Lincoln Families,

Welcome Back! I hope you and your family enjoyed the holiday break and created some wonderful memories with family and friends! It was a soggy weekend in St. Louis. I enjoyed an intimate Thanksgiving dinner with my parents and had a fun weekend hanging out with my nieces and friends.

It’s hard to believe only fifteen school days separate us from the Winter Break! There is much to accomplish in that short time, so please remind your kids the importance of working hard and staying focused during this exciting time of year.

Additionally, as winter begins, please be sure your kids are dressed for the weather. In snowy conditions like last week, only students with snow pants, boots, gloves and hats are allowed to play in the snow field. All other students must remain on the blacktop as a safety precaution.

I’m so excited to welcome your kids back to school tomorrow. I’ve missed them and look forward to hearing all about their holiday adventures. Please never hesitate to reach out if there is anything I can do to better support you or your family!

Happy December!

CG

Calendar

Monday, 11/30:  

• Heartworks Mitten Tree collection begins
• Deadline to turn in Blue Ribbons to the office

Wednesday, 12/2:

• First & Second Grade Young Authors’ Workshop during Recess in Mrs. Moriarty’s classroom

Friday, 12/4:

• Third & Fourth Grade Young Author’s Workshop during Recess in Mrs. Moriarty’s classroom
• Fun Lunch:  Pasta from Puree’s Pizza & Pasta Cafe in Oak Park

Future Events

Monday, 12/7:

• Heartworks Club Meetings at Lunch or After School
• Panera Bread Dine & Share– details coming soon!
• PTO Meeting at 8:45 am in the Lincoln Conference Room

Friday, 12/18:  Holiday Concerts

• First Grade:  9:45 am
• Second Grade:  10:30 am
• Third Grade:  1:00 pm
• Fourth Grade:  1:45 pm
• 2:30 pm EARLY DISMISSAL FOR ALL STUDENTS

Heartworks Mitten Tree Project

Heartworks is sponsoring an annual holiday tradition at Lincoln–our Mitten Tree, which benefits the Hephzibah Children’s Association.

Lincoln families can donate NEW mittens, gloves, hats, and scarves for children ages 4-13 under care at Hephzibah. Hephzibah is a group home located in Oak Park that provides long-term support for traumatized children.

Students can hang their donations on the Tree in the Park Ave. Lobby between November 30th and December 16th.

Thank you and Happy Holidays!

 

Young Authors’ Contest

The Young Authors are Coming…

Our last workshop was a huge success!  27 young authors met to share ideas and get inspired to write. We know there are others out there wanting to join in!  Please start your writing at home.  There are 2 more workshops this week that will take place during the recess period in Mrs. Moriarty’s classroom.

Wednesday,  12/2:  First & Second Graders

Friday, 12/4:  Third & Fourth Graders

All writing pieces need to be submitted by December 14 th. Students should attend the workshop to learn requirements for cover pages, author info, etc.

Every winter D90 hosts a Young Authors’ Conference and awards one student author from each school.  For the contest, students will submit a new piece of writing, in a genre of their choice:  poetry, short story, essay, graphic novel, or illustrated story.

The Conference will be held on Saturday, January 30th.  Please contact Mrs. Moriarty at “moriartyp AT district90.org” with questions.

 

International Festival News!

We have a terrific list of participating foreign countries, but we are also looking for volunteers to do an exhibit about the U.S.A.   Interested?  Please contact Vanessa Druckman at “vanessadruckman AT gmail.com”.

We also need someone knowledgeable about Poland to help with this exhibit. Please contact Ann Mills at “anncieslica AT msn.com”.

And, if you are interested in learning and demonstrating a Japanese hula dance, please contact Katie Ianmartino at “katie_strauss@hotmail.com”.

Mark your 2016 Calendar for Lincoln’s first International Festival:  Sunday, February 28th

It’s not too late to sign up–all you need is a passion for a particular country!   Please fill out this form or email Vanessa Druckman “vanessadruckman AT gmail.com”.

 

Save the Date:  Monday, December 7th

Dine at Panera Bread or grab take out!  Panera’s Dine & Share program will raise money for the Lincoln PTO next Monday.  Details will follow, so keep your eyes open for a special PTO email in the next week.

 

Chess Club is Back!

Chess and Backgammon Club will be meeting for 7 consecutive Wednesdays starting on January 6th.  The final day will be a tournament and pizza party on Wednesday, February 17th.

All grades and levels are welcome, as are volunteers!

Register on the PTO Web Store now.

• Fee is $15
• Wednesdays 3:15 to 4:15 pm (Jan. 6th through Feb. 17th)
• limited to 25 students

Questions?  Please contact Nikki Elza at “njselza AT comcast.net”

 

Winter Sports Camp–Registration is Open!

Our popular Winter Sports Camp is run by Legacy Sports and features favorite games like Battleship!  Both sessions are open to all grades and run for 6 weeks. Space is limited, so sign up today on the PTO Web Store.

Tuesdays or Thursdays, starting January 5th / 7th

3:15 to 4:15 pm in the Lincoln Gym.

$70 for 6 sessions

Questions?  Please contact Nikki Elza at “njselza AT comcast.net”

 

Holiday Party Reminder from the School Nurse

As holiday party planning begins, please remember to check with your class teacher or the school nurse for a list of food allergies unique to your classroom. Please remember that ALL food items must be store bought or made in a licensed commercial kitchen. All items must be nut-free and not manufactured in a nut facility or on equipment that is shared with any type of nut ( regardless of whether the classroom has a nut allergy). In addition, the items must be free of all allergens unique to the classroom and not manufactured on equipment that is shared with that allergen. (example, soy) Also please remember, food cannot be prepared in any way in your homes, i.e.. slicing fruit, or assembling themed food items. Thank you for helping keep all of our students safe.

If you have any questions or concerns, or would like to have your items reviewed, please contact Erin Godellas at “godellase AT district90.org” or 708-366-7340.

 

Eagle Eyes–attention Parents of 4th Graders

If your Fourth Grader is interested in participating in the Eagle Eye program, please email Casey Godfrey.  Details were emailed to all Fourth Grade parents a while back.  Thank you.

 

Help Fund Our PTO While You Shop

Do you shop at Target or on Amazon?  If so, this one is a no-brainer!

By registering your Target REDcard or Target MasterCard with Target’s Take Charge of Education program, Target will donate 1% of all of your purchases to the Lincoln PTO. That is IN ADDITION to your 5% savings with the REDcard. If you have a card already, all you need to do is register it by calling 1-800-316-6142 or by visiting www.Target.com/tcoe or an in-store kiosk. The primary cardholder of a Target Debit Card™ can sign up for the Take Charge of Education program by calling 1-800-316-6142.  Our school ID is 48034.  The Take Charge of Education Program will end on May 14, 2016, so take advantage of this valuable opportunity while it lasts!

In addition, when you shop at smile.amazon.com, the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price from your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to the Lincoln PTO.  Prices are the same as on Amazon.com, and millions of products are eligible.  Simply select “Lincoln Parent-Teacher Organization of River Forest” the first time you visit the site.

Lincoln also participates in the Box Tops For Education Program.  Click here for a list of participating box tops products.  Each box top is worth 10 cents to the school, so they really add up!  We will be having a box tops contest after winter break, so start clipping and saving them now.  The Box Tops website, www.BTFE.com, also offers coupons and recipes for participating products.

 

Young Filmmakers Contest

The contest is open to Grades 3 through College, with recognition in each category: elementary, middle school, high school and college. Submission deadline is 5 pm, Sunday, January 17, 2016.

Create a 3-8 minute film or a shorter animation on a specific topic related to climate change or sustainability.  See the attachment One Earth Film Contest  for details or click here for the One Earth Website.