Lowell Parent Newsletter
June 6, 2021
Message from Stacy
Greetings Lowell,
It is my pleasure to announce Mr. Qi Chen as the new Assistant Principal of Lowell Elementary School. Mr. Chen comes to us with a variety of experiences, both teaching and administrative. I am confident his educational philosophy and teaching experience align well with our team.
Qi Recently relocated to the Commonwealth from Hawaii, Qi (pronounced “key”) is a passionate and committed educator who believes in every child’s potential to succeed in a rigorous academic environment. Over the past decade, Qi partnered with other educators, families, community organizations, businesses, and governments to achieve ambitious outcomes for students from diverse backgrounds and experiences in the U.S. and abroad. Qi’s professional experience includes teaching elementary and high school students with a wide range of learning needs, training and supporting teachers, and managing cross-departmental and cross-cultural teams. Qi holds degrees in finance and special education. Most recently, Qi earned his Ed.M. in School Leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
I want to thank the search committee, teachers, staff, and parents for participating in the hiring process. It is your engagement, feedback, and support which informed me throughout this process. I truly appreciate your continued support and cooperation and look forward to next year with great enthusiasm.
Mr. Chen will officially begin July 1st; he will also participate in summer professional development and planning sessions. Lowell will host parent forums in early September, giving you time to meet with Qi informally. Please help me welcome Qi to Lowell School.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Phelan
Please Plan for the Heat This Week!
Dress in light, comfortable clothes.
We may have lunch indoors tomorrow if we have bright sun again. We will evaluate in the morning. Students will go out for recess.
Juneteenth will be Celebrated at School on Friday, June 18th
Celebrating Juneteenth Through Read Alouds:
As Juneteenth approaches we will be sharing books with each grade level K-5 around this important holiday. Texts such as All Different Now By Angela Johnson, and Juneteenth for Maizie by Floyd Cooper will be read aloud. Students in grade 5 will study Juneteenth through their current Social Studies unit as well.
Dates to Remember
School Committee- Presentation of SIP on Monday, June 7th
Responsive Classroom Team Meeting Tuesday, June 8th
Professional Learning Time Wednesday, June 9th
Kindergarten Picnic 11:00 (Front Lawn and Playground) Friday, June 11th
Fun Day Hosted by PTO Tuesday, June 15th
Half-Day for Parent-Teacher Conferences, Wednesday, June 16th Lunch will not be served. However, a bag lunch will be sent home.
Fifth Grade Move-Up Ceremony 12:00-2:30 Thursday, June 17
Grades K-4 Teddy Bear Picnic (bring a blanket and stuffed animal to lunch) On the front lawn during lunch. Thursday, June 17th
Celebration of Juneteenth Friday, June 18th
Move-Up Day for grades K-4 1:15-2:00 Monday, June 21st
Last Day of School 1/2 for Students Full Day for Staff
Last week at the Lowell
The Lowell Leopard was spotted........
The ESL kids loved hanging out with Lenny the leopard this week! Here are some pictures of us working with him:
This Week at the Lowell
Parent Math Night!!!
Watertown Elementary Parent Math Night
Tuesday, June 8th
7-8pm
Virtual Event: Zoom Link
Please join the elementary math coaches and the math coordinator to learn about how your students are developing their math skills.
Overview of the elementary math program
Essential skills and concepts taught at each grade level
How to support your mathematician at home and throughout the summer
Attendees will receive a copy of the book: Adding Parents to the Equation by Hilary Kreisberg
Please let us know if you will be attending by filling out this brief Google Form
Contact Elizabeth Kaplan, K-7 Math and Science Coordinator with any questions
Creativity Perseveres!
As our community transitioned from Remote School to Hybrid Classes to Fully In-person School, our students, our projects, the way we taught and the way we interacted changed.
But throughout all those changes, the common thread of creative engagement persevered. Our amazing students came to art classes ready to engage, challenge themselves and learn new skills and concepts. The connections they made in class and the compliments and advice they gave each other, all contributed to the impressive body of student work you will see here. Our artistic community is resilient and creative. They find joy, strength and solace within themselves and share it with our community through visual art.
The Watertown Fine, Applied and Performing Arts Department believes in the power of art to heal, to empower, and to inspire.
In this spirit, we offer you our second Virtual Art Show!
FREE Summer Enrichment Opportunities for Rising 6th - 12th Grade Students!
Watertown Community Education is pleased to offer FREE summer enrichment courses for Watertown Public Schools students entering grades 6-12! These in-person summer enrichment courses are designed to provide students with the opportunity to try a new hobby, explore an area of interest, engage in activities with their peers, be physically active, and simply have fun! We are most fortunate to share that for the 2021 Summer only, these enrichment courses are being offered FREE of charge to students as we have additional federal funding for schools. Please note that while some of these courses may have an academic component or complement a core subject area, these enrichments are not academic courses, are non-credit-bearing, and do not provide grades. For more information, including full program details, and a list of course offerings, please click here: https://www.smore.com/85u3z. Registration opens on Friday, June 11th at 6:00 PM. Please reach out to Jeff Bodner jeffrey.bodner@watertown.k12.ma.us 857-241-8499 or Debi Cornelius debora.cornelius@watertown.k12.ma.us 857-241-8067 with any questions.
PTO Corner
PTO Update
Tuesday, June 15th we'll be celebrating Fun Day!
This is a mash-up of our annual End-of-Year Picnic and Field Day.
Check out the attached flyer for more details.
All kids will need sneakers, a water bottle, and sunscreen applied.
We still need volunteers, so please use this link if you can help.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090845a5ad2fa2f85-funda
Join the PTO
The PTO is a great way to meet other families and get more involved in the events at school. We welcome everyone. There are many opportunities to volunteer - as a grade level coordinator, helping with events, making e-flyers, etc. Please reach out to lowellelementarypto@gmail.com for more information.
Elementary Summer Resources
Zearn and IReady
This summer all students entering grades 1-6 will have the opportunity to access i-Ready personalized instruction in literacy and math as well as Zearn for math. Both of these resources are familiar to your students as they have been using them recently.
Zearn is a way to practice core math skills and work on grade level content. If you choose, your student can continue to work within i-Ready online instruction this summer and can play online math games, at home games, or anything else that gets them engaged and challenged in math. A recommended amount of time to spend on summer math work is 2-3 lessons per week or about 30 minutes 2-3 times per week. Use of both of these programs over the summer is optional.
As the year comes to a close, more information about accessing these programs will be shared with families.
Does Your Child Need a Device for the Summer?
This summer students will have access to online learning resources, like i-Ready and Zearn math. If you would like your student to access these resources AND you do not have a device at home for them to use, please fill out this form to reserve a Chromebook for summer. One form needs to be filled out per student.
Please note that there are limited devices available so families that have a device at home should not request a school-issued Chromebook.
All students will be required to pick up the device on June 22nd between 1:00 and 2:15 at the Hosmer School, 1 Concord Rd. When you pick up the Chromebook, you will be required to sign a technology agreement.
Elementary Summer Technology Reservation Survey
FREE Summer Enrichment Opportunities for Rising 6th - 12th Grade Students!
Watertown Community Education is pleased to offer FREE summer enrichment courses for Watertown Public Schools students entering grades 6-12! These in-person summer enrichment courses are designed to provide students with the opportunity to try a new hobby, explore an area of interest, engage in activities with their peers, be physically active, and simply have fun! We are most fortunate to share that for the 2021 Summer only, these enrichment courses are being offered FREE of charge to students as we have additional federal funding for schools. Please note that while some of these courses may have an academic component or complement a core subject area, these enrichments are not academic courses, are non-credit-bearing, and do not provide grades. For more information, including full program details, and a list of course offerings, please click here: https://www.smore.com/85u3z. Registration opens on Friday, June 11th at 6:00 PM. Please reach out to Jeff Bodner jeffrey.bodner@watertown.k12.ma.us 857-241-8499 or Debi Cornelius debora.cornelius@watertown.k12.ma.us 857-241-8067 with any questions.
Contact Us at
Email: Stacy.Phelan@watertown.k12.ma.us
Website: https://lowell.watertown.k12.ma.us/
Location: 175 Orchard Street
Phone: (617) 926-7770