Family Newsletter
SEPTEMBER
Principal's Message
Dear Lowell Families,
As we begin another exciting school year, I want to extend a heartfelt welcome to all our students and families. Whether you’re returning or joining us for the first time, we’re excited to grow and nurture the Lowell Family Community. We are thrilled to have you back and eager to embark on a journey of growth, learning, and fun!
As you know, the start of the school year is always filled with anticipation and energy. Our team has been busy preparing engaging lessons, creating a supportive environment, and planning events to make this year truly special. The District’s new literacy curriculum is highly engaging and we are expecting great outcomes using these new resources. We are also looking forward to our second year with a new math curriculum. The students and staff are benefiting from these high quality programs.
Lastly, but most importantly, we believe that strong partnerships between home and school are crucial for student success. Stay connected by reading our monthly family newsletters, opening school emails and attending events. Please reach out to your child’s teacher with questions/concerns, as well as contacting me directly. We appreciate your support and involvement in your child’s education. Together, we can make this school year a fantastic experience for every student. Our doors are always open.
Here’s to a wonderful new school year filled with learning, growth, and fun!
In partnership-
Dr. Laurie Pogorzelski
Principal
Breakfast/Lunch Program
Dear Lowell Families,
School Breakfast and School Lunch are NO LONGER FREE , if your student does take breakfast or lunch the charge will go on your account when their ID card is scanned and you will be charged for that meal.
Breakfast - $1.50
Lunch- $2.55
Ala Carte Milk- $0.40
OPTIONS ARE AS FOLLOWS:
-BRING A COLD BREAKFAST, LUNCH, SNACK FROM HOME
-BRING MONEY TO SCHOOL FOR BREAKFAST or LUNCH
-PUT MONEY ON YOUR CHILDS FOOD SERVICE ACCOUNT
How to Add Funds to Your Lunch Account in Infinite Campus
Manage School Food Service Notifications & Payments
We encourage you to fill out a Free & Reduced application below:
FREE & REDUCED LUNCH APPLICATION
English https://5il.co/2rwqa
Spanish https://5il.co/2rwq9
Paper applications are also available in the school office
CHRISTMAS CLEARING COUNCIL
CHRISTMAS CLEARING COUNCIL
Christmas toys and/or clothing for children The Christmas Clearing Council is now accepting applications for families in need. This program is available for families in Waukesha County with children ages 0-18 who qualify for the reduced lunch program. The application is only available online at
https://www.christmasclearingcouncil.org/application
The application for 2024 Christmas Assistance is now available.
The deadline to apply is Nov. 15 at 11:59 p.m.
If you need assistance, please contact the School Social Worker, Ms. Andra Burton, at (262) 970-3559
PTO Updates
We hope everyone has had a great summer! The PTO is excited for the new school year and we hope you are too.
Upcoming events:
Tuesday, September 10th - Culver’s Night - 4-7pm at the Culver's on Grandview Boulevard. Lowell earns 10% back on all dine-in, drive-through and curbside orders!
Thursday, September 12th - Popsicles on the Playground from 3:40-5pm come see your classmates, check out the new playground and enjoy a cold treat provided by the PTO.
Tuesday, September 17th - PTO Meeting at 6pm in the library at Lowell. Attending meetings and volunteering helps our school achieve great things. Child care is available for the duration of each meeting.
Wednesday & Thursday, September 18th & 19th - Gold Attitude Dance Team from 4-5:30pm in the gym at Lowell. This is open to ALL students grades 4k to 2nd! This gives students a chance to try a hip-hop class and no prior dance experience is needed. $20 per student, $15 for each sibling. All proceeds benefit Lowell PTO.
Monday - Friday, September 23rd - 27th - Scholastic Book Fair - The book fair will be located in the Maker Space. If you want to shop at the book fair during school hours, please go to the office and you will get a pass to the book fair. Sign up to help at the book fair: https://signup.com/go/UvvaivW
Book Fair Hours: Tuesday, Sept 24th - 8:00-9:15am, 11:15-12:45pm
Wednesday, Sept 25th - 3:00-6:00pm
Thursday, Sept 25th - 8:00-9:15am, 11:15-12:45pm, 3:00-5:00pm
Friday, Sept 27th - 8:00-9:30am
Wednesday, September 25th - Leopard Mascot Stuffing Event from 4-6pm. Build your own Leo the Leopard stuffy! Buy one for $20 or two for $35. Each kit comes with 16" Leopard skin, stuffing, Love heart, Lowell Leopard shirt and birth certificate. Preorder here: https://www.zeffy.com/ticketing/ddcfe5d0-3706-4cba-92cd-7ca83908bd5f
Wednesday & Thursday, September 25th & 26th - Gold Attitude Dance Team from 4-5:30pm in the gym at Lowell. This is open to ALL students grades 3rd to 5th! This gives students a chance to try a hip-hop class and no prior dance experience is needed. $20 per student, $15 for each sibling. All proceeds benefit Lowell PTO.
Spirit Wear
We have partnered with a Distinktive Merch Co in Waukesha this year for spirit wear. More information will be out soon!
Stage Two: Fully Inclusive Playground Project
Attendance
The School District of Waukesha will no longer use Safe Arrival or School Messenger. We have streamlined the process for parents so you only need one app to review and report attendance, pay school fees, view grades, etc, using the Infinite Campus Parent Portal.
Absence Reporting: Parents or guardians can request absences through the Infinite Campus Parent Portal or the mobile app. To report an absence for your child(ren), log into the Infinite Campus Parent Portal. Go to Menu on the left-hand side of the screen, Click “More”, then select “Absence Requests”. For detailed instructions on how to report an absence, please click here.
Messaging: Please review your contact preferences in the parent portal. Families will not receive any text messages from the district unless they “opt-in” to receive text messages. For detailed instructions on how to review and update your communication preferences,
If you have any questions or need assistance with the Infinite Campus Parent Portal, please contact IChelp@waukesha.k12.wi.us or call 262-970-1070.
SPANISH EMAIL
NOTICIAS IMPORTANTES DE LOS CAMBIOS EN EL PROCESO PARA INFORMAR A LA ESCUELA DE LAS AUSENCIAS PARA EL AÑO ESCOLAR 24-25
Estimadas familias de estudiantes del Distrito Escolar de Waukesha,
El Distrito Escolar de Waukesha ya no utilizará Safe Arrival o School Messenger. Hemos simplificado el proceso para los padres de familia para que solamente necesiten una aplicación para informar a la escuela de alguna ausencia y verificar la asistencia, pagar las tarifas escolares, ver las calificaciones de su estudiante, etc utilizando el Portal para Padres de Infinite Campus.
Proceso para informar una ausencia: los padres de familia o tutores pueden solicitar ausencias para su estudiante, utilizando el Portal para Padres de Infinite Campus o usando la aplicación móvil. Para informar a la escuela de una ausencia de su(s) hijo(s), inicie una sesión en el Portal para Padres de Infinite Campus. Luego seleccione “Menu” en el lado izquierdo de la pantalla, después seleccione “More” y luego seleccione “Absence Requests”. Para obtener las instrucciones detalladas, por favor visite este enlace. Instrucciones en Español.
Mensajes: Por favor verifique sus preferencias en el Portal para Padres. Las familias no recibirán ningún mensaje de texto del distrito a menos que “seleccionen” recibir mensajes de texto. Para obtener las instrucciones detalladas de cómo configurar y actualizar sus preferencias de comunicación, por favor visite este enlace. Instrucciones en Español
Si tiene alguna pregunta o si necesita ayuda con el Portal para Padres de Infinite Campus, por favor comuníquese con IChelp@waukesha.k12.wi.us o llame al 262-970-1070.
Arrival/Dismissal
Arrival Time
Students may enter the building at 8:30am. Doors close at 8:40am. Anyone arriving after 8:40 will be marked tardy.
Dismissal Time
Students are dismissed at 3:40. Students are dismissed from the same doors that they enter.
Please see this map of Lowell for arrival/dismissal.
Arrival/Dismissal Doors
Students will line up at the following doors:
K4 - K4 Doors off of Madison Avenue
K5 - Door 2 near the SE corner of building
Grades 1 & 2 - Door 7
Grades 3-5 - Door 8
Safety is of high priority at Lowell, so we ask that you drive cautiously during these busy times of the day. Please know that you may not park along the circle drive on Madison Avenue, as students and parents are walking from their parking spots. This is an active driveway, and parking is available by the tennis courts, along Madison Ave and Grandview.
Please see map for more information.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_oXjntu4_uNCx6tRZ8U_3wEB-M3RqMfSOT8tzt5vezA/edit
Volunteering at Lowell
All volunteers will need to complete a volunteer form , which can be found on our School District of Waukesha website under the "Secure Volunteer" tab at the top right of the home page. Or you can click the link below:
https://securevolunteer.com/SCHOOL-DISTRICT-OF-WAUKESHA/home
Thank you!
Important Dates
Below are a few dates to get you started with calendar planning...
August
28th- Meet Your Teacher Night & School Supply Drop Off, 4:30-6pm (See more info below.)
September
3rd- First Day of School!
12th-PTO Popsicles on the Playground - Time?
October
17th & 22nd- Fall Conferences 4:00-7:00pm
23rd-Early Release at 1:40 pm
24th-25th-- No School
November
27th-29th-No School, Thanksgiving Break
December
Dec. 23rd-Jan. 1st- No School - Winter Break
Back to School Jan. 2nd
New/Returning Staff
Classroom/Specialist Teachers
K5 - Mrs. Nicole Meteyard, Mrs. Madison Arocho, Mrs. Debra Groth
Grade 1 - Mrs. Molly Brozynski and Mrs. Elizabeth O'Connor
Grade 2 - Mrs. Becca Wypiszynski and Mrs. Beth Garvey
Grade 3 - Mrs. Laura Schmitz, Mrs. Bryn Perry and Ms. Cheyanne Sowinski
Grade 4 - Ms. Sofi Garcie-Velez and Mrs. Rosalee Meysembourg
Grade 5 - Mr. Tyler Gross and Mrs. Sheri Greger
Art - Ms. Erin O'Hara
Music - Mr. Michael Dison
PE - Mr. Chad Stigler
Instructional Coach Literacy - Mrs. Stephanie Beck
Instructional Coach Math - Mrs. Rachel Koczike
Early Childhood - Mrs. Heather Luecke
EC DHH - Mrs. Shelia Petasek
DHH - Ms. Maddie Johnston
Speech & Language - Mrs. Lauren Beveroth, Mrs. Shelby Gotangco and Mrs. Molly Cuevas
OT - Denise Holterman & Ellen Kassel
PT - Lisa Franz
Psychologist - Morgan Amdor
Counselor - Morgan DiCosola.
Social Worker - Andra Burton
Custodian - Ryan Butzlaff
Title 1 - Trish Goodspeed, Heather Peters, Briana Stovers
Library - Jill Johnson
Healthroom - Jordyn Carter
Kailin Perugini - SpEd Teacher
Sarah Withers - SpEd Teacher
Erica Ramirez - SpEd Teacher
Sydnie Schilling - SpEd Teacher
Julie Lewis - SpEd Teacher
Ashton Rathke - SpEd Teacher
Kieren Wilde - SpeEd Teacher
Mike Dison - Music
Chad Stigler - PE
Erin O'Hara - Art
Kitchen - Sheri Donovan
School Handbook
- 2023-24 Elementary Handbook https://sdw.waukesha.k12.wi.us/o/lowelles/article/768824
- Need new one!
Dress Code
As we experience warm weather, I wanted to remind you of the school dress code/district policy. I appreciate your support in guiding your son/daughter towards appropriate choices when getting ready for school each day.
A brief description of several areas are below:
Hats, bandanas, hoods, & other headwear are not permitted
Hoodies must be worn with the hood down.
Clothing should completely cover the chest, midriff and buttocks.
No undergarments should be visible when standing or sitting. This includes bra straps, so the width of the top must be greater than the width of the strap. This would generally mean that the strap of the top should be 2-3 inches.
No spaghetti straps, strapless, off the shoulder or low cut tops allowed at school.
Thank you for your cooperation!
