Lowell Lantern

Dear Lowell Families,

We have had a great two weeks back! Our students have been purposeful in their learning and have put forth great effort! We have a very busy 3rd quarter, and I am very proud of how our students have started it off!

We kicked off our Kindness and Justice Challenge last week, and our students are working hard to demonstrate kindness to others. Our CORE (Civility, Order, Respect, and Excellence) beliefs align very well to our mission associated with the Kindness and Justice Challenge. This challenge was initiated by the son of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As we celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. day on Monday, January 20, please take some time to encourage your children to practice these core values and spread kindness to others in his honor. Our students make us proud every day with their acts of kindness and respect toward each other! While we won’t be at school on Monday, click on the attached link and check out these places in town with reduced or free admission to extend your learning about and celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. MLK Indy

Our Penny War is in full swing. Students can bring in loose change to donate to our Penny War! They love to visit classrooms and add their change to those jars! Next Friday is Superhero Day. Students can bring in $1.00 and dress as their favorite Superhero (no masks please)! All money collected from these events will be donated to our charitable organizations at the conclusion of our Challenge. Thank you for supporting this great cause!

As a reminder, the district is hosting a Legislative Forum on Saturday, January 25 from 9:00am - 11:00am at the Warren Education and Community Center. State representatives and governing officials will be on hand to listen to the district initiatives and to share their plans and insights. We welcome all of you to attend this very informative session and hear from our legislators and district administrative team.

Have a great weekend! Stay warm!

Mrs. Griffin

It's time to make the kindness connection! The National Kindness and Justice Challenge is a celebration of the life and works of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Lowell students began our 16th annual Kindness and Justice Challenge on January 10. They will participate in activities that build an understanding of how simple acts of kindness and justice make a tremendous impact on our community and our world.

For the next several weeks, Lowell students will earn kindness links to be displayed in our hallways. Students will be encouraged to think about how we treat one another and how we must work together to make this world a better place for everyone.

During the months of January and February, students can bring in money for our Penny War to donate toward the Early Childhood Center in Warren Township, The American Heart Association, and Riley Hospital for Children. Students may bring in pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, and bills. In addition, every Friday we will have spirit days. Students are asked to bring in $1.00 to participate in these spirit days.

One way parents can help is by simply enforcing and encouraging the demonstration of kind and just acts at home! Thank you for teaching the valuable lessons of kindness and justice through your own example and support. These will be a part of your child's life forever just as your child will always be somebody special to us!

Human Growth and Development Films will be shown to all 4th grade students who have returned the permission slip to school. These films will be shown separately to present fourth grade boys and girls and are led by LIfeSmart Youth, Inc.’s degree professional Health Educators. Please make sure to return permission slips if you have not already done so. Thank you!

Students who attend school regularly have been shown to achieve at higher levels than students who do not have regular attendance. Every school day counts in a child’s academic life… A missed school day is a lost opportunity for students to learn. The effects of lost school days build up one absence at a time on individual students. Please ensure that your child understands the importance of good school attendance and is at school every day. Every day matters! Every day provides important learning opportunities! Set your child up for success by developing these good habits now! Our attendance goal is 97%. Below shows our year-to-date attendance percentage for every grade level. Let’s keep working together to meet our 97% benchmark!

Kindergarten: 91.9%

First Grade: 94.2%

Second Grade: 94.7%

Third Grade: 95.9%

Fourth Grade: 95.6%

MSD of Warren Township Elementary School Visitation Procedures

Parents and visitors are encouraged to visit Lowell Elementary. We are making a more concise effort in our visitor policy because the safety and well-being of our students and staff is our highest priority. All visitors must provide a government-issued ID to be scanned into the Raptor Visitor Management System. At the conclusion of all visits, please return to the main office to sign out. You can find more information about Raptor by visiting our website. School administration reserves the right to refuse visitation for anyone who does not comply with school visitation procedures.

Classroom Visitation

Classroom visits consist of observing teaching and learning in action. To protect instructional time and the activities taking place in the classroom, we ask that parents refrain from talking with the teacher to allow him/her to continue teaching. If you need to speak with a teacher, please follow the procedure for teacher visitation below. Procedures for classroom visits:

• provide advanced notice to the teacher

• must be on students emergency contact list

• maximum visitors in a classroom of 2 parties

• limited to a maximum of 30 minutes

• classroom visitations during arrival and dismissal will not be allowed.

• including walking students to class

Teacher Visitation

Meeting with your child’s teacher(s) is a valuable part of the education process. Procedures for teacher visitation:

• schedule a meeting time with a teacher

• must be a custodial parent or guardian

Lunch Visitation

If you are interested in eating lunch with your student at school, please follow these procedures:

• eat in a designated area assigned by the school

• only visitors who are on a students contacts list

• other students will not be able to accompany your student

• outside food/drink is permitted

• at the conclusion of lunch, please return to the office.

Thank you for your assistance in ensuring a safe and secure school environment for all students and staff members.

You will notice additional fencing has been added to our parking lot area. This fencing has eliminated some additional parking spaces. The back half of the parking lot will no longer be accessible for parking. We will begin to use the new gravel lot. Please be mindful of parking in this lot and follow the correct traffic pattern. Please park only in the designated areas. If you are visiting school during the school day, parking may be limited in the lot. Check the gravel lot for spaces as needed. Parking is available on the south side of the building until 2:15pm. All vehicles must be moved from the south side by 2:15pm to ensure that space is readily available for our buses at the end of the day.

For those who are car riders, please be patient as our car rider line procedures will have to be adjusted due to the added fencing. OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY IS SAFETY OF STUDENTS! PLEASE LISTEN TO THE TEACHERS AND STAFF WHO ARE DIRECTING TRAFFIC FOR THE CAR RIDER LINE AND ADHERE TO THEIR REQUESTS. BE PATIENT WITH THESE CHANGES. STAY IN LINE AND DO NOT PASS OTHER CARS OR TRY TO EXIT THE LINE IN FRONT OF OTHERS.

A couple of reminders:

• Lowell is a SMOKE-FREE CAMPUS. There is no smoking anywhere on Lowell’s campus. This includes smoking in cars while waiting in the car rider line. Please extinguish all smoking materials before arriving on Lowell’s Campus.

• Please be attentive while in the car rider line. Move your cars to the furthest point in the line. Do not leave gaps in the line. Listen for directions from school staff as you are moving through the car rider line.

• Remember, our priority is student safety. We realize this may mean a few more minutes in the car rider line. Please be patient and adhere to the procedures so that we can ensure the safety of all of our children and staff!

We appreciate your attentiveness to following our car rider procedures and your efforts to ensure student and staff safety during morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up! Thank

Warren's High Ability Program is designed to meet the unique academic needs of gifted and talented students. The curriculum in these classes is differentiated and faster paced and students will be working above grade level if they qualify. As a district, we look at all students in grades 1, 4, 6 and 8 to see if they qualify for the following school year based on eligibility criteria. Parent recommendations are considered along with achievement scores when determining placement in high ability. More detailed identification information can be found here: https://www.warren.k12.in.us/o/msd-of-warren-township/page/high-ability--3 If you would like to complete a recommendation for the broad based planning committee to consider you can do so here https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeptTssN1vtlIXg0RyEmmSYMROhINneDMw7OepoY4W_Ckq-gw/viewform The parent recommendation form will be open until January 31, 2020.

The Indiana Pesticide Review Board has regulations that impact how school corporations may use pesticides on school grounds. MSD Warren Township follows these guidelines and we are inviting parents and guardians to join our Pesticide Notification Registry. By signing up for this registry, you will be notified via email at least 48 hours prior to a pesticide application at your child’s school, subject to certain exceptions. You will be invited to sign up for this notification each school year.

You will need to sign up for this notification every school year.

If you would like to participate, please complete the required form found at www.warren.k12.in.us.

* Students are expected to be at school on time every day. Our tardy bell rings at 8:05am. Please plan accordingly to ensure your child is in his/her classroom by 8:05am each day.

* If your child will be absent due to illness or late due to a doctor's appointment, please call the front office at 317-532-3900 to report the absence or late arrival. This helps to ensure your child's safety. Please bring a doctor's note to document the excused absence.

* Dismissal is at 3:05pm. If you are picking up your child from school, please follow our car rider procedures.

* When arriving at Lowell, please make sure you stop first at the front desk. All visitors MUST sign in and put on a Lowell Badge while in the building. Safety is our top priority for our students. This process allows us to ensure every child's safety during the school day. Thank you for your cooperation.

* Parents are always welcome at Lowell! If you would like to visit your child's classroom, please call or email your child's teacher or Mrs. Griffin so we can make arrangements and ensure that the students will be in the classroom at the time of your visit. We encourage you and welcome you to always be a part of your child's learning, and we truly value your involvement!

* Please remember that our Lowell Campus is a smoke-free campus. There is no smoking allowed anywhere on Lowell grounds. This includes smoking in your cars while on the Lowell Campus.

The occasion may arise when the school district wants to recognize your child or your child's school. This may include your child's photo, your child's name or your child's work in district publications, newsletters, on school district websites, and in electronic/ social media or in staff training videos. We may also want to tell the media (including newspapers, television, and radio) about your child's achievements. We never knowingly release information about a student to anyone who wants to use it for commercial/ political purposes. However, we will honor your request to not include your child in these types of recognitions if you notify your child's school office in writing that you do not want this type of information released.

https://go.boarddocs.com/in/msdwt/Board.nsf/files/BD5KA350D6C6/$file/Student%20Success%20Handbook%20Board%20Approved%2019-20%20school%20year%20(1).pdf

Contact Us

Kim Griffin -- Principal

kgriffin@warren.k12.in.us

Tasha Reedus -- Dean

nreedus@warren.k12.in.us

Website: lowell.warren.k12.in.us
Location: 2150 South Hunter Road, Indianapolis, IN, USA
Phone: 317-532-3900
Facebook: facebook.com/LOWELLLEOPARDS
Twitter: @LowellElementa1