The Latest at Lowell

Boozhoo, buenos días and greetings Lowell families!

We have had a busy, busy March! Here are just a few of the fun and exciting events that have recently happened at Lowell:

• Little Loon Opera for 3rd - 5th graders
• Traditional Ojibwe Snow Snake instruction and play during Phy Ed
• Doctor Day in 5th grade
• Naughty leprechauns making messes in Kindergarten and 1st grade classrooms
• Strategy game Friday in Ms. Pulkrabek's 2/3 class

This list is just a sampling of the daily offerings our staff bring to our students. I applaud the many creative efforts of our teachers in making learning fun with new experiences.

This time of year also brings challenges, particularly this year with all the snow. Please be extra careful in our parking lot and when exiting back onto Rice Lake Road. Students need an extra change of clothes as the wet snow saturates everything. Our playground hill not only provides hours of fun, but the line between safe play and dangerous horseplay on icy surfaces is easily blurred. I'm grateful for our recess and lunch monitors on a daily basis.

This is also the run-up to annual state testing. Teachers are finishing necessary standards and reviewing the most important vocabulary to help make sure our students feel as ready as possible.

In this newsletter, you will find information on the following:

• Kindergarten enrollment
• Kindergarten Meet & Greet
• MCA Testing
• Duluth Preschool and Head Start Updates
• Morning Zipper Merge Reminder
• PTA Corner
• Save the Date
• Community Offerings

In educational solidarity,

Eve Hessler

Children who will turn five years old by 9/1/23 and are for sure attending Lowell Elementary School for kindergarten, can be enrolled now! Online enrollment information can be found here or stop by the office to pick up paper forms.

Immersion Program Enrollment Information

• Misaabekong Ojibwe Immersion - All forms and documents due April 7
• Nueva Visión Spanish Immersion - All forms and documents due April 7

Contact Lowell's secretary rachel.beilke@isd709.org if you have any questions about paperwork.

All programs will be at Kindergarten Meet & Greet (formerly known as Round-up) on March 21 from 3:30 - 6:00 pm. We hope to see you there!

We are so excited to meet the Class of 2036!!

Hi Lowell families, enrollment is now open for our Duluth Preschool classrooms for the 2023-2024 school year! If you have a child who will be 3 years old by September 1 of this year, check out our district’s preschool offerings. Online applications are recommended, but paper applications are also available.(see attachment)

Here is the link to the online application:

https://www.isd709.org/academics/early-childhood

There are a variety of funding options available, including Head Start (no tuition) and a sliding tuition scale based on income.

Here at Lowell we have two preschool classrooms. Oshki-Inwewin is an Ojibwe bicultural classroom that’s in session Monday-Friday 7:30-2:15. We also have a half-day preschool classroom that’s in session Monday-Thursday: 7:30-11:00 or 11:45-3:15. You may also apply to one of our other district preschool classrooms located at our other elementary schools.

Early Childhood Screening

All Minnesotan children are required to complete a developmental screening by the time they start kindergarten. This can be done as early as 3-years-old. We recommend sooner than later because screening may link families to free early learning opportunities and resources such as Head Start, Early Childhood Family Education, prekindergarten programs, Early Childhood Special Education, Early Learning Scholarships, home visiting programs, or other resources.

MCA testing will start for 3rd-5th graders the week before break. Please make sure your student gets enough rest, eats a good breakfast and comes to school on time on those days!

• April 4, 5, 6 - Reading 3rd - 5th
• April 18 & 19 - Math 3rd & 5th
• April 26 & 27 - 4th Math, 5th Science

During the week of May 8 - 12, our 5th graders in Nueva Visión Spanish Immersion will take the Standards-based Measurement of Proficiency in Language Test (STAMP). This assessment will provide our program a second set of valuable data on how much language our students have acquired during their six years in our program. The four different modes of language (reading, writing, speaking and listening) will be tested, with one test per day and the last day reserved for make up. Each of the four tests range in length from 15 minutes to 45 minutes.

We will be able to take our results and compare them to the outcomes of other immersion programs in Minnesota and across the country. Our goal has always been to develop students that are both bilingual and bi-literate. The STAMP results, combined with MCA results, provide us data to analyze and make adjustments to our programming as we progress in our continuous improvement cycles.

Last year, based on our data, we learned we had to push our students to speak more Spanish in the classroom, at an earlier age. Please ask your student about what their teacher does to encourage more language output on a daily basis.

Mr. Finch is our MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Supports, the framework we use for identifying student needs and matching resources and interventions for academics and behaviors) Coordinator. He works with students in social skills groups and is always trying to improve our behavior systems.

We need to maintain two lanes through the curve and towards the garden as much as possible.

PLEASE WAIT TO MERGE. WHEN YOU MERGE AT THE CURVE YOU BLOCK BOTH LANES AND NOBODY CAN MOVE FORWARD. And, as always, stay in your car and keep moving forward.

Please thank Mr. Kevin Anderson, Ms. Holt, Mr. Daw, and Ms. Bergerson for their continued dedication to helping pick up and drop off work as smoothly as possible!

The Lowell PTA met March 16 online via Zoom. Notes here.

OMC Gift Card Fundraiser - Extended until the end of March

Our PTA is always looking for more members. Please consider joining at the next meeting on Thursday, April 20 via Zoom.

LOST & FOUNDS ITEMS WILL BE DONATED DURING APRIL BREAK!!!

Yearbook orders due April 10!!

March 21 3:30 - 6:00 Kindergarten Meet & Greet

March 24 PBIS Beach Party Lunch

April 4 - 6 3-5 MCA Reading

April 7 - KG & 1st grade immersion applications due

April 10 - Yearbook Order Deadline

April 10 - 14 NO SCHOOL, Spring Break

April 18 & 19 3rd & 5th MCA Math

April 19 - 21 4th Grade Wolf Ridge Trip!!

April 26 & 27 4th MCA Math & 5th MCA Science

April 28 Tentative PTA School Dance

May 8-12 5th Grade Immersion STAMP Language Proficiency Testing

May 17 Fit & Fun Run, 9:15 - 11:15 (3rd - 5th Grade)

May 25 Lowell Spring Concert

May 26 TENTATIVE, All School Bingo!

June 7 TENTATIVE 5th Grade Graduation

June 8 Field Day and LAST DAY OF SCHOOL

If you are available 10:45 - 1:15 on Mondays and Fridays and interested in working with our students during their favorite time of day, please contact Mr. Anderson at nathan.anderson2@isd709.org or 218-336-8895 ext. 3193

Eve Hessler, Principal

Nathan Anderson, Assistant Principal

Rachel Beilke, Lead Clerical

Brooke Gauthier, Attendance Clerical

Attendance Line 218-336-8895, option 2

Email: lowell@isd709.org
Website: https://lowell.isd709.org/
Location: 2000 Rice Lake Road, Duluth, MN, USA
Phone: 218-336-8895
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lowelllions