Lowell Lantern

NO SCHOOL -- TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5TH -- ELECTION DAY

Principal's message

Dear Lowell Parents,

The weather is changing! It’s that time of year when the weather can be unpredictable. Please make sure students are dressed appropriately. With colder weather moving in, please make sure that students are wearing heavy coats, hats, and gloves as needed for the cold mornings at the bus stop as well as outside recess. We will have outdoor recess on most days as long as temps do not go below the district threshold.

Congratulations to all of our first quarter Honor Roll students!! We celebrated their accomplishment this week at our Honor Roll Breakfasts. We are very proud of all of their effort and hard work they have put into their school work this year! Great job to all of them!!

Just a reminder that students DO NOT HAVE school on Tuesday, November 5. This is a professional development day for teachers. School will not be in session.

Please see the reminders below about upcoming events and dates:

Daylight Savings Time starts this weekend --- we fall back one hour. Don’t forget to set your clocks back one hour before going to bed Saturday night so everyone arrives on time for school on Monday!
Tuesday, November 5 -- NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS; professional development day for staff
Week of November 11 - 15 --- Grandparents Week & Book Fair. A schedule for Grandparents Week is included in this newsletter. We hope to see many grandparents for lunch!
Lowell Spirit Wear will be available to purchase starting next week. Look for order forms to come home next Monday.
Town Hall Meeting at Lowell Elementary School on November 19, 2019 @ 6:00pm ~~ scheduled for our teachers, students, parents and community to collaborate in person regarding the district’s strategic plan initiative. We hope to see many of you there!

As you know, school attendance is critical to the growth and development of our students. It is important for students to be at school and on time every day! Good school attendance is a predictor for academic success in a student’s school career. When students improve their attendance rates, they improve their academic prospects and chances for graduating. Please help us by making sure your child is in school every day! We want to ensure that our students have the best chance for academic and long term success!

Have a great weekend!

Mrs. Griffin

Healthy Smiles

Healthy Smiles is coming to Lowell! November 8, 2019 Healthy Smiles will be here to do exams, cleaning, x-rays, and sealants on students that fill out the form and return to their teacher.

Book Fair Links

This is the link for our book fair homepage! Also, the book fair has eWallet. This is a fabulous way for your child to get books from our fair without having to send money! Look at the homepage link or the eWallet video for more information.

https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bookfairs/cptoolkit/homepage.do?method=homepage&url=lowellelementaryschool22

This fall, MSD of Warren Township will be creating a comprehensive strategic plan based on community input that will ensure all students and staff have the conditions necessary to develop and apply Journey of a Graduate (JoG) skills and dispositions. The Journey of a Graduate skills are a set of 6 skills and dispositions that have been identified by our community needed for success in and out of school. The JoG skills are Critical Thinking, Citizenship, Communication, Collaboration, Content Knowledge, and Resilience. These JoG skills will serve as the foundation of the district strategic plan.

One way the district will capture community input is through an online survey. Linked below is a short survey that will ask questions around our strengths as a district and help us identify areas for improvement,

(Click on link below to begin survey)

This fall, MSD of Warren Township will be creating a comprehensive strategic plan based on community input that will ensure all students and staff have the conditions necessary to develop and apply Journey of a Graduate (JoG) skills and dispositions. The Journey of a Graduate skills are a set of 6 skills and dispositions that have been identified by our community needed for success in and out of school. The JoG skills are Critical Thinking, Citizenship, Communication, Collaboration, Content Knowledge, and Resilience. These JoG skills will serve as the foundation of the district strategic plan.

One way the district will capture community input is through an online survey. Linked below is a short survey that will ask questions around our strengths as a district and help us identify areas for improvement,

(Click on link below to begin survey)

http://bit.ly/MSDWTSPS

http://bit.ly/MSDWTSPSSPANISH

Town Hall Meetings will also be scheduled for our teachers, students, parents and community to collaborate in person. The meeting date for Lowell Elementary is below.

Tuesday, November 19th, 6:00 p.m. in the Lowell Elementary School Cafeteria

If you are unable to attend the evening meeting, there is a morning meeting option available to parents. The morning meeting date is below.

Wednesday, October 30th, 8:30 a.m., Strategic Planning with the Superintendent at Warren Education and Community Center -- 975 North Post Road

Thank you in advance for your participation and thank you for your continued support of MSD Warren Township Schools.

Dr. Tim Hanson

Free Girls Lacrosse League at Warren Central H.S.

Try something new this winter. Girls lacrosse, one of the fastest growing sports in America, is a varsity sport at Warren Central. This winter there will be an indoor recreational league for girls in grades 3-8. We plan to have two divisions, one for grades 3, 4, and 5, and one for grades 6, 7 and 8.

This program is absolutely free. Times, dates and other information can be found on the registration page by following this link:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSexFM8gyoCqu_s3qSg-xaIfnxLFJA6U7t4vs1pSKnD6Q9VDTQ/viewform

Contact Coach Gary Roberts with questions at groberts@warren.k12.in.us

Construction Updates

We are very excited that construction is beginning at Lowell! Please know that during this time, there will be some changes with traffic flow and building access. As always, we will put student safety above all things. There may be times when this may feel inconvenient; however, we are asking parents/guardians to understand that decisions made have been well thought out and in place because it is safest for students and families. If your child(ren) have access to a bus, please have them ride the bus to and from school daily. This will help lessen traffic at the busiest times of the day and is the best way to ensure that students are arriving to school on time. Please make sure if you are picking up or dropping off your child that it is important to move your vehicles to the farthest point along the front curb. Please do not stop in front of the entrance. We need to fill the front curb so that we can get the most students into the building at one time. Please listen to the teachers that are outside at car rider pick up/drop off and follow the directions given to ensure that everyone is safe. Thank you for your patience and for working together to keep students safe!

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Follow us on Twitter!

https://twitter.com/lowellelementa1?lang=en

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Check out our social media pages

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Follow us on Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/LOWELLLEOPARDS

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Clothing donation for the Lowell Clinic

The clinic at Lowell is in need of donations! We could use from 4T to size 14 pants and shirts. Please keep us in mind when cleaning out your closets!!

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No Smoking

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. Please refrain from smoking on school grounds if you are picking your child up or dropping your child off at school. We appreciate your support with this policy!

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COLDER WEATHER

The weather is turning cold! Please be sure your children come to school dressed for outside recess. Students will go outside if the wind chill and temperature is 20 degrees or above.

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Fro-Yo Friday!

Students LOVE eating FroYo on Fridays! We would love to have 2 volunteers each Friday to sell FroYo. A student may purchase FroYo for $1.00. Please sign up for a date or multiple dates if you are interested in volunteering. Everything will be set up for you. Please check in at the front office. Thank you so much!

https://signup.com/client/invitation2/secure/2897150/false#/invitation

Our students will REALLYappreciate it!!

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Important Dates

11/5/19 NO SCHOOL

11/11-15/19 Grandparents week------Book Fair

11/19/19 Town Hall Meeting at Lowell 6:00pm

11/27-29/19 NO SCHOOL----Thanksgiving Break

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Birthday treat policy

While we love to celebrate, please remember there is a "no birthday treats" guideline. To access fun and helpful resources for healthy celebration ideas, please visit:

http://www.warren.k12.in.us/wellness

Thank you for understanding and adhering to this policy!

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Good Attendance = Academic Success!!

RESEARCH SHOWS THAT ATTENDANCE IS AN IMPORTANT FACTOR IN STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT.

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!

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Adult lunch information

A few reminders from Chartwells...

* adult lunch costs $4.00 cash

* please have exact change

* no charge

* no debit

* no checks unless you have an account set up.

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Cell phone protocol at Lowell

We always welcome and encourage parents and family to visit our school. While visiting, we ask that you are mindful of your cell phone usage while in the building. Please silence your phone and wait to take phone calls until you have exited the building. We utilize every minute of the school day to focus on instruction. We ask that cell phones be silenced and conversations to be put on hold if you are eating lunch with your child. Private phone conversations should not take place in front of students.

Useful Links Chartwells/Warren

https://warren.nutrislice.com/menu/raymond-park/lunch/2018-12-19

https://foodservice.warren.k12.in.us/

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FRIENDLY TIPS AND REMINDERS

* 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.

School Safety

Dear Lowell Families,

I wanted to take this opportunity to let you know how excited the Lowell Elementary family is about the start of the school year and to share our process for emergency preparedness. In an effort to make sure our students and staff understand and know what to do in the case of emergencies, we plan practice drills throughout the school year. Some of these drills include procedures we practice monthly, like fire drills, and some we practice only a few times during the year, like wind/tornado drills.

We wanted you to be aware of the types of drills that we practice together in the event of a school safety concern so that you can talk with your students about these situations if they should come home with questions.

Fire Drills – Students and staff evacuate their classrooms and exit the building. All classrooms report to a designated location outside of the school building. During these drills, cars entering campus will be stopped by staff until our perimeter is clear of students and staff.
Wind/Tornado Drills – Students and staff report to designated locations in the building away from large windows and doors with windows. During this drill, our exterior doors will be locked so that all office staff can participate as well.
Lockdown Drills – Our buildings are secured internally and externally. Students remain with staff and wait for directions. During these drills, if you visit campus, you may see law enforcement agencies like Warren Police, parked on our campus supporting this practice.
Bus Evacuation Drills – Students practice exiting the bus using emergency exits upon arriving to school. During these drills, cars entering campus will be stopped by staff until our perimeter is clear of students and staff.

It is important to note that your student’s focus and cooperation during our drills is paramount. When drills are conducted, all individuals on our campus must participate, and that number can be upwards of 600 people. Paying attention, being alert and following directions allows for the best learning experience during the drills. Please reinforce this at home. Also, please know that if you are in the building when these drills are being practiced, you will be asked to practice with our school.

I appreciate your support and ask that you reach out with any questions.

Kim Griffin, Principal

SCHOOL DISTRICT PUBLICATIONS/NEWS MEDIA USE

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.