PANTHER PROGRESS

January 2025 Issue 6

Message From Our Administrators

Happy New Year Lincoln Family!

With the beginning of 2025, it naturally brings an opportUNITY to pause and reflect on our lives to reevaluate what is going well and what can improve. Lincoln Elementary School constantly looks for ways to celebrate the “small wins” and also ways to improve. Whether you believe in resolutions/goals or not, Henry Moore said that “I think in terms of the day’s resolutions, not the years’.” Though we strive to ensure that our 624 students end the school year meeting grade level expectations, our partnership with our families to support these efforts for DAILY improvement is imperative. What is your child’s academic and social goals for today to get them to grade level at the end of the school year? How will you support this goal? Do you and your child’s teacher share this goal? The more support and focus on this goal from both home and school will result in a higher probability of accomplishing this goal.

Together. Challenge accepted.

With DIGNITY and DETERMINATION,

Eric Rhodes - Principal

Mary Beth Smith - Assistant Principal

Crosby Blair - Community School Coordinator

Important January Dates

January 6: Culture Connections 8am (snow date is January 7)

January 9: Panther Advisory Council 5-6pm

January 14: Martin Luther King, Jr. Award Ceremony @ TJ High School 7pm

January 16: No school (teacher work day)

January 17: No school (professional learning day)

January 20: No school (Martin Luther King, Jr. day)

January 22: Lincoln Learner Series #3 (Internet safety, details below) 5-7pm

January 28: Neighborhood Advisory Council (NAC 10) meeting 7pm

Breakfast and Lunch Menus

Our students are offered breakfast and lunch every day. Click the links below for this month's menu. For more information about FCPS food and nutrition, visit the FCPS nutrition website.

January Learning

Select the link below to check out what your child/children will be learning this month! Grading polices for grades PK-1, grades 2-5, and Encore classes are also included: January Learning

Events in the commUNITY

C. Burr Artz Public Library: January program

January 11: Community Resource Fair @ Frederick Community College 10am-2pm

January 13, 22 & 28: Free Laundry Days from 10am - 4pm @ Spot Laundromat (1080 W. Patrick St.)

January 16, 17 & 20: Flying Cows Basketball Camp at the YMCA

YMCA "Day Out" programs

Lincoln Learner Series #3

Join us for the third installment of our Lincoln Learner Series on Wednesday, January 22nd from 5-7pm. The topic is "internet safety" and we'll host representatives from the State's Attorney's Office and Spanish Speaking Community of MD. Dinner and childcare will be provided! Fliers will be sent home with students in Thursday folders. We hope to see you there!

Spelling Bee

For the second year in a row, we will be participating in the county spelling bee! Students in 2nd-5th are invited to participate. The first round is at the class level, then the grade level and then the school level. Parents of those that progress through the rounds will be notified. The county competition is at Hood College on Saturday, March 8th at 11am.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Award Recipient

Congratulations to our 5th grader, Adefolahan (David) Yilu, for winning the annual Dr. King award! A student from each FCPS school is chosen to be recognized. Students were selected through teacher and student nominations based on their demonstration of positive leadership qualities, such as: responsibility, caring, fairness, trustworthiness, citizenship and respect. The ceremony will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 14th at Gov. Thomas Johnson High School at 7pm.

Mr. Bernie Willis 1951-2024

As many of you know, one of our custodians, Mr. Bernie Willis, passed away on December 10th. Mr. Bernie was a hard-working, dedicated staff member that demonstrated Panther Pride in his six years of service with us. Many staff members attended his wake before winter break and his family was touched by the "sea of Lincoln blue shirts." While his funeral services have passed, you can read his obituary here.

We miss him dearly, but he is always remembered in our hearts - "Once a Panther, always a Panther."

Panther Advisory Council (PAC)

Be a part of our PAC to help us improve our school environment and our learning community! Our next meeting is Thursday, January 9th from 5-6pm. ALL PARENTS AND GUARDIANS ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND! Please email Crosby.Blair@fcps.org to RSVP.

School Closures & Delays

Occasionally, inclement weather requires FCPS to close, delay opening or dismiss early. Closing and delay decisions involve careful evaluation of a variety of factors in a short time period. Whenever possible, decisions are made by 5am for morning closures and delays, and by 10am for early closings. Check the FCPS Closings & Delays webpage for more information.

*If you or your child needs winter gear, please email our commUNITY liaison at Diana.Galaviz@fcps.org.*

Positive Referral Recess

Did you know that our students can be nominated for a positive referral each month? Students that demonstrate consistent good behavior and/or exhibit any of our habits of learning (self-advocating, practicing social responsibility, demonstrating perseverance and having a learning mindset) celebrate with an extra recess at the end of each month. We had 125 students nominated in December. Each student that is nominated also receives a certificate to take home. How cool!

Attendance

Current Attendance Rates

Whole School: 93.9%

The FCPS goal is 96%

PreK: 91%

Kindergarten: 93.1%

First: 94.8%

Second: 94.5%

Third: 94.5%

Fourth: 94.9%

Fifth: 94.3%

Current Chronic Absence rate: 20.8% (our school goal is to be lower than 18%)

Regular school attendance is important for a student's academic and behavioral success. We need your help! Please make sure your child is coming to school regularly unless they are sick. Per FCPS policy, anytime a student is absent, the school must receive written documentation from the guardian and/or medical provider. Written communication can be in the form of an email, a Talking Points message, or a hand written note. Our ratings on the Maryland School Report Card are heavily impacted by our attendance rates. Reach out to our Community School Coordinator at Crosby.Blair@fcps.org with any attendance questions or needs.

Green School Tips

January is a fresh start - an ideal time to set sustainability goals to pursue in the year to come, or to continue the green practices you’ve implemented in the past years. Below are a few suggestions to make this year your most sustainable yet!

Go Meatless! Choose a day of the week, or several days if you feel up for it, to cut meat out of your diet. Meat production generates a large carbon footprint, about a fourth of global greenhouse gas emissions, so substitutions to a more plant based diet helps tremendously.
If you’re into gardening or lawn care, consider planting native species. Native plants are more resilient, which means less time you have to spend caretaking, not to mention they make for a healthier yard. And don’t bother raking those leaves, turn to leaf mulching instead.
Get your hands dirty! Join a cause and volunteer some of your time this year. Find a local organization or committee that might need some extra hands. Or look online to find sustainability opportunities across the country that might be more your speed.

FCPS Farm to School

Did you know our students get regular visits from the FCPS Farm to School team? Check out their monthly newsletter! English; Spanish

Volunteering Training

Per new FCPS policy, any parent or family member that would like to chaperone a field trip must complete the volunteer training process. Follow these volunteer directions to get started. Contact our Community School Coordinator at Crosby.Blair@fcps.org with any questions or needs.

Lincoln Learner Reports

The Lincoln Learner Reports have restarted! One of our Panther priorities is making sure that parents are informed on what their child is learning each week in all of their subject areas. Even though we include curriculum information by grade level in this newsletter each month (see above), it is important for students to become aware of their own learning each week, while building "student agency." Student agency is defined as "a student's awareness of their progress towards reaching the learning outcomes and how we can increase their ownership/agency of their learning." It's also important for students and their families to reflect weekly on their "work habits," which we call the "Habits of Learning." The Lincoln Learner Report does both! This weekly communication will provide information to families on their child's progress with the academic standards they are learning and highlight their "Habits of Learning." Parent(s) will need to sign and return the Lincoln Learner Report each week to the teacher, which will confirm that the parent(s) saw the report and strengthens the partnership between home and school.

Bus Transportation

Bus route information, including delays, can be found at the bus information site.

Counseling Corner

The school counseling team: The “Super Support Squad”

Ms. Ellis (grades 3-5) Madison.Ellis@fcps.org
Mrs. Quill (grades PreK-2) Heather.Quill@fcps.org
Ms. Dodson (Behavior Support Specialist) Heather.Dodson@fcps.org
Mrs. Tucker (Behavior Support Specialist) Mary-Kate.Tucker@fcps.org

January

The support Squad would like to thank our families for their efforts to reinforce the concepts we are teaching about social and emotional learning.

As we begin a new year, we encourage families to try one new thing that will benefit their children emotionally and academically....read out loud to them. Pick a favorite book from your own childhood, a chapter book, and each night take time to sit together and read the book out loud to your child. Even better if it's before bedtime. All devices off. Just the sound of your voice. Your child will sleep better, you will find a connection to your memories from childhood, and when you read out loud to your child, their brain makes connections to their own ability to read.

So for 2025....go find your favorite book, your mom's favorite book, something special. Then take 10 minutes before bed each night to read to your child(ren). We would LOVE to hear from those who try it.

You and your children are a gift to us. We are grateful for you every day.

Lincoln Counselor Website

This website has multiple resources for students and families. It also has videotaped lessons we use with students and parent videos that explain our emotional regulation program.

Nurse's Corner

If your child experiences any of the following symptoms listed below please keep them home from school

Fever over 100 within the last 24 hours (must be fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medication before returning to school)
Vomiting/diarrhea within the last 24 hours
Rash
Red, itchy, crusty eyes or any drainage from eyes

Steps to Stop the Spread of Germs

Avoid close contact with people who are sick
If you are sick stay home from school
Cover your cough and sneezes
Wash hands often with soap and water. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available
Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth
Get a flu vaccine