Lowell Lantern

Hello Lowell Families,

We are so excited to welcome our in-person students back to the building next week! It's just been too quiet in our building! Looking forward to seeing and hearing our students in-person again!!

Please refer to the S.A.F.E Reopening Plan regarding our safety procedures and guidelines. The plan can be found on our school and district website (www.warren.k12.in.us). We are reminding parents to be vigilant with screening students every morning before arrival to school. Parents / caregivers are required to screen their students before coming to school each day. Students exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 without being otherwise explained are prohibited from coming to school, and if they do come to school, they will be sent home immediately. Please reference the information below in the newsletter for more specific information on symptoms and screening.

Please remember that all students must wear masks on the school bus and upon entering the school building. Lowell students will receive a free mask upon returning to school. It is important to frequently wash cloth masks to ensure they are clean and sanitized.

Families can expect a phone call from their child’s bus driver to remind them of their bus stop information.

As a reminder if your child is a car rider, our car rider line is now located on the south side of the building (see the map later in the newsletter). Enter off of Raymond Street and follow the line around to the sidewalk area. Please be attentive to our Lowell Staff who are supervising the car rider line. Safety is a priority, and we appreciate your attentiveness and cooperation!

All students should bring their iPad and chargers to school with them on Tuesday. School books and materials should be returned next week as well. It is important that these are brought to school as soon as possible so that students will have access to needed materials and devices for learning.

We are kicking off our 17th Annual Kindness & Justice Challenge this week! Each week we have a spirit day. Friday, January 22 will be hat day. Students can wear a hat to school if they bring in $1.00. All money raised during our K&J Challenge will go towards our charitable organizations: Warren Early Childcare Center, American Heart Association, and Riley Hospital for Children. We hope many of our students will participate!

As a reminder, students return to in-person learning on Tuesday, January 19, 2021. There is no school on Monday, January 18 in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Day. Perhaps now more than ever, it is so very important for us all to remember the message Dr. King shared and the impact it continues to have in bringing people together, not apart.

We hope you have a wonderful extended weekend and look forward to seeing everyone next week. As always, please let us know if you need anything! Thank you for your support of Lowell! Take care! Be safe!

Mrs. Griffin

PLEASE REMEMBER TO SCREEN YOUR CHILDREN EACH MORNING PRIOR TO SENDING THEM TO SCHOOL. IF IN DOUBT, PLEASE CALL THE FRONT OFFICE AT 317-532-3900.

IN ADDITION IF YOUR CHILD IS SYMPTOMATIC AND NEEDS TO REMAIN AT HOME, PLEASE CALL THE FRONT OFFICE TO REPORT THEIR ABSENCE AND SYMPTOMS.

Parents / caregivers will be required to screen their students before coming to school each day. All MSD Warren employees are also required to selfscreen before coming to school. Students and employees exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 without being otherwise explained, are prohibited from coming to school, and if they do come to school, they will be sent home immediately.

SYMPTOMS IMPACTING CONSIDERATION FOR EXCLUSION FROM SCHOOL

Students and employees will be trained to recognize and monitor the following COVID-19- related symptoms:

● A fever of 100.0° F or greater*

● Cough

● Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

● Sore throat

● Fatigue

● Chills

● Muscle or body aches

● Headache

● Congestion or runny nose

● Nausea or vomiting

●Diarrhea

● New loss of taste or smell

Students and employees should be excluded from school if they test positive for COVID-19 or exhibit two or more of the symptoms of COVID-19, based on ISDH / MCPHD guidance, that is not otherwise explained.

In addition, if a person or family member in your household has been tested and is awaiting results your child should remain at home until those results are known.

We appreciate your diliegence and support with these daily screenings as we continue to work together for the safety of all!

Please see the important update from health officials highlighted in yellow below:

Recent updates from health officials discourage the use of face shields as a replacement for face masks. All MSD of Warren Township staff and students should wear face masks unless an extenuating circumstance is needed.

All Marion County households can obtain up to 5 free masks by requesting them at https://www.indy.gov/activity/face-coverings-for-marion-county-residents

If MSD Warren Township parents / caregivers are in need of face masks, please contact our MSD Warren Community Outreach Hotline at 317-869-4308 or email at MSDWarrenOutreach@warren.k12.in.us

Monday, January 18 is Martin Luther King, Jr Day! School will not be in session this day in order to honor Dr. King.

Please take some time on Monday to reflect on the lessons learned from Dr. King. I encourage students and families to find ways to spread hope, kindness, and love in his honor.

At Lowell and in Warren, we practice and value Civility, Order, Respect, and Excellence (CORE), all which align with the hopes and dreams of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Lowell students and staff look forward to continuing to spread kindness and compassion every day!

Students can wear a hat to school if they bring in $1.00.

All money raised during our K&J Challenge will go towards our charitable organizations: Warren Early Childcare Center, American Heart Association, and Riley Hospital for Children.

We hope many of our students will participate!

Warren is partnering with our food service vendor, Chartwells, to continue to provide meals to any child (18 or younger).

Starting next week, distribution nights will be Tuesday and Friday from 4:00pm - 6:00pm at the following locations: Moorhead Community Center, Warren Central High School, and Raymond Park Intermediate/Middle School.

If you have needs beyond what is being offered, you can call our outreach hotline at

317-608-0545 or email at MSDWarrenOutreach@warren.k12.in.us with your request.

WIDA testing will begin on January 11, 2021 for all identified English Learner students. Kindergarten families will be contacted to bring their students into school for testing during the week of January 11, 2021. 1st - 4th grade students will begin testing the week of January 18th when they return to in-person instruction.

If your child’s learning environment is virtual, you will be contacted to arrange a date for testing. You can bring your child to school on their designated testing date or your school can arrange transportation. Please complete this form if your child will require transportation. Please note that if your child will be using bus transportation, they will remain at school for the entire day. If you have questions, please contact Ms. Booher at 317-532-3912.

Las pruebas de WIDA comenzarán el 11 de enero de 2021 para todos los estudiantes aprendices de inglés. Se contactará a las familias de kindergarten para que traigan a sus estudiantes a la escuela para la evaluación durante la semana del 11 de enero de 2021. Los estudiantes del 1er. al 4to. comenzarán a tomar las pruebas la semana del 18 de enero cuando regresen a la instrucción en persona.

Si el entorno de aprendizaje de su hijo es virtual, nos comunicaremos con usted para concertar una fecha para la prueba. Puede traer a su hijo a la escuela en la fecha designada para el examen o su escuela puede proporcionar el transporte. Complete este formulario si su hijo necesita transporte. Tenga en cuenta que si su hijo va a utilizar el transporte en autobús, permanecerá en la escuela durante todo el día. Si tiene preguntas, comuníquese con Mrs. Booher @ 317-532-3912.

The National Kindness & Justice Challenge is a celebration of the life and works of Dr. Martin Luther KIng, Jr. Students will begin Lowell’s 17th Annual Kindness & Justice Challenge on Thursday, January 21, 2021. 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 create a “Chain of Kindness” 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 Coin Challenge to donate toward Warren Early Childcare Center, American Heart Association, and Riley Hospital. Students may bring in pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, and bills for our Coin Challenge.

Students will also be able to participate in weekly spirit days every Friday during the K&J Challenge. We will have special spirit days that students will be able to enjoy for a $1.00 donation/spirit day. This Friday, January 22 will be HAT DAY. Students may wear a hat to school if they bring in a $1.00 donation to go towards our outreach organizations. We hope many of our students will participate!

One way all parents can help through our K&J Challenge is by simply 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 part of your child’s life forever just as your child will always be somebody special to us!

ACCEPT THE LOWELL CHALLENGE ~ THE KINDNESS & JUSTICE CHALLENGE!

Help support Lowell Elementary School by ordering pizza from Papa Johns on Thursday, January 21. Mention Lowell Elementary School and share our promo code listed on the flyer below. A percentage of the cost will be donated back to our school! As always, thank you for supporting Lowell Elementary School!

Please join us in supporting the American Heart Association through our 2020-2021 Hoops for Heart! Review information below. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to

Mr. Snider at (317) 532-3942 or lsnider@warren.k12.in.us

Registration forms will be sent home with students next week. Our virtual students are welcome to participate as well. Online registration and participation is available. We are encouraging families to register and collect donations online this year.

The following is information for an online learning enrichment program for PreK-12 students at Purdue -West Lafayette.

The registration to enroll for the Purdue Gifted Education Research and Resource Institute’s (GER2I) Spring Super Saturday program held in February 2021 is now open! At these GER2I camps, students take challenging classes related to their area(s) of interest. We offer hands-on classes in a wide range of subjects, including STEM and the humanities, all designed to be one to two grade levels above traditional classroom content. These classes are taught by esteemed professors, graduate students, and teachers from Lafayette and surrounding areas.

GER2I's Virtual Super Saturday program provides learning experiences that explore advanced material and develop critical and creative thinking. We offer a caregiver-child format for children in PreK - 5th grades so caregivers can spend quality time and gain experience working with their children. This is required. The participation of caregivers of students in 6th - 12th grades is not required, but parents are invited to our parent interest sessions.

2021 virtual spring Super Saturday program will fall on February 6, 13, 20, 27 in 2021. REGISTER ONLINE at: https://cvent.me/2PdBln The registration fee per student is $145. All the students are eligible to enroll, with no prerequisites.

Our 2020 Spring Super Saturday courses are:

PreK-K:

Icky, Sticky, and Fun

Gr.1-2:

Kitchen Chemistry

STEM at Home: Forces & Motion

Gr.3-5:

Colonizing Mars

Fun Filmmaking

The Magical World of Harry Potter

Gr.6-8:

Games with Python®

Get Protected from COVID-19: A Biomimetic Engineering Challenge

Psychobabble: Let’s Talk Neuroscience!

Gr.9-12:

Python® Programming for the Future

Brainiacs! Neuroscience Highlights

Please visit our Facebook or email Yao Yang at yang1707@purdue.edu for more information!

For more information about Spring Super Saturday program, please visit our website https://www.education.purdue.edu/geri/youth-programs/super-saturday/

If your household is in need of a hotspot to support virtual learning, please complete the request form below. Once completed, Hotspots will be available to pickup at school. We will contact you when pick-up is available. If you need assistance with completing the request form, please call our front office at 317-532-3900.

Starting the week of January 19th, the Technology Help Desk Hours will return to 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM at Moorhead Community Resource Center. K-4 VIRTUAL students with iPad issues should be brought here.

Chromebooks can still be brought to any of the three Intermediate Middle Schools during school hours, 9:00 - 4:00, Monday - Friday or the Chromedesk at the High School during 1st and 2nd period, Monday - Friday.

If for some reason you are not able to access the above times and locations, you can submit a help ticket through IncidentIQ by clicking on Technology Tab under the Explore Tab and then select Parent Tech Info.

If you have other needs beyond what is being provided, you can access the following resources:

1. Contact your child’s counselor or administrator. All of our schools are open during normal school hours.

2. Share your request through our district outreach hotline at 317-608-0545 or email at MSDWarrenOutreach@warren.k12.in.us.

3. Visit our Moorhead Community Resource Center ~~~ Monday / Wednesday / Friday - 8:00 - 4:00 or Tuesday / Thursday - 8:00 - 8:00.

Mrs. Hand, our school counselor, is available to support all of our Lowell students. A student may be referred to the school counselor by a parent/guardian, staff member or the student may refer themselves.

If you are interested in counseling services for your child, please click on the link below and complete the referral form for Mrs. Hand. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdhMbp6BSh7ti1I6Nc6ar3-LjYr-cqbFUzhxIesLZmRXiqa3w/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1&flr=0

Mrs. Hand has also created her own website where families can access information and resources. Please visit her website at the link below.

https://sites.google.com/warren.k12.in.us/lowell-school-counselor/home

Our Lowell PTA provides so much support for students, families, and staff. Please consider joining the PTA! It does not mean you must volunteer for events; however, joining the PTA allows you to advocate for your child and others.

For every membership bought, you will receive a discount card that provides great deals to businesses on the eastside. So your membership could be free with the great deals you get.

Please click on this link to become a member.

https://indiana-congress-of-parents-and-teachers.square.site/

As we prepare for potential inclement weather this winter, an inclement weather delay and closing FAQ has been created to address this during the IN-PERSON, VIRTUAL, and HYBRID window. The FAQ can be found on our website by clicking District Information under the Explore Tab.

Please read the important information below for those studehts enrolled in the virtual learning academy.

Parents/Caregivers of students who are participating in the Virtual Learning Academy should plan to pick up materials for their students if they have not already done so. There are materials that students who enrolled in the virtual learning academy for the second semester will need.

Materials that your student will need for the 3rd quarter may continue to be picked up during normal school hours of 8:00am - 4:00pm. If other times are needed, please call the front office at 317-532-3900 to make an appointment.

Click on the following link to access schedules for Grades K -1 ~~ Quarter 3 At-A-Glance

Click on the following link to access schedules for Grades 2 - 6 ~~ Quarter 3 At-A-Glance

The technology help desk is located at Moorhead Community Resource Center. Please drive through the gate on the west side of the building and enter through door 11 located at the rear of the building near the playground.

Starting the week of January 19th, the Technology Help Desk Hours will return to 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM at Moorhead Community Resource Center. K-4 VIRTUAL students with iPad issues should be brought here.

Chromebooks can still be brought to any of the three Intermediate Middle Schools during school hours, 9:00 - 4:00, Monday - Friday or the Chromedesk at the High School during 1st and 2nd period, Monday - Friday.

If for some reason you are not able to access the above times and locations, you can submit a help ticket through IncidentIQ by clicking on Technology Tab under the Explore Tab and then select Parent Tech Info.

Moorhead Community Resource Center (MCRC) is now open and ready to provide services and supports to our Warren Family! We are so excited to have this fabulous center in Warren Township and look forward to serving our Warren Families! Please see the flyers below for more information about MCRC.

Services Provided:

• Support for Homeless Students & Families
• Housing & Utility Support
• Foster Care Support
• Food & Clothing Pantry Services through Sonny Day
• Nutrition Education
• Mental Health Counseling for Individuals & Families
• Registration Assistance for Health Insurance
• Substance Abuse Education & Support Groups
• Healthy Relationships Education
• Latino Support Services
• Mentoring Services
• Employment Services
• Tutoring Services

Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 8:00am - 4:00pm & Tuesday & Thursday 8:00am - 8:00pm

Main Line: (317) 532-3854

Outreach Line: (317) 608-0545

Email: MSDWarrenOutreach@warren.k12.in.us

Address: 8400 E. 10th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46219

Did you know that Amazon donates money to approved charities and the Lowell PTA was just approved as a charity?

If you use Amazon or have an Amazon Prime Account, money may be donated to Lowell with NO extra charge to you. The AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price from your eligible AmazonSmile purchases.

Please see the flyers below for easy ways to donate to Lowell. Share with your friends and family!

Thank you for taking time each morning to screen your child before coming to school each day. Please continue to do so. Below are symptoms impacting consideration for exclusion from school:

● A fever of 100.0° F or greater

● Chills

● Cough

● Muscle or body aches

● Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

● Headache

● Sore throat

● Congestion or runny nose

● Fatigue

● New loss of taste or smell

● Nausea or vomiting

● Diarrhea

Students and employees should be excluded from school if they test positive for COVID-19 or exhibit two or more of the symptoms of COVID-19 that are not otherwise explained based on ISDH / MCPHD guidance. If in doubt, please don't hesitate to call school at 317-532-3900 for some guidance. We appreciate your support in doing this important screening step each day before sending students to school.

You may download our 20-21 Reopening Plan on our S.A.F.E. Reopening Webpage.

https://www.warren.k12.in.us/o/msd-of-warren-township/page/20-21-s-a-f-e-reopening

Our car rider line has changed locations! The car rider drop-off and pick-up line is now on the SOUTH SIDE (Raymond Street) of the building. DO NOT ENTER OFF OF HUNTER ROAD. All car riders will enter the line off of Raymond Street. There is a circular drive that cars will follow around to the sidewalk. Pull your car to the end of the sidewalk, place your car in park, and wait for staff to signal that students may be released from cars. DO NOT RELEASE STUDENTS UNTIL STAFF IS OUTSIDE AND INDICATES THAT STUDENTS MAY BE RELEASED FROM VEHICLE. WE WILL BEGIN TO RELEASE STUDENTS AT 7:55AM. STUDENTS MUST WEAR A FACE COVERING WHEN EXITING THE VEHICLE. PARENTS ARE TO REMAIN IN CARS AT ALL TIMES AND CANNOT EXIT THE VEHICLE TO WALK STUDENTS INTO THE BUILDING.

Students will only be released on the sidewalk side/passenger side of the vehicle. Please make sure your child is sitting on that side of your vehicle. When the sidewalk is cleared of students, cars will be released by staff to exit back out onto Raymond Street. PLEASE DO NOT MOVE YOUR CAR UNTIL STAFF INDICATES IT IS SAFE TO MOVE. DO NOT GET OUT OF THE CAR RIDER LINE TO MANUVEUR YOUR CAR AROUND OTHER CARS. STAY IN LINE AND FOLLOW THE CAR IN FRONT OF YOU SO WE CAN EXIT SAFELY. When the next row of cars are lined up along the sidewalk and are stopped and in park, staff will release the next group of students into the building.

OUR PRIORITY IS TO KEEP STUDENTS AND STAFF SAFE! PLEASE MAKE SURE TO FOLLOW THESE PROCEDURES AND TO FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS OF THE LOWELL STAFF. WE APPRECIATE YOUR COOPERATION.

Please make sure your child has backpack/supplies ready and that good-byes are said before it's time to exit the car. We will not have time to retrieve items or have prolonged good-byes in the morning. We appreciate your help with this!!

Review the map below to see the entry/exit location and the path for the car rider line. We appreciate your patience as we all learn this new system.

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!

The renovation at Lowell is going strong!! We are excited to see the progress!

Click on the link below to access the 2020-2021 Student Success Handbook.

Student Success Handbook 2020-2021

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