Lowell's Family Newsletter
September 2, 2022
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Table of Contents
- Poem
- Reminder: Tuesday, Primary Voting for Massachusetts
- School Events
- Message from Mrs. Phlean
- Permission to Walk Home From the Bus Stop Forms (English, Spanish, and Portuguese)
- Arrival and Dismissal Procedures for Grades 1-5
- Arrival and Dismissal Procedures for K
- Lunch and Break Snack Program- Free to ALL Students
- Lowell School Parent Guide 2022-2023
- Team Teams by Grade Level
- Schedule by Grade Level
- School Supplies
- Upcoming Events in the Community (dates, time, and location)
READY!
There are always so many things to be done.
Your clothes are ready, and your backpack is too.
Your classroom is full of fun things to do.
Lots of questions may fill your mind.
All types of thoughts of every kind.
But sometimes we all get jitters down deep,
and it makes it very hard to sleep.
So here are some magical thoughts for you.
Full of promises for the whole year through.
Tonight, before you lay down your little head,
Make a wish before heading to bed.
Celebrate this new adventure in front of you &
know there is nothing you can't put your mind to!
Love,
Mrs. Phelan
The first day of school is also voting day!
Tuesday, September 6, is Massachusetts' Primary Voting Day. The Phillips Building is one of the locations where voting will take place. Voting takes place in the Phillips Gym. Voters must enter the polls through the Senior Center on 31 Marshall Street. We will not allow voters into the building. However, I do anticipate a bit of typical confusion. We will have police officers on hand on Tuesday morning to support our opening and guide the public.
School Events
Tuesday, September 6, 2022
Primary Voting Day
Phillips Building is a Primary Voting Location Please be aware of parking difficulty.
Tuesday, September 6, 2022
Student's First Day of School for grades 1 - 5.
Phillips: grades 1 & 2
Kindergarten Visits have been scheduled by appointment. Your appointment time was emailed to you in the placement letter. Please arrive at door #10 on the Spring Street side of the building.
Lowell West: grades 3 - 5
Wednesday, September 7, 2022
First Day of School for Kindergarten
Kindergarten students should use door #10 for arrival and dismissal on Wednesday.
This is an ERD- Early Release Day
Students will be dismissed at 12:00 at Door #10
There is NO Bus Service for Kindergarten.
Thursday, September 8, 2022
Kindergarten Starts their Full Day Schedule
8:15-2:30
Parents may use the drop-and-go line on Marshall Street or door # 10 on Spring Street for Arrival.
First Day of Bussing Begins for Kindergarten
Tuesday, September 13, 2022
Kick-off Meeting for Lowell's Family Teacher Organization FTO
6:30-7:30
Thursday, September 15, 2022
School Site Council
6:00-7:00 PM
September 6th - September 16th
i-Ready Fall Benchmark Testing Begins for Students in grades 1 - 5.
Tuesday, September 20, 2022
Back-to-School Open House
6:00-8:00 PM In-person Meeting
Phillips & Lowell West
Wednesday, September 21, 2022
SEPAC
6:30-8:00 PM
In-Person & Online
Tuesday, September 27, 2022
Parent Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Council
7:00-8:00
Message from Principal Phelan
Greetings Lowell,
This past week we welcomed faculty and staff back to the building. We spent two full days filled with rich professional development. We enjoyed reconnecting and collaborating. Now, we're ready to welcome back our students.
We are excited to welcome you back for the 2022-2023 school year! Last year we consciously worked to meet the needs of our students as they returned to school full-time and in-person. We understood that interrupted teaching and learning impacted the 2020-2021 school year. We proactively adopted the "Learning Acceleration Road Map" this approach to instruction is grounded in three priorities:
● Developing a sense of belonging in schools
● Monitoring student learning
● Ensuring strong, grade-level instruction.
Within each priority, we center our approaches on creating equitable experiences and outcomes for all your students to affirm their race, native language, learning and thinking differences, and other identity markers.
This year, we will continue to use this approach to address gaps in learning caused by the pandemic. Educators will use diagnostics to identify the specific content individual students need support with to access grade-level content this year to accelerate students' progress. Educators will embed opportunities to teach these prerequisite skills into their curriculum for this year so that students receive the support they need to engage with grade-level content. We refer to this kind of support as "just-in-time scaffolding." Teachers will continuously monitor student learning to effectively accelerate learning this school year to understand where they stand against clear learning goals. Lastly and most importantly, educators will partner with students and families to create an environment that supports their students' well-being and sense of belonging.
If you have any questions or ideas in the meantime, don't hesitate to contact me at stacy.phelan@watertown.k12.ma.us.
With a grateful heart,
Mrs. Phelan
School Begins for Students in Grades 1- 5 September 6th
Lowell West Grades 3 - 5 Located at 175 Main Street, Waltham, Ma 02452
School Hours
8:15 AM until 2:30 PM
Arrival & Dismissal Procedure – Lowell West
The following procedures are created to maintain an orderly and safe environment during arrival and dismissal. An aerial view of Lowell West, key locations, and surrounding streets can be located on page 2 for reference. Thank you in advance for your cooperation!
Important Times:
7:45 AM Early drop-off – only for families with students at both the Lowell West and the Phillips;
Breakfast will also begin at this time.
8:05 AM Students may enter the school building and go to their classrooms.
8:15 AM Classes begin.
8:20 AM Students arriving at or after this time are considered tardy and must sign the attendance log in the main office.
2:30 PM Dismissal Time.
Arrival Procedure:
Vehicles will enter/leave the school parking lot using the entrance and exit. Please see Lowell West Aerial View (Page 2) for reference.
Adult(s) are asked to remain in the vehicle and pull up to the sidewalk where school personnel will be waiting.
Please have your child(ren) ready to exit the vehicle when you pull up the sidewalk.
Cars must remain in the line and are not allowed to pass others. Please do not make a U-turn or deviate from the drop-off line as a safety measure.
Please yield to school buses when pulling in or out of the school parking lot.
Students are not allowed on the playground before school as there is no supervision.
Dismissal Options and Guidelines
To ensure a safe dismissal, each Lowell student has a dismissal plan that’s consistent from week to week. Families may request to update their children’s dismissal plan by emailing their teachers and Kara Flynn (kara.flynn@watertown.k12.ma.us) by 9 AM the morning of the change. All dismissal change requests must be made by parents/guardians and not students themselves.
Dismissal Procedure for Parent Pick-up:
Students being picked up by a parent will report to the cafeteria for dismissal. Late pick-up students will also report to the cafeteria (only pertains to students with siblings at Phillips).
Families could park their vehicles on the neighborhood street around the school, exit their cars, and pick up their children at the front door.
The staff at the front of the building will walkie the group leader for student dismissal.
Please be mindful and respectful of our neighbors. Do not block driveways. If a neighbor asks you to move in order to gain access to their driveway, please comply. Thank you in advance for your support and cooperation!
Late Pick-up
Only families with children at both locations (Lowell West and Phillips) may pick up their child(ren) from Lowell West at 3 PM at the front door. Designated school personnel will stay with your children until their grown-ups arrive.
Kindergarten: Visiting Day by Appointment September 6th/ Half Day September 7th Students Release at 12:00/ Kindergarten First Full Day September 8th
Day 1 (Visiting Day by Appointment) Tuesday, September 6th: Students and families enter through the Spring Street Door #10 by appointment.
Day 2- (Early Release at 12:00) Wednesday, September 7th: arrival begins at 8:05 - 8:20 AM. After 8:20 AM. Please See the Arrival and Dismissal Plans (No bussing for Kindergarten).
Day 3- (First Full Day) Thursday, September 8th: 8:15 AM – 2:30 PM (full day, lunch is served, Extended Day for those students signed up, and bussing begins for Kindergarten.)
Phillips Building Grades Kindergarten - Second Grade Located at 30 Common Street, Watertown, Ma 02472
School Hours
8:15 am until 2:30 pm
Arrival & Dismissal Procedure – Phillips Building
The following procedures are created to maintain an orderly and safe environment during arrival and dismissal. An aerial view of the Phillips Building, key locations, and surrounding streets can be located on page 2 for reference. Thank you in advance for your cooperation!
Important Times:
7:15 AM Early drop-off – only for families with students attending before-school care at the Phillips Building. Students will enter the building through door #3 off the parking lot located on Marshall Street.
8:05 AM Students may enter the school building and go to their classrooms.
Breakfast will be available as a grab-and-go breakfast.
8:15 AM Classes begin.
8:20 AM Students arriving at or after this time are considered tardy and must sign the attendance log at the front desk located at the Spring Street Entrance.
2:30 PM Dismissal Time.
Arrival Procedure (car):
Vehicles will enter/leave the school parking lot using the entrance and exit. Please see Phillips Building Aerial View (Page 2) for reference.
Adult(s) are asked to remain in the vehicle and pull up to doors #5 and #3 where school personnel will assist you in a live drop-off lane.
Please have your child(ren) ready to exit the vehicle when you pull up to the door.
Cars must remain in the line and are not allowed to pass others. As a safety measure, please do not make a U-turn or deviate from the drop-off line.
Arrival Procedure (walking with caregiver):
Parents should drop students off at door #10 on Spring Street if they chose to walk to school with their children.
Dismissal Options and Guidelines
To ensure a safe dismissal, each Lowell student has a dismissal plan that’s consistent from week to week. Families may make requests to update their children’s dismissal plan by emailing their teachers and Kara Flynn (kara.flynn@watertown.k12.ma.us) by 9AM the morning of the change. All dismissal change requests must be made by parents / guardians and not students themselves.
Parent Pick-up (walking):
Teachers will exit the building at door #10 with their classes and wait for grown-ups outside in the enclosed green space.
Families could park their vehicles in the surrounding neighborhood and pick up students by door #10 on Spring Street.
Please be mindful and respectful of our neighbors. Do not block driveways. If a neighbor asks you to move in order to gain access to their driveway, please comply. Thank you in advance for your support and cooperation!
Lunch and Snack is Free for All Students
Breakfast snacks and lunch will be available to all students free of charge. Breakfast snack replaces our traditional breakfast program; last year, more students took advantage of our snack program, which is offered during the school day.
Students will have the opportunity to order a snack or lunch each morning during Morning Meeting. Students are still welcome to bring a snack or lunch from home.
You can view menus on our website. Click the link below.
Important Information
Teaching Teams 2022-2023
Schedule By Grade
We have a block to our schedule daily to support our philosophy of Accelerated Learning. WIN (What I Need) block is daily for 30 minutes. Our Reading teachers are allocated to each grade during the WIN block. We currently have 3 Reading Specialists, a Literacy Coach, and two tutors. Our reading team supports kindergarten; differently, they support kindergarten during the Readers' Workshop time slot.
We also have WIN time for math. This occurs opposite Spanish. We are happy to announce grades k-5 will have Spanish this year. Spanish occurs on an A/B schedule. Week A classes have Spanish three times a week, and in week B, they have Spanish 2 times. On days students don't have Spanish, they attend Math Workshop. We have two math tutors and a full-time Math Coach who supports Math Workshop.
School Supplies
Watertown Public Schools will supply all necessary back-to-school supplies for our students. You will only need to provide a backpack, water bottle, and lunch box/bag.
Instrument Lessons and Rental Information
Calling all fourth and fifth-grade families! Did you know that your student can sign up to play an instrument this year? If you're interested in playing a band instrument (trumpet, saxophone, trombone, clarinet, flute, percussion) please reach out to maxwell.thew@watertown.k12.ma.us. If you'd like to try out a string instrument (violin, viola, cello, or bass) please reach out to macullen.byham@watertown.k12.ma.us. Those who have already signed up over the summer should hear from your instrumental teacher soon!
For those students who are renting an instrument this year, we will be hosting an instrument rental night at Watertown High School on Thursday, September 15th from 3:30 - 7:00. Stop by WHS during that time frame to get your very own instrument! Vendors will have all beginning instruments available except for the string bass.
Lowell School FTO
Welcome, Volunteers, and First Meeting
We'd love to have your help as a FTO volunteer! There are smaller volunteer roles and larger, and you can always work with a friend! Please reach out to FTO President Jennine Tambio jenninetambio@gmail.com or Vice President Darlene MacIntyre darlene.macintyre@gmail.com and we'll send you more information on roles and responsibilities.
Also, please Save the Date for our first FTO meeting: Tuesday, September 13 at 6:30PM. More information with be provided in next week's Smore.