To translate this newsletter, click on it then use the link to the right.

If you are on a computer, open this in a new page. Then to translate this newsletter, click on the link to the right. If you are on a phone, touch the person in the black circle to get the translate button.

________________

Se você estiver em um computador, abra uma nova página. Em seguida, para traduzir esta newsletter, clique no link à direita. Se você estiver em um telefone, toque na pessoa no círculo preto para obter o botão de tradução.

(Portuguese)

___________________

Si está en una computadora, abra esto en una nueva página. Luego, para traducir este boletín, haga clic en el enlace a la derecha. Si está en un teléfono, toque a la persona en el círculo negro para obtener el botón de traducción.

(Spanish)

___________________

إذا كنت تستخدم جهاز كمبيوتر ، فافتح هذا في صفحة جديدة. بعد ذلك ، لترجمة هذه النشرة الإخبارية ، انقر فوق الارتباط الموجود على اليمين.

إذا كنت تستخدم الهاتف ، فالمس الشخص الموجود في الدائرة السوداء للحصول على زر الترجمة. (Arabic)

____________________

Եթե ​​համակարգիչ եք, բացեք սա նոր էջում: Ապա, այս տեղեկագիրը թարգմանելու համար կտտացրեք աջ հղմանը: Եթե ​​հեռախոսով եք, դիպչեք սև շրջանի անձին ՝ թարգմանության կոճակը ստանալու համար: (Armenian)

____________________________

Если вы работаете на компьютере, откройте это на новой странице. Затем, чтобы перевести этот информационный бюллетень, щелкните ссылку справа. Если вы разговариваете по телефону, коснитесь человека в черном кружке, чтобы получить кнопку перевода. (Russian)

________________________________

Bilgisayar kullanıyorsanız, bunu yeni bir sayfada açın. Ardından, bu bülteni çevirmek için sağdaki bağlantıya tıklayın. Telefonda iseniz, çevir düğmesini almak için siyah daire içindeki kişiye dokunun. (Turkish)

No School October 11th Indigenous People's Day

Message from Mrs. Phelan

Elimination of a Crossing Guard

Test and Stay Program

Equity Audit Focus Groups for Families

We're Hiring- Jobs at Lowell- Join the team!

Watertown Free and Public Library offers Race Reels Film & Discussion

Invitation to School Site Council

Scenes from Lowell

Quarantining Flow Char and Response to COVID-19

Up-coming Events

Greetings,

Lowell School is sending out good vibes and best wishes to Heather Chaisson who will run the Boston Marathon tomorrow. Heather joined the Lowell team in 2019 as an instructional assistant. She has two girls at our school Callie and Kennedy. Heather's love for children is witnessed every day as she works with students in third grade. She is running to raise funds for a cause near and dear to her heart. All money raised is going to the Children's Room in Arlington. If you'd like to learn more about the wonderful work the Children's Room does please visit their website. GO HEATHER!

Covid Safety Precautions

As Dr. Galdston explained in her most recent newsletter, we are now mandating mask-wearing when we are outside (except while eating). At Lowell, our students have largely been doing this already, so this is not a big change for them. They have been very cooperative about mask-wearing, which is wonderful. Please help us keep students safe by doing the following:

• Wearing your own mask when you are on school property for drop-off or pick-up
• Ensuring that children follow healthy measures when they are not in school: mask-wearing, hand sanitizing, and social distancing.
• Refraining from indoor gatherings in which the above measures are not being followed.

We really, really, want our students safe and in school, and it requires us to work together on maintaining these measures.

Pooled Testing

Due to the day off on Monday, we will be pool testing on WEDNESDAY.

Test & Stay

Last week marked the beginning of the"Test and Stay" program. Information about this policy is included below and was sent to families by the Superintendent. You can revisit the full newsletter here.

Enjoy the week ahead.

Stacy

As a result of several vacant crossing guard posts currently available and the lack of responses to fill the vacancies, until further notice the following crossing guard posts will be eliminated effective Tuesday morning October 12, 2021:

· Orchard Street at Waverley Avenue

Thank you,

Sgt. D. Sampson

We are excited to begin our 'Test & Stay' protocols on Monday, October 4 for students in preschool through grade 12. This will allow unvaccinated students who are identified as close contacts to a COVID positive individual at school to remain in attendance instead of quarantining.

If you are planning to have your child participate in the Test & Stay program, please complete the consent form prior to the start of the program. This will make the process much easier if your child is a close contact and needs to be part of the Test & Stay program.

The process is:

• Unvaccinated close contacts will need to test negative for COVID using the BinaxNOW rapid antigen test every morning before school for one week following the in-school exposure. The BinaxNOW will be provided at school prior to the start of the school day. Please note that Test & Stay only applies to COVID exposures in school.
• Unvaccinated individuals who are close contacts of a positive case outside of the school setting need to quarantine.
• *In order to have your child participate in the 'Test & Stay' Program, please sign this consent form at your earliest convenience. Consenting in advance will help to expedite the process if your child needs to participate in Test and Stay.

Reach out to your school nurse or to the Director of Students Services, Kathleen Desmarais, kathleen.desmarais@watertown.k12.ma.us if you have questions regarding this program. Please see this document for more information.

Watertown Public Schools has hired Public Consulting Group (PCG) to conduct a districtwide Equity Audit. The goal of this audit is to identify strengths and areas for improvement in WPS and to make recommendations on how we can move towards achieving the best outcomes for each student in our community. An essential component of this work is hearing from a wide range of voices from across our district.

As a part of the Equity Audit, PCG is conducting a series of family focus groups and we invite you to participate. These focus group will be held virtually on:

Tuesday, October 12th at 7:00 PM

Wednesday, October 13th at 7:00 PM

Thursday, October 14th at 8:30 AM

Please sign up for a focus group using the following link as soon as possible: WPS Equity Audit Family Focus Groups Registration

La auditoría de equidad de WPS El formulario para participar en los grupos de enfoque para las familias

Once you sign up you will receive a calendar invite that will include additional information regarding the details of the focus groups and a summary of what to expect. Please contact Sydney Menzin with PCG at smenzin@pcgus.com if you have any questions.

We appreciate your participation as we work towards identifying and addressing practices, policies, and communications that may contribute to inequities across our district. We are committed to building a WPS in which each learner reaches their full academic and personal potential in safe, welcoming, equitable, inclusive learning environments.

JOBS AVAILABLE IN WPS

Are you or do you know someone who may be looking for an opportunity to work in a school system? We have positions open for a school nurse, substitute teachers, instructional assistants, family liaisons, tutors, school nutrition workers, and more! All open positions can be found on our Human Resources webpage.

The Watertown Police Department is also actively seeking crossing guards for our schools. Please see the posting for these positions here.

Watertown Race Reels provides a common experience, through short (~70-80 minutes) documentary films about race and ethnicity (different racial/ethnic identities will be explored each month). In providing a common experience through short films Watertown Race Reels provides a jumping off point for conversations around race that are difficult to start and develop an audience/community that embraces discussion around racial and ethnic identity, the impact of racism on our community members and our community as a whole, and goal oriented actions to make our community more aware and welcoming of differences. After viewing each film, community members, young and old, gather in a circle to meet with speakers, directors, or relevant citizens to ponder the issues raised by the film.

Date(s):

Wednesday, October 20, 2021 - 5:30pm to 8:00pm

Location:

Watertown Savings Bank Meeting Room

A newly created Quarantine Flowchart helps illustrate the COVID-19 protocols. Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words or, in this case, a flowchart.

A special shout out to parents and community members Lily Rayman Read (WPS SC), Nicholas Zinser, and Tyler Kemp-Benedict for their help creating this flowchart!

Monday, October 11th No School

Friday, October 8th NO SCHOOL for Students

Tuesday, October 12th FTO Meeting 6:30-7:30 Via Zoom

Wednesday, October 13th Watertown Building Committee Meeting Via Zoom

Thursday, October 14th School Site Council 6:00 PM Via Zoom

Join Zoom Meeting https://watertown-k12-ma-us.zoom.us/j/81702274606

Monday, October 25th Antibias Coalition Meeting 5:30-7:00

Meetings will be held in a hybrid model.

The physical location will be on the 3rd floor of the Phillips Building in room 301.

The recurring zoom link is listed below.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://watertown-k12-ma-us.zoom.us/j/82142739210?pwd=MjZZL3JURU5RdUtYc3ZNVHlockVCQT09

Wednesday, October 20th

Watertown Race Reels Film Series-Presents UNSPOKEN America's Native American Boarding Schools and Quest Speaker Thalia Carroll-Chacimuel.

Friday, October 22nd Lowell School Fall Festival

Principal, Stacy Phelan ext. 33002

Main Office ext. 33001

Email: stacy.phelan@watertown.k12.ma.us
Website: https://lowell.watertown.k12.ma.us/
Location: 175 Orchard Street, Watertown, MA, USA
Phone: (617) 926-7770
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JRLowellElementary