Dear Team McAuliffe,
Happy Mothers' Day to all of our Team McAuliffe Moms! I hope you get the chance to hug your children a little tighter on your special day. Last week was a quiet one in terms of events at the school but our kids have been hard-at-work gearing up for end-of-year assessments. From Fountas and Pinnell to iReady to MCAS, our students are ready to show how much growth they have made this year.
Speaking of MCAS, this week our 3rd and 4th Graders will be taking their Math MCAS Assessments. Third grade takes theirs on Tuesday and Wednesday while our Fourth Graders have theirs on Thursday and Friday. Please make every effort to have students at school, on time, and for the full day on these assessment days. It really does make a difference. Also, check out the test-taking tips below and most of all, just encourage your kids to do their best.
I have included many of the important dates for the rest of the school year below. Please take note of the field trips, opportunities for parents to come in and celebrate your students' progress this year, and other fun things happening during our last 5 and a half weeks of school. Also, don't forget to check out the Summer Opportunities postings. You will not want to miss those.
As you are reading through the rest of the McAuliffe Shuttle, if you have any questions, please reach out to me at danderson@lowell.k12.ma.us.
One Team! One Goal! No Limits!
David
Just a reminder that Math MCAS is happening this week for our 3rd and 4th Graders on the following dates:
- 3rd Grade - Tue. May 14 & Wed. May 15
- 4th Grade - Thu. May 16 & Fri. May 17
Please make every effort to have students in school, on time, and for the full day on their testing dates. We find that students need the time to settle in, in the morning and want to be sure that they have all of the time that they need to finish the assessment. We also find that they do much better when they test with the rest of the school than on make-up days.
Below is a list of test taking tips that you can review with your students to make sure they are well-prepared to give it their all on MCAS! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.
Registration forms for the 21st Century Summer Program were sent home with students last week. The grant that funds this program will allow the McAuliffe School to offer a free summer enrichment program to our students. This year however, our program will be housed at the GREENHALGE SCHOOL, located at 149 Ennell St, Lowell.
The program will take place Monday through Friday from 7:55-11:25am beginning Monday, July 8th through Friday, August 2nd. Free breakfast and lunch will be available for all students each day. Transportation will be provided to and from the summer program for students living farther than 0.50 a mile from the school.
In order to ensure a space for your child, please complete the registration no later than June 3, 2024. If you need a form, please contact Kristin Wade at kwade@lowell.k12.ma.us.
If additional care is needed, the Parks and Rec department for the City of Lowell offers a free program called Busy Bees at Gage Field. This program is in addition to the McAuliffe School program, and you must register through the Parks and Rec department. The promo code for the Busy Bees program is Centralville2024.
Team McAuliffe will be celebrating our wonderful teachers during the week of May 20th - 24th. One of the highlights of our Teacher Appreciation week is the Teacher Appreciation Luncheon that will be held on Friday, May 24th. This is an opportunity for the entire staff to be able to have a meal together in the Cafeteria.
To make this happen, we need help from our community to be with the students during the Luncheon. We are looking for parent volunteers on May 24th from 11am - 2pm to help out. If you are available and willing to help, please reach out to mcauliffepto570@gmail.com. You do need an approved CORI to volunteer so if you do not have one, let us know and we can get you the paperwork. We need about 20 volunteers to make this happen. Thank you in advance for helping out.
Thanks to our friends at On the Move, Inc. and their sponsors, we have 8 bicycles to give away to students who complete the May Reading Challenge.
Students will be bringing home calendars on Monday and are being asked to read for 20 minutes every night, including the weekends. They can read on their own, read to someone else, or even have a family member read to/with them to count. We just ask that you put your initials in the calendar boxes for each day that they read and if they completely fill the calendar from May 6th - May 31st, their names will be put in a drawing for one of the bicycles. Calendars will be due back to the school by June 4th.
Once again this year, we would like to give every McAuliffe student a Field Day t-shirt. The t-shirts are a fun way to bring each grade level together as a team as they sport their grade level color at all of the activities for that day.
Students will be coming home with a form with more information and asking for parents to send in $5 to help cover the cost of the shirts. Please send that form back with your student to give to their teachers. If there is a financial hardship and you are not able to cover the cost, please let your child's teacher know.
May 14 & 15 - 3rd Grade Math MCAS
Wed. May 15 - 2nd Grade LegoLand Field Trip
Wed. May 15 - Save-At-School with Jeanne D'Arc
May 16 & 17 - 4th Grade Math MCAS
Thu. May 16 - Ready for K Parent Training 6-7:30pm
May 20 - 24 - Staff Appreciation Week
Wed. May 22 - Kindergarten Field Trip to the Aquarium
Wed. May 22 - School Site Council Meeting at 5:30pm on Google Meets
Thu. May 23 - 1st Grade Field Trip to Seacoast Science Center
Fri. May 24 - Teacher Appreciation Luncheon - Volunteers Needed
Mon. May 27 - Memorial Day - No School
Tue. May 28 - Rooms 201 & 204 Field Trip to the Mills
Wed. May 29 - Last Save-At-School Deposits
Wed. May 29 - Art Show and Ice Cream Social - 5:30-7:00pm
Fri. May 31 - 2nd Grade Fairy Tales Family Celebration 1:00-2:00pm
This month we met to discuss the basis that will make up our goals for our 2024-2027 Quality Improvement Plan. Mr. Anderson will draft goals based on those ideas and the Instructional Leadership Team and School Site Council will work together to refine those goals and the objectives and benchmarks to keep us on track for meeting those goals.
Our next meeting will be Wednesday, May 22nd at 5:30pm on Google Meets.
Our School Site Council meets one Wednesday a month from 5:30-6:30pm on Google Meets. The meeting dates for the rest of the school year are:
May 22, 2024
June 12, 2024
If you have a child turning 4 or 5 before September 1, 2024, they are eligible to register for Pre-K or Kindergarten. The registration window for both opened on Thursday, February 1st.
Registration can be done online at the link below. You will need the following documents to register your student:
- Child’s birth certificate
- Child's immunization records
- Photo ID of parent/guardian registering the child
- Proof of residency (copy of current utility bill, lease, or mortgage that is dated within the last thirty days)
The deadline to sign up for the first lottery for your preferred schools is April 29th. Please note that if your child already attends a Lowell Public Schools Pre-K, you must still register them for Kindergarten.
The LPS Connector is Lowell Public Schools' monthly newsletter that highlights happenings from around the district. In this month's newsletter check out some cool events that took place in celebration of Khmer New Year, two articles featuring Team McAuliffe, and more.
Check out the LPS Connector each month to see everything happening around Lowell Public Schools by clicking below.
Please Reach Out If You Have Any Questions
Assistant Principal - Patti Corrente - pcorrente@lowell.k12.ma.us
Social Worker - Kristin Moulton - kmoulton@lowell.k12.ma.us
Social Worker - Kaitlin Bentley - kbentley@lowell.k12.ma.us
Website: lowell.k12.ma.us/mcauliffe
Location: 570 Beacon Street, Lowell, MA, USA
Phone: 978-937-2836