Lincoln Families,
Happy Superbowl, Happy Mardi Gras, and Happy Valentine’s Day!
Whether you’re cheering for Carolina or Denver, I hope your Superbowl weekend was relaxing and enjoyable. This week looks to be a busy one here at Lincoln!
I look forward to seeing many of you on Thursday evening at our Connect 4 Kids community book talk. It’s not too late to attend. See more info below about this great opportunity of our school community.
Over the past few months I have visited all classrooms and discussed with staff members the mission of creating a common language and expectations for all Lincoln Eagles to utilize in the common areas of our school. For the next month we will begin introducing the hallway expectations our kids and staff collaborated to create. Look for our common language campaign to be visible through posted signage throughout the school. Eventually, the concept of common language will grow to encompass all shared areas of our school. For now, here is our hallway common language:
In our Fine, Fine Hallways
Lincoln Eagles…
Walk Silently
Walk on the Right side
Respect the Personal Space of others
I’m also really looking forward to Friday’s Kindergarten Valentine performance at 10:00 AM. Don’t forget that ALL Kindergarten Students will attend the AM session next Friday, February 12.
Finally, don’t forget that Friday, February 12 will be an early release for ALL students. During the afternoon our teachers will be engaged in professional learning focused on writing.
As always, thanks for your continued support of Lincoln. Please never hesitate to let me know if there is anything I can do to help you or your kids.
Have a good week.
CG
Spirit Wear Winners:
Friday, February 5 2016
2nd-Mayer
3rd-Mares
Monday, 2/8:
Tuesday, 2/9:
Wednesday, 2/10:
Thursday, 2/11:
As Valentine’s party planning begins, please remember to check with your class teacher or the school nurse for a list of current 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. Fruit cannot be sliced or cut at home. Items cannot be opened and mixed at home. They need to come to school in their original packaging or we will not be able to serve them due to possible cross contamination. 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.
RESPECT
Respect comes in many forms, so this month we focus a bit on respect for diversity. Teaching children to respect people of various sizes, abilities, ethnicities, cultures, and ages is very important. When children respect themselves and others, they feel good about who they are. When children learn to value people who are different from themselves, they are better prepared to live peacefully in a diverse world. We can best support our children’s development of respect by:
*modeling it in our everyday interactions
*pointing it out in the various stories we read and TV programs we watch
*using person-first language (e.g. a ‘person who is blind’, NOT a ‘blind person’)
*avoid making jokes about others
*listening and responding when our kids ask us about differences!
In the winter months we think it may be time to curl up with a good book. Order yourself a copy of:
Teach Your Children Well: Why Values and Coping Skills Matter More Than Grades, Trophies, or “Fat Envelopes” by Madeline Levine, Ph.D.
We invite Lincoln and Willard parents to our first Connect4Kids Parent Book Club on February 11th, 2016, 7pm @ Lincoln School.
This talk will be moderated by Dr. Cara Lanza Hurley. Dr. Hurley is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist with nearly a decade of specialized training and expertise. She will lead an intimate discussion encouraging us to reflect on insights from the book and process the art of parenting with peers. We are delighted she will be facilitating our post book discussion as she comes to us with positive reviews after several parent book talks in Hinsdale.
Please RSVP here by February 8th.
Extra copies of this book will be available in the Lincoln and Willard offices if you want to stop by and check them out.
On Tuesday February 16th award winning author and illustrator Bob Shea will visit Lincoln school and meet with 1st and 2nd grade students. He will discuss his career path to becoming a writer and illustrator and his most recent books (Ballet Cat: Dance! Dance! Underpants! and Ballet Cat: The Totally Secret Secret).
These books are available to any student in the school for purchase. On the day of the visit, Bob Shea will be doing a book signing. All pre-ordered books will be personalized and autographed. Book order forms are attached. Please make checks payable to Lincoln PTO and bring your order to school this week.
Any questions contact Lisa Shorney (lisailiffe@yahoo.com)
Here is a link to the book order form: https://lincoln.district90pto.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/BobShea_021616_Lincoln.pdf
The PTO is sponsoring a school-wide contest to collect Box Tops in February. Our goal is for each student to bring in at least 5 unexpired box tops before Thursday, February 25. Teachers will have special Box Tops collection boxes in the classrooms.
Each box top is worth 10 cents to the school. If we collect 2000 box tops/earn $200 before February 25, the entire school will win a fun ’theme’ day, to be voted upon by the students.
Beginning Feb. 1 at 8:00 am, the registration link will be posted on the Girls on the Run website: www.gotrchicago.org (Please note that you cannot register through Lincoln’s website)
Registration will run from Feb. 1 until Feb. 28 and is done in a lottery format. After 2/28 you will be contacted about whether your daughter has been added to the team, or put on a waiting list.
Find out more about this program at www.gotrchicago.org
Questions? Please contact Kristin Bailitz: krsitinbailitz@gmail.com
The International Festival tickets sold out quickly, but we have set up a wait list. If you missed the first 120 tickets and are still interested in attending, please join the wait list.
We will get in touch if extra capacity opens up or cancelations occur.
Who: Lincoln Students, grades K to 4
When: Sunday, February 28, 1:00 pm to 3:30 pm
Where: Lincoln School
PTO Web Store registration remains open for wait list sign up.
No tickets are necessary to come watch the FLIP Performance in the Lincoln Auditorium from 3:30 to 4:00 pm after the festival. In addition, non-travelers are welcome to come purchase international food in the gym or take part in our Marco Polo exhibit.
Questions? Please contact Nancy Snyder at ntdesnyder@earthlink.net
The International Festival performance will include a Bollywood dance number, open to any interested Lincoln students. If your child would like to have a wonderful time learning a few Bollywood dance moves from an experienced dancer, please contact Shweta Mundhra at smundhra0909@gmail.com. No experience necessary!
The Roosevelt Middle School PTO is hosting a welcome coffee for all incoming 5th grade families in the fall of 2016 on Tuesday, February 23rd from 8:30 AM – 10:00 AM at the River Forest Public Library. This is an informal gathering to meet and greet parents from Roosevelt. We hope you can attend! Little siblings are welcome to come along. If you have any questions, please contact Stephanie Schrodt at theschrodts@yahoo.com or Sarah Lempia at brysarah@sbcglobal.net. We hope to see you there!
Want to see what really goes on in the lunchroom on a typical Wednesday? Volunteer as a G4G hand-stamper for 1 quick hour and see for yourself. No experience necessary and training on this “waste-free” process will be provided.
Please sign up on Sign Up Genius.
The Green4Good Committee is encouraging “Waste Free” lunches every Wednesday until Earth Week in April. Students with waste free lunches will receive a hand stamp. Lunches that do not cause any waste to be thrown into the landfill will qualify. The key is to pack lunch items in containers that are reusable, recyclable or compostable! See the attached Zero waste lunch flyer for more information.
This is a fun and educational tool that helps Lincoln students learn about earth-friendly practices.
Our school is proud to collaborate with the American Heart Association to help kids with special hearts! Grades 1 through 4 will participate during PE.
Please return permission slips and donation envelopes on 2/10/16.
Kindergarten registration for the 2016-2017 school year will open on February 5th. Current Lincoln families can pick up registration packets in the Lincoln office. New D90 families pick up registration packets at the D90 office.
Mark your calendar for our Kindergarten Sneak Peek: February 23rd at 7:00 PM.
Save the date for our auction fundraiser – Friday, March 11, 2016
Please join us for an evening to support our PTO.
Food, Drinks, Friends, and Competition – bid on prizes for sports tickets, getaways and more!
Be on the lookout for info from your room parents about Grade Themed Baskets.
Each grade will have a themed basket. We ask that you send in your donation one of three ways:
1. In your child’s backpack
2. In the blue box located in the lobby. It will be labeled “Auction Donations”
3. At Ana Brenan’s home (750 Forest Ave)
Thank you in advance for your generous donation.
If you have any questions at all please don’t hesitate to contact me, jessicasolberg13@gmail.com