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Այս տեղեկագիրը թարգմանելու համար կտտացրեք այն, ապա օգտագործեք աջ կողմում գտնվող հղումը:

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Greetings Lowell School,

I am pleased to announce Lowell's search committee has selected two assistant principal finalists. Sandra Walters, Assistant Principal, Weymouth, MA and Benjamin Krause Friedman, Principal Intern at the Florida Ruffin Ridley School, Brookline, MA.

On Monday, April 10th (Mr. Friedman) and Tuesday April 11th (Ms. Walters), will visit Lowell School for the day touring and meeting staff and students on both campuses. The day will be filled with activities, including a tour of Lowell West and the Phillips Building, meetings with faculty and staff, and a chance to visit classrooms. Candidates will meet with Dr. Galdston, our superintendent. They will eat lunch with our current second graders, and participate in a staff forum from 2:30-3:15 pm. The forum will take place at Lowell West in the Cafeteria from 2:30-3:15.

In addition to the visiting day, we have asked them to participate in a parent forum via Zoom on Thursday, April 13th. Each candidate will be given 30-minutes to answer questions from families.

Here is the schedule for Monday and Tuesday

10-10:15 Arrive at Lowell West (175 Main Street, Waltham, Ma)

10:15-10:45 Tour Lowell West

10:45-11:00 Travel to Phillips Building

11:00-11:30 Tour Phillips

11:30-12:00 Meet with Dr. Galdston

12:10-12:40 Lunch with Second Grade

12:40-12:50 Break

12:50-1:30 Performance Task Observation/Evaluation

1:30-1:45 Travel to Lowell West

1:45-2:20 Meet with Stacy

2:30-3:15 Staff Forum LW all Staff Welcome

Thursday, April 13th Parent Forum 6-7 pm on Zoom.

Sending love and best wishes to everyone celebrating holy holidays!

Stacy

Are You Moving?

If you are planning to move out of Watertown or the Lowell School District. Please contact Melina Jacovides or Brian Connors our guidance counselors. This information helps us to accurately plan for the fall. Once we receive the information, we will email you the WPS Release Form for you to fill out and return to the school secretary via email. We will use this information to send your child(ren)s records to the receiving school when the staff returns to school. Please submit this information as soon as possible. as record transfers require time to process.

In a few short weeks, we will begin the complicated process of creating class placements for the coming year. This is done with a great deal of care to create the most balanced and diverse classrooms possible.

If you have information that the classroom teacher may not be aware of, you may share via this form, no later than Friday, April 14th at 2:00 pm. Please do not feel compelled to submit a form unless there is something beyond our knowledge you think will directly impact our work in creating a placement for your child. These forms will be shared with the teaching team as part of the placement determination process.

In order to support the needs of all children, requests for specific teachers will not be honored. Please do not request specific teachers by name. Additionally, please do not send requests to place your child with particular friends, as all students will be sent to their new class with “familiar faces.” However, if an older sibling has had a teacher and you would like to have your younger sibling have a different teacher, we will try our best to honor that request.

Whether you submit a letter or not, you can be sure your child will be placed in a classroom in which he or she can grow academically, emotionally, and socially. We thank you for your understanding and your ongoing support.

Class Placement Form Optional

Lowell Families,

On Monday, April 10th at 5pm there will be a joint meeting of the Watertown School Committee's Curriculum and Policy subcommittees. This hybrid meeting will be in person at the Cunniff and via zoom.

Two main agenda items include (1) an update about Restorative Justice as it relates to district wide curriculum and discipline policy and (2) an equity update. The agenda with Zoom link can be found here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zYj_8BiVZ53rscNHjehULC1jILe-i2ZY/view

You may recall that in February of 2022, an Equity Audit report was completed and released that listed 54 recommendations to address equity issues in the district. You can access the equity audit here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1d1eiyl175GEJl6Px2Q-hgM2zd4L8KFr3/view

On Monday, School Committee members who represent the Policy Subcommittee and Curriculum Subcommittee will ask questions of WPS administrators about the state of equity work in the district. There will also be time for members of the public to participate in the discussion and ask questions as they pertain to these issues. We hope our parents and caregivers will take time to join. Please feel free to reach out with any questions.

Our best,

Liz and Sheila

Scholastic Book Fair: Thursday, April 27 - Sunday, April 30 Our book fair will be held at the Watertown Public Library. Mark it on your calendar – to volunteer for a shift or come in to shop for your family and your child’s teacher. This will be open to the public.

PLEASE VOLUNTEER TO HELP WITH SET-UP, CHECK-OUT, OR BREAKDOWN

Register for the Walk-a-Thon! This is our only fundraiser of the year. There are school-wide rewards along the way! If we raise $18,000, Ms Phelan will dye her hair pink! If we raise $20,000, we can tape Mr. Chen to the wall! Everyone who signs-up and shares the link on social media, email, or text will receive a free smoothie from Vitality Bowls! The fundraiser runs March 20 – April 25.

Here’s the link to sign-up!

If you had an account from last year, log-in and join the event. Otherwise, please create a free account.

We are making AWESOME progress! Thank you all SO SO much. We've already earned the Dance Party, Chalk-the-Walk, Gum, Double Recess, and a Movie DDay! We are VERY close to Double Recess! Please share your link with friends and family, and please REGISTER if you haven't yet!

Team Hantson

Team Beaver

Team Connors and Ms. Master

Team MacAuley

Team Tresca and Mannix

Team MacLellan and Homan

Team Spatz

Team Walsh - Grade 1

Next FTO Meeting: Tuesday, April 11 at 6:30PM: We'll discuss the Walkathon, Bookfair, New Leadership for Next Year, and Teacher Appreciation Week.

Online registration for Watertown Community Education's 2023 Summer Explorations Program, being held at the Hosmer Elementary School, opens at 7:00 PM on Tuesday, April 25th! Spaces are limited, please register early. Registrations will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis. Click the link to the 2023 Summer Explorations Program Smore Flyer for full details including cost, dates, and themes, and to access the online Google Form registration link https://www.smore.com/2ch0y.

Please reach out to Debi Cornelius at debora.cornelius@watertown.k12.ma.us and Jeff Bodner at jeffrey.bodner@watertown.k12.ma.us with any questions regarding the 2023 Summer Explorations Program.

March is a busy month at the Lowell Library! K-2 students focus on storytelling and fairy tales. K-1 learned to identify the elements of fairy tales and we read many examples of tales classic and fractured. Second grade participated in a new unit examining the history of story telling through the oral tradition including song, dance. We read about Meso American written stories and thought about why we tell and share our own stories. Our other readings centered on tales told across many cultures and how they are alike and different.

Third grade did a different form of storytelling learning about computational thinking and the concepts of decomposition and abstraction. Students then drew an abstracted version of a scientific process (seed to plant) and converted the drawing into an animated gif.

Fourth grade became historical detectives examining and identifying primary source objects. While fifth grade brought the HEAT (hook, energy, audience, time) planning out their 30 second book talks.

What?

The annual K-12 District Art Show has been a tradition in Watertown Public Schools for many years. The show includes work from Watertown students K-12. This is the first year since the pandemic that elementary schools will have in-person representation, so it is very exciting. In addition, this is my (Ms. Chroneos') first art show in Watertown! I am thrilled for the chance to bring our community together in support of your young artists.

Where and When?

Where:

Watertown Mall

When:

The show is up Wednesday, April 5th - Tuesday May 2nd

Because the Watertown Mall is a public place, you are welcome to see the artwork at any time during mall open hours while the show is up.

Opening Reception:

Tuesday, April 11th from 6pm-8pm at the Watertown Mall

The Opening Reception is Tuesday, April 11th from 6pm-8pm at The Watertown Mall. There will be live music, and it's a chance for the community to gather and celebrate our students. Everyone, regardless of if your student's work is representing Lowell in the art show, is invited to the reception.

Register for the Walk-a-Thon! This is our only fundraiser of the year. There are school-wide rewards along the way! We've already earned our Dance Party -- and we're close to our 2nd prize! Thanks for your support! If we raise $18,000, Ms Phelan will dye her hair pink! If we raise $20,000, we can tape Mr. Chen to the wall! Everyone who signs-up and shares the link on social media, email, or text will receive a free smoothie from Vitality Bowls! The fundraiser runs March 20 – April 25.

Here’s the link to sign-up!

If you had an account from last year, log-in and join the event. Otherwise, please create a free account. Reach out to jenninetambio@gmail.com with questions/concerns.

Save the Date—Scholastic Bookfair: Our bookfair will be held at the Watertown Public Library from Thursday, April 27 – Sunday, April 30. Mark it on your calendar – to volunteer for a shift or come in to shop for your family and your child’s teacher. This will be open to the public.

FTO Leadership for Next Year: We’d love to have more family members join our Family Teacher Organization! You make a big difference in the school and get to know a lot of people. We’re looking for a President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer for next year, plus we have a ton of smaller roles that would be a huge help. Email jenninetambio@gmail.com if you’re interested.

Daisy Troop 77117's community service project to collect school supplies in April for at-risk homeless students in the weekly newsletter to families? A flyer with details is attached.

Science Spotlights

In-Person Event | Saturdays, March 11, April 8, May 13, 2:00–3:30 pm

Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge

Meet up-and-coming scientists and learn about questions at the forefront of research today in this series of monthly short talks. Perhaps you’ll discuss how studying dog reactions help us learn about the evolution of social behavior, or maybe you’ll consider the regrowth of a microscopic worm after injury. Recommended for ages 10–Adults.

Let’s Draw: HMSC Sketching Weekend

In-Person Event | Saturday, March 18 and Sunday, March 19, 1:00–­4:00 pm

The Harvard Museums of Science & Culture provide inspiration for all levels of artists and curious visitors. Elevate your own creative process by trying your hand at sketching this weekend. Meet HMSC Volunteer Sketching Facilitators in the galleries and learn what motivates them to draw in the museums. Then try sketching a museum object yourself.

Amazing Archaeology Fair at Harvard

In-Person Event | Sunday, March 26, 1:00–4:00 pm

Explore North American, South American, Egyptian, and Mesopotamian archaeology across the exhibit halls of two museums. Activities include ancient DNA analysis, animal mummies, King Tut’s throne, spear throwing, flintknapping, and other surprises during this popular annual event.

Summer Science Weeks

In-Person Summer Programs | Mondays–Fridays, 9:30 am–12:00 pm

Registration is open! Select from a wide array of Summer Science Week programs for children entering grades 1–8. Favorites include Amazing Animals, Super Scientists, and The Ins and Outs of Skeletons.

Tuesday, 4/11/2023

6:00PM - 8:00PM Art Show Opening Reception

6:30PM - 7:30PM SEPAC Meeting

6:30PM - 7:30PM FTO Meeting

Wednesday, 4/12/2023

MCAS ELA (Session 2)

Thursday, 4/13/2023

Grade 3 Field Trip (Boston Tea Party Museum)

Thursday, 4/13/2020

Parent Forum come meet the Finalists

6:00PM School Site Council

Friday, 4/14/2023

FTO Walk-A-Thon

Monday 4/17/2023 to Friday 4/21/2023

April Vacation (No School)

Monday 4/24/2023 to Friday 4/28/2023

Literacy Week

Tuesday 4/25/2023

7:00PM - 8:00PM Lowell DIB Council Meeting

Thursday 4/27/2023

Author Visit: Jarrett Learner

Friday 4/28/2023

5:30PM Music Fest

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MCAS Dates for grades 3,4 & 5

ELA

Tuesday, April 4th

Thursday, April 6th

Math

Tuesday, May 16th

Thursday, May 18th

Science

Only Grade 5 takes Science

Wednesday, May 24th

Thursday, May 25th