

Lowell Leopard News
February 2024
From the Principal
Welcome to February! This month, we mark the halfway point in the school year. Our Lowell Leopard students and staff are hard at work -- and play! -- each day. Thank you for your support during the first half of the year ... we know that a great second half in in store!
Here are some things to know about this month:
- Our Student Leadership Team has chosen "You've Got a Friend in Me" as our theme for a month focused on kindness and friendship. Leaders are facilitating the all-school art project shown here -- which focuses on how to be a good friend. This is a great topic of conversation for you to have as a family!
- Students have recently completed mid-year assessments to provide teachers with more information as they prepare progress reports (report cards). Watch for these to come home with students on Thursday, Feb. 15. Also coming home are i-Ready growth reports.
Please reach out to your child’s teacher if you have any questions about those documents. Beginning Feb. 5, you can also access i-Ready family reports from your child's dashboard when they log in. Directions are in the accompanying file.
This month, our multilingual learners begin taking the annual WIDA ACCESS assessment, which helps us understand their proficiency levels in reading, writing, speaking, and listening.
Our PTA has two events this month. There is a General Meeting at 6:00 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 8, in the library. You don’t have to be a member to attend, and kids are welcome. PTA is also hosting a Valentine Date Night drop-off event on Wednesday, Feb. 14. More info is in the PTA section of this newsletter.
I'm excited to announce that we have hired a family support specialist paraeducator who will focus on ensuring that our students and their families have access to supports and resources that will help them be successful at school. Her name is Amy Watkins, and you can read a short message from her in the community resources section of this newsletter.
Have a great month, and please be sure to reach out with any questions or needs!
Mrs. Kelley, principal
Do you read to or with your child at home? There are so many benefits to reading, whether as a family or independently -- check out the accompanying image for some of them. And, the benefits are the same no matter what language you read in, and no matter who reads out loud (you, your child, or a combo). Check out this post for 10 tips on how to support with at-home reading.
AquaSox bookmark contest: During March, we'll be participating in the AquaSox Hit a Home Run for Reading program. Before then, students have the opportunity to enter a bookmark contest. The template is attached -- please note that a parent/guardian signature is required, and that the deadline to turn these in to the office is Feb. 12.
- Every Monday: Celebrate Motto Monday by wearing a Lowell shirt, or blue and white.
- Week of Feb. 5-9: National School Counseling Week
- Tuesday, Feb. 6: Let's Connect event on healthy digital habits -- details below
- Wednesday, Feb. 7: Vision screenings
- Thursday, Feb. 8: PTA General Meeting, 6:00 p.m. in the library
- Friday, Feb. 9: Popcorn Friday; 1:35 p.m. Learning Improvement Friday dismissal
- Wednesday, Feb. 14: PTA Valentine Date Night (info in PTA section)
- Thursday, Feb. 15: Progress reports being sent home with students
- Friday, Feb. 16: 1:35 p.m. Learning Improvement Friday dismissal
- Monday-Tuesday, Feb. 19-20: No school for midwinter break
- Friday Feb. 23: Popcorn Friday; 1:35 p.m. Learning Improvement Friday dismissal
- Looking ahead:
- Friday, March 1, is 1:35 p.m. Learning Improvement Friday dismissal.
- Monday, March 4, is Family Literacy Night -- details coming soon!
Looking for district calendars for the 2023-24 school year?:
- One-page calendar: English and Spanish
- Student art wall calendar: Full page and print/fold
Promoting Healthy Digital Habits: The next Let’s Connect event is from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 6, at Cascade High School. Dr. Lucía Magis-Weinberg from the University of Washington will talk about how students are shaped by the risks and opportunities afforded by technology, particularly social media, and ways to promote healthy digital habits. After her talk, join small-group discussions with other parents and school leaders. We will also have interpreters who can speak Arabic, Marshallese, Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese! Dr. Magis-Weinberg will be sharing relevant insights on how digital technologies shape adolescent development. This event is for families with kids in elementary, middle, and high school. We believe that everyone has a stake in understanding and navigating the digital landscape that shapes our kids' lives.
P.E. with Ms. Neyens
- For the month of February, we will be diving into nutrition. We will use the myplate.gov curriculum, as well as some other fun plans. Fifth grade will be using Beecher's Foundation Food Detectives curriculum as well. With all classes, we will be learning more about the food groups, healthy choices, and more!
- Our fourth annual Kids Heart Challenge is almost here! We will be participating in the American Heart Association's Kids Heart Challenge in March this year. I am so excited to bring this back to Lowell for the fourth year! Our kickoff assembly will be on February 28th, but you can register for free, like always, now through the QR code or link http://www2.heart.org/goto/LowellLeopards. Please make sure to list your child's classroom teacher as their teacher (not me).
New website: Check out PTA's new website here!
Next general meeting: 6:00 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 8, in the library. Kids are welcome (there's child care), and you don't have to be a member to attend!
Valentine Date Night: Click the accompanying image to sign up -- registration deadline is Friday, Feb. 9, and space is limited.
Interested in volunteering? There are lots of events coming up in the spring! Volunteer clearance is a must, and it can take up to two weeks. Get ahead of things now -- visit the district website to start your application!
How to join PTA: Just click here -- it's a fabulous way to support Lowell students and staff, and it doesn't mean you have to commit to volunteering.
Welcome to our new family support specialist!: Hello, Lowell Elementary families! My name is Amy Watkins, and I am excited about my new role. My previous experience in a school was as an administrative assistant, supporting administrators, teachers, and students in preschool through third grade. I have also been a newspaper journalist in Everett, and this helped me to learn about the city and surrounding areas before discovering a love for working in schools. Outside of the school day, I enjoy reading books, cheering on local sports teams, and spending time with my husband, son, and our two cats. I am looking forward to getting to know you, your student(s), and everyone at Lowell Elementary!
Basic needs resources: Does your family need assistance with items such as clothing and shoes, or food? We have resources to help, and/or we can help you connect with resources in the community! E-mail family support specialist Amy Watkins at awatkins@everettsd.org, or call her at 425-385-5373.
Here are some community resources you may want to take advantage of:
Late arrivals/tardies: If arriving after 8:30 a.m., students must enter through the main entrance/office. If it's between 8:35 and 9:05 a.m., your student will be marked tardy. After 9:05, your student needs to be walked in by an adult, as they need to be signed in. This will ensure that their half-day absence is being marked excused or unexcused appropriately.
Changes to dismissal routines: If you are wanting to change how your student is getting home on a given day, you must contact our office before 2:30 p.m. Classes are packing up and transitioning to dismissal areas between 2:40 and 2:50 p.m., so we cannot guarantee that messages will get through during that time period. Please keep in mind that early dismissals of less than 30 minutes count as a tardy, and those of longer than 30 minutes count as a half-day absence.
Every month, our district has a variety of news items to share. See the attachments in both English and Spanish for this month's news:
- Let's Connect on Feb 6: Promoting Healthy Digital Habits
- Enrollment for kindergarten opens on March 4th!
- Safety Tip Line
- Assistance icon on website
- Did you know? OSPI report is published
- Calendar reminder: February 19-20 is mid-winter break
- High School and Middle School Summer Academy
- Latest Parent U Video: College & Career Readiness Seminar
- Crosswalk safety reminder
- National Counseling Week is February 5-9
- Do you have a student receiving special education?
- Harvest of the month for February: Potatoes!
How to reach us
Email: ekelley@everettsd.org
Website: https://www.everettsd.org/lowelles
Location: 5010 View Drive, Everett, WA, USA
Phone: 425-385-5300
Facebook: www.facebook.com/EPSLowellES
Twitter: @EPS_LowellES