September 7, 2025

Weekly Information for September 5, 2025

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Dear Parker Students, Families and Staff,

It is with great pride that I reflect on the first two weeks of our new school year. We all started new routines, embraced our new classes, and made new friends. Congratulations on a terrific launch!


Parker was founded on the belief we could do school differently, challenging students to use their minds well in a culture of decency and trust. It starts with knowing our students well, as learners and human beings. We believe that all students can succeed and thrive – and we provide the personalized support and encouragement that students need. Our students and staff work incredibly hard to meet these high standards.


As our founders Ted and Nancy Sizer wrote in The Students Are Watching, “What we need to consider and then to create is the kind of environment [that convinces young people that they] are in a place which believes in them – and from which they can, therefore, learn well and deeply.” Through the 10 Common Principles and their leadership as co-principals, Ted and Nancy set the standards for academic rigor, student engagement and community that define Parker today.


We are proud of all the ways that our students embrace and live these values every day at Parker. For example, our student Ambassadors and Peer Leaders came in over the summer to welcome and support new students and families. Their kindness and positive energy created a welcoming environment for our newest students. Many of these same students are serving as Peer Mentors to Division 1 advisories. They serve as role models, leading different games and facilitating discussions about school culture. They also run the Halloween party, Mirror Lake trip, Film Festival, and Field Day for Division 1.


Our Teaching Assistants (TAs) provide similar support within our academic classes. TAs in 7th Seminar, Spanish, Wellness, and MST provide wisdom, small group facilitation, and one-on-one support. They help set the tone for the class, model appropriate participation and collaboration skills, and make connections with individual students. For example, this week in 7th Seminar, our TAs helped students learn some of the technology that we use to communicate while reflecting on the importance of connecting with their teachers.


Finally, our Division 3 students served as leaders and role models during the first Super Advisory yesterday, leading their cross-divisional groups in activities to help build community and connection. They modeled taking risks and the importance of building community.


Thank you to everyone who makes Parker a special place to learn and grow up. Together, we are off to a great start!



Brian

This week’s topics: 
  • Back to School Night on September 18th
  • Join Community Congress!
  • Join the Parker Concert Band!
  • Surplus Furniture Available
  • Middle School Art Program in Groton
  • Technology Repair/Replacement Fees
  • Reminders for Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors!
  • Phone Free Reminders
  • Parker Life Reminders
  • Drop-off and Pick-up
  • MART Shuttle
  • Meal Information
  • Updated Carpool List
  • Athletics Schedule
  • Upcoming Dates of Note

Save the Date!

Back to School Night is Thursday, September 18th! Please plan to attend as you are able! Divisional orientations start at 6 PM and “classes” start at 7 PM! More details will be provided next week. Please Note: This event is for parents/guardians—not for students. We ask students to stay at home. If your child or children must join you, they must be always with you under your supervision. Thank you!


Join Community Congress!

Are you excited to influence the Parker community this year? Are you interested in student government? Do you want to have a voice in developing policies for the Student Handbook and deciding how to spend student funds? If so, you should join the Community Congress (CC)! The CC is the legislative branch of student government, and it meets during Community Block Electives on Fridays. Each Division elects 6 individuals to represent them – these 18 individuals (plus the 3 Moderators) are the ones who vote on policy/handbook proposals (such as updating how elections are run) and fund grant proposals (such as buying new furniture for the lobby, equipment for the volleyball club, and storage shed for theater materials). If you want to run for one of the 6 positions for your Division, you need to send an email or chat to Matt Smith (matt@theparkerschool.org) by Wednesday, September 10th. Speeches and elections for CC will happen before Friday, September 19th (the first meeting of Community Block Electives. If you want to be a part of the CC and be a part of conversations/debates, but not have voting power, you can still sign up for the Community Block Elective. If you have any questions about the CC, how to run, elections, etc., please contact Matt, Molly (mmcgillicuddy@theparkerschool.org) or one of the Moderators (Audrey Bonner, Delilah Goldberg, and Lana Hanyaloglu)!


Join the Parker Concert Band (a call to all brass, woodwind, and percussion players)!

Parker invites band instrument players from all grades, 7-12, to join our concert band. We hold band rehearsals after school on Tuesdays and Thursday from 3:30 to 4:30 PM. The band runs for the semester, culminating with a performance at Parker’s student-led coffeehouse, “Café Wednesday”. The activity fee for each semester is $100 and need-based assistance is available. If you have learned the basics of any band instrument, please join us this fall! No auditions are necessary: you just need to have learned the basics of playing your instrument. Need an instrument? Parker has the following instruments available for loan at no charge: trumpet, trombone, baritone (euphonium), French horn, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, flute, and clarinet. We also have concert drums for percussion players. Students who are interested should plan to come by our informational lunch meeting on Tuesday, September 9 in room 13 to learn more and sign up. If you can’t make the meeting, stop in to chat with Jim Desmond in room 13 or Marena Cole in room 43. Get your lunch first and then come join us! If you don’t know how to play a band instrument but still want to make music, consider joining the Parker Singers during community elective block. We meet about every other Friday to sing fun songs together. Signups will happen in the coming weeks.


Surplus Furniture Available

Parker received a generous donation of furniture over the summer from Penguin Solutions in Maynard. We are thrilled to have some updated office spaces. The result of this donation is a number of surplus desks. We would like to offer the desks to family and friends of Parker. The desks are outside on the left side of the building. Please feel free to stop by and take a look: (photos).  If you think you or someone you know could use them, please feel free to take one (or two, even) and give it a new home. We will be looking into other donation options next week. Contact Michelle McKenna mmckenna@theparkerschool.org with questions.


Middle School Art Program in Groton

In partnership with the Greater Lowell Community Foundation, the Prescott Community Center in Groton is excited to offer a unique program for middle school students: Me, Myself, and Art: Exploring One's Identity Through Art. Click here to find out more  Me, Myself & Art - Prescott Program.pdf


Technology Repair/Replacement Fees

Parker provides a variety of items (such as laptops and related technology, phone pouches, and IDs) to students each year. Students are responsible for maintaining and protecting these items. Loss or damage results in a fee being charged. Please see the Parker Technology Fee Schedule for more information about replacement and repair fees, should they become relevant for your child.


Reminders for Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors
  • PSAT will be Wednesday, October 22nd. Sign up with Jinnee by Friday, September 12th. See your email and Jinnee's bulletin board for more details. (November PACT info coming soon.)
  • You are invited to come to the NEACAC College Fair on Thursday, September 25th. See your email and Jinnee's bulletin board to sign up. The deadline to sign up is Friday, September 12th.
  • SATs will be Wednesday, October 22nd. ACTs will be October 28th. Sign up with Jinnee by Friday, September 12th. See your email and Jinnee's bulletin board for more details.


Phone Free Reminders

The following documents were shared in mid-August providing information about Parker’s phone free school day and are provided here as reminders:


Parker Life Reminders

Reminder School Begins at 8:30 AM. Please plan to get your children to school by 8:15 AM so they may be present in their advisories by 8:30 AM. Breakfast can be picked up in the cafeteria and taken to advisory. Students arriving between 7:30-8:00 AM should go to the library.


Parents/Guardians must notify the school office daily of any Late Arrivals, Absences, or Early Dismissals. Please let the office know of an absence before school starts using the Attendance Line, which is available 24 hours a day at 978-772-3293 x1. In the case of a prolonged absence, the student’s parents/guardians should notify the principal or designee in a timely manner. It is not acceptable for students to call themselves in late, absent, or dismiss themselves unless 18 years of age. Parents are notified when their child is not in attendance without any prior notification regarding the absence. Teachers take attendance in every class and notify the school office if any student is missing.


Students should be in a supervised space with an adult after school. Students who are not working with a teacher, participating in an adult-supervised after-school activity, or with a coach should go to the library or lobby. Students should be picked up no later than 4:30 PM on M, Tu, Th, F and 3:00 on Wed. There is no after-school supervision on noon dismissal days although some sports may have practice or games.


Drop-Off and Pick-Up Norms

Reminder the following practices will help reduce congestion and make drop-off and pick-up times flow more smoothly:

  1. Only TURN RIGHT out of the parking lot during peak traffic times
  2. Consider an off-peak pickup time with your student: 3:45 instead of 3:30, for example
  3. Drop-off and Pick-up students on Antietam Street and have students use stairs to access school
  4. Use the lot at P-5 across Jackson Road as a “cell phone lot” to standby until your student is ready or have them walk to you there

Please refer to this page for our Traffic Flow Plan.


MART Shuttle

Reminder MART offers shuttle service from select towns (currently Bolton, Lancaster, and Leominster) for $5 per ride or $150 per month. Students must be registered and prepaid with MART to ride, as cash-paid walk-ons are no longer permitted. To register, call 978-345-7711 and select Option 3. For questions, contact maria.maldonado@mrta.us.


Meal Information

Reminder one free breakfast and one free lunch per day are available to all students this year. Children enrolled at Parker are eligible for these free meals regardless of free and reduced status. Additional information and the current menu are available on the cafeteria page of our website.

 

Updated Carpool List

An updated carpool list will be available towards the beginning of October.

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:
Fri - Sep 12 Board of Trustees Retreat
Thu - Sep 18 Back To School Night
Tue - Sep 30 Support Our Seniors Potluck
Tue - Sep 30 Community Connections Night
Wed - Oct 8 School Photo Retake Day

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

By Cindy Johnson September 27, 2025
Dear Parker Students, Families and Staff, I’ve been thinking a lot about the idea of community lately—what shapes and supports it and why it matters. I think at its core, a community is more than a mere group of people. There is a degree of shared investment in a common purpose or a common value that brings communities together—and there is a willingness and commitment to doing work aligned to our shared purpose or values collectively that both grows from and contributes to community. These traits ideally contribute to a feeling of connection or even belonging that are at the heart of true community. There are many places where I get to see the ways that the people who inhabit Parker every day are building and shaping community. Earlier this week, for example, I spent two blocks with the senior class as they came together as a group to share their Senior Project Declarations—short summaries of what they plan to study for the year, who they will work with, and what they will create. There was a theme song. Each student took a turn sharing their work. Everyone else in the group listened respectfully and celebrated the work others shared. These students already know each other. They have worked together for years—in and out of the classroom—and still, this shared experience gave them an opportunity to learn even more about each other and to share a moment that was at once common and highly individual. This highlights one of the aspects of community that might be easily overlooked: genuine community is not an exercise in sameness, even though it is about something shared. Real community grows from an investment in creating connection across differences, learning together, supporting each other in doing challenging things. Next Tuesday, September 30, we are hosting several events (see details below) including Community Connections Night—which will give any member of the Parker community a chance to come learn about this year’s Senior Class Projects and offer resources and ideas to support the seniors’ ongoing work. We hope you will join us if you can and invest some of your own time and energy in both getting to know and contributing to our rich and vibrant school community. Best wishes, Bex
By Cindy Johnson September 19, 2025
Dear Parker Students, Families and Staff, It was great to see everyone at Back-to-School night last evening. Thank you for joining us and experiencing Parker as your child does. It was a positive and affirming night for all of us. Parker was founded in 1995 by local parents who wanted to do school differently. They imagined a school where their child was challenged to use their mind well, where they would be known deeply by their teachers in a community with a culture of decency and trust. We are proud to have lived that mission, in partnership with Parker families. We look forward to seeing you at PLP conferences on Friday, October 17th. Your child’s advisor will send details and an opportunity to sign up for a 30-minute session soon. Fall PLP conferences are an essential opportunity for the student to create their own learning goals for the year, with support from their family and advisor. These goals are often aligned to the Parker Habits of Learning including inquiry, organization, collaboration, reflection and perseverance. Students prepare their plans and prep for the meeting in Advisory across the next month. It is a productive and iterative process with meaningful results for our students. Thank you for your help. We appreciate the leadership of the Parker Parent and Caregiver Community (PPCC), founded two years ago to foster an involved and inclusive community. All families are welcome to join the Facebook group at Parker Parent and Caregiver Community | Facebook . Thank you to the PPCC for everything that they do to build and sustain our community, including the warm welcome you extended to new students and families across the spring and summer. We are all better for it. Please join us for a coffee with Bex on Wednesday, October 1st at 8:30 AM in Room 40. As our new Principal, Bex welcomes your perspective and feedback. Join us to say hi. Thank you for your partnership! Brian
By Cindy Johnson September 13, 2025
Dear Parker Students, Families and Staff, I love the start of a new school year—not just because the empty building comes back to life with the presence of the students, faculty, and families and not just because it is a chance for a new beginning—though I do appreciate those things. What I enjoy most about the start of the school year is the way it sets the important foundation for everything that comes next. The thing about foundations is that they are not particularly glamorous, they are rarely the star of the show. Not many of us notice the foundations of buildings we enter or live in—unless there are problems with them. A good, solid foundation does its job without calling attention to itself, and the foundational ideas and beliefs at the core of what we do and believe at Parker is what I am noticing and appreciating in the foundation building I see happening every day. Here at Parker, the Common Principles are the ideas that matter most to our foundation and the most important work in our classrooms, hallways, clubs, and teams is teaching, practicing, and holding ourselves accountable to the ways we live those out in the day to day work. What does that look like? It looks like extra time in advisory and divisional gatherings in these first few weeks, fostering relationship building with new teachers and new classmates. It looks like learning about the advisory routines for Academic Advising and Academic Block. It looks like reviewing and learning about divisional norms and expectations. When I think about how this translates to classrooms, I am struck by the foundation building in the classes that book-end a student’s academic experience at Parker—7th Seminar which introduces key concepts like the Habits of Learning* , self-advocacy, and the process of revision, and Senior Seminar which challenges students to apply all their Habits and Skills to a year-long independent project they design. Some of what we work really intentionally to build with our students across their years with us is the willingness to try hard things, the perseverance to keep going, and the ability to reflect and revise based on feedback. We intentionally revisit these foundations every year. We intentionally ask our students to apply them to new and more challenging tasks as they progress from division to division. We intentionally shift more and more of the work involved in these tasks to students so that they each build their own solid foundation. Like all good foundations, these might not feel like the most exciting or glamorous work we do. Certainly, big demonstrations of learning like Gateways and Senior Exhibitions get more fanfare—but what I want to celebrate and call to your attention is how every little thing we do now enables those “bigger” things later. So, as we wrap up our first five-day week of the school year, I invite you all to notice and appreciate the foundations you might see being built for the year ahead. Happy Friday and happy weekend! Bex *The eight habits of learning at Parker are Inquiry, Expression, Critical Thinking, Collaboration, Organization, Attentiveness, Involvement and Reflection.
By Cindy Johnson August 30, 2025
Dear Parker Students, Families and Staff, Welcome Back! We are delighted to be back to school, to welcome almost 100 new students and families, and to begin another school year together. Thank you to our Peer Leaders, PPCC and everyone on staff who helped to welcome new students and families to Parker. Everyone at Parker experienced changes this year, as we walked through the renovated walkway, welcomed our new Principal, Bex Wilucz, and adjusted to new schedules and routines. We are so proud of all our students for embracing these changes, for doing your best work and for being supportive of your classmates. Parker is an extraordinary place because of you! Thank you and congratulations for a terrific first week. We are all looking forward to another great year at Parker. Enjoy the long weekend. Brian
By Cindy Johnson June 14, 2025
Dear Parker Students, Families and Staff, Thank you for a great year! We are so proud of our students for your hard work and tremendous growth all year. Congratulations to all the students who Gatewayed over the past two weeks. Gateways are a public exhibition and celebration of learning for our students and our whole community. It is also a terrific way to end the year. We look forward to our last day of school – the Big End – on Monday. We welcome the Juniors back from their retreat and unveil the Essential Question for next year. It is a fun and aspirational way to transition. We also start the front walkway construction project later that day, to be finished in time for the start of school in August. The Main Office will be in Room 28 all summer. Have a great summer. Take advantage of the break to try something new, read a good book, work a summer job. We will be back together soon enough. Brian
By Cindy Johnson June 7, 2025
Dear Parker Students, Families and Staff, Congratulations to students in the Class of 2025. We are very proud of our Seniors! As I said on Wednesday night, graduation is a big deal for the graduates, their families and our school. 30 years ago, a small group of local families and educators were bold enough to imagine this little school, to draft a charter, find a building, and convince enough families and staff to give Parker a chance. From the very beginning, we put students at the center of all learning, challenged them to use their minds well in a community of decency and trust. 30 years later, we conferred diplomas to 56 exceptional young people in the Class of 2025. Congratulations to our students – to their families and their teachers – and to everyone who played a role over the last 30 years! Best of luck to all the students participating in Gateway presentations today and next week. This can be a stressful and exhilarating moment for our students, an authentic opportunity to reflect on their learning as they progress to the next level. Our students are focused and determined to do their best work – and then we celebrate their learning and success. It is a very meaningful way to end the year. We also look forward to Junior retreat and divisional trips next week and the Big End on Monday, June 16th. Summer vacation starts at Noon on June 16th. Thank you for your hard work, positive attitude and for supporting one another. We look forward to a strong end to a terrific year.  Brian