Lincoln School News

January 2024

School Hours - 8:10 - 2:40

Message from Mrs. Hawkins

January 2024

Dear Lincoln Families and Friends,

Happy New Year! As we embark on the month of January, I am delighted to share some exciting updates and reflections on the progress we have made thus far in the school year.

We are approaching the halfway point of the academic year, and I am proud to report that we are making substantial strides toward achieving our building goals in reading, math, and student engagement.

One significant achievement this school year is the successful implementation of a new phonics program for students in kindergarten through second grade. This program is helping our young learners develop and master foundational skills essential for reading. By focusing on these fundamental building blocks, we are ensuring that our students have a solid foundation to become confident and proficient readers.

Our teachers have been diligently working to enhance student engagement in the classroom. We understand that engaged students are more likely to excel academically and develop a lifelong love for learning. To achieve this, our educators have been incorporating various strategies, including movement activities, collaborative learning experiences, and providing students with more choices in their learning journey. These approaches not only make learning more enjoyable but also cater to diverse learning styles and preferences.

As we reach the midpoint of the school year, we are gearing up for the winter benchmark assessments in reading and math. These assessments play a crucial role in evaluating our overall progress as a school and provide valuable insights into the specific needs of individual students. The information gathered from these assessments will guide us in refining our teaching methods and implementing targeted interventions to support every student on their academic journey.

I want to express my gratitude to our incredible Lincoln Elementary School community for your ongoing support and commitment to the success of our students. It is through our collaborative efforts that we can create a positive and nurturing learning environment for all.

Wishing you all a fantastic start to the new year!

Mary Hawkins

Principal Lincoln Elementary School

Mark your Calendar

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December 22nd-Pajama Day

December 25th-January 1st-No School Winter Break

January 2nd-School Resumes

January 9th-PTO Meeting at 6:00 in the Lincoln IMC

January 10th-Student Council meeting at 2:45

January 15th-No School

January 22nd-No School

January 24th-Student Council meeting at 2:45

Lincoln Science Fair

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The Lincoln science fair will take place on February 29th, 2024. All registrations are due by January 26th. Here is the link to sign up for the science fair.

K-5 Design Boundary Process

The district has started a K-5 boundaries design process, due to the current imbalance of attendance between the four elementary schools, building space limitations, and disparity in neighborhood growth.

The process includes a Design Team of principals, administrators, staff, and Owatonna Bus Company representation to assess the current situation and create models of possible options.

An Input Team composed of staff and parents/guardians from each elementary school and the early learning program will provide feedback on the models.

The Input Team meetings will be held in the Owatonna Middle School cafeteria and are open to the public to attend, to listen and learn. Only Input Team members will provide feedback at these meetings. The dates are:

January 23, 6-8pm
February 20, 6-8pm

You will have the opportunity to provide feedback online regarding the boundary models. Find more information on our district website.

The finalized options will be presented to the School Board to review and vote on in March.

Lincoln Ice Skating Volunteers

Lincoln Students will have the opportunity to go ice skating on Jan 19th at Morehouse Park. We are looking for parent volunteers to help run the event. Volunteers would help with tying/un-tying skates and supervising the different areas during each session.
If you are interested in helping this year please fill out this form, select yes for the time(s) you are willing to volunteer. I included our schedule (Grade/teacher initials) so you can pair up with your students.

**** If temperature/weather does not cooperate we will reschedule for a later date. ****

Healthy Husky Challenge

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Congratulations Lincoln students and families! The Healthy Husky Challenge on November 20 brought in over $11,500.00 in donations. Way to Go!!!! Donations will go towards Community Pathways, new hurdles for our elementary track meets and our physical education department here at Lincoln. Thank you prizes will be awarded in about one month. Thanks for all your support in this great service learning project of giving back to others and helping our Lincoln community!

Lincoln PE Team

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Lincoln Student Council Food Drive

The Lincoln School student council held a food drive November 13-November 16th and collected a total of 1,378 lbs of food for Community Pathways in Owatonna. The winner of a movie and popcorn was second grade who collected 412 lbs of food! Way to go Lincoln second grade!

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Montessori Open House

The Montessori approach to education embraces individualized instruction for children, mixed-age groupings of students, a structured curriculum, and a prepared environment, using specialized Montessori teaching materials. Montessori classrooms provide and environment that supports independent, self-directed learning, and self assessment.

Montessori students display:

Self-directed work habits
High level of responsibility to work independently
Enjoyment of hands-on learning

There are two Montessori Classrooms:

E1 - Grades 1-2
E2 - Grades 3-5

Enrollment will open to new families on January 22, 2023 and will close on February 9th, 2024. This is a first come, first serve basis. Here is the enrollment link.

There will be an Open House Thursday, February 1st from 5:00-6:00 at McKinley School. If you have any questions regarding the Montessori program, please call the McKinley office 507-444-8200.

Let's Support Team "L"

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Lincoln School is part of Buffalo Wild Wings Home Team Advantage program. Lincoln PTO will receive 10% of your total sale when mentioning Team “L” to the server or cashier (dine-in or take-out) anytime you are dining at BWW. Don’t forget to mention that you are supporting Lincoln PTO or Team L and Buffalo Wild Wings will take care of the rest. Thank you for your support!

School Closing Reminders

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When decisions are made to alter the school day or cancel it due to inclement weather, every effort is made to communicate that decision to parents in a timely manner through our school messenger system, website, and local radio and TV stations.

Parents can choose to receive notifications via text message, phone call, email, and/or parent portal inbox messages. To help us contact households efficiently, be sure to update home, work and/or cellphone information in the Infinite Campus Parent Portal, and verify that the appropriate boxes are checked to receive notifications.

Other ways to stay informed:

Visit the website: www.isd761.org
Check local TV stations: KSTP-5, KMSP FOX 9, WCCO, KEYC TV, KTTC, KAAL
Listen to local radio stations: KOWZ, KRFO/KAT KOUNTRY 105, KDHL

The first two inclement weather/emergency days in the Owatonna Public Schools are considered non-attendance days for students. In the event OPS has more than two inclement weather/emergency days, students will follow the E-Learning Plan.