Tuesday, April 27, 2010

May 5 is Massachusetts Walk to School Day

Check back here for more information.

STEM Pathway Community Partnerships

Event for Seventh & Eight Graders from the Wang and Butler Middle Schools

Professionals, Educators Talk to Middle-School Students

When: Wednesday, April 28, 3:30 to 5 p.m.

The “Science of Small Things” after-school program, housed in the UMass Lowell Center for Family Work and Community and funded by the National Science Foundation, is hosting an event for seventh- and eighth-graders of the Wang and Butler middle schools in Lowell. Representatives from Raytheon and Nypro, UMass Lowell faculty, and graduate students in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields (STEM) will engage in conversation with the students about their educational experiences and career path choices.

Where: Kitson Hall, Room 309, UMass Lowell North Campus, 21 University Ave., Lowell

Community Partnerships: MCC Announces Summer Camps Information for July & August 2010

Middlesex Community College has announced summer camp details.
Visit the MCC Summer Camp website for more information.

Since 1996, Middlesex Community College summer camps have been providing children with an exciting range of unique opportunities to explore careers, gain knowledge, develop new skills and boost self-confidence! Our camps provide students with a safe environment in which to learn and have fun. Camps will be held from July 6-August 12, 2010, on MCC's Bedford and Lowell campuses, utilizing the vast open space in Bedford as well as the rich cultural and ethnic resources in Lowell. Camps include Aviation, Veterinary Medicine, Fashion Design, Cartooning, Digital Photography, LegoMindstorms and more!

Monday, April 26, 2010

A Conversation with Superintendent Scott at 7:00 Tonight

Please join us as Superintendent Scott and other elected officials discuss the upcoming budget. The Citywide Parent Council is encouraging all parents to attend. Superintendent Scott will host a parent question and answer session.

LOWELL CITYWIDE PARENT COUNCIL MEETING
Monday, April 26, 2010
7:00 pm
at The Lowell High School Television Studio, 55 Father Morissette Boulevard, Lowell


If you are not able to attend, this meeting will be broadcast live on LET 22, Lowell's Educational Television station.

For more information call or email Joe Longtin, CPC Chair at 978-452-1846 or jlandmax@aol.com

National Park Service looking for a Lowell Public Schools Teacher

The Teacher-Ranger-Teacher Program
is a national program within the National Park Service that connects teachers and students to parks. National Parks are classrooms presenting powerful opportunities for learning and adding new dimensions to understanding on a variety of topics linked to American heritage.

For more information, contact Leslie Obleschuk, leslie_obleschuk@nps.gov or call Leslie at 978.318.7831

Deadline for applications: May 12.
Only one position available for Summer 2010!

Minute Man National Historical Park
174 Liberty Street
Concord, MA 01742

Discussion: Special Education Programs at the Elementary School Level

Join us to learn more about the many programs for students at the elementary school level.

Date: Thursday – May 6, 2010
Place: Butler School Library - 1140 Gorham Street
Time: 7:00 P.M.
All parents, educators and community members are welcome to attend.
This discussion will be led by Debbie Smith, Assistant Administrator, Lowell Public Schools, Special Education Department. This event is sponsored by the Lowell Sped PAC. The PAC is organized and run by parents of children receiving special education services through the Lowell School Department. As a PAC, we promote understanding between parents, teachers and the Special Education Department. We facilitate communication within the community regarding special education, provide information on available programs, offer information to parents and provide workshops and support. Newcomers are always welcome to attend meetings.

Tel: (978) 454-1967 or E-mail: Lowellspedpac@aol.com

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Community Partnerships: MCC Announces Summer Camps Information for July & August 2010

Middlesex Community College has announced summer camp details.
Visit the MCC website for more information.

Since 1996, Middlesex Community College summer camps have been providing children with an exciting range of unique opportunities to explore careers, gain knowledge, develop new skills and boost self-confidence! Our camps provide students with a safe environment in which to learn and have fun. Camps will be held from July 6-August 12, 2010, on MCC's Bedford and Lowell campuses, utilizing the vast open space in Bedford as well as the rich cultural and ethnic resources in Lowell. Camps include Aviation, Veterinary Medicine, Fashion Design, Cartooning, Digital Photography, LegoMindstorms and more!

Sunday, April 18, 2010

School Vacation Week April 19- April 23

Harvard University Panel to Discuss Exemplary High Schools

“How do High Schools Become Exemplary?” a three-week series of panel discussions, sponsored by the Achievement Gap Initiative at Harvard University, will focus on the best practices in place at the high school level. This panel discussion may be of interest to any educators working at the high school level.

The panel discussion, moderated by Ron Ferguson, the Faculty Director of the Achievement Gap Initiative, will be held Thursday, April 29, from 5 to 7:30 p.m., at the Askwith Lecture Hall, located in Longfellow Hall at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, 13 Appian Way, Cambridge.

Friday, April 16, 2010

Community Partnerships: WELCOME SPRING WITH TWO OUTDOOR CONCERTS

The Middlesex Community College Music Department Outreach Program will present two events which will take place at Derby Park Culture Garden on Middle Street, Lowell.

The performances will feature the Lowell High School Concert Chorus, on Monday, April 26 and the Lowell High Jazz Band on Monday, May 4.

Both concerts start at 11:00 and are free and open to the public. (In case of rain, the performances will take place in the MCC Cafeteria, 33 Kearney Square)

The mission of MCC Music Outreach Program is to bring high quality, professional music events featuring a range of styles, voices and instruments to students of all ages and the public of the Greater Lowell area.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

BREAKING NEWS

LOWELL PUBLIC SCHOOLS SUPERINTENDENT
DR. CHRIS SCOTT NAMES EDWARD J. ROZMIAREK
HEADMASTER OF LOWELL HIGH SCHOOL

Contact Information: cscott@lowell.k12.ma.us

April 14, 2010

LOWELL – Dr. Chris Scott, Superintendent of the Lowell Public Schools, has offered the position of Lowell High School Headmaster to Edward J. Rozmiarek of Beverly, Massachusetts.

He has accepted the position.

Edward. J. Rozmiarek has served as the Assistant Principal of North Reading High School since 2006. Previously, Mr. Rozmiarek had served as an Assistant Principal at Mansfield High School and was the 2002 recipient of the Boston Center for Adult
Education’s Outstanding Educator Award.

Having previously been a practicing attorney, Mr. Rozmiarek has a great deal of education and experience in building a safe school community and will work to ensure a positive and welcoming learning environment for our students.

“Edward is extremely qualified to lead the critical work of taking
Lowell High School to the next level,” said Dr. Scott. “I am confident that he will demonstrate the innovation in leadership necessary to offer Lowell High School students the highest quality educational opportunities so that they are prepared for future success.”


Mr. Rozmiarek is a graduate of the University of Rochester, Rochester, NY and Boston University School of Law.

He will assume the position as of July 1, 2010.

Lowell High School serves 3,100 students at its urban downtown
campus.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

The i-Generation requires a different approach to instruction

Today's eSchool News has an article by psychology professor and author, Dr. Larry Rosen. Rosen asserts that teen use of portable and mobile technologies will carry over into their education. Designing multi-dimensional lessons that take advantage of how kids live and work out of school is a much needed change in K-12 education. Read Rosen's article in eSchool News.

In addition to a different approach to instruction, now more than ever our students need cyber safety intruction. The Lowell Public Schools is offering an event for parents and students at Lowell High School on May 3. Please see previous posting for information on that upcoming event. Don't miss it!

Friday, April 9, 2010

Teaching About the Web

This website, by Common Sense Media, provides free materials and curricula around Internet Safety. Parents, teachers and others can access this website and get their free Internet Survival Guide for Parents. Common Sense Media will be offering a free curriculum to public schools in New York City and Omaha in the fall. Other school districts are considering its adoption, including Denver, the District of Columbia, Florida, Los Angeles, Maine and Virginia.
The Internet Survival Guide for Parents is available now by going to their website.

(Please see previous posting about our Internet Safety forum on May 3 at Lowell High School. For more information on this event, please contact Roxane Howe at rhowe@lhs.lowell.k12.ma.us)

The New York Times today has an interesting article that discusses Harvard's Howard Gardner's research around internet usage among kids. With the advent of the "Smartphone," more and more students are finding the internet readily available and "online" as much as 7 hours a day.

The New York Times article can be found here. If you do read the article, please consider subscribing to the New York Times.

Lowell Public Schools Instructional Technology Specialists are reviewing the Internet Survival Guide for Parents now. For more information about what your child's school is doing in the area of Internet Safety, please contact Anne Sheehy at asheehy@lowell.k12.ma.us.

Better Together: A Team Approach is the Best Approach

The Lowell Public Schools was mentioned in an article in the latest March / April edition of the AFT (American Federation of Teachers) publication, American Teacher.

The article discusses the concept of turning schools and districts into communities of inquiry.

The Lowell Public Schools / United Teachers of Lowell (UTL) partnership is based on the work that took place when Lowell teachers and administrators attended this training last summer. Professional Learning Communities built around inquiry are a part of our work in the Lowell Public Schools. To see more about PLCs in Lowell, see previous blog postings.

Read the article by clicking here.

Lowell Public Schools Events

To see Lowell Public Schools Events & Happenings by month, click on the links to the right.
For example, events happening in April can be found by clicking the link for April.
Events taking place in May can be found by clicking "May."

You can also find any event, article or information previously posted to this blog by using the Search This Blog feature.
Just use this as you would any search engine. Type your search term in the box and press Enter.

There are many informative events for parents, students and the community hosted by the Lowell Public Schools.
For instance, on May 3, 2010, there will be a Cyber Safety event for parents and students held at Lowell High School.
For more information on that event, click on "May."

Hope to see you there!

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Another Community Forum

Student Bullying and Violence in the Wired World


A Community Forum for Parents and Students

Monday, May 3, 2010
6:00-7:30 pm
Cyrus W. Irish Auditorium at Lowell High School
50 Fr. Morissette Boulevard

Presented by: Lowell Public Schools, Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, Lowell Police Department, Middlesex Partnerships for Youth, Lowell General Hospital

Lowell High School Headmaster: The Search Continues

Two or three finalists for the Lowell High School Headmaster position will tour the city of Lowell, have lunch with members of the local business community, and meet with Lowell High School teachers and students possibly as early as next week.

The 17-member screening committee interviewed four candidates Tuesday night, including: Edward Rozmiarek, Assistant Principal at North Reading High School; Eric Juli, Director of Secondary Curriculum for the Lawrence Public Schools; Timothy McCarron, Assistant Principal of Newburyport High School; and Jennifer Smith, Dean of Students at Peabody High School.

Diane Paradis, Career & Technology Education Coordinator for Cambridge Public Schools, and Daniel Richards, Assistant Principal for Instruction at Belmont High School, will be interviewed today starting at 4:15 p.m. at the Central Administration Office at the Edith Nourse Rogers School.

Superintendent Scott will extend an invitation to two or three finalists after she receives the assessment of all candidates from the screening committee. She will then interview them. A site visit to the current school of the candidate she feels is most qualified will follow.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Open Forum

On Monday, April 12 at 6:00- 7:30 PM at the Stoklosa School on Broadway, the Lowell Public Schools, the Middlesex County Juvenile Court and Lowell Police Department partner to host an Open Forum on Education and Safety. Superintendent Scott, Judge Jay Blitzman of Middlesex County Juvenile Court and Chief Kenneth Lavallee of Lowell Police Department will be at the Open Forum to discuss and to listen to your concerns.

For more information please contact Dr. Phala Chea at pchea@lowell.k12.ma.us

Khmer Rouge Tribunal and Genocide Education Exhibit

Lowell Public Schools is hosting an exhibit on Khmer Rouge Tribunal and Genocide Education. Please join us as we present and discuss Cambodia’s past, present and future.

Mr. Khamboly Dy, Author of A History of Democratic Kampuchea, Dr. Alexander Hinton, Director of the Center for the Study of Genocide and Human Rights at Rutgers University, and Dr. John Ciorciari, Assistant Professor at Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan and Editor of the Khmer Rouge Tribunal, will present.

Special thanks to Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association, Light of Cambodian Children, UMass Lowell, UMass Boston Asian American Studies Program, Middlesex Community College, Lowell Community Health Center, Greater Lowell Health Alliance and Lowell General Hospital for their support.

Sponsored in part by: Lowell Public Schools, Documentation Center of Cambodia, Primary Source, Lowell General Hospital, Tepthida Restaurant, and Top Donut.

Date: Sunday, April 18, 2010
Time: 9:00 am—12:00 pm Stoklosa Middle School
560 Broadway St., Lowell, MA 01854



For more information, please contact Dr. Phala Chea at pchea@lowell.k12.ma.us.

Wellness Fair

The Lowell Public Schools will again host a free city-wide Health & Wellness Fair.
This event will be held on April 29, 2010 at 6:00 PM at the Central Administration Offices at the Edith Nourse Rogers School. For more information please visit our website.


www.lowell.k12.ma.us

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

DuncanChat Today at 11:00

Participate in today's webcast with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan

Today Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will be hosting a webinar to explain the ins and outs of the new student loan legislation signed into law by President Barack Obama.

Click here to access the website.

Monday, April 5, 2010



Read Robert Forrant's Boston Globe article on the Lowell Film Festival.

Lowell Film Festival this weekend

Lowell Film Festival set to start this weekend. Opening flick is "Jezebel" starring Lowell's own Bette Davis. Click the link for more information.