Bulldog Weekly Update
November 22th - November 26th
Culturally Responsive Teaching
Notes from the Principal's Desk
While it was a short week at the Butler, it certainly was busy! You may have noticed several new students joined our classes. Let's welcome them with open arms and show them the Butler way. You may have also noticed some of our students have departed. We wish them all the very best, and success on the next leg of their journey. This week was busy with meetings--in particular, planning meetings for the many events taking place between now and December. Stay informed with daily emails from the Principal's office, as well as the weekly Butler updates.
A Week in Review
The month of November is flying by. This Friday marks the end of another full but fast-moving week. There is often not enough space in our newsletter to cover all the great lessons, events, news and school happenings taking place. We managed to capture a few highlights we hope you will take pride in. Success in one class, one program, one student is a celebration and a win for the team--not just the grade level team, or the subject-specific team but the Butler team. We excel when those around us excel because then we are immersed in an environment where we can look to effective models. Strong instructional practice and strong school culture are intertwined. They are marked not by excellence or perfection alone but by deep knowledge, commitment, and dedication to the habit of improvement.
These efforts are not only enjoyed by students and staff, but also by parents and caretakers, who got to see a glimpse of what we do every day at the Parent Teacher Conferences held on Wednesday evening. Thank you to the many teachers who adorned their rooms and bulletin boards with students' work, and who share with our parents the delightful ways their children contribute positively to our school and to our classroom communities.
Classroom Highlights
As we reflected in the last newsletter, if you look for the good you will find it. This week there was plenty of it. See below the many ways teachers carried our students' conceptual knowledge to new heights, combining theory with experience and helping student get hands-on with their learning.
7th Grade Hits a Homerun this Week
Students in Mrs. Goyette's class are deep into their reading of The Outsiders, by S. E. Hinton. Hinton was just a high school student when she finished her first full draft of The Outsiders. She captures perfectly the struggles of class disparity, education, and mental health among many other critical and relevant topics to this age group. Below, you can see the students are getting comfortable outside class, reading the novel together. In another class, students surround the smartboard, watching a clip from a rendition of the book. Students held their breath during one of the scenes and then exploded with emotion after witnessing a charged moment (the rising action) they had read about earlier in the week.
In Mr. Picket's Social Studies class, students have been completing a project on Mummification. They've created a "Book of Dead" illustrating the steps of mummification and creating tombs, amulets, canopic jars, death masks and other supplies the Pharaoh needed to make it to the underworld. Be sure to check out the photos below!
Ancient Egypt has been a popular topic lately, particularly among our cat-loving students. Students in some of our other classes were excited to learn that cats were associated with the Egyptian god, Ra, or God of the Sun. One of the ways cats' statuses were elevated in ancient Egypt is because of their love of the sun and the fact that they could often be found sprawling out wherever there was natural light. Egyptians thought that cats were connected in some way to Ra, a God they worshipped and revered.
Mrs. Jordans's 7th Grade Science Classes
During STEM Week, 7th graders finished a mini-unit during which they followed the Engineering Design Process to create timers. They had to research, plan, design, build, test, improve, and communicate their results while aiming to meet specific criteria and constraints. Big thanks to Clara Cahill for obtaining the engineering curriculum and materials through the Museum of Science’s EiE program.
Ms. Lopes 7th Grade Math Classes
In WIN this week, students used their knowledge of the order of operations to solve a murder mystery. (see the attached slide of one of the clues). During one of our CORE blocks, students efficiently added and subtracted rational numbers by modeling on a number line to justify their answers. An important skill the students practiced was the addition and subtraction of fractions--not an easy task by any means (medians, or modes).
Century 21 After School
If you didn't stop into the gym after school you missed a great opportunity to witness something we think is pretty awesome. Check out these photos of Mr. Riley teaching students how to serve and spike in volleyball. Needless to say, Mr. Riley is the kind of competitor you want on your team!
In cooking class, Mrs. Curran worked with Chef Mike Emmons from the district to make stir fry with a homemade soy sauce! The kids loved it and took home a recipe they can share with their families. That stir fry looks delicious.
Basketball Try Outs
Basketball Try-Outs have commenced. Mrs. Athanasatos (Mrs. A) and Mr. Pearl head the teams and is bringing young basketball enthusiasts together to learn about how to function in a team, how to understand and adhere to rules and parameters, and how to develop the confidence to take risks and stretch their comfort zones while getting regular exercise, a bonus for both body and mind. Double thumbs-up and a huge thanks to Mrs. A and Mr. Peral for their dedication to the students during and after school.
Social-Emotional Learning | Second Step
Students in the 5th and 6th-grade classes have given serious thought to their SEL learning these last two weeks. In 6th grade, students came up with personalized goals which they shared with the class. They also developed mini-vision boards for where they see themselves in the future. We see many students envision for themselves they will become authors, lawyers, doctors, and veterinarians. How lucky we are to help them make great strides toward achieving their goals.
In 5th grade, students wrapped up their unit on the effects of bullying and the role of the upstander. Students made mini posters detailing their knowledge of specific types of bullying and what each person involved needs to do to resolve the conflict. Then, in small groups, students collaborated on a single type of bullying and shared with the class what students can do to be proactive in stopping it and supporting the victim. Each group delegated roles included a writer and spokesperson who shared out the team's ideas. Later, students circulated the class to look more closely at each other's work.
Professional Development
Butler's Special Education Team went to a training at the Sullivan School with Mrs. Mallucio, Butler's incoming Assistant Principal, on Friday 11/19. The training focused on the Science of Reading and the tenets of establishing a strong foundation of literacy skills for the youth of all ages. This will be an ongoing workshop to address language and literacy development in our schools and to equip teachers and special educators to recognize and group students based on need so that they receive the best and most appropriate support possible on their journey to mastering necessary skills in reading, writing, and speaking English.
Thank you to everyone who contributes to the weekly bulletin, giving us a glimpse into your world and sharing it with the school community. If you stay looking for the good, you will always find it.
Upcoming Events
Butler's Scholastic Book Fair will be back this year, on-site, beginning the week after Thanksgiving. Additional details will be coming out this week and promotional materials will be given to students to take home at homeroom. Please start discussions with students about what they can do at the book fair and how the book fair is an important part of helping students to build their at-home libraries. Many students and teachers may want to consider using the Book Fair to pick up holiday gifts for friends and family. You can look for these updates in the Morning Announcements.
Food Drive:
We are in the final stretch! Please encourage your students to bring in an item to donate. If we can get most students to bring in just 1 item we will have over 500 to donate. The Open Pantry of Lowell is scheduled to come on November 23. http://theopenpantry.org/
Let help out our community!
Awesome work to all!
Great Job to everyone as we continue to empower, encourage and educate!
Please see a few notes from my desk below
Let's Stay Healthy- Please make sure all student desks are arranged in rows with each desk 3ft apart. Students need to sit and remain 3ft part at all times with masks on!!! You will need to continue to monitor the separation and keep a seating chart for close contact tracking. This will help us all stay healthy!
Hallway Presence - Please remember to be at your post in the hallway. We share a mutual responsibility to ensure student safety. If you hear something concerning, come out of your classroom, look, listen--and get involved.
Bathroom protocol: 10-minute expectation- Bathrooms will remain locked during the first and last 10 minutes of each period. Mr. Chhim and Mrs. Horm will be supporting classrooms and will not be providing additional supervision in hallways. Please make sure you have bathroom logs posted in your classroom for students to sign in and out of class when they leave your classroom. This expectation has been helpful when in place and when we need to follow up on hallway misconduct.
Week at a Glance
Monday 11/22
School operations meeting 8:30 in the large conference room
Tuesday 11/23
- Student support meeting 8:30 in the large conference room
Wednesday 11/24 - Early Dismissal
Team Plans for Wednesday:
5th - Stay in homerooms for project-based learning activities
6th - Stay in homerooms for project-based learning activities
7th- Teams are organizing events in collaboration with the Allied Arts team (staff vs. students volleyball)
8th- Teams are organizing events in collaboration with the Allied Arts team (staff vs. students volleyball)
Thursday 11/25
- NO SCHOOL
Friday 11/26
NO SCHOOL
ILT Updates
Check in with your grade level team representatives for more information.
RJLT
Check in with your grade level team representatives for more information.
PBIS
Check in with your grade level team representatives for more information.
Team Plans for Wednesday:
5th - Stay in homerooms for project-based learning activities
6th - Stay in homerooms for project-based learning activities
7th- Teams are organizing events in collaboration with the Allied Arts team (staff vs. students volleyball)
8th- Teams are organizing events in collaboration with the Allied Arts team (staff vs. students volleyball)
Monthly Motivation
It's always great to start on an inspiring note.
Staff Birthday Shoutouts ~ November
Deanna Goyette 11/9
Kevin Freeman 11/13
Kadeen Healy 11/15
Jennifer Fraser 11/25
Sharon Dowd 11/27
Butler Community
Email: jmoody@lowell.k12.ma.us
Website: https://www.lowell.k12.ma.us/Domain/10
Location: 1140 Gorham Street, Lowell, MA, USA
Phone: 978-937-8973
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lpsdbutler/