Lowell Family Newsletter

January 9, 2022

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 Families,

Wow! Last week indeed turned out to be something completely unexpected. Thank you for taking the wild with us. Although the schedule is very disruptive to all our lives, I do think it provided the opportunity for us to think about the next phase of this never-ending pandemic. Your cooperation and kind words helped all of us at the building and district level get through it. Monday night, Dr. Galdston and Kathy Desmarais will outline updates to our COVID protocols yet again. You may want to turn on the meeting to hear what we're doing moving forward.

We plan to get back to our typical this week and make sure we return focused on teaching and learning while providing a safe and healthy environment for our staff and students. We will resume the WIN block and Math Workshop Block on Monday.

Here are some of the strategies we've put in place to support a healthy re-entry:

Staff will be wearing KN95 masks.

Desks have been arranged in front-facing rows by our custodial staff. We aim to keep desks 3 feet apart whenever feasible.

We plan to eat snacks outside unless the weather prohibits it.

We will have assigned students to desks and seats for contact tracing purposes.

Small group instruction should only occur if you can ensure 3 feet of distance between students and adults.

Students need to be socially distanced when transitioning as a group in a line, interacting at recess and specials. Students need to be socially distanced (3 feet). Face masked should be worn during all school activities.

Students and staff should wear face masks that fit snugly around the mouth and nose.

Students will be reminded of hand hygiene when using the bathroom.

Teachers will monitor students for symptoms, teachers will be sent students exhibiting COVID-related symptoms to the nurse's office, and parents will call their parents to pick them up from school.

With gratitude,

Stacy

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Message from Dr. Henry, Director of Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

Equity in WPS Speaker Series Part 3: Implicit Bias - January 13, 2022

Thursday, Jan. 13th, 6:30pm via Zoom:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85469700537?pwd=ZEJ6UDlPMld2eFdaWTJmZkxrL0Z5Zz09

Join us on Thursday, January 13, 2022 for a virtual conversation at 6:30 pm via Zoom with WPS families and caregivers, facilitated by Dr. Kalise Wornum. In this session, participants will gain further understanding of implicit bias, and how it impacts our learning community.

Participants will have an opportunity to raise questions and discuss challenges in real-time. This is the third session of a four-part series with Dr. Wornum designed to provide families with information about our equity work in the Watertown Public Schools and to help parents and caregivers navigate difficult conversations around race and bias. Please join whether you are able to participate actively or just want to listen in.

Completing the Series, Session 4 - How to Have Difficult Conversations- will be held on March 10 at 6:30 via Zoom. Mark your calendars for these upcoming events.

Dr. Kalise Wornum is an Educational Consultant at KW Diversity Inc. Earlier in her career, she served as the METCO Director in the Wellesley Public Schools. As part of the equity work in WPS, Dr. Wornum has collaborated with the WPS Leadership Team in providing resources and training to become Culturally Proficient Leaders, and she delivered this year's keynote speech to all WPS staff on Opening Day, September 1. This work moves WPS towards achieving its mission of preparing all students for life by engaging them in a challenging and meaningful education within an inclusive, diverse community.

Information on Vaccination Clinics and Returning From COVID

VACCINATION & Additional BOOSTER CLINICS (Open to the General Public)

The general public can sign up for the State-sponsored Vaccination Clinic on January 11 from 3:30 - 7:00 p.m. at Watertown Middle School and pre-registration is required (this is a different link than the WPS-sponsored staff clinics). This clinic is designed for first doses for children 5+ and for boosters for people 16+. We may be opening it up to 12+, depending on approval. There will be all three vaccines/boosters available: Pfizer, J&J, Moderna. Please feel free to register your children if you wish, even if they don’t live in Watertown.

Returning after COVID

During this surge of COVID, many individuals have tested positive for COVID. The following guidelines should help you navigate your return.

If you test positive for COVID and you are asymptomatic, you may come back on day six. The day you test positive for COVID is day 0. For example, if you get a positive test on Wednesday (day 0), you can return on the following Tuesday (day 6). See chart below.
If you are symptomatic and then you test positive, day 0 is the first day you start to develop symptoms.
If you test positive and develop symptoms AFTER your positive test, day 0 resets to the day you become symptomatic.
YOU CAN ONLY RETURN after 5 days of isolation if you were asymptomatic, OR if you are fever-free and your symptoms are resolving.
If you have COVID, you cannot be part of pool testing for 90 days from your positive test, as you may test positive for up to 12 weeks on a PCR test.

*The start of day 0 is when you test positive OR when you develop symptoms. Sometimes you develop symptoms before you test positive, and sometimes you develop them after you test positive. And sometimes, you remain asymptomatic. If in doubt, contact your doctor or Kathleen Desmarais, Director of Student Services, for an accurate count.

As always, I appreciate all that you are doing to keep children and each other safe. If you aren’t boosted yet, please sign up for a time this week to get your booster shot.

Best,

Dede Galdston, Ed.D

Superintendent of Schools

Watertown Unity Breakfast

The past several years have been challenging ones for our country and our community. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought heartbreak and hardship to people in all walks of life and exacerbated the staggering economic inequality that plagues our country.

unitybreakfast.org

How we all can honor the life and legacy of MLK

This month we celebrate and honor the work, life, and legacy of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This national holiday isn't simply a day off but "a day on" to volunteer and give back to our communities and causes that matter to each of us.

19 Resources and Ideas to Celebrate MLK Day of Service Virtually | Teach For America

Resources and ideas on how you can virtually give back for MLK Day.

teachforamerica.org

Pool Testing Monday, January 10th

Pooled testing will take place on Monday morning for students and staff.

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Message from Nurse Taverna

Dear Families,

Could you please send me your child's completed COVID- 2 doses information via email or hard copy? Your child's personal medical information will not be shared with anyone but the school nurse.

Thank you!

From the Desk of Dr. McGuinness, Assistant Superintendent Curriculum & Instruction

Rubicon Atlas Curriculum Management System (Atlas, henceforth)

Our WPS Atlas Curriculum Management System is open to our parents, guardians, and students on our public site. Our Principals have shared our K-8 curriculum brochures (K| G1 | G2 | G3 | G4 | G5 | G6 | G7 | G8). If you desire more detailed information about your child’s curriculum, you may find it on our Atlas Curriculum Management System’s Public Site link. Directions for use are on the homepage.

The curriculum maps in Atlas identify the following sections for public view on most courses. (The course development is ongoing.)

Course Descriptions
Unit Description
Standards & Benchmarks
Enduring Understandings
Essential Questions

At the elementary level, Curriculum Maps and Course Descriptions are available for all core elementary subjects: Math, Science, Literacy - Reading & Writing, Social Studies. Some elementary units that occur later in the year are under construction and will be updated in Altas before implementation. Elementary English as a Second Language units are under construction.

Who's Reading What this Week?

The week of January 9th children will be reminded to pay attention to who is reading what as they walk to lunch and specials. Monday’s morning announcement will show this document and, at the end of the week, there will be a follow up quiz during morning announcements.

Have fun!

Relocation and Renovation Newsletter

J R Lowell School

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.

smore.com

J R Lowell School

J R Lowell School - December 13, 2021 - Renovation and Relocation Update by stacy phelan | This newsletter was created with Smore, an online tool for creating beautiful newsletters for educators, nonprofits, businesses and more

smore.com

Scenes From Around Lowell

Lenny the Lowell Leopard was in Ms. Blackwood's Class this week!

Lenny had a great short week with Ms. Blackwood’s fourth-grade class. He learned how to use an area model to multiply two-digit numbers and how rollercoasters use potential and kinetic energy to go. Lenny also prepared to write a literary essay by noticing the traits, motivations, struggles, changes, and relationships of characters. He really enjoyed our mentor text “Fox” by Margaret Wild.