It is going to be a very busy week at the Lowell!
A reminder that there will be no school for students on Tuesday, November 6th. There will be half days on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of this week for parent-teacher conferences. Dismissal is at 12:15 sharp on each of these days.
Please join us!
The Family Dinner Project, a non-profit organization based in Watertown, will be presenting at our next School Site Council meeting on Thursday, November 15th at 7:00 pm in the Lowell library. We would like many parents to attend this meeting as we will be partnering with The Family Dinner Project to run lunch groups for students and to put on Community Dinners for students and parents. The FDP's mission is to promote the great benefits of family meals. Their belief in the "magic" is grounded in research on the physical, mental, and emotional benefits of regular family meals. For more information, please visit their website at
www.thefamilydinnerproject.org.
Please join us on November 15th. Your family could be a part of this wonderful project!
Len Cabral Assembly
This Friday all students will have the pleasure of attending an assembly with Len Cabral. Len Cabral is an acclaimed storyteller and children's book author who has been visiting the Lowell for a few years now. It is always an amazing experience for our students (and teachers)!
Grade Three Parent Coffee
A reminder that I will be holding a principal's coffee on Thursday, November 15th at 8:30 am for parents of grade three students. Please email me with any questions or if you would like a specific topic covered at the coffee.
PTO Events
The PTO will be holding a bake sale during voting on Tuesday. My previous blog post outlines details of all important PTO updates, but we still need bakers for the bake sale! We are looking for lots more of our families to donate to our PTO Bake Sale and will appreciate any type of baked item you can make, whether it is something simple or one of your finest culinary creations. Baked items can be dropped off on either
Monday November 5th from 2:00 - 3:30 in the Teachers Lounge
or Tuesday November 6th, beginning at 7:00 AM in the Lowell Gym
(Please label any serving dishes that you need returned)
Our next PTO meeting is on Tuesday, November 13th at 7:00 pm in the Lowell lounge. We hope you can join us. The PTO supports the school, teachers, and students in so many ways!
Conferences
As we begin our fall parent-teacher conferences, I would like to share an article summary on how to make the most out of parent-teacher conferences. I hope you find it useful.
Getting
the Most Out of Parent Conferences
“Parent-teacher
conferences can be daunting,” says Marjorie Hancock, Kansas education
professor, parent, and former teacher. She offers parents these ten pointers
for making conferences more successful:
-
Arrive on time. This sends the message that the parents care.
-
Bring a written list of questions. “A lot of parents get nervous
because the teachers are the professionals and they get back into their car and
think ‘Why didn’t I ask that?’”
-
Realize that your child may act differently in school than at home;
be open to the teacher’s descriptions of your child’s behavior in school.
-
Don’t be defensive. It’s all about helping your child do better in
school.
-
Ask the teacher for examples of your child’s work to back up the
points the teacher is making.
-
Discuss specific strengths of your child as a learner; build on your
child’s strengths.
-
Ask the teacher for specific ways you can help at home.
-
Set 2-4 specific goals for your child in the next grading period.
-
Share what the teacher reports with your child. Better yet, have your
child be part of the conference.
-
Remember that, as a parent, you are the most important person in your
child’s life. Give your child a hug and reassurance after the conference. “The
bottom line is ‘I love you,’” says Hancock. “It’s almost a team approach to
success.”
“Getting
the Most Out of Parent Conferences” in PEN Weekly NewsBlast, Sept. 30, 2004. See http://www.click2houston.com/education/3767252/detail.html
