From the desk of Principal Papes
Dear Alto Families,
We are off to a great start with March is Reading Month. Students are eagerly participating in the fun activities of Camp Read-A-Lot! As a reminder, the week long read-a-thon slips are due Monday. Students will receive a small prize for completing the read-a-thon and will also be entered into a drawing to win one of five $10 Amazon gift cards. If your child is not regularly reading at home, we hope this has helped to encourage this habit. It is so important for their reading success and overall success in school!
We will be holding a Book Swap the evening of Tuesday, March 19th from 4PM-7PM. If your child would like to participate, they will need to bring their books to school on March 12th, 13th, or 14th next week. We will record the number of books they bring in. Students may then select the same number of books on the evening of March 19th. Parents must be present Tuesday evening when books are selected. Please contact Alicia Hollern ahollern@lowellschools.com with any questions you may have.
Next week, we will launch Book Madness: Tournament of Books. This is a bracket-style competition to determine Alto Elementary’s favorite book for 2024. Classes selected books to enter into the competition. The books will go head-to-head until we have voted on a winner. Students have been listening to the books that they are voting on. We hold the first two rounds next week. Round 3 will take place the week of March 18th. The Final Four and Championship matchups will be held on March 25th and March 26th. The winning class will receive a pizza party!
We encourage students to participate in the daily activities this month. We saw a lot of cool hats (w/ words) today for Fashion Friday!
Trimester 2 Report Cards
Trimester 2 report cards will be sent home on Friday, March 15th. This has been revised from the original date of March 11th. Please review these report cards with your children prior to meeting with teachers the week of March 18th.
Parent/Teacher Conferences - Week of March 18th (Sign Up Links Attached)
Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held the week of March 18th. Our teachers are excited for this important opportunity to meet with you to discuss your child’s progress in school. All conferences will be scheduled for 15 minutes. Each teacher has created a Sign Up Genius schedule (see attachment) with available times to sign up for in person or virtual conferences throughout the week of March 18th.
2nd/3rd Grade and 4th/5th Grade Music Programs - March 27th
The 2nd/3rd Grade Music Program will be held at 10 AM on March 27th. The 4th/5th Grade Music Program will be held at 2 PM on March 27th. We are looking forward to these special events!
Attention families with incoming kindergarteners!
Kindergarten enrollment for next fall opened on Monday, February 5th. If you have a student who will turn 5 by September 1st, 2024, they can start their school journey. You may also sign a waiver for your child to start school if they turn 5 by December 1st, 2024. Required paperwork for enrollment includes proof of residency, original birth certificate, up to date immunizations and a health appraisal. Information can be found on our school website: https://www.lowellschools.com/our-district/enrollment/
Schools of Choice Parents
Internal and external schools of choice applications for the 2024-2025 school year will be available starting April 8th. For internal choice applications, you must submit your internal choice application to the elementary building of residence. If you previously applied and were approved for your student, it is not necessary to re-apply. If you would like to attend an elementary that is outside of your resident elementary school, complete the form below and email to our district enrollment specialist at kkurti@lowellschools.com
Internal Schools of Choice Application:
For more information on External Schools of Choice Applications, please visit our website at the following link: https://www.lowellschools.com/our-district/enrollment/schools-of-choice/
With Appreciation,
Paul Papes, Principal
It's Time For GYM!!!
Only three more weeks until spring break, which is when I feel we transition from the middle of the school year to the final sprint. It is crazy how time has flown. 🙂
This week we finished up our lacrosse skills unit. Students of all ages worked on skills such as scooping, cradling, throwing, and catching. These skills were learned and practiced in isolation, but were also used in a dynamic setting as well. You wouldn’t believe how intense and competitive the students at Alto are until you see them hacking and whacking their way through a lacrosse scrimmage. If your son or daughter has interest, Lowell Youth Lacrosse is looking for spring players. I have attached sign-up links below.
https://www.lowellschools.com/downloads/student_activities/lowell_youth_lacrosse_registration_1.pdf
https://www.lowellschools.com/downloads/student_activities/lacrosse.pdf
Next week we will be starting our floor hockey unit. Upper elementary students will be doing some golf hitting during the next couple of weeks as well since the skills between the two sports are very transferable. A few units still left to be tackled are jumping/leaping, pickleball/tennis, volleyball, and frisbee. There is still a lot of fun left to be had in the gym. As we look further into the future, lower elementary field day will be on June 3rd and upper elementary on June 4th. We will have sign-up sheets out soon if you would like to help out with either or both days.
Last week we finished our Kids Heart Challenge Fundraiser and the kids did amazing. We raised $6,702.86! I believe this is our highest total since I have been doing this fundraiser at Alto. Twenty-two kids raised over $100 and will have the opportunity to pie a teacher during an assembly the week before spring break. Prizes such as jump ropes, kickballs, and t-shirts will be delivered after spring break. Thank you all for your generosity!
As always, please remember to send your child in athletic shoes on physical education days. As comfortable as Crocs are, they do not count as athletic shoes - even when sport mode is activated. Stay healthy, keep active, and go blue!