The Latest at Lowell

Boozhoo, buenos días and greetings Lowell families!

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers, mothers at heart, and the special caregivers to our Lowell Students!

We have entered the super fun time of year when classes are heading out on field trips, teacher are leading projects that combine all the learning from throughout the year, and classes can spend large amounts of time outside reading, writing and discovering the natural world. It´s a high energy time of year.

We are in full blown planning mode for the next school year as well. We are a big school, and will be even bigger next year. As a staff, we are trying to minimize the feelings of chaos and keep the feelings of a unique learning community centered around the growth of our students. Some changes are easier said than done at our size.

We are also looking at our MCA scores, spring FAST results and our 5th grade STAMP immersion proficiency data to figure out where we need to adjust and improve our instructional methods. Some of these conversations take place at Lowell and others take place district wide. We want to improve and do better every year.

In this newsletter, you will find information on the following:

• Spring FAST testing
• Lowell´s Goldfine Teaching Award Nominee
• Classroom placements for 23/24
• End of the year climate survey
• Lowell Concert
• Cultural Night
• PTA Corner
• Save the Date
• Community Offerings

In educational solidarity,

Eve Hessler

Our students and teachers are in the midst of completing their spring FAST testing. This is the benchmark testing that happens three times a year (fall, winter, spring) and helps us measure student growth in both math and reading. This data will also help us set class rosters for next year and give us an idea of where to start with our intervention groups in the fall.

Teachers will also use the data to help determine end of the year report card grades. If you have questions about your students progress, don´t hesitate to reach out to your student´s teacher.

Students in Misaabekong and Nueva Visión immersion programs will also test in English, a requirement for the Read Well by Three law in the state of Minnesota.

We are proud to nominate 3rd grade teacher Amy Larson to represent Lowell as our Goldfine Teaching award candidate. The Goldfine family generously awards one Duluth teacher each with a monetary prize for having an impact in four different areas: classroom, school, professional development, and community service. Amy Larson was selected by her fellow colleagues to represent Lowell for the 22-23 school year.

Mrs. Larson is in her 26th year as a teacher, having spent time in 1st and 3rd grade at different sites across Duluth. She is a strong teacher that advances her students´ academic and social abilities. Within the school, she has been the Reading Corps coach, union steward, and curriculum committee member. She has hosted upwards of 30 student teachers and has been a mentor to many new teachers. Within the Duluth community, she is an active volunteer for Courage Kenny, a member of COGGS that performs trail maintenance, was a youth soccer coach for years, a board member at Hartley and for the Lacrosse Wolfpack organization, a coach for the girls mountain biking development team and a Girls on the Run coach at Lowell during its very first season. There is so much to say about Mrs. Larson, and the list above, only a sampling of what she does, shows just how deserving she is of this award.

Good luck, Mrs. Larson!

Teachers will soon sit down with specialists and support staff to prepare rosters for next year. This is a very important task that our teachers take very seriously and spend a lot of time thinking about and preparing for. It is important that all students have the opportunity to learn and succeed in the environment that is best for them. Some of the factors teachers consider, but are not limited to: academic skills, behaviors, gender, race, and previous placements.

Some families have already reached out regarding teacher requests. WE DO NOT GUARANTEE TEACHER REQUESTS, only note them. Sometimes students end up with that teacher, sometimes not. We have many, many needs and characteristics to think about and will place our students with a lens toward equity and how to help our most struggling students succeed.

Your family insights are important to us. You can give us some guiding ideas by filling out our Family Input Form for Class Placements 23/24. The form will be open through May 26th.

Please see the image below for information about our Phy Ed. classes with the fabulous Mr. Daw and Mrs. Bergerson.

Each elementary site is sending out a climate survey again for families to complete so we can see if family perceptions of our site have changed over the course of the school year. There 20 statements for you to rank. The survey will take between 5 - 10 minutes.

You can access the survey here or via the QR code in the poster below.

Lowell's Spring Concert will be held on Thursday, May 25. Concert times are as follows:

• KG, 1st, 2nd - 9:00
• 3rd, 4th, 5th - 11:00

Families with students in both levels are invited to stay and hang out in the gym during intermission.

Limited seating will be available. Be prepared to stand.

Parking will be VERY limited. PLEASE USE THE SHUTTLE BUS FROM THE VINEYARD CHURCH starting at 8:15 and 10:30.

The HOLA committee, a group from the Office of Educational Equity, is sponsoring its first Multicultural Night this Friday at Lowell. Staff and families will be sharing the richness of their home cultures through food, music, games and traditional dress. Some students will be there to share what they have learned in their classes about other cultures as well.

This is a great chance to appreciate, learn from and celebrate in the diversity of the families in our community. Lowell is excited to host this unique event.

Volunteers needed!! Sign up here if you are able to work as a volunteer for set up or take down.

Lowell's fabulous PTA has been working hard! The Family Dance in April was a huge success, with smiles everywhere!

And the daily events for Teacher Appreciation Week was enough to make every staff member at Lowell feel loved and grateful to work in such a great community.

Please join us on Thursday, May 18 at 6:00 via Zoom for our last PTA meeting of the year.

May 17 Fit & Fun Run, 9:15 - 11:15 (3rd - 5th Grade)

May 19 Mutlicultural Night at Lowell, 5:00 - 7:00

May 25 Lowell Spring Concert, 9:00 KG-2, 11:00 3-5

May 26 All School Bingo! 1:15 - 2:00

June 2 Lowell Alumni Graduating Seniors run the halls, 10:10

June 6 5th Grade Graduation, 11:50 - 12:20 - Lowell Main Entry

June 8 Field Day and LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!!

Eve Hessler, Principal

Nathan Anderson, Assistant Principal

Rachel Beilke, Lead Clerical

Brooke Gauthier, Attendance Clerical

Attendance Line 218-336-8895, option 2

Email: lowell@isd709.org
Website: https://lowell.isd709.org/
Location: 2000 Rice Lake Road, Duluth, MN, USA
Phone: 218-336-8895
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lowelllions