The Golden Gazette
September 2024
Arrival and Dismissal
MORNING DROP OFF:
Morning Drop-Off is going fairly well with the additional staff assisting outside, but we are still experiencing traffic back-up because many families are arriving too early (8:00-8:30)--well before teacher/staff's day begins (8:25). We ask that you please DO NOT come before 8:25, as it will cause major traffic delays and cause safety concerns due to a lack of available supervision at that time. If families need to have their children supervised before 8:30, we are happy to accommodate you in our Morning Extended Day Program. You can access The Extended Program on as needed basis once you have signed up, or you can schedule care for multiple days/weeks if you would like. Please click the following link if interested: Collegiate Charter School of Lowell - Extended Day Program (smartsiteshost.com). Also, please continue to move up to the furthest staff member on the sidewalk to allow for other cars to pull-in and drop-off. Please stay in your vehicle and allow staff to assist to ensure a safe, quick drop-off. Lastly, please turn right when exiting the school on Middlesex St. between 8:25 and 9am to help us prevent gridlock. You can loop back around to Middlesex St. by turning left on Brouillette St, then left on Princeton St. and then left on Wood St. as illustrated by the attached map.
AFTERNOON PICK-UP
Afternoon pick-ups have been ok, but there are a few changes that will make it much faster:
Walking Pick-Up:
First, we are eliminating the separate location for parents who are walking to pick-up their child because it has caused too much confusion. The new location for walking parents to pick-up their child will be the same location as the car pick-up along the sidewalk in front of the building. Walking Students will be standing with their teacher at the correct grade-level cone on the sidewalk, starting with Kindergarten waiting near the high school entrance and then descending all the way to 8th grade standing by the turf. Please be sure to check out with the teacher before taking your child, so they can confirm a safe dismissal
Car Pick-Up:
- PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE write your child's LAST NAME and GRADE LEVEL on a large piece of paper that can be displayed on the right-hand side of your windshield for staff to clearly see who you are picking up. If you are picking-up children from multiple grade levels, please have one sign for each child. Also, please be sure to remain in your car, and staff will bring your student to your vehicle.
- Please pull-up to the proper cone for your child's grade level and wait for staff to bring you your child. Please make sure that your child has checked out with their supervising teacher before leaving. Families should remain in their cars for safety and traffic flow.
- Lastly, please turn right when exiting the school on Middlesex St. between 3:45 and 4:45 to help us prevent gridlock. You can loop back around to Middlesex St. by turning left on Brouillette St, then left on Princeton St. and then left on Wood St. as illustrated by the attached map.
Adam Bakr
Executive Director
abakr@collegiatelowell.org
Picture Day!
Picture day has arrived for our students at Collegiate Charter School of Lowell. For safety reasons and the number of students at Collegiate, picture day will be broken into two days listed below. Please be reminded that all students must take a photo and must be in uniform attire.
- Tuesday, October 8th - Grades KG-5
- Wednesday, October 9th - Grades 6-12
- Seniors Portraits will be taken on Monday, November 18th
- Absentee's date for students set for Friday, December 6th
- Classroom pictures are set for Wednesday, April 30th
You’ll receive an email from O'Connor Studios regarding how to place your order online directly through their website.
Special Education Parent Advisory Council
What is a SEPAC?
A parent organization which collaborates with administrators and educators at Collegiate, and functions in an advisory role relative to special education issues. We also offer support, advice, and resources to any parent navigating the special education process. Our first meeting for the 2024-2025 school year will be September 26th at 6:00 p.m. The meeting is virtual!
Please reach out to Kara Cave to receive the link to join the meeting!
978-458-1137 X 1137 or Kcave@collegiatelowell.org
Gr. 8 is Going Back to Washington D.C.
Learn more about the Grade 8 class trip to Washington D.C. A virtual parent meeting will be held on Thursday, September 19th @ 6:00 to share information and answer parent's questions. Please join using the following link.
Mr. Bakr
Executive Director
Ms. Connors
Assistant Director
Mrs. Bailey-O'Keefe
Director of DEI
Mrs. Conti
Associate Principal, K-2
Mrs. Ferrazzani
Associate Principal, 3-5
Ms. Gaudreau
Associate Principal, 6-8
Mrs. Quinlan
Associate Principal, 9-12
Ms. Cave
Director of Special Ed, K-5
Ms. Sullivan
Assist. Director of Special Ed, 6-12
Mrs. Caldwell
Director of EL, K-12
Mrs. Meunier
Director of SEL, K-12
Mr. Casson
Nurse Coordinator
Ms. Boyajian
Assistant Principal, K-4
Mrs. McVay
Assistant Principal, 5-8
Mr. Martin
Assistant Principal, 9-12
Check back in October as we begin to feature a few of our incredible seniors each month through graduation! This year we have 49 seniors working hard to reach their goal of high school graduation on June 5, 2025. Many exciting events and milestones will be coming up quickly. Be sure to check your Parent Square messages and monthly newsletters for all the important information.
Mr. Robichaud
Ms. Pigeon
Ms. Miller
Ms. Easton
978-458-1399 x1165
Mrs. Meunier
978-458-1399 x1184
Collegiate Awarded STEM Grant
Over the summer the Collegiate STEM program found that we were to be awarded a generous grant worth over $130,000 from the Massachusetts Life Science Center (MLSC). This funding will benefit our students by providing access to state-of-the-art equipment, resources, and engaging learning experiences.
Dr. Maheshwari, the K-5 STEM Curriculum Director believes that instilling a passion for science at the elementary level is crucial in nurturing future innovators and critical thinkers. Through our hands-on science curriculum, STEM laboratory, and school community garden, affectionately known as 'Wolf's Gar-Den,' our school is deeply committed to fostering curiosity and environmental stewardship among our students. This grant will enable us to enhance our existing STEM programs, particularly by upgrading resources and equipment in our STEM lab. We are immensely grateful for MLSC's support and look forward to utilizing these resources to empower our students and prepare them for success in the STEM fields.
The 6-12 STEM Curriculum Director, Mrs. Bengiovanni is very excited to offer our students the opportunity to experience science in a very hands-on environment so they can explore the possible career opportunities biotechnology can afford them, such as pharmaceutical development, biomedical engineering, food science, and genetic engineering.
Part of the grant will allow us to equip our middle school science rooms with lab tables and sinks to better support the experiential learning program we use for our curriculum, OpenSciEd. This will give the students a much better and safer experience when conducting labs in the classroom. The grant will also allow us to buy supplies to expand the OpenSciEd curriculum into the high school and will pay to provide important professional development to our teachers.
The largest portion of the grant will allow us to purchase biotechnology equipment. This includes basic equipment like micropipetters and gel electrophoresis apparatus to more sophisticated equipment like a spectrophotometer and fluorescent microscope. This equipment will initially be used to run an Introduction to Biotechnology class that will follow the Amgen Biotechnology Experience (ABE) curriculum with the hopes that students will branch out into conducting independent research projects in the years to come. We have also partnered with the PROPEL program at UMASS Lowell, which offers job shadowing and internship opportunities to students in various biotechnology labs on the UML campus.
For more information, contact:
Dr. Maheshwari (K-5 STEM Director) kmaheshwari@collegiatelowell.org
Mrs. Bengiovanni (6-12 STEM Director) ebengiovanni@collegiatelowell.org.
Adding Up with ST Math - Math Enrichment Program
What is ST Math?
ST Math is a visual instructional program that engages students in creative and rigorous problem solving, allowing them to see the math and grow.
Do your children use ST Math? We recommend watching the introduction video and playing a few sample games first. Then check out our parent resources below to learn how you can help guide your student through the program.
Helping your child with math starts with thinking about math in a different way.
Research shows that memorizing all the different ways to solve math problems isn't enough for long-term success. But, by working through challenging problems to build a deep understanding of how math concepts work, all children are capable of succeeding in math.
Here is more information about why ST Math is important and a sample of the program to see how it works. Math Resources for Parents and Families | ST Math
ST Math is a math program that also follows the Common Core State Math Standards of Massachusetts, but with a twist. There are no written instructions on any level. The main character, Jiji the penguin, moves from one side of the screen to the next by the students using their math knowledge to get through each obstacle. Students need to use their own mind and some problem-solving skills along with trial and error to complete each grade-level math objective and get Jiji the Penguin to the next level. This program is great for all types of students. It is engaging, promotes student independence, problem-solving skills for real-world problems, and that we learn from failure (getting the problems wrong). ST Math has a visual feedback system that shows students WHY they get a problem wrong, to help them learn and master the grade level content.
Collegiate is now part of the ST Math grant program. This means that ST Math is now a part of our math curriculum for K-5 students. There are specific blocks throughout the day that are designated for doing ST Math to allow students to keep up with their conceptual understanding. We are now associated with many schools across the state of Massachusetts. We will be participating in Community Competitions with these schools, and between our grade levels, to keep the engagement and excitement while doing ST Math. (insert photos I have sent from Newsletters and separately). Please keep up with the school Newsletters every month to see your student’s class progress!
Welcome to Our New Athletic Director - Brian Hendereson
This year Collegiate welcomes a new Athletic Director to the Wolf Den. Mr. Brian Henderson has joined us back in July and has hit the ground running planning for the fall athletics and beyond.
Mr. Henderson joins Collegiate with years of experience as a Physical Education Teacher, Assistant Athletic Director, and owner of a youth soccer camp. He has been a Head Boys Varsity Soccer Coach for the past 5 years, the last 3 in Litchfield, NH where he led the team to win the state championship in 2023 with a 54-7-1 record and winning the 2023 Coach of Year from the Nashua Telegraph! He will be the Assistant Varsity Coach here at Collegiate this season.
He attended Temple University in Philidelphia on a scholarship for Division 1 Temple Men's Soccer where he also was selected to the Atlantic 10 Conference All-Rookie Team. He just finished his master's degree program at SNHU.
Please join us in giving Mr. Henderson a very warm Collegiate welcome. If you have any questions about Collegiate Athletics, please reach out to Mr. Henderson at bhenderson@collegiatelowell.org.
