a great weekend. Brian

Weekly Information for October 2nd, 2026

By Xalli Gordon-Chavez • October 5, 2026
Dear Parker Students, Families and Staff, Dear members of the Parker community, The start of something new often feels quite busy to me. Part of that is, I think, the very real number of logistics that need to be managed and the time it takes to get into a routine, and part of it is the emotion that comes with settling in—sometimes excitement, sometimes nervousness, sometimes other feelings—as we get used to how this new thing works and it moves toward familiar. This September has held true to that idea as we all settled into the new school year together and it has felt busy. This past Tuesday, we hosted three different events—Parker 101 for our new families, an event focused on explaining the way assessment and feedback works at Parker as well as how PLP conferences work; Support our Seniors Night, where families share a potluck dinner and hear about the important components of the Senior Project, Senior year, and the path to graduation; and Community Connections Night, where our Seniors share information about and gather resources from community members to support their year-long, individually-designed Senior Projects. In Parker 101, several of our students shared work from their Division 1 gateway portfolios and explained the assignment, what skills they worked to demonstrate, how the revision process works and what they learned by engaging in the work they did. They also talked about the Habits of Learning and how reflecting on their work and learning helped them to learn about themselves and grow. Some of our student presenters’ parents and guardians joined us as well to reflect on their own experiences as they have supported their students through learning at Parker, including helping new families understand how PLP conferences work and the important role families play in that process. As we closed out our Parker 101 session, families were invited to cross the hall and see what their students will be doing when they are seniors—designing a year-long, independent project that includes research, experiential learning, collaboration, developing a product, and presenting their work. I can’t think of a better way to explain what learning at Parker looks like than to let our students speak for themselves and show their real work. It was a gift to hear students reflecting on their learning in Div 1 and to see how all of the Skill Areas and Habits of Learning come together to help students work through their Senior Projects. We always hope that the pieces will come together in the end as we get things started, and this week reminded me not only that the pieces do come together quite nicely, but also of the many different ways they can do so here. That, I believe, is one of the strengths that help us as a school to support students as individual learners and that allows us to balance the Common Principles of goals applying to all students and personalization. Wishing you all the best as we move into October.  Bex