Monday Message 12/22

Happy Holidays Lowell Families,

We have a very short week and then school will be closed until January 5th.  I hope families have a happy and relaxing break.  I know that students and teachers will return to school refreshed and ready to take on new challenges in the new year.

I want to thank all of the parents that have been involved in the Lowell School community during the first part of the year.  The Lowell School is lucky to have parents that support our efforts.  If you have not become involved please consider volunteering or supporting the PTO to keep the Lowell Community strong.

PTO
The next PTO meeting is Tuesday, January 13th,  2015 @ 7:00.

International Night is on Friday, January 30th

Have a great break!

Ms. Donovan

Monday Message 12/15

Good Morning Lowell Families,

Thank you to all of the PTO volunteers who helped to make the Book Fair and Winter Wonderland a big success.  The book fair helps to provide books for our classrooms.  The teachers greatly appreciate all of the effort that goes into this event.

Food Drive
December 15th-17th the PTO is helping to collect food for the St. Patrick- St. Vincent de Paul's Food Pantry.  Boxes are in the front hallway.  Please see the attached flyer for information.

This week:

Monday, December 15th Evening Conferences

Tuesday, December 16th  NO SITE-COUNCIL
(Tuesday is the first evening of Chanuka.  We will meet in January)

Thursday, December 18th 5:30 Chorus Holiday Sing-A-Long at Watertown Middle School

Friday, December 19th at 1:20 pm Holiday Concert in the Lowell Gym

Have a great week!

Ms. Donovan

Monday Message 12/8

Good Morning Lowell Families,

Most of you have probably heard the news that Ms. Kaplan's leave has been extended until the end of the school year.  I feel very lucky to have the opportunity to continue working at the Lowell School for the rest of the year.  It has been a wonderful experience for me getting to know the many different aspects of the Lowell School community.  I am looking forward to continuing my work with students, teachers and parents.

It will be a very busy week at the Lowell School with early release days, conferences, the book fair and finally Winter Wonderland.  Parent conferences are an important opportunity for teachers and parents to come together and share information about students.  Report cards will be handed out at conferences.  Conferences are scheduled one after another.  Please be on time and respect the limits of your appointment time.

Early Release Conference Schedule
Monday 12/8 12:15 Dismissal
Tuesday 12/9 12:15 Dismissal
Wednesday 12/10 12:15 Dismissal
Thursday 12/11 12:15 Dismissal
Friday 12/12 Full Day

Book Fair Schedule
During each class's Library period this week students will visit the book fair to create wish lists.  Students will not be able to purchase books during school hours.  During the following schedule of shopping hours, volunteers from the PTO will be staffing the book fair so that families can purchase books.

Monday 12/8 12:00- 1:30
Tuesday 12/9 12:00- 1:30
Wednesday 12/10 12:00-1:30  and 5:00-6:00
Thursday 12/11 12:00-1:30
Friday 12/12 2:00-3:00 and 6:00 - 8:00

Spare Change and Pajama Day
Thursday, December 11th is pajama day.  A PTO volunteer will be at the main entrance collecting spare change.  The change will be used to purchase books for Lowell Teachers.  Here is the flyer.

Winter Wonderland
Friday, December 12th from 6:30 to 8:00 is Winter Wonderland.  The book fair will be open.  There will be a DJ in the gym.

PTO Meeting
Tuesday, December 9th is the PTO meeting.  We will meet in the Lowell Teacher's room.

Homework Club
There is no homework club this week due to parent conferences.  I will send out the sign-up for next week on Thursday, December 11th.

Have a great week!

Ms. Donovan

Monday Message 12/1

Good Morning Lowell Families,

I hope everyone had a relaxing and rejuvenating holiday.  I can't believe we are already in December.  This time of year is very busy for teachers, parents and students.  There is a long list of announcements for upcoming events.  We look forward to seeing parents at conferences starting next week to discuss how students are doing in the classrooms.

Conferences and Early Release
Parent conferences begin next week on Monday, December 8th.  There are four early release days next week, the 8th-11th.  Friday, December 12th is a full day.  Dismissal on early release days is 12:15.

Picture Retakes:
This Wednesday, December 3rd is Picture Retake Day.  Any students that wish to have pictures retaken can do so in the morning.  Envelopes are available in the front entranceway.

Spirit Day: Snowflakes
This Friday, December 5th is a Lowell School Spirit Day.  We will make it snow!  Each student should bring a paper snowflake.   The snowflakes will be collected and used to decorate for Winterfest.

Book Fair
The book fair is next week.
Book Fair dates: December 8-December 12
Shopping hours: 12/8-12/11 12-1:30
                           12/10 5-6
                           12/12 2-3 and 6-8.
Book Fair Flyer
You can also shop online for the book fair:  Online Shopping Link

Volunteers are needed for the Book Fair and for Winterfest.  Please sign-up to help by contacting Nikki (niccole_e@yahoo.com) or Donna (dmtuccinardi2012@gmail.com)

Homework Club Grades 3-5:
Homework club for students in grades 3-5 will begin this Thursday.  Homework Club will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:30- 3:30.  A sign-up form will be emailed out on Tuesday morning for this week.  Normally the form will go out on Thursday afternoons for the following week.  Homework club is free and available on a first-come, first-serve basis.  You will receive an email confirmation each week to let you know whether your child has a spot for the following week.

Have a great week!

Ms. Donovan

Monday Message 11/24

Good Evening Lowell Families,

The students at the Lowell School participated in their first activity today with a buddy class.  It was great to walk around and see older and younger students participating in cooperative activities.  I am thankful for the wonderful teachers who worked to plan today's buddy meetings.  The buddy classes will meet once a month throughout the rest of the school year.

Reminder: Wednesday, November 26th is an early release day.  Students are dismissed at 12:00 and there is no extended day programming.  There is no school on Thursday or Friday for the Thanksgiving holiday.

I hope families have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.  Have a restful few days and enjoy the time with family and friends.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Ms. Donovan

Monday Message 11/17/14

Good Morning Lowell Families,

Our month-long focus on Kindness at the Lowell School coincides with World Kindness Day from Random Acts of Kindness.org.  The site has some great ideas of different ways to promote kindness.  At the Lowell School we are getting started with our "Buddy" classrooms.  Each classroom is paired with another class from a different grade level.  The classes will get together once a month to participate in buddy activities.  These activities are great opportunities for students to demonstrate kindness and cooperation.

This Week:
Tuesday, November 18th Lowell School Site Council 7:00 in the Lowell Library

Conference Appointments will go home on Thursday, November 20th.  Please return them to classroom teachers.

Winter Weather:  Classes go out to recess even in the cold.  Students will not be kept in from recess.  Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather.

PTO News
Wednesday, November 19th is a fundraiser for the Lowell School at Patou in Belmont.  Eat delicious Thai food and the Lowell School will benefit.  Click here to print the Patou Flyer.

Friday, November 21st is Spirit Day.  The theme of the November spirit day is Hat Day.

The Box Tops contest continues until the Thanksgiving break.  Keep sending in your box tops.

Have a great week!

Ms. Donovan

Monday Message 11/10

Good Afternoon Lowell Families,

Today we had our 3rd whole school assembly.  The assembly was focused on the theme of Kindness.  The students participated in a game show called, "Are You Kinder Than a Lowell Leopard!"  We talked about how kindness is thinking about the other person and treating them the way you would like to be treated.  Teachers will be looking to pass out Kindness Coupons to students they see demonstrating kindness.

PTO
Wednesday, November 12th there is a PTO meeting at 7:00 at the Lowell School.

Box Tops
We are in the middle of our fall Box Tops contest.  The contest ends November 26th and the winning class gets a pizza party.  Please send in those box tops!

No School
Tomorrow, November 11th is Veteran's Day.  There is no school.

Have a great week!

Ms. Donovan

Monday Message 11/3

Good Morning Lowell Families,

You may have read the articles about the Watertown Public Schools receiving almost 1 million dollars for one-time curriculum purchases.  As part of this money the Lowell School has new a new Smart Board in the Library, and many new curriculum resources including materials for teaching math, science, and writing.  The Lowell School is also getting new literacy intervention resources, new books for the leveled book room and new k-2 science materials.  Tomorrow during the professional development workshops many teachers are attending sessions on the new Math in Focus materials or Empowering Writers.  These sessions help teachers to understand the content and strategies of the new programs but, they are also working sessions in which teachers collaborate to plan the lessons they will deliver in the classroom.

Reminder: Tomorrow is Election Day, NO SCHOOL for students.

Have a great week!

Ms. Donovan

Monday Message 10/27

Good Afternoon Lowell Families,

I have been observing in classrooms and seeing some amazing lessons.  The students are working hard in reading, writing, math, science and social studies.  I have seen kindergarteners doing science writing about pumpkins.  Our first graders are painting gorgeous skies and learning to write vivid descriptions.  Some of our fifth graders spent time in the Lowell Learning Garden using their five senses to make descriptive poems.  Students are earning cooperation coupons for working well with their classmates.

Before School Activities
Ms. Loguidice and Ms. Donahue invite students in grades 3-5 to join the Lowell Before School Program. Activities will run from 7:30 to 8:15 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday starting the week of November 3rd.  Please check the flyer for more information.  Lowell Before School
PTO
The PTO would like to thank all of the volunteers for their work at the Harvest Fest last Thursday.  Thank you also to all of the families that attended the event.  If you wish to share photographs from Harvest Fest please go to the Lowell PTO Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lowell-School-PTO/101654219909103

Tuesday, November 4th
Just a reminder that Tuesday, November 4th, Election Day is a professional development day for teachers.  There will be no school for students.

Have a great week!

Ms. Donovan

Monday Message 10/20

Good Morning Lowell Families,

Our month long focus on cooperation continues.  Classrooms are continuing to recognize students for their efforts at teamwork and collaboration.  Ms. Knight has been working with 4th and 5th grade classes on promoting friendships, how to approach diversity and differences, and ways to prevent bullying in our school.  Please check out the links to her lessons on her Lowell Guidance Blog.

PTO
Harvest Fest- The PTO is still looking for cooperative volunteers to help out with the Harvest Fest.  Harvest Fest is this Thursday, October 23rd from 6:30 to 8:30.  Volunteers are needed at the food table, and for other events such as face painting.  Please sign-up to volunteer at the PTO table by the front entrance.

Chateau Fundraiser:  On Wednesday, October 22nd bring a fundraiser ticket to the Chateau Restaurant in Waltham and 20% of your bill will go to the Lowell PTO.  Here is a link to the flyer: Chateau Fundraiser.  Flyers are also available on the PTO table by the main entrance.

Spirit Day: Friday, October 24th is Spirit Day.  Wear orange and black to celebrate the harvest season.

Schedule for the week:
Tuesday, October 21st, Site Council 7:00pm in the Library
Wednesday, October 22nd, PTO Chateau Fundraiser, Waltham 11:15am to close
Thursday, October 23rd, Harvest Fest, 6:30 to 8:30pm in the Lowell Gym and Cafeteria
Friday, October 24th, Parent Coffee 8:20am in the Cafeteria - Grade 5 Parents
Friday, October 24th, Spirit Day- Wear orange and black.

Picture Day
Last Thursday was Picture Day.  If you would still like to order pictures you can order online at coffeepond.com.  We will have a retake day on Wednesday, December 3rd.

Have a great week!

Ms. Donovan

Monday (Tuesday) Message 10/14

Good Morning Lowell Families,

I hope families had a relaxing long weekend.  Today teachers and instructional assistants are busy in professional development classes.  We will see everyone back tomorrow morning for a short school week.

Evacuation Drill

On Friday, October 10^th, the Lowell School had a scheduled evacuation drill.  The teachers and students exited the building and proceeded to the Department of Public Works on Orchard Street.  Completing fire and evacuation drills are an important part of school safety and preparedness.  The students were respectful and responsible during the drill.  The drill was complete in under thirty minutes and the students returned to a regular school day.

Traffic and Parking

The school and the Police Department have been getting many emails and calls from neighbors of the Lowell School about parking and traffic during drop-off and pick-up.  Please be respectful of the neighbors.  Do not block driveways, and obey streets that are one-way during school hours.  

CORRECTION PTO Meeting

There is a PTO meeting Wednesday from 7:00 to 8:30 at the Lowell School.  Volunteers are still needed for the Harvest Festival on Thursday, October 23rd from 6:30 to 8:30.  Please contact Nikki Muraca @ niccole_e@yahoo.com to sign up.  

Here is the link to PTO flyer.

Picture Day

Picture Day is this Thursday, October 16th.  Students should have brought envelopes home last Thursday.  Envelopes should be returned to the classroom teacher.  

Have a great week!

Ms. Donovan 

Monday Message 10/6/14

Good Afternoon Lowell Families,

We had a wonderful assembly on Friday focussed on cooperation.  The Lowell leopard made and appearance.  Teachers modeled cooperation by playing a group game in front of the students.  Children noticed that the teachers did a good job cooperating by: listening to Ms. Donahue's directions, cheering each other on, and not giving up.  Classrooms will be having class meetings about cooperation and teachers will be recognizing kids that display good teamwork.

Picture Day:
Picture day is Thursday, October 16th.  Envelopes will go home this Thursday, October 9th.  The envelopes should be returned to the classroom teacher.

Columbus Day and Professional Development:
Reminder there is NO SCHOOL for students on Monday and Tuesday, October 13 and 14th.  There is a PTO meeting on Thursday, October 14th at 7:00.

Have a great week!

Ms. Donovan

Monday Message, September 29th 2014

Good Morning Lowell Families,

September is quickly coming to a close.  Teachers and students are back into the swing of the school year.  This Friday we will have our second whole school assembly.  The focus of October will be cooperation.  Students will be learning how to work together successfully.  Good cooperation is the result of many other important skills such as communication, effort, focus and creativity.  The Lowell Staff will be on the look out for students that demonstrate good cooperation. 

As Helen Keller said, “Alone we can do so little.  Together we can do so much.”

PTO

Use the link to access the PTO Newsletter.  Find out who won the Summer Box Tops contest. 

September 29^th PTO Newsletter

School Safety Night

Watertown Public Schools is hosting a School Safety Parent Night on Thursday, October 2^nd at Watertown Middle School from 7-9pm. 

School Safety Parent Night Flyer

Have a great week!

Ms. Donovan

Monday Message 9/22/14

Hello Lowell Families,

It was great to see so many parents at Back to School Night last week.  I hope you were able to meet your child's teacher and learn more about the Lowell School.  Please note that the Lowell School Google calendar has finally been updated with the dates for meetings, conferences and no school days.

Calendar for the week of Sept. 22nd

Monday -Friday Sept. 23rd- 26th Sock Drive Collection for Cradles to Crayons
Box in the front entranceway.

Tuesday, September 23rd 6-8pm Lowell School Cafeteria Instrument Distribution Night,
Lowell Cafeteria

Friday, September 26th, Spirit Day- Crazy Sock Day-
Wear your craziest socks to show your school spirit!

Saturday, September 27th, Faire on the Square- 10am - 4pm Watertown Square

PTO Announcements

PTO is looking for volunteers to help out with the Harvest Festival on October 23rd. Please contact Nikki Muraca niccole_e@yahoo.com or Donna Tuccinardi dmtuccinardi2012@gmail.com to help.  

Have a great week.  

Ms. Donovan

PTO Newsletter and Open House

Please use this link to access the PTO Newsletter:

PTO Newsletter

Schedule for Open House:

	PreK-2 Parents	3-5 Parents
6:30- 6:45	Presentation in the Gym	Presentation in the Gym
6:45- 7:15	Visit classrooms	Visit Specialists in the Cafe
7:15- 7:45	Visit Specialists in the Cafe	Visit classrooms

Monday Message, September 15th, 2014

Hello Lowell Families,

We had our first fire drill today.  The students were able to safely enter and exit the building and, classes quickly returned to their regular routines.

Schedule for the week

Tuesday, September 16th School Site Council Information Meeting 7:00- 8:30 in the Lowell Library

Thursday, September 18th Back to School Night 6:30-8:00 in the Gym/ Cafeteria/ Classrooms

Back to School Night
6:30 - 6:45 pm Principal's presentation in the Gym
6:45- 7:15 pm K-2 Parents visit classrooms, 3-5 Parents visit Specialists in the Cafeteria
7:15 - 7:45 pm 3-5 Parents visit classrooms, K-2 Parents visit Specialists in the Cafeteria

Friday, September 19th, Instrument Demonstration for 4th grade students @ 1:30 pm

Reminder
George Street next to the Lowell Playground is one way.  People should not be driving down George Street towards the Lowell School during Drop and Go.

Courses for Kids
Courses for Kids will be starting soon.  The deadline to register is September 19th.  Please follow the link to find information about the courses: https://sites.google.com/a/watertown.k12.ma.us/dept/wce/lowell-cfk

Have a great week!

Ms. Donovan

Lowell School Reminders

Hello Lowell Families,

Just a few quick reminders.

Notices
It is important to check backpacks for notices.  Thursday is notice day at the Lowell School so it is especially important to check backpacks on Thursdays.  We will try not to send paper notices on other days unless it is something time sensitive.  One important notice this week is about iparent which is our parent link to our student information system.  You can use iparent to keep contact information and emergency phone numbers updated.

Dismissal Plans
Please make sure to return your child's dismissal plan.  We follow dismissal plans carefully.  If you need to make a change to the dismissal plan on a particular day, please put it in writing.

PTO
There was a great turn out for the first PTO meeting last night.  PTO is looking for volunteers to help with fundraising and events.  There is a volunteer sign-up sheet in the PTO welcome packet.  The summer box top contest has been extended to September 15th.  Friday at 6:00 is the Ice Cream Social and Movie Night.  It is a great way to reconnect with families after the summer.

Lowell Community Volunteer Program
The Lowell Community Volunteer Program is a group that helps organize parent volunteers at the Lowell School.  Parent volunteers can sign up to help with administrative tasks such as photocopying and laminating.  If you are interested in volunteering please stop by the LCVP table at Back to School Night or contact Stephanie Venizelos,  svnov3@yahoo.com or Deb Ortiz,  ortiz60@hotmail.com to volunteer.

Have a great rest of the week,

Ms. Donovan

Monday Message 9/8/2014

Hello Lowell Families,

We had two great opening days last week.  It was wonderful to walk around classrooms and see students getting to know their teachers and classmates.  On Friday we had our first assembly for students in grade 1 through 5.  I was able to introduce myself and we sang our updated Lowell School Song.  We talked a little about the core values we will focus on this year: cooperation, kindness, perseverance and integrity.  I am looking forward to our first full week of school.  This week there is a PTO meeting on Tuesday evening and the PTO Ice Cream Social and Movie Night on Friday evening.  On Friday morning I will be hosting a coffee for new families just after drop-off in the cafeteria.  

See the week's schedule below for times and locations.  

Schedule for the week of September 9^th to September 12^th

Tuesday, September 9^th

PTO Meeting 7-8:30 pm, Library

Friday, September 12^th

Parent Coffee for New Families 8:20 -9:00am, Cafeteria

PTO Ice Cream Social and Movie Night: The Lego Movie 6-8pm

Ms. Donovan

Acting Principal

Lowell School Update 9/2/2014

Good Afternoon Lowell Families,

Today was the first day back for Faculty and Staff.  We are busy preparing for students to arrive on Thursday.  I am finally able to send out emails to everyone so, I will do my best to communicate regularly. 

Communication

There are many ways that the school will communicate with families including: paper notices, emails and phone calls.  If you change your phone number, email or address please update this information in iparent so that you continue to receive communications from the school. 

The Lowell School does not have an absence hotline for students.  If your child is going to be absent you can email the teacher directly.  You DO NOT need to call the main office.  You only need to call if you receive an automated message that your child is not in school and you believe the student is present. 

Drop-off

Please remember that if you are using the “Stop, Drop and Go” it is important to :

1.  Pull as far up as possible. 

2. DO NOT get out of your car.  

This will keep the traffic moving and allow students to get into school on time. 

LEDP

The Lowell Extended Day Program begins on Thursday, September 4^th for students in grades 1-5 and Tuesday, September 9^th for students in pre-K and Kindergarten. 

Calendar

I will put out an updated calendar once the school committee votes on the calendar.  

See you on Thursday!

Ms. Donovan

Countdown to opening day...

Hello Lowell Families,


It's a girl!  Principal Elizabeth Kaplan has welcomed a new baby girl, Gabriella,  into her family.

I can feel the first day of school quickly approaching.  Our teachers and staff are busy preparing for the opening of the Lowell School.  We are looking forward to a successful 2014-2015 school year.

Letters and Supply Lists:
We have been having difficulty with our student information system, so many teachers have been unable to access their class lists.  We apologize for the delay in sending out letters or emails to families.  Some teachers may have to send out supply lists on the first day of school rather than mail them ahead of time.

See everyone on Thursday, September 4th!

Ms. Donovan
Acting Principal

Hello Lowell Families...

Hello Lowell Families,

I would like to officially introduce myself; I am Allison Donovan, acting principal of the Lowell School.  For the past two years I have worked as the elementary curriculum coordinator, and prior to that I was a teacher at the Hosmer School.  Ms. Kaplan and I worked throughout the month of July to prepare for her leave, and my transition into the school.  I am excited for the opening of school and looking forward to meeting all of the Lowell students and parents. 

Placement Letters

Placement letters were mailed earlier this week so you should be on the lookout for this letter containing your student’s class assignment for the year.  Ms. Kaplan and I reviewed placements just before her leave, which was the final step in a very careful and thorough process. 

Lowell Facilities Issues

Repairs caused by the damage to the boiler room are underway.  The building is not officially open, but there has been no damage to classrooms.  Our dedicated custodial staff is still able to clean and prepare rooms for the opening of school. 

Registration for new students is on Wednesday, August 27^th and the first day for students is Thursday, September 4^th.  Kindergarten and pre-k parents should pay special attention to the schedule outlined in your student's placement letter. 

I look forward to meeting you and to a successful start of school.  I can be reached by email at allison.donovan@watertown.k12.ma.us or if you leave a voicemail in Ms. Kaplan’s mailbox, I am able to retrieve it. 

Enjoy the rest of the summer.  See you soon.