Lowell Weekly Parent Newsletter
January 24, 2021
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Message from Mrs. Phelan
Happy Sunday!
Some families have recently asked about the opportunity to change their learning preferences. As we continue planning for the remainder of the school year, we need to know if you are hoping to change the model of school that your child is currently enrolled in. At this point, we are not anticipating significant changes to the daily or weekly schedules. We ask that you communicate this request directly to the school principal as soon as possible. The deadline to do so is Friday, January 29th. Please note that a change in learning preference will most likely result in a change of teachers and/or cohort. Additionally, based on the current class sizes, we may not accommodate all requests for model changes at this time. Thank you.
Recently, Dr. Galdston sent home a family survey and this note:
As we head towards the mid-point of this school year, we are looking forward to gathering your feedback about your experiences during pandemic schooling and invite you to take a few minutes to complete the mid-year WPS family survey. Please fill out one survey for each of your children, as your experiences may be different for each of your children, especially in different schools. This feedback is invaluable to inform decisions moving forward into the second half of the school year and beyond. Please complete this survey by Monday, January 25, and we will share the collective results with all of you. Students in grades 3-12 and faculty and staff are also providing feedback via surveys.
Please complete the survey if you haven't yet done so. Feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.
Stacy
Student COVID Testing!
Pool Testing
It's not too late to sign up! We have almost all of our class getting tested, and would love to get it to 100% of students! Watertown Public Schools are offering weekly COVID pool testing for students. Although we have many precautions in place such as wearing masks and maintaining social distance, getting tested is truly the best way to ensure we are not spreading COVID at school and to keep students in the building.
This is voluntary, but we highly encourage everyone to sign up. Teachers have been getting tested weekly since we've gone back to school. These tests are not painful - they do not swab nearly as far as they used to. The swab goes less than an inch up your nose, and no students have complained yet!
Please use this form to indicate your interest in having your child(ren) tested as part of our COVID-19 surveillance testing program. You only need to fill out the form once, not each week. If you have already filled out the form, there is no need to fill it out again.
More information is available in the Superintendent's Newsletter if you are interested.
Last week at the Lowell
Ms. Antonelli's 3rd Grade Class's Cards for Kidz: Not a day off, it's a day on! Celebrating MLK's Legacy
Mrs. Antonellis' Class: "I Have a Dream" activity celebrating MLK
The Lowell Leopard was spotted.............
Last week the Lowell Leopard was spotted looking at the wonderful student created Cards, for our Cardz for Kidz service Project!
Lennie was also spotted admiring the new Lowell Gear for Spirit Week!
Celebrating our Lowell School Fifth Graders!
The years have flown by for the Lowell School 5th Graders who will soon be on to middle school. Each week this year, we look forward to celebrating them here in the Principal's newsletter. Best wishes to all! We are so proud of you!
Congratulations, Mathew
What are three words that describe you?
Awesome, good, nice
What is the best thing about being in 5th grade?
Having Ms. Burton as a teacher!
What is your favorite hobby?
My favorite hobby is taking the MBTA Silver Line!
Congratulations, Luca
Share something your classmates might not know about you.
My favorite animal is a scorpion.
What are three words that describe you?
Funny, imaginative, helpful
What is your favorite hobby?
Playing video games with my cousins.
Congratulations, Nora
What is the best thing about being in 5th grade?
My favorite thing in 5th grade is being with my friends and teacher Ms. Burton.
What are you looking forward to in middle school?
I am looking forward to being with my friends that don't go to Lowell.
Share something your classmates might not know about you.
I love the Nutcracker and I imagine me in it!
Congratulations, Henry
What is your favorite Lowell School memory?
Third grade field day!
What is your favorite book?
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
What are three words that describe you?
Smart, creative, quick-thinking
Congratulations, Athena
What is your favorite book, movie, or song?
My favorite book is The One and Only Bob. My favorite movie is Dumbo. And my favorite song is "Happier" by Marshmellow.
What's your favorite Lowell School memory?
When I went to the Boston Tea Party Museum in third grade.
What is the best thing about being in 5th grade?
Getting challenged.
Congratulations, Grace
What are three words that describe you?
I am fancy, artistic, and independent
What's the best thing about being in 5th grade?
I like being in 5th grade because I like scavenger hunts, our Friday dance party, and writing.
What's your favorite Lowell School memory?
My favorite school memories are dance party, doing the Boston Tea Party play with Ms. Walsh, reading with Ms. Seward, and I also liked Mr. Finadaca's owl.
Upcoming Events
Stories From Around the World! Mystery Reader Daily at 1:00 pm on Zoom! Monday through Friday!
Students who attend the Read Aloud will be able to use it for DEAR Time!
Please Join Us!
Monday, Jan 25, 2021, 01:00 PM
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Parent Diversity Council Meeting
- Diverse Book orders (round 2)
- Starting Student Diversity Council
Topic: Lowell Diversity Council
Time: This is a recurring meeting Meet anytime
Join Zoom Meeting
Student Services Q & A
Dear WPS families of students with disabilities,
We hope that you can join us at our next Q&A session, in collaboration with Watertown's Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC), via ZOOM on Thursday, January 28, 2021, from 6:00 to 7:00. You can find the ZOOM link here.
Kind regards,
Kathleen Desmarais, Director of Student Services
Celebrating Black History Month : Student Voice "Impressions" Showcase
We are very excited to collaborate with you and share the WPS Black History Month Student Voice "Impressions" Showcase. The submission form is open from January 22 - March 1, 2021.
Here is the link to our 2021 WPS Black History Month Student Voice "Expressions" Showcase" that hosts the submission details, some student work examples for inspiration, few guidelines, and the student work submission form.
Technology Updates
We look forward to supporting you with your educational technology questions.
Here is a link to the weekly 01/23 Family Ed-Tech for All Newsletter, LIVE Ed-Tech Support Sessions, Resources, Tutorials & tips that are curated and created, just for you. Do you need help with Ed-Tech? Please complete the WPS Ed-Tech Support Request Form. A member of the WPS Ed-Tech team will reach out to you within a school day.
Celebrating WPS Black History Month Student Voice "Impressions" Showcase
We are very excited to collaborate with you and share the WPS Black History Month Student Voice "Impressions" Showcase. The submission form is open from January 22 - March 1, 2021.
Here is the link to our 2021 WPS Black History Month Student Voice "Expressions" Showcase" that hosts the submission details, some student work examples for inspiration, few guidelines, and the student work submission form.
The theme for this year is " We Stand Together"
Please email me if would like to add to the website or need more information. Need Classroom or submission support? Please use the Ed-Tech support form or you can also reach out to the teachers, library media learning specialists, and digital learning support specialists at your school.
Thank you and have a terrific day,
Rashmi Pimprikar (District Ed-Tech Coordinator), Digital Learning Team and IT Team
Parent Resources
Kindergarten Information Night
Parents/Guardians of children entering Kindergarten in the fall of 2021 are invited to participate in this virtual informational meeting.
During the meeting you will:
•learn about early education in Watertown;
•find out when/how to register your child;
•ask questions about early education and registration.
Use the pre-registration form to sign up for this event. Your completed form will help us to prepare for this informational session. If you cannot attend, you should still complete the form so that we can approximate the number of families showing interest in enrolling a Kindergarten student for the 21-22 school year. Please see Lowell link for Lowell Parents below.
Free Parent and Caregiver Workshop
Thursday, January 28, 1-3 PM Eastern Time
Join expert Teachers College Reading and Writing Project staff at our upcoming workshop day for parents and caregivers of students in grades K-8. Learn more about ways to support your child’s literacy education at home, what or how they are learning in school, how to best engage in home literacy projects, and more.
These days are typically 2-3 hours long, composed of a series of 15-minute small-group presentations. Parents and caregivers can choose the workshops that match their needs and are free to come for one workshop or many. The schedule of workshops will be made available prior to the event. These sessions are offered live and are not recorded for later viewing.
Click the link below to register.
https://tcrwp.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIudu-orzMrGdUN0IyGUGksRGCvS2Sjp9E5
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
PTO Corner
Updates:
Celebrate International Week, January 25 - 29: Join us in celebrating the rich cultural diversity of our Lowell School Community from Monday, January 25 - Friday, January 29. Every day we will have a theme -- music, art, cooking, books, and dance -- and read-alouds from around the world. Join our special Facebook group: "JR Lowell Elementary International Week" and Zoom in for our daily read-alouds at 1pm. If you don't have Facebook, you can also send in pictures and videos to lowellelementarypto@gmail.com
Chulo Restaurant Fundraiser, January 26 - 28: As part of our International Week celebration, why not try some delicious Indian and Nepali cuisine at Chulo Restaurant (former Asiana Fusion, 1 Waverly Ave)? Phone in your take-out order anytime Tuesday, January 26 through Thursday, January 28 and 15% of the sales will help support the Lowell School 5th grade end-of-year events. Please show the flyer when you pick-up.
Let’s Chat, January 28th at 9:30AM: The Lowell School's Guidance and SEL team will be hosting a January Let's Chat Thursday, January 28th at 9:30AM. This is a great opportunity to connect with experts around supporting kids in these challenging times. You can also use Padlet to share any question, thought, or concern that you might have with the Lowell School’s team that supports students’ social and emotional well-being. Look for the plus sign (+) on the bottom right to add your response.https://watertown-k12-ma-us.zoom.us/j/93586437521
Cosmic Yoga Club: The PTO is hosting a FREE Cosmic Yoga Club. This club is recommended for students in grades K-2. Sessions will be on Thursdays from 3 - 4pm on Zoom. Space is limited. Sign-up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0545a5ae28a0f49-cosmic
Order a School Shirt: We hope you liked your school shirt! The PTO is now selling shirts if you would like to purchase any additional ones for kids or adults. Order and payment information are available through this Google Form. https://forms.gle/qjfFH8RJ3xvRV6fb8 The last day to order is January 30.
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