Superintendent's Weekly Updates
March 22, 2024
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🎉 Scroll to read information and news from the school district, our individual schools, and information from our community partners! 🎉
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In this issue ...
- District Updates
- Extended Learning Updates
- Athletic Updates
- Early Learning Center Updates
- Berkowitz School Updates
- Hooks School Updates
- Kelly School Updates
- Sokolowski School Updates
- Morris H. Seigal Clark Ave. Updates
- Wright Academy Middle School Updates
- Chelsea High School Updates
- Updates from our Community Partners
DISTRICT UPDATES
District Art Show
Our District Art Show showcases the amazing talents of all our students! The show was open to the public at Williams School (yesterday and Saturday), where artwork from students representing all grade levels were on display. The pieces showcased a wide variety of techniques and skills.
Congratulations to all of our students who had their pieces featured, and thank you to our Visual Arts Department for organizing a wonderful event. The names, strengths and stories of our student artists were on display for all to see.
Dr. Abeyta had the opportunity to work with Geoffrey Canada and visit the Harlem Children's Zone this week!
CPS Rocks Their Socks
Chelsea Public Schools District & City Hall Staff celebrated World Down Syndrome Day by Rocking their Socks!
ELPAC Meeting
The ELPAC (English Language Parent Advisory Council) held their second meeting of the 23-24 school year last week. English Language Learner parents, teachers, family liaisons, and members of the MLE department met to share ideas about how to increase engagement with reading at home and identify what types of extracurricular programs parents would like more access to. More to come on a product we are creating together when we hold our third meeting in May!
National Crossing Guard Appreciation Day
Wednesday was National Crossing Guard Appreciation Day! We are so appreciative of the work they do to keep students safe while going to school. They develop relationships with students and families, and go above and beyond to ensure that students are safe each and every day. To all of our crossing guards, THANK YOU!
Student Volunteers Help with End Hunger Network Meal Kits
CPS students from across the district came together with the Chelsea & Medford Kiwanis Clubs to help fight & end food insecurity. Together they packed 10,000 meals, supplied food pantries, and food kitchens across Chelsea & Medford.
School Library Association Conference
The district Library Media Specialists spent two days at the Massachusetts School Library Association Conference this week. We connected and learned with colleagues from across the state and some of our partner organizations as we continue to ensure that we are providing the most relevant books, resources and programming for students to access in our school libraries.
Innovative Partnerships Increase Students’ Access to Mental Health Support at Chelsea Public Schools
As part of Chelsea Public Schools’ continued focus on supporting student mental health and well-being, CPS has become the first school district in Massachusetts to partner with both Alongside, an application that combines the power of artificial intelligence (AI) with clinician-developed chat scripts and modules to provide students with Tier 1 supports during school time, and Cartwheel Care, a virtual therapy, psychiatry, and wraparound support platform focused on Tier 2 and Tier 3 needs. Click here to read more, and contact your child's school
World BCBA Day
As we mark World Behavior Analysis Day on March 20th, we want to extend a big thank you to our dedicated BCBAs. Your expertise in behavior analysis is pivotal in guiding our students towards success, crafting supportive environments, and implementing effective strategies to enhance both learning and behavior. Your work empowers students, supports our staff, and contributes immeasurably to our community. Thank you for your tireless efforts and the positive impact you create every day.
Kindergarten Registration
Information on Kindergarten Registration for the 2024-25 school year is available for Chelsea families.
Kindergarten registrations for the 2024-2025 school year will take place at the Parent Information Center by appointment only.
To schedule an appointment, parents/guardians must come to the Parent Information Center with their identification and their child’s birth certificate between Monday, April 8 and Friday, April 19, 2024.
Visit our website at https://www.chelseaschools.com/Kindergarten-Registration, see the images below, or follow our Parent Information Center on Instagram for the latest details!
Middle School Information Night
Middle School Information Night is scheduled for Tuesday, April 9, at 5:30pm at the Clark Avenue Middle School! Our fourth grade families are invited to attend to learn about our CPS middle schools. Our Principals and school leaders will speak about each school, and will be available to answer any questions families have. We hope to see you there!
Calling All 8th Grade Families! Register for Ninth Grade at Chelsea High School on April 27
Registration for incoming ninth grade students at Chelsea High School (for the 2024-2025 school year) is on Saturday, April 27, 2024 from 8:30am-1:30pm at Chelsea High School. Attendance is required for current eighth grade students and their parents/guardians. At this event, students and families will:
- Register for their ninth grade classes at Chelsea High School.
- Have the opportunity to sign up for CHS sports and clubs as well as interact with various community partners.
- Learn about CHS, meet school leaders and meet school counselors
- Provide your most up-to-date contact information (phone numbers and email addresses) to ensure you stay informed about Chelsea High School.
If a family has any questions, please contact Transition Specialist Mark Martineau or your school's Family Liaison.
MCB Complex Welcomes Officer Robles
Chelsea Police Officer Jaime Robles will now serve as a School Resource Officer at the MCB Complex.
EXTENDED LEARNING UPDATES
CPS Chorus Students Star in Music Video!
Watch the music video ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️
On Thursday, our elementary students gathered in the music room at school to not only get a sneak-peek showing of the music video, they also connected with the students in the United Kingdom who starred alongside them! Students talked to each other over Zoom, sang with each other, and watched the video together.
CPD Officer Gives Back at February's Acceleration Academy
Chelsea Public Schools extends its gratitude to Officer Damian Strait of the Chelsea Police Department! On the final day of the academy, there was a plan for students to get pizza for lunch. Officer Strait heard of this and volunteered to buy the pizza himself! This incredible act of kindness fed over 80 kids at the Clark Avenue Middle School who had been working hard all week. Thank you Officer Damian for support our students!
ATHLETICS UPDATES
Spring Sports!
For more information reach out to athletics@chelseaschools.com
EARLY LEARNING CENTER UPDATES
Civics Learning Week
Ms. Fowler’s class was fortunate to have Ms. Lisa Santagate, one of Chelsea’s City Councilors, visit her classroom during MA Civics Learning Week and talk about her campaign and how she works with other stakeholders in the city promoting justice for all.
Lucky leprechauns of room 204!
Spring Parade
The students at the ELC celebrated the beginning of Spring with a parade around the school!
Mini Monet Artist
Students in Pre-K through 1st Grade at the ELC had their artwork on display at the District Art Show.
Rainbow STEM
Students in Ms. Jamie's class engaged in a rainbow STEM challenge to see how many pieces of gold their rainbow could hold!
Fun Friday
Students learn all about Italy!
BERKOWITZ SCHOOL UPDATES
Berkowitz Grade 2 Interview Event
Second grade students at the Berkowitz School have been learning about culture, traditions, and stories of immigration. One way they are learning about people's experiences is by conducting interviews. CPS staff and community members were invited in to share their stories of immigration with the students. Students prepared and asked questions to the guests. Using the information gathered from their interviews, the students will write an informational paragraph to share what they have learned about you or your family member. Thank you to the Berkowitz second grade team, and other members of the school community for planning this event!
Berkowitz Students at the District Art Show
We had a great turnout by Berkowitz students and their families at the reception for the District Art Exhibit yesterday at the Williams Community and Band Room.
HOOKS SCHOOL UPDATES
Celebrating World Down Syndrome Day
202 students and staff celebrated World Down Syndrome Day by rocking their socks in support and solidarity of students with Down Syndrome.
Ramadan Mubarak
This is the Ramadan display in the Hooks school lobby created by educators Elaf, Ilham, Rachida, Nadia, and Mounia. Ramadan Mubarak to all of the Muslim students and families that are celebrating this special month!
Classroom Visit
New Teacher Developer, Ayelia Ali has been visiting classrooms of her cohort members this week. Pictured is Hooks Elementary teacher, Jennilee Glasgow and Assistant Director of Multilingual Education, Alma Pezo with Ms. Glasgow's students. Students have been learning about reasons why people immigrate. Both Glasgow and Pezo shared their immigration stories to the class, while students were able to make real life connections to what they discussed during their social studies lessons. Thank you both for showing our students that our differences are what make us special!
Hooks Artists
The Artists at the Hooks Elementary School were on full display showcasing their talent at the District Wide Art Show!!
Hooks Today!
Volume 5 of the "Hooks Today" News Program features 4th grade students broadcasting the news on weather, interviews with staff and students and a segment where they talk about what they're learning in school. It's an exciting opportunity for students to practice their reading, public speaking skills, communication skills and much more, while they have fun doing it. We are soooo proud of their hard work!
KELLY SCHOOL UPDATES
Retelling Los Tres Cerditos!
Kelly 2nd graders are hard at work writing their own retelling of Los Tres Cerditos! Some of those stories have the three pigs living in Guatemala, having to deal with un zorro as well as un lobo, or teaming up with Red Riding Hood to counter the wolf!
Seal of Biliteracy
Dr. Carrero and Mrs. Pezo introduced Kelly 4-5-6th graders to the Seal of Biliteracy so they are on the path toward earning that prestigious honor in 8th grade and high school.
Cross-Linguistic Connections
Kelly teachers saw a strategy to build kids’ cross-linguistic connections modeled on a Wednesday morning, then planned when to do it themselves!
SOKOLOWSKI SCHOOL UPDATES
Celebrating World Down Syndrome Day
The Sokolowski School celebrated World Down Syndrome Day on March 21! Students and staff wore mismatched socks and did the 21 challenge by completing 3 different exercises 21 times! Last Friday at our School Meeting students learned about Down Syndrome from our Social Worker and two parents who all have children with Down Syndrome. Our Functional Academics Teacher read the book "You Are Enough" by Sofia Sanchez to the whole school.
MORRIS H. SEIGAL CLARK AVE. UPDATES
Tic-Tac-Toe
In art class with Mrs. Gilmartin, fifth grade students make tic-tac-toe boards while learning how to use clay. During their time at CAMS, students will complete progressively more complex clay projects. We love seeing students exploring the arts!
CAMS Book Fair
Get ready! The Scholastic Book Fair is coming our way (YAY!). Choosing their own books empowers kids and inspires them on their journey to becoming lifelong readers. AND—as always—every purchase at the Fair benefits our school.
April 1-5 the fair will be open before and after school as well as during class visits for students to come buy books. The Fair takes cash, check, or ewallet.
In the library! Come check it out!
There is also a link at the CAMS Book Fair Website where anyone can shop online at Scholastic and the purchases will directly benefit the CAMS library.
WRIGHT ACADEMY MIDDLE SCHOOL UPDATES
Family Math Night at the Wright Academy
Families, students, and educators dove into the world of numbers and fun with WSTA's Family Math Night!
From interactive games to exciting challenges, everyone had a chance to explore and enjoy the Magic of Math!
CHELSEA HIGH SCHOOL UPDATES
Teen Action Project CHS Spring Self-Care Fair
CHS students enjoyed a much-deserved mental health break at yesterday’s Self Care Event.
Music, fun, smiles, friendly competition, and positive vibes filled the school cafeteria. There were hands-on activities and resources.
A huge thank you to all the school and community partners who made the event possible.
And a special thank you to Teen Action Project for working on this project and engaging their peers: CHS Government Club, Youth Food Movement, REACH, and House 2 among others.
House 2 Assistant Principal , Mr. Reinoso Welcomes Casa Unida
Casa Unida's (House 2) purpose is to engage all CHS Students in promoting Culture, Collaboration within CHS and outside of CHS, Student Voice, planning activities, volunteering and so much more. To start their commitment they already helped in the Self Care Fair by hosting a table. Stay tuned for more as this is just the beginning. Casa Unida wishing you a great start. Thank you.
Scholarship Day at CHS
Many seniors completed scholarship applications along with the support of their school counselors and TRiO colleagues! Class of 2024 graduation is around the corner!!!!
CHS TRiO
CHS TRiO members participating in the TRiO STEM CLUB. Students had the opportunity to dismantle an iPhone 6 and compare it to a Raspberry Pi!
CHS TRiO members celebrating Women's History Month! Isra Bana and Marcaylla Louis Jean presented a piece in the library where they display photos of exemplary women from the past and present!
Youth Food Movement (YFM) students Updates
YFM students have been working hard.
They worked with GreenRoots Food Justice team to learn about growing food and worked together to grow cilantro.
YFM students also built a strong survey to share information about school food and to obtain feedback around school food from their peers. The survey opened up for all CHS students on Wednesday 3/20 and will close on the evening of Friday 3/22.
YFM participated at the CHS Self Care Fair to help students take the school food survey, enter the raffle, shared information about the YFM internship and shared popsicles with peers. We also took the opportunity to cuddle with some cute farm animals!
There is still time for students to take the survey and enter the raffle for a Nintendo Switch!
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/YFM_Cafeteria24
The raffle entry will pop up on screen after the survey is completed. Good luck!
Early College Students Visit the State House
Early College students from Chelsea High School visited the Massachusetts State House yesterday where they met CHS graduate and State Representative Judith Garcia!
CHS Spring Musical
The Chelsea High School Drama Club will be presenting their second production of the year, the Spring Musical, The Addams Family, by Marshall Brickman, Rick Elica, and Andrew Lippa. The show will go up April 4-6, in the CHS auditorium at 7pm. Ticket prices are $8 at the door, and $5 if purchased in advance.
Please contact the Drama Club advisor and director, Iliana Valentin, or producer, Bryan Pinales, with any questions:
We hope to see you there! Here is a list of students involved in the production you will be supporting should you attend:
Jeshua Calleja Guerra
Jayna Singer
Lissel Padilla
Determined Mendoza
Jamairys Rivera
Nina Reyes
Claudia Augspurg
Joslany Peters
Christopher Yax
Sofia Guerro
Alanna Taylor
Nallely Landaverde
Igor Oliveira
Samantha Lainez
Jennifer Lopez
Yuki Sanches
Cesar Aguilar
Katie Benitez
Elizabeth Mendoza
Holly Hatleberg
Jessly Barahona
Jaylannie Hunter
Michael Maldonado
Sophia Vasquez
Theresa Su
Read More About CHS!
Please see the link below for the CHS Family Newsletter for the week of 03/11/2024.
INFORMATION FROM OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Third Annual Chelsea Research Festival Returns to Chelsea High School
The Chelsea Research Festival returns to Chelsea High School this year! On Thursday, May 9, from 12:30-3:30, students from our district will be join by professional researchers to present findings on research projects about Chelsea and its residents. Visit the festival's website for more information.
Spring Egg Hunt - Saturday, March 23
Next Saturday is the Chelsea Recreation & Cultural Affairs Spring Egg Hunt at the Mary C. Burke Complex! There will be an egg hunt for kids ages 2-6 from 10:00-11:00am followed by another egg hunt for kids ages 7-10 from 11:00am-12:00pm.
Kids must be registered by this Wednesday to participate. Registration can happen in-person at the Williams School or online here: https://register.capturepoint.com/reg/cat_program_class_detail.cfm?s=&t=&season_id=32422&program_id=2151025&family_mbr_str=
Chelsea Black Community Coding Course
Students grades 8-11 are invited to join an introduction to computer programming topics & technologies during the April break.
Housing Families - Youth Service & Engagement Program (YSEP)
Sign up today for the Spring 2024 session of the Housing Families Youth Service & Engagement Program (YSEP)! YSEP is a free, educational and volunteer program for students in grades ~7-12.
The program runs for nine weeks on Zoom, every Sunday beginning on April 7 at 10:00am.
Ballet Classes with Chelsea Recreation
Young dancers twirl, skip and leap to fairytale themed music while exploring Ballet skills and techniques! Kids must be ages 3-10 to participate.
A parent must be present at each class.
Instructor: Victoria Raimondi, Mini Movers Studio
Location: Morris H. Seigal Clark Avenue School
Tuesdays April 2 - May 7
Chelsea Kiwanis Blood Drive
Kiwanis Cares is more than a “pitch”. Our Club is always proud to do all we can to show how #kiwaniscaresforkids
We are so excited to announce our partnership with our friends & neighbors at Metro Credit Union to jointly sponsor the Boston Children’s Hospital Bloodmobile for our first annual blood drive.
Join us April 23. Follow the link, call or scan the QR Code to signup.
bostonchildrens.org/halfpints
Use the code CHELSEAKC when signing up
Museum of Science Women's History Month Celebration
Women’s History Month, held throughout the United States every March since 1987, commemorates and encourages the study and observance of the vital role women have played throughout our history. On Saturday, March 23 and Sunday, March 24, the Museum of Science celebrates women’s contributions to science, culture, and society with a special weekend event that includes featured speakers, live presentations, activities, and more!
Boston University Upward Bound Math Science
Upward Bound is accepting applications for afterschool tutoring or mentoring. Deadline is April 15th.
La Colaborativa
Work with La Colaborativa this summer! We offer exciting jobs in diverse fields such as STEM, Community Organizing, Public Service, Education, Childcare, & more.
Solar Eclipse Viewing Party with Chelsea Public Library!
A total solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, completely blocking the face of the Sun, causing the sky to darken. While Massachusetts won't witness a total eclipse, Chelsea area residents are in for a treat as a partial eclipse unfolds in the afternoon sky. We will be experiencing a partial eclipse of about 93% totality (cloud coverage may impact visibility).
In partnership with STAR Net's SEAL Initiative the library has a limited number of solar eclipse glasses to give out for free.
Chelsea residents with a library card in good standing can obtain one pair of glasses per family, on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Parent's Night Out with Appolinaire Theatre
Our friends Apollinaire Play Lab have a "Parent's Night Out" event next Saturday from 5:00-8:00pm. Students are invited to a Spring themed night of games, crafts and snacks while parents enjoy a night out! This event is open for kids ages 6-16. No registration required.
Chelsea Recreation & Cultural Affairs - Spring 2024 Programs
Mark your calendar! Registration for spring programs with the Department of Chelsea Recreation & Cultural Affairs is available now! Click here for more information.
Chelsea Public Schools
Chelsea Public Schools is a gateway school system that welcomes and educates ALL students.
Email: superintendent@chelseaschools.com
Website: www.chelseaschools.com
Location: 500 Broadway, Chelsea, MA, USA
Phone: 617-466-4477
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChelseaPublicSchools
Twitter: @CPS_Chelsea