

Lowell Family Newsletter
December 9, 2022
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لترجمة هذه الرسالة من المدرسة ، اضغط عليها ثم استخدم الرابط الموجود على اليمين.
Այս տեղեկագիրը թարգմանելու համար կտտացրեք այն, ապա օգտագործեք աջ կողմում գտնվող հղումը:
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Message from Mrs. Phelan
Greetings!
The highlight of my week was hosting Cookies and Milk with the Principal. The cookies were made by our Food Service Department. One student said, "they were so yummy, they tasted like a vanilla cupcake without frosting." I think that's a pretty good endorsement.
As students enjoyed their cookies and milk, I took the opportunity to read aloud the book Ouch, Moments. Ouch Moments shows kids who is affected by hurtful words: the target, the mean kid, and bystanders.
The book was chosen by our Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Council. Dr. Henry's department is funding the purchase of this book for each classroom teacher and our SEL team. The book will help educator discuss the topic of microaggressions or “ouch moments,” as they are referred to in the story, are brief exchanges where an indignity, insult, or slight is expressed—whether intentionally or not—from one person to another. For instance, when children use words like “lame” or “gay” to mean that something is bad, weird, or different, they communicate a message that having a disability or being part of LGBT community is equal to being bad, weird, or different. Children likely are not trying to be hurtful; they may just be repeating words that they have heard in the past and may not realize the discriminatory connotations.
Young people have a wonderful capacity to care about each other. However, they need guidance, mentoring, and modeling from adults to understand the impact of their words and behaviors. Ouch Moments: When Words Are Used in Hurtful Ways explains these "ouch moments" in kid-friendly terms, offers practical strategies for what kids can do to help, and empowers kids to stand up to mean and hurtful language.
Thank you FTO for sponsoring Cookies and Milk and Dr. Henry for funding the book purchase.
With a grateful heart,
Mrs. Phelan
Please Take the 5E Survey
The Music Department Presents
Watertown High School Winter Concert
Tuesday December 13th at 7pm
Shaw Auditorium
Come and support our student musicians!!
Admission is FREE!!!!
Message from Mr. Spano
Hello Lowell Chorus Families,
Next Tuesday, December the 13th at 8:45am, will be our Lowell Winter Concert. Featured on the performance will be our 4th and 5th Chorus as well as our 5th grade String and Band Ensembles.
What To Wear: Your Watertown Performing Arts t-shirt! We have some shirts students can borrow for the performance, or students can wear a black shirt/sweater. We will set up another order in January for families who did not have a chance to order their shirts in September/October.
Parents are invited to join us for these concerts in person. We are also hoping to live stream this event on our Facebook Page for friends and family to watch from afar or later in the day.
Thank you and we look forward to seeing you at the show,
Anthony Spano
Lowell Music Educator
What's Ms. McCollum doing in the Library
What We Learned: November 2022
Kindergarten: We learned about:
- Fiction and nonfiction
- Parts of a book
- Literature appreciation
First Grade: We learned about:
- Fiction and nonfiction
- Parts of a book
- Literature appreciation
Second Grade: Learned about:
- Parts of a book
- How books are made
- Google login and apps launcher
- Google Docs Intro to menus and toolbars
- Lego WeDo Mars Rover Build and Code Project
Fourth Grade: Learned about:
- Copyright, fair use, and public domain
- Rights and responsibilities of being a creator
- Structure of the internet
- Data collection and privacy
Student Attendance Notification
Attendance is an essential component of a student’s academic success. It also creates a foundation for healthy social and emotional wellbeing. Excessive absences can have a significant impact on a child’s learning and development. And often, the number of days that students are absent can accumulate quickly without families realizing how many days have been missed. To keep families better informed, the school will email letters notifying parents/guardians when their children have missed 5 or more days of classes. If the absences exceed 10 days, the school will invite families to meet to discuss how to improve students’ attendance.
Please note that students who are absent for 10% (regardless of whether the they are excused or unexcused) of the school year are considered chronically absent according to the state of Massachusetts. Students who are chronically absent are less likely to meet grade-level standards.
We understand and appreciate families keeping their children home when they're sick. We also understand that we have a mandatory five day quarantine period for COVID positive cases. Our letters are meant to inform you as parents and to provide you with your child's attendance record. Thank you for all you do to keep our community well. We appreciate it.
i -Ready Diagnostic
Kindergarten students are preparing to take the i-Ready Diagnostic. The i-Ready Diagnostic is an adaptive assessment that adjusts its questions to suit your child’s needs. Each item a student receives is based on their answer to the previous question. For example, a series of correct answers will result in slightly more complex questions, while a series of incorrect answers will yield slightly easier ones.
Our students will begin taking the i-Ready Diagnostic according to the schedule posted below.
i-Ready Diagnostic Schedule
Kindergarten students will take the i-Ready Diagnostic for the first time beginning on the week of December 12 (reading) and the week of December 19 (math).
i-Ready Diagnostic for grades 1-5:
Week of - 12/12(reading)
Week of - 12/19 (math)
What can I do to help?
To help prepare your child for the i-Ready Diagnostic, encourage them to:
· Get a good night’s sleep and eat a full breakfast the day of the assessment.
· Try your best on each question and try not to rush.
· Try not to worry about questions they do not know—remind them that it is
expected they will get only about half of the questions correct.
· Be respectful of other students who take longer to finish.
Thank you for your continued support and for being a partner in your child’s learning! You can also learn more about i-Ready by visiting i-ReadyCentral.com/FamilyCenter.
Read More About i-Ready Assessments
A Message from the Watertown Rec Department
If you have not signed up for any of our Youth programs, there is still time! You can sign up at Department of Recreation (activityreg.com)
Please click the link below to view our program offering:
Notify Me • Watertown Parks and Rec, MA • CivicEngage (watertown-ma.gov)
Please feel free to contact the Department of Recreation at 617-972-6494 or recreation@watertown-ma.gov if you have questions, concerns, or comments.
Thank You,
Peter
Courses For Kids
Missing Courses For Kids? Find similar offerings in the 2022-2023 Fall/Winter Adult & Community Education Catalog!
With no Courses For Kids at the Lowell during the new school construction, we wanted to make sure that similar opportunities were available through our Adult & Community Education Catalog. In addition to many other courses for Adults, Students, and Families, the catalog includes these 3 Courses For Kids style courses:
Lego Adventures (Grades 2-5):
6 Tuesdays, January 3-February 7, 5:30 PM-7:00 PM, $165
Business Sharks (Grades 2-5):
6 Wednesdays, January 4-February 85:30 PM-7:00 PM, $165
Buildwave | A Hands-On Building Game!:
6 Thursdays, January 26-March 9 (no class on 2/23), 6:15 PM-7:15 PM, $150
To see the full descriptions for these classes and more, please click the catalog link below. The registration form can be accessed by clicking the link under the course descriptions in the catalog, or through the link below.
2022-2023 Fall/Winter Adult & Community Education Catalog Link
2022-2023 Fall/Winter Adult & Community Education Registration Form
Phillips Menu
Lowell West
Save the Date
Tuesday, December 13th 6:30 – 7:30 pm
FTO Meeting
Zoom link:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85031808707?pwd=Ym8xKzlvRHFxSFUwU094b2k0d252UT09
Thursday, December 15th at 6:00 – 7:00 pm
School Site Council
Zoom link:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85031808707?pwd=Ym8xKzlvRHFxSFUwU094b2k0d252UT09
MCAS Dates for Lowell 3, 4 & 5
Only Grade 5 takes Science
Watertown Recreation Department
The Recreation Department will begin its Winter I programs on Monday, November 28.
Winter I program registration is open and is based on first come, first serve.
Our program offerings are listed here Winter I Brochure.
We are also asking for assistance for our snow shoveling program and have some Bruins and Celtics tickets available.
Please click the link below to view our program offering:
Notify Me • Watertown Parks and Rec, MA • CivicEngage (watertown-ma.gov)
Please feel free to contact the Department of Recreation at 617-972-6494 or recreation@watertown-ma.gov if you have questions, concerns or comments.
Thank you,
Peter