Bulldog Weekly Update
November 15th - November 19th
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 uodates. There is much to do between now and Thanksgiving break as it is! Take a cue from Friday's beautiful rainbows over our school: when things get hectic, when they feel chaotic, there is always sun after the storm.
Staff Spotlight
Our staff spotlight is on the school's Physical Education department this week, headed by Mr. Pearl and Mr. Boyle. Both of these teachers lead by example. They frequently wear many hats in the building from teaching physical activity and wellness, to supporting with student safety, to opening their classroom to students and adults at all points in the day when kids need a break, to let off some steam, or reset between classes. We should keep in mind that it wasn't too long-ago students were learning online, where they were given brain breaks and time to work asynchronously and off-screen. The transition back to school full-time has been difficult for all types of learners. Mr. Pearl and Mr. Boyle are gracious and flexible hosts, who also work well as a team and push our students to be accountable, learn what they can about themselves, and gain confidence by transcending self-imposed limits. Kudos to the leaders in our Phys. Ed. department, who model the kind of flexible thinking and can-do attitudes that keep our school running.
Lessons from the outdoor classroom:
Mrs. Pappalardo and Mrs. Cahill have continued to empower and encourage student leadership through outdoor lessons. The 8th Grade Leadership Group took a 1hr. walk through the cemetery on Monday. As they walked trying to find the oldest gravestone, the kids shared with one another about losses they have had in the past. The group talked about different traditions families have and Mrs. Cahill talked about the different types of trees they came across. The kids enjoyed the time outside and community building with one another.
Classroom Highlights
As usual, we had another week of fantastic classroom happenings. The 5/6 Adjustment students worked to create a concept map on the question of culture. As you can see, once we got started, the students' thoughts were on fire with examples of culture and how we define it across the world. From music to money to marriage, students could not suppress the flow of their ideas. The reward for their hard work? Students made pop-art from neodymium magnets and glass cabochons, which they gave to a sibling or parent with a story to tell about what they did to earn them.
6th Grade is working hard on their reading and writing. In particular, students are developing their skillfulness through figurative language. Here, students show their hand at writing examples of the many types of figurative language and how it enhances what the audience understands about the author's intent.
6th Grade also arranged a wonderful learning opportunity for their students in the form a gallery walk. Take a look at these awesome photos and read this quick blurb from our ELA teachers:
To celebrate the end of their poetry unit, Grade 6 ELA students participated in a Gallery Walk of their original poetry, where students read each other's writing and gave positive feedback for classmates. Students also voted on their favorite poem of the class! A post-walk survey was also administered to offer students an opportunity to give teachers feedback on their experience with the walk and offer ideas for any future changes. Students' feedback included:
- I liked that many people tried their best!
- That we got to see everybody's poems and their creativity.
- It was like a real gallery walk. Glad we got to have our great opinions on the poems and got to vote which one was better.
All Health classes are finishing up our Mental Health Unit. Each grade covered different aspects of Mental Health. Topics included identifying our feelings, emotions and worries. Discussing the differences between Mental Health and Mental Illness and what to do if you think you or a loved one may be suffering from a Mental Illness. Managing stress was also a focus and students shared their own personal strategies and learned some new ones. We also did a positive self-talk project which challenged students to turn negative personal thoughts into positive statements focusing on a growth mindset. Finally, each grade level participated in meditation at the end of class.
And, while it didn't happen this week, we have been holding onto this beautiful gem from a student who attends our 21st-century after-school program. As the lead teacher, Ms. Cooper writes,
Today in my Century 21 poetry program, the students were asked to produce a piece of writing (in a format of their choice) about their BEST day ever (past or future). This is a heart-warming example from 5th grader Nadia Tran.
To find out what Ms. Cooper means, see that awesome photo. It is sure to make you swoon.
Thank you to everyone who contributes to the weekly bulletin, giving us a glimpse into your world and sharing it with the school community. As these rainbows symbolize, 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:
The Food Drive is off to a slow start. 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
Quarter 1 grades close on November 8th and X2 window for posting is Nov. 4 -15th. Posting must be completed on November 15th at 10:00 am. Report cards will be sent home with students on Wednesday, November 17th.
Parent Conferences will be on November 17th from 6-8 pm. Teams will need to review scheduling plans this week and submit them to me for review and posting for parents. Let me know if you would like me to come to Team meetings when you are planning for conferences. Teachers will communicate conference scheduling procedures to parents by Tuesday, November 9th. Please make this is on newsletters and Remind notices to all parents.
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 11/15
School operations meeting 8:30 in the large conference room
Tuesday 11/16
- Student support meeting 8:30 in the large conference room
Wednesday 11/17
Pena Leadership
Parent-Teacher Conference
Thursday 11/18
Moody Leadership
Friday 11/19
Fun FriYAY! Wear your favorite New England sportswear(Red Sox, Pats, Bruins) or wear your Butler Pride gear
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.
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/