Dear CPS Community,
We want to say Ramadan Mubarak to all our Muslim students and families who celebrate the month-long holiday from the evening of April 12 through May 12. This April, CPS celebrates Autism Acceptance Month, and all the things that make each of us unique, includes our neurodiversity.
During next week’s April vacation, please stay vigilant against COVID-19, which means wearing a mask, washing hands, and staying socially distanced. Travel is still a high-risk activity and CPS strongly encourages that travelers closely follow the state travel advisory.
As we head into the final stretch of the school year, we want to make sure all families have the most updated school calendar for this spring, including no school days and updated early release days, when schools dismiss two hours early. Upper school families, please note there will be no school on Monday April 26 for a new staff planning.
Later this week, families will receive updated information about this year’s MCAS administration, which is required by federal and state law. We’re looking forward to welcoming back students to full-time, in-person learning at Upper Schools on April 28 and CRLS on May 10.
We have several updates to share. See below for more details on:
- April is Autism Acceptance Month
- CRLS Full-time In-Person Learning Begins May 10
- MCAS Update
- CPS Community Fairs Starting May 8
- Looking for Summer Opportunities? Resource Guides from the Agenda for Children
- Connect with other CPS Families - Sign Up for FamilyBook
- Interim Superintendent Search: Updates
- Remote Family Listening Sessions
- Community Spotlights
- Upcoming Meetings & Events
Sincerely,
Kenneth N. Salim, Ed.D.
Superintendent
1. April is Autism Acceptance Month! You may have previously heard April being referred to as Autism Awareness Month but Cambridge, along with many other stakeholders in the autism community, is committed to ensuring we are past awareness and are accepting and embracing our neurodiversity. We want to build an inclusive community where all members are valued for their gifts, and true inclusiveness cannot exist without acceptance. Read more >>
2. CRLS Full-time In-Person Learning Begins May 10
CRLS will transition to full-time, in-person learning on May 10. CRLS families have received information about the updated schedule. By April 20, families must submit their choice for students to attend fully in-person or fully remote learning for the remainder of the school year.
3. MCAS Update
Every spring, students across the state participate in the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS), which are tests that measure the degree to which students are learning the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks relative to the expectations for each grade level.
Last week, the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) informed school districts that schools will be able to offer a remote MCAS for grades 3–8 to accommodate families who chose to have their children learn remotely through the end of the school year.
Families of students in tested grades will receive detailed information later this week.
4. CPS Community Fairs Starting May 8: Save the date for the 2021 CPS Community Fairs, hosted by CPS and the Office of Mayor Siddiqui, including our kickoff May 8 outside Cambridge Street Upper School.
5. Looking for Summer Opportunities? Resource Guides from the Agenda for Children: To help families plan for summer 2021, the Cambridge Agenda for Children has published new guides to Middle School Summer Opportunities and Elementary School Summer Opportunities.
6. Connect with other CPS Families - Sign Up for FamilyBook: FamilyBook is a secure, online family directory for each CPS school. It provides contact information for the purpose of sharing information and building community. If you haven’t already, sign Up for the FamilyBook now!
7. Remote Family Listening Sessions: These meetings have been extremely beneficial so far. We’ve appreciated all the input from families. Register for upcoming sessions on April 14 - 6PM for families of remote learners in Grades 3 - 5 and 7PM for Amharic speakers.
8. Interim Superintendent Search: Updates
See the Interim Superintendent Search webpage for updates including candidate bios, videos from last week’s Virtual Candidate Forums, a form to provide your feedback to the School Committee, and next steps.
9. Community Spotlights
- Shout out to CRLS jazz instructor Guillermo Nojechowicz, who is spotlighted in Dig Boston. Read the article >>
- Special thank you to VLUS teacher Heba Abu (VLUS teacher) who has provided CPS educators with a resource on how to support students and colleagues during Ramadan.
- Congratulations to the winners of the 2021 Scholastic Awards
10. Upcoming Meetings & Events
- April 13 | 6PM: School Committee, Special Meeting: Vote of Adoption of the FY 2022 Superintendent Budget and a presentation on preliminary planning related to the Elementary and Secondary School Relief Funds
- April 14 | 6:30 PM: Information Session for CRLS Families about the May 10 expansion of in-person learning. Register here >>
- April 15 | 5:30PM: School Committee: Special Meeting for purposes of hearing public comment regarding interim superintendent candidates, and for the School Committee to discuss and vote next steps in the process.
- April 15 | 7PM: Cambridge Families of Asian Descent (CFAD) Meeting: Register for the Zoom link to attend. Questions? Email Tina Lieu, Nina Farouk, and Jenny Chung here.
- April 20 | CRLS families - Enrollment form due for May 10 expansion of in-person learning
- April 27 | 5PM: School Committee: Special Meeting for Interviewing finalist candidates for the position of Interim Superintendent of Schools and for the purpose of considering the appointment of the Interim Superintendent of Schools.
- April 28 | Upper Schools launch full-time, in-person learning
- May 4 | 6PM: School Committee: Regular Meeting
- May 10 | CRLS begins full-time, in-person learning
- May 19 | 10AM - 2PM: Together We RISE, A Virtual Conference for Allston, Brighton, and Cambridge High School Sophomores & Juniors, sponsored by the Harvard Ed Portal and the Harvard Public School Partnerships team. CRLS alum, Mohammed Uddin, CRLS ‘15, UMass Boston BA ‘19, MPA ‘20, will be a featured guest speaker.