Dear Parents, Students and Community Members:

Thank you to our students and parents for supporting the expectations and guidelines put in place to ensure a safe and successful opening.  We are off to a great start to the 2025-2026 school year!  We are appreciative of your support and are excited about the educational opportunities and experiences that we are able to provide this year.

We met with all students during grade-level meetings on the first day of school and asked students to make a commitment to the academic, attendance, and behavioral expectations at Lowville Middle School.  Please help us support the following expectations by encouraging positive habits in your child that help foster these beliefs.

Academic Expectations

We received the results of the 2024-2025 NYS Exams and will be mailing out the Individual Student Reports that detail your child’s results in English Language Arts and Mathematics.  Please talk to your child about how they did on these exams.  Although these results don’t tell the whole story of your child’s abilities, they do give us a glimpse of the strengths and weaknesses of your child.  Use the results of these assessments as well as your child’s 2024-2025 report card to start a discussion with them and to set goals for the 2025-2026 school year.  

Over the next few weeks we will be sending home 5-week progress reports for all middle school students.  As you look at your child’s progress report, be sure to celebrate the successes for those courses your child is doing well in and help your child set academic goals for any courses they may have struggled in.  Take some time to evaluate your child’s study habits and help them come up with a plan to make academic gains this year:

• Set a schedule for homework and study time to occur - select a quiet environment without distractions.
• Encourage your child to seek out help from his/her teachers.
• Reinforce the importance of taking advantage of study hall time at school.
• Have your child sign up for a peer tutor or for after school assistance in our After School Connections Program.
• Set goals with your child for each marking period.

In November we will be holding parent conferences.  Please take advantage of this opportunity to develop a link with your child’s teachers and open up the lines of communication with them.  In addition, make sure your child is taking advantage of the educational opportunities available to all middle school students.  Our teachers are available before and after school each day for assistance. 

Attendance Expectations

Good attendance is an integral component to a student’s success in school.  Keep in mind the following guidelines:

The NYS Education Department allows for the following reasons for excused absences:

• Personal illness verified by a parent.
• Serious illness/death within the immediate family.
• Medical or dental appointment (parent arranged).
• Authorized religious holidays with advanced notice.

The New York State Education Department considers the following reasons to be unexcused absences:

• Truancy (skipping)
• Missing the bus and staying home
• Working during school hours
• Shopping during school hours
• Hunting, fishing, and other recreational activities
• Non-educational trips
• Helping at home
• Babysitting
• Any absence not related to illness or family emergency
• Any non-school related sporting events

The district encourages parents to support the attendance rules and to work cooperatively with district officials in this regard. 

Parents should contact the Middle School Office when their child is absent, or follow up on messages from school related to your child’s absences. For each absence, the student is to have a parent or guardian write an excuse stating the student’s name, date, days of absence, and the reason for the absence.  Students should also make plans to make up any work missed in their absence.

Behavioral Expectations

This year our middle school will continue to focus on the theme, “Acting with Respect Always.”  Please help us here at school by reinforcing the importance of your children “Acting with Respect Always.”  You will notice in our student handbook that there are a few pages that highlight our behavior expectations and there is also a chart that illustrates how students can be Respectful, Responsible, and Safe in all areas of our school environment.  Please take time to go through the handbook with your child and have a discussion regarding our behavioral expectations.

Quarter 1 Mid-Point – Wednesday, October 1

The mid-point for the first quarter is Wednesday, October 1.  Parents will receive a mid-quarter progress report in the mail.  

Student Pictures – Wednesday, October 8

Individual student pictures for Middle School students will be taken on Wednesday, October 8.  The district will be utilizing Upstate Images again this year.  More information on this year’s pictures will be forthcoming.

Parent-Teacher Conferences

We plan to meet with parents during parent-teacher conference days in November.  We are planning in-person conferences.  Do not hesitate to contact us if you have questions or concerns prior to those meetings.  Please work through your child’s teachers and Ms. Tiffany, our School Counselor.

Parent-Teacher Conferences are scheduled for:  Wednesday, November 19, Thursday, November 20, Monday, November 24.

Connections After School Program

The Connections After School Program is designed to assist students in completing their homework and providing academic intervention services.  The program is managed by our classroom teachers and is held on an as-needed basis throughout each week from 3:15 to 5:15 pm.  Please contact one of your child’s core teachers to ask about staying after school for assistance.

Please contact me at 315-376-9010 if you have any questions or concerns that we can help you with this year.

Sincerely,
Scott D. Exford, Middle School Principal