Lincoln Families,

I hope you had a great weekend! I enjoyed the weekend with friends celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in the city. Hopefully, you remembered to “Spring Forward,” and enjoy the extra hour of daylight!

Many thanks to everyone who attended, donated to and supported the Lincoln School Auction on Friday night. I really enjoyed the opportunity to visit with so many of you and connect on a more personal level. A very special thank you to the Jeans and Gems PTO committee for organizing such a fun evening. Your generous donations are appreciated more than you know and will be put to good use by our PTO to support our continued efforts to provide your kids with the best possible experience at our Fine Fine School!

A good example of how PTO funds are used to enhance our school will actually be taking place this week. On Monday and Tuesday 1st-4th graders will each attend a presentation by My Remarkable Self. This Social Emotional Learning experience for our kids will focus on the power of words, friendship and their relation to Lincoln School P.R.I.D.E.

Finally, I look forward to celebrating with all of our March birthdays on Thursday at Principal Birthday Lunch. If your child missed a previous birthday lunch, they are also welcome to attend. Additionally,  there will be a June and July birthday lunch celebrated at the end of the school year.

As always, please never hesitate to reach out if there is anything I can do to better support you or your family. Thanks for your support of our school. Have a great week. CG

Spirit Winners, Friday, March 3:

• 1st-2nd- Mrs. Meyers
• 3rd-4th- Mrs. Baiocchi

Calendar

Monday, 3/13:

• Coding Club during recess – library
• Yoga – 3:10-4:15 – gym

Tuesday, 3/14:

• Heartworks – 3:10-4:15 – library
• Tennis grades 1&2 – 3:10-4:15 – gym
• Girls on the Run – 3:10-4:15 – auditorium

Wednesday, 3/15:

• Pack a Waste-Free Lunch
• Erin’s Law Presentation – 7:00pm – Willard Auditorium

Thursday, 3/16:

• Principal Birthday Lunch
• Tennis grades 1-4 – 3:10-4:15 – gym
• Girls on the Run – 3:10-4:15 – auditorium

Friday, 3/17:

• School Spirit Day
• Fun Lunch:  Subs

Thank you for making the Lincoln Auction a Success!

Attendance and enthusiasm for our Blue Ribbon School was fantastic. Bidding for the auction items generated great revenue for the Lincoln PTO. Huge thank you goes out to all the families who donated items this year. This event would not have been a possibility without the leadership of Jessica Solberg, Anna Brennan and Julie Menacho and the volunteers that made it happen!

Coding Club Open to Second Graders this Spring!

Second graders are invited to participate in Coding Club this spring.  The club will meet in the library during lunch period on the following Mondays: March 20, April 3, April 10, April 17 and April 24.

Registration for second graders will open next Sunday, March 19, at 5pm on the Web Store.  The cost is $3 to cover a pizza party during the last class.  See attached for more information.

Lincoln Yearbooks

Guarantee your copy of Lincoln’s 2016-2017 yearbook by ordering on the PTO Web Store today.  Books are distributed at the Ice Cream Social at the end of the school year.

 D90 Inclusiveness Perception Survey

Dear District 90 Families,

In our ongoing efforts to pursue a more equitable and supportive school environment, District 90’s Inclusiveness Advisory Board (IAB) needs your help. Please consider completing the IAB’s 2017 Inclusiveness Perception Survey.

This is the second time we’re conducting the survey, which will help the District determine and monitor the degree to which District 90 fosters an environment of inclusion for students, staff, and families. The information will be exceptionally valuable as District 90 works to improve how we meet the needs of all stakeholders, particularly our students.

Results from the first survey in 2015 were extremely useful in helping the District understand how the District’s policies, practices, and procedures affect individual’s experiences, as well as how welcomed and included families feel in our school environment. Several initiatives have been instituted as a result of the initial survey’s findings. For instance, District 90 has created a Vision for Equity, aligned the IAB’s objectives with the District’s Strategic Plan, established lottery-style sign-up processes for STEM and other elective programs to improve equitable access, conducted several inclusivity and equity workshops for staff members and the River Forest community, and partnered with the National Equity Project. The 2017 IAB survey will enable the District to evaluate our progress and make needed adjustments to our practices and procedures.

Beginning on Wednesday, March 8, students in grades 3-8 will be offered the opportunity to complete an anonymous and confidential electronic survey at school sometime during the next two weeks. Parents are invited to review the student survey instrument by clicking on this link: Student IAB Survey. If parents would prefer that their child(ren) refrain from participating in the survey, please contact and inform the principal of your child(ren)’s school by March 7.

Similarly, we need to understand family perspectives about this issue, as well. The electronic parent survey is also confidential and anonymous, and can be accessed by clicking on the link below. Please know that we appreciate your willingness to share your feedback. Our sincere goal is to continually improve the culture of our school community and further strive to foster a climate of openness, trust, and inclusiveness for everyone. The survey will close on March 22.

PARENT IAB SURVEY

If you have questions about either the survey instrument or the manner in which the collected data will be used, please feel free to contact Dr. Alison Hawley, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, for more information at HawleyA@district90.org.

Thank you for your assistance and your ongoing support of our schools, students, and program..

Respectfully,

Ed Condon, Ph.D.
Superintendent