Schools

School Committee Takes Lowell Site Out of Play for High School Spot, Approves Early Childhood Center

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The Lowell Elementary School site will not be considered as a possible location for a new Watertown High School, and the School Committee endorsed the idea of building a central location for the district’s preschool and pre-kindergarten programs.

The vote came Monday night, a week after the board discussed those two items during a public meeting. The decisions needed to be made so architects hired by the district can begin planning the renovation or rebuilding of Watertown’s three elementary schools. Also Monday night, the School Committee approved a peak capacity for the elementary schools when the building project is complete. Lowell Site
Last week, architects from Ai3 gave a presentation about the possibility of using the Lowell site – including the playground area – for a new high school building. 

“Ai3 did a great job in its memo and it’s presentation to us explaining why the site would not work – the site itself, the size of the site and the slope,” said Town Council President and School Committee member Mark Sideris. Architects said the site would be smaller than recommended for a high school and the property slopes significantly, making it difficult to build a school without having many level changes.

Schools

Architects Present First Visions for What Watertown’s Elementary Schools Could Look Like

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It will be a busy several years, but by 2023 Watertown will have built or newly renovated three elementary schools and the high school. Monday night the architect hired to do the schematic designs laid out the timeline to get there. The elementary schools and the high school are on different schedules, with the Hosmer, the Cunniff and the Lowell planned to be worked on simultaneously, and after those projects are complete it will be about time for construction to begin on Watertown High School, said Scott Dunlap, principal of Ai3, the district’s architects. Watertown school officials got a lot of good news last week. “Last week the most exciting time for a Superintendent occurred over a 24 hour period,” said Superintendent Dede Galdston.

Lowell School

Superintendent Announces Appointment of New Lowell School Principal

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After a long, intense search, Stacey Phelan was named as Lowell School’s new principal. Phelan will begin her new position on July 1, 2017, said interim Superintendent John Brackett. She comes to Watertown from Swampscott, where she has been the principal of Hadley Elementary School for the past three years. Before that she was vice principal at Connery Elementary School in Lynn. “She has worked at both high-performing schools and turn around schools,” Brackett said.

Schools

Lowell PTO Hosting Annual Online Auction Begins Soon

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The Lowell PTO Annual Online Auction will begin Saturday March 4 at 8 a.m. and end on March 11 at 2 p.m., the PTO announced. This years auction is not to be missed, we have 4 Disney World tickets, an American Girl Doll, Otterbox gift card, Westport Vineyards Private Wine Tasting and Tour, Total Wines & More wine class for 20, Alden and Harlow Chefs dinner for 2, many fantastic dining gift cards, Summer and Vacation Camp Weeks, Music lessons, children’s birthday parties, auto care, books, CDs, artwork, gift baskets, yoga passes, gym memberships, spa and salon services and so much more. We have almost 320 items to bid and hoping to raise $20,000. This auction is open to anyone that would like to bid, and as you can see from the above mentioned items, you don’t have to live in Watertown to participate. You can visit the auction website now and browse all there is, bidding will not be operational till March 4 at 8 a.m. Bid early and often so you don’t miss out.

Schools

Lowell School Principal Duct Taped to the Wall to Raise Money for Books

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Lowell School Principal Phil Oates found himself taped to a wall, but it was for a good cause. The Lowell PTO hosted a spare change challenge during our Book Fair in December. There were two jars to choose from: one to shave Mr. Oates’ beard, and the other being duct taped to the wall. From the picture above you can see what the winning challenge was. The effort raised over $600 dollars and Mr. Oates kindly participated.

Belmont

Lowell School Students Send a Message of Peace Before Thanksgiving

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Lowell School took one of their core values and ran with it, creating a bit of a Facebook sensation. The day before Thanksgiving, the school held a kindness assembly, said Lowell’s interim principal Phil Oates. “It was facilitated by Eileen Donahue, our physical education teacher,” Oates said. “She taught the kids a rhyming kindness message that we all said together as a school.” Donahue, who is also coach of the Watertown High School field hockey team, took photos of children doing acts of kindness and featured them during the presentation.

Schools

Lowell School Hosts Second Annual Public Book Fair on Dec. 4

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The second annual Lowell Public Book Fair is coming up on Sunday, Dec. 4 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. in the Lowell Gym, the school announced. 

Browse books for all ages (board books up to adult books), a focus on the K-5 grades. There will be new releases such as the new Diary of a Wimpy Kid and the new JK Rowling Fantastic Beast. Many options for holiday gifts with toys, science kits and more. All proceeds will go directly to the Lowell Elementary School Library.

Lowell School

Interim Principal Named for Lowell School After Principal Takes New Job

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The Lowell School will have an interim principal next fall to replace Elizabeth Kaplan, who has taken another job in the district. 

Superintendent Jean Fitzgerald announced this week that Philip Oates will be taking over as interim principal at the Lowell School. “He comes to this job with 10 years teaching experience and a deep commitment to the students of the Lowell community and Watertown,” Fitzgerald said. “I would like to thank the search committee for their dedication and hard work during the search process.” Oates has worked as a seventh grade math teacher at Watertown Middle School. He was brought in after Kaplan was named the Watertown Public School’s K-5 Math and Science Coordinator.