Lincoln at a Glance

• M 1/20 -No School - MLK, Jr. Day

• T 1/21 - Wrestling vs. Northridge 3:45 (home); Lincoln Spelling Bee 3:15 (see below)

• W 1/22 -Early Release 2:10; Registration Opens

• H 1/23 - LI/WA/RO/Maine South Orchestra Progress Concert 7:00; Board of Education Meeting 7:00

• F 1/24 - Wrestling @ Maine South 3:00-5:00

Lincoln's Open House and Elective Night is scheduled for Thursday, January 16th from 6:00-7:30 PM. This evening is an opportunity for current sixth and seventh grade parents and students to gain information about and to become familiar with the elective opportunities available at Lincoln. Don't forget to visit our Book Fair located in the LRC (see below).

Date
Thursday, January 16, 2025

Time

• 6:00-6:45 (current sixth grade students and parents/incoming sixth grade)

• 6:45-7:30 (current seventh grade students and parents/incoming sixth grade)

NOTE: We realize that this time of year can be challenging with extracurricular and family events and obligations. If these grade-specific times do not work for you, please just come when you can.

Book Fairs are coming back to Lincoln! We are excited to announce that Lincoln will be hosting an Anderson's Book Fair from January 13-16. Students will get the opportunity to preview and purchase books in their LA classes between the 13th and 16th. Parents will have the opportunity to purchase books during Elective Open house on January 16th.

Please see this flyer for more information.

Try-outs for the girls’ volleyball season will be happening once we return from winter break.

• 7th Grade Try-outs: January 14th 3-5:00 PM; January 15th 4:00-6:00 PM

Just a reminder that all students wanting to try out for the team will need a current physical uploaded via the parent portal.

Questions -please email Mr. Pankau (kpankau@d64.org) or Mrs. O’Connell (moconnell@d64.org)

All District 64 schools and offices will be closed on Monday, January 20th in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. School will resume on Tuesday 1/21.

Enrollment opens for all District 64 students on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, including kindergarteners and children returning to preschool. The registration deadline will be noon on Friday, March 14, and if you register your child and pay the fees by then, you will receive the early bird discount. You must fill out and submit registration forms by Monday, March 10, at 3:00 pm to take advantage of the fee discount. This allows our staff time to verify documents and send out invoices so you can pay them by noon on Friday, March 14. Any families who do not register by this date will receive a records release, as we assume you’re going to another district.

Please see this flyer for more information.

Your timely registration helps us tremendously as we prepare for everything that goes into a new school year. It helps us accurately plan staffing throughout the District, consider classroom arrangements, organize transportation, and get the materials needed to support your child.

Thank you for your continued partnership as we prepare for an exciting upcoming school year!

The D64 Young Authors Contest is an independent, voluntary at-home project for students interested in writing and publishing their work for others to read. Here is a more detailed overview of this year's guidelines. Submissions are due by February 28th.

Students in Grade 6-8 are invited to register for the Lincoln Spelling Bee.

It is scheduled for Thursday, January 21st at 3:10 in the LRC.

If you have any questions regarding the Lincoln School Spelling Bee, please contact Mrs. Cichy or Mrs. Wandell.

Please see this flyer for more information.

Spelling Bee Registration Form

Rainbows for All Children provides peer groups for kids in 1st - 8th grade. These groups provide a safe space for them to share their experiences associated with loss of a loved one and/or a changing family dynamic due to divorce, deployment, etc. Trained facilitators help encourage communication while identifying, navigating and discussing feelings amongst the group. Our next session begins on Tuesday, January 14th, 2025. This free program meets every Tuesday, from 5:30 - 6:30 pm, at the Park Ridge Community Church.

Please use this Google Form link to register your child/children and/or to be added to our communications list. Any general questions or interest in volunteering to become a facilitator, please contact rainbows64@att.net . For more general info please visit https://rainbows.org/

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1YWOBWEERhlRwR0oLRee2bU1j89cOg4Qp7jEB0yCnS-E/edit

We will be starting up our second trimester after-school clubs and activities.We want all of our students to get involved, so take a look at the teen leisure club offerings and encourage your son or daughter to join in on the fun.

Second Trimester TLCs

We have confirmed that the promotion ceremony for the Lincoln Middle School Class of 2025 will be held on Tuesday, May 27th at 7:30 pm. The ceremony will take place in the Maine East High School auditorium.

Eighth grade students will only attend a half day of school on Tuesday, May 27th and will be running through a promotion practice at Lincoln. It is very important that your student is in attendance that morning. This will be their last day of attendance.

As seating in the MEHS auditorium is limited, there will only be a limited number of tickets provided to each family. Please do not expect that additional tickets can or will be available.

We will be coordinating after-school transportation on this day for the early release. To assist in this coordination with our bus service provider, we will be surveying parents in the coming months to confirm your student’s transportation needs.

For now, save the date. We look forward to celebrating with you.

In preparation for this spring's 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony, we need to gather the necessary information to purchase gowns and certificates due to the time it takes to receive the orders. More details about the ceremony will be provided in the months leading up to the end of the year. For now save the date for Tuesday, May 27th.

Promotion Certificates: Please enter the correct spelling of your child's name if it differs from the name listed in PowerSchool (ie., “Obrien” is actually “O’Brien”). Students will be listed as and announced by the first and last names listed in PowerSchool unless otherwise notified.

Gown Sizing: Please choose your child's homeroom and enter your child's height. This measurement will be used for the promotion gown sizing.

Note: If you have more than one child, please complete multiple forms. Thank you.

Class of 2025 Promotion Gown and Certificate Form

If you have any questions, please contact the Lincoln front office at (847) 318-4215.

School Closings
District 64 relies on a variety of factors when making the decision to close schools. Please read the guidelines for 2024-25 HERE.

Recess Guidelines

Additionally, we follow specific guidelines when making determinations for outside recess. You can see that information HERE.

We currently only have 30% of our families signed up to be a part of this awesome organization.

We are very fortunate to have a supportive and collaborative partnership with our Lincoln PTO. Throughout the year, we will be working together to provide opportunities for our families and students. If you are not a member already, please consider joining this awesome organization. You can find information on starting or renewing your membership by visiting the Lincoln PTO website.

All Lincoln students and parents are provided access to schedules via the PowerSchool parent and student portals. The PowerSchool Parent Portal allows you access to your student’s academic information, including student schedules and grades. To gain access to the Parent Portal, please go to ps.d64.org. If you have any questions on how to login, please contact the Lincoln Main Office for assistance (847) 318-4215.

Schoology will be utilized by students to help navigate their remote learning day and will include links to students’ virtual class meetings. Parents can also access students’ classes and monitor student assignments. To assist, we have created THIS VIDEO to assist in navigating this new learning platform.

Not connected to Schoology yet? Follow the directions here!

The Lincoln website and Lincoln school calendar are valuable resources to keep informed of important updates and events throughout the year. The calendar is kept up to date throughout the school year, and new information is posted regularly. We hope that these tools are helpful resources for keeping you and your student organized and informed as we progress through the year.

Lincoln Website
D64 Website

Calendars for 2024-2025 can be viewed HERE.

Now that the referendum has passed, the plan is to finish construction within two years. To help with this, we have adjusted the school calendars for 2025/26 and 2026/27 to allow crews more time to work in the buildings.

D64 Yearly Calendars

District 64 continues to utilize many different platforms to ensure you have important information delivered to you in the most convenient way. One of those ways is through our SMS Text Messaging Service.

Getting messages delivered to your mobile device is a helpful tool, and District 64 is reenergizing our efforts to bring this to you. Starting on Monday, October 31st, you might periodically receive text messages from either the District or your child’s school.

These alerts will be info about events, school closings, safety, and more. That said, our SMS Text Messaging Service will be used supplementally in our communication efforts and does not replace any school emails or calls you are receiving.

How to receive text messages:

• You must opt-in to receive text messages. To do so, you will need to text “Y” or “Yes” to 67587.

• If you’d like to no longer receive District 64 text messages, you have to send “Stop” to 67587.
  
  

If you have any questions regarding the use of text messages to communicate District/School messages, please email me at clilly@d64.org.

School hours for student classes are from 8:05 a.m.- 3:00 p.m. Please note that each Wednesday, students are dismissed at 2:10 p.m. for staff professional development activities.

Doors to the school open for students each morning at 7:58 a.m. Homeroom begins at 8:05 a.m.

School office hours are from 7:20 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Remember that our student absence line (847) 318-4215 is available 24 hours a day. Please let the Lincoln Office know as soon as possible if your child will not be in attendance. Please do not rely on e-mail notification for reporting absences as it may not be seen until later in the day.

Lincoln Middle School, along with all District 64 schools, operates in accordance to policies and practices that have been reviewed and implemented by the District 64 Board of Education. Please review the D64 Student-Parent Handbook prior to the start of the school year to familiarize yourself with the information contained in it. We want to work in partnership with you to ensure a positive school year, and having an understanding of this information will help to promote a successful school year. This handbook is intended as a convenience for District 64 families and staff by summarizing selected information about procedures, services and programs. It also provides a quick reference for contact information and District timelines.