Bear Bulletin

Thank you all for another fantastic week at Lincoln! Despite being a short week, we managed to fit in a lot of learning and fun. One of the highlights was the first part of our Grandparents Day Celebration with our A-M families. This morning, we had the pleasure of hosting 98 grandparents who enjoyed breakfast with their grandchildren, bringing smiles all around. We are excited to continue the celebration with our N-Z families on Monday morning from 7:15-7:45. Additionally, don't forget to mark your calendars for our Title I Parent Night on Tuesday from 5:00-7:00, starting in the cafeteria. And make sure to join us for our PTO Spirit Night at Chiller Bee! We can't wait to see you all there!

September is School Attendance Awareness Month, and we want to continue to highlight the significant impact of every day your child is present. Last week, I shared our campus goal of having 95% or better average daily attendance as a goal for this year. In addition to our average daily attendance rate, we are also looking closely at students who have been chronically absent. This means that they were in attendance less than 90% of the year and had 18 or more absences. Chronic absenteeism has serious consequences that go beyond missing school. It can affect a student’s skills, academic success, and future opportunities. Why is this so important? Starting in preschool and kindergarten, too many absences can cause children to fall behind in school. Missing just 2 days each month during the school year can make it harder to learn to read. Absences and tardies can affect the whole classroom, not just the child who is absent, when the teacher has to slow down learning to help students who were late or absent to catch up.

Here’s how chronic absenteeism impacts students:

• Academic Impact: Frequent absences harm academic performance. Kids who miss school regularly, especially in early grades, tend to struggle more with their studies later and are less likely to pursue higher education.
• Social and Behavioral Effects: Missing school can make students feel isolated from their peers and disrupt their social skills. Teachers also have to spend extra time helping these students catch up, which can affect the whole class.
• Dropout Risk: Chronic absenteeism is a major predictor of dropping out. Students who miss school a lot are seven times more likely to leave school early. Problems often start early, with struggling readers in third grade being four times more likely to drop out of high school.
• Long-Term Effects: The impact continues beyond school, leading to lower earnings and poorer health later in life.

Addressing chronic absenteeism is essential for ensuring students have a better future.

(Graphic below from AttendanceWorks.org)

School funding is a complex topic that has many facets. Our MISD Board of Trustees has called for Proposition A, also known as a Voter-Approval Tax Rate Election (VATRE) for Nov. 5, 2024. State law requires that school districts seek voter approval to raise their tax rate above a prescribed amount. Proposition A will allow MISD voters to approve or disapprove the tax rate adopted by the Board of Trustees.

I highly encourage you to learn more about this proposition and how it could impact our district, our staff, and our students. MISD has included information about Prop A on the district website.

To register to vote or to find out your registration status, call the Montgomery County Elections Department at 936-539-7843, or visit their website at https://elections.mctx.org/BBM.asp. The last day to register to vote in the November election is Monday, October 7.

Early voting begins Oct. 21 and ends Nov. 1, and Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5.

One of our campus goals is to build more parent involvement on our campus. As parents, you know your child best. We want to partner with you to consistently make our school better. Below are several opportunities where you can be involved or provide feedback.

• WatchDOGS - Click this link for more information, the program presentation from the district, the background form, and the registration form.
  
• Parent Feedback Form - Any time you want to share your thoughts, you can email, call, or make an appointment to visit. Another way you can provide input is to simply complete our parent feedback form at any time. Your responses are anonymous unless you choose to include your name and/or contact information.
  

Each week, we want to provide you with an overview of our Lincoln statistics and where we are as a campus. We will share information about enrollment, student behaviors, and attendance. Additionally, as we have celebrations to share regarding our students' academic successes, we'll list them here too.

Enrollment

Current enrollment: 477

**Welcome new students, Anissa T., Jayden T., Jordan T., & Kaleb T!**

Attendance

Our goal is to have 95% or better attendance each day. Good school attendance is a key indicator of future school success. Below is our average daily attendance for this month so far:

• Week of 8/19: 96.9%

• Week of 8/26: 95.7%

• Week of 9/3: 95.3%

Classes with the Highest Attendance Rates Last Week:

• PERFECT ATTENDANCE: Demi Torman
• 98.9% - Mrs. White
• 98.4% - Mrs. Herzog & Mrs. Springer
• 98.1% - Mrs. Knee (Bussell), Mrs. Moore, & Mrs. Robison
• 97.2% - Mrs. Perry
• 96.7% - Mrs. Gerbrecht
• 96.6% - Mrs. Shaver
• 96.4% - Mrs. McClain
• 96.3% - Mrs. Jorgensen
• 95.7% - Mrs. Treharne
• 95.4% - Mrs. Meadors
• 95.1% - Mrs. Schaper

A special shout out to our SECOND GRADE classes for all reaching our 95% average daily attendance goal for the week!

Student Celebrations:

Bell Ringers for the Week:

The following students met a goal this week and rang our bell -

• All of Mrs. Treharne's class!

Way to go! Congratulations for meeting your goal!

We invite each student to bring up to two adults to our annual Grandparents' Day celebration. Students with last names N-Z will attend at 7:15-7:45 on Monday.

❗A VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: ⭐Grandparents are encouraged to park on the SOUTH side of the building in the parking lot by the cafeteria. They will enter the building through the cafeteria doors.⭐ If the lot is full, then we would ask for the guests to park on the west side of the building close to our outdoor learning center. The event ends very close to the arrival time for our students, and we need to make sure the car rider line is clear and that buses can safely arrive and depart in a timely manner.

🍂🎉 Save the Date! 🎉🍂

Lincoln Elementary's Fall Festival is just around the corner, sponsored by our amazing PTO! Join us on October 3rd from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. for a fun-filled evening with games, food, and community spirit.

Stay tuned for more details coming soon—we can't wait to celebrate with you! 🍁🎃

It's homecoming time! MHS Floral Design is selling mums and garters for our students to wear to show their Bear pride for homecoming on 9/27. We will pass out the mums and garters at LES on 9/26 for them to wear on 9/27. If you order by 9/13, your mum/garter will be $10 each. If you order after 9/13, orders will by $12 each. This is raising money for the MHS Floral Design department, as well as our LES PTO.

Link to order- https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfTXPV20i2EtkQ2fFplvvSU5yrs25CO66ZzsUnVrX55EC3O6g/viewform?usp=sf_link

Just as our students work hard, so do our staff members. If you have a staff member who has gone above and beyond for your or your child, let us know about it! We love sharing your celebrations with our teachers, paraprofessionals, auxiliary and support staff. Your words mean more than you know for our staff. You can always email your feedback to kerri.ashlock@misd.org or complete this form.

All staff members and parents are encouraged to nominate MISD employees who are "Making An Impact." Submit your nominations here: https://forms.gle/F3eWSxo3GawGw1f98

You can also submit names straight to the district through the Quick Tip Tab. Visit our school webpage and click on the Quick Tip tab. Select "Lincoln Elementary" from the drop-down menu. Then select "Share a Positive Story/Teacher Shout Out" in the next drop-down. Finally, enter information about how the staff member made a difference for you or your child. There's even a place to include a picture if you have one. The information has the option to be entered anonymously if you like.

September: Attendance Awareness Month

Monday, 9/9

• Grandparents Day Breakfast Part 2 (Last Names N-Z) 7:15-7:45 a.m.

Tuesday, 9/10

• Tuesday, 9/10 - Title I Parent Night & PTO Meeting 5:00-7:00
• 5:00-5:30 - Title I Information
• 5:30-6:30 PTO Meeting w/ Guest Speaker Carrie Fitzpatrick, Assistant Supt. of Elementary Schools
• 6:30-7:00 - Classroom Information with Teachers

Wednesday, 9/11

• Patriot Day (Wear Red, White, & Blue)
  

Thursday, 9/12

• PTO Spirit Night at Chiller Bees

Friday, 9/13

• Volunteer Social 1:30-2:30 pm
• Wave Club Forms Due
• Wear Your Spirit Wear!
• Hat Day! Students and Staff may wear a hat with a $1 donation to our activity fund.
  

Saturday, 9/14

• Mrs. Dillon's Birthday

SEPTEMBER

• Week of 9/16 - Celebrate Freedom Week
  
• Wednesday, 9/18 - Principal-Parent Safety Meeting 10:00 a.m.
• Thursday, 9/19 - WatchDOGS Kick-Off Meeting at the ESC 6:00 pm
• Friday, 9/20 - Mrs. Knee's Birthday
• Tuesday, 9/24 - Campus Advisory Committee at 4:15 pm
• Friday, 9/27 - Rock Your School Day - Wear your rock 'n roll gear and be ready for some high-engagement learning activities!

The Wave Club is tailored for 5th-grade students at Lincoln Elementary School, serving as a sponsored service organization. Meetings for the LES Wave Club will be held on specified Friday mornings in Mrs. Lynch's classroom. Students aspiring to make a positive impact on our school and the Montgomery community are welcomed to join this club focused on service.

Parents and students need to complete and return the form below to school no later by Friday, September 13. Give completed form to Mrs. Lynch.

Lunch visitors who are on a child's emergency contact list are welcome to eat with that child at one of our 3 reserved lunch visitor tables during the student's lunch period starting on September 3. Visitors will need to check in at the front office with their ID and get a visitor badge. Please do not invite other students to join you or provide food or snacks for other students. When lunch is over, all students will line up with their class. Visitors will return to the front office to turn in their visitor badge. Students should not bring other students with them to join their guests for lunch. Food should not be provided to other students than the child the guests are visiting.

Lunch Times:

ECSE 3s: 11:40-12:10

Pre-K & ECSE 4s: 10:55-11:25

Kindergarten: 11:10-11:40

1st Grade: 11:25-11:55

2nd Grade: 11:45-12:15

3rd Grade: 12:00-12:30

4th Grade: 12:20-12:50

5th Grade: 12:35-1:05

A friendly reminder, we do not have an open lunch policy so please do not order food for your child from outside vendors to be delivered to the school during the school day (i.e. Uber Eats, Grub Hub, Door Dash, or any kind of delivery service). This becomes a safety concern when staff need to leave the front office to deliver food to students or take their focus off of families who have business in the office. Food deliveries also increase the number of unfamiliar people entering the building. Additionally, our lunch times are very tight and do not allow for late deliveries. We cannot allow for learning to be disrupted by early or late food deliveries. Thank you for understanding our focus on safety and uninterrupted instructional time.

Celebrate your child’s birthday and raise money for our LES activity fund. These funds are used to pay for field trips and special activities for our students and staff.

You can have your child’s first name and initial of last name (i.e. Kerri A.) displayed on our marquee and/or our internal hallway monitors for the week of his/her birthday for a small donation to our activity fund. If you choose to have their birthday recognition on the hallway monitors, you have the option to include a picture of your child for an additional $5 donation. If you child has a summer birthday, we can recognize their half-birthday.

Cash donations only, please. Use the form attached below to place your order. Forms will also be available in Tuesday folders.

School Hours:

• Doors open at 7:50
• Tardy bell rings, and class begins at 8:15. (This is the time students are expected to be in their seats in the classroom.)
• School day ends at 3:40

We are working hard to maximize each and every minute our students are here. Students who arrive after 8:15 are considered tardy and will need to be walked into the front door of the building and signed in by a parent or guardian. If your child needs to leave early, they may be checked out through the front office by a parent or guardian no later than 3:15 pm.

Attendance is of critical importance to your child's academic success. Parents should enter the absence information through Family Access in Skyward within 48 hours of the absence.

Changes in transportation need to be made prior to 2:00 in order to allow time for the messages to be communicated with the appropriate staff member. To request a change of transportation, either

1. Send a note with your child,
2. Email LincolnElementaryTransit@misd.org with the note and a copy of your driver's license, or
3. Come to the school with a copy of your driver's license.

Lincoln Elementary is a Pre-K through 5th grade campus in Montgomery ISD that opened in the fall of 2018. We are dedicated to collaboration that focuses on ensuring high levels of learning for every student, every day, in a safe and supportive environment.

Email: kerri.ashlock@misd.org
Website: https://lincolnes.misd.org/
Location: 700 Dr Martin Luther King Jr Dr, Montgomery, TX, USA
Phone: (936) 276-4700
Facebook: facebook.com/MISDLincoln
Twitter: @lincoln_MISD