The student organization Project GreenPlate and a corporate chef partner have brought a vegan, gluten-free “kelp veggie bite” to the regular CRLS student menu.

There have been 21 meetings since educator contract negotiations began in October on a new three-year contract for roughly 1,100 teachers, assistant principals, deans and curriculum coordinators that will begin Sept. 1.

The Putnam Avenue Upper School and the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. elementary school experienced a “secure and hold” safety protocol Thursday due to a possible threat outside the school building. The alert was due to a likely hoax call.

Negotiations between the school district and union for a new contract appear to be the classic face-off across a table, but this time educators are drawing in the City of Cambridge as a third player, saying its strong financials should boost compensation. 

School improvement plan funds of $1.5 million may be spent on a broad range of initiatives, ranging from support staff to professional development, math programs to event catering, or consultants to books for summer reading – more than ever at a principal’s whim.

The Cambridge Community Iftar, the evening meal when Muslims break their fast after sunset during the holy month of Ramadan, drew a record crowd to the Cambridge Street Upper School on Wednesday. Ramadan is a period of introspection, communal prayer and reflection on the Quran.

This year’s Cambridge Public Schools budget process is a roller coaster ride, with intense community interest, deep dives by committee members into how funds are allocated and programs evaluated, and the district responding rapidly with new information and budget changes.

School district spending proposals are drawing more questions from School Committee members than in past years, but their publicly made requests for information about the fiscal year 2024 budget are unlikely to reach the public in time to influence budget decisions. 

Cambridge Public Schools and the School Committee set a high bar last week as they announced a process to rename the Vassal Lane Upper School.

Three protests against governments in Iran and China and limits on human rights and Taiwanese sovereignty converged Saturday in Harvard Square.