October 18, 2024

 

Hello Lowell Cardinal Fans!

Welcome to our first “Updates Email” of the year.  We aim to share with members what’s going on around school and what your Lowell PTSA is up to. We hope this level of transparency is helpful and inspires you to give generously and get involved!

Sara Hall

PTSA President

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Upcoming deadlines (and dates of interest)

Virtual Dual Enrollment Presentation for 10th-12th graders

Demystify the dual enrollment process where high school students (grades 10-12) take community college classes to earn high school and college credit. There will be a virtual dual enrollment information session held on Wednesday, October 23, 2024 from 5:30-6:30 pm.

Zoom info: https://sfusd.zoom.us/j/4974439903pwd=aGdrcEZ3ZW1hK2k0aWtKd1d6MktUUT09

  • Meeting ID: 497 443 9903

  • Passcode: 7nSJ5J

Play, Alice in Wonderland is next Thurs, Fri & Sat (Oct. 24th, 25th & 26th) at 7p.  

If you are more interested in seeing the work put in by the Lowell's Visual and Performing Arts Department since the beginning of the school year, plan to be at the Lowell auditorium next weekend (10/24 - 10/26) at 7p for their production of “Alice in Wonderland"  Tickets are $10 for students and $15 for adults. You can use this link to buy tickets or buy at the door.

 

SAT Bootcamp -  link here

Our amazing College Center volunteers have secured a special two part workshop (via Zoom) for ALL students. For those who can’t attend on those dates, please register and the recording will be made available to you.

This (virtual) two part SAT Boot Camp will be held on Saturday 10/26 & Sunday 10/27 between 9:30am-12:30pm. This online test prep camp is FREE for all Lowell students. Sponsored by Lowell PTSA College Readiness.

DAY 1: Saturday, Oct 26: 9:30-12:30: Introduction & Math

DAY 2: Sunday, Oct 27: 9:30-12:30: Reading & Writing

ADVANCE REGISTRATION REQUIRED. Register here

Participants may come to one or both days, and will be able to email the instructor with questions up to one week after the camp. Video will be recorded.

AP Exams - Register & Pay by Oct. 31st 

All students planning to take an AP exam at the end of the year MUST REGISTER by Oct. 31st.  Registration is a two-step process and both steps are required to access the AP Classroom resources and/or order AP Exams. The entire process can be completed in a single sitting in approximately 10 minutes.  Register and pay by October 31st at Total Registration (TR).  See helpful information on registration and fee waiver/assistance: Frequently Asked Questions.

Next PTSA Meeting - Nov 6th  

General Meeting is November 6th at 6 pm, in person in the school library or via Zoom. You can see all meeting dates here and agendas/notes from past meetings are here.

  • Zoom Meeting ID: 975 984 8754

  • Or click here to join

 PTSA Committee Updates

Our committees are doing amazing work to support our Lowell community!  We thought you should be aware of the various programs supported by your Lowell PTSA.

  1. Grants Program. One of the major uses of PTSA funds is to fulfill grant requests from the school community. The Grants team meets monthly to review and approve grant requests. Here are details of the 7 grants approved in the first round, for a total maximum cost of $12,602.80

    • Statistics workbooks: This grant will pay for the printing of workbooks with new daily lessons & activities for 280 students who are taking AP statistics.

    • WebWork calculus program: This grant will cover the cost of access to an MAA/NSF funded online program “Webwork’ to allow ~80 students to work on calculus problems and receive immediate feedback.

    • Retro camera photography equipment for the art department: This grant will purchase cameras so that ~215 students in architecture and media arts will be able to create a photography project and exhibit focused on the Lowell community.

    • CA Math League entry fee:  This grant will pay the entry fee for a math contest that ~20 Lowell Mathematics Society members will participate in. 

    • Safety mats for Lowell Cheer: This grant will pay for part of the cost of buying new cheerleading safety mats for the ~35 member Lowell Cheer team.

    • JROTC support: Two grants will help JROTC cover the cost of some annual expenses (entry into competitions and equipment) and JROTC Drum Corps equipment maintenance. Approximately 160 students benefit each semester from JROTC support and 40 are directly involved in Drum Corps.

  2. DEI Events.  Our DEI committee’s mission at Lowell High School is to support our diverse students of color so that they feel more included and their experiences are more equitable. We will be supporting upcoming focal group events, including the bi-monthly Lowell AAPAC meetings on December 5, February 6 and  April 10. We’ve also helping support application workshops for middle school students applying to Lowell. Fill in our volunteer form if you’re interested in helping!

  3. Family Resource Committee. We are planning to solicit donations from the community in a fund-a-need campaign to help Lowell Families out with grocery store gift certificates for a healthy and festive holiday season for all. We will also support the awesome efforts of the Lowell Alumni Association in their Turkey giveaway Thanksgiving program. We are working with the Wellness Center to bring a NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) workshop to Lowell - likely will be scheduled before a future PTSA community meeting.  Let us know if you’re interested in helping!

  4. Fundraising.  The fundraising team is nearly done with the annual appeal letter, which will hit mailboxes this coming month. In the meantime, please consider joining the team that will plan fundraising events by coming to our meeting on 10/22 at 4 pm via Zoom.  Email lowellptsa.president@gmail.com for the Zoom link.

  5. School Safety Committee. The School Safety Committee is dedicated to serving Lowell students in terms of physical health and mental health as well as bringing awareness to various topics like substance abuse. In collaboration with Lowell's Wellness Center, we aim to provide equitable resources such as first-aid kits, menstrual products, hygiene, snacks, workshops, and more! If you are interested in this committee and would like to learn more, please consider joining our meeting on 10/23 at 5pm on Zoom. Please do not hesitate to contact me at shmon@s.sfusd.edu for any questions!

Volunteer Opportunities

Key needs are listed below! Email lowellptsa.president@gmail.com or fill out this form if you can help.

  • Financial audit: We will need help mid-year to conduct an audit of our finances.

  • Bylaws update: We need another volunteer to serve on our Bylaws update committee.

  • Fundraising event planning: We have our first team meeting on the 22nd. Join us to plan a fun event that will raise money for the PTSA!

  • Chaperone an event: LSA is planning several events & volunteers help keep costs low.

College and Career Readiness Corner - 

  1. SAT Workshop for November 2nd Test Date  - If your student is scheduled to take the November 2nd SAT, our amazing college readiness team have organized a workshop to help with final preparation. 

  2. College Reps visiting the College Center –  There are over 20 colleges visiting campus this week and next, from Barnard to University of the Pacific and so many in between. Please look to the link on the website here for the complete list.   

Your support helps ensure students can take standardized tests!  The Lowell PTSA covers the cost for students who qualify for free/reduced lunch. This fall we sponsored 74 students for the PSAT/NMSQT!

PTSA Reminders

  1. Annual Fundraising has begun. Donate today! We want to raise $250K so we can achieve all of our goals this year. We’re pacing behind, so please be generous, and consider a monthly donation schedule. 

  2. Please join or renew your membership.  We are currently at 634 members and are aiming to get to 1000 members this year.  Please join or renew today.

  3. Keep in touch: Follow us on Instagram @lowellptsa and Facebook

  4. Lowell-affiliated businesses: We would love to know if you are a “Lowell Community Business”. Please fill out this form to share your info with the PTSA board.