Message from Dr. Larkin:
Earlier this month, I shared data about students’ reading scores with our Collaborative School Committee (CSC). Students have made tremendous progress, and I want to share that with our school community.
Each year, we develop a Unified Improvement Plan that contains Major Improvement Strategies (MIS). The focus of MIS #1 for 2025-2026 is reading; DPS set Lowry’s reading target at 70% (70% of students will be reading at/above grade level). As part of the Black Student Success plan, our target is 80% of students reading at/above grade level.
Although both targets are focused on early literacy, we are implementing a variety of training and strategies across all grade levels including LETRS training for staff and our literacy What I Need (WIN) block.
Data Celebration (Overall Comparison, Kindergarten-3rd grade, 2024-2025 v. 2025-2026)
We will share the data for Kindergarten-3rd grade on our website and it will be included in the CSC minutes later this spring.
The staff brainstormed about the reasons for these impressive gains. Here are some of the responses:
WIN Block and alignment to DIBELS (reading assessment)
Consistent progress monitoring
Students identifying themselves as readers
Partnership between students and teachers
We are so proud of our students and staff for putting in the hard work to help all of our students improve! I share this information in more depth at our CSC meetings, which are a wonderful opportunity to learn more about what is happening at Lowry. All parents/guardians are invited to attend our meetings, even if you are not on the CSC! We will be sending out information later in the spring about how to join the 2026-2027 CSC–we must have at least 3 parents on the committee. If you are interested in learning more, please reach out to Alicia Johnson, CSC Chair.
Important Dates:
February 26: Game Night, 5:30-7:00 p.m. Join Lowry families for a fun evening of board games and food! The event is free; please bring your favorite board game to play and a potluck dish to share. We will also have representatives here from the DPS Family & Community Engagement Office to lead a Black History trivia game; they will have books to give out to families (while supplies last) and we will have a door prize for tickets to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science! This is sure to be a fun evening–please RSVP here.
February 27: No School (Professional Development Day for Staff).
March 4: Basketball Game, 4:30 p.m. at Lowry. Come cheer on the Lowry Basketball Team in our gym.
March 6:
5th Grade Continuation Pictures. More information will come home soon.
Coffee with the PTO, 8:15-9:15 a.m. This Coffee with the PTO will serve as our March meeting. Join us to help plan for the rest of this year, plan for next year, and learn how to be involved! We will have breakfast and coffee available. RSVP here.
March 7: Skate City Skate Night (PTO Fundraiser), 6:30-8:30 p.m. The final skate night of the year is a Glow Party! Bring your friends and family for a fun night of skating; admission is $7, skate rental is $5. Aurora location only.
March 12: Wellness Night, 5:30-7 p.m. The PTO is hosting its first ever Family Night! We’ll have 2 sessions–family “Minute To Win It” style games and mindfulness with yoga. There will be a snack break between sessions. Please RSVP for Wellness Night here.
What’s Happening at Lowry:
Our new Departure Lane begins today, Monday, February 23. In order to utilize the lane, you must submit your Aviator Departure Lane Contract (you can submit the paper form or complete this electronic version). Once you have a hang tag, you can start using the Departure Lane!
Lowry Elementary’s Annual Plant Sale is now live and runs through February 28. Lowry students will be growing a variety of vegetables, herbs, and flowers just for you throughout the winter and spring. Plants ordered now will be available for pick up on Friday May 8 from 2:00-5:30 pm–just in time for Mother’s Day! You can preorder your plants online through February 28.
Spring Break will be here before we know it! As a reminder, students do not have school Monday, March 30-Monday, April 6. Students return on Tuesday, April 6.
Staff Spotlight:
Last month, our Staff Spotlight showcased Whitney Adams, one of our Senior Team Leads and Interventionists. This month, we’re sharing about another Senior Team Lead: Beth Sprake-Jones! You may know her as Ms. S-J.
Beth grew up in a small town in Illinois and attended Eastern Illinois University where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Special Education. Before moving to Colorado, she taught elementary school in a Southside Chicago suburb. In 2001, Ms. S-J and her husband moved to Arvada, Colorado, and she taught at a small school in Broomfield; while teaching there, Ms. S-J received her Master’s of Education from University of Northern Colorado. She worked at Skinner Middle School in DPS from 2010-2021.
In 2021, Ms. S-J joined the Lowry family. She states, “I am so glad to be back working with students during their foundational years.” In addition to her role as a Senior Team Lead, Beth is a special education teacher working with our 3rd-5th grade students.
Ms. S-J wears many hats at Lowry and we are so glad to have her and her expertise at our school! If you need to contact Ms. S-J, please email her.
Grade Level Shout Out:
A BIG celebration goes out to our MLE teachers and students for successfully completing ACCESS testing these last two months! This rigorous and lengthy assessment of English language acquisition requires focus, patience, and resilience. Our MLE teachers demonstrated exceptional dedication and support every step of the way, and our students rose to the challenge with determination and positive attitudes. We are incredibly proud of their hard work and the strong learning community they continue to build together. Way to go MLE Aviators!!!
In partnership,
Dr. Annie Larkin