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 that you will need to open the newsletter from your browser in order to see the table of contents and the entire newsletter.

Dear Lincoln Early Learning Center Families,

We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of our Hawthorn and Tri-District families for attending the third and final Curriculum Night of the fall. Your engagement and support play such a vital role in our school community, and it was wonderful to see so many of you connecting with our teachers and learning about the exciting year ahead. Together, we continue to make our preschool a special place for our children to learn and grow.

This week, we had our first fire drill with the local fire department in attendance. The children did an amazing job, following instructions calmly and confidently. These safety drills are an important part of our routine, helping us ensure that everyone is prepared in case of an emergency.

We also want to continue to highlight an excellent resource for families: Illinois STAR NET. Illinois STAR NET is a Support and Technical Assistance Regional NETwork. They offer support and resources for families of young children, with an emphasis on children with special needs. They have an upcoming webinar titled "Preparing to Participate in Your Child's Individualized Education Program, IEP, Meeting" on October 29, 2024. This is a fantastic opportunity to build your confidence in being an active member on your child's IEP team. You will learn how you can participate and contribute to the educational planning for your child. Additional details and a registration link can be found below. If you would like to learn more about STAR NET and other learning opportunities, visit their website at starnetregionii.org.

We're also excited to launch an online store where families can order class shirts. The store will be open until October 11th. Once the store is closed, it will take up to 2 weeks for the company to deliver them to Lincoln.

As we continue through the fall, let’s all take a moment to celebrate the way we come together as a school family. Whether it's through curriculum nights, safety drills, or everyday classroom activities, we are truly Proud to ROAR Together.

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.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support.

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 or exit your child to the curb-side of the car and

wait by your car for a staff member to get your child. 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.

*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 on the curb-side of the 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! Picture Day for the Tri-District classroom will take place on October 2. Order forms will be sent home with your child closer to this date.

MEMO TO PARENTS/GUARDIANS REGARDING BULLYING

9/27/24

Re: Bullying

Dear Parents/Guardians:

Bullying in any form, by anyone, is not acceptable. Every student deserves to feel safe and free from bullying. Those who bully others need to learn more appropriate ways of interacting with their peers. This letter is intended to inform you about the School District’s anti-bullying program and to encourage you to help us identify students who are being bullied.

The School Board policy on bullying begins with this goals statement:

Bullying, intimidation, and harassment diminish a student’s ability to learn and a school’s ability to educate. Preventing students from engaging in these disruptive behaviors is an important District goal.

Bullying is defined as follows:

Bullying means any severe or pervasive physical or verbal act or conduct, including communications made in writing or electronically, directed toward a student that has or can be reasonably predicted to have the effect of one or more of the following:

1. Placing the student in reasonable fear of harm to the student’s person or property.

2. Causing a substantially detrimental effect on the student’s physical or mental health.

3. Substantially interfering with the student’s academic performance.

4. Substantially interfering with the student’s ability to participate in or benefit from the services, activities, or privileges provided by a school.

Bullying, intimidation, and/or harassment may take various forms, including without limitation: threats, stalking, physical violence, sexual harassment, theft, public humiliation, destruction of property, or retaliation for asserting or alleging an act of bullying.

School staff members are asked to respond compassionately and immediately to a student who reports bullying or school violence. After evaluating the situation to determine if an immediate referral to the building administrator’s office is needed, a staff member will give the student the report form for bullying, 794180.15 Report Form for Bullying. Building Administrators will inform you, the parent/guardian, whenever your child is involved in a bullying report.

Staff members were also asked for their feedback regarding locations that may be bullying hot spots needing additional supervision or monitoring or if there are any known bullies or targets of bullying in the building(s). We ask you to do the same thing. Please inform building administrators if you know of any bullying hot spots in or around our schools or if you are aware of a known bully or target of bullying. Finally, staff members are instructed to intervene immediately to stop a bullying incident. If the incident involves a weapon or other illegal activity, they will immediately contact building security and/or law enforcement.

Below are some of the signs that a young person is being bullied:

· Does not want to go to school and refuses to explain the reason

· Talks about not having any friends

· Has unexplained bruises, cuts, scratches, or abrasions

· Has unexplained damage to clothing, possessions, books, etc.

· Frequently loses money or possessions

· Loses interest in school and/or has declining grades

· Becomes withdrawn and/or has stress or depression symptoms

These signs do not necessarily mean your child is being bullied, but if present, ask your child whether they are being bullied.

Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Emily Loerakker

Fremont Middle School Principal

Stefan Ladenburger

Fremont Intermediate School Principal

Beth Carmody

Fremont Elementary School Principal

Katie O'Brien

Lincoln School Principal

Facility Planning Community Forum - Oct. 17

Fremont School District 79 is seeking input from the community as we chart our course for the future. Please join us for a community feedback forum on October 17, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. at Fremont Intermediate School to discuss the draft of the District’s Educational Long-Range Facility Plan (ELFP).

Since January 2024, a representative group of 26 staff and community members have been meeting with administrators and architects to develop a 10- to 20-year vision for Fremont’s campus. This ELFP Steering Committee evaluated existing facilities in relation to the District's:

• Educational goals;

• Forecasted enrollment growth (up to an additional 1,000 students);

• Capital maintenance and improvement needs,

• Projected facility demands for the next 10-20 years; and

• Financial considerations.

During this session, members of the Steering Committee will present their recommendations for the District’s Educational Long-Range Facility Plan. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions, offer suggestions, and help refine the plan prior to the School Board’s consideration.

Community feedback during the October 17 session will be taken into account before the ELFP is presented to the FSD79 Board of Education at its regular meeting on November 18. We believe that community input is essential to ensure that our plans align with the values and priorities of our residents. To learn more about the ELFP process, please visit our dedicated webpage at:

https://www.fsd79.org/about-fsd79/long-range-facility-planning

Parent University Presentation

In case you were unable to attend Tuesday night’s outstanding Parent University presentation from Audrey Grunst from Simply Bee Counseling, or if you’d like to watch it again, please click here. The video will only be available through October 9.

We highly recommend our families take advantage of our Parent U. programming and resources as we strive to build strong parent and school partnerships. For more information on future and previous Parent U. opportunities, please visit our webpage.

Curriculum Night

Thank you to everyone who was able to attend Curriculum Night. The presentation is linked below for your reference and for those families who were unable to attend.

October 3 - No School - Rosh Hashanah

October 11 - No School

October 14 - No School - Indigenous Peoples' 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 October 16th.

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

CHARLESTON WRAP FUNDRAISER

We are officially kicking off our fundraiser with Charleston Wrap on October 1st. All orders are placed online with direct shipping. Please see the attached flyer with detailed instructions about how you can start registering online and support our goals.

TRUNK OR TREAT

Mark your calendars! Our Trunk or Treat event is Saturday, October 26th from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Check out our flyer for all the details!

If you would like to decorate your trunk for this event, please fill out the form below!

https://form.jotform.com/222635763393159

Questions? Contact Elisabeth at fsdvpis@gmail.com.

SHOP. SCAN. EARN.

Forget the scissors - Box Tops for Education has gone digital! Simply download the Box Tops for Education app (available for Apple and Android) see www.boxtops4education.com for more info, select Fremont School District 79 (in MUNDELEIN, IL) as your beneficiary and you're all set! For bonus points, enter the code H02P2R0D when you register. 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 - 10% DISCOUNT

Order your student's 2024-2025 yearbook by October 31st and get 10% off. 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.

Picture Day - October 18th!

Hawthorn students will have picture day on October 18th!

Please use the link below to preorder your portraits: http://edclarkschoolphoto.hhimagehost.com/Fall2024HawthornLincoln

Picture Ordering will close at 8am on picture day. If you are having issues with the link copy and paste this into your browser: https://AccessMyEvent.com/Q9D6M6

Join Hawthorn and Sam at these upcoming fall events!

• October 19: Truck, Trunks, & Treats at Turtle Creek Water Park

• Fall Fest: Sullivan Center from 6 - 9 p.m. on October 25

Hawthorn Food Pantry

The Hawthorn Food Pantry will be open to all our families on October 23 from 4-6 p.m. at Middle North School (201 Hawthorn Parkway).

If you are interested in donating to the food pantry, items can be dropped off at the District Office (841 W. End Ct.) or Middle North School. Thank you for your support!

Hawthorn Coat Drive

In partnership with the Knights of Columbus (St. Mary of Vernon), we are hosting a coat drive to provide new winter coats for students in need. Your support can make a real difference: sponsor a coat for just $25 or a case of 12 coats for $305. To contribute, make a monetary donation and note "Coat(s)" in the comments. Thank you for helping keep our students warm this winter!

Hawthorn BPAC

Join us for the first Hawthorn BPAC (Bilingual Parent Advisory Council) meeting on October 8, from 6-7 p.m. at Hawthorn School for Young Learners (637 N. Aspen Drive).

The BPAC aims to connect multilingual families, provide educational opportunities and workshops, and support our multilingual students. Ranked among the top three most diverse districts, Hawthorn District 73 offers a great opportunity for families to engage, share, and support each other. Your voice in BPAC matters—let's work together to represent and strengthen our community!

Save the Date!

Mark your calendar for BPAC’s Día de Los Muertos Celebration on November 4 from 6 - 7:30 p.m. at Hawthorn School of Dual Language! Bring the family for a fun evening of music, crafts, and delicious food as we come together to celebrate this special tradition. More information to follow—stay tuned!

Curriculum Night

Thank you to everyone who was able to attend Curriculum Night. The presentation is linked below for your reference and for those families who were unable to attend.

October 3 - No School - Rosh Hashanah

October 11 - No School

October 14 - No School - Indigenous Peoples' Day

October 15 - Immunization and Physicals due

October 18 - Picture Day

October 2 - Picture Day

October 3 - No School - Rosh Hashanah

October 11 - No School

October 14 - No School - Indigenous Peoples' Day