Lowell Family Newsletter
October 24, 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.
________________
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)
___________________
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)
___________________
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)
____________________
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)
____________________________
Если вы работаете на компьютере, откройте это на новой странице. Затем, чтобы перевести этот информационный бюллетень, щелкните ссылку справа. Если вы разговариваете по телефону, коснитесь человека в черном кружке, чтобы получить кнопку перевода. (Russian)
________________________________
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
Fall Festival Pictures
Message from Mrs. Phelan
Student Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Council 10/29
Update From the School Committee
New York Times Article- Raise a Reader
STEM Week
Garden Relocation
Parent-Teacher Conferences
Breakfast and Lunch Menus
Scenes from Lowel
COVID-19 Updates from Dr. Galdston
Upcoming Events and. important Dates
Just a few pictures from our Fall Festival.
Message from Principal Phelan
Greetings Lowell School,
The Fall Festival was better than ever this year. The costumes and the decorated cars were truly fantastic! The FTO did an amazing job organizing the event this year. I think we've found a new way to celebrate fall. The weather couldn't have been better! Thank you!
WIN and Math Workshop are in full swing. This year we are fortunate to have several additional staff members to provide this targeted instruction. We are eager to share how things are going with each of you during parent-teacher conferences.
Under the new agreement with the teachers union, we are now sending classroom newsletters (smores) home twice a month instead of every week. Some teachers may continue to send weekly communications however, it is no longer required. We began sending weekly classroom newsletters last year because we need a mechanism to keep families up to date while we were in remote learning. Thank goodness that's behind us.
The Watertown Public School System and its Title I Schoolwide Program, K - 8, are committed to continuously improving the opportunities for parents to be actively involved in their child's learning at home and in school. We have found this general education support to be highly valuable in helping students improve their math and literacy skills. Title I is the largest Federally funded supplemental education program. It does not replace what the school does; instead, Title I gives schools and students additional resources and instruction in math and reading. Title I partially funds our math and reading support and after-school tutoring. Our tutors work closely with the classroom teachers to help improve students' skills in reading and writing.
This district Parent Involvement Plan serves to outline overall expectations for parent involvement activities and programs, establish an environment for parental participation in Watertown's Title I programs at the school level, and identify the support which the Title I program can provide to assist schools in achieving their goals of supporting student learning. The Title I Home/School Compact outlines school, parent/guardian, and student responsibilities.
I welcome you to join me for an informal meeting for parents at Lowell's upcoming Title 1 Family Meeting, where we can talk in more detail about the Title I Schoolwide Program and answer any questions you may have. It will be held on Friday, November 5 at 9:00 AM. If you have any questions, please contact the school at 1-617-926-7770 or email: Stacy.phelan@watertown.k12.ma.us
Pooled Testing
Due to the day off on Monday, we will be pool testing on Monday.
Test & Stay
Last week marked the beginning of the "Test and Stay" program. Information about this policy is included below and was sent to families by the Superintendent. You can revisit the full newsletter here.
Have a fantastic week!
Stacy
Student Diversity Council
Friday, Oct 29, 2021, 01:45 PM
Lowell Library
Article from the New York Times- How to Raise a Reader
By Pamela Paul and Maria Russo
Illustrations by Dan Yaccarino
From the moment you’re expecting your first child, you are bombarded with messages about the importance of reading. For good reason: The benefits of reading at every stage of a child’s development are well documented. Happily, raising a reader is fun, rewarding and relatively easy.
Looking for more tips? The authors of this guide turned it into a book. Learn more about it, and order a copy now.
Read the full article below:
Pictures from STEM Week!
STEM Week!
See Yourself in STEM
The fourth annual Massachusetts STEM Week kicks off October 18th and runs until October 22nd. During our two weeks of in-school activities, students learn about STEM in their lives and futures through the exploration and development of problem-solving strategies using technology to help answer more complex problems. Kindergarten to second grade utilizes Bee-Bot robots to code their way through a variety of mazes solving math equations, retelling literature, and rhyming words. Third through fifth-grade work in groups to build and program a robot to help scientists explore a location that is difficult for humans to access. All activities are done during class time and provide a building block for future STEM explorations.
Lowell Garden and the Renovation Project- Help Wanted!
As we begin to prepare for our building renovation we need to begin plans for the Lowell garden and its plants, tools and shed, I've set up the first of a few workdays aimed at moving and/or storing what we can from the current garden while keeping it open for a few more weeks into the fall.
I've put together a sign-up Genius here explaining what will be happening to keep as much of the current garden available for future use or sharing. I've also created a volunteer signup page for general interest here
thanks.
Judy Fallows, School Garden Coordinator
"kids who grow veggies, eat veggies!"
Save the Date
November Parent / Teacher Conferences will happen on the following dates/times:
Parent-Teacher Conferences
- Tuesday, November 2nd - 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
- Thursday, November 4th - 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
- Monday, November 8th - 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
- Tuesday, November 9th - 1:00 pm - 2:30pm
The conference sign-up links will go live on October 25th. Please visit Lowell's Website to sign up for a conference time.
Lunch and Breakfast Menu for the Week
JOBS AVAILABLE IN WPS
Are you or do you know someone who may be looking for an opportunity to work in a school system? We have positions open for a school nurse, substitute teachers, instructional assistants, family liaisons, tutors, school nutrition workers, and more! All open positions can be found on our Human Resources webpage.
The Watertown Police Department is also actively seeking crossing guards for our schools. Please see the posting for these positions here.
Scenes from Around Lowell
Writer's Workshop in Kindergarten - Ms. Zywocinski's room
Mark Your Calendar
Monday, October 25th Antibias Coalition Meeting 5:30-7:00
Meetings will be held in a hybrid model.
The physical location will be on the 3rd floor of the Phillips Building in room 301.
The recurring zoom link is listed below.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://watertown-k12-ma-us.zoom.us/j/82142739210?pwd=MjZZL3JURU5RdUtYc3ZNVHlockVCQT09
Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Council
Thursday, October 28th, ⋅6:30 – 7:30 pm
Location: Zoom
https://watertown-k12-ma-us.zoom.us/j/86985632231
Monday, November 1st ILT Meeting 2:45-3:45
Tuesday, November 2nd Elementary Conferences 6:00-8:00 pm
Tuesday, November 2nd, Election Day- Don't Forget to Vote!
Wednesday, November 3rd Faculty Meeting 2:45-3:45 pm
Thursday, November 4th Early Release 12:15 Parent-Teacher Conferences 1:00-3:00 pm
Saturday, November 7th Day Light Savings- Set Your Clocks Back One Hour
Monday, November 8th ILT 2:45-3:45 pm
Monday, November 8th Elementary Conferences 5:00-7:00 pm
Tuesday, November 9th Responsive Classroom Team 2:45-3:45 pm
Tuesday, November 9th FTO Meeting 6:30-7:30 pm
Wednesday, November 10th Department Meetings 2:45-3:45 pm
Thursday, November 11th No School Veteran's Day Observed
Monday, November 15th ILT Meeting 2:45-3:45
Wednesday, November 17th Building Based PD 2:45-4:05
Thursday, November 18th Diversity Inclusion and Belonging 7:00-8:00 pm
Monday, November 22nd ILT Meeting 2:45-3:45
Tuesday, November 24th Early Release 12:00 pm
Thursday, November 25th No School Thanksgiving Day
Friday, November 26th No School Thanksgiving Break
Monday, November 29th ILT Meeting 2:45-3:45 pm
Monday, November 29th AntiBias Coalition Meeting 5:30-7:30
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