Lincoln Bulletin

Our Vision-Lincoln School is a community that fosters a sense of belonging to grow as a citizen and a learner.

Lincoln leopards are respectful, responsible, and safe!

District Strategic Commitment-TOGETHER building pathways of Excellence!

Email: michelle.woodring@d303.org
Website: Lincoln.d303.org
Location: 211 South 6th Ave, St. Charles
Phone: 331-228-2501
Facebook: facebook.com/LincolnElementary
Twitter: @LincolnD303

Saturday, 10/21-Chicago Steel Lincoln Family Night

Monday, 10/23-Author's -Ruth Spiro-Visit

Wednesday, 10/25-Early Release

Friday, 10/27-5th grade Orchestra Concert at Thompson MS

Today our teachers worked together to deepen our learning of professional learning communities and how we can use our collective efficacy to build and support one another to achieve the growth of each child. The conversations were so rich, it was truly inspiring to be leading this work at Lincoln.

Next week we enter our final full week of October, over the past few weeks we have had breaks from school due to conferences, Columbus Day, and now our SIP day. Beginning next week we will have 4 full weeks of school, to focus our habits, routines, and learning without interruption. Please make sure your son or daughter is getting adequate rest, washing hand, and staying healthy so their attendance can be consistent these weeks before Thanksgiving break. This consistency supports many of our young learners. We will have an early release Wednesday so students are dismissed at 2:10.

• Boundary Updates - External website: A comprehensive page for students, staff, families and community members that outlines public information on the boundary process, including resources on key discussions, recommendations and actions, and engagement opportunities for stakeholders.

Dear Parents and Families:

Did you know? Reading just 20

minutes a day exposes your child to about 1.8 million words per year. Reading helps students develop a stronger vocabulary, and in addition, students who read for pleasure average higher grades in English, mathematics, science, and history!

Encourage your child to read books for fun by participating in our Lincoln Fall Reading Challenge! The challenge will begin on Monday, October 9th and run through November 3rd. Students who complete the challenge will be invited to a short movie lunch with popcorn the week of November 6-10th.

Each student will receive a Lincoln Fall Reading Challenge recording form. Each activity must be completed and signed by an adult. Our K-2 students are challenged to do each reading activity for 20 minutes and our 3-5 are challenged to do 30 minutes.

Happy Reading and have fun with the fall reading challenge!

Halloween will be celebrated at Lincoln on Tuesday October 31, room parents have been notified, please read over the email carefuylly, you should reach out to the classroom teacher with a plan by October 20.

In a few weeks, we will celebrate Halloween, on Tuesday October 31. We will have our parade which will be outdoors around the blacktop for all students K-5 beginning at 1:40. We will exit the south doors (by bus drop off) walk to the blacktop track proceeding around the track, then walk along the north side of the building and then re-enter through the front doors. Our morning kindergarten class will have their parade at 8:15-those students will parade around the south patio and grass area and then enter the front doors, parents wanting to see them can line up along the sidewalk south of the building.

Students will be able to dress up but they will need to follow guidelines and as always wear specified face masks along with their costumes. Students will need to bring costumes (except for half day kinder students, they can wear their costume to school) to school as they will dress during an afternoon designated time, please make sure that they need as little support dressing as possible as there are many students and only one teacher per classroom to help with this.

For those parents who wish to have their children participate, please follow the guidelines below:

• Students must be able to put their own costumes/make-up on without assistance.
• No masks, aside from usual face masks for COVID-19 may be worn.
• No costumes and/or make-up may be worn that depict blood and violence.
• Students are not to bring anything that resembles a weapon of any fashion, even if it part of a costume.
• No political costumes, please.
• No bare midriffs or scant clothing.
• Costumes must be appropriate for school and not distract students from the learning environment.

Students will be asked to remove any parts of the costume that are not within the guidelines, or cover up with a jacket if you have a question regarding a costume please reach out to me or your classroom teacher.

After the parade, we will have classroom parties starting at 2:00. Each classroom will have a party. If you do not wish for your child to participate in the Halloween activities please let your child's teacher know. Lincoln will offer an alternative activity to those students which may include watching a movie or playing games. All activities during the party will be organized by the room parent, and no food is permitted during the party. Thank you for understanding.

Room parents will reach out to parents listed on our volunteer list regarding the classroom party and planning in the next day or so if they haven't done so already. Classroom plans should be submitted to the homeroom teacher by Friday, October 20. We also need the other two parents names by next Friday as well.

In an effort to honor our veteran's we are beginning to plan our Veteran's day celebration. Above is an attached flyer for you to print and complete and return to school so we can place these up in our hallways and students can see photos and information regarding Lincoln community veterans. We also would like to do a celebration honoring those that are able to join us in person on Nov. 11 in the morning at about 8:30, this will be done in the gym. If you know of a veteran that you would like to be invited please complete this google form, including their address or email so we can mail invitations to honor them.

Pick up and drop off procedures

The car line on the north side of the building is for drop off, please do not park your car and get out. If you feel like your child needs assistance getting out of their car seat or you need to get out during the process please park your car in the library lot and you can walk them over to the door.

When picking up for an appointment early

If your son or daughter needs to leave school mid-day for an appointment, please understand that we will not call your child down to the office until you are here. Time in school is very limited and every moment counts, once you are here we will call them and promptly have them come down to leave with you, but we do not want to call ahead because often they are missing valuable instruction waiting for the pick up due to unforeseen circumstances. Thank you for understanding.

We have 3 programs directly helping low-income families in D303:

1. Big Hearts Throughout the Year (BHTTY) Program:

D303 social workers refer families in need to us. We shop for the requested clothing, shoes, backpacks and supplies for D303 kids and toiletry items for the family. We help families up to 2 times a school year (while funds last).

2. Christmas Sponsorship Program:

We work with D303 social workers who collect wish lists from families who are in need of help

providing Christmas gifts for all the children in their family. This helps D303 families with children

birth-18. We gather shoppers from the community to shop for these anonymous kids. Big Hearts will

host a “Santa’s Drive-Thru Pick Up” for families to pick up the gifts. Each family receives gifts for each of their children as well as a grocery store gift card and a family board game. We try to make each child's bag contain the same number of gifts, so when a bag is a little “light” we fill them with items that were collected from our Holiday Toy Drive. Our schools help to make this happen!

3. Warm Coats & Warm Hearts Program:

We purchase new coats that kids will be proud to wear when they go on sale each year. When families mark that their kids need coats on their Holiday wish list, we pull them from our inventory so they can have a warm coat before it gets cold. We drop these off at D303 schools each October. This also frees up the Holiday Wish list shoppers so they can concentrate on other items on their list..

Week of October 23rd- -SELF CARE MANIA! -Beauty and bath products, perfumes, colognes, cozy

blankets, hair care, journals, jewelry, squishmellows, candles. The collection box will be located in our front vestibule AND a staff member will be outside Wednesday morning in the drop off line to collect donations!

Dear Lincoln families,

Please note the following in order for your child to safely and actively participate in PE this year:

Tennis Shoes must be worn. No sandals, slick-soled shoes, rubber spikes, clogs, boots, heels, or croc-type shoes. These shoes are not safe for activity!

Shorts or Pants are appropriate for the gym. Shorts and leggings are recommended underneath skirts/dresses).

Illnesses or Injuries that would prevent your child from participating in PE should be explained in a note from you. A doctor’s excuse is necessary for any child missing more than three days of gym.

Weather is changing, so please send your child to school in layers (sweaters/jackets) recommended as we will be going outside even throughout the winter months.

Please feel free to contact me with questions or concerns. Thank you for your cooperation.

Ms. Semenek

District 303 is pleased to present its lineup of Parent Education sessions for the 2023-2024 school year.

The Parent Education series (formerly Parent University) includes informational meetings and workshops intended to empower parents and guardians to support their children’s academic, social and emotional needs. Become informed on specialized topics, engage in two-way dialogue with speakers and fellow parents, and become a support resource for others.

Dear Parents,

It is cold and flu season! The health service team in District 303 has been caring for

a number of students experiencing fevers and other cold-like symptoms including

cough and congestion. Preventative measures remain the most effective way to

reduce the spread of influenza and other viral illnesses like COVID-19.

Students who present to the Health Office with a fever of 100 F or higher and/or

feeling poorly are sent home. To prevent widespread illness in school, we

recommend that your child stay home when they are ill. Please consider the

following guidelines when making this decision:

CONSIDER KEEPING YOUR CHILD AT HOME with::

● Very stuffy or runny nose and/or cough

● Mild sore throat (no fever, no known exposure to strep or COVID)

● Headache

● Mild stomach ache

DEFINITELY KEEP YOUR CHILD AT HOME with:

● Fever (greater than 100 degrees F)

● Vomiting (even once)

● Diarrhea

● Chills

● General malaise or feelings of fatigue

● Frequent congested (wet) or croupy cough

● Lots of nasal congestion with frequent blowing of nose

TO HELP PREVENT THE FLU AND OTHER COLDS, reinforce:

● Wash hands frequently

● Do not touch eyes, nose or mouth

● Respiratory etiquette

● Avoid close contact with people who are ill

Viruses are the most contagious during the first 48 hours. A child who has a fever

should remain at home until "fever free" and for a minimum of 24 hours. A child

who has started antibiotics needs to be on medication for at least 24 hours before

he/she is considered non-contagious and able to return to school. Keeping your ill

child at home will minimize the spread of infections and viruses in the classroom!

Thank you in advance for helping make this year at school as healthy as possible.

Sincerely,

Health Service Team

• Lincoln Family Hockey Night-Chicago Steel Game 10/21 6pm

District 303 would like to remind families to make sure the contact information you’ve provided is up-to-date. We want to ensure you’re getting timely alerts on important notifications.

Prior to the start of class, District 303 will send test messages through its mass communication system to the contact information you have on file (email, text and phone). This is the way the District and your child’s school(s) contact you when sending mass messages simultaneously.

Visit the Home Access Center website for information on how to view and edit your contact settings.

View Notification Preferences/Enable Text Messages
District 303 will send notifications to families through the ParentLink system by text message, phone call and email based on your settings. Parents/guardians can view and edit their contact settings through the Home Access Center.

To receive timely emergency communications, we strongly encourage families to enable text notifications. For most people, this is the fastest way to receive and view important messages. Here’s how:

• From the HAC main menu, select the “registration” tab to view your contact settings
• Select the “edit” button to change your contact settings
• To enable text message notifications, enter your cell phone number in the Cell/Text field
• Select the “save” button

Users can only update their child(ren) and personal contact information. You will not be able to make changes to another parent/guardian's contact information. For updates to emergency contact people, please reach out to the school directly.

If your student is going to be late or absent, please call 331-228-2500 and press 1 to report the absence and the reason. Leave a message on the attendance line as soon as possible that morning or the night before. Thank you for your help in verifying absences from school.

If you would like to recognize a Lincoln staff member for making a positive impact on your child or family, going above and beyond in their work, and/or contributing to making Lincoln an AMAZING school, PLEASE fill out this form and let them know! You can fill this form out as many times as you like. Each Shout-Out will be shared with the staff member that you nominate. It will not be shared with the whole staff or with the school community. Thank you for helping us celebrate the wonderful ways our staff supports our students!