Lowell Family Newsletter
December 5th, 2021
WELCOME! TO TRANSLATE THIS NEWSLETTER, CLICK ON IT THEN USE THE LINK TO THE RIGHT.
To translate this newsletter, click on it then use the link to the right.
If you are on a computer, open this in a new page. Then to translate this newsletter, click on the link to the right. If you are on a phone, touch the person in the black circle to get the translate button.
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Se você estiver em um computador, abra uma nova página. Em seguida, para traduzir esta newsletter, clique no link à direita. Se você estiver em um telefone, toque na pessoa no círculo preto para obter o botão de tradução.
(Portuguese)
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Si está en una computadora, abra esto en una nueva página. Luego, para traducir este boletín, haga clic en el enlace a la derecha. Si está en un teléfono, toque a la persona en el círculo negro para obtener el botón de traducción.
(Spanish)
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إذا كنت تستخدم جهاز كمبيوتر ، فافتح هذا في صفحة جديدة. بعد ذلك ، لترجمة هذه النشرة الإخبارية ، انقر فوق الارتباط الموجود على اليمين.
إذا كنت تستخدم الهاتف ، فالمس الشخص الموجود في الدائرة السوداء للحصول على زر الترجمة. (Arabic)
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Եթե համակարգիչ եք, բացեք սա նոր էջում: Ապա, այս տեղեկագիրը թարգմանելու համար կտտացրեք աջ հղմանը: Եթե հեռախոսով եք, դիպչեք սև շրջանի անձին ՝ թարգմանության կոճակը ստանալու համար: (Armenian)
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Bilgisayar kullanıyorsanız, bunu yeni bir sayfada açın. Ardından, bu bülteni çevirmek için sağdaki bağlantıya tıklayın. Telefonda iseniz, çevir düğmesini almak için siyah daire içindeki kişiye dokunun. (Turkish)
Table of Contents
Happy Hanukkah
Hanukkah Resources
Message from Mrs. Phelan
Dsyslexia Update
Parent Climate and Culture Survey
Buddies at Lowell
Dr. Galdston's Leadership Update
Student Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Council
Bookfair
SEPAC
Renovation and Relocation Newsletter
i-Ready Assessment
This week's menu
Scenes from Lowell
UpComing Events
If you'd like to learn more about this special Jewish holiday please visit the link below.
Message from Principal Phelan
Dear Lowell School,
Students transitioned back from Thanksgiving break nicely. Staff and Student Pool Testing, Monday Morning. I will share our latest results with you on Monday evening.
As of Monday, December 6th lunch will be indoors. The weather is too cold to eat outside for 30 minutes.
December 14th is coming quickly, don't forget to sign up for the bus.
Use this online form to indicate you would like your student(s) to ride the bus to their temporary Lowell school during construction during the 2021-2022 school year. There will be a new form to complete for the 2022-2023 school year bus. There is no charge for the Lowell bus.
Por favor llene este formulario si va a necesitar tranporte the bus en febrero cuando nos mudemos temporalmente a la nueva escuela. Recuerde que es gratuito.
Por favor llene este formulario si va a necesitar tranporte o ônibus en febrero cuando nos mudamos temporalment e para a nova escola. Recuerde que es grátis.
Sincerely,
Stacy
Early Literacy Screening/ Dyslexia Update:
In WPS, we use a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) to ensure “effective systems, evidence-based practices, and ongoing assessment” in order to “prepare all students for life by engaging them in a challenging and meaningful education within an inclusive, diverse community.” - MTSS committee vision.
In early 2021, the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released the MA Dyslexia guidelines, which include a comprehensive set of guidance for screening students in grades K-2 for risk factors for dyslexia and other reading challenges. Built on the state guidelines, WPS created a screening process to ensure that early elementary students are screened using state-approved screeners, progress monitored via data cycles in conjunction with district-wide MTSS systems, and provided with equitable and immediate access to research based reading instruction.
Responding to DESE guidelines, WPS enhanced its early literacy screening process to incorporate more evidence-based tools to screen students at the early grades for later risk of reading difficulty, and to target interventions. These tools include assessments created by our ongoing partner-- i-Ready (one of the DESE approved screeners), which allows teachers to sit with individual students to monitor their reading progress. In mid-November, all Kindergartners participated in the first round of these assessments, which will continue into December when all students take the i-Ready diagnostic, in grades K - 8. Across the year, multiple measures will be factored together to determine what supports students receive and what is reported on the report card.
Parent and Caregiver Climate and Culture Survey
Over the past several months, the District has engaged in a series of reviews aimed at assessing where we are at as a learning community. These reviews include our Equity Audit and the DMGroup’s budget review.
And now we are asking parents and caregivers to complete a culture and climate survey. The purpose of this focused dive into our current reality is to provide the District with accurate information about what we have accomplished and where we need to go next as we begin the process of our next round of strategy development. Our current improvement strategy will end this year, and we are ready to begin the next round of planning for the coming years. We will be administering this annual school climate and culture survey to all teachers and instructional assistants, students in grades 4-12, and parents. Your participation in this survey is greatly appreciated, especially during these challenging times. Here you will find the link to the survey. The survey window is open now until December 23. If you are an Early Steps parent, please check Hosmer as your school.
What are the 5Essentials and 5Essentials Survey? 5Essentials is an evidence-based system designed to drive improvement in schools nationwide—it reliably measures changes in a school organization through the 5Essentials Survey and provides individualized, actionable Reports for each school. The 5Essentials system is based on more than 20 years of research by the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research on five components found to be critical for school success:
Effective Leaders: The principal works with teachers to implement a clear and strategic vision for school success.
Collaborative Teachers: Teachers collaborate to promote professional growth.
Involved Families: The entire school staff builds strong relationships with families and communities to support learning.
Supportive Environment: The school is safe and orderly. Teachers have high expectations for students and support students to realize their goals. Classmates also support one another.
Ambitious Instruction: Classes are academically demanding and engage students by emphasizing the application of knowledge.
The survey requires no more than 10 minutes for parents to complete. The parent/caregiver survey is shorter in length and is a supplement to the 5Es survey that educators and students take. Please fill out one survey for each of your children. The survey is available in English and Spanish. If you need the survey translated, please reach out to the ESL department for translations.
Thank you in advance for taking the time to fill out this very important and informative survey.
Dr. Galdston's Leadership Update
Buddies At Lowell
Students will meet their buddies for the first time on Friday, December 17th. Students exchange books with each other. Each student will get a copy of One World, One Day. Students will write a note to their buddy on the inside cover. Our older students will read the book to their younger buddies.
We will meet each month before moving to our new locations at Lowell West and the Phillips. We will continue to connect buddies through writing. Buddy partners will become each other's, Pen Pal. They will stay connected through letter writing.
We may be physically apart from one another, but we are still connected.
On-Field Day, we will reunite and participate in a buddy activity. Buddies will stay together over the year and a half we are apart. We hope to bond the two schools with our faculty and students.
Student Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Council
Students DIB Councils will meet during these times.
Just a reminder, students should bring back their interview questionnaire.
Grade 3 9:10-9:40
Grade 4 11:30-12:00
Grade 5 1:30-2:00
Thursday, Dec 9, 2021, 12:00 AM
School Library
The Lowell School Book Fair
The Lowell School Book Fair will be held December 13 - December 17.
We would love some help staffing the set-up (on Thursday, December 9), the shifts, and the clean-up. It's very easy to help and to learn how to run the cash registers. Please use the link below to volunteer. Thank you!
SEPAC
The SEPAC is doing a presentation on 12/9 about anxiety in school-aged children. We are requesting that you please communicate this to your school communities. We will be creating a s’more for the event.
This is the link for the event .
WPS SEPAC is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Anxiety in School Age Children
Time: Dec 9, 2021 07:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://watertown-k12-ma-us.zoom.us/j/83118701121?pwd=ek9XSktraHBpeGgzaWN2aGM0YldTQT09
Meeting ID: 831 1870 1121
Passcode: 229686
Relocation and Renovation Newsletter
Lowell 2021-22 Bus Information Interest Form: Due Tuesday, December 14th
Lowell 2021-22 Bus Registration Form
Yellow school bus transportation will be available to the Lowell Students from shared pickup points throughout Watertown to their temporary school during construction. All students must register by December 14 in order to be guaranteed a seat on a bus. After that date busing will only be available if there is room on the bus.
There is no fee for this bus, but students must register. We are asking families who are interested in having their student ride the bus to complete this form so we can create bus routes based on interest.
Use this online form to indicate you would like your student(s) to ride the bus to their temporary Lowell school during construction during the 2021-2022 school year. There will be a new form to complete for the 2022-2023 school year bus.
Fees
There is no charge for the Lowell bus.
Contact
If you have additional questions, please contact Shannon Dixon at shannon.dixon@watertown.k12.ma.us or call 617-926-7716.
Message from Ms. McCollum
Library Book Checkouts and Returns
Our students had a wonderful fall reacquainting themselves with the library collection! Unfortunately, the time is come to pack up our library ahead of our move. Students will not be able to check out Lowell Library books during our relocation to other buildings. Some dates to remember about library books currently checked out:
Friday, December 10, 2021: Last day for students to check out books.
Thursday, December 23, 2021: All library materials should be returned to library for packing.
If you find a Lowell Library book AFTER winter break, please still return the book to the library.
i-Ready Diagnostic
i-Ready Diagnostic
Kindergarten students are preparing to take the i-Ready Diagnostic. The i-Ready Diagnostic is an adaptive assessment that adjusts its questions to suit your child’s needs. Each item a student receives is based on their answer to the previous question. For example, a series of correct answers will result in slightly more complex questions, while a series of incorrect answers will yield slightly easier ones.
Our students will begin taking the i-Ready Diagnostic according to the schedule posted below.
i-Ready Diagnostic Schedule
Kindergarten students will take the i-Ready Diagositc for the first time beginning on the week of November 29 (reading) and the week of December 6 (math).
i-Ready Diagnostic for grades 1-5:
Week of - 12/13(reading)
Week of - 12/20 (math)
Lunch Menu December 6th - 10th
Scenes from Around Lowell
Lenny Visited Ms. Connors and Ms. Master's Kindergarten Classroom this week!
The kindergarten students in Room 24 love seeing Lenny participating in our daily routines! He joined in for Morning Meeting, listened attentively during our new Writer's Workshop unit called "Show & Tell" but we know his favorite part of the day was choice time!
Last year when Lenny was in our classroom, we decided to learn more about leopards and their habitats. We learned that Amur Leopards are close to extinction and wrote a letter to the PTO to fund a donation towards the World Wildlife Foundation. This year, we wanted to continue with that tradition and found out that on Giving Tuesday (11/30) all donations to the WWF would be doubled. We decided to donate $24 (for Room 24, of course) and are working on getting Leopard Spot Coupons for showing Core Values (kindness, cooperation, integrity & perseverance) to celebrate!
Ms. Antonellis' students showcasing their extreme weather presentations.
Pure Joy!
Ms. Zywocinski's class created a Thankful Tree
Ms. Antonelli's class creating posters illustrating Wampanoag daily life.
Up-Coming Events
Mark Your Calendar
Monday, December 13th to Friday, December 17th The Lowell School Book Fair
FTO Meeting
Tuesday, December 14th, 6:30 – 6:30 pm
Lowell - School Council
Thursday, December 16th, 6:00 – 7:00 pm
Join Zoom Meetinghttps://watertown-k12-ma-us.zoom.us/j/81702274606
Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Council
Thursday, December 16th, 7:00 – 8:00 pm
Join Zoom Meeting
https://watertown-k12-ma-us.zoom.us/j/86985632231
Anti-Bias Coalition Meeting
Monday, December 20th, 5:30 – 7:00 pm
Join Zoom Meeting https://watertown-k12-ma-us.zoom.us/j/82142739210?pwd=MjZZL3JURU5RdUtYc3ZNVHlockVCQT09
Winter Opportunities from the Watertown Recreational Department
The Winter Session programming begins on November 29th.
The Recreational Department offers our Wachusett Ski and Board Program and looks for shovelers for our Snow Removal Program.
James Russell Lowell Elementary School
Main Office ext. 33001
Email: stacy.phelan@watertown.k12.ma.us
Website: https://lowell.watertown.k12.ma.us/
Location: 175 Orchard Street, Watertown, MA, USA
Phone: (617) 926-7770
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JRLowellElementary