Lowell Lantern

Hello Lowell Families,

As we prepare for cold winter weather next week, 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 here and on our website by clicking District Information under the Explore Tab. Please let us know if we can be of any assistance in making sure that students have warm protective winter wear.

Next week, MSD Warren School Board and Administration will be hosting our annual legislative forum to discuss proposed legislation that impacts our schools and community. This year, the forum will be held virtually on February 10th from 7:00 - 8:30. Dr. Hanson welcomes you to join via Zoom. The link for the virtual forum is bit.ly/MSDWarrenLegislativeForum. See the flyer below for additional information.

Please remember to screen your children for symptoms 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 or ill and needs to remain at home please call the front office to report his/her absence and symptoms. If a person or family member in your household has been tested for covid and is awaiting results, your child should remain at home until those results are known. Please call the office to communicate this.

Next Friday is Superhero Day ~~ students may wear superhero gear to school for a $1.00 donation to our Kindness and Justice Challenge. Our coin challenge also continues into next week. We appreciate the coin donations from our students! Keep it up!

3rd Quarter Midterms will be available in Parent Vue next Friday as well.

We hope you have a wonderful weekend! As always, please let us know if you need anything! Thank you for your support of Lowell! Take care! Be safe! Stay warm and have a great Super Bowl Weekend!

Mrs. Griffin

School Board and School policy encourage outdoor recess for our K-4 students whenever possible to encourage activity and social playtime. Our threshold for cold weather is 20 degrees. When the temperature falls below 20, students will have recess indoors. The 20 degree temperature would also include wind chill. In other words, if the temperature is 25 but the windchill falls below 20 degrees, students would remain indoors for recess. If students are not feeling well or parents want them to stay in for health reasons beyond 1-2 days, a doctor's note is required.

With the cold weather, it is important for our students to wear their winter coats to stay warm and healthy. If your child is in need of a winter coat, please reach out to Mrs. Griffin, Ms. Reedus, or Mrs. Hand at 317-532-3900. We have a limited supply of winter coats. In addition, Moorhead Community Resource Center has coats available. Please reach out if you are in need.

Students will be able to purchase a FROYO (frozen yogurt) treat for $1.00 during their lunch period.

FROYO will be available for purchase at lunch every Friday.

To support our Kindness & Justice Challenge, we will have Superhero Day for students on Friday, February 12 if they bring in $1.00.

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

We hope many of our students will participate!

ACCEPT THE LOWELL CHALLENGE ~ THE KINDNESS & JUSTICE CHALLENGE!

Our Coin Challenge is off to a great start! We appreciate all of the coin donations! The challenge is heating up with grade levels working hard to fill their coin jars! See some updates from this week below:

2nd grade students are rocking it and holding onto the lead in our coin challenge! Congratulations 2nd grade!!

Kindergarten is in second place with 3rd grade students right behind them! Keep up the great work!!

All of our grade levels are doing a fabulous job of donating coins to our challenge! Those coin jars are filling up fast! Keep it coming!

During a typical school year, our PTA sponsors a Valentine's Day party for our students. Due to our Covid restrictions, our celebration will look a little different this year.

Students may still bring Valentine cards to school to share with classmates. Teachers will help to distribute cards to students, along with a special treat from our PTA, on Friday, February 12.

Unfortunately, we will not be able to invite parents to join in the celebration as in years past due to our visitor restrictions. Classroom teachers will ensure students are given time to exchange cards and to enjoy some Valentine cheer! We appreciate your understanding.

The weekof February 1 was National School Counseling Week! We want to extend our gratitude to Mrs. Hand, our school counselor, for all she does for students, staff, and families!

She is #AllinforAllStudents every day!!

We are better because of her and appreciate all she does for our Lowell community!!

Just a reminder that Monday, February 15th is President's Day. There will be no school for students.

Please mark your calendars - Tuesday, February 16th will be an E-Learning Day for all students. Teachers will be available to support from 9:00am-12:00pm.

Do you want your child to be considered for high ability next school year?

Students in the virtual learning academy who are currently enrolled in 4th, 6th and 8th grade that want to be considered for high ability next school year must participate in NWEA via the in-person setting. Tests will be administered at WECC on 4 different dates and students must be registered to participate. The following documents share information about testing and the registration link.

• High Ability Testing- English

• High Ability Testing- Spanish

Students currently enrolled in 1st grade who want to be considered for placement in Warren’s High Ability Program for 2nd grade, must participate in NWEA and CogAT

in-person at WECC. (Last day for caregivers to sign up is Feb. 8.)
High Ability Testing (sign up link at bottom of document)

Parent Recommendation Form - High Ability 2021-22

The High Ability Program Parent Recommendation Form for the 2021-2022 school year is now available through March 26! Students are identified for the program based on state and District criteria, which may include achievement test scores, student ability, and parent and teacher recommendation. Parent recommendations are considered but do not guarantee placement in the High Ability Program. For placement consideration, please submit a parent recommendation form here.

Help support Lowell Elementary School by ordering pizza from Papa Johns on Wednesday, February 17. 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!

All Warren Township Schools will participate and provide the necessary data to the Division of Family Resources for the 3rd round of the Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT).

FSSA has updated its estimated issuance date to February 28, 2021. It is essential that you keep your card, as additional P-EBT assistance will be loaded back onto this same card. Again, PLEASE KEEP THIS CARD. For more information, visit https://www.warren.k12.in.us/article/388678?org=msd-of-warren-township, which includes links to FSSA P-EBT webpage and FAQs.

For additional questions or information, please feel free to call our Food Service Department at 317-869-4381 or 317-869-4389, or you can visit https://www.in.gov/fssa/dfr/dfr-policy-changes-and-actions/pandemic-ebt/.

If you should happen to move and need to complete a change of address form, please visit the following link: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=ur-ZIQmkE0wxBi0WTPYjbJ_x7DdGCFIvwlvRHlpyNNUN1pDMjdWOE1EQ1o5QTJQTkNJTFY0UVlCUi4u"

Please see the flyer below for your review. The assistance is only for students in grades K-12. Early Childhood and Adult Education does not qualify. For additional information about P-EBT, please feel free to visit: https://www.in.gov/fssa/dfr/dfr-policy-changes-and-actions/pandemic-ebt/

Synergy has a ParentVUE portal that parents can use to monitor students grades, attendance and discipline. Parents can view their students "Warren Password" on the ParentVUE Student Info tab. Parents can click on Student Info and then scroll to the bottom of the page. They will see their students' passwords right below the bus information.

Need help creating your account?: Click here for assistance

PLEASE REMEMBER TO SCREEN YOUR CHILDREN FOR SYMPTOMS 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 OR ILL AND NEEDS TO REMAIN AT HOME, PLEASE CALL THE FRONT OFFICE TO REPORT HIS/HER ABSENCE AND SYMPTOMS.

IF A PERSON OR FAMILY MEMBER IN YOUR HOUSEHOLD HAS BEEN TESTED FOR COVID AND IS AWAITING RESULTS, YOUR CHILD SHOULD REMAIN AT HOME UNTIL THOSE RESULTS ARE KNOWN. PLEASE CALL THE OFFICE TO COMMUNICATE THIS.

Please see below for an important update from health officials:

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.

Below is the order form for this year's Heart Challenge T-Shirt. Please review the order form for information about availability.

There are 2 different shirts this year:

• Black T-Shirt -- Larger shirt sizes of Youth Large and up will receive the black t-shirt
• Grey T-Shirt -- Smaller shirt sizes of Youth Medium and below will receive the grey t-shirt

If you would like to order a t-shirt, please complete the form and send it with payment to school with your child. If you have any questions, please reach out to Mr. Snider at

317-532-3942.

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.

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!

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. 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.

Please refer to the 2020-2021 MSD WARREN TOWNSHIP S.A.F.E. REOPENING PLAN regarding our safety procedures and guidelines. The plan can also be found on our school and district websites.

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