Lincoln Weekly News

Lincoln Early Learning Center houses the preschool programs for three school districts: Fremont District 79, Hawthorn District 73, and Mundelein District 75.

⬅️ Check out the Table of Contents on the left for the latest news from your district.

Please note: If you are unable to view this message in its entirety (viewing all 3 district sections below), please open the message in a new browser so you are able to view important time-sensitive information for your respective district.

Dear Lincoln Early Learning Center Families,

It was a busy week at Lincoln for our little learners! We were so glad to take advantage of the warmer weather these past few days, and our students had a fantastic time playing outside. It was especially exciting to see them exploring and enjoying the new playground equipment! Outdoor play is such an important part of their development, and we love seeing their joy and energy as they run, climb, and play together.

I’d also want to share two wonderful parent education opportunities available to you through STAR NET. These sessions provide valuable insights and strategies that can help you support your child’s learning and development at home. Be sure to check out the fliers below for more details.

Looking ahead, we are preparing for our upcoming parent-teacher conferences. These meetings are a great opportunity to connect with your child’s teacher, discuss their progress, and set goals for the remainder of the year. Strong partnerships between families and educators help support student success. Please keep an eye out for more information from your child's teacher about scheduling your conference time.

Thank you for your continued support and involvement in our preschool community. Together, we are Proud to ROAR Together as we create a nurturing and engaging environment for our students. Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

Warm regards,

Katie O’Brien
Principal, Lincoln Early Learning Center

kobrien@fsd79.org

Kim Stergios
Building Assistant Supervisor, Lincoln Early Learning Center

stergiosk@hawthorn73.org

Absences

If your child will be absent from school because of illness, doctors’ appointments or vacation, please contact us at Lincoln at 847-949-2720. Please notify the school office by 9:30 a.m. the day of the absence to leave a recorded message regarding your child's absence. Keeping track of all the students on a daily basis is a huge task and we greatly appreciate your prompt attention.

Medical Forms

Annual Physical Examinations are required within the first 30 days of entering preschool. All forms can be emailed, faxed, or brought in with your student. If we do not receive your child’s physical, your child will be excluded from school and cannot return to school until submitted. Per IL State Law we must have a child’s physical by October 15 or within 30 days of starting preschool.

Illness and Injuries

Please remember that any child with a fever should stay home until they have been fever free without the use of fever-reducing medication, for at least 24 hours. Students should also remain home if they are experiencing vomiting or diarrhea. Students may NOT return to school for at least 24 hours after the last episode.

**We are seeing an increase in nurse office visits with sick students. It is imperative that the health office has current telephone numbers for parents and designated emergency contact persons. You are responsible for someone picking your child up within 30 minutes of the call.**

Medications

All medications, feeding, and treatment supplies are to be supplied by the parent per school policy.

Doctor’s orders for medications, feedings, and treatments are required at the beginning of each school year. The school nurse will not accept or administer any medications (including over the counter medications) or perform nursing services or treatments without a doctor’s order. Please do not send medication to school in your child's backpack. All medication must be brought to school by a parent or guardian.

Any questions related to the above health office guidelines should be directed to the health office staff.

Liz Mulé

847.949.2720 ext.1503

emule@d75.org or mulee@hawthorn73.org

efax: 847.388.4842

Parent/Guardian Pick Up and Drop off is at Door 2 on the east side of the building. Parents/Guardians who pick up their children on set scheduled days will have a laminated sign with their child's first and last name on it in their district’s color. Please make this sign visible so supervisors can easily identify you. If you need extras, please let the office know.

Parent/Guardian Drop Off

● Pull along the curb. The first car to arrive should stop at the first cone along the curb. There are 4 cones total. The line will continue along the curb and onto Ridgeland Ave if needed.

● Once at a cone, please wait in your car for a staff member. When a staff member is present, please exit your child curbside. Do not walk your child to the door.

● Do not exit your car until you have been able to pull up to a spot marked with a cone along the curb.

● Please keep in mind your speed when arriving and leaving as students, parents, and staff

members are arriving at school. Do not pull forward to an empty cone unless a staff member directs you to do so.

*If you are a family that walks to school from your own, please walk your child directly to the student line on the basketball court.

Parent/Guardian Pick Up

● Pull along the curb. The first car to arrive should stop at the first cone along the curb. There are 4 cones total. If the curb is full, please wait in the line to pull to a cone along the curb.

● Once at cone, please wait inside of your car until a staff member brings your child

to you. Please do not walk to the door to get your child.

*If you are a family that walks to school from your home, please wait by the basketball court with your sign.

Please refer to our Pick Up and Drop Off Procedures for our specific guidelines.

Change in Dismissal

Please contact América Lanuza (lanuzaa@hawthorn73.org) or Danielle Garcia (dgarcia@d75.org) at the Lincoln Front Office(847-949-2720) if there are any end of day changes throughout the school year. Teachers may not always be able to pick up their phone or check email throughout the day, so it would be best to call the front office with any changes. América and Danielle will relay any changes to the classroom teacher after you contact them. Please contact the main office by 10:00 a.m for the morning session and 2:00 pm for the afternoon session for any changes in regards to a child's dismissal procedures.

As a reminder, if your student is in our Tri-District classroom, they will follow the arrival and dismissal times below:

• AM: 8:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
• PM: 12:15 p.m. - 2:45 p.m

Please see below or review the Hawthorn School District 73 section for information about important dates.

February 13 - Parent-Teacher Conferences 3:30 - 8:00 p.m.

February 14 - No School - Parent Teacher Conferences 8:00 - 11:00 a.m.

February 17 - No School - President's Day

Please review your home district section for any other information, including PTO, spirit wear, and other fun things happening in your home district!

Immigration Enforcement & Schools

Our priority remains to ensure that every child feels safe and supported in our schools. This update is to address questions and concerns regarding the decision by the federal Department of Homeland Security to rescind its policy that previously restricted immigration enforcement in “protected areas/sensitive locations” such as schools. This communication is meant to clarify our role in maintaining a safe environment where all students can learn without fear.

• Recent changes do not expand the agency’s authority to gain access to students in schools or to request student records without proper legal documentation or parental/guardian consent as outlined in the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) or the Illinois Student Records Act (ISRA).

• Should an on-campus visit occur, visitors cannot enter our schools without permission and/or appropriate legal documentation. Federal agents would be sent to the District Office to ensure all legal requirements are in place. In this case, they would need to present a valid judicial warrant (federal court) and/or receive parental consent before accessing school buildings or interacting with students.

• To that end, we have provided clear guidance to our front office staff and administrators on handling situations if federal agents arrive on school property.

The safety and well-being of all our students are our highest priorities. We continue to work closely with our regional and state education agencies as well as our legal counsel. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to a school administrator or the District Office.

Control de inmigración y escuelas

Nuestra prioridad sigue siendo garantizar que cada niño se sienta seguro y apoyado en nuestras escuelas. Esta actualización tiene como objetivo abordar preguntas e inquietudes sobre la decisión del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional federal de rescindir su política que anteriormente restringía la aplicación de la ley de inmigración en “áreas protegidas/lugares sensibles”, como las escuelas. Esta comunicación tiene como objetivo aclarar nuestro papel en el mantenimiento de un entorno seguro donde todos los estudiantes puedan aprender sin miedo.

• Los cambios recientes no amplían la autoridad de la agencia para obtener acceso a los estudiantes en las escuelas o solicitar registros estudiantiles sin la documentación legal adecuada o el consentimiento de los padres/tutores como se describe en la Ley de Privacidad y Derechos Educativos de la Familia (FERPA) o la Ley de Registros Estudiantiles de Illinois (ISRA).

• En caso de que se realice una visita al campus, los visitantes no pueden ingresar a nuestras escuelas sin el permiso y/o la documentación legal adecuada. Los agentes federales serán enviados a la Oficina del Distrito para garantizar que se cumplan todos los requisitos legales. En este caso, necesitarían presentar una orden judicial válida (tribunal federal) y/o recibir el consentimiento de los padres antes de acceder a los edificios escolares o interactuar con los estudiantes.

• Con ese fin, hemos brindado orientación clara a nuestro personal de recepción y a los administradores sobre cómo manejar situaciones si los agentes federales llegan a la propiedad escolar.

La seguridad y el bienestar de todos nuestros estudiantes son nuestras principales prioridades. Seguimos trabajando estrechamente con nuestras agencias educativas regionales y estatales, así como con nuestro asesor legal. Si tiene alguna pregunta o inquietud, no dude en comunicarse con un administrador escolar o con la oficina del distrito.

Parent University: NEW DATE - Feb. 4

Join us for our next Parent University engagement series session at Fremont Middle School on Tuesday, Feb. 4. In this presentation, Jennifer McAdams, LCPC, CEDS-S joins our Fremont community to discuss how to support kids through emotional validation, compassion and positive boundaries. Borrowing from Emotion Focused Family Therapy (EFFT), this presentation will empower parents to lean on proven strategies in order to let go of guilt and foster a caring environment where their child feels emotionally safe and supported.

Join Our Team!

Check out our listing of teaching and support staff openings for the upcoming 2025-26 school year. Learn more: https://www.fsd79.org/jobs

Join Us for Parent Book Club Night! - Feb. 11

Excessive technology use and its potential consequences are concerns for many parents. With that in mind, we invite all parents to join us on February 11 from 6:30-8:00 p.m. at Fremont Middle School for a Parent Book Club discussion on the New York Times #1 Bestseller "The Anxious Generation" by Jonathan Haidt. We’ll explore all three sections together, share thoughts, and discuss how to navigate the challenges of raising kids in the digital age.

While we encourage parents to read the book in advance, it is not necessary to have read the book in order to join us for the discussion on February 11. For individuals who would like to listen to the book, an audio version can be found at Audible. The evening's event will be an opportunity to share our own experiences with our children's technology and social media use.

District parents, administrators, and psychologists will collaborate to lead the discussion. We'll also be offering complimentary soup for attendees. While it is not required to RSVP to attend the discussion, we ask that you please do so if you intend to take advantage of free on-site childcare that evening (see link below).

Additional Resources:

• "The Anxious Generation" Animated Book Summary

• Dr. Becky/Jonathan Haidt Podcast

February 17 - No School - President's Day

February 26 - Additional Parent Teacher Conference Night 4:00 - 8:00 p.m.

March 6 - No School - Parent Teacher Conferences 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

March 7 - No School - Institute Day

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

The Fremont PTO would love to see you at our meetings this year! Meetings are on the third Wednesday of the month in the Middle School Den at 6:00 pm. Our next meeting is on February 19th.

Childcare services for children ages 3+ will be provided at ALL of our upcoming PTO meetings. Please use the form below to let us know if you will be bringing a child to the meeting. It is not required to RSVP; however, we ask that you please do so if you plan to take advantage of childcare. Care will be provided by Fremont Middle School students for individuals ages 3 and up. Here is the form.

RSVP Form for childcare: https://forms.gle/ceerdTKn7Pa51mVt7

Here is the list of all meeting dates for the 2024-2025 school year.

To stay in the know of what Fremont PTO is up to, follow and tag us on social media:

Instagram: @fremontpto

Facebook: Fremont PTO

HELP WANTED - MEMBERSHIP TOOLKIT

The PTO is looking for two volunteers to help with Membership Toolkit. The time commitment is about one hour per month. For more information on how to volunteer, contact the Fremont Parent Liaison at fsdptoparentliaison@gmail.com.

SUPPORT OUR AMAZING CLASSROOM TEACHERS!

Please help the Fremont PTO replenish all of the amazing teachers’ classroom supplies! The PTO has created an Amazon Wish List for parents to help. The PTO will distribute your donations to teachers via our WOOT WOOT wagon.

If you would like to send money directly to the PTO, please Venmo your donation to @Fremont-PTO with "Woot Woot" in the memo. Thank you for your help!

SPIRIT WEAR

Our Spring Spirit Wear Sale will begin next Friday, February 7th and run through Friday, February, 21st. Please watch for more information via your child's backpack, our social media accounts and/or our weekly updates. We are excited to offer three new designs and a variety of different styles! Thank you for showing your support and spreading our Fremont cheer!

VALENTINE’S DAY CLASS PARTIES

Party Hosts for the Valentine’s Day Classroom Parties have been assigned and notified. Each class party is designated 3 Party Hosts. If more than 3 parents signed up for a classroom party, volunteers were chosen at random. Please note: All remaining parents who have not been notified, have not been assigned to host a party will not be invited to attend the party.

SWEETHEART DANCE

Our annual Sweetheart Dance is Saturday, February 8th from 6:30pm-8:30pm at Fremont Intermediate School. Please have your daughter/s arrive with an important adult figure in their life. Enjoy a sweet evening of dancing, light refreshments, games, and photos! The PTO will be hosting a similar event for sons in May. All ages are welcome to put on their best and pose with their adult for pictures. Here is the Sweetheart Dance registration form. Pre-registration is due by Monday, February 3rd. Click here to see our flyer for more information.

FREMONT PTO BOOK CLUB

Feeling overwhelmed by your child’s screen time and social media?

As parents, we’re all on a learning journey – let’s make that journey easier and more insightful together! Join us February 11, 2025 from 6:30-8:00pm in the Middle School Den for the Fremont Parent Book Club.

Pick up a copy of The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt and dive into this eye-opening book. We’ll explore all three sections together, share thoughts, and discuss how to navigate the challenges of raising kids in the digital age.

Don’t miss out – start reading today and come ready to connect, learn, and grow as a community!

SHOP. SCAN. EARN.

Forget the scissors - Box Tops for Education has gone digital! Simply download the Box Tops for Education app (see www.boxtops4education.com for more info), select Fremont School District 79 (in Mundelein, IL) as your beneficiary, and you're all set! Enter the code H02P2R0D when you register for bonus points. Then simply scan your receipts after shopping, and watch the points (and $$) add up for our schools!

UPCOMING DINE-IN NIGHTS

Thank you for attending our Portillos fundraiser - it was a success! Be on the lookout for our next one. We have a full year of dine-in nights ahead – check out the list here!

ORDER YOUR YEARBOOK NOW!

Don’t forget to order your student's 2024-2025 yearbook. Use the correct school code from our flyer when you order!

PTO MEMBERSHIP/ONLINE DIRECTORY FOR 2024-2025 SCHOOL YEAR

If you already have an account in Membership Toolkit, thank you for creating and/or updating your Membership Toolkit account last year.

If you don't have an account in Membership Toolkit, set it up now for free! Once you have created an account in Membership Toolkit your child will appear in the online directory immediately (that's if you choose to do so). To create an account, go to fsd79.membershiptoolkit.com and follow the directions in the attached form (Online Student Directory Set Up Instructions 2024-2025).

To gain access to the Online Student Directory your account must be active and you must pay the $15 PTO Membership Family Fee. If you paid your PTO Membership fee through your TeacherEase account before June 15th, your payment has been confirmed and you currently have access to the Online Student Directory. If you didn’t pay your PTO Membership Family Fee before June 15th, you can pay the $15 PTO Membership Family fee thru Venmo @Fremont-PTO; or by bringing or sending the attached form with your cash payment or check made payable to Fremont PTO to any school front office. The option to pay the PTO Membership Fee thru your TeacherEase account is no longer available. Once we receive confirmation of your payment, we will give you access to the online directory. Please note it may take up to one week to be granted access to the online directory.

Don't forget to download the FREE Membership Toolkit app to your smartphone-search "Membership Toolkit" in your app store.

BIRTHDAY BOARD

Celebrate your Fremont Student's special day! "Happy Birthday, Your Child's Name" can appear on the Fremont Electronic Message Board. Just complete the Birthday Board Request Google Form 2024-2025; or complete the birthday board form and send it back to any school front office with your $5 payment per birthday message. If you have any questions, please contact Christie Johnson at cjohnson@fsd79.org.

February 13 - Parent-Teacher Conferences 3:30 - 8:00 p.m.

February 14 - No School - Parent Teacher Conferences 8:00 - 11:00 a.m.

February 17 - No School - President's Day

BRIGHT ARROW

• Our BrightArrow notification system enables you to stay in touch in the event of emergencies, delays/cancellations, and other important events throughout the school year. In order for you to be able to receive these notifications, it is vital that you keep your contact information accurate and up to date with your child’s school.
• You can confirm and/or request to update your contact information by contacting your student's school. We encourage you to take a minute to make sure your contact information is up-to-date so you don't miss out on important notifications.

To Receive Text Alerts

1. You must have your mobile phone number on file with your child’s school to receive text messages. (If you’re not certain whether you’ve done this, please contact your child’s school.)
2. To opt in to text messages send the word Yes to the shortcode 79041. Once you opt-in, BrightArrow will send you a confirmation that your phone number is subscribed.
3. After opting in, you should be receiving text messages along with email notifications. If you still are not receiving text messages (only email) please contact your child’s school to update your telephone number.

February 13 - Parent Teacher Conferences 5:00 - 8:00 p.m.

February 14 - No School - Teacher Institute Day

February 17 - No School - President's Day