Dear CPS Community,

I hope you are settling into the routines a new school year brings. Our open houses at the elementary level were well attended last week; Our middle school (grades 5 and 6) and high school open houses also went well this week. It’s great to see parents and students engaging in-person once again following a very difficult 18 months of pandemic learning. I appreciate your efforts to provide COVID-19 vaccination status information and consent to participate in weekly pool testing and test and stay initiatives this year. Working together we will provide a healthy and safe learning environment for our students and staff as we return to more regular in-person learning.

Chelmsford will be celebrating the International Day of Peace tomorrow, Saturday, September 25, 2021, on the Town Common from 1:00 - 5:00 p.m. This event is being hosted by the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee. Each year, the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on the 21st of September. The United Nations declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples.

The theme of this year’s International Day of Peace is, “Recovering better for an equitable and sustainable world." In 2021, as we heal from the COVID-19 pandemic, we are inspired to think creatively and collectively about how to help everyone recover better, how to build resilience, and how to transform our world into one that is more equal, more just, equitable, inclusive, sustainable, and healthier. I encourage you to stop by tomorrow and participate in the planned activities.

COVID-19 Pool Testing will begin next week in our schools. All students and staff who provided consent prior to the close of school on Friday, September 24, 2021, are eligible to participate in our first week of testing. If you have not yet registered to participate in the free weekly COVID-19 Pool Testing initiative, you may still do so at any time by providing consent. Your child will be scheduled to begin the following week. Below is our testing schedule for the first week:

Tuesday, September 28, 2021:

Chelmsford High School

Parker Middle School

McCarthy Middle School

Byam Elementary School

Harrington Elementary School

Wednesday, September 29, 2021:

Center Elementary School

South Row Elementary School

CHIPs and Community Education Preschool Programs (Staff only)

Please review the links below for information on various programs and services offered by the Chelmsford Public Schools. I hope you have a nice weekend.

Yours truly,

Jay Lang, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

The district COVID dashboard represents the number of positive COVID-19 cases involving students and staff in the Chelmsford Public Schools during the reporting period specified.

Please note the following definitions:

1. Reported positive cases for students: Number of confirmed positive cases for students in our schools (excludes students not in the school building during the 48 hours prior to a confirmed positive case).
2. Reported positive cases for staff: Number of confirmed positive cases for staff members in our schools (excludes staff not in the school building during the 48 hours prior to a confirmed positive case).

A weekly report will be posted each Friday on our website.

• View complete athletics schedules here

• Wednesday, September 29th: CHS Puerto Rico Information Night (6:30-8 p.m.)

• Thursday, Sept. 30th: McCarthy Middle School Grs. 7-8 Curriculum Night - (6-7:30 p.m.)

• Thursday, Sept. 30: Parker Middle School Grs. 7-8 Curriculum Night - (6-7:30 p.m.)

The mission of the Chelmsford Public Schools is to educate, engage, prepare, and empower well-rounded and knowledgeable learners who PERSEVERE through challenges, demonstrate RESPECT and INTEGRITY in their words and actions, are DEDICATED to their community, and display EMPATHY as global citizens while discovering and pursuing their full potential.