Greer Gazette: May 15, 2023

Greer Gazette: May 15, 2023
Posted on 05/15/2023

Greetings CPS Community…


I hope you are enjoying this beautiful spring weather! The warm sunshine is a bright reminder that summer is just around the corner.


As we near the end of this school year, our schools are taking time to recognize the hard work of our scholars and educators through various celebrations and ceremonies. I invite you to join me in attending some of them to share how proud we are of their achievements, and that we are committed to supporting their academic and personal growth.


At tomorrow night’s School Committee meeting, the Multilingual Learner (MLL) Division will share an update on the services and supports available to our students. We invite you to attend in-person or stream the meeting to see MLL Director Beth Kershner’s presentation. Please note that after tomorrow, there are only two more Regular School Committee meetings left this school year.


Finally, a gentle reminder that this Wednesday, May 17th is an Early Release Day for Junior Kindergarten through 8th graders.


Thank you for your continued support.


Make it Great!


Dr. Victoria L. Greer



Headlines


Free Chat-Based Tutoring Available For Final Exams



A gentle reminder that all 5th through 12th grade students have access toPaper, a free chat-based tutoring servicethrough the end of this school year.


Paper provides:

  • 24/7 access to tutors and writing support in more than 200 subjects.

  • Available in English, Spanish, French, and Mandarin.

  • Expert review on any written work (essays, creative writing, poetry, lab reports, etc.)

  • Hundreds of resources and activities to help you best support your student(s) at home.

  • Interactive shows and activities to expand learning beyond the classroom.

  • Check out this quick overview.

  • Learn more about Paper and sign up for a free live webinar here.



Apply for an After School Program for Next School Year




Are you looking for an after school program for your child to participate in beginning this fall?


The city’s Department of Human Service Programs (DHSP) is accepting applications for the DHSP Afterschool Programs Lottery.


Childcare Afterschool Programs,

Community Schools Afterschool Programs

Junior Kindergarten - 5th Graders
King Open School students

Please note that all spots are filled through a lottery process.


CPS will continue to provide the same level of transportation services to the various DHSP and Community sites that were provided this school year.


City Charter Review Meeting


You can help improve representation, accountability, and public engagement in the City of Cambridge! The Cambridge Charter Review Committee wants to hear your ideas about how to improve city government.

  • When: Tomorrow, Tuesday, May 16| 5:30PM

  • Where:The Foundry (located at 101 Rogers Street)

  • Find more public gathering topics and times, share your ideas, and sign up for updates here.

  • Questions? Email Anna at [email protected]





CPS Hiring Corner

Cambridge Public Schools is seeking to hire talented education professionals for positions including Administrators, Teachers, Instructional Aides, and Substitutes for the 23-24 School Year! We look forward to recruiting and hiring excellent educators to join our school communities this fall!



Educators Awarded Full Scholarships to Pursue Secondary Education

Thirty talented teachers and paraprofessionals were chosen for our Educator Pathway Program, which celebrates, grows, and cultivates CPS educators. Each educator received a full scholarship to pursue secondary education in English as a Second Language at Lesley University or Special Education at Cambridge College.


This week, we’re introducing you to Graham and Parks Paraprofessional Samira Ouassaidi. Click on the questions below to hear Samira’s answers and on her name or picture to watch the full interview!





$22 Million City Program to Provide Monthly Cash Assistance




The city recently launched 
Rise Up Cambridgea multi-million dollar initiative to support families struggling financially. The $22 million program will provide$500 per month for 18 months to low-income families with children. Rise Up Cambridge is the only city-wide cash assistance program of its kind in the country.


To Qualify:

  • Households with at least one child age 21 or younger.

  • Households earning at or below 250 percent of the Federal Poverty Level.

  • Applications open Thursday, June 1!

  • To learn more, visit the City of Cambridge website.

  • Rise Up Cambridgeis being funded through the American Rescue Plan Act and a collaboration between the Office of Mayor Siddiqui, Cambridge Economic Opportunity Committee, and the Cambridge Community Foundation.

Featured Events


2023 Cambridge Citizenship Day



The City of Cambridge is offeringfree legal helpwith your citizenship application.

  • When: This Wednesday, May 17

  • Where: Sanofi (located at 450 Water Street)


To Qualify:

  • You must be at least 18 years old

  • You must be a legal permanent resident for 5 years or 3 years if married to a U.S. citizen




Cambridge-Somerville Asian Festival

In celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, a Traveling Exhibition of artists will be at the Cambridge-Somerville Asian Festival this weekend (May 19-20).


The event is hosted, in part, by Cambridge Families of Asian Descent with a grant from the Office of Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging. Part of the festival will include Cookies with the City Manager, Yi-An Huang.


2 Blocks Summit

The student-created 2 Blocks Summit: "Beyond the Classroom: The Impact of Experiential Learning," an OEIB Equity Collaborative Grant recipient, aims to address the underlying educational disparities in our schools and promote visionary learning.


Educators, students, community members, and local employers are invited to experience projects created by teens working with Innovators for Purpose, and discuss how experiential learning can be integrated into our classrooms.




Media Arts Film Festival

Join us as we celebrate the accomplishments of our Media Arts students with a screening of their video projects created throughout the 2022-2023 school year. Categories includejournalism, comedy, narrative, and media art.


  • When: Thursday, May 25 | 5:30PM

  • Where:MIT Museum Gambrill Center(located at 314 Main Street)

  • Contact Josh at [email protected] for free tickets.


Community Pride Day

LGBTQ+ community members and allies are invited to our 2nd annual Cambridge Community Pride Day at the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School.There will be:

  • A student panel, featuring guest speaker DiDi Delgado

  • Workshops for students in grades 6-12

  • Activities for parents, caregivers, and younger children, including a drag king storytime

  • When: Friday, June 2 | 3:30 - 6:30PM

  • Register and find more information on the event website.



Free Food Markets


All families are welcome to stop by our free, school-based food markets. They offer fresh fruits, vegetables, and pantry items. Please bring your own bags.


Markets this month:

  • Tomorrow, Tuesday, May 16

    • 1:30 - 3PM (Graham and Parks School)

  • Thursday, May 18

    • 3:15 - 4PM (Peabody School and Rindge Avenue Upper School)

  • Thursday, May 25

    • 3 - 4PM (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. School and Putnam Ave Upper School)

See the full list of free food markets here.



Celebrating School Lunch Hero Day

Students and teachers across our schools helped ourFood and Nutrition Services teamfeel the love on School Lunch Hero Day! On Friday, May 5th, they made kitchen staff banners, posters, and cards, sang songs of gratitude, and even took over serving the lunch line.


Our school lunch heroes deserve endless praise for all that they do, from dealing with staffing shortages and delivery problems, to cooking up some of the best school food in the country for our children. They make it look easy, especially on the days when it's not!



Students Achieve a State Seal of Biliteracy

We are delighted to share that two Cambridge Rindge and Latin (CRLS) students have been awarded a triple Seal of Biliteracy this year, which is an incredible achievement!Luna-Nefeli Valayannopoulos-Akrivou and Nicolas Valayannopoulos-Akrivoureceived the Massachusetts Seal of Biliteracy in Greek, Spanish and French. Luna-Nefeli and Nicolas are currently studying their fifth language, Chinese, at CRLS.


In 2022, just under 3% of Massachusetts graduates earned the State Seal of Biliteracy in one language other than English.At CRLS, 10-12% of graduates achieve the Seal each year.


Luna-Nefeli and Nicolas shared their thoughts on the achievement, writing,“Hello, Bonjour, Hola, Καλημερα!For as long as we can remember languages have always been around us. Born in Paris to Greek parents, we started mixing words from a young age. Moving to the US, we found ourselves crossing yet another language barrier. Nine years later, language is no longer a challenge that needs to be overcome, but rather, an opening to new cultures.For this we would of course like to warmly thank our language teachers at CRLS!”




Mark Your Calendar

Wednesday, May 17Early Release Day (JK-8 only)

Monday, May 29 | Memorial Day (No School & CPS Offices Closed)

Wednesday, June 7 | Early Release (JK-5 only)
Thursday, June 8 | CRLS Graduation
Monday, June 19 | Juneteenth (No School & CPS Offices Closed)

Thursday, June 22 | Last Day of School and Early Release for All Grades

 
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