LPS Connector

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ដើម្បីបកប្រែព្រឹត្តិប័ត្រព័ត៌មាន សូមមើលលើផ្នែកខាងស្តាំខាងលើនៃព្រឹត្តិប័ត្រ ព័ត៌មាននេះនូវមធ្យោបាយ ហើយសូមចុចលើជម្រើស" បកប្រែព្រឹត្តិប័ត្រព័ត៌មាន ។

Dear Parents, Guardians, and Community Members,

As the holiday season is upon us, I want to take this opportunity to extend my warmest wishes to you and your loved ones. This is a special time of year to pause, reflect, and cherish the moments we share with family and friends.

At Lowell Public Schools, we are grateful for the partnership we share with you in shaping the lives of our students. Your support, encouragement, and dedication to your children’s growth are invaluable to our collective success.

We are also incredible grateful for the dedication and spirit your children and our teachers and staff bring to school every single day. You will see some of that reflected in the stories highlighted in this month's newsletter.

As we prepare for the upcoming break, I hope you find time to relax, recharge, and create lasting memories with your family. Whether it’s enjoying festive traditions, embracing moments of peace, or simply savoring time together, this season is a reminder of the importance of connection and community.

On behalf of all of us in LPS, I wish you a joyous holiday season filled with warmth, love, and happiness.

Sincerely,

Liam

This semester, 28 LHS students took the UMass Lowell dual enrollment course “Teaching in the Inclusive Classroom” as part of Lowell High Schools’ Education Pathway.

This partnership between UML and LHS began in 2022 with 13 students taking the course. Today there is a waiting list.

On December 4, a reception was held at UMass Lowell’s Coburn Hall where the students were able to present posters they made about their experiences in the program and talk about it with UMass Lowell and Lowell Public Schools faculty and staff, as well as family and friends. Read about it here: https://lpsnotebook.wordpress.com/2024/12/10/students-as-teachers/

It was a festive atmosphere at the Lowell Senior Center on December 12 when the Pyne Arts Magnet School's Chorus, Dance Ensemble, and Drama students came to perform. They took their show on the road on Monday December 16 for the residents at Rogers Hall. Great job!

The Greenhalge Elementary School had a great Winter Wonderland celebration December 10 featuring crafts, activities, a visit from Olaf, a balloon artist, music, a holiday shop, snacks, a Christmas tree raffle, and more! Following the party, everyone settled down to watch "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" courtesy of the Lowell Police Department (Official). See those photos here: https://www.facebook.com/GreenhalgeElem/posts/pfbid02TKFWGRTQS3RLwDV8EhmQDJGLRymXGQLCFvvNpUeoMXmiq3x4KVSJ3BWG6C5pBP56l

Christmas came a little early for the students at the Lincoln Elementary School.

On December 3, our friends from Operation Warm along with the volunteer elves from UKG brought a new, warm winter coat for EVERY Lincoln Shark - 500 in total. The kids came through the gym one class at a time and were able, with help from the elves, to choose their favorite color and find the perfect size coat that will surely keep them warm and comfortable on the way to and from school and on the playground all winter long.

There is a very exciting new partnership ready to burst onto the scene in 2025.

You may see the giant Mobile Health Unit – a doctor’s office on wheels, stationed at schools throughout the city this month. This pre-launch event is an opportunity for families, teachers, and staff to get to see the unit before it goes into service in early 2025.

This Mobile Health Unit, a partnership between Lowell Public Schools, Lowell Community Health Center, and the UMass Lowell Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences, will be at six of our schools designated as Community Schools (the Greenhalge, Sullivan, Bartlett, Butler, STEM Academy, and Career Academy) once a week providing check-ups, sick visits, immunizations, and on-site testing services.

Not only will this be a game changer for LPS students, but UMass Lowell students studying nursing, public health, nutrition, and other health-related fields will have the opportunity to get hands-on experience working in the unit alongside staff from LCHC.

Electricity was in the air . . and on the desks . . . and the floor at the McAvinnue Elementary School on December 4, as students participated in hands-on STEM learning made possible through a partnership with The Acera School of Winchester, a private K-9 STEM focused school for gifted students.

The photos in this post are from a few second-grade classes who spent this early-release day learning about conductors, insulators, and how electricity works. After gaining an understanding of batteries and circuits, as well as what can block the path of energy movement and how to fix it, they got to work building circuits of their own with wires, paper clips, tin foil, and copper tape. The goal? Light the light bulb. Then - make that closed circuit bigger and bigger while still powering that light bulb.

There are a lot of kids in Lowell tonight that have much more appreciation for what is going on inside the wall when they flip on a light switch.

The Acera School has partnered in the past with the Pyne Arts Magnet School and the McAuilffe Elementary School and will be conducting more hands-on experiments at the McAvinnue throughout this school year.

The Lowell High School Theater Department knows it is time for justice for that Big Bad Wolf. All of his victims are gathered in the Enchanted Forest for his trial - the Three Little Pigs; Little Red Riding Hood, her Grandma, and the Woodsman; the Shepherd and the Boy Who Cried Wolf! The prosecutor? The Fairy Godmother. The reluctant defense attorney (she doesn't dig pro bono work)? The Evil Stepmother. The best part? The audience is the jury. On the morning of December 11, the jury were a group of Lowell Public Schools 4th graders.

And they were at it again on December 17 with a different show - "Bremen Town Musicians," a fun and interactive play. At noon they put the show on for a very engaged and enthusiastic audience of 4th graders from the Lincoln Elementary School and the Murkland Elementary School. Great job by all of the performers and the audience!

Congratulations to the Lowell High School Lowell High School Air Force JROTC, who received a PERFECT SCORE (100%) during the December 11 Unit Effectiveness Evaluation by Regional Director Mitch Berger.

Berger toured AFJROTC spaces and watched cadets perform a drill sequence and color guard flag presentation. He received a mission briefing from cadet officers and met with a team of department heads, counselors, social workers, and house deans.

At the end of the inspection Berger presented his findings to LHS Head of School Mike Fiato - an astonishing 100%! Zero Discrepancies Noted, and an overall grade of "Exceeds Standards." This was the first perfect score of the year in Berger's region and "best seen to date."

Amazing work is being done at the Butler Middle School in getting Latinas interested in and excited about STEM careers. Special thanks to Yvonne Francisco from Lowell Corazon Latino Newspaper for her interest in reporting and writing this story. Read it here in Spanish: https://bit.ly/4gesHUZ

Or here in English: https://bit.ly/4gCmdis

At the Greenhalge Elementary School it is not only the students who are on a learning journey - it is also their parents. The school has been running a 6-week program, meeting twice a week, in basic English for 12 enrolled families.

According to Greenhalge Community Schools Manager Monica Ernest, they practice phonics- sounds and pronunciation, speaking and writing, introductions, making phone calls, and calling the school.

They review the calendar (months, days of the week), weather, family members, relatives, and more.

The purpose of the program is to help families whose primary language is not English feel more comfortable engaging with the school and becoming part of the community.

On Friday December 6, the LHS Poetry Club traveled out to the Devens Common Center to perform for educators from all over Massachusetts gathered for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s (DESE) 21st Century Winter Institute, a conference focused on after school enrichment programs. Read more about this special club here: https://lpsnotebook.wordpress.com/2024/12/15/lhs-poetry-club-creates-community/

It was a trip around the world for Greenhalge Elementary School students when the Earth Dome (https://www.mobileedproductions.com/the-earth-balloon-school-assemblies) came to town! Students were treated to an entertaining geography lesson as they made they way around the globe and even got to step inside! Once inside they learned a bit about the culinary delights of Europe.

The Bartlett Community Partnership School was the place to be on Thursday afternoon as the students in grades K-4 put on an incredible winter concert for a packed house of their families and friends. Kudos to all of the performers and their music teacher Amanda Satterfield.

The holiday spirit was on full display in the city’s Belvidere neighborhood the morning of December 18 as a pack of smiling Sullivan Middle School elves marched next door to the Reilly Elementary School, books in hand and wrapped presents in their sacks.

Two-by-two they slipped into classrooms and read wonderful holiday and winter-themed stories to their younger friends. Once story-time was over, the presents were distributed and everyone opened them at the same time to discover beautiful, handcrafted winter hats!

These hats were provided with love by The End-FLUenza Project (https://www.facebook.com/endfluenzaproject), a non-profit organization that brings awareness of the dangers of Influenza and promotes raising herd immunity through education. In addition to offering free Influenza vaccinations for all ages, they also run Operation Flu Hat, an ongoing project within schools to educate kids about hygiene, vaccination and herd immunity. Many volunteers knit hats to make this all possible.

Wang Middle School 6th graders and music teacher David Grenier put on quite a Christmas show for the residents of Summit Elder Care in Pawtucketville on Thursday.

When George Bossi began coaching wrestling at Lowell High School, Ray Riddick was the football coach. Today - 60 years later - the building the houses the LHS gym is named for Riddick and Bossi is still mentoring young grapplers on the mat.

On Wednesday night prior to the Lowell/Lawrence wrestling match, hundreds of alumni, family, friends, fans, and colleagues filled the John F. Abraham Gym to honor Bossi's 60-year coaching career (above photo from the Lowell Sun); and the 89-year-old legend has no plans to hang up his whistle yet.

Lowell beat Lawrence 45-32.

Read about the evening here: https://www.lowellsun.com/2024/12/18/to-celebrate-60-years-lowell-high-honors-legendary-wrestling-coach-george-bossi/

Classroom Quarterback, a partnership between Lowell Public Schools, Inside Lowell, and Wellpoint aims to showcase and honor one LPS teacher each month who goes above and beyond for their students. This month's honoree is Stoklosa Middle School 7th grade ELA/Social Studies teacher Deanna Couillard. Mrs. Couillard received a $250 gift card courtesy of Wellpoint that she can use for her classroom. Read about her here: https://insidelowell.com/classroom-quarterback-deanna-couillard/

In this new periodic feature "A Conversation With . . . " we will meet a member of the LPS Central Office team to learn more about their work and how what they do supports the schools and community. Enjoy this conversation by watching the video below, or reading the Q&A transcript here: https://lpsnotebook.wordpress.com/2024/12/16/a-conversation-with-director-of-mental-health-behavior-and-social-emotional-learning/

Gabriella Santos, an 11th grade Air Force Junior ROTC cadet at Lowell High School has received a scholarship to attend an accredited aviation university participating in a private pilot license training program in the summer of 2025.

Cadet Santos is one of 194 Air Force Junior ROTC cadets around the world to receive the scholarship from Headquarters Air Force Junior ROTC, Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, AL. More than 1,200 cadets applied.

The scholarship, valued at approximately $27,000, covers transportation, room and board, academics and flight hours required to potentially earn a private pilot license. Those who participate in the program do not incur a military commitment to the Air Force or other branch of service, nor does completing the program guarantee acceptance into one of the military’s commissioning programs.

The Flight Academy Scholarship Program is an Air Force-level initiative in collaboration with the commercial aviation industry to address the national civilian and military pilot shortage. It allows aspiring young aviators to get their Private Pilot’s Certification, at no cost, during an eight-week summer course at partner universities.

Cadet Santos currently serves as Flight Commander for C Flight and Captain of the Lowell High School Flight Club.

“We are extremely proud of Cadet Santos,” said Chief Master Sergeant (Ret.) Donald Felch, Lowell's Senior Aerospace Science Instructor. “She received formal notification of her selection in front of her flight of AS-1 (Freshman) cadets on December 3. LHS Head of School Mike Fiato presided over the brief ceremony providing congratulatory words. This selection would not have been possible without the dedication and careful follow-up of our flight club and academy faculty advisor, Master Sergeant Paul Perez.”

Superintendent of Schools Liam Skinner is excited to announce Lowell Public Schools has been awarded $167,000 from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

The grants include:

A $100,000 Supporting Students’ Social Emotional Learning, Behavioral & Mental Health, and Wellness Grant. This grant, secured with contributions from Drew Rosenshine, Director of Mental Health, SEL, and Behavior, will enable LPS to further its commitment to fostering a cohesive, sustainable system of support for the mental and behavioral health needs of our students, families, and staff.

A $67,000 grant to support Vacation Week Acceleration Academies at the Robinson Middle School, Rogers STEM Academy, and Sullivan Middle School. These full-day programs are designed to provide targeted academic support in English Language Arts and Mathematics during February and April vacation for students identified as needing additional assistance. Transportation and meals are provided to ensure accessibility for all participating students. This initiative reflects our ongoing commitment to fostering academic growth and success for all of our learners.

“These grant awards will allow Lowell Public Schools to continue to provide the high level of programming and services our students, families, and staff deserve and have come to expect and rely on,” said Skinner. “We are thrilled to have the ability to continue these important programs and are grateful for the support of DESE in assisting us in meeting and exceeding our goals.”

According to Assistant Superintendent of Finance Derek Pinto, Lowell Public Schools has been awarded a total of $20.6 million this fiscal year in federal, state, and private grants to support vital services and programs for students and families.

Believe it or not - it is time to start thinking about the 2025-2026 school year! Spread the word to your friends, family, and neighbors. On Tuesday January 14, there will be a Pre-K and Kindergarten registration information showcase at the McAuliffe Elementary School. To register: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeek6eawf0YgKSuFB8IEC8u2pNxTfmTY4kvmQjySrUyl4QZfA/viewform

Kids don't come with an instruction manual. Parenting can be frustrating and confusing. The Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth have compiled a resource library to assist with parenting challenges. Check it out here: https://peaceathomeparenting.com/mpy-solution-libraries/?fbclid=IwY2xjawGscw5leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHf-QNfjkWNMKJvDWXwjj38Sfol3EmizQI3jDaIriZkjvYzf_g28je6Imyg_aem_AdygrMuPY-hKFBfK7E2OYQ

The LPS Food Services staff have been very busy this month. Highlights in the cafeteria have included - jerk chicken pizza (roasted chicken, jerk spice, cilantro, sweet potato, lime crema, and mozzarella on whole grain pizza crust), chicken and vegetable dumplings, and chili garlic chicken lo mein. And on National Cocoa Day, the LPS Fuel Up truck visited the Dr. Janice Adie Day School with some great hot cocoa for the students and staff.

LPS breakfast and lunch menus can be found here: https://www.lowell.k12.ma.us/Page/4374