WELCOME! TO TRANSLATE THIS NEWSLETTER, CLICK ON IT THEN USE THE LINK TO THE RIGHT.
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.
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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)
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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)
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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)
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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)
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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)
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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)
Message from Principal Phelan
Dear Lowell School,
Students transitioned back from Thanksgiving break nicely. Staff and Student Pool Testing, Monday Morning. I will share our latest results with you on Monday evening.
As of Monday, December 6th lunch will be indoors. The weather is too cold to eat outside for 30 minutes.
December 14th is coming quickly, don't forget to sign up for the bus.
Use this online form to indicate you would like your student(s) to ride the bus to their temporary Lowell school during construction during the 2021-2022 school year. There will be a new form to complete for the 2022-2023 school year bus. There is no charge for the Lowell bus.
Por favor llene este formulario si va a necesitar tranporte the bus en febrero cuando nos mudemos temporalmente a la nueva escuela. Recuerde que es gratuito.
Por favor llene este formulario si va a necesitar tranporte o ônibus en febrero cuando nos mudamos temporalment e para a nova escola. Recuerde que es grátis.
Sincerely,
Stacy
Early Literacy Screening/ Dyslexia Update:
In WPS, we use a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) to ensure “effective systems, evidence-based practices, and ongoing assessment” in order to “prepare all students for life by engaging them in a challenging and meaningful education within an inclusive, diverse community.” - MTSS committee vision.
In early 2021, the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released the MA Dyslexia guidelines, which include a comprehensive set of guidance for screening students in grades K-2 for risk factors for dyslexia and other reading challenges. Built on the state guidelines, WPS created a screening process to ensure that early elementary students are screened using state-approved screeners, progress monitored via data cycles in conjunction with district-wide MTSS systems, and provided with equitable and immediate access to research based reading instruction.
Responding to DESE guidelines, WPS enhanced its early literacy screening process to incorporate more evidence-based tools to screen students at the early grades for later risk of reading difficulty, and to target interventions. These tools include assessments created by our ongoing partner-- i-Ready (one of the DESE approved screeners), which allows teachers to sit with individual students to monitor their reading progress. In mid-November, all Kindergartners participated in the first round of these assessments, which will continue into December when all students take the i-Ready diagnostic, in grades K - 8. Across the year, multiple measures will be factored together to determine what supports students receive and what is reported on the report card.
Parent and Caregiver Climate and Culture Survey
Over the past several months, the District has engaged in a series of reviews aimed at assessing where we are at as a learning community. These reviews include our Equity Audit and the DMGroup’s budget review.
And now we are asking parents and caregivers to complete a culture and climate survey. The purpose of this focused dive into our current reality is to provide the District with accurate information about what we have accomplished and where we need to go next as we begin the process of our next round of strategy development. Our current improvement strategy will end this year, and we are ready to begin the next round of planning for the coming years. We will be administering this annual school climate and culture survey to all teachers and instructional assistants, students in grades 4-12, and parents. Your participation in this survey is greatly appreciated, especially during these challenging times. Here you will find the link to the survey. The survey window is open now until December 23. If you are an Early Steps parent, please check Hosmer as your school.
What are the 5Essentials and 5Essentials Survey? 5Essentials is an evidence-based system designed to drive improvement in schools nationwide—it reliably measures changes in a school organization through the 5Essentials Survey and provides individualized, actionable Reports for each school. The 5Essentials system is based on more than 20 years of research by the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research on five components found to be critical for school success:
Effective Leaders: The principal works with teachers to implement a clear and strategic vision for school success.
Collaborative Teachers: Teachers collaborate to promote professional growth.
Involved Families: The entire school staff builds strong relationships with families and communities to support learning.
Supportive Environment: The school is safe and orderly. Teachers have high expectations for students and support students to realize their goals. Classmates also support one another.
Ambitious Instruction: Classes are academically demanding and engage students by emphasizing the application of knowledge.
The survey requires no more than 10 minutes for parents to complete. The parent/caregiver survey is shorter in length and is a supplement to the 5Es survey that educators and students take. Please fill out one survey for each of your children. The survey is available in English and Spanish. If you need the survey translated, please reach out to the ESL department for translations.
Thank you in advance for taking the time to fill out this very important and informative survey.
Students will meet their buddies for the first time on Friday, December 17th. Students exchange books with each other. Each student will get a copy of One World, One Day. Students will write a note to their buddy on the inside cover. Our older students will read the book to their younger buddies.
We will meet each month before moving to our new locations at Lowell West and the Phillips. We will continue to connect buddies through writing. Buddy partners will become each other's, Pen Pal. They will stay connected through letter writing.
We may be physically apart from one another, but we are still connected.
On-Field Day, we will reunite and participate in a buddy activity. Buddies will stay together over the year and a half we are apart. We hope to bond the two schools with our faculty and students.
Lowell 2021-22 Bus Information Interest Form: Due Tuesday, December 14th
Lowell 2021-22 Bus Registration Form
Yellow school bus transportation will be available to the Lowell Students from shared pickup points throughout Watertown to their temporary school during construction. All students must register by December 14 in order to be guaranteed a seat on a bus. After that date busing will only be available if there is room on the bus.
There is no fee for this bus, but students must register. We are asking families who are interested in having their student ride the bus to complete this form so we can create bus routes based on interest.
Use this online form to indicate you would like your student(s) to ride the bus to their temporary Lowell school during construction during the 2021-2022 school year. There will be a new form to complete for the 2022-2023 school year bus.
Fees
There is no charge for the Lowell bus.
Contact
If you have additional questions, please contact Shannon Dixon at shannon.dixon@watertown.k12.ma.us or call 617-926-7716.
James Russell Lowell Elementary School
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