Greetings Lowell,

This past week was filled with warm interactions as we had the pleasure of meeting new families and reconnecting with returning friends during our Open House event. The turnout was fantastic, and we truly hope that you had a wonderful time getting to know our dedicated teachers and exploring our school.

As we kick off this new week, we are excited to introduce our engaging series, "Bring Your Grown-up to Morning Meeting." We commence this week by extending a warm welcome to our fifth-grade parents, providing a special opportunity for you to participate in your child's school experience.

Following these enriching sessions, we invite you to join us for parent forums in the welcoming ambiance of the Learning Commons. Share a cup of coffee with us and meet our esteemed Math and Reading Coach. This is the perfect setting for you to inquire about our curriculum, teaching strategies, or any questions you may have regarding your child's education. The forums will be held from 8:35 to 9:30, promising insightful conversations and a chance for us to connect more deeply with one another.

We eagerly anticipate these upcoming gatherings and the chance to engage with you further. Your presence and involvement play a vital role in our shared journey towards nurturing a thriving educational community.

With sincere appreciation,

Principal Phelan & Assistant Principal Rufo

Lowell School will hold our first Diversity Inclusion and Belonging Council Meeting on Thursday, October 10, 2024. All are welcome and encourage to attend. We will be holding Community Building Circles. Our facilitator is Roy Karp. I am excited to introduce the WPS community to Roy Karp, our new Restorative Practices and Student Leadership Development Specialist. Roy has two interrelated goals: to support district wide implementation of Restorative Practices and curate student leadership development and engagement. Come meet our Lowell Equity Facilitators, Kathy Burton and Sandra Quesada.

Dear Caregivers,

I am writing to update you on Math WIN (What I Need), which all students participate in at our school. During WIN time, each student works on specific math skills tailored to their current needs. Some students work with their classroom teacher, while others may work with our math interventionist or math tutor, depending on the particular skills being addressed.

Our math staff collaborates closely with classroom teachers to review student data and form groups that focus on either reinforcing foundational math skills or providing enrichment for those ready to move ahead. Please rest assured that working with the interventionist or tutor does not indicate a cause for concern. It simply means we are providing targeted support or challenges based on your child's needs.

If you have any specific questions or concerns about your child's progress or participation in WIN, I encourage you to reach out to their classroom teacher.

Thank you for your continued support in helping your child succeed in math!

Best regards,
Mr. Stezzi
Elementary Math Coach

There are numerous benefits to starting each day with a morning meeting in the classroom that make it worth the few extra minutes each morning. It’s important to note that benefits are seen when morning meeting is a regular and consistent part of each day. Come join us and attend the morning meeting with your student. The schedule by grade is below. Please stay and have a cup of coffee with Mrs. Phelan and Mr. Rufo and our SEL team.

Here are a few positive outcomes that morning meeting can support:

• Builds meaningful relationships and establishes the trust (student to student and teacher to student)
• Sets the tone for a positive classroom climate
• Creates a space to highlight and discuss mental health needs
• Promotes the idea that all voices matter and are listened to
• Provides opportunities for teaching social, emotional, and academic skills
• Increases student confidence and self-awareness
• Motivates learners to do their best
• Supports academic learning
• Creates a kinder community

Simply put, morning meetings help all students do their best.

It's that time of year!

When: October 8th

Where: At School

Wear: Clothes You Want to Showcase

Who: Individual Student Pictures

We do not take a class picture. We use the individual pictures to create a class. Because students come and go and attendance is never 100%.

Harvard women's soccer is playing at 4:00pm at Harvard. Come enjoy food trucks, prizes and players will sign autographs

Did you know that SNAP and WIC benefits do not cover diapers? This leaves many families to make difficult decisions between food, diapers, and other needs. The annual Metro-Boston Diaper Drive gives all donated diapers to the Somerville WIC office, which serves Cambridge, Somerville, Arlington, Watertown, Lexington, Bedford, Lincoln and Belmont. This year’s Drive will run from October 6 - 19. Please visit mbdiapers.org to make a donation, or click directly on the links to the Amazon and Target registries. Please help us get 50,000 diapers onto the babies in the Metro-Boston area who need them! Read more about why diaper drives like the Metro-Boston Diaper Drive are so important HERE.

Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging to hold gatherings with caregivers at

Watertown Free Public Library

WATERTOWN - The Watertown Public Schools Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and

Belonging is inviting members of the community to a series of caregiver “meet and greets” this

fall.

These informal forums will give families and caregivers an opportunity to meet one another and

will be led by Watertown Public Schools’ Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

Director Dr. Ceronne Daly.

“We are so excited to launch this series of meet and greets,” said Dr. Daly. “We are hoping

these sessions will give us an opportunity to connect in an authentic way with our families and

caregivers. It is critical for families and caregivers to know they have access to Watertown

Public Schools and they see the district as partners in the education of their children.”

These gatherings are born out of the Office of DEIB’s goal to plan, execute, and attend events

that engage staff, families, students and the community in the work of DEIB. The office aims to

enable opportunities to build and sustain strong and substantive relationships in the WPS

community.

Two key Watertown Public Schools district priorities will also serve as a guiding principle for

these sessions. These priorities are outlined in the district’s Strategy for Success and include:

Cultivating belonging and social-emotional wellness

Watertown Public Schools recognizes the role that schools play in the social-emotional

development and well-being of students. We are more than just academics. As such, WPS

strives to create learning communities where all students, staff, and families feel a sense of

belonging by creating safe, brave spaces in our schools; by proactively engaging all families;

and by staffing our schools with faculty and staff that represent our families and the global

community.

Creating a learning community that provides authentic, relevant, and engaging

opportunities

Watertown Public Schools create inclusive, safe learning environments where students want to

be in school by providing a wide variety of opportunities for students to explore content,

demonstrate understanding, and tap into their interests; employing culturally responsive

practices; and ensuring we meet all students where they are and provide them the support

they need to thrive. Students will feel the freedom to bring their authentic selves to school by

adopting inclusive curriculum and instructional practices

The meet and greets will be held at the Watertown Free Public Library. The goal of these

sessions is to bring together groups of families who may have some shared experiences.

September 2024 (meet and greets will be held from 5:30-7 p.m.)

● Wednesday September 18, 2024 - Caregivers of Incoming 6th graders

● Tuesday September 24, 2024 - Latino/a Caregivers

● Wednesday September 25 , 2024 - Caregivers of LGBTQ+ Children

October 2024 (meet and greets will be held from 5:30-7 p.m.)

● Tuesday October 1, 2024 - Single Caregivers

● Wednesday October 2, 2024 - Asian-American/Pacific Islander Caregivers

● Thursday October 3 2024 - Black Caregivers

● Wednesday October 16, 2024 - Caregivers of Multi-Racial Children

● Thursday October 17, 2024 - Intergenerational caregivers

● Tuesday October 22, 2024 - Caregivers of Adopted Children

● Wednesday October 23, 2024 - Caregivers Whose First Language is not English &

Caregivers of Newcomers

● Tuesday October 29, 2024 - Caregivers committed to raising Anti Bias Anti Racist

children

Announcing Watertown's Got Talent, a partnership between Arsenal Yards and the Watertown Community Foundation, is BACK for a third year! Please save-the-date for a fun-filled evening of talent, entertainment & more.

Open to all ages, and Talents must be family-friendly.

When: Thursday, October 10th

Time: 5:30 - 7:30 PM

Where: The River Green at Arsenal Yards

Applications are due no later than Friday, September 27th.

All proceeds from this event benefit the Watertown Community Foundation.

For more information and to sign up, visit https://www.arsenalyards.com/events/29144/watertowns-got-talent-2024/

Dear Lowell Parents & Guardians,

The Department of Children and Families is seeking to keep Watertown children in their

schools and communities. In order to accomplish this, DCF is looking for Watertown parents

who would consider opening their homes and hearts to a student in need for short-term

care.

Please complete this brief survey if you are interested in opening your home and your

heart to a student in need.

We are so appreciative of your support. We’re hoping that with your help, we can reduce disruption for

children and school communities, mitigate traumatic experiences for children entering care, and reduce

transportation costs to school districts this school year.

If you have any questions you would like to ask before doing so, please reach out to:

Katheryn Butterfield, Area Clinical Manager

Katheryn.butterfield@mass.gov

• Tuesday, October 1st Back to School Night 6:00-7:30 pm
• Tuesday, October 8th - FTO Meeting 6:30-7:30 over Zoom
• Monday, October 14th - NO SCHOOL - Indigenous Peoples Day Observed
• Tuesday, October 22nd Day Adult & Teacher Conferences 1:00-2:30 pm
• Thursday, October 24th - Night Adult & Teacher Conferences 5:00-7:00 pm
• Friday, October 25th - Trunk or Treat 6:00-7:30 pm
• Tuesday, October 29th - Night Adult & Teacher Conferences 4:30-6:30 pm
• Friday, November 1st - Day Adult & Teacher Conferences 1:00-2:30 pm
• Tuesday, November 5th - No School (Election Day & Teacher's Professional Development)
• 
  

Other events will be added as the dates become finalized. We will be adding Parent Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Council to this list shortly. We are trying to coordinate with the other schools.

Announcing Watertown's Got Talent, a partnership between Arsenal Yards and the Watertown Community Foundation, is BACK for a third year! Please save-the-date for a fun-filled evening of talent, entertainment & more.

Open to all ages, and Talents must be family-friendly.

When: Thursday, October 10th

Time: 5:30 - 7:30 PM

Where: The River Green at Arsenal Yards

Applications are due no later than Friday, September 27th.

All proceeds from this event benefit the Watertown Community Foundation.

For more information and to sign up, visit https://www.arsenalyards.com/events/29144/watertowns-got-talent-2024/

Contact Us

J.R. Lowell Elementary School

123 Lowell Ave.

Watertown, Ma 02472

Phone: 1-617-926-7770

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JRLowellElementary

Website: https://watertownjrlowell.ss19.sharpschool.com/Principal: Stacy Phelan

stacy.phelan@watertown.k12.ma.us

Assistant Principal: Tara Rufo

tara.rufo@watertown.k12.ma.us

Administrative Assistant: Kara Flynn

kara.flynn@watertown.k12.ma.us

Receptionist: Jim Swift

james.swift@watertown.k12.ma.us

Nurse: Kristen Thibodeau

kristen.thibodeau@watertown.k12.ma.us

Guidance Pre-K - 2: Melina Jacovides

melina.jacovides@watertown.k12.ma.us

Guidance 3-5: Brian Connors

brian.connors@watertown.k12.ma.us

School Psychologist: Kelley Starrett

kelley.cochrane@watertown.k12.ma.us

Special Education Team Chair: Greg Roberts

gregory.roberts@watertown.k12.ma.us

LEDP Site Coordinator: Adam Vachon

adam.vachon@watertown.k12.ma.us