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A Message from Mrs. Phelan
Greetings!
It certainly was an event-filled week. I want to take a moment to thank everyone for supporting each other and our students along the way. I've had an opportunity to speak with Dr. Galdston, Fire Chief Anastasi, and Lt. Unsworth since the event occurred and their collective thoughts were the overall response went as it should have and it followed our CIT protocols. I'm extremely thankful for all the people who supported the reunification of our students with their families. We're now reflecting on the event, looking at what went well and the ways we can strengthen our response in the future.
One lesson reinforced from this event is communication needs to take place using multiple modes of distribution. The timing of the event impacted how quickly information was delivered to parents. When an accident occurs during a significant transition time, such as arrival, dismissal, or lunch, we must keep everyone, families, staff and community informed.
Our first form of communication was to the parents of the students of the L1 bus only. Several parents asked why didn't a robocall or text go out to ALL parents when the school learned of the accident. The reason we didn't use a robo call as a method of communication in the early moments of this event (bus accident) was the fear it would cause confusion and potential harm to the response at the site of the accident. We were unable to create an effective message over a general call to inform the families who were affected and not cause greater alarm for families not directly affected. Our priority is always to inform the parents of the students involved, first. This is then followed by a general notification AND that call, email, or text must be accurate and confirmed by first responders and the Critical Incident Commander which did take place when you received the first email. It's been mentioned by several parents the best form of communication would be text rather than email.
Written communication is the most effective way to communication essential information for a number of reasons. 1.) It can include links to important documentation, contact information, maps, and visuals. 2.) It can also be translated for families who do not speak English. 3.) Robo calls unless recorded by voicemail cannot be referred back to for information.
Reflecting on this event, having the ability to text families is optimal. We recognize emailing families especially during a major transition time like morning (student arrival & parents going to work) or afternoons is less effective than text. We are currently working on moving toward utilizing the text feature in Powerschool.
Another notable piece of feedback was that not everyone received the superintendents email. After looking into that specific reason for this, we came to discover only contact #1 received the email. Several parents have requested both their contacts #1 and #2 receive the email, call, or text.
Both the ability to text and programing contacts in Powerschool are managed by our tech department through Powerschool programing. Dr. Galdston has reached out to make these improvements moving forward.
I feel incredibly grateful for the town's coordinated efforts and all the support of the first responders. A few other folks need mentioning here too. Heather Chaisson and Lisa Cavaretta arrived on scene immediately. They helped support students and lend a friendly face to our children. Isabella Delmoral one of our ESL teachers came to the site to translate for our Spanish and Portuguese families. Dr. Galdston, Heidi Perkins, Shannon Dixon, and our school resource officers Kerry Kelly and Anna Margaryan who help with parent communication and overall response were there as well. Our former PTO president Lauren Unsworth came to support kids with blankets and snacks. Lt. Unsworth was the hero of the day supplying Milky Way Bars to the children as they waited for their families to arrive. Many of our school dads were our first responders, Dave Cobe and Fire Chief Anastasi among others. It was quite a coordinated accomplishment by a team of people who wrapped around our students and truly cared.
We will continue to seek feedback and work to improve communication and our overall response to any emergency. Kerry Kelly and I are attending a two day conference of unification planning this week sponsored by Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council's School Threat Assessment and Response System (NEMLEC - STARS).
Please, contact me directly if you'd like to give me feedback.
I'd like to wish everyone a Happy Diwali!
Deeply grateful for all your support!
Stacy
Dear Families,
A number of our students have personal electronic devices (PED) that they bring to school. At the Lowell, we recognize the value and importance of these devices and are actively teaching students on their responsible use. The reason for this message is because we’ve noticed general distracted behaviors such as students scrolling through screens / apps and exchanging text messages with their grown-ups on their smart watches.
Our students know that phones should be in their bags and turned off, and we will share our expectations around smart watch and general PED usage upon their return. If you have a urgent matter and need to communicate with your child(ren), we kindly ask that you communicate with the front office first and we’ll be sure to pass the information.
Should you have questions regarding PEDs, additional information could be located in the Student / Parent Handbook. We greatly appreciate your assistance to create a supportive learning environment for all of our students.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Phelan
A reminder to families about the district guidelines for personal electronic devices. The information below is from the 2022-2023 Student/Parent Handbook. Please review the guidelines below and discuss them with your student.
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PERSONAL ELECTRONIC DEVICES
To better protect students from misuse of handheld devices the following guidelines have been established:
1. In the school building, personal electronic devices (PED) should be off, unless specified otherwise by the teacher. PEDs may be used during school hours under the supervision of the teacher only.
2. Any use of these PEDs outside of teacher supervision is strictly prohibited. Faculty/staff have the right to confiscate a PED and turn it into the principal’s office. The student may pick up the device at the office at the end of the school day. Repeated offenses may require the parent to pick up the device.
3. Urgent messages between parents/guardians and students must be communicated via the main office.
4. The school is not responsible for the maintenance, loss, theft or damage of any personal electronic device.
5. All use of personal electronic devices is commensurate with the District’s Acceptable Use Policy.
Caregivers Are Invited to Attend Morning Meeting with Your Student
There are numerous benefits to starting each day with a morning meeting in the classroom that make it worth the few extra minutes each morning. It’s important to note that benefits are seen when morning meeting is a regular and consistent part of each day. Come join us and attend the morning meeting with your student. The schedule by grade is below. Please stay and have a cup of coffee with Mrs. Phelan and Mr. Chen and our SEL team. We will also review how Title One funds support teaching and learning at Lowell.
Here are a few positive outcomes that morning meeting can support:
- Builds meaningful relationships and establishes the trust (student to student and teacher to student)
- Sets the tone for a positive classroom climate
- Creates a space to highlight and discuss mental health needs
- Promotes the idea that all voices matter and are listened to
- Provides opportunities for teaching social, emotional, and academic skills
- Increases student confidence and self-awareness
- Motivates learners to do their best
- Supports academic learning
- Creates a kinder community
Simply put, morning meetings help all students do their best.
Watertown Mutual Aid Network’s is hosting a Winter Donation Drive & Free Store is on Sunday, November 6th at Ballroom in Boston at 100 Parker Street in Watertown, MA. They will be receiving donations of winter coats, winter clothes for kids, and personal care items from 10:30am-12:30pm and then indivduals/families can "shop" for free 1-2:30pm. This event is open to anyone.
Did you know that SNAP and WIC benefits do not cover diapers? In Massachusetts, 1 in 3 families struggle to buy enough diapers for their children. The annual Metro-Boston Diaper Drive donates all donated diapers to the Somerville WIC office, which serves Cambridge, Somerville, Arlington, Watertown, Lexington, Bedford, Lincoln and Belmont. Currently, this WIC office serves more than 4644 mothers and their young children. Please visit mbdiapers.org to make a donation, or click directly on the links to the Amazon and Target registries. Please help us get 70,000 diapers onto the bottoms of babies in the Metro-Boston area! Read more about why diaper drives like the Metro-Boston Diaper Drive are so important HERE. This year’s Drive will be from October 16 - 29.
OTHER WAYS TO HELP US MEET OUR GOAL OF GETTING 70,000 DIAPERS DONATED:
Share our website, mbdiapers.org, on your own page and ask people to donate.
Like our Facebook page. The more activity on the page, the more people will hear about the Drive. Share our Facebook page on your own page and encourage people to donate.
There are many ways to donate:
Via our website, mbdiapers.org
Via links on our Facebook page
Make a monetary donation to the Drive’s Venmo account @Kerstin-Sinkevicius, and co-coordinator Kerstin will buy diapers to donate
Save the Date
10/24 (Monday)
Diwali
10/25 (Tuesday)
4:30PM - 6:30PM Parent Teacher Conference
7:00PM - 8:00PM DIB Council Meeting
10/27 (Thursday)
12:15PM Early Release
1:00PM Parent Teacher Conference
10/28 (Friday)
8:15AM - 8:45AM Morning Meeting Visit by Families (Grade 3)
8:45AM - 9:45AM Principal Coffee Hour (Lowell West)
Friday, October 28th
Trunk or Treat
Phillips Parking Lot
Located
31 Marshall Street
Sponsored by the FTO
Equity Hour: October 25, 2022
Caregivers: 10/25
M.O.O: Managing [mis]understandings (Mr. Jamele Adams, LIT League)
All of us have unique perspectives on how we see the world, and everything in it. These varying perspectives often lead to misunderstandings. This session will teach and practice a communication protocol that will help to manage both understanding and misunderstanding of perspectives.
· Staff Hour (10/24, 3:30-4:30p @ Hosmer Learning Commons) RSVP
· Parent & Caregiver Hour (10/25, 6-7p via ZOOM)
