Over the past few weeks, we have begun to experience the Spring season with the weather warming up and minutes of daylight adding to each day. The month of April will continue this trend as we navigate into the final quarter of the school year. That being said, we have our annual MCAS testing in the coming weeks. We asked that you speak with your child about the importance of giving their best effort for the upcoming tests. The staff and students have worked hard all year long and we are excited to see their performance on the upcoming content tests. Please read on for important updates:

April 4th MCAS Testing Gr. 6 & 7

April 4th MCAS Testing Gr. 6 & 7

April 7th No School Good Friday

April 12th MCAS Testing Gr. 5 & 8

• Report Cards Distributed

April 13th MCAS Testing Gr. 5 & 8

April 14th Spring vacation begins at the close of school

April 17th -21st No School Spring Vacation

April 24th School Reopens

April 24th-28th Spirit Week (see below for details)

Stoklosa 21st Century: Session III begins April 3rd. Please see the attached flyer below for a list of classes to choose from. Here is the registration link to sign up. Any questions, please contact Kyle Dolliver (kdolliver@lowell.k12.ma.us)

Restorative Justice: Saturday April 29th Stoklosa will be running its monthly RJP event. Students will be continuing with their Peer Mentor/ Mentee programs which will include a special Art demo from Lowell's own CNCPT 6.

Stoklosa will be running a "Community Schools Advisory Council". This council will meet monthly to assess the needs of the community, and put together a strategic action plan to address those needs. Parents, Educators, Students, and Community members interested in joining the "Community School Advisory Council" please contact Matthew Gillis at mgillis@lowell.k12.ma.us

April Vacation Program: Looking for something fun to do over April Vacation? The Stoklosa will be holding an April Vacation program from Tuesday, April 18- Friday, April 21 from 8 a.m.-11:00 a.m. On Thursday 4/20 we will return from a field trip at 11:15.

The program will include both fun activities for students to participate in such as a sports group, cooking, RJP and Arts and Craft, and opportunities to recover credits from ELA and Math classes. There is a field trip planned for Thursday April 20 at Chunky's to see the new Super Mario Bros movie! Students will be provided a snack in the morning and a grab and go lunch in the afternoon. Look over the flyer to see classes being offered and sign up using this link. Reach out to Mrs. Borrelli at wborrelli@lowell.k12.ma.us if you have any questions.

Attendance Team: Don't let Spring Fever Affect your child's attendance:

Fever is a reason to keep kids home from school. Spring fever, however, doesn’t count. The first rule for academic success is a simple one: Students need to be in class. That’s true even on warm spring days when students would rather be anywhere else. Poor attendance can lead to these problems, now and in years to come:

• Poor grades.

• Having to repeat a grade.

• Dropping out of school.

Families play an important role in making sure children’s attendance is on track. To reinforce your middle schooler’s attendance:

• Share your expectations. Your child should be in every class on time every day. Relay to your child that school is your child’s most important job and showing up is essential.

• Be firm. Don’t let your child skip school for frivolous reasons. Being tired or unprepared for a class are not valid excuses.

• Make sure teachers know how to contact you if your child is absent.

• Work with the school if you discover your child has been avoiding school. There may be a bigger problem going on. Talk to your child first, then to teachers and your school social workers if necessary. Many attendance problems can be solved when parents and schools work together.

SPIRIT WEEK April 24-28, 2023:

Monday- Student/Teacher Reversal Day

Students dress like teachers-Teachers dress like students. School appropriate of course!

Tuesday-Pastel Color Day

Grade levels wear a hue of “assigned” color

5-pastel pink 6-pastel yellow

7-pastel green 8-pastel blue

Wednesday-Twin Day

Due to overwhelming success in February, let’s run this one again!

Thursday-Ethnic Heritage Day

More information forthcoming

Friday-Wear Your Stoklosa Colors