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,

Thank you to our Fremont, Hawthorn and Tri-District families who have or will be participating in parent-teacher conferences! These meaningful conversations strengthen the partnership between home and school, ensuring we’re working together to support your child’s growth and success. We are proud to ROAR together, creating a community where every child thrives.

As we approach Thanksgiving break, I want to wish all of our families a safe, joyful, and restful holiday. This time of year is perfect for reflecting on all we are grateful for, and we are truly thankful for your continued support and the vibrant energy you bring to our school.

A quick reminder: our preschoolers head outside for gross motor time when the "real feel" temperature is above 30 degrees and there is no active precipitation or snow on the ground. Please ensure your child comes to school dressed appropriately for the changing temperatures, including warm coats, hats, mittens, and boots if needed. Outdoor play is such an important part of their day, and we want to keep them comfortable while they enjoy the fresh air!

Thank you for being an essential part of our preschool community. Together, we are building a foundation of care, learning, and connection that helps every child shine.

Wishing you and your family a wonderful Thanksgiving break!

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 review the Hawthorn School District 73 section for information about important dates. Please review your home district section for any other information, including PTO, spirit wear, and other fun things happening in your home district! Parent/Teacher conferences for the Tri-District classroom will take place before Thanksgiving break. Information will be shared by the classroom teacher closer to the date.

Weather Closing Protocol

With the winter season just about upon us, please review this page as a reminder of our winter weather school closing procedures.

FSD79 is committed to making well-informed decisions that are in the best interest of the safety of our entire school community. In general, if school will be closed, the District will notify families and staff by 5:30 a.m. the day of the closing. Even if the schools are open, the final decision about a child’s attendance remains with the parent.

If schools will be closed due to winter weather, the District intends to utilize eLearning days in lieu of emergency days at the end of the school year.

Parent Book Club - “The Anxious Generation”

As part of our Parent University programming, FSD79 and the Fremont PTO will be co-sponsoring a Parent Book Club event on New York Times #1 Bestseller, “The Anxious Generation” by Jonathan Haidt. We will be hosting a one-night discussion on the book on February 11, 2025. For more information on the book club event, please visit our table at next Friday’s Reading Rally. Additional information will be shared with families in the near future. Secure your physical or audio copy of the book now to prepare for the discussion.

November 25 - No School - Parent/Teacher Conferences 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

November 26-29 - No School - Thanksgiving Break

December 13 - No School

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 December 18th.

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.

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

HAPPY LITTLE FLAME FUNDRAISER

Don't forget! If you placed your order for in-store pick up, they are ready for you to pick up at the shop location in Libertyville. All shipping orders have shipped, and if you chose free shipping they are now back at the shop if you did not grab them from the PTO meeting Wednesday.

Please email Elisabeth if you have any questions at FSDVPIS@gmail.com.

WINTER CLASS PARTIES

Party Hosts for the Winter 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.

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

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.

Erin’s Law - Student Program and Parent/Guardian Information Night

In response to Erin’s Law (House Bill 6193), which requires all public schools to implement a prevention-oriented child sexual abuse program, Hawthorn District 73 is hosting the Be Seen and Heard© assembly program for all preschool and elementary students during the week of December 2, 2024. This program is designed to create an age-appropriate, safe, and engaging environment in which students learn the difference between safe and unsafe touch, and the importance of having trusted heroes.

• Click here for the parent/guardian night flier.

• Click here for the student program information flier.

November 25 - Parent/Teacher Conferences 3:30 - 8:00 p.m.

November 26 - No School - Parent/Teacher Conferences 8:00 - 11:00 a.m.

November 27-29 - No School - Thanksgiving Break

December 13 - No School

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.

PTO Updates

**Box Tops for Education:** We've currently raised $403.50 through Box Tops. If you haven't joined the fundraiser yet, simply download the app and search for "District 75 PTO Mundelein" or enter the code PNKN0SEQ. As a special bonus for November, linking your Walmart and Box Tops accounts will earn you 50 Bonus Box Tops ($5). Remember, there's no need to send in physical box tops – just scan your receipts using the app.

**Volunteer Appreciation:** A big thank you to everyone who has volunteered their time at PTO events this year. Your support is invaluable!

November 27-29 - No School - Thanksgiving Break

December 13 - No School