Hello McAvinnue Community!

I hope that everyone is doing well...and having an amazing weekend! It looks like we missed some of the issues that could have occurred as a result of Hurricane Lee. I don't know about you...but, I am looking forward to some of the more typical Fall weather. It looks the the projected weather forecast will be in the low 70's with some sunny days to wrap up the week. This is some great news!

Well...McAvinnue's first full week has completed and is officially in the books! It was a great week with many moments of highly engaging lessons, students working hard and making great choices, amazing lunch options in our cafeteria, and some fun time outside enjoying the nice weather during recess! We are back in full swing of things...exciting but exhausting times at McAvinnue!

We are excited to host our first family event at on Friday, September 22nd from 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM....McAvinnue's "Back To School Bash"! This has been such a fantastic family event at McAvinnue that we have done annually for multiple years. We are so excited to host this annual event once again! The weather looks like it will be perfect...so, we can't wait to see everyone for some fun to end the week!

A quick building update for everyone! With the cooler air coming in at night, we've seen some relief from the warmth and humidity by the end of the week. Our tremendous maintenance team have been opening some windows early in the morning which is allowing for the air within the building to circulate. The Fall season officially begins on Saturday, September 23rd and we expect the weather to begin to shift to cooler and more consistent temperatures. It is also important to remind your students and families to be aware of the daily weather forecast. Things can change on a dime during this time of the school year...and we need to ensure that our students are dressed to head outside for recess.

We are looking forward to another successful week at the "best school that we all know"!

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach directly.

Here are a few items that you need to be aware of. Please mark your calendars for the following events and activities at McAvinnue for the next few weeks:

• Thursday, September 21st - Grade 4 Field Trip: Patriots Hall Of Fame STEAM Showcase
• Friday, September 22nd - McAvinnue's "Back To School Bash"
• Thursday, September 28th - Kindergarten Field Trip - Parlee Farms
• Tuesday, October 3rd - McAvinnue's "Lions Pride" All School Core Value Celebration @ 9:30 AM - 10:15 AM
• Wednesday, October 4th - LPS School Committee Meeting @ 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM (City Hall)
• Friday, October 6th - Grade 3 Field Trip; Concord Museum (Room 303 & 304)
• Monday, October 9th - No School - Indigenous People's Day
• Tuesday, October 10th - Grade 3 Field Trip; Concord Museum (Room 301 & 302)

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact the Main Office at McAvinnue or send Mr. Domina a message a mdomina@lowell.k12.ma.us.

McAvinnue's 21st Century Before and After School Program is set and ready to go! The programs will begin on Monday, October 2nd - Thursday, December 14th.

The Before School Program is for all grade levels (Kindergarten - Grade 4). For the After School Program, Grade 1 and 2 students will attend on Monday and Wednesday. Grade 3 and 4 students will attend on Tuesday and Thursday.

We will provide a snack for those students that are attending the After School Program.

Please keep in mind that transportation will not be provided. Students will need to be picked up at 5:00 PM when attending the After School Program.

You can register for the program using the link below or by sending an email to the Before/After School Program Coordinator, Mrs. De La Luz at adelaluz@lowell.k12.ma.us.

McAvinnue's "Morning Announcements" are back for the 2023-2024 academic school year!

Like we had successfully done last school year, a new edition of McAvinnue's "Virtual" Morning Announcements will be presented to our students on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday each week. We will continue to use Tuesday and Thursday each week to be used for "Open Circle"....our Social Emotional Learning (SEL) program that focuses on community building, prosocial decision making, and appropriate responses to daily stressors both within the school and home settings.

This will continue to be a great way to bring our school together each day focusing on the same message to get the energy, commitment, and engage up before we launch into another great day at "the best school we all know".

You can check out each edition of McAvinnue's Morning Announcements on our YouTube channel using the link below.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7hxiBuRjqjqfASl_RLMleQ

If you want a peek of McAvinnue's "Virtual Morning Announcements", check out the video below!

We will try another classic technique this week called the "Ocean Breath". This new technique will allow us to remain calm by finding our "center" and imagining the flow of waves at the ocean. We will practice the "Ocean Breath" technique this week during our Morning Announcements during this up and coming week.

You can get an early head start and practice this technique before we launch into another exciting week!

If your students have any medical concerns or diagnosis, please make sure Nurse Danielle is aware. Also, if they have any medical conditions, for example allergies or asthma, that require medications such as Epipens or inhalers here at school, please remember she needs updated paperwork and medication yearly.

Please reach out as soon as possible to get her the necessary paperwork and to arrange drop off of new medications. Nurse Danielle's email address is dralls@lowell.k12.ma.us and she can also be reached by calling (978) 937-2871 ex. 47858. Our fax number is (978) 937-2880.

Drop-Off Logistics

• Arrival begins at 9:10 AM each day. The late bell rings at 9:25 AM.
• Please pull up to the 4th Avenue side of the building when dropping off your child.
• As you approach the 4th Avenue sidewalk, a faculty member will greet and support getting your child safely out of the vehicle.
• This area is a drop off area ONLY. You will not be permitted to park in this location.
• Please be sure to drive all the way down to the end of the sidewalk so we can fit as many vehicles in this location as possible.
• Ensure your child is ready to go and do not get out of the car so we can keep traffic moving.
• Students accessing our CSA program will be dismissed out the 4th Avenue door near the rear of the school building by the exit driveway.
• Large bus students will enter using the back door located in the rear of the school building.
  
• Small bus and van transportation students will use the 4th Avenue door near the rear of the school building by the exit driveway.

Morning Lining Up Locations

• Grade 1, 3, and 4 students will use the Main Door to enter the school building.
• Grade 2 will use the 4th Avenue doorway near the front of the school to enter the building.
• PreK & Kindergarten will use the Early Childhood door to enter the building. This door is located to the right of McAvinnue's Reading Garden and to the left of the Main Door.

Pick-Up Logistics

• Grade 1 will be dismissed out the Main Door.
• Grades 2, 3, and 4 will be dismissed out the 4th Avenue door near the front of the school.
• Kindergarten students will be dismissed out the Early Childhood door. This door is located to the right of McAvinnue's Reading Garden and to the left of the Main Door.
• Students accessing our CSA program will be dismissed out the 4th Avenue door near the rear of the school building by the exit driveway.
• PreK students will be dismissed out the 4th Avenue door near the rear of the school building by the exit driveway. Please contact Ms. Annie for the specific dismissal time.

School bus transportation is provided to students in grades K-4, who live greater than .75 mile from their residence or alternate address to their assigned school. Middle school students (grades 5-8) must live greater than 1.5 miles from their residence or alternate address to their assigned school.

Kindergarten through 4th grade students will receive a printed bus pass via postal mail. These passes were mailed out on August 23rd. You can also look up your student's bus pass information by using their Student ID for the username and date of birth for the password at the link below. This is the same information that students use to log in to their Chromebooks for school.

Please note that Kindergarten and 1st grader students must have an older sibling (4th grade or older) or parent present at the bus stop in the afternoon in order to depart from the school bus. If a parent or older sibling is not present, the student will be brought to the Moody School, located at 158 Rogers Street. A driver’s license or valid identification must be presented to the staff in order to dismiss the student.

You can use the LPSD "Bus Lookup Tool" using the link below. You will need to use you child's LASID or lunch number along with their birthdate to access this helpful system.

There also is a helpful video that you can watch that will walk you through the process.

ST Math is back for our 2023-2024 school year and our launch has been exciting! We are on track to have 100% of our students playing by the end of the month. Student puzzle play is cruising along, percent progress trackers are taking shape around the building, and JiJi hats have been spotted...we are so excited to see how well we do this school year and try to match or even surpass our AMAZING accomplishments from last school year!

Take a peek 👀 at what has been accomplished so far:

The LPS Student Handbook is a great tool to use to fully understand the expectations of the role of our students as well as the partnership needed for our families to ensure that the school year is a great success.

You can access the district elementary student handbook by clicking the button below. You will find various policies and procedures focusing on attendance, grading, discipline, bus expectations, and more.

Please reach out directly if you have any questions.

As you are aware, attending school is first step each in the learning process for our students. It is critical that our students arrive to school on time each day so that they can access all of the engaging and meaning lessons that have been planned by our teachers and related service providers.

The McAvinnue Attendnace Team will monitor student attendance on a weekly basis and will reach our directly to families when they notice frequent absences, a pattern of absences, or an increased number of consecutive absences within a short period of time.

Please refer to McAvinnue's Student Attendance Booket below that will provide additional information. This booket will be sent home with students in multiple languages. It is important that you review this information for your own awareness and to be fully prepared to support your child with the first step of the learning process...attending school on time.

As we reopen for the new school year, Lowell Public Schools Food and Nutrition are "Powering Potential" for students and faculty with innovations in our menus and enhancements to our overall dining operations. When your child dines with us, rest assured that we will be serving delicious, nutritious meals prepared with the utmost attention to safety. We encourage every student to fuel up with breakfast and lunch meals each day so they can be energized and prepared to succeed throughout the day, in and out of the classroom.

Please keep up to date on our program, nutrition education, monthly menus and back to school letters on the LPS Food and Nutrition website.

Any concerns please feel free to email foodservice@lowell.k12.ma.us

Get a jump start now and complete your emergency contact form for the 2023-2024 academic school year?

We have made it really easy for you to complete this important task. You can access the online form below. When you complete this form, it is immediately sent to McAvinnue and we will print it out for our records.

You don't need to come to the school to complete this form...you can do it right on your phone, tablet, or computer!

If you have any questions, please reach out to Mrs. De La Luz at adelaluz@lowell.k12.ma.us or contact the Main Office at McAvinnue for support!

We have an online store if you wish to order any McAvinnue gear! It is open 24 hours per day and there is no due date for orders. Anytime you want to order...on any day!

The company is Prep Sportswear and has been reliable with solid product quality from reputable brands.

There is a 30% off deal occuring now on all items! This is a major discount if you are interested in purchasing McAvinnue merchandise.

Like during previous school years, we are also exploring additional local options to purchase McAvinnue gear. Stay tuned for more information in the month of September.

To access our current online store for McAvinnue spirit gear, please click the link below.

How can I update my contact information (phone number/email/address)?

• Go online to the Family Resource Webpage (https://www.lowell.k12.ma.us/UpdateContactInfo) and fill out the “contact us” form. Families who don’t have access to the internet can fill out the form in person at the Family Resource Center. If an address change is related to economic factors or housing instability (family moves in with relatives, eviction, hotel/motel, fire or unsheltered, please contact the McKinney Vento Office located at the Family Resource Center in person (151 Merrimack Street), by phone (978-674-4321) or go to the webpage at https://www.lowell.k12.ma.us/HomelessAssistance.

How do I update my emergency contacts?

• If you were in the school last year we will send a verification sheet out. if you are new we will send home an emergency form to fill out on the first day of school.

How do I register my child for the new school year?

• All school registrations are completed online using a computer or laptop. You can access the online application by going to https://www.lowell.k12.ma.us/SchoolRegistration. If you only have a mobile device and don’t have access to a computer or laptop, you can register in person at the Family Resource Center (151 Merrimack Street). Please call the Family Resource Center if you have any questions (978-674-4321).

What should I do if I need to register my child(ren) and I don’t speak English?

• The Lowell Public Schools is committed to providing translation and interpretation services for families who require assistance in a language other than English. The online registration application and website is translated in Spanish and Portuguese and can be accessed by going to https://www.lowell.k12.ma.us/SchoolRegistration. For all other languages, please call Vannak Khin at (978) 328-6782 to arrange services. In-person language interpretation support for registration can be accessed by visiting the Lowell Public Schools at 151 Merrimack Street. Families can also call the Family Resource Center at (978) 674-4321 to make an appointment with a Bilingual Family Liaison.

How old does my child need to be to enroll in preschool or kindergarten?

• A child must turn 4 years old on or before September 1, 2023, in order to apply for preschool and 5 by September 1 to apply for kindergarten. A family can apply for preschool by going to https://www.lowell.k12.ma.us/PreschoolRegistration to fill out an online application or https://www.lowell.k12.ma.us/KindergartenRegistration for kindergarten. For registration questions, please call (978) 674-4321.

How do I apply for a transfer for my child to change schools in the new year?

• Per the 2023-2024 School Assignment Policy, all students have the option to request one school transfer per year.
• Families can apply online at https://www.lowell.k12.ma.us/SchoolTransfer or can come to the Family Resource Center in-person to complete the application. Transfers are assigned on a space availability basis.

Cub Scout Pack 7 is looking for new cubs to join their pack! Tons of fun and learning experiences for all kids in Kindergarten through Grade 5. For more information, visit www.pack7lowell.com

Pack 7 meets at St. Rita's Church directly across from McAvinnue!

Do you need support with food options for your family. No need to worry...there are many local groups that can offer support for you during your time of need.

Click the link below for a list of local food pantries that are willing to help.

You can also reach out to Mrs. De La Luz, McAvinnue's Social Worker, for support navigating these and other options.

Check out our school website where you can find a wealth of information including school news, calendars, and other events.

Please visit our website at: https://www.lowell.k12.ma.us/mcavinnue

You can follow McAvinnue on social media at the following sites! We update things daily and this is a great way to stay in touch with all of the amazing things that are happening inside and out of "the best school we all know"!

Click the buttons below to access our social media sites!