Sunday, February 22, 2015

Monday Message 2/23

Good Morning Lowell Families,

Welcome back!  Hopefully we can have a more regular school schedule, without so many cancelled days.  This week we will try to settle back into our routines.  We will have a whole school assembly on Tuesday focussed on perseverance and, a buddy activity on Thursday where students will work on a challenge to practice perseverance.

Early Release Reminder:
Wednesday, February 25th is an early release day.  Students will be dismissed at 12:15.

School Site- Council:
The Lowell School Site-Council will meet this Tuesday, February 24th at 7:00 in the Lowell Library.  We will begin to work on the goals for next year's school improvement plan.

PTO:
The PTO is sponsoring a BINGO night on Thursday, February 26th.  This is a great family event.  See you there!

Zumbathon: On Sunday, March 15th the Lowell School will host a Zumbathon!  Please check out the flyer.  This is a great event for families to be healthy and support the Lowell School.  

Have a great week!

Ms. Donovan

Sunday, February 8, 2015

Monday Message 2/9

Good Morning Lowell Families,

We are facing another storm that could disrupt the start to our school week.  Please tune in to local news for updates on school cancelations or delayed openings.

School Calendar Updates:

The district has had to make some adjustments to the schedule for spring conferences.  The parent and teacher conferences that were originally scheduled for March have been moved to April.  Use the following link for an updated school calendar: 2014-2015 Revised School Calendar.  Elementary report cards will be sent home on Thursday, March 26.

PTO

The next PTO meeting is Tuesday, February 10th at 7:00 PM.

Tardies and Absences:

The snow storms have made for many disruptions to the school calendar.  Teachers are trying to keep students immersed in the daily routines despite all of the snow days.  Teachers are trying to maximize every moment of instruction in these short weeks.  For these reasons it is important for students to be in school and to arrive on time.  Students can arrive at school starting at 8:05.  School begins at 8:15.  Any student arriving after 8:20 are marked tardy.  I will be contacting families if students have excessive absences or tardies.

Ms. Knight's Guidance Blog:

The Lowell School Guidance counsellor, Ms. Knight, has a blog that she updates with information about education, child development and parenting.  Her latest post is about successful relationships.  Please check out the guidance blog at the following link: Lowell Guidance Blog.

PARCC

In the 2014-2015 school year the students in grades 3, 4, and 5 will take the new PARCC test instead of the MCAS test that students have taken in past years.  On Friday, March 6th there will be a parent coffee for parents in grades 3, 4, and 5 to get an overview of the PARCC testing.  PARCC testing will occur during two weeks in March and two weeks in May.

Have a great week!

Ms. Donovan

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Tuesday Message 2/3

Good Morning Lowell Families,

Mr. MacLeod and Mr. Murgo have been working tirelessly to clear the snow from the Lowell School.  We should be in good shape tomorrow morning but, we will need your cooperation in the "Drop and Go" line.  Please pull ALL the way up as far as you can before letting children out of the car.  Do NOT stop on Lowell Ave just after the turn from York Street, this causes traffic to back up.  The roads are narrow.  Please do not park in ways that prevent traffic from flowing on the side streets.

International Night
Thank you to the PTO and all of the families and volunteers that helped to make International Night a success.  Friday evening was a wonderful celebration of the rich diversity in the Lowell community.  Students enjoyed learning about the different countries represented in the school.  The food that families brought to share was delicious.  It was wonderful to enjoy a meal with parents, students and teachers.  The next PTO meeting is Tuesday, February 10th at 7:00 PM.

Caring School Community Buddies
Last Thursday, our students met for CSC buddy time.  There were many wonderful projects going on.  Ms. Peca and Mr. Pinsoneault's class read "Thank You Mr. Falker" and, learned about how the author Patricia Pollaco persevered though learning challenges.  Ms. Morrison and Ms. Park's classes a story and created this bulletin board for the cafeteria displaying the goals that each student wants to persevere and achieve.


Integrity
Our core value that we will focus on for the month of February is Integrity.  C.S. Lewis describes integrity as, "Integrity is doing the right thing; even when you think no one is watching."  Along with our other core values of cooperation, kindness, and perseverance, teachers will be trying to recognize students that are acting with integrity.  

Hopefully we are done with snow for a while.  See everyone at school tomorrow.  Have a great week!

Ms. Donovan