A glance at the week of September 26-30 at Lincoln School

Tuesday, September 27
     Team Up for Cancer Student Assembly

Wednesday, September 28
     PLC Late-Start, classes begin at 9:30 a.m.

     3:48-5:30 p.m. First Lego League Robotics in Media Center
   
     4:00 p.m. Lincoln Bear Credit Union Job Applications are DUE
   
     Dig Pink Volleyball for Team Up for Cancer at SJHS
               Go BEARS, beat Lakeshore
   
Thursday, September 29
     Lincoln School Picture Day!
          * Pictures are taken in the morning & ALL students are photographed

     3:48-5:00 p.m. Mini Mozarts Registration in our gym.

Friday, September 30
     Lincoln Bear Credit Union Job Interviews for 3rd through 5th grade students that returned
     an application on time.

     September CUB Luncheon
          * Caught Using the Bear Necessities

     7:00 p.m. SJHS Football Pink-OUT, Team Up for Cancer football game at Dickinson Stadium.
          * Please remember that students are to be seated with an adult during home SJHS
             athletic events

2016 Laps for Lincoln

Laps for Lincoln & Piggin' N' Grinnin' fundraiser is scheduled for Friday, October 7th!  This is a wonderful family friendly event and is our PTO's main fundraiser for the school year.

Mark your calendar & plan to attend.  The event is held at SJHS's Dickinson Stadium.  The tailgate is held from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m.  Meals are $6  and you may choose from a Brisket or Pulled Pork Sandwich and chips, or Brisket Chili and cornbread.

We want to than Piggin' N' Grinnin' for donating any profits right back to Laps for Lincoln!  Very cool!

Our tailgate is picnic style so please bring a blanket and/or chairs if you would like.  All food items are available as long as supplies last.  So, come early and come hungry!

The remainder of our evening's schedule looks like this:

     6:00-6:15 pm     Families proceed to stands where students will sit in a designated classroom
                                location.

     6:15-6:30 pm     Welcome, Introductions, and Prize Winners Announced

     6:30-7:00 pm     30 minute Laps for Lincoln (Please Walk!)

     7:00-8:00 pm     Tailgate continues while supplies last

Many THANKS to our Sponsors:

     Art & Image
     Berrien Hills Golf Club                    Katie Hess Photography
     Biggby Coffee                                  Kelley's Bowl
     Buffalo Wild Wings                          Piggin' N' Grinnin'
     Clementine's Too                              Silver Beach Pizza
     Colby Event Services                       Taylor Rental Party Plus of Michigan
     Competitive Edge                             Team Teal: Food Allergy Awareness
     Funny Face Face Painting                Timothy's Restaurant
     Honor Credit Union                          The Getty Family
     Insurance Management Service        The Neuser Family
     Jimmy John's                                     United Federal Credit Union
     Karen Galanger Designs                   Zoup! Downtown St. Joe

Mini Mozarts

Program registration and instrument sizing is scheduled for this Thursday, September 29th after school in our gymnasium.  Registration ends Thursday, October 6th.

Mini Mozarts is taught by Mrs. Rachel Cabanilla-Sinnett (UMS orchestra teacher) and her husband, Mr. Sean Sinnett.  Any questions about the program should be directed to:

     Mr. Burke Lokey at blokey@sjschools.org or

     Mrs. Rachel Cabanilla-Sinnett at rcabanilla@sjschools.org

This Suzuki Instrumental Program is open to Lincoln 3rd-5th graders.  Students may learn on either a violin, or a viola.  The eight-week program is a tuition-based program and the cost of the Fall session is $120 (please make checks out to St. Josp  This cost covers your 3-month instrumental rental and supplies, and 8 group lessons.

The Fall Session runs from 3:50-4:50 p.m. right here at Lincoln School for 8 weeks.  The Fall Session dates are October 13, 20, and 27, November 3 and 17, and December 1, 8, and 15.  There will also be a Winter session with dates yet to be determined.

What a GREAT opportunity for our students!

Lincoln Bear Credit Union

Lincoln Students were treated to a short assembly on Friday, September 23 sponsored by Honor Credit Union.

Students were taught about the importance of saving money now for their education &/or training in the future.

Honor Credit Union sponsors our very own Lincoln Bear Credit Union and we are preparing for our October 13th Grand Opening here at Lincoln School.

Beginning October 13th, our Lincoln Bear Credit Union will be open from 8:00-8:25 a.m. each Thursday. 

Students in grades 4 and 5 may apply to work as managers or tellers.  Students in 3rd grade may apply to work as part of our marketing team.

Applications are due in the office by 4:00 p.m. this Wednesday, September 28th.

Student job interviews will be held during school hours on Friday, September 30th.

Students selected to be a part of the Lincoln Bear Credit Union Team will be trained here at school on Monday, October 3rd.  Members of the Lincoln Bear Credit Union will also receive a team t-shirt.

All students in grades Y5-5 are encouraged to open an account and start saving today.  Students must complete a member application (sent home last Friday), and have parent permission to participate.

Back to School Night is TONIGHT!

We sure hope to see all of you at tonight's Parents Only Back to School Night!  If you can't find someone to watch your children, please plan to attend anyway.  Children may sit in the hallway outside the classroom while you learn from your child's teacher about their classroom and the curriculum.  If your child must accompany you tonight, please be sure they have something to read or work on while they wait for you outside of the classroom.  The playground will not be supervised by staff tonight.

Parking is at a premium for events like tonight's.  The pavement portion of our playground will be open for additional parking.  Mr. Eric will be out there directing traffic.  Please enter and exit this parking area ONLY from the south entrance off of Lincoln School Drive.

5:30-6:15 p.m.     Young Fives, Kindergarten, and First Grade

6:30-7:15 p.m.     Second and Third Grades

7:30-8:15 p.m.     Fourth and Fifth Grades

The computer lab in our Media Center will be open at the times posted below for parents wanting to register for our new LMS.  Staff will be present to assist you, but you must know the email address you listed on the Student Emergency Form you returned at the ice cream social.

Computer Lab times for Parents:

     6:15-7:45 p.m. and 8:00-8:45 p.m.

Family Field Trip Fund Donation

Each year we ask Parents/Families to donate to our Elementary Student Field Trip Fund.  Our District and PTO each contribute 1/3 of this fund, and our hope is Parent/Family donations will account for the final 1/3.  We are asking for a $5 per child donation with the maximum donation per family of $10.  Your thoughtfulness and donation are greatly appreciated!

Lincoln Parent Teacher Organization (PTO)

You're already a member & there are NO dues!  Please plan to attend our first PTO meeting this Tuesday, September 20th at 7:00 p.m. in our Media Center.  See you there!

Lincoln School Parent, Student, Teacher Compact - is a document you'll receive tonight that outlines each of our responsibilities for a successful school year.  Please complete & return by Friday.  Thank you!    

My Turn... The Importance of School

Our students have settled nicely into the routine of school.  But, many are very involved in after school activities.  Whether it be a club, sports, the arts, or a youth group, please be sure to set aside both a defined time and location for students to complete their school work, or just read, each day.  I love, and have been involved in sports almost my entire life.  I believe students can learn great life lessons from athletics and involvement in other activities, but please prioritize school.

Students must be at, on time, and prepared for school each and every day!  Students are tardy if they arrive after 8:30, but before 10:15 a.m. or leave before 2:15 p.m.  Tardies and absences, regardless of the reason are to be called into the office as soon as possible.  This assures us your child is not only accounted for, but safe!  Absences are counted on a half-day basis.  Students arriving after 10:15 a.m. or leaving between 12:00 and 2:15 p.m. are marked absent for the 1/2 day regardless of whether excused or unexcused.  Parents of students with 10% or more tardies &/or absences per grading period will be notified of our concern at the end of each trimester.  

I appreciate your support and understanding of our tardy/absence policy!  While I hope each of our children reaches for the stars and lands their dream job,  the reality is that they better have a strong education in case that job doesn't come to fruition.  And, being a life long learner is a wonderful thing!

Thanks for listening (reading)!

Sincerely,

Michael Wagner
Principal

A Note & Reminders to Parents

What an AWESOME start to the school year here at Lincoln School!  Our students, staff, and parents impress me daily with their enthusiasm, hard work, and dedication to making Lincoln School one of the BEST places to LEARN!

Don't forget that we have added many more Late Start Wednesdays to this year's calendar.  This Wednesday, September 21 marks our first late start of the school year.  Busses run one hour later so your pick up time will be one hour later than normal.  School dismissal is at our normal time of 

3:48 p.m.

If our late starts are truly a burden on you and your family, students may be signed in at the office no

earlier than 8:00 a.m. on late start Wednesdays.  Students may eat breakfast beginning at 8:00 a.m. Students not eating breakfast, but reporting at that time, will proceed to the gym/cafeteria after parent sign-in where they will be supervised by two Lincoln Staff members, Mrs. Gruchot and Mrs. Pfeiffer. Students are allowed to read, draw/color, play board games, work on puzzles, and do school work. Weather permitting, students will be taken to, and supervised on the playground.  Students are to remain in the gym/cafeteria until dismissed to the playground. 

Be sure to read the post regarding our upcoming Laps for Lincoln on October 7th!  This is our PTO's major fundraiser of the year.  We hope everyone will participate.  Funds raised through this event go to support our students and teachers.  Our PTO contributes money for students to 1) have access to online learning tools both at school and at home, and 2) participate in field trips away from the building/District.  PTO funds raised in past Laps for Lincoln have purchased classroom listening stations, and electronic pencil sharpeners, and many other teacher requested items.  New lighting for our stage and student performances has been purchased as well.  These are just a few examples of the many things our PTO Laps for Lincoln money has   

Spirit Wear sales at Lincoln School will be starting up soon.  This is not a PTO fundraiser, but a service we provide to help get everyone all Maize & Blue geared up!  Go Bears!

Thanks to everyone that returned their updated Emergency Information sheet at our ice cream social. Winners of the $50 gift card will be announced at our Back to School night!

Please be sure to complete and turn in Health Forms (and Epi-pens where it applies) if your child has allergies, asthma, or any other health related concerns.

School Pictures will be taken Thursday, September 29th.  All students and staff are photographed for lunch/ID cards.

Laps for Lincoln

It's that time of year again - Laps for Lincoln is upon us!  This week, our students will bring home a detailed explanation of our annual PTO fundraiser and a collection envelope.  So, please be on the lookout for that and please mark your calendars to join us for our Laps for Lincoln walk-a-thon and Charlie's Piggin' N' Grinnin' tailgate on Friday, October 7th at our SJHS Dickinson Stadium!

This is a wonderful, family friendly event and I hope to see everyone there!

Student Drop-off and Pick-up

Thanks for a great start to the school year and for following our Student drop-off and pick up procedures!  

Remember, do NOT leave your car parked in the roadway!  If you must leave your car to pick up your child, you must be parked in an appropriately marked parking space.

Please do NOT block the driveway of any of our Lincoln School neighbors!

And remember, you're your child's first role model!  They see and hear what you do and say.  Be kind and courteous to others.  Although you might only be concerned about your own child, we're concerned about all 420 of our students and their safety! 

Students eating breakfast at Lincoln may be dropped off at the front entrance beginning at 8:00 a.m. NO earlier please!  There is no supervision of students prior to 8:00 a.m.

Students NOT eating breakfast may be dropped off, to report to the playground or their entrance door, NO earlier than 8:15 a.m.

There is NO playground supervision before 8:15 a.m.

ALL students are to be picked up from school and the playground NO later than 4:00 p.m.  Any students remaining on school grounds after 4:00 p.m. must be accompanied by a parent, or must be registered for, or involved in an adult supervised activity.  There is no supervision on the playground after 4:00 p.m.

We appreciate your help in following these procedures!

Any questions or concerns regarding drop-off and pick?  Contact me, Michael Wagner at mwagner@sjschools.org, or call me at (269) 926-3700 and I will return your call as soon as possible.

Thanks for you support and understanding!

Loss of a Family Member

I'm saddened to inform you that a member of our Lincoln School Family, Beth Ann Tollas, mother of Lincoln students Maxim and Axel Weisser passed away unexpectedly on Monday, August 29th.

Classmates of Maxim and Axel were informed of this last Thursday, September 15th.  Parent letters were sent home with those students.

Our deepest sympathies and prayers are extended to Beth's family and friends.

Please understand that learning of a classmates parent's death can bring about a wide range of emotions for our children.  Everyone, including children experiences grief in his or her own way.  It is normal for our children to display emotions such as; confusion, sadness, anger, denial, shock, and fear.  When someone dies, it leaves us with many unanswered questions such as, "Why?"

In addition, your child may show signs of sadness and even withdraw from usual activities.  Many times, death triggers other losses and hardships people (children) have experienced.

The best thing you can do to help your child is to be there for him or her, and listen to, and assure them that their feelings are okay.

Please help us, if you choose to share and discuss with your child, by informing them that neither Maxim nor Axel want to discuss their loss with other students here at school.  Thanks for your understanding.

If you are interested in making a donation to help support Maxim, Axel, and their little brother Jaxon, a GoFundMe page has be set up by Lincoln School Parent, Gretchen Volkenstein.  It can be found at:

https://www.gofundme.com/2mx9dvw

Thank you for your understanding and support!  If you have concerns or questions regarding your child, please contact Mrs. Jasiak or myself at (269) 926-3700.

COMMUNICATION from Lincoln School

Please be sure to register for our NEW learning management system (LMS), itsLearning!  This will be THE place to get all of your students' classroom news (newsletters, assignments, calendar, etc.).

Want to know what's going on at Lincoln School this year?

There are many places to get the news from Lincoln School...

(1)  Our NEW Learning Management System, itsLearning:
 https://sjschools.itslearning.com/DashboardMenu.aspx?LocationID=4&LocationType=Hierarchy
Click on the link above, or copy and paste it into your browser and bookmark it.  You'll first have to register for itsLearning using the email you provided us on your emergency information sheet/update that you turned in at our ice cream social in August.  Once registered and in, you'll want to click on the Groups tab and Lincoln Elementary.

(2)  Our NEW Lincoln School Blog!  It can be found at:

https://sjlincolnschool.blogspot.com

(3)  Twitter!  Find me @MWagnerSJ and look for the hashtag #sjpslincoln

(4)  Facebook!  Follow our Parent Teacher Organization's (PTO's) Facebook page!  You can follow what our FABULOUS PTO is doing at...

SJ Lincoln PTO

Stay connected & stay informed!

Our new student Learning Management System (LMS) is called itsLearning.  The LMS is used as a platform for teachers to communicate with students and parents.  Information about activating parent accounts can be found on the district webpage, http://sjschools.org, by clicking on PARENTS—PARENT TOOLS—LMS.  Once there you will find directions for activating your account, as well as information on how to use the system.  NOTE:  To activate your account, you will need to use the same email address you have provided to the school district.  We appreciate your patience with us as we work hard to learn the new system.  If you have any trouble activating your parent account, please contact the building principal or secretary.  Additionally, we encourage you to log on with your child’s username and password and explore the new site together.  

When you've completed your last session at Back to School Night, please stop by the computer lab in our Media Center to register for itsLearning!  Staff will be there to provide support where needed.  If you have a smart phone that allows you to receive email, it will be helpful to have that with you when registering here at school.

ALL classroom communication (newsletters, assignments, etc.) will be distributed through itsLearning.  

Please be sure you're registered.