Welcome to the Cardinal O'Connell
June 17th, 2025
WELCOME
School Information
Address:
Cardinal O"Connell Early Learning Center
21 Carter St
Lowell, MA 01852
(978) 446-7000
https://www.lowell.k12.ma.us/Page/53 (School Website)
https://www.facebook.com/share/19iKrExFYk/?mibextid=wwXIfr (Facebook)
Hours:
Half day morning: 9:10 - 11:30
Half day afternoon: 1:00 - 3:30
Full day: 9:10 - 3:30
Helpful Staff
Principal Kerry Wilcox
Social Worker Jennifer Williams
Clerk Laurie Carney
Attendance
Children must attend school ALL DAY EVERY DAY. If your child is sick, please bring them to the doctor and ask for a note from the doctor to excuse them from school. Please call the school or message your child's teacher to let us know your child will be absent.
There are a limited number of preschool spots in the Lowell Public Schools and children are placed on a waitlist until spots become available. If your child is chronically absent, they will lose their spot and a child from the waitlist will be offered the spot.
Sick Policy
Please keep your child home if:
A contagious illness like flu, or strep throat, until the child has been on antibiotics for 24 hours
A rash or skin condition not diagnosed by a doctor
Temperature of 100.0° or above within the past 24 hours. Student cannot return until 24 hour fever free without medication
Vomiting or diarrhea within the past 24 hours
Red or pink eyes, or drainage from eyes (Do not bring your child to school until after treatment begins
Live head lice.
Please provide a doctor's note when possible so the absence can be excused.
Meals
Breakfast is provided for our morning students and lunch is provided for our afternoon students. Full day students receive both breakfast and lunch. We also have snacks available throughout the day. Your child is welcome to bring food from home to eat during mealtimes if you prefer. If your child is a picky eater, please send them with something from home so they eat something while at school.
Car Seat Safety
We encourage all families who will be driving their child to and from school, to always have your child buckled safely into an appropriate booster seat in the back seat at all times. We are working very closely with the Lowell Police Department to enforce car seat safety among all of our students. If we notice that students are not properly restrained during drop off and pick up, we will check in with you to help address the issue. If you are in need of a booster seat, please let us know and we will help you get one. All children in the state of MA need to be in a booster seat until age 7 and 57 inches tall. Student safely is always our top priority!
Car Pool Rules and Procedures
Walkers:
Parents/guardians will drop off and pick up their student at the front gate only. A teacher from the classroom will receive and deliver the student to the parent.
Walkers should not enter through the side entrance.
Bus Students:
Buses will unload in front of the school in the right hand lane. Teachers will receive students off of the bus upon arrival and deliver students to the bus upon dismissal.
Carpool:
Students arriving by car will enter the building through the side entrance. Please walk your child to and from the gate.
Cars should remain in the left hand lane on Carter Ave and continue around to the side of the building where they will unload and students will enter.
Please remain in the carpool line and do not park or exit your car in front of the school.
STUDENTS SHOULD REMAIN BUCKLED IN THEIR CAR SEAT UNTIL IT IS TIME TO UNLOAD ON THE SIDE OF THE BUILDING. DO NOT UNBUCKLE YOUR CHILD WHILE WAITING IN THE CARPOOL LINE.
Do not park your car anywhere on Carter Ave or Carter Street, stay in the carpool lane and follow the line.
If you must park and walk your child to the front entrance, please park up on the top of Livingston Street or at the Family Dollar.
Please do not arrive too early as it causes a traffic jam.
Early Release Days and School Vacations
Staff professional development happens various times throughout the school year. On these days preschool students do not have school. The following days, there is NO SCHOOL for our students only:
- Wednesday, October 7, 2026
- Wednesday, November 25, 2026
- Wednesday, December 2, 2026
- Wednesday, January 13, 2027
- Wednesday, February 3, 2027
- Wednesday, March 3, 2027
- Wednesday, May 12, 2027
- Last day of school (Tentatively June 16, 2026)
Lowell Public Schools will also have NO SCHOOL on the following days:
- Monday, October 12. 2026 - Indigenous Peoples' Day
- Tuesday November 11, 2026 - Veteran's Day
- Thursday, November 26, 2026 - Thanksgiving Day
- Friday, November 27, 2026 - Thanksgiving recess
- Thursday December 24, 2026 - Monday, January 4, 2027 - Winter Vacation (School Reopens)
- Monday, January 18, 2027 - Martin Luther King Day
- Monday February 15, 2027 - Monday February 22, 2027 - Winter Vacation (School Reopens)
- Friday March 26, 2027 - Good Friday
- Friday April 16, 2027 - Monday April 26, 2027 - Spring Vacation (School Reopens)
- Monday May 31, 2027 - Memorial Day
