Mark Your Calendar
- Tuesday, January 21 | School Committee Meeting (Beginning at 6PM)
- Tuesday, February 4 | School Committee Meeting (Beginning at 6PM)
- Monday, February 17 - Friday, February 21 | February Break (No School & CPS Offices Closed on February 17)
- Wednesday, March 19 | Staff Professional Learning Day (No School)
Good evening CPS Community:
It was a pleasure connecting with families, staff, and community members during last week’s series of Community Budget meetings. On behalf of the district administration and the School Committee, we are greatly appreciative to those who have taken the time to engage with these sessions, ask questions, and provide feedback. There will be additional opportunities to engage in the budget process in the coming months. You can learn more about the budget process, access previous meeting materials, and review the community meeting schedule here.
As we look ahead, I want to remind you that the Kindergarten Lottery will close next Friday, January 31 at 4PM. All applications must be completed in full, including all language testing.
In this Issue:
- Planning for the 2025 -2026 Budget
- Kindergarten Lottery Closes Next Week
- CPS Website Improvement Team at the December Community Social
- State Financial Aid Application Open for Non-Citizens
- Need Help with Heating Bills? Apply for Fuel Assistance
- Upcoming Events
- District & Community Resources
- The Bright Spot
Sincerely,
David Murphy
Interim Superintendent
Need to Know News
Planning for the 2025-2026 Budget
Thank you to all who attended our Community Budget meetings last week. If you were unable to attend, you can access the budget presentation here (translations coming soon).
We look forward to continuing to work with CPS staff, parents, caregivers, and Cambridge community members to develop a budget inclusive of our shared priorities and operational responsibilities.
Tips for Understanding the Budget:
Review the Introduction to the Cambridge Public Schools Budget Presentation አማርኛ | عربي | বাংলা | Kreyòl Ayisyen | Español.
Review Interim Superintendent Murphy’s Proposed 2025-2026 Budget when it is available Wednesday, March 12.
Access more information about the budget process and community meeting schedule here.
Kindergarten Lottery Closes Next Week!
The Kindergarten Lottery for the 2025-2026 school year will be open through 4PM on Friday, January 31. All registrations must be fully completed, including all language testing to determine eligibility for Program Language Bonus points. To learn more, visit our website.
CPS Website Improvement Team at the December Community Social
As you may know, the district launched a Communications and Content survey last Spring to get feedback on communications, ParentSquare, and the CPS Website. As we continue to utilize data from the survey to improve communication platforms and practices, we have also started the formal process of updating the CPS district and school websites.
During the December Community Social, our Website Improvement team held a pop-up event to get feedback from families. More than 30 families joined us to share their ideas for how CPS can improve the accessibility, navigation, and content on the CPS websites.
By improving the website, we hope to create a better website experience for families that allows them to quickly and easily find information online so that they can make informed decisions about their child’s education and overall CPS journey. If you have any feedback on the CPS website, you can share your thoughts through this feedback form here. Questions are in English, Amharic, Arabic, Bengali, Haitian Creole, and Spanish.
State Financial Aid Application Open for Non-Citizens
The Massachusetts Application for State Financial Aid (MAFSA) is open! Non-U.S. citizens who have completed high school, and cannot apply to Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) are encouraged to apply.
MAFSA is financial aid offered by the state of Massachusetts to expand access to public and private higher educational institutions in Massachusetts only for eligible applicants.
Learn more about eligibility requirements and the MAFSA here.
Need Help with Heating Bills? Apply for Fuel Assistance
Colder weather means higher heating bills. The Cambridge Fuel Assistance Program is now accepting applications for the 2024-2025 season. The program helps residents pay their winter heating bills between November 1 and April 30.
Learn more about how to qualify and fill out the application here.
In the District
Save-the-Date: Community Social
Wednesday, February 26 | 5:30 - 7:30PM
Location: To Be Announced
Join CPS and our community partners for our February Community Social. Enjoy food, raffles, and take home some swag! Additional event details will be announced in the coming weeks.
District Calendar
In the Community
Financial Literacy Workshop
Thursday, January 23 | 6pm - 7:30PM
CRLS Library (459 Broadway Court)
Attend this Financial Literacy Workshop and take control of your finances with effective planning tips, gain tools to manage budgets, and plan for the future. Dinner and Childcare are provided.
Register here.
Virtual: Expressive Arts for Caregivers and Families
Tuesday, January 28 | 11AM
Riverside Community Care invites you to attend the latest event in their free winter educational workshop series. Discover how arts can be a tool for self-expression, stress relief, and family bonding.
Learn more and register here.
Frost Fit: Orienteering on the Esplanade
Monday, February 17 | 10AM - 1PM
Fiedler Field, Charles River Esplanade (Boston)
Join Navigation Games and the Esplanade Association for animal orienteering – a scavenger hunt to find animals while completing challenges to unlock the next checkpoint.
Learn more and register here
District & Community Resources
CRLS Chemistry Teacher Ms. Ariel Serkin Receives Presidential Award in Education
CRLS Chemistry teacher Ms. Ariel Serkin has been named a 2021 National Awardee for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching (PAEMST). Up to two awardees from each state and U.S. territory are granted this prestigious award each year. All awardees have been invited to attend a celebration in Washington, DC and will also receive $10,000 from the National Science Foundation.
Ms. Serkin has led workshops at the local, regional, and national level. She is continually exploring ways to leverage student discourse to improve learning using whiteboarding techniques. Mr. Serkin will present on this topic at the ChemEd conference in Golden, CO this summer after teaching a 2-week Chemistry Modeling Instruction (TM) workshop in Georgia and serving on the American Chemical Society High School Conceptual Exam Committee.
Join us in congratulating Ms. Serkin on this accomplishment! We are proud of Ms. Serkin’s dedication to continued excellence in education. Read more about the
PAEMST award here.
Players for Prevention Basketball Game
(Pictured above is Director of Athletics, Tom Arria and CRLS students, Parris Moses and Dante Howard. CRLS Club Sisters on the Runway decorated two empty chairs with purple covering, flowers, and statistics to honor and remember victims of gender based domestic violence)
Last week’s game against the Lincoln-Sudbury Boys Basketball team was no ordinary match. Weeks before the game, players on both teams took a class provided by Transition House, an organization focused on intervention and prevention of domestic violence. The theme of the game was “Players for Prevention”, together, more than 40 players took the course, leading up to a shared community pledge to take a stand against gender-based domestic violence. The pledge, shared awareness, and community involvement paired with the 54-50 win for CRLS made this night truly special.