Monday Message

Thank you for coming to Back to School Night! It was a new format and I appreciate all of you coming, listening, and taking a part in your child's school experience. It was a busy week at the Lowell last week, with Back to School Night and the Ice Cream Social/Movie Night! My family enjoyed seeing so many of you at Faire on the Square on Saturday.

iParent
A letter went home on Friday that outlines the steps to follow so that you may have iParent access. iParent allows you to access your students attendance data and allows you to modify your child's biographical data and your contact information.  We need ALL parents to sign up for iParent! It is a useful tool that will follow your child through middle school and high school.  The letter you received contains your own child's ID number-which is necessary to sign up for iParent.  Please email me with any questions.

Sad News
It is with great sadness that I share the news of Joe Consolazio's passing. Joe was a beloved crossing guard at the Lowell school-he retired at the end of last year. 


PTO Updates

On Friday of this week, PTO will host a "Wear your favorite color to school" Spirit Day!

We are still accepting shoe donations in the main lobby!

Box Tops collected over the summer are due by Friday of this week. Please put Box Tops in a bag labeled with your name and grade in the Box Top box in the main lobby.

The PTO is having a fundraiser on Wednesday, October 3rd from 5-8pm at the Chateau. The flier can be found on the PTO website.

Lastly, Halloween costumes ordered online can benefit our school! More information on the PTO website.

http://teacherweb.com/MA/WatertownLowellElementary/ParentPortal/newsflash1.aspx

Have a great week!

Important updates

Some changes to upcoming event schedules:

-The Movie Night/Ice Cream Social will begin at 6:00 pm on Friday (NOT 5:00 pm).  Please remember to bring blankets (for sitting), flashlights, and bug spray. 

-Back to School Night schedule is as follows:

	PreK-2 Parents	3-5 Parents
6:30-6:45 pm	Presentation from Ms Kaplan (Gym)
6:45-7:15	Visit classrooms  (Students' classrooms)	Visit specialists (Café)
7:15-7:45	(K parents will have brief presentation in library from Project READ, and will visit specialists after) Visit specialists (Café)	Visit classrooms   Grade 4/5 parents will meet in the GYM.

Monday Message

It was so wonderful to see so many of you on Thursday at the Family Visit.  I look forward to seeing you again at Back to School Night this Thursday, September 20th at 6:30 pm.  The schedule for Back to School Night is as follows:

	PreK-2 Parents	3-5 Parents
6:30-6:45 pm	Presentation from Ms Kaplan (Gym)
6:45-7:15	Visit classrooms	Visit specialists (Café)
7:15-7:45	(K parents will have brief presentation in library from Project READ, and will visit specialists after) Visit specialists (Café)	Visit classrooms

Ice Cream Social and Movie Night

The PTO is sponsoring a movie night with ice cream this Friday night at 5:00 pm.  It is a free event and will be fun for parents and students!
Please bring blankets, bug spray, and flashlights as the movie will be shown on a large screen on the lawn at the front of the school. No dogs are allowed at this event.
If it rains, the event will be rescheduled

Dismissal Forms
Please return your students dismissal form to your student's teacher.  We may not dismiss your child to anyone who is NOT on the dismissal form. This means that if you call with the name of an adult that is not on the dismissal form, we may NOT dismiss your child to that adult.  Safety is of the utmost importance and any adult taking your child home MUST be on the dismissal plan.  You may add to the dismissal plan, but it must be done by the parent or guardian in person, in writing.

AUA Forms
Internet acceptable use agreement forms will also be sent home. Please return these forms to your student's teacher.

Student Absences
There is no absence hotline for parents to call.  If your student will be out sick, we will mark them absent, and you will receive an automated phone call confirming this absence.  There is no need to call the office the morning of your child's absence from school.

I hope you all enjoyed the weekend.  I will see you soon!

Updates!

Some quick updates:

School Site Council will not meet this week. The first meeting will be on Thursday, September 27th at 7:00 pm.


A reminder that the family visit is tomorrow at 8:15 am. Please wait outside of the Lowell until we let you in to visit classes!  Also, I am holding a new family coffee for families new to the Lowell this year at 8:45 am in the cafeteria.

I look forward to seeing you tomorrow!

Monday Message

This is my first Monday Message that is a blog entry! I will continue to send the email blasts when I have a message for the community, and will continue the phone calls for the next few weeks. It is my hope that ALL Lowell community members will subscribe to this blog, either by becoming a "follower" or by entering your email address at the top of the site.  If you have already done this-thank you and please spread the word!
 Here is what you need to know this week:

Family Visit

Our annual family visit will be this week on Thursday, September 13th at 8:15 am.  The family visit is a time where parents may be observers in their students classroom! We hope to see you this Thursday!

New Family Coffee

I would like to invite all parents new to the Lowell to a coffee held immediately after the family visit on Thursday, September 13th at 8:45 am in the Lowell cafeteria. It is a wonderful opportunity to have an orientation to the Lowell and meet other community members.  This event is for any one who is new to the Lowell-regardless the grade level.  I will be scheduling and publicizing my grade level principal coffees very soon.

Important From the Main Office

Please return your child's DISMISSAL PLAN to their classroom teacher by Wednesday, September 12th.  

Get Involved!

There are many ways for parents to get involved in their students school experience.  Parental involvement in school can have positive affects on student achievement.  There are many ways you can get involved here at the Lowell.

School Site Council

School Site Council begins this week.  The first meeting will be on Thursday, September 13th at 7:00 pm in the Lowell lounge.  A School site council is a decision making body that creates the school improvement plan.  It must be comprised of school administrators, parents, and teachers.   Subject to open meeting laws, agendas will be posted 48 hours before the meetings. As a parent, being a SSC member is a valuable and important experience.  Please let me know if you will be able to sit on site council this year.  It is an excellent way to be involved in making improvements to curriculum, instruction, and school culture.

PTO

The PTO fundraises and supports much of what goes on at the Lowell school! They also provide wonderful FREE family events.  The Movie Night and Ice Cream Social will be held on Friday, September 21st at 6:00 pm. The first PTO meeting is on Tuesday, September 18th at 7:00 pm in the Lowell library.  Please visit and sign up for updates from the PTO page.
http://teacherweb.com/MA/WatertownLowellElementary/ParentPortal/apt4.aspx

LCVP

The Lowell Community Volunteer Program matches parent and community volunteer members with various needs within the school.  Volunteer tasks include, but are not limited to: recess play facilitation, classroom assistance, and copying help.  More info from the LCVP to come!

Donate

Time to clean out your closets!  Shoes too small or from last season?? Donate your worn shoes (but wearable and paired) to the Lowell PTO Shoe Recycling Program.  Located right inside the main school doors you will find 2 boxes – drop off your shoes into the box and the PTO will earn $0.50 per lb.  Shoes only-no skates, hiking boots, or ski boots!

Stay in Touch

Please remember that my door is always open! Please feel free to email or call with any questions or concerns that  you may have.

Thank you,
Ms Kaplan

The First Day of School!

The first day of school is tomorrow, Thursday, September 6th.  Teachers and staff at the Lowell have been working hard to get ready for the arrival of students and families tomorrow.

A reminder that preK and Kindergarten students will be coming tomorrow for previously scheduled tours only.  You will receive information about arrival and dismissal while on your tour.

Also, as of this morning, there is still street work happening around the Lowell school.  There may be some small detours set up, so please allow a little extra time for drop off and pick up.

I am so excited to see all of you!