Bear Bulletin

Happy New Year, Lincoln Elementary families! As we step into the second half of the school year, we want to take a moment to celebrate the hard work and growth our students have achieved so far. The halfway mark is a perfect time to reflect, set new goals, and recommit to routines that support student success.

One of the most important factors in your child’s academic progress is regular attendance. Every day matters! Research shows that students who attend school consistently are more likely to stay on track academically, build strong relationships with peers and teachers, and develop the habits they need for lifelong success.

Why Attendance Matters

• Learning Builds Daily: Each lesson builds on the previous one, and missing even one day can create gaps in understanding.
• Social Connections: Being present helps students build friendships and feel part of the school community.
• Positive Habits: Consistent attendance teaches responsibility and time management, skills that will serve students well throughout life.

Texas Compulsory Attendance Requirements

Under Texas law, children ages 6 through 19 are required to attend school, and those less than 6 are subject to compulsory attendance requirements while they are voluntarily enrolled. Students must attend at least 90% of the days in a school year to receive credit for their classes. Excessive absences—excused or unexcused—may result in a loss of credit and require attendance recovery.

Parents and guardians are also legally responsible for ensuring their child’s attendance. If a student accrues too many unexcused absences, the school may file a truancy complaint, which can lead to fines or other legal consequences.

Tips for Supporting Strong Attendance

• Establish a Routine: Set a consistent bedtime and morning routine to make school mornings less stressful.
• Plan Ahead: Schedule appointments and vacations outside of school hours whenever possible.
• Communicate: If your child is facing challenges that affect attendance, please reach out to us. We are here to help!

Let’s work together to make the second half of the school year a success for every Lincoln Bear. With your partnership, we can ensure that all our students have the opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive every single day.

Thank you for your ongoing support, and let’s make 2025 our best year yet!

For more details about attendance policies, visit Texas Education Agency Attendance Guidelines or a this user-friendly summary.

Attention parents of kindergarten and 1st-grade students: The nomination window for Gifted and Talented (GT) testing for kindergarten and first grade students is now open! The deadline for nominations for evaluation for K-1 students is January 17.

Teachers, parents, administrators, and peers may refer students for GT assessment. In order for your child to be considered for Montgomery ISD Gifted and Talented (GT) services, you must give your permission. You are only giving permission for your child to be evaluated for GT services. The first level of evaluation includes your completing the SIGS Home Survey. MISD will also administer assessments and gather data to make the best informed decision. All evaluations and assessments will be administered during the school day.

What Makes a Student Gifted vs. a High Achiever?

It's important to understand the difference between high achievers and gifted learners:

• High Achievers excel in academics, often earning top grades, completing tasks efficiently, and showing strong study skills.
• Gifted Learners demonstrate exceptional creativity, problem-solving, and advanced thinking. They may question norms, show deep curiosity, or thrive in unconventional ways.

If you believe your child may benefit from the GT program, please consider submitting a referral during the open window.

For more information, visit the MISD GT website or contact our campus office. We look forward to partnering with you to support our students’ unique strengths and talents!

One of our campus goals is to build more parent involvement on our campus. As parents, you know your child best. We want to partner with you to consistently make our school better. Below are several opportunities where you can be involved or provide feedback.

• WatchDOGS - Click this link for more information, the program presentation from the district, the background form, and the registration form.
• If you are interested in volunteering as a Watch Dog, please email deanna.peterson@misd.org.
• Parent Feedback Form - Any time you want to share your thoughts, you can email, call, or make an appointment to visit. Another way you can provide input is to simply complete our parent feedback form at any time. Your responses are anonymous unless you choose to include your name and/or contact information.
  

Each week, we want to provide you with an overview of our Lincoln statistics and where we are as a campus. We will share information about enrollment, student behaviors, and attendance. Additionally, as we have celebrations to share regarding our students' academic successes, we'll list them here too.

Enrollment

Current enrollment: 468

Attendance

Our goal is to have 95% or better attendance each day. Good school attendance is a key indicator of future school success. Our average daily attendance for the year to date: 94.9%.

Classes with the Highest Attendance Rates Last Week:

• Perfect Attendance: Mrs. Rubio & Mrs. Torman
• 98.9% - Mrs. Treharne
• 98.1% - Ms. Brown & Mrs. Springer
• 97.9% - Mrs. Spanjer
• 97.8% - Mrs. Jones & Kirk
• 97.6% - Mrs. Knee & Mrs. Robison
• 96% - Mrs. Herzog & McCullough
• 95.6% - Mrs. Bush
• 95.5% - Mrs. White
• 95% - Mrs. Gerbrecht

Do you want a staff member recognized in our campus staff weekly newsletter? Just as our students work hard, so do our staff members. If you have a staff member who has gone above and beyond for your or your child, let us know about it! We love sharing your celebrations with our teachers, paraprofessionals, auxiliary and support staff. Your words mean more than you know for our staff. You can always email your feedback to kerri.ashlock@misd.org or complete this form.

Would you rather a special staff member be recognized at the district level? All staff members and parents are encouraged to nominate MISD employees who are "Making An Impact." Submit your nominations here: https://forms.gle/F3eWSxo3GawGw1f98

Monday, 1/6:

• Staff Work Day - No School for Students

Tuesday, 1/7:

• "Students Return; 1st Day of Second Semester

Wednesday, 1/8:

• 
  

Thursday, 1/9:

• Mrs. Treharne's Birthday
• Law Enforcement Appreciation Day

Friday, 1/10:

• Wear Your Favorite Hat (with a $1 Donation to Activity Fund)

January

• 14 - PTO Meeting 5:30 pm
• 19 - Mrs. Mullinnix's Birthday
• 20 - No School for Staff or Students
• 22 - Mrs. Spanjer's Birthday
• 28 - Mrs. Meeler's Birthday
• 31 - 100th Day of School

February

• 1 - Ms. Mericle's Birthday
• 3 - National School Counseling Week
• 5 - 5th Grade Course Selection Forms Due for MJH
• 7 - PTO - My Hero & Me Event
• 11 - PTO Meeting 5:30 pm
• 15 - School Resource Officer Day
• 17 - No School for Students; District PD Day
• 21 - Spring & Class Pictures
• 24 - Mrs. WIlson's Birthday
• 25 - Mrs. Lehmann's Birthday
• 25 - Campus Advisory Committee Meeting 4:15 (In-Person)
• 28 - Go Texan Day

March

• 3 - Read Across America Day (Character Book Dress Up Parade)
• 6 - 2nd Grade Music Program 5:30-6:00 pm
• 7 - Field Day
• 7 - End of 3rd 9 Weeks
• 7 - Maintenance Worker Appreciation Day
• 10-14 - Spring Break
• 17 - Staff Work Day - No School for Students
• 18 - Students Return

Lunch visitors who are on a child's emergency contact list are welcome to eat with that child at one of our 3 reserved lunch visitor tables during the student's lunch period. Visitors will need to check in at the front office with their ID and get a visitor badge. Please do not invite other students to join you or provide food or snacks for other students. When lunch is over, all students will line up with their class. Visitors will return to the front office to turn in their visitor badge. Students should not bring other students with them to join their guests for lunch. Food should not be provided to other students than the child the guests are visiting.

Lunch Times:

ECSE 3s: 11:40-12:10

Pre-K & ECSE 4s: 10:55-11:25

Kindergarten: 11:10-11:40

1st Grade: 11:25-11:55

2nd Grade: 11:45-12:15

3rd Grade: 12:00-12:30

4th Grade: 12:20-12:50

5th Grade: 12:35-1:05

A friendly reminder, we do not have an open lunch policy so please do not order food for your child from outside vendors to be delivered to the school during the school day (i.e. Uber Eats, Grub Hub, Door Dash, or any kind of delivery service). This becomes a safety concern when staff need to leave the front office to deliver food to students or take their focus off of families who have business in the office. Food deliveries also increase the number of unfamiliar people entering the building. Additionally, our lunch times are very tight and do not allow for late deliveries. We cannot allow for learning to be disrupted by early or late food deliveries. Thank you for understanding our focus on safety and uninterrupted instructional time.

Celebrate your child’s birthday and raise money for our LES activity fund. These funds are used to pay for field trips and special activities for our students and staff.

You can have your child’s first name and initial of last name (i.e. Kerri A.) displayed on our marquee and/or our internal hallway monitors for the week of his/her birthday for a small donation to our activity fund. If you choose to have their birthday recognition on the hallway monitors, you have the option to include a picture of your child for an additional $5 donation. If you child has a summer birthday, we can recognize their half-birthday.

Cash donations only, please. Use the form attached below to place your order. Forms will also be available in Tuesday folders.

School Hours:

• Doors open at 7:50
• Tardy bell rings, and class begins at 8:15. (This is the time students are expected to be in their seats in the classroom.)
• School day ends at 3:40

We are working hard to maximize each and every minute our students are here. Students who arrive after 8:15 are considered tardy and will need to be walked into the front door of the building and signed in by a parent or guardian. If your child needs to leave early, they may be checked out through the front office by a parent or guardian no later than 3:15 pm.

Attendance is of critical importance to your child's academic success. Parents should enter the absence information through Family Access in Skyward within 48 hours of the absence.

Changes in transportation need to be made prior to 2:00 in order to allow time for the messages to be communicated with the appropriate staff member. To request a change of transportation, either

1. Send a note with your child,
2. Email LincolnElementaryTransit@misd.org with the note and a copy of your driver's license, or
3. Come to the school with a copy of your driver's license.

Lincoln Elementary is a Pre-K through 5th grade campus in Montgomery ISD that opened in the fall of 2018. We are dedicated to collaboration that focuses on ensuring high levels of learning for every student, every day, in a safe and supportive environment.

Email: kerri.ashlock@misd.org
Website: https://lincolnes.misd.org/
Location: 700 Dr Martin Luther King Jr Dr, Montgomery, TX, USA
Phone: (936) 276-4700
Facebook: facebook.com/MISDLincoln
Twitter: @lincoln_MISD