The Lincoln Log Welcome Back Issue

Dear Abraham Lincoln Students and Families,

It is time to begin preparing for the 2024-2025 school year. If you are new to our school this year, WELCOME! If you are returning to the Abraham Lincoln School, WELCOME BACK!

Open House

I am very excited to meet all of our new students and to catch up with those returning at our Open House on August 29, 4-5 p.m. This will be a drop-in event when students and their families can meet their new teacher for the upcoming school year and see their classroom. You should be receiving a letter in the mail from your teacher very soon providing you with a lot of useful information for a successful start to the school year. If you have additional questions or information to share about your child, please do not hesitate to reach out to your child's teacher or to me via email or phone. We are here to help your child have a wonderful school experience, and communication between home and school is key to their success.

Arrival on the First Day of School

Students may arrive between 8:40-8:50 a.m. each morning. If you plan to park your car and walk your child to the gate, please park on the opposite side of Forest Avenue or Somerset Avenue. There will likely be a lot of traffic and congestion so please drive slowly and bring your patience along. Pulling up along the school side of Forest Avenue in front of the school is reserved for car-riders who's student will unload with a staff member and walk into the gate independently while their parent stays in the driver's seat. This line keeps moving at a steady pace. We will unload 2 cars at a time. Please do not park your car and leave it unattended in this line. Everyone's cooperation makes the entire drop off and dismissal process so much easier for everyone.

Parents may walk their students through the gates and help them find their teacher outside on the playground on the first couple of days of school. By the end of the first week of school, we ask parents to drop their student at one of the gates. This helps to clear congestion on the playground, allowing our staff to better supervise our students. It can be difficult to supervise small children with additional adults on the playgrounds. All staff will be outside aiding students in finding their teacher and the correct entrance to their classrooms throughout the first week. Please approach any staff member if you need help. If your child will take the bus, our staff will assist them to their teacher and classroom door when they arrive to school.

If there is inclement weather and students are unable to play on the playground before school, all students will enter the school through the front entrance into the lobby and staff will accompany them to their classrooms.

Dismissal

It is imperative that you have communicated with your child's teacher and/or the school office how your child will be going home after school prior to the first day of school. It is best to begin your child's regular dismissal routine on the first day rather than a special plan for that day. This will help ease anxiety for your child about the after school plan. If your child's plan will change at any point during the school year, please notify the school office prior to 2:30 p.m. that day to ensure we are able to communicate with your child's teacher. The best modes of communication are a note to your child's teacher sent in their school folder that morning, a call to the school office, or an email to the school office (abelincolnoffice@bangorschools.net.)

Attendance

Showing up on time every day is important to your child's success and learning beginning in Pre K. Building the habit of good attendance will help your child succeed in school. Some back to school routines to get a start on now include:

• setting a regular bedtime, typically 7-8 p.m. at this age,
• establishing a morning routine,
• a healthy meal routine,
• making lunches and laying out clothing and packing backpacks the night before and
• finalizing transportation and back-up transportation plans to and from school.

In looking ahead, try to schedule non-urgent medical appointments and extended trips when school is not in session. Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school- and themselves. Start building this habit now so they learn right away that going to school on time, every day is important. Eventually good attendance will be a skill that will help them succeed in high school and beyond. If your child does need to miss school due to illness, please email or call the school office to notify us by 9:00 a.m. We must account for every student every day. If you're unsure whether to send your child to school due to symptoms, our school nurse can assist you.

Contact Information

Information from the school will be sent primarily through emails, the Bangor App and push notifications. Please ensure your contact information including cell and email are up to date and notify the school office of any changes throughout the year. It is crucial that you keep us up to date with any changes to phone numbers, emails, and physical and mailing addresses in case we need to contact you during the school day should your child become ill at school.

I'm looking forward to a wonderful school year with you all. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions.

Best,

Shannon Shaw, Principal

call: 207.941.6280

email: abelincolnoffice@bangorschools.net (NEW THIS YEAR!!)

fax: 207.990.6376

visit: 45 Forest Avenue, Bangor, ME 04401

Principal's Secretary: Marian Jerome, mjerome@bangorschools.net

Principal: Shannon Shaw, sshaw@bangorschools.net

School Nurse: Erika Wing, ewing@bangorschools.net

School Counselor: Dana Morris, dmorris@bangorschools.net

School Social Worker: Lindsay Chadbourne, lchadbourne@bangorschools.net

• 8/29 4-5p Abe Lincoln Open House
• 9/3 First Day of School
• 9/11 5p Volunteer Training & PTO Meeting
• 9/18 4p Volunteer Training
• 9/25 4p Volunteer Training
• 10/9 5p Volunteer Training
• 10/9 5:15p PTO Meeting
• 10/14 No School- Observance of Indigenous Peoples' Day
• 10/23 4p Volunteer Training

A reminder for students to bring their water bottles to school every day. Hydration is crucial for their well-being and concentration in the classroom.

Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our students refreshed throughout the day.

**We are graciously accepting donations of small paper or plastic cups for students to use to access water when they forget to bring their water bottles to school. THANK YOU!!**