October 17, 2025

Weekly Information for October 17, 2025

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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. PLPs are an essential component of our personalized education, in partnership with families, that defines Parker. Great day!


Congratulations to Seniors Elsa Achtem and Dylan Stark who were honored as Commended Students in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship program. This award is generally reserved for the top two percent of PSAT test takers each year. We are very proud of their success and contributions to Parker! Thank you, Elsa and Dylan.


We are nearing the end of the regular season for our Fall sports. We have had 120 student athletes participate, a record high. Congratulations to our Girls Soccer team for posting an 11-3 record. They continue to climb the state power rankings as they look forwards to the postseason tournament. Our Girls and Boys Cross Country teams continue to roll, both finishing the regular season undefeated at 10-0. The Boys team won the prestigious Twilight Invitational last week. We are looking forward to an exciting postseason. We would love to see Parker fans turn out in support!


Our Parker theatre is hard at work building sets, learning lines, rehearsing scenes for two exciting shows – Governing Alice and Eurydice – performed back-to-back on December 11-13. As profiled in our school newspaper, “The plays will be fun and tragic and silly! Please come if you enjoy catharsis!” Join us.


Have a great weekend.

Brian

This week’s topics: 
  • Model UN Information Session
  • Dental Visit – Caring for Kids
  • Parker Ski & Snowboard Club
  • Ayer Police Department Trainings
  • OneNote Links Reminder
  • 5K Fun Run
  • Offer Your Ideas for Senior Projects
  • Updated Carpool List
  • Athletics Schedule
  • Upcoming Dates of Note
Model UN Information Session

Is your child interested in global affairs, diplomacy, or international collaboration? We encourage students in grades 9-12 who want to learn more about Parker’s newly founded Model UN team to attend an information session on Monday, October 20th during lunch in Room 47. This year, we’re preparing to compete with students from Georgia— the country not the state. It’s a unique opportunity to meet and engage with international peers, while also learning how to debate and sharpen your diplomatic skills. Whether you have done model UN before or are just curious, please feel free to stop by. Any questions, email gbrummer@theparkerschool.org.


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 now 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!


Ayer Police Department Trainings

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

  • Friday, 10/17/25 3:00 to approximately 9:00 PM
  • Monday, 10/20/25 5:00 to 9:00 PM
  • Tuesday, 10/21/25 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM
  • Wednesday, 10/22/25 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM

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


OneNote Links Reminder

Reminder that links to student OneNote pages were sent via email to parents/guardians. The email itself has more information about what these links are for and how you might use them. You can also visit this section of the Parker website for more information about how we communicate with families about academic progress. The OneNote links are NOT the way to access daily homework/project due dates. That information comes from the Haldor app/website. More info on that app is available here.


Parker 5K Fun Run on November 22

Register now to be guaranteed a Fun Run t-shirt! This year’s 5K Fun Run will be held at Parker on Saturday, November 22, at 10 AM (rain date is 11/23). All ages are encouraged to run, walk, skip, or jump and there will be category-based prizes. Students cost $20 and others cost $30. All proceeds from the race benefit the school. To register or find out more, visit http://www.parker.school/funrun. If you’re willing to help, please email Monique at mbeganski@theparkerschool.org. Sponsors include Gourmet Donuts, City Music, Anytime Fitness, Endeavor Films, Play It Again Sports, Catania Cares, and Marx Running, Sterling Street Brewery, and Clover Road Brewing Company.


Class of 2026 Senior Projects—offer your ideas, resources, contacts!

Please help the Class of 2026 with their senior projects by suggesting ideas, resources, contacts or other helpful information that can push their projects forward. The link below allows you to view short videos where they describe their topic and has space for your input.

Parker Senior Project Community Connections: Share your ideas, resources, contacts!

Respond with ideas for a few seniors or all. Remember to click submit at the bottom of the form when you are done. And share the link with others! Thanks!


Updated Carpool List

A copy of the updated Carpool List may be picked up at the front office (hard copy only).

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 - Oct 22 SATs
Wed - Oct 22 PSATs
Tue - Oct 28 ACTs
Wed - Oct 29 Café Wednesday
Tue - Nov 11 Veterans Day - NO SCHOOL
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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Weekly Information for November 13th, 2026

By Cindy Johnson • November 13, 2026
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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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By Xalli Gordon-Chavez • October 20, 2026
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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