Mark Your Calendar
Tuesday, September 10 | School Committee Meeting (Beginning at 6PM)
Tuesday, September 17 | School Committee Meeting (Beginning at 6PM)
Wednesday, October 3 | Rosh Hashanah (No School & CPS Offices Closed)
Good evening CPS Community:
Last week marked the official start of the 2024-2025 school year. We welcomed all students including our first group of preschoolers through our Cambridge Preschool Program! Nothing compares to seeing our students back in our buildings, reconnecting with friends, and getting to know their teachers for the year ahead. I had the pleasure of greeting many of our students and families across schools.
Thank you to everyone who attended the Community Conversation event hosted in partnership with My Brother’s Keeper as well as our Community Fair on Saturday. Remaining connected with our families and community partners is essential to providing an enriching and meaningful educational experience that truly meets the needs of each student.
I hope you all continue to settle into your school year routines as our first full week of classes begins. If you have not yet filled out the annual forms through the CPS Family Portal, please do so as soon as possible as they were due last week.
In this Issue:
- Don’t Forget Annual Forms!
- Information for Families in the Event of a School Emergency
- Community Fair Fun
- Submit Ideas for Participatory Budgeting
- Ethiopian New Year
- Upcoming Events
- Community Resources
- The Bright Spot
David Murphy
Interim Superintendent
Need to Know News
Don’t Forget Annual Forms!
Annual forms were due last week. If you have not yet completed the forms, you can do so online through the CPS Family Portal.
Prefer a printable form?
Download printable annual forms here: (አማርኛ | عربي | বাংলা | Kreyòl ayisyen | Español).
Information for Families in the Event of a School Emergency
We strive to provide a safe and nurturing environment to support learning. The quick reference guide below provides important instructions if there is an emergency at your child’s school. We encourage you to keep this information quickly accessible.
Information for Families in the Event of a School Emergency
አማርኛ | | عريب | বাংলা | Kreyòl ayisyen | Español
Community Fair Fun
Thank you to all who came to the 2024 Community Fairs! Families were able to learn more about the organizations, services, and opportunities available within our community. Interim Superintendent Murphy and Mayor Simmons are grateful for the opportunity to start the school year off with community connection!
Track Your Child’s School Bus in Real Time
Families utilizing our school bus services are encouraged to download our Bus Tracker (App (Apple (IOS) Store | Google Play Store), which allows families to track the location of their child's school bus by GPS.
To register:
- Have your child’s Student ID number. (It is included in your annual forms packet and can be requested from the school)
- Click “Sign Up” to create a new account and follow the instructions.
- See the User Guide for more instructions and troubleshooting.
- Learn more about the Bus Tracker App on our Transportation webpage.
Submit Ideas for Participatory Budgeting
Planning for the 11th cycle of Participatory Budgeting has begun! The City of Cambridge is seeking ideas from the community on how to spend $1 million on projects to improve Cambridge.
- Deadline to Submit Ideas: October 1
Learn more about Participatory Budgeting and submit your project idea here.
Ethiopian New Year!
Ethiopian New Year, referred to as Enkutatash in Amharic, celebrates new beginnings to introduce the new year.
In the District
STEAM It Up!
Thursday, October 24 | 6-8PM
Rindge Avenue/ Peabody School (70 Rindge Avenue)
Explore STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) during our STEAM It Up event this fall. This Cambridge-wide event for preschoolers- 8th grade will feature fun STEAM events and free pizza! Save the date now!
Back-to-School Events
Each school has put together some details for their back-to-school events, check out the calendar and save-the-date for your child’s school celebrations!
See the calendar for school events here.
In the Community
Webinar: Social Media and Youth Mental Health: What You Need to Do
Tuesday, September 17 | 7-8PM
Increase your understanding of the impact of social media on mental health and learn how to best support children in building a healthy relationship with social media. Register today with Cartwheel.
Danehy Park Family Day
Saturday, September 21 | 11AM-3PM
Danehy Park (99 Sherman Street)
Enjoy activities, crafts, performances, and more during Danehy Park Family Day. Free fun for the whole family!
Cambridge Science Festival
September 23 - 29
Celebrate science during this city-wide Science Festival! With activities throughout the city, you will surely find something to explore. The festival will close with a Science Carnival on Sunday.
District & Community Resources
Community Conversation
Last week, Cambridge Public Schools collaborated with My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) to host a Community Conversation with Interim Superintendent David Murphy. MBK’s Tony Clark led the discussion. Together they discussed the success of the High School Extension Program, Mr. Murphy’s background, and even his shoes! Each year Mr. Murphy buys a new pair of shoes and sees how quickly they wear out to measure how much time he has spent out in our schools! A video recording will be available next week!
First Day of Cambridge Preschool Program
We welcomed the very first class of preschoolers through our
Cambridge Preschool Program (CPP) last Thursday. CPP offers free preschool for every 4-year-old and some 3-year-olds living in Cambridge through a streamlined application and matching process. WBZ News was there to capture the first day at our King Open School.
Watch the Cambridge Preschool Program feature here.
The online application for the 2025-2026 school year opens on October 1.