Monday Message 3/9

Good Morning Lowell Families,


School Calendar

The School Committee voted last Monday on a revised school calendar.  Friday, April 3rd has become an early release day rather than a no school day.  If there are NO OTHER snow days the last day of school will be Monday, June 29th.  Please use the following link for an updated copy of the school calendar.  2014-2015 Revised School Calendar.

Lowell Reading Challenge 2015: Birds of a Feather- Reading Together

This week is the beginning of our month-long reading challenge.  Students at the Lowell school work together  to try to read 5,000 hours.  Students will bring home reading logs that they can use to track their minutes of reading.  If we reach our goal the school will earn a special assembly.  Check out the video that students watched as a kick-off to the reading challenge.


PARCC Parent Information

Students in grades 3-5 persevered through their PARCC practice tests last week.  There is a link to information about the PARCC exams for parents on the Watertown Public Schools homepage.  Here is a link to the slides from the PARCC Parent Coffee at the Lowell School.  Additional information can be found at the PARCC website.

Arrival Time and Students Entering the Building

The temperatures are warmer this week and we are returning to our regular arrival procedures.  Students will not be permitted to enter the building prior to 8:05 unless they are attending a before-school program. Students entering the building after 8:20 will be marked tardy.

PTO

There is a PTO meeting this Tuesday evening at 7:00 PM.  Participating in the PTO is a great way to be involved in the school.  Please check-out a meeting and see how you can support our students.

Zumbathon

This Sunday, March 15th the PTO is sponsoring a Zumbathon from 2:00 PM- 4:00 PM!!  This is a family-friendly event and a chance for parents and kids to get some exercise.  The instructors will include Ms. Jacobson and Ms. Peca from the Lowell staff and parent, Veronica Castillo.

Have a great week!

Ms. Donovan

Monday Message 3/2

Good Morning Lowell Families,

The students at the Lowell School learned a lot about perseverance over the past week.  On Tuesday we had an assembly and students listened to the story, The Most Magnificent Thing, by Ashley Spires.  In this story the girl struggles with engineering a design that she sees perfectly in her mind.  She continues to work until she is successful.  On Thursday students put their own engineering skills to the test during Buddy Activity time.  Students used marshmallows and toothpicks to try to build towers.  The students had to persevere and problem-solve the best way to use these challenging building materials. 

Perseverance is an important character trait for students to develop.  It is important for students to learn to stick with challenging work.  Check out the following article on the importance of developing perseverance in students: How to Foster Grit, Tenacity and Perseverance: An Educator’s Guide.  As busy as life can be, it can be difficult to find opportunities to help your children develop perseverance.  It is important to think about times when you can slow down and let children figure things out for themselves.  This might mean several failures before achieving success.  It is important to celebrate the effort not just the end result. 

This Week:

PARCC-  This year students in Watertown are participating in the PARCC assessments instead of the MCAS assessments for ELA and Mathematics.  This week students in grades 3, 4, and 5 will be participating in PARCC practice tests.  The PARCC practice sessions are an opportunity for students to see what the experience of taking PARCC will be like.  On Friday, March 6^th at 8:30 AM there will be a parent coffee for parents in grades 3, 4, and 5 to learn more about the PARCC exams. 

Next Week:

PTO Meeting: There will be a PTO meeting on Tuesday, March 10^th  @ 7:00 PM.   Please attend to learn more about how you can support the classrooms at the Lowell School.  We appreciate the involvement of parents at the Lowell School.  If you have not had an opportunity to volunteer this year, please make an effort to attend the meeting and get involved. 

Bandarama:  On Wednesday, March 11^th from 7:00 – 8:30 PM is Bandarama at Watertown High School.  This event is a chance to celebrate and enjoy the musical programs in Watertown. 

Have a great week!

Ms. Donovan

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

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 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

Monday Message 1/26

Good Morning Lowell Families,

The forecast is calling for lots of snow this week.  Please check local news outlets for updates on school closings or delays. 

As of 9:00 AM on Monday- Courses for Kids for Monday afternoon have been cancelled and Boys and Girls Night at the Hosmer School this evening have been cancelled.  

Perseverance

The core value we are focussing on for the month of January is perseverance.  This is an important trait for all New Englanders to develop to survive the long winters.  Perseverance is also an important value for students.  Learning involves working through problems and using what you already know to help you figure out something new.  This happens in pre-K when students are trying to balance blocks and build a tall tower or in fifth grade when students are solving complex multi-step word problems.  The learning doesn't happen just by getting the right answer.  Important learning happens with each incorrect answer along the way.  

International Night

This Friday, January 30^th from 6:00 – 8:00 PM is International Night at the Lowell School.  International Night is an event that celebrates the diversity of the population at the Lowell School.  There will be tables representing different countries and foods from different cultures.  Please join us on Friday evening for this event.

Have a great week.  Be safe in the storm. 

Ms. Donovan

Tuesday Message 1/20

Good Morning Lowell Families,

I hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend.  Teachers were busy at school today but we are looking forward to seeing students back at school tomorrow morning.

Site Council
There is a Lowell School Site Council meeting tonight at 7:00 PM in the library.  The Assistant Superintendent Darilyn Donovan will be in attendance to answer questions about elementary curriculum.

Spirit Day Friday- Bring a Flag
On Friday, January 23rd students should bring an 8 1/2 by 11 piece of paper make a flag to represent their cultural heritage.  These flags will be used to decorate at International Night on Friday, January 30th.

International Night
International Night is Friday, January 30th from 6-8 PM.  This is a great event to recognize the cultural diversity at the Lowell School.  Families can sign up to have a table by emailing: lowellvolunteers@gmail.com.  Families can also bring food from different cultures for a feast in the cafeteria.

Have a great week!

Ms. Donovan