Monday, November 26, 2012

Monday Message

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. It is great to be back for the first full week of school in quite a while!

Picture Re-Take Day
Picture re-takes will be on Wednesday, December 5th.  Please send in the first round of pictures, if your child is having re-takes.

Caring School Community Buddy Launch
We are thrilled that we will be launching our Caring School Community cross-age buddies this week, on Thursday at 1:35 pm.  Every student in the school has a "buddy" in a different grade.  They will meet and do an activity together.  A successful cross-age buddies program benefits all students, strengthens relationships between teachers, and builds schoolwide community. Ask your student about their buddy!

International Night
The Lowell School will be hosting its first International Night on January 25th.  It will be an evening that celebrates the great diversity of our community.  We would like to have all of our community's nationalities represented.  A flier will be going home this week.  Please contact Deb Ortiz (ortiz60@hotmail.com)or Yolyett Hohmann (yolyett@gmail.com) if you are interested in hosting a table and/or bringing a dish to share.

Scholastic Book Fair
Lowell School is excited to bring back the Scholastic Book Fair!  Our goal is to excite children to read and to earn scholastic dollars for library books.  In the next few days a letter and book list will be sent home for the online portion of our fair.  If you can't make it out, please feel free to order online.  The online fair runs from 11/20-12/10/12 – once all orders are placed, books will be sent to the school and sent home.  There is a larger selection online.  
The fair will also include wish lists from your teachers to help update and improve their class libraries.  These will be at the live Fair in the Lowell Library.

The children will have an opportunity to preview the books during library and will bring home wish lists.  
Parents can purchase the books 12/10-12/14 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM in the school library.
12/14 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM – During the Winter Wonderland in the school library.

If you have any questions please contact Donna Tuccinardi dmtuccinardi2012@gmail.com

PTO Winter Wonderland 
The PTO will host a Winter Wonderland event on Friday December 14th from 6:00 - 8:00 PM at the Lowell School Gym.  More details to follow!


Monday, November 19, 2012

Monday Message

Some short announcements on a short week!

Early Release

Students will be dismissed at 12:00 pm on Wednesday. There will be no lunch served and there is no LEDP. Please be on time to pick up your students.

Picture Re-Take Day

Picture re-takes will happen on Wednesday, December 5th.


I wish you a happy and restful Thanksgiving!

Monday, November 12, 2012

Monday Message

I hope you are enjoying the beautiful weather today! There are some very important (and fun) events happening this week!

Grade 3 Parent Coffee
Parents of third graders are invited to a principal's coffee this Thursday at 8:30 am in the Lowell lounge.  A variety of topics will be covered.

PTO/Grade 5 Parent Meeting
There will be a meeting for grade 5 parents before the PTO meeting this Tuesday (November 13th) at 6:30 pm in the Lowell lounge.  The purpose of the meeting is to plan and discuss all grade 5 special events.  The PTO meeting will be at 7:00 pm.

School Site Council
There will be a presentation at this month's school site council meeting from The Family Dinner Project, a local non profit organization that the Lowell school is partnering with. Please join us at 7:00 pm on Thursday, November 15th at 7:00 pm in the Lowell lounge.

Spirit Day!
This Friday the PTO will be sponsoring a "Crazy Sock"  Spirit Day.  Also, Alyssa Carroll (fifth grade student) and her classmates have put together a hat day fundraiser to benefit victims of Hurricane Sandy and the American Red Cross.  Students may wear a hat to school for a donation to the Red Cross. More information is posted around the building.  We look forward to seeing some crazy socks and hats on Friday!

Watertown Walks Day
Everyone is invited to join Watertown Community Safe Routes to School and students across the district for a special walk/ride day to school THIS WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 14th.  This exciting event is organized annually by the Watertown Community Safe Routes to School Program. Watertown CSRTS encourages students to walk, ride a bicycle, or scooter to school. Parents who cannot walk the entire way with their children, are encouraged to walk for some part of their school trip by parking just a few blocks away from the school building and walking the rest of the way with their children.  Students who walk/ride to school will receive a sticker.

Thanksgiving Break
A reminder that Wednesday, November 21st will be a half day with dismissal at 12:00 pm (not 12:15 pm) and lunch will NOT be served to students.

Have a great week!

Monday, November 5, 2012

Monday Message

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

Sunday, November 4, 2012

PTO Happenings!


Upcoming PTO Events

Election Day Bake Sale-  Tuesday November 6th, 7:00 AM - 8:00 PM in the Lowell Gym.  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)

Along with our donated items from our own families we will be selling donated items from a few local bakeries 
Lakota Bakery in Arlington, truly some of the best cookies you will ever have.   http://www.lakotabakery.com/.  

Great Harvest Bread Company in Lexington Center has also offered to donate some of their delicious  fresh baked bread.  http://www.greatharvestcatering.com/index.html  

Please contact Nancy Iannetta,  our Lowell School PTO Secretary, to donate items at robnancy@comcast.net

Our Bake Sale will also feature a Tupperware display where 1/2 of all money earned that day from Tupperware Sales will be donated back to our Lowell School PTO.  

Patou Thai Dining Fundraiser - Wednesday November 7th, Come experience one of the Boston areas most talked about Thai restaurants.  Patou Thai uses only the freshest ingredients to create their delicious dishes and offers both vegan and gluten free menu items. Lots of healthy selections to choose from.

Dine anytime that day for lunch, dinner or choose Take-out and 15% of your purchase will be donated back to our school.  As an added bonus the purchase of gift cards will also count towards our fundraiser.  Gift cards make wonderful birthday and holiday gifts and convenient for future family visits.  Learn more about Patou including both their Lunch and Dinner Menu at http://www.patouthai.com/.  FLYER MUST BE PRESENTED WHEN ORDERING.


Jenny Boston Shopping Fundraiser - Wednesday November 14th, 7:00 - 9:00 PM,  Join us at Jenny Boston in Belmont’s Cushing Square for this exclusive Lowell School PTO Shopping Night.  Jenny Boston offers a fun selection of handbags, jewelry, scarfs, hair accessories and more, all at discounted prices.  This is a great opportunity to stock up on holiday gifts and to treat yourself to something special. http://jennyboston.com/shop/