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1. Message from Mrs. Phlean
2. New Staff
3. Scenes from Lowell
4. Welcome Back Event Hosted by the ESL Department
5. Back-to-School Night
6. FTO Update
7. Message from Mr. Spano- Instruments
8. i-Ready Diagnostics
9. COVID-19 Protocol Update
10. Student Handbook Part II
11. Lowell School Parent Guides 2022-2023
12. Upcoming Events School & Community (dates, time, and location)

Greetings Lowell,

We had an excellent opening! I'm amazed at how well our students adjusted to their schedules and classroom expectations.

Bussing has been our greatest challenge. Each day we worked to improve our process. We've had a little difficulty pinpointing what needs tweaking because ridership has increased daily, and we will add one-third more riders on Monday. As enrollment increases, we continue to see variability in timing along the route. I understand the frustration it brings when you don't know exactly when the bus will arrive at your child's stop. Please allow a little time on both sides of your assigned pick-up or drop-off time. I think the predictability will become more reliable by the end of next week.

Another tip, if your child goes to Lowell West and you're looking for information concerning their bus. Please call 1-781-899-3701.

If you need information about a Phillips student, please call 1-617-926-7770.

A few other updates, we completed our first round of fire drills this week and received positive feedback from the Watertown and Waltham's Fire for quick and orderly evacuations!

Staff participated in ALICE e-training this week during professional development time. After our team completes the e-training, we will conduct an adult-only training drill. The only drills we'll practice with students are evacuation drills (fire drills).

I want to thank our teachers for their hard work behind the scenes to make our opening look and feel effortless. I had the privilege of reading grade-level lesson plans before the week began. I was impressed at the level of detail and thoughtful planning that went into welcoming our students. Teachers focused on creating classroom communities where everyone is included and feels a sense of belonging.

We look forward to week two!

If you have any questions or ideas in the meantime, don't hesitate to contact me at stacy.phelan@watertown.k12.ma.us.

With a grateful heart,

Stacy

Hello everyone! My name is Gabriela and I am the new math tutor at the Lowell school. Prior to this year, I was an IA at the Hosmer school and Lead Extended day teacher at the Lowell. I graduated from Lesley University in 2020 with a degree in mathematics where I also played for the women’s soccer team. I am very excited to again be a part of the Lowell community and I look forward to working with the students and faculty!

WPS is excited to add DIBELS as our early literacy screener this year! DIBELS is the “gold-standard universal screening [tool] built on the Science of Reading.” Teachers in K-2 will use DIBELS to gather insight into individual students’ reading development, and craft targeted support plans for all of our readers. More information will be provided soon!

We are excited to announce we are holding our Back-to-School Night in person this year. To accommodate ALL our families, we will host this year's event at both schools (Phillips & Lowell West). We will offer two sessions at each school for each homeroom. These sessions will contain the same content. Parents can choose which session best works for their schedule.

We will also host a Meet Our Community event in the Lowell West cafeteria at 175 Main Street, Waltham, Ma, from 6:15-7:45 PM. Caregivers from both buildings are welcome to this event.

Meet our specialists' teachers (Art, Music, PE, and Library Media), Reading Teachers, ESL Teachers, Speech, OT, PT, and Guidance. We will also have members of our SEL team present.

The FTO, School Site Council, and Parent, Diversity, and Belonging Council will also be on hand.

Schedule 6:00 - 8:00 PM

Session 1 6:00 - 6:45 PM Your Child's Classroom at their home school

Meet Our Community Event: Lowell West 6:15 - 7:45 PM

Session 2 7:00 - 7:45 PM Your Child's Classroom at their home school

Lowell Family Teacher Organization (FTO) Weekly Updates

We’d love your help! If you would like to volunteer, please email: lowellelementarypto@gmail.com

First Meeting:

Our first meeting will be Tuesday, September 13 at 6:30 PM on Zoom.

We will be starting with introductions, discussing upcoming events, and welcoming Principal Phelan for an update. Hope to see you there!

Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85031808707?pwd=Ym8xKzlvRHFxSFUwU094b2k0d252UT09

Save the Date: Lowell School Movie Night

Friday, September 30 – Location TBD

Join us for a fun Lowell School annual tradition. We’ll show a kid-friendly movie and provide some snacks! Everyone is welcome.

Find Us! You can find us on the web at: http://jrlowellpto.weebly.com/ and please like/follow our new Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/LowellFTO

Dear 4th and 5th Grade Families,

This week in music class, our students will be getting information about our instrument lesson program, starting in about two weeks. If your child wishes to participate, they will receive a 35-minute music lesson once per week, during the school day, on either Tuesday or Friday mornings.

To participate, you will need to fill out the appropriate online form below and, in most cases, will need to rent an instrument. If there are any financial constraints, please let me know, and we can try and loan your child an instrument for the school year.

Click here to sign up for a String Instrument (Violin, Viola, Cello, Bass)

Click here to sign up for a Band Instrument (Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone, Trumpet, Trombone, Percussion)

If you decide to rent an instrument, you can rent and pick up your instrument in person at our annual rental night, which is happening next Thursday, September the 15th, from 3:30-6:30 pm at Watertown High School. Lessons will begin the following week on the 20h.

Lastly, for 5th graders who took instrument lessons last year, we hope to be starting lessons next week. I will confirm the date with the teachers later this week.

I appreciate your support,

Anthony Spano

Lowell Music Educator

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I am excited to share that our school will continue using i-Ready this year. Your child will take the i-Ready diagnostic beginning of the year bench over the next two weeks. We do not release these results as they give us our starting point for monitoring growth. Below, you will find information on the program and how we will use it in the classroom.

What is i-Ready?

i-Ready is an online program that will help us determine your child’s needs, personalize his or her learning, and monitor progress throughout the school year. i-Ready allows us to meet your child exactly where he or she is and provides data for us to increase your child’s learning gains.

The i-Ready Diagnostic is an adaptive assessment that adjusts its questions to suit your child’s needs. Each item a student sees is individualized based on his or her answer to the previous question. For example, a series of correct answers will result in slightly harder questions, while a series of incorrect answers will yield slightly easier questions. The purpose of this is not to give your child a score or grade, but instead to determine how best to support your child’s learning. Students in grades 1-5 will participate in only two, 45-min assessments (one literacy, one math), three times per year (fall, winter, late spring). Our testing dates are between 9/18 and 10/5. Kindergarten students will have their first experience with iReady in January. Results of this assessment will help to inform individual and small group instruction during the second half of the school year.

What can I do to help?

To help prepare your child for the i-Ready Diagnostic, please encourage them to:

· Get a good night’s sleep and eat a full breakfast the day of the assessment.

· Try their 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 about half of the questions correct.

· Use paper and a pencil to show work for math questions.

· Be respectful of other students who take longer to finish.

What happens next?

The i-Ready Diagnostic will provide results that help teachers identify what your child already knows and determine next steps for instruction. Teachers look forward to sharing these results with you throughout the year and to providing a learning experience that will attract and hold your child’s interest while teaching important skills and concepts.

If you have any questions about i-Ready, please do not hesitate to contact me or your child’s teacher. You can also learn more about i-Ready by visiting i-ReadyCentral.com/FamilyCenter.

As always, thank you for your continued support and for being a partner in your child’s learning! It is much appreciated.

Sincerely,

Principal Phelan

Handbook Addendum

OVERVIEW

The goal of the Watertown Public Schools is to continue to provide a safe teaching and learning environment for our students and staff. This handbook addendum is designed to provide all members of the Watertown Public Schools Community with the necessary information, guidelines, and procedures to safely and effectively participate in the educational program. In accordance with the directive from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, all instruction will be in person for the 2022-2023 school year. It is imperative that all families read and review the contents of this addendum.

All individuals who are eligible for the COVID 19 Vaccine are strongly encouraged to get vaccinated and boosted.

SCHOOL-WIDE HEALTH AND SAFETY STRATEGIES

Continuing to maintain safe in-person school environments requires a culture of health and safety every step of the way.

Specifically:

● Students, with the assistance of families, must be monitored daily for symptoms, and Staff must monitor themselves for symptoms daily. Staff and students must stay home if feeling unwell. Everyone must do their part to protect others and not come to school if they are exhibiting any COVID-19 symptoms or are feeling sick, until they obtain a negative COVID-19 test. This can be an at home, rapid antigen test. This applies to all individuals, regardless of vaccination status. Staff and students who have symptoms and are negative for COVID-19, may attend school/ work. Symptomatic individuals should wear a mask to prevent transmission of illness to others..

● Hand hygiene is critical. Students and staff are required to exercise hand hygiene (hand washing or sanitizing) upon arrival at school and before eating. Handwashing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds is the best practice. However, hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol can be substituted for handwashing. Hand sanitizer stations will be set up in common areas and classrooms.

• Masks are required to be worn in the school nurse’s office, and are otherwise optional.

WHEN MASK WEARING MAY BE MANDATORY

In order to ensure the health and wellbeing of all or our Watertown Public Schools Community, the District will use the following metrics when determining whether masks should be required or optional based on the level of COVID present in the school and the community at large.

These metrics were determined together with the WPS Health Team and with support from the Watertown Health Department.

• Vaccination rates

• CDC COVID-19 Community Levels

• Community COVID cases and positivity rates

• The number of students/staff with COVID

*Vulnerable student and staff populations are encouraged to wear masks at school

While mask-wearing remains a great mitigation strategy for the prevention of COVID-19, families and staff will be making individual decisions regarding mask-wearing based on many factors. While we encourage and support mask-wearing in our schools, we also honor and respect the decision not to wear masks. We will endeavor to make learning environments where students and staff feel comfortable either wearing or not wearing masks.

COVID SYMPTOMS AND MONITORING

Most common symptoms of COVID-19 and testing requirements

Many symptoms of COVID-19 are the same as the flu or a bad cold and it is important not to assume that symptoms are due to another condition. The collective health of the Watertown Public Schools community relies on individual attention and shared responsibility.

Below is the full list of symptoms for which caregivers should monitor their families, and staff should monitor themselves and household members, EVERY MORNING:

❏ Fever (100.0° Fahrenheit or higher), chills, or shaking chills (CDC has lowered the temperature from 100.4 to 100.0)

❏ Cough (not due to other known cause, such as chronic cough)

❏ Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath

❏ New loss of taste or smell

❏ Sore throat

❏ Headache when in combination with other symptoms

❏ Muscle aches or body aches

❏ Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea

❏ Fatigue, when in combination with other symptoms

❏ Nasal congestion or runny nose (not due to other known causes, such as allergies) when in combination with other symptoms

POSITIVE COVID-19 CASES

Returning after COVID

Self-isolation for COVID-19 positive cases is a minimum of 5 days - regardless of vaccination status.

If a student or staff member tests positive for COVID and they are asymptomatic, they may come back on day six. The day they test positive for COVID is day 0. For example, if an individual gets a positive test on Wednesday, they can return on the following Tuesday. See chart below.

• If a student or staff member is symptomatic and then they test positive, day 0 is the first day they had symptoms.

• If a student or staff member tests positive and develops symptoms AFTER their positive test, day 0 resets to the day they become symptomatic.

• A student or staff member CAN ONLY RETURN after 5 days of isolation if they were asymptomatic, OR if they are fever-free and symptoms are significantly resolving.

Day you test positive OR day you develop symptoms

Return day (end of isolation)

*The start of day 0 is when you test positive OR when you develop symptoms. Sometimes you develop symptoms before you test positive, and sometimes you develop them after you test positive. And sometimes, you remain asymptomatic. If in doubt, contact your doctor or Kathleen Desmarais, Director of Student Services, for an accurate count.

A mask must be worn at all times whenever outside of the home for 5 additional days to minimize the risk of infecting others. Repeat testing prior to return is not recommended. Return to school is based on time and symptom resolution.

COMMUNICATION

Watertown Public Schools will communicate with staff and families when there is a positive case in a a preschool or elementary classroom, ensuring that rights to privacy (HIPAA and FERPA) are not violated.

SCHOOL OPERATIONS

Air quality

All classrooms, offices, and common spaces utilize ventilation strategies to maximize air exchanges, including air purifiers with HEPA filters in each room across all buildings, open windows with screens, and increasing airflow in the existing HVAC systems.

END OF COVID-19 ADDENDUM

Every fall, we send families the Lowell School Parent Guide. This document gives you a lot of information about our school specifically. Please click the button below to access our guide.

Tuesday, September 13, 2022

Kick-off Meeting for Lowell's Family Teacher Organization FTO

Zoom Link

6:30-7:30

Thursday, September 15, 2022

School Site Council

6:00-7:00 PM

Zoom

September 6th - September 16th

i-Ready Fall Benchmark Testing Begins for Students in grades 1 - 5.

Saturday, September 17, 2022

Welcome Back, Students

ESL Department is Sponsoring a Meet & Greet

Filippello Park

2 - 5 PM

Tuesday, September 20, 2022

Back-to-School Open House

Agenda

• Introductions

• Update on School Reopening

• School Improvement Goals Update and Action Plan

• Upcoming School Events

• Closing

6:00-8:00 PM In-person Meeting

Phillips & Lowell West

Wednesday, September 21, 2022

SEPAC

6:30-8:00 PM

In-Person & Online

Tuesday, September 27, 2022

Parent Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Council

7:00-8:00

Zoom

Friday, September 30, 2022

Lowell School Movie Night

at Lowell West

175 Main Street

Waltham, Ma 02451

Sponsored by the FTO

Friday, October 14

Picture Day for Phillips and Lowell West

Phillips 8:30-10:30

LW 12:30-2:00

Friday, October 28, 2022

Trunk or Treat

Phillips Parking Lot

Located

31 Marshall Street

Sponsored by the FTO

Lowell School FTO

Welcome, Volunteers, and First Meeting

The Lowell School Family Teacher Organization (FTO) welcomes you back for the 2022-2023 school year! We are excited to offer lots of fun activities for Lowell kids and families and lots of support for our fantastic teachers, staff, and administrators.

We'd love to have your help as a FTO volunteer! There are smaller volunteer roles and larger, and you can always work with a friend! Please reach out to FTO President Jennine Tambio jenninetambio@gmail.com or Vice President Darlene MacIntyre darlene.macintyre@gmail.com and we'll send you more information on roles and responsibilities.

Also, please Save the Date for our first FTO meeting: Tuesday, September 13 at 6:30PM. More information with be provided in next week's Smore.

More detailed event information coming to the SEPAC website soon: https://sites.google.com/watertown.k12.ma.us/watertown-sepac/past-sepac-calendars

Date/Event/Location

Wed Sept 21, 2022

SEPAC General Open Meeting

Hosmer/Hybrid (6:30 - 8 PM)

Sat Sept 24, 2022

Booth at Faire on the Square

Saltonstall Park (11 AM - 4 PM)

Tues Oct 18, 2022

Disability-Centered

Equity Listening Session

Zoom 6-8 PM

Tues Nov 15, 2022

Training: Basic Rights (FCSN) Registration Required

Zoom 6-8 PM

December 2022 (TBD)

Social Event / General Meeting

TBD

Tues Jan 24, 2023

Training: What’s a 504?

Online

Tues Feb 7, 2023

SEPAC General Open Meeting

In-person/hybrid (6:30 - 8 PM)

Tues March 7, 2023

Training: Conflict Mediation

Online

Tues Apr 11, 2023

Training: Dyslexia and Screenings

Online

Tues May 9, 2023

SEPAC General Open Meeting

In-person/hybrid (6:30 - 8 PM)

June 2023 (TBD)

Social Event

In person (TBD)