1/21 Lincoln Log

Lincoln Families,

I hope you enjoyed the weekend and the balmy weather! It was nice to discard the hat and gloves for a few days!
Student safety is always atop the priority list at Lincoln School and in District 90. Last week, the D90 School Board approved a partnership with The Village of River Forest to work with an outside contractor to conduct a safer routes to school evaluation of all intersections, crosswalks, crossing guards, etc. in our attendance area.  Once completed, the recommendation of this study will be shared with community stakeholders for discussion/implementation. While this study won’t erase the accident that occurred in December, it will shed new light and ideas on the all important mission of keeping our kids safe.
On Thursday, February 1 at 6:30pm, Lincoln will host our annual Kindergarten Sneak Peek/Information night. Please encourage any family or friends you know with kindergarten aged students to attend to learn more about Kindergarten at Lincoln and D90.
Over the past two years, D90 has implemented new research based curriculum in the areas of writing and math. Over the next few weeks, teachers will be engaged in some ongoing professional development in both content areas led by consultants from UIC and Columbia Teachers College in New York. While it is never optimal for teachers to be away from their classrooms, this job embedded professional development is essential to the successful implementation and reflection of these incredible writing and math resources.
As always, thank you for your continued support of Lincoln School. Please never hesitate to reach out if there is anything I can do to better support your kids/family. Have a great week. CG

Calendar

Monday, 1/22:

  • Winter Sports Camp – 3:15-4pm, gym
  • Yoga – 3:15-4:15pm, multipurpose room

Tuesday, 1/23:

  • 3rd Grade Briggs/Burns Field Trip to MOSI
  • Tennis grades 3/4 – 3:15-4pm, gym

Wednesday, 1/24:

  • 3rd Grade Mares/McCole Field Trip to MOSI
  • 4th Grade Benjamin Franklin Assembly – 2pm
  • Winter Sports Camp – 3:15-4pm, gym

Thursday, 1/25:

  • Tennis grades 1/2 – 3:15-4, gym
Friday, 1/26:
  • Wonder Writers – 7:30am, multi-purpose room
  • Fun Lunch – Chicken Tenders/Veggie Burgers


​Order Spring Fun Lunch by Midnight Tonight (with late fee)!

Fall Fun Lunch has ended. If your child wants additional fun lunches for 2018, you must register on the PTO Web StorePlace your order (with late fee) by midnight tonight!  Please check with your children to see if their tastes have changed before registering.


Technology Town Hall – Wednesday January 31 at 7pm

Please consider attending a Town Hall Forum on social media use by students. The Forum will be held on Wednesday, January 31 at 7 p.m. in the Roosevelt Middle School Auditorium. The topic is iScreen, You Screen, Wii All Screen: A Family Guide to Media Use.

Drs. Scott Goldstein and Rebecca Unger of Northwestern Children’s Practice will provide information regarding the American Academy of Pediatrics’ guidelines for screen use by youngsters including introducing technology to children, balancing media use with healthy behaviors, benefits and drawbacks of social media, and addressing some of the issues that arise from screen and technology use. They will also provide practical tips for parents to help oversee their children’s screen and technology use. Members of the D90 technology staff will also review pertinent Board of Education policies regarding technology use and how the District uses technology to support classroom instruction. The presentations will provide useful information on monitoring and managing your student’s screen time, while also offering suggestions to help develop sound digital citizenship among students.

This Town Hall Forum will serve as the Committee of the Whole meeting. Please bring your questions, insights, and a friend.​


One District/One Book – Next event is Saturday, 2/3!

District 90, in partnership with the PTOs, will be hosting several upcoming events as part of the shared reading experience, the One District/One Book effort. This community-wide reading initiative encourages families and residents to read, reflect, and discuss the same book together. All District 90 families, faculty, staff, students, and River Forest residents are encouraged to read and join in the discussion of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, by Carol Dweck.

The Mindset approach offers a framework to advance one’s efforts in the classroom (for students), at work, with personal relationships, and in the community. School and local librarians are offering other potential book titles with similar themes for novice or young readers.

Join the Conversation
Please join the discussion about adopting and/or supporting a growth mindset. Several events will expound on the growth mindset approach and its importance to school success. Suggestions and practical tips will also be provided to help participants support growth mindset concepts at work, in relationships and community service, and in the classroom. The session will help you identify your own personal mindset approach and ways to strengthen or transform it.

Saturday, February 3
Roosevelt Middle School
11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Please join the discussion during an interactive presentation by Dr. Ann Batenburg of Mindset Works. This presentation will help everyone learn about the benefits of applying the growth mindset concepts to all aspects of their lives. Participants are invited to continue the conversation following Dr. Ann Batenburg’s presentation by joining facilitated breakout sessions afterward.

Mid-February (Coming Soon) 
Please plan to participate in an interactive webinar for anyone interested in understanding the components of the growth mindset approach. More than a concept that relies on positive thinking, the growth mindset approach encourages meeting challenges through a variety of methods. Participants will be able to leverage practical suggestions about the growth mindset approach as they learn how to apply its tenets to all aspects of their lives.

All events are free and open to the public. Please plan to attend one or all of the upcoming One District/One Book events, see attached flyer.


Important Messages from your School Nurse

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Please remember during cold and flu season to keep your child home if they are sick. If they have a fever they need to be fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medication before they can return to school. If they are vomiting and/or have diarrhea, make sure it has been at least 24 hours since the last episode before returning to school. If your child has an excessively runny nose or cannot stop coughing, it may be a good idea to keep them home. This is to protect your child from catching something if their immune system is down, as well as to protect the other students and staff. Thank you for doing your part to keep everyone at Lincoln School healthy.

Valentines Day and Party Info:

A Reminder on Class Parties – As Valentine’s Day parties approach, it is important to remember District 90’s food allergy practices that help keep all our children safe.

Room Parents, 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 that is nut free. All items must be nut free and not manufactured in a nut facility or on equipment that is shared with any type of nut. This is a school-wide practice regardless of whether there is a child with a nut allergy in the classroom.

In addition, all food items must be free of all allergens unique to the classroom and not manufactured on equipment that is shared with that allergen. (Example: soy, egg, milk)

Also please remember that food cannot be prepared in any way in your homes, i.e., slicing fruit or assembling themed food items. Please also bring in all food items in their original packaging so labels can be reviewed.

We ask for your full cooperation with this. Unfortunately, if something comes in that does not adhere to these rules or contains an allergen, the food will not be able to be served.

A Reminder on Valentine’s Day Cards – Please remember that Valentines should be brought for every student in your child’s classroom. Valentines may NOT contain any type of food or candy items. If your child brings a Valentine with candy attached, we will remove the candy and allow the Valentine to be passed out. If there is no way to separate the candy from the Valentine, unfortunately, the Valentines will not be allowed to be passed out, and we will ask your child to bring the Valentines home. Please help us avoid disappointment and tears and remember not to have candy or food be a part of your child’s Valentine cards.

Thank you all for helping keep all of our students at Lincoln safe.

If you have any questions at all please contact our school nurse, Erin Godellas at godellase@district90.org or 708-366-7340 x 8034.  Please feel free to take a picture and forward any ingredient label that you may have a question about.


Attendance Reporting

When reporting your child’s absence please be sure to either use the district attendance e-mail or telephone extension:
1) Lincoln School Attendance Line: 708.366.7340
2) Email 24-7 to lincolnattendance@district90.org


Lincoln Elementary K-4th Jr. Scientist Expo – Volunteers Needed!

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The Lincoln Elementary K-4th Jr. Scientist Exp will be Thursday, February 8th – please sign up to volunteer through Signup Genius.


Chess Club – Registration is open!

Chess Club begins next week!

Meetings will be held from 3:15-4:15pm in the Lincoln Library on the following Mondays: 1/29, 2/5, 2/26, 3/12, 3/19, 4/2, 4/9, 4/16.

Registration is open NOW!  Maximum of 20 kids.  Kids should bring a nut free snack and a water bottle.  Please contact Derek Flynn (derek.flynn AT gmail.com) with any questions.


Girls On the Run – Registration is open!

Fitness, Empowerment, & Fun? Join Girls on the Run!

Girls on the Run is a non-profit, after-school program for 3rd and 4th grade girls that uses the power of running to educate girls for a lifetime of self-respect and healthy living. The program combines training for a 5k event with interactive lessons that encourage positive physical and social-emotional development.

WHEN do we meet?
 Twice a week after school for 75 – 90 minutes with your team. The program will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Lincoln School starting in March through May and is led by trained, volunteer coaches.  (Cost will be $205/girl for the 12 week season).

Sign up is open! Go to gotrchicago.org to sign up and learn more.  5K Race to be held in Grant Park on Saturday, May 19.

Volunteer as a coach for Girls on the Run!  You don’t need to be a runner or have previous coaching experience – just the passion to change the lives of young girls.

Contact Kristin Bailitz at kristinbailitz@gmail.com if interested.


Jump Rope For Heart

Students in 1st-4th grade:

Our school is getting ready to kick-off another Jump Rope For Heart for the American Heart Association!  We are so excited to teach your student how to care for their heart.  Our Jump Rope for Heart event will be on February 21st during school.

Our American Heart Association representative will be joining us at school on JANUARY 31 to talk with our students about the work the AHA does and challenge them to start living a healthy lifestyle,   Information and letters  to parents for collecting  donations will go home with the 1st- 4th grade students on Friday February 2. Here’s a quick 15 minute video you can watch at home with your child to learn more about our event this year.


International Festival

Lincoln School and PTO is hosting its third International Fest on Sunday, February 25, from 1-4pm.

Send your child on a journey around the world! In one afternoon, your child will travel through four countries, hosted by Lincoln parents from around the world (plus art teachers Ms. Kozbur!), doing locally themed hands-on projects and activities at each itinerary stop.

The cost of this amazing experience is $5 per child. All travelers will receive a personalized passport and duty free bag. World travel will include age appropriate scavenger hunts with token souvenir prizes! World snacks and drinks will be available for sale in our International Food Court (the gym). Parents and siblings are welcome to wait for their Lincoln Travelers alongside a hands-on international exhibit in the gym.

Due to space and logistical constraints, the World Tour is open to Lincoln students only. Parents may accompany Lincoln students on the tour if need be, but qualified “tour guides” will be helping students find their way, and will be available to assist younger travelers. Franklin Entrance Doors open at 1 pm. Students “tour” from 1:15 to 4 pm. WebStore registration is open from January 22 to February 16 and will be limited to the first 120 Lincoln students who RSVP. WE EXPECT INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL TO SELL OUT QUICKLY!

In the event that World Tour sells out, please register on the Wait List free of charge and we will contact you if space opens up.

Parent volunteers are still needed — please sign up on the PTO SignUpGenius.

Questions? Contact Vanessa Druckman (vanessadruckman at gmail.com) or Katie Iammartino (katie_strauss at hotmail.com).


Annual Lincoln School Auction – Save the date: March 16th!

 We hope you can join us for our school’s annual fundraiser Hoops & Heels on Friday, March 16th at Lake Street Ktichen!  ALL proceeds benefit our kids and our school!
 
The addition of a live auction last year was a great success and we can’t wait to do it again (along with a silent auction)!  We are in search of new auction items/experiences.  If you have anything you’d be interested in donating or discussing, or if you’re interested in volunteering with the auction committee, please contact our auction chairs Rebecca Ehart (clarkhartwed@gmail.com) or Melissa Bergetz (bergetzm@gmail.com). 
 
Tickets will be available for advance purchase online soon.  More information will be coming in future newsletters.  
Looking forward to seeing you there!

Library Volunteers Wanted

Do you love books and kids?  Do you have 30 minutes to spare?  If you answered yes, then the Lincoln Library is looking for you!  We have a small but mighty group of volunteers who shelve the books, but would love to have a few more.  Lincoln students read a lot of books and all those books must go back on the shelves!  Best times are right after drop off and at 2:30 before pick up.  If there’s another time you can make it, let’s chat!  Please contact Mrs. Brauweiler (brauweilerd@district90.org) directly to become a Lincoln Library volunteer!​