

Lincoln Bulletin
November 3, 2023
Lincoln School
Lincoln leopards are respectful, responsible, and safe!
District Strategic Commitment-TOGETHER building pathways of Excellence!
Email: michelle.woodring@d303.org
Website: Lincoln.d303.org
Location: 211 South 6th Ave, St. Charles
Phone: 331-228-2501
Facebook: facebook.com/LincolnElementary
Twitter: @LincolnD303
Upcoming Dates
Saturday, 11/4-Girls On The Run @ Cantigny
Friday, 11/10- Last day of Trimester 1
Tuesday, 11/21- Report Cards available in HAC for Parents
Monday, 11/20 - Friday, 11/24- Thanksgiving Break-NO School for Students
Wednesday, 11/29- Elementary Early Release
Join the Lincoln Directory- Deadline 11/10!
Want to connect to other families, build a sense of belonging for your students? If you would like to be able to share your contact information so you can connect with Lincoln families, coordinate meet up, birthday celebrations or any other fun gatherings.
Join the Lincoln Directory! Scan the QR code OR VISIT nd put in your information which will be shared in a printed directory with the Lincoln community.
Principally speaking
Next week is the final week of our first trimester. We will also have a few celebrations, Monday we will celebrate our October and November birthdays for students in grades 2-5, those that have birthdays during those months recieved an invite to join me at the local park for a picnic lunch, please pack a lunch or they will take the hot lunch with us.
Thursday, students that earned the October reading incentive will participate in a popcorn lunch and movie Thursday in the LRC for lunch and recess with Ms. Kappele and Mrs. Woodring. Reading as seen below improves student performance across all content areas.
Friday we will host a brief assembly for our local Veteran's. We will have Veteran's from a local retirement community visit. Our student council will meet Tuesday to prepare for a portion of the assembly.
Reading Is Important!
Dear Parents and Families:
Did you know? Reading just 20
minutes a day exposes your child to about 1.8 million words per year. Reading helps students develop a stronger vocabulary, and in addition, students who read for pleasure average higher grades in English, mathematics, science, and history!
Encourage your child to read books for fun by participating in our Lincoln Fall Reading Challenge! The challenge will begin on Monday, October 9th and run through November 3rd. Students who complete the challenge will be invited to a short movie lunch with popcorn the week of November 6-10th.
Each student will receive a Lincoln Fall Reading Challenge recording form. Each activity must be completed and signed by an adult. Our K-2 students are challenged to do each reading activity for 20 minutes and our 3-5 are challenged to do 30 minutes.
Happy Reading and have fun with the fall reading challenge!
CogAT Grades 3 & 5
Erin's Law Letter
VETERAN'S DAY
In an effort to honor our veteran's we are beginning to plan our Veteran's day celebration. Above is an attached flyer for you to print and complete and return to school so we can place these up in our hallways and students can see photos and information regarding Lincoln community veterans. We also would like to do a celebration honoring those that are able to join us in person on Nov. 11 in the morning at about 8:30, this will be done in the gym. If you know of a veteran that you would like to be invited please complete this google form, including their address or email so we can mail invitations to honor them.
Lincoln Reminders
Pick up and drop off procedures
The car line on the north side of the building is for drop off, please do not park your car and get out. If you feel like your child needs assistance getting out of their car seat or you need to get out during the process please park your car in the library lot and you can walk them over to the door.
When picking up for an appointment early
If your son or daughter needs to leave school mid-day for an appointment, please understand that we will not call your child down to the office until you are here. Time in school is very limited and every moment counts, once you are here we will call them and promptly have them come down to leave with you, but we do not want to call ahead because often they are missing valuable instruction waiting for the pick up due to unforeseen circumstances. Thank you for understanding.
Big Hearts of Fox Valley
A LITTLE ABOUT BIG HEARTS OF FOX VALLEY:
We have 3 programs directly helping low-income families in D303:
1. Big Hearts Throughout the Year (BHTTY) Program:
D303 social workers refer families in need to us. We shop for the requested clothing, shoes, backpacks and supplies for D303 kids and toiletry items for the family. We help families up to 2 times a school year (while funds last).
2. Christmas Sponsorship Program:
We work with D303 social workers who collect wish lists from families who are in need of help
providing Christmas gifts for all the children in their family. This helps D303 families with children
birth-18. We gather shoppers from the community to shop for these anonymous kids. Big Hearts will
host a “Santa’s Drive-Thru Pick Up” for families to pick up the gifts. Each family receives gifts for each of their children as well as a grocery store gift card and a family board game. We try to make each child's bag contain the same number of gifts, so when a bag is a little “light” we fill them with items that were collected from our Holiday Toy Drive. Our schools help to make this happen!
3. Warm Coats & Warm Hearts Program:
We purchase new coats that kids will be proud to wear when they go on sale each year. When families mark that their kids need coats on their Holiday wish list, we pull them from our inventory so they can have a warm coat before it gets cold. We drop these off at D303 schools each October. This also frees up the Holiday Wish list shoppers so they can concentrate on other items on their list..
Holiday Toy Drive Needs-Week of 11/3-LAST WEEK!
Week of Nov 3rd- This week is the last week to bring in items for Big Hearts of Fox Valleys Holiday
Toy Drive. Items are distributed to those in need within our D303 community. Next week's theme
will be SPORTS BONANZA! Bring in NEW Balls(football, soccer, basketball, etc) baseball bats, nets,
hockey sets, dartboards, lawn games, scooters. The collection box will be located in our front vestibule AND a staff member will be outside Wednesday morning in the drop off line to collect donations!
A Message from Ms. Semenek
Dear Lincoln families,
Please note the following in order for your child to safely and actively participate in PE this year:
Tennis Shoes must be worn. No sandals, slick-soled shoes, rubber spikes, clogs, boots, heels, or croc-type shoes. These shoes are not safe for activity!
Shorts or Pants are appropriate for the gym. Shorts and leggings are recommended underneath skirts/dresses).
Illnesses or Injuries that would prevent your child from participating in PE should be explained in a note from you. A doctor’s excuse is necessary for any child missing more than three days of gym.
Weather is changing, so please send your child to school in layers (sweaters/jackets) recommended as we will be going outside even throughout the winter months.
Please feel free to contact me with questions or concerns. Thank you for your cooperation.
Ms. Semenek
Staff Spotlight
Name: Julie Haegele
Occupation: 1st Grade Teacher
Place of Birth: Illinois
Pets: Berkeley, a goldendoodle who is 1 1/2 years old
Favorite Sport: I'm not into sports, but I do love to watch my son play lacrosse and watch both my kids run cross country and track
Favorite thing to do over the weekend: Hike in the forest preserve across from my house
Best Place to Visit: Tybee Island, Georgia
Favorite Book: SO MANY!!!!!!!
What superhero would you be? A teacher!
One Wish: That all children in my classroom find their love of learning and grow leaps and bounds!
Favorite Food: Watermelon
Dairy Queen or Oberweis: Neither. Milkhouse Ice Cream in Pingree Grove
Favorite Season: Summer
Favorite College: My daughter wants to study architecture at University of Illinois...we will see!
Favorite Team: Any team my children are on. I do not really follow any other sports.
Airplane or Road Trip: Airplane, please!
Fun Facts: I married my high school sweetheart and we've been together for 30 years, but only married for 17 years.
Parent Education Sessions
District 303 is pleased to present its lineup of Parent Education sessions for the 2023-2024 school year.
The Parent Education series (formerly Parent University) includes informational meetings and workshops intended to empower parents and guardians to support their children’s academic, social and emotional needs. Become informed on specialized topics, engage in two-way dialogue with speakers and fellow parents, and become a support resource for others.
A Nursing Note from Miss Christy:
Dear Parents,
It is cold and flu season! The health service team in District 303 has been caring for
a number of students experiencing fevers and other cold-like symptoms including
cough and congestion. Preventative measures remain the most effective way to
reduce the spread of influenza and other viral illnesses like COVID-19.
Students who present to the Health Office with a fever of 100 F or higher and/or
feeling poorly are sent home. To prevent widespread illness in school, we
recommend that your child stay home when they are ill. Please consider the
following guidelines when making this decision:
CONSIDER KEEPING YOUR CHILD AT HOME with::
● Very stuffy or runny nose and/or cough
● Mild sore throat (no fever, no known exposure to strep or COVID)
● Headache
● Mild stomach ache
DEFINITELY KEEP YOUR CHILD AT HOME with:
● Fever (greater than 100 degrees F)
● Vomiting (even once)
● Diarrhea
● Chills
● General malaise or feelings of fatigue
● Frequent congested (wet) or croupy cough
● Lots of nasal congestion with frequent blowing of nose
TO HELP PREVENT THE FLU AND OTHER COLDS, reinforce:
● Wash hands frequently
● Do not touch eyes, nose or mouth
● Respiratory etiquette
● Avoid close contact with people who are ill
Viruses are the most contagious during the first 48 hours. A child who has a fever
should remain at home until "fever free" and for a minimum of 24 hours. A child
who has started antibiotics needs to be on medication for at least 24 hours before
he/she is considered non-contagious and able to return to school. Keeping your ill
child at home will minimize the spread of infections and viruses in the classroom!
Thank you in advance for helping make this year at school as healthy as possible.
Sincerely,
Health Service Team
Lincoln PTO
Hello Lincoln families,
Please find below the sign-up link for the Big Hearts of Fox Valley Gift Sponsorship Program. If you wish to participate, please purchase gifts by NOVEMBER 10th and drop them off at Janell Walton's house. Thank you.
Family Contact Info - Please verify for your family!
District 303 would like to remind families to make sure the contact information you’ve provided is up-to-date. We want to ensure you’re getting timely alerts on important notifications.
Prior to the start of class, District 303 will send test messages through its mass communication system to the contact information you have on file (email, text and phone). This is the way the District and your child’s school(s) contact you when sending mass messages simultaneously.
Visit the Home Access Center website for information on how to view and edit your contact settings.
View Notification Preferences/Enable Text Messages
District 303 will send notifications to families through the ParentLink system by text message, phone call and email based on your settings. Parents/guardians can view and edit their contact settings through the Home Access Center.
To receive timely emergency communications, we strongly encourage families to enable text notifications. For most people, this is the fastest way to receive and view important messages. Here’s how:
- From the HAC main menu, select the “registration” tab to view your contact settings
- Select the “edit” button to change your contact settings
- To enable text message notifications, enter your cell phone number in the Cell/Text field
- Select the “save” button
Please call the Attendance Line to Report an Absence
If your student is going to be late or absent, please call 331-228-2500 and press 1 to report the absence and the reason. Leave a message on the attendance line as soon as possible that morning or the night before. Thank you for your help in verifying absences from school.