9/30 PTO Newsletter & Parent Forum This Thursday at 7pm

Please Join Us for a CONNECT4KIDS  Parent Forum on Thursday, Oct. 2nd at 7:00pm

 “A Parent’s Guide to Empowering Children to Manage Social Conflict”

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Parents and faculty of Lincoln, Willard and Roosevelt school students, please join us for our fifth Parent Forum sponsored by the Lincoln PTO.

When: Thursday, October 2nd, at 7:00- 8:30 p.m.

Where: Lincoln School Auditorium (Please enter on the Franklin side)

Who: Carrie Goldman is the award-winning author of Bulllied: What Every Parent, Teacher, and Kid Needs to Know About Ending the Cycle of Fear (Harper Collins, August 2012).

Carrie’s expertise has been featured on NPR, MSNBC, CNN Headline News, BBC, Fox, ABC Radio, cnn.com, HLN, WGN TV and WGN Radio, HuffPost Live, and more. Goldman received her B.S. from Northwestern University and her M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management.  She lives in Illinois with her husband and three young daughters.

Please join us as we build a community of caring and foster deeper connections with our children, school and community.

Carrie will share ways parents can:

  • Teach kids how to act as empowered allies instead of as passive bystanders
  • Teach how to discern between normal social conflict and true bullying.
  •  Teach kids how to develop their own solutions for social conflict & when to ask adults for help

Bring a friend…we hope to see you there.  Inquiries please contact: Rebekah Kiefer at “rebekah.kiefer AT yahoo.com” or Sarah Hampson at “sarahhampson2001 AT yahoo.com


Fun Lunch for Friday, Oct. 3rd:  Pasta

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Our thanks to Puree’s Pizza and Pasta in Oak Park and our dedicated Fun Lunch volunteers.


Bike or Ride

Lincoln Celebrates International Walk to School Week by encouraging all students to walk or ride their bike to school all next week, Oct. 6 – Oct. 10

Join adults and children around the world to celebrate the benefits of walking and biking.

  • Gather your neighbors and friends and enjoy the first days of Fall.
  • Teach safe pedestrian skills to children
  • Appreciate the walk-ability of our community
  • Reduce traffic congestion and pollution

Hope to see you all on the sidewalk!

Grn4Gd


The October PTO Meeting is an evening meeting.  Can you join us Monday, Oct. 6th?

7:00 pm in the Lincoln Conference Room.   All parents are welcome!


Yearbook Cover Art Contest–Deadline Extended to Tuesday, Oct. 7th ! 

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Enter to win the  Yearbook Cover Contest!  Teachers will select the top 5 entries and students will vote for the final cover.  How do Lincoln students “soar” through their school day?  Get out your art supplies and get creative!

Book Title:  Where Eagles Soar

GUIDELINES:

  • Use letter sized (8.5” x 11”) unlined paper.
  • Image MUST BE VERTICAL and 2-dimensional.
  • Include vivid images – bright and bold colors look best!
  • Use the title (Where Eagles Soar) in your artwork
  • Write your name on the back with pencil
  • Check your spelling and punctuation

There will be a bin for Covers in the school office until  Tuesday, October 7th.

Please note that submitted artwork will not be returned. Questions?  Contact Ann Mills at “anncieslica AT msn.com”


School Picture Day

School Picture Day:   Tuesday, Oct. 7th

Please remember to turn in the order form, and do not wear any shade of green!


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Can you help a new Lincoln Family this year?

The PTO’s Lincoln Links committee is looking for established families to partner with new families and give them the scoop about our special events, things they shouldn’t miss (like PTO Newsletters, winter concerts & school supply orders), and answer any questions they have throughout their first year.

The goal is to pair families with students in the same grades…details are on Sign Up Genius.  Please sign up here to give our new families a warm welcome!

Contact Karen Goldberg at “kgoldberg AT strategex.com” for more information.


Did you hear about last Thursday’s assembly?

Last Thursday Lincoln students enjoyed their first PTO sponsored assembly of the school year.  Imagination Theater Company visited Lincoln and performed a skills based assembly entitled Ease the Tease – A Bully Prevention Program. When students have the tools to alleviate the pain of teasing they discover the power to stop teasing.

The actors presented themselves in a series of teasing situations and students were invited onstage to steer the scene to a positive conclusion. Students identified the difference between friendly teasing, hurtful teasing and bullying. Through this interactive theater presentation students practiced ways to respond and cope with teasing.

Some suggestions offered during the assembly included:

  • Perform self-talk. Say to yourself, “I know I’m being teased but I’m not going to let them see I’m upset. I’m smart, I can handle this.”
  • In response to teasing use the word “so”. This can dilute the power of the tease.
  • Use humor. Turn the tease into a compliment. For example; If someone says, “Your shoes are so different, nobody has those!” respond with “Thanks, I have a really cool sense of style!” Know that it is OK to like what you like, that’s who you are.
  • Use “I” messages to respond to the teaser. Talk about how you feel. For instance “I feel sad when you make fun of me. I wish you would stop laughing.”
  • Ignore the teasing and walk away.
  • Step in and be a buddy if you see someone being teased. Look for the new Buddy Bench on the Lincoln School playground.
  • Report to an adult if these ideas don’t work or if at anytime you feel unsafe.

Be sure to ask your child about the assembly and what they found most useful!

 Buddy Bench

Buddy Bench

During the Imagination Theater assembly the concept of a Buddy Bench was introduced to students. With the combined support of Mrs Hyde, the PTO and Connect4Kids, Lincoln School has adopted its own Buddy Bench program.

How does the Buddy Bench work?

The Buddy Bench is a special, designated spot (on the Franklin Street side of the playground right outside the doors of the gym) where any student can come and sit and this, in turn, is a ‘signal’ to others on the playground that they need a friend.

If you are the student sitting on the Buddy Bench :

  • you may be new to school and not know anyone.
  • perhaps your friends are playing with others or aren’t at school today and you are lonely.
  • maybe you want to play something different from your friends.
  • maybe you are being teased and feeling left out.
  • maybe you want to make new friends but are unsure how.

If you are not sitting on the Buddy Bench :

  • keep your eyes open for anyone sitting on the bench.
  • check in with someone on the bench and ask what’s going on.
  • ask your classmate on the bench to play.
  • make a new friend today and keep growing your circle of friends!

Make Buddies, Not Bullies

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, every 7 minutes a child is bullied. We want to give students a safe space to eliminate loneliness and foster friendships. So be sure to ask your child about the Buddy Bench and look for it on the Franklin side of the playground.

For more information about the Buddy Bench please visit: www.buddybench.org


Math Night 2

Family Math Night = Thursday, October 16

When:  6:30 – 8:00 pm

Where:  Lincoln Gym (enter at Franklin door)

Families are invited to an evening of hands-on math activities + fun!

Volunteers are needed to help with set up + clean up.

Please see the Sign Up Genius volunteer page.


Wanted: D90 Caucus Delegates

We are seeking a diverse group of River Forest residents who are willing to recruit and interview candidates for the D90 school board election in March 2015. Delegates must be residents of River Forest and be able to attend all scheduled meetings during October and November 2014. These dates are as follows: Tuesday, October 14 Tuesday, October 28 Tuesday, November 11 Tuesday, November 18 We welcome your participation in this established community process. Please contact us with your interest.

2014 Caucus Co-Chairs: Judy Deogracias 773-793-3449 “judy.deogracias AT mac.com” or Laura Maychruk 708-205-7044 “laura.maychruk AT comcast.net”


Tighten your running shoes or just loosen your belt!

Saturday Oct. 25 – Lincoln’s 5K run/walk and Legendary Pancake Breakfast

Maple Syrup on PancakesCatch up with neighborhood friends you haven’t seen all summer and feed those kiddos before a day of activity. Join us for a Lincoln PTO fundraising tradition, the Pancake Breakfast on Saturday, October 25th, 8:00 to 11:00am.

Advance tickets for the breakfast are just $3.50 per person and include pancakes, sausage, fruit, juice and coffee. Buy tickets in advance and walk right in — tickets at the door are $4.00.

Are you a morning person crazy about pancakes, or do you just live for the first cup coffee? Join kitchen staff for a shift and volunteer your talents here. Thank you!

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Need to earn those pancakes?  Join in the inaugural running of the Lincoln Pan-K 5K run/walk.  This fun-filled family event will take place throughout the beautiful landscape of River Forest, IL.  Kids: $12 Adults: $35.   Your 5K registration includes a pancake breakfast at the finish line.   Race registration will be added to the PTO Web Store soon–stay tuned!

We need volunteers! Join kitchen staff for a pancake shift, or help keep runners safe, hydrated and energized.  Sign up and see details here.  We need LOTS of race volunteers.  Thank you!


Do you want to announce your school-related event?

Please submit requests to “lincolnPTOcommunications AT gmail.com” by midnight on Monday for the weekly newsletter.