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

Friday, 10/20-School Improvement Day-No Attendance for students

Saturday, 10/21-Chicago Steel Lincoln Family Night

Wednesday, 10/25-Early Release

Today we had a great celebration, students were able to wear sports jerseys for spirit day, they enjoyed popsicles at lunch time and wrapped up the day with a glow stick dance party, this was our Fun Day as a result of a very successful run-a-thon. Thank you to all who suported our school.

In addition too all of this our primary students learned about fire safety from the St. Charles Fire Department. October is fire prevention month, and this is a great opportunity to talk about fire safety and prevention and to check your fire alarms.

Next week we have another short week, Friday is a school improvement day, teachers and staff will continue to learn about professional learning communities and the importance of Tier 1 instruction and continuimng all students in accessing and learning grade level skills, along with reviewing currenrt student data to inform our instruction.

Finally I wanted to reshare something that was shared by our district this week regarding the process the school board and district are engaging in to consider attendance boundaries.

This summer, the Board approved the repurposing of Fox Ridge as an elementary school, relocating Learning and Teaching staff and offices and the Transition Program to Lincoln, and relocating early childhood to the Haines Center. Redrawing boundaries is the next step in order to fully meet space needs and ensure each student is provided with a safe, equitable and effective academic and social-emotional experience.

On Tuesday, the Board approved guiding principles and criteria to support its upcoming decision on new school attendance boundaries. New boundaries will be decided in February 2024, and take effect with the 2024-2025 school year. Changes to the boundary lines will impact each school to varying degrees.

• 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..

Friday Oct 13th - Starting next week we will be partnering with Big Hearts of Fox Valley to support

those in need within our D303 community. Next week's theme will be FULL ON PLAY! Bring in

NEW- NERF, Dino toys, dolls, action and superhero figures! Items from your favorite games!

Pokémon, Minecraft, and ROBLOX!. 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

Name: Laura Hill

Occupation: Student Support Interventionist Assistant

Place of birth: MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn, IL

Family: My husband Greg, daughter Sophie, and son Zach

Pets: Aki, a 10 year old Schnoodle and Hugo, a 7 year old Spitz mix

Favorite sport: Swimming

Favorite thing to do over the weekend: In the spring, summer, and fall: hike for mushrooms and berries. In the winter: go out to a restaurant to eat Chinese dumplings!

Best places to visit: Minnesota to see my kids and to go hiking around Lake Superior!

Favorite book: My favorite book was a gift from my husband Greg: Sam Thayer’s Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants

What superhero would you be? Black Widow

One wish: I wish there was less light pollution so we could see more of the stars and planets in the night sky.

Favorite food: Chinese dumplings are my comfort food

Dairy Queen or Oberweis? Oberweis vanilla

Favorite Season: Fall

Favorite College: Roosevelt University

Favorite Team: I watch the NCAA final four, but am not a sports fan

Airplane or Road trip: Road trip

Fun Facts: I am a home fermenter. Which means I love to play around with microbes and mix science with food! I have fermented many things, including various types of yogurt/dairy cultures, Japanese miso, vegetables such as tomatoes and cucumbers, different types of sauerkraut, sourdoughs (rye and wheat), and fruit ciders. Right now I'm fermenting homemade carrot/ginger sauerkraut in preparation for our family Thanksgiving dinner!

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.

Attention parents/guardians of kindergarten, 2nd grade and new students to Lincoln:

Evidence of your students immunizations and a current physical performed by a licensed medical provider must be turned in by October 15th, 2023 per Illinois School Code (105 ILCS 5/27-8.1). Failure to turn in these forms will result in your child being excluded from school starting October 16th until these requirements are met.

Students entering an Illinois school for the first time, including kindergarten students, require proof of a current vision examination performed by a licensed provider by October 15th, 2023 per Illinois School Code (105 ILCS 5/27-8.1).

Students who are new to District 303 and Illinois schools must submit health records (physical examination with immunization record, dental examination and vision examination) within 30 days of entering school. These will be reviewed by the nurse for compliance.

Students in kindergarten and 2nd grade must submit evidence of a dental examination by May 15th of this school year. Dental exams must be completed within 18 months of May15th or November 15th of 2022.

Resources are available. If you require additional assistance please contact the Lincoln School Health Office Nurse at 331-228-2504 or through email at christy.mathern@d303.org.

Grade Level

Requirements

Date Due

Kindergarten

Physical Examination

10/15/2023 or exclusion

Immunization Record

10/15/2023 or exclusion

Vision Examination

10/15/2023

Dental Examination

5/15/2023

exam 11/15/22 -5/15/2023

New Student to Illinois

Vision Examination

10/15/2023

Health Records

Within 30 days

10/15/2023 or exclusion

New Student to District 303

Health Records

Within 30 days

10/15/2023 or exclusion

2nd Grade

Dental Examination

5/15/2023

exam 11/15/22 -5/15/2023

Thank you,

Michelle Woodring, Principal

Christy Mathern, Lincoln School Health Office Nurse

Wendy Landers, Lincoln School Certified School Nurse

• 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!