Lowell School Newsletter
This Week’s Featured Event
Lowell’s PTO Presents
Halloween Party
Friday, October 27th
Lowell School
6:30 - 8:00 pm
Dear Parents and Guardians,
This letter is to inform you that Lowell School’s off-site evacuation drill was successful. The students and staff followed all safety procedures as instructed. These practice drills was two of 4 emergency drills our school is required to perform during the school year as part of our District-wide Emergency Response Plan. This plan would be implemented in the event of a local disaster or school emergency. The Emergency Response Plan is a preparatory measure. Statistics show schools are still among the safe places to be on a day-to- day basis, due to the strong commitment of educators, parents, and communities to their children. Nevertheless, disasters do happen and, because of that, no community can be complacent in its efforts to make its schools even safer. For this reason, we have implemented the Plan, so please do not be alarmed by this precautionary action.
Drills
Although it is unlikely that the Emergency Response Plan will need to be fully activated at Lowell, the possibility still exists. Therefore, to prepare all members of the school community, including your child, to act on a moments’ notice, we will be conducting emergency practice drills at the school. These drills, which will occur on a periodic basis throughout the year, will cover a variety of circumstances. In addition to practicing the drills, we will also be discussing with the students the appropriate actions to take during a number of emergencies. These drills and accompanying discussions are designed to prepare your child to act quickly and to minimize your child’s fear should an emergency occur.
Parent-Child Reunification Center
The Emergency Response Plan also incorporates a systematic approach to reuniting children with their parents. The plan identifies one site for the Parent-Child Reunion. Lowell School’s Center is the Watertown Department for Public Works facility located on 124 Orchard Street next to Victory Field. This location is activated only when the school premises must be evacuated. Should it be necessary to activate an Off-Site Evacuation, you will be notified via the school’s mass communication system School Messenger.
Reuniting with Your Child
In order to ensure your child’s safety, it is necessary for us to establish some protocols related to picking up your child. Therefore, please be advised of the following guidelines when picking up your child from
the reunification center.
School Emergency Procedures
• No student will be released unless you or an individual designated on the student dismissal plan or emergency contact information arrives to pick up that student. It is critical that the information and phone
numbers on your child’s emergency information sheet is current. We will be using this information to contact you through the District’s mass communication system with the evacuation
process for picking up your child.
• You will be required to present valid identification. This step is required to protect your child from
any unauthorized individuals attempting to pick up your child.
• You will be required to sign for the release of your child. This is extremely important as it is our
only means of ensuring that all students are accounted for at all times. Please do not just take your
child from the center without signing for their release. We recognize that you may be worried and
want to be reunited with your child as quickly as possible. However, this system has been established
to ensure your child’s safety.
• Should our normal transportation system be unable to transport your child home, your child will be
kept at the unification center. until such time as you can arrange to pick them up. If you are unable to pick up your child, he/she will be kept at 124 Orchard Street. until alternate arrangements can be made. Your child will be supervised at all times.
Keeping Informed During an Emergency
During a real emergency, you probably will not be able to reach the school by phone, as staff will be busy
responding to the emergency and the needs of the students. We will, however, make every effort to
contact parents, either directly, or through the District’s mass communication system.
Finally, I want thank the Watertown Police and Fire Department for all their guidance and assistance. I especially want to thank Sgt. Demos, Lt. Unsworth, Ofc. Kelley, Ofc. Colon, Ofc. Doss, and Ofc. Comick for their constant support in planning and executing emergency drills. As always, should you have any questions or concerns regarding anything stated in this letter, please feel free to contact Veronica Knight, Hope Nataro or me directly.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Phelan
Social Media and Children
This past Friday, I had the opportunity to speak with parents of fifth graders during my coffee. One topic we discussed was the growing concern parents have for their children with regards to social media. This year our students in grade K - 5 will be given direct instruction during their Library/Media block. Instruction will focus on the proper use technology and social media. We are also looking into offering other forums to bring awareness to this topic.
I have recently come across two informative resources concerning social media and the effects on children. I’m sharing them you here. They are both geared to older elementary students and middle schoolers. However, if you start the conversations when they’re young you have the greatest impact.
CNN reporter Anderson Cooper explores the “Inside the Secret World of Teens”
Article from The Atlantic: Have Smart Phones Destroyed a Generation
Please give Ms. McDonough a high five! Ms. McDonough recently earned funding at DonorsChoose.org for a classroom project called “Headphones Help Our Technology Use!”
A round of applause to... Ms. Masters who recently earned funding for books and games at lunch. She was funded by our PTO!
We are continuing to collect items for Helping Hands for Puerto Rico
Here are suggested items:
Batteries, flashlights, water purifying tablets, first aid kits, bandages, small tool kits, hygiene products, sewing kits, small fire extinguishers, manual can openers, wrenches to turn off gas lines, battery-operated radios, garbage bags, dish soap, disinfectant, paper cups, plates, napkins, latex gloves and work gloves, baby wipes, sterile eye wash, sun screen, hand sanitizer, antibiotic ointment, adhesive tape and prepackaged tarps.
This week’s greeting language of the week will be Armenian.
Good Morning translates to "Pari Louyce"
The Lowell School is going to greet students in their home languages for one week starting tomorrow morning. We will begin will Spanish and go in alphabetical order. Are aim is to greet all students using the home language of our school. We are very excited to begin tomorrow. Please join us!
THIS WEEK’S
TOP STORIES
Lesson’s in the garden with Judith Fellows
This week’s lesson: The 3 Sister’s Harvest
Overview of the Three Sisters
Native Americans have planted the Three Sisters of corn, beans, and squash for centuries. The traditional planting of the Three Sisters garden creates a self-sustaining ecosystem that balances the needs of plants and animals. Three Sisters gardening serves as the model for a wide variety of intercropping systems that thrive throughout the world. The successful system augments agricultural productivity in areas that face acute food shortages, without requiring the use of environmentally harmful pesticides and herbicides.
Benefits of Planting the Three Sisters
In addition to eliminating harmful chemicals that destroy the soil and damage the living environments of other plants and animals, Three Sisters planting provides you with an efficient way to grow crops on less land. The interconnection of each of the Three Sisters reduces the amount of row cropping that takes up most, if not all of a planter’s land. Farmers who use the Three Sisters method of planting report they use the saved farmland to plant other crops or raise livestock in areas that were once covered with crops.
Growing your own vegetables also ensures you reap the benefits of land to table nutrition. Fresh corn kernels burst with antioxidants and vitamins that ward off illnesses, as well as comprise a vital source for minerals. String beans represent one of the best food sources for dietary fiber, vitamin C, and folate. Squash contains the highest level of vitamin A and carotenes. Together, the Three Sisters fill the nutritional void experienced by a vast majority of Americans.
How the Three Sisters Benefit Each Other
The vegetables that comprise the Three Sisters not only provide several benefits for you, the plants also benefit each other by bringing unique attributes to the proverbial table. Think about what each plant needs to grow into a healthy vegetable. Corn requires plenty of space to grow. Beans need a support system for the stalks to grow straight. Both squash and corn thrive on nitrogen, which typically does not flourish in sandy soils. Now, let’s think about how the vegetable compensate for their growing deficiencies.
Corn offers string beans the sturdy support to grow straight. Think of a cornstalk as a naturally developing trellis that ensures string beans remain upright. String beans absorb nitrogen from the surrounding air and replenish nitrogen-deficient soil. The upward growing vegetables also act as a bind that keeps the Three Sisters close together, further enhancing the space you have to grow other crops or raise livestock. Sprawling squash creates copious amounts of mulch that cools and moistens the soil. Squash leaves also contain prickly stems that thwart the best attempt of critters such as raccoons from enjoying sumptuous meals.
Storybook Character Day
On Tuesday, October 31st, First Graders will be celebrating literature with our very own Storybook Character Day!
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Annual Halloween Parade 
Monday, October 31st
Please come dressed in your costume!
Math in Focus Parent University
The event is for all elementary school parents (k5) to learn more about our math curriculum from professional development providers from Math in Focus. It is the first of this kind of event and we hoping for a great turnout! It will be held on Monday, November 6th in the WMS Auditorium from 6:30-8:00 pm. This is a parent only event. Please email Elizabeth Kaplan, Elementary Math/Science Coordinator, with any questions.
elizabeth.kaplan@watertown.k12.ma.us
Dates: Event: Time/Location:
October
23rd
|
ALICE Drill and Out
Site Evacuation
|
9:00-10:00
|
October 20th
|
Fifth Grade Parent’s
Coffee with Mrs. Phelan
|
8:30-9:30
Cafeteria
|
October 25th
|
Superintendent
Walkthroughs
|
9:30-11:30
|
October
27th
|
TLA Grade 3 and Mr. Fiandaca
|
11:30-2:30
|
October 27th
|
Halloween Party
Sponsored by the PTO
| |
October
31st
|
First Grade Dress as your favorite Storybook Character
| |
October 31st
|
Kindergarten Costume
Parade
|
First Thing in the Morning
|
November
2nd
|
School Council
|
7:00-8:00
Library
|
November
11/1
|
Faculty Meeting
|
2:45-3:45
|
November
11/5
|
Daylight Savings
Don’t forget to turn the clock back!
| |
November 11/7
|
No School Students
Teacher’s PD Day
Don’t forget to Vote!!!!
|
All Day
|
November 11/8
|
Grade Level Meetings
|
3:00-5:00
|
November 11/10
|
Veteran’s Day Observed
|
All Day
|
November 11/13
|
Meet your Buddy
|
1:30-2:10 pm
|
November
11/14
|
PTO Meeting
|
6:30-7:30
Lowell Library
|
November
11/15
|
Picture Retake Day
|
All Day
|
November
11/16
|
TLA Professional Development Grade 3
& Mr. Fiandaca and Mrs. Riley MacDonald
|
8:30-11:30
|
November 11/20
|
Eat Lunch with your Buddy Day
|
During Scheduled lunches TBD
|
November 11/22
|
Early Release Day
|
12:15
|
November 23
|
Thanksgiving Day
|
Happy Turkey Day!
|
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