The Golden Gazette

• May 2nd - NHS Car Wash Fundraiser @ 1:00 p.m. - $5 in HS Parking Lot
• May 2nd - National Lunch Hero Day
• May 5th - National Teacher Appreciation Week starts
• May 5th - AP Biology Exam
• May 6th - Senior Trip to Middlesex Comm. College
• May 6th - National School Nurses Day
• May 6th - CPR Class during Wolf Block
• May 7th - AP Literature Exam
• May 8th - AP Statistics Exam
• May 8th - AP World History Exam
• May 8th - Mobile Dentist returns to complete pre-scheduled exams
• May 9th - AP US History Exam
• May 9th - AP Studio Art Portfolios Due
• May 12th - Senior Trip to Middlesex Comm. College
• May 12th - AP Calculus AB Exam
• May 13th - AP Environmental Science Exam
• May 15th - AP Spanish Exam
• May 16th - National Honor Society Induction Ceremony
• May 20th - May Board of Trustees Meeting @ 5:30p in Rm. 1223
• May 23rd - Last Day of Classes for Seniors
• May 23rd - Arts Festival 5:45 - 9:15p in HS Gym
• May 23rd - Spring Musical Performance @ 7:45p in Cafeteria
• May 24th - Spring Musical Performance @ 12:00p and 5:30p in Cafeteria
• May 27th - Senior Final Exams (Blocks 1 & 2)
• May 28th - Senior Final Exams (Blocks 3 & 4)
• May 29th - Senior Final Exams (Blocks 5 & 6)
• May 29th - Gr. 3-5 STEM Showcase 4:30 - 6:30p in HS Gym
• May 30th - Junior/Senior Prom 6:00 - 10:00p @ Lenzi's

Month-Long Events:

• Winter MAP testing continues for Grades K-10. (see below for full schedule)
• MCAS Testing for Grades 3-10 (see below for full schedule)

Planning Ahead:

• June 2nd - Senior Week Trips
• June 3rd - Graduation Rehearsal @ 8:45a, Senior Week Trips
• June 4th - Senior Week Trips
• June 5th - Senior Breakfast, Graduation Rehearsal, Walkthrough
• June 5th - Graduation @ 6:00 p.m. on Athletic Field (ticket required)
• June 6th - Half Day of School @ 11:30 (9-12) and 12:30 (K-8)
• June 6th - International Fair 2:00 - 6:00p
• June 12th - KG Graduation
• June 13th - Gr. 8 Celebration
• June 16th - Last Day of School

We’re excited to tell you more this spring about the trip we’re planning with EF Tours, our educational travel partner. We already have 13 students in grades 8-11 joining us, so if your student would like to reserve their spot, please be sure to register for the info session happening on May 7 to learn more about this opportunity using the fallowing link: https://rsvp.eftours.com/bujf49c

Those who register for the meeting will be eligible to receive a $200 tour scholarship and be eligible for Risk-Free Enrollment if they enroll on tour!

Prom is Friday, May 30th 6:00 - 10:00p at Lenzi's in Dracut

Prom Ticket Price Increase

Purchase in May - $100

**Tickets for outside dates will remain $50.

Deadline for ALL prom ticket purchases is Friday, May 9th!

Our students and staff have voted and have nominated our candidates for Collegiate Charter School of Lowell Prom King and Queen 2025. Final votes will be cast at Prom on May 30th. Good luck to our nominees.

By: Nicole Palmer, K-5 Math Curriculum Director (npalmer@collegiatelowell.org)

As we come to our last quarter of the 2024-2025 school year, K-5 math has been learning and doing so much! Besides us already beating our ST Math goal for the year, and significantly increasing math MAP scores, we are wrapping up the math curriculum with also working on some fun, hands-on activities to engage our students even more!

ST Math Student Banner Design: ST Math called upon us to create a new design for their 80% banners given to MA schools who meet the goal. Ms. McAnespie, our K-5 art teacher, took the charge on this and has chosen her top 4 favorites to be submitted to the competition against all the other MA ST Math schools! We shall see if any of our students win! Great job everyone!

Jiji Day Celebrations: Friday, April 11th was Jiji Day! Some of our K-5 staff and students joined the 1-hour webinar with Jiji the Penquin, from ST Math, and did some awesome math work on Jiji Day. Please enjoy the images below from 1A, Mrs. Williams’ and Ms. Garbino’s class, that shows their students’ hard work on this day. Fantastic job!

Fun Math Activities for Bounce Back Week: K-5 used the first few days coming back from April Break to “Bounce Back” into school! We used this time to focus on rules and expectations, as well as work on some fun and engaging academic activities! Please enjoy some photos below of some 2nd grade classes doing just this! 2B, Mrs. Tougas and Ms. Giraldo’s class, made cubes out of toothpicks and marshmallows, as we are currently finishing up on our geometry unit (2-D and 3-D shapes) in 2nd grade math. 2A, Mrs. Townsend-Gray and Mr. Jose’s class, is working on starting our next unit, which is Area and Perimeter! They used our Wolf Gar-den’s gardening beds to conduct a hands-on learning activity with area and perimeter! Fantastic job Grade 2!

MCAS Prep for Grades 3-5: As the school year comes to an end, students in grades 3-5 have been working hard on MCAS prep for the math exam coming up! They have been working on jeopardy games and other fun activities to prep for the next two weeks in which grades 3-5 will be taking their math MCAS! Please keep encouraging your students to do all that they can to prepare for these days!

I also have been popping into each of these classes to have my own MCAS Prep and discussion with the students on how important it is to try your best on these types of exams and how to problem-solve in doing so! You got this 3-5!

Stay tuned for our next and last newsletter of the year to see more engaging activities K-5 does to wrap up the very end of the school year!

Fifth Grade

Students in 5th grade Social Studies have continued working on their American Revolution project-based unit. Students learned about the Acts and Events leading up to the American Revolution through an interactive experience where they moved through a series of Memory Tricks to remember the order of the events. Please view the attached video to see an example of this experience! Students are currently learning about the taxes and events that caused a nation to go to war to fight for their independence. During Quarter 4, they will create a scrapbook that chronicles the life of a young colonial character whom they have developed, and will talk about their character’s experiences through the time before the American Revolution when they were once loyal to King George in England, then they will show their transition as they become Patriots fighting for independence, and finally they will examine the creation of our Constitution after the war as their characters become American citizens. Students have really been enjoying this in-depth look at this time in history!

Fourth Grade

Fourth graders wrapped up their unit on the Industrial Revolution with a letter written from the perspective of someone living near the factories in Lowell and writing about some of the challenges they faced during this time in history.

Third Grade

Third graders wrapped up Quarter 3 with a project choice where they designed various projects about Native Americans and Explorers during early colonial times. Students were able to choose from several different options for this project. Please see below for their creative projects!

Second Grade

Second graders designed a plan for a garden project as their final project of the third quarter. This project incorporated their map-making skills, and students will be using these designs in Quarter 4 as they work in Science and STEM on Collegiate’s Community Garden. This project is a great example of the benefits of cross-curriculum learning, and helps students understand the relevance of what they are learning to real experiences!

First Grade

First graders finished Quarter 3 with a project where they examined the symbols that represent America. They learned about how the American flag, eagle and other symbols represented our country. First graders also talked about the meaning of symbols and created symbols using clay.

Kindergarten

Kindergarteners wrapped up Quarter 3 with a project that examines the many national holidays in the United States, including Thanksgiving, Veteran’s Day, Memorial Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, President’s Day, Labor Day and Juneteenth. Additionally, Kindergartners studied the difference between past, present and future by writing books about themselves in the past, present and future.

By: Dr. Kritika Maheshwari, K-5 STEM Curriculum Director (kmaheshwari@collegiatelowell.org)

This month, our elementary STEM program came to life—quite literally! From planting seeds to encountering birds of prey, students across our school engaged in meaningful, hands-on learning experiences that deepened their connection to science and the natural world.

🌱 Planting Day at the Wolf Gar-Den 🐺

On Tuesday, April 29th, our students participated in the annual Planting Party in our school’s community garden—the Wolf Gar-Den. In partnership with Mill City Grows, elementary classes had the opportunity to get their hands in the soil and plant a variety of vegetables, herbs, and flowers. From lettuce and carrots to sunflowers and cilantro, students explored the fundamentals of plant growth and sustainability.

It was a joyful day filled with curiosity, teamwork, and plenty of dirt! These kinds of real-world STEM experiences help nurture environmental stewardship and scientific thinking from an early age.

🦅 4th Grade Habitat Explorers 🐾

Earlier in the month, on Tuesday, April 8th, our fourth-grade students took part in an exciting in-house field trip hosted by Mass Audubon’s MetroWest Sanctuaries Outreach Program. The focus of the session was ecosystems and animal adaptations, particularly predator-prey relationships and food webs.

A highlight of the visit was the opportunity to observe a broad-winged hawk up close—an experience that captivated students and sparked thoughtful discussions about survival strategies and the balance of nature. Events like these bring science to life and empower students to see themselves as part of the living world they study.

This month, our fifth-grade students immersed themselves in a meaningful, hands-on STEM project focused on ecosystem restoration and water conservation. With guidance from their dedicated math and science teachers, students explored real-world environmental issues and developed creative solutions through project-based learning.

Students chose their own project paths and worked hard to bring their ideas to life. The collaboration and effort shown by both students and teachers was exceptional.

To culminate the project, students presented their work to curriculum coordinators, peers, and teachers. While all students impressed us with their creativity and understanding, we’d like to give a special shout-out to a few who went above and beyond:

Outstanding work! We’re incredibly proud of our fifth graders for their thoughtful contributions to this important topic. Well done!

By: Patricia Evelyn, K-5 ELA Curriculum Director (pevelyn@collegiatelowell.org)

The Reading Buddies program is flourishing across K-5 classrooms! Previously, fourth and fifth graders read to younger students in kindergarten, first, and second grades. Now, the program is expanding to include second and third graders reading to kindergarten and first-grade students.

This initiative brings numerous benefits: it enhances literacy skills, builds social-emotional competencies, and strengthens the school community. Older students develop confidence, leadership, and mentorship skills while cultivating a love for reading. Younger students improve their reading fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary, gaining confidence in their abilities. Excitingly, younger students will also have opportunities to read to their older buddies, fostering a mutual exchange of learning and encouragement.

Our fourth-grade students recently participated in an End-of-Unit Three Gallery Walk, showcasing their Project-Based Inquiry on diversity and inclusivity. As part of their project, students designed inclusive playgrounds that could accommodate children of all abilities. For example, their thoughtful designs included features such as wheelchair ramps to ensure accessibility for individuals with physical disabilities.

During the gallery walk, students shared their creative process and explained their decision to focus on playground inclusivity to promote community and belonging. Their articulate presentations were complemented by detailed illustrations, which aligned seamlessly with their written work, demonstrating both their artistic and literacy skills.

Adding to the event's vibrancy, our talented K-5 Music teacher and guitarist, Mr. Cyrus, provided musical entertainment, reflecting the strong collaboration across our curriculum. The Gallery Walk was an engaging and informative event, highlighting the depth of our students’ learning

and their ability to apply knowledge creatively and meaningfully. Attached are some of the photos of the event.

A student's perspective:

Today [April 15th], CCSL students had a collage fair! Students were allowed to walk around the gym and have conversations with many people from different colleges. It was an amazing opportunity for students to get an idea of what college is like and what to prepare for. So many wonderful colleges came, 64 in total!

A Message from Ms. Jurek, NHS Advisor (ajurek@collegiatelowell.org)

As the advisor for Collegiate's chapter of the National Honor Society, I wanted to extend a huge thank you to all of you for your support of our first major fundraiser. Thanks to you, our students were able to complete their service work for the year on a high note, while also having a lot of fun. I appreciate each and every one of you who had your car washed, donated baked goods, and encouraged the NHS students to pursue their fundraising goals.

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