MCFF 2023, Parking, Safety, Cell Phones, and Other Important Information

What an exciting couple of weeks. Daylight Savings Time, variable amounts of snow in the area last week, early release (twice!), and the anticipated Multi-Cultural Food Festival. We made it through, and there is more sunlight each day which is always a good thing. 

We are looking forward to April, which seems like just a few days away, but first, we must celebrate the arrival of Spring.  Spring sports and activities, more sunshine, buds and blossoms, and, more importantly, longer days. These are just a few things on the horizon to look forward to.

Multi-Cultural Food Festival

We wanted to take a moment to say how wonderful the Multicultural Food Festival was last week. Bravo!

We were blown away by all of the various food and cultures that were represented at CCHS. It was amazing to see faculty, students, and families join together to celebrate and talk about their cultures while also sharing some of their most beloved foods. The performances were fantastic evening was had by all. Thank you, too, to the faculty and staff who both participated and attended this event. It was truly special to see our students representing their culture and sharing it with others.

We had over 80 students, families, and staff bring food in, as well as a dozen local restaurants.  We estimate that 700-750 people attended.

Thanks to the student leaders from Class Government, Faith Clark, Isatu Fofanah, and Lillie Soillis, for an incredible job planning the night.  Thank you to Green Team for handling all the waste, recycling, and composting, making this a green event; Peter Nichol would have been very proud.  And thank you to our custodial and kitchen staff for all their work!!

Here are some pictures from the evening.  Hope to see you at the MCFF 2024!

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Vandalism has no place at CCHS

Recently, there has been an increase in the vandalism and destruction of property here at CCHS. Specifically, vandalism is taking place in both the girls’ and boys' bathrooms. This behavior is unacceptable and results in the closure of the bathrooms.

Thanks to our gracious community, we are fortunate to learn in a $100 million state-of-the-art building. As a staff, we rave about our empathetic, kind, and respectful student body. These acts of vandalism are disappointing and run contrary to the values of our school and the typical actions of our students. Please do your part to take care of our school by picking up after yourselves when you eat and by being the amazing and thoughtful students you are. When this does not happen, it makes more work for our Building Service workers who already work so very hard to keep our school building clean. Let's do better. 

Please talk with your child about the importance of caring for our building. We encourage anyone with information related to the actions outlined above to report it to the administration.

Thank you for your assistance.

Parking/Traffic/Reckless Driving

Only students with parking passes are allowed to park on campus. Students must park between yellow lines only. White lines are for staff. Students should never park in Visitor Parking or on the grass at any time. All students must have a parking permit on their vehicle that is always visible. Again, as a reminder, only students with a parking permit are allowed to park on campus.

If a permit-holding student needs to drive a different vehicle to school, you must send an email with the vehicle make/model and license plate number to mainoffice@concordcarlisle.org. If you neglect this step, you risk being towed at your expense. For any questions regarding parking, please email Mr. Dapkas at jdapkas@concordcarlisle.org or call the Main Office at (978) 318-1400.

There has been an increase in incidents of recklessness on campus by both students and parents. Please be patient and mindful at pick-up and drop-off times. We are doing the best we can to manage traffic but there have been several instances of driving erratically and almost hitting pedestrians with vehicles. Student pick up and drop off are ONLY in front of the school, near the flag pole. The back of the school (cafeteria side) is reserved for school buses. As a reminder, in Massachusetts, it is illegal to pass when front and rear alternating flashing red signal lamps are flashing. We cannot stress this enough, please respect the safety of all students and staff, and adhere to traffic regulations.

As a reminder, students are NEVER allowed to park in the Beede Center. We are receiving reports of students parking in their lot frequently. This is not allowed and will be handled by their staff-possibly resulting in your car being towed at your expense. It is not fair for the members of the Beede, some of who are elderly, to have to park and walk farther away because students are parking in their spots. Let’s take care of others in our greater community. 

Cell Phones

Post the pandemic, we are tightening our expectations around cell phone access during class time. Cell phones have always been disruptive for students during the school day. This isn’t new. The ping of a text or buzz of a new Instagram post can derail learning. Often, the urge to check results in students leaving class for extended periods and missing important instruction (Labos, 2019). In addition to the distraction, research shows that cell phone use and social media can contribute negatively to mental health and poor sleep habits (Abi-Jaoude et al., 2020). This is exacerbated by unprecedented growth in use over the past two years. According to the 2021 Census conducted by Common Sense Media, media use among teens grew twice as much in the past two years than it did in the four years before the pandemic (The Common Sense Census: Media Use by Tweens and Teens, 2021, 2021).

(The Common Sense Census: Media Use by Tweens and Teens, 2021, 2021)

This is why our classrooms at CCHS are equipped with cell phone holders. Students will be required to place their cell phones in numbered slots when they enter their classrooms and collect them at the end of class. We believe that this will minimize distractions, increase engagement, and have a positive impact on learning. 

This doesn’t mean students will be completely denied cell phone access. According to PEW Research, most teens use cell phones just to pass the time, but it is still a complicated relationship (Schaeffer, K. 2019). In recognition of this, students will have access to their phones between class and during lunch. Thank you for your continued support on this.

​​References

Abi-Jaoude, E., Naylor, K. T., & Pignatiello, A. (2020). Smartphones, social media use, and youth mental health. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 192(6), E136–E141. https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.190434

Common Sense Media. (2022). The common sense census: Media use by tweens and teens, 2021 [Infographic]. In Common Sense Media. https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/research/report/2022-infographic-8-18-census-web-final-release_0.pdf

Labos, C. (2019, October 21). McGill University. Office for Science and Society. https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/health-technology/cell-phones-teens-and-mental-health

Schaeffer, K. (2019, August 23). Most U.S. teens who use cellphones do it to pass time, connect with others, learn new things. Pew Research Center; Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/08/23/most-u-s-teens-who-use-cellphones-do-it-to-pass-time-connect-with-others-learn-new-things/

The Common Sense Census: Media Use by Tweens and Teens, 2021. (2021). Common Sense Media. https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/the-common-sense-census-media-use-by-tweens-and-teens-2021

Safety

We ask that only students with a specific reason, such as athletics, after-school help, clubs/activities, meetings, homework, transportation, etc., remain in the building after dismissal. If students do not have a specific reason to be in the building, please exit at dismissal. This will assist CCHS staff, who monitor our building, to ensure the safety and security of anyone who remains. Thank you for your cooperation.

Important Dates to Remember:

March 30: Parent Speaker Series Event

March 31: Q3 Ends

April 17-21: Spring Break

April 24: Classes Resume

May 25: Class of 2023 Last Day of School

June 3: CCHS Graduation, 9:00 am

June 8: Transition Night

June 14: Last day of School

June 19: Juneteenth Holiday

Principals' Message to the Community

Dear CCHS Community,

As you are aware, Principal Michael Mastrullo has resigned from Concord Carlisle High School. We are extremely grateful for his leadership and thankful for his wisdom.  We have been fortunate to work alongside a Principal who shares the same core values that we believe. This vision will serve us well as we move forward. While we are sad that we will no longer work with Mike, we are proud of the work that the three of us accomplished together, and we will cherish the memories we have made as an administrative team. Mike’s leadership and partnership will have a lifelong impact on both of our lives, both personally and professionally. We wish him and his family the very best and will always keep them in our thoughts.

In addition, we are extremely grateful to Dr. Hunter, who has provided her unwavering support, guidance, and faith as we stepped into our Acting Co-Principalship. This past August, we held our breath, jumped in, and hoped for the best. We can say that although we were missing a huge part of our team, we have been able to persevere, collaborate, and accomplish great things as a school this academic year. We are honored that Dr. Hunter has chosen us to continue this journey and to lead the school as the first Co-Principals at CCHS.

As leaders, we believe, first and foremost, that we are here to serve our students and provide them with the best educational experience possible during their time at CCHS. Students should be given multiple opportunities to learn, thrive, make mistakes, experience a healthy struggle with academics, and learn the skills to become people who are eventually independent, resilient, and positive contributors to their communities.  While working to support students, we will also ensure the well-being of our staff and educators. Connection and relationships are at the heart of what we do, and we will strive tirelessly to create the conditions for all students and staff to feel a sense of inclusion and belonging.  Everyone deserves an equitable experience at CCHS, and we are committed to continuing the work to ensure this happens.  

We have worked hard to cultivate collaborative relationships with our educators, students, and their families. We look forward to strengthening these relationships in the future.  We share a commitment to ongoing improvement in our curriculum and instruction.  Furthermore, we will develop systems for deepening social-emotional learning and assisting with mental health challenges.  Our goal is that students achieve academic, social, and emotional growth while simultaneously experiencing happiness and joy during their years at Concord Carlisle High School.

In the coming weeks and months, we will work to develop a formal entry plan that we will share with the community.  To begin this process, we will host a Principals’ coffee for parents/guardians on Thursday, March 16, from 8:30 AM-9:30 AM in the CCHS Learning Commons. 

We are excited to work with each other and the entire CCHS community.  

If you have any questions, please reach out to us via email (bmiller@concordcarlisle.org and kstahl@concordcarlisle.org). We look forward to hearing from you.

With gratitude,

Brian Miller and Katie Stahl

Co-Principals

Concord Carlisle High School

A Sincere & Heartfelt Thank You

 All,

I write with mixed emotions after months of contemplation on my future as principal of CCHS. Recently I informed Dr. Hunter that I would not return as principal. I did not make this decision in haste, nor did it come easily. Considering my circumstances, contemplating whether or not to return weighed heavily on me for the entire school year.

Holding the position of principal of Concord Carlisle High School was a privilege and a job I held with pride. The job demands much from an individual, and it should, as we are educating and preparing kids to be their best selves, which will always be challenging and rewarding work.

If nothing else, my professional career has been less than traditional. At 47, I have spent 30% of my life as a high school administrator. As we all know, family is at the center of everything, and my circumstances require that I recalibrate my life personally and professionally. This decision comes with mixed emotions as I leave with great memories and relationships, but I am confident that I leave CCHS in the best of hands.

I have cherished my time at CCHS. I was embraced by teachers, staff, parents, and students from the very first day. I cannot say enough about the parent community. The support and care, the time and dedication parents consistently provide are equal parts remarkable and awe-inspiring.

I have said this many times during my 14-year tenure as principal, which spans three schools. The kids are the easiest and best part of this profession. The students of this school are remarkable in so many ways, not the least of which is their kindness and compassion. I will miss them. I do miss them.

To everyone, a sincere and heartfelt thank you for everything.  Hold a happy thought. 

My very best,

Michael J. Mastrullo