Lowell Parent Newsletter
March 21, 2021
A Message From Mrs. Phelan
“We may be uncomfortable talking about race, but we can no longer afford to be silent. We have chosen a profession that—like parenting—requires us to put our comforts second to those of children.”
Dear Lowell Families,
I feel profound sadness for the violence we all witnessed this past week toward Asian Americans. No violence against others should be tolerated. It is paramount to come together as a community to ensure the health and well-being of everyone as we, unfortunately, continue to hear of more violence aimed at a community of color. As an educator and mother, I feel the need to say how sorry I am to see our country experiencing heartache over this type of crime.
We did not address this incident as a whole school as we did other incidents this year because our students seem less aware of this particular event. It does make this tragedy any less important. We will continue to address bias and antiracists teaching at school through classroom discussions, read-aloud, and equity work. I'm hoping our younger children are being sheltered from this horrifying news. Our teachers and SEL staff keep a close eye on students and make sure to address their social-emotional needs as they arise. If your child has been specifically affected by this incident or others, please reach out to our staff for support.
As a Principal of an elementary school during this moment, I feel it is my obligation to speak against such hateful crimes. I also believe it’s my responsibility to teach our children how important it is to love one another and not hate. We must use this opportunity to express our condemnation for intolerance and look for more ways to build bridges.
I came across a few articles that may help parents talk to children about race and identity. I’m sharing it with you hoping it helps make difficult conversations easier or gives you another resource to understand how important talking about race is to developing healthy children.
I’m Helping My Korean-American Daughter Embrace Her Identity to Counter Racism
How parents can support kids through (and beyond) the latest wave of anti-Asian American violence
Talking to Children After Racial Incidents
Peace,
Stacy
April Parent-Teacher Conferences Are Postponed
Full In-person Presentation from Thursday's two Parent Forums
Important Notice from Nurse Taverna
All children in fourth grade are required by law to have a recent physical exam on file in the nurse's office. Any physical exam after September 2019 is acceptable for the 2020-2021 school year.
If you have any questions regarding this matter, please feel free to contact me @ 617-923-6475 during school hours.
If you have passed your child's four-grade PE into me, please disregard this notice.
sincerely,
Katherine Taverna, RN BSN
Lowell School Nurse
Last Week at the Lowell
The Lowell Leopard was spotted in Ms. Hantson's 1st grade class
This week at Lowell Elementary
Student Diversity Council: *new time change
Reminder, we will have Student Diversity Council every Monday!
This week we are talking about.....Lowell Core Values, and how it is important to be an "UPSTANDER"
Date: Monday, March 15, 2021
Time: 12:30- 1:00 Grades 3-5
1:00-1:30 Grades K-2
Zoom Link: https://watertown-k12-ma-us.zoom.us/j/99035329800
If you have any questions feel free to email Candice.whitmore@watertown.k12.ma.us or carolyn.miller@watertown.k12.ma.us
A Message From Rashmi Pimprikar
We look forward to supporting you with your educational technology questions.
Here is a link to the Weekly 03/19 Family Ed-Tech for All Newsletter, LIVE Ed-Tech Support Sessions & WPS Family Ed-Tech Website with resources, just for you.
Do you need help with Ed-Tech? Please complete the WPS Ed-Tech Support Request Form. A member of the WPS Ed-Tech team will reach out to you within a school day.
Few additional resources for Celebrating WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH
Think Outside the Box: Brainstorming About Gender Stereotypes, Teaching Tolerance (Grades K–5) Women’s History Month Resources, Anti-Defamation League (Grades K–12) The Hunger Games Gender Empowerment Lesson Plan, Center for Healthy Teen Relationships (Grades 6–12) Gender Expression Lessons, Teaching Tolerance (Grades K–5) He Said/She Said: Analyzing Gender Roles through Dialogue, ReadWriteThink (Grades 6–8)
Free GoogleSlide Templates to enhance student engagement:
Who wants to be a Millionaire | Funny Jeopardy | Create your own Character
Thank you and have a terrific day,
Rashmi Pimprikar (District Ed-Tech Coordinator), Digital Learning Team and IT Team
PTO Updates!
READATHON THANK YOU! Thanks so much for supporting the Readathon. We have raised approximately $6000 so far. You can continue to send in donations to the registration site or by check (made out to "JR Lowell Elementary School") through Friday, March 26. Register and donate online!
Big Thank You to Fit-Z's! For the month of March, Fit-Z's Bar and Grille will have their fireman's boot out to help collect funds for the Lowell School 5th graders and their end of year events! They have a great menu, so check them out at 451 Main Street if you haven't yet!
SAVE THE DATE: Let's Chat! Thursday, April 1 at 9:30AM
The SEL team will discuss ways to support our kids in making big transitions - like back to school! Zoom link will be forthcoming.
Cosmic Yoga Kids Club: Students are invited to sign-up for Cosmic Yoga with Ms. Gerring! Recommended for Grades K-2 but all are welcome. Yoga will be on Thursdays from 3 - 4pm on Zoom. Session 2 will run from April 15 - June 17. There will not be meetings on school vacation weeks. This club is FREE with PTO support. Space is limited, and families can sign-up using this link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0545a5ae28a0f49-cosmic
Food trucks are coming! Save the Date: Friday, March 26 from 4 - 7PM: The Lowell School PTO will be bringing a couple food trucks to town! You can place orders in advance and everything will be COVID-safe. Check back on https://www.foodtruckventures.com/ for the location and ordering information!