Lincoln School News for September 4 - 7, 2018

News for September 4, 2018

Welcome to the 2018-19 school year! Thank you for all that you've done to prepare your child for the return to school. Your partnership is the key to a successful start.  

Welcome to the best school year yet!

This week at Lincoln School

Monday, September 3 - No School, Labor Day

Tuesday, September 4 - A Day

Wednesday, September 5 - B Day

Thursday, September 6 - C Day

Friday, September 7 - D Day

We Heard You!!!

Last year, over 250 of you completed our survey to help us identify areas where we could improve.  One of those areas was home/school communication from classrooms.  And, while ItsLearning seems to be a great tool for teachers and students, it was difficult for parents to use as a communication tool. So, this year, each classroom and many of our other instructional areas will have blogs like this one.  Each week, included in my blog will be a link to your teachers' blogs.  I plan to post a special blog on Monday (Sept. 3) with blog links for teachers and then it will just be part of this weekly (Sunday PM) post.

2018-2019 Attendance Times

8:25 a.m. Students Enter Building

8:30 a.m. Tardy Bell Rings

3:48 p.m. Dismissal
Students enter at 9:25 a.m. on Late Starts

Half-Days Dismissal is at 12:05 p.m.

Contact Information

Our school phone number is (269) 926-3700. The school office is open Monday- Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Please leave a message if calling after hours. You may also reach office staff via email at:

chubble@sjschools.org (Craig Hubble, Principal)

jtrumbley@sjschools.org (Janet Trumbley, Lincoln School Secretary)

Drop Off and Pick-Up Procedures - Watch this short screen video

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxTckyP42FTVSGFWTWZQeVlPMVE/view?usp=sharing

We will have teachers' names posted on the playground the first day of school while students are learning where to line up each morning. For safety reasons, ALL students must wait on the playground prior to the start of school, unless they are eating breakfast.

Breakfast begins at 8:00 a.m.. Students may enter the main office entrance vestibule at 8:00 to proceed to breakfast. There is not supervision for students dropped off prior to 8:10 a.m.. Please be sure to make arrangements for your child's safety.  

Bus Routes 

Bus routes and schedules are available on our district website.

You will need to determine the stop closest to your home for pick-up and drop-off for all students in Young 5s through 5th grade. If you have any additional transportation needs, please contact Sandy Kroening, SJPS Transportation Director, at  skroening@sjschools.org or 269-926-3900.

Please be patient the first few days of school as our drivers work to welcome new riders, establish routines, and double check student names.  Often, routes tend to run a little longer the first few weeks.

School Security Update

Your child's safety is a top priority for us. You will be asked to provide identification when visiting our classrooms. You will also ned to complete an annual background check if volunteering to work with students. As a reminder, over the summer we had security buzzers installed at the main entrance of each school building.  When you plan to visit one of our SJPS schools, please use the button on the intercom for entrance to the main office. 

Lincoln School's Little Library

Please visit our new Little Library located just outside of our main office entrance. Children are welcome to take a book and leave a book as often as possible.  Thank you to all who donated books last spring.

Mark Your Calendars

9/10 School Picture Day

9/17 Back-to-School Night 

9/18 PTO Meeting 11:45AM in the Media Center

9/19 Late Start Day

9/26 Late Start Day

PTO Meeting Dates - this year, PTO Board Meetings will occur during the day.  PTO Mixers where brainstorming and organizing for student activities will happen in the evening.  I will keep you posted on when those are scheduled.

Board Meetings

9/18 @ 11:45AM

10/16 @ 11:45AM

11/13 @ 11:45AM
12/11 @ 11:45AM
1/15 @ 11:45AM

2/19@ 11:45AM

3/19 @ 11:45AM

4/16 @ 11:45AM

5/21 @ 11:45AM

All PTO Meetings are held in our school's media center and all Lincoln School families are welcome and encouraged to attend. 

Follow us on our Facebook page for opportunities to get involved and last minute updates. Click here to join the SJLincolnPTO closed FB group.https://www.facebook.com/SJLincolnPTO/

Lunchroom News

You can access monthly lunch and breakfast menus on our school website.

Community Corkboard
Looking for fall activities to enroll your child in?
Check out local offerings by visiting our Community Corkboard.

It is the policy of the St. Joseph Public School District that no person shall, on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, disability, height, weight, or marital status be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to, discrimination during any program, activity, service or in employment.

We're Getting Ready!

Lincoln Staff have been working hard to get ready for the school year!  The grounds around the building look amazing --- if we do say so ourselves :-)

We can't wait to see you!

Back to School 2018

This Blog post will be long... I apologize and promise that it won't be this long regularly. Please take some time between now and Ice Cream Social (August 29 from 6:00-7:00pm) to read and watch all the information.

I will typically send out a blog post every Sunday evening. 

Welcome Back Letters were put in the mail yesterday!

Welcome to the 2018-2019 school year!  If you haven't seen the news, I want to share with you that St. Joseph Public Schools was ranked as #1 for school districts in Berrien County by Niche!  For more information check out:  
https://www.niche.com/k12/d/st-joseph-public-schools-mi/

2018-2019 Attendance Times

8:25 a.m. Students Enter Building

8:30 a.m. Tardy Bell Rings

3:48 p.m. Dismissal
Students enter at 9:25 a.m. on Late Starts

Half-Days Dismissal is at 12:05 p.m.

Back-to-School Ice Cream Social Event

The PTO invites you to attend our annual Ice Cream Social Event on Wednesday, August 29th, from 6:00-7:00 p.m. on our school playground. This is the perfect opportunity for students to visit with friends and meet new classmates. School staff members will be there to welcome you back as well. All Lincoln School families are encouraged to attend.

Be Sure To Add These To Your Calendar!

September 4th   First Day of School - FULL DAY
September 17th Back to School Night

Early Literacy is a main focus within our district and for schools across the country. Our home-school partnership is vital for your child's success. Please click on the link below to access an article from Scholastic that will support you in setting the stage for reading routines at home.
Four Helpful Habits for Back-to-School Season

Attention New Families
All enrollment/registration materials need to be complete before the school year begins. If you still need to bring in your child’s birth certificate, immunization record, physical, hearing/vision tests, or your proof of residency, please do so as soon as possible. You can bring them with you to turn in at Ice Cream Social or drop them off at the office anytime before then.

Contact Information

Our school phone number is (269) 926-3700. The school office is open Monday- Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Please leave a message if calling after hours. You may also reach office staff via email at:

chubble@sjschools.org (Craig Hubble, Principal)

jtrumbley@sjschools.org (Janet Trumbley, Lincoln School Secretary)

Lincoln School Family News!
Please join me in welcoming Mr. Steve Persenaire to our team of 4th grade teachers and Mrs. Krista Climer to our Kindergarten team! We are excited to have them both. In addition, we congratulate Mrs. Briana Jun on her summer marriage (previously Miss Donohue) and we also welcome a new little bear to our family! Mrs. Goniwiecha and her husband Scott had a healthy baby boy this past Monday!


Now for the Nitty Gritty

Most of the sheets included in your mailing will be self-explanatory, but I do want to draw your attention to a few.

1)   The Application for Ridership only needs to be filled out if you are using bus transportation to and/or from school.  This form is not necessary for field trips.

2)   There is a white half sheet that indicates transportation instructions for your child.  We use this as our main source of information when directing children at the end of the day.  Please complete it and turn it in at Ice Cream Social or in the school office before the start of school.

3)   Our PTO provides many wonderful experiences for our students.  Please review the information they have included and find some time to volunteer!

Instructions for Drop Off and Pick Up 2018-2019
First, I want to encourage everyone to either walk or ride the bus! The less car traffic we have around the school at drop off and pick up the better. If you are considering riding the bus, please do so from the very first day of school. Routes will run long the first few days, but once everyone has met the drivers and taken their "First Days of School" pictures things will run very smoothly.

If you choose to drive, do NOT leave your car parked in the roadway and please do NOT block the driveway of any of our Lincoln School neighbors! If you must leave your car to pick up your child, you must be parked in an appropriately marked parking space. These spaces are limited around our neighborhood school. You can find parking along Morton Avenue, by the church, or on Orchard Avenue to the west of Sunset. Slant parking on the south end of the building is sometimes available, but if you park there, be prepared to wait to leave as traffic flow will be heavy. Walking to and from school and riding the bus are the 2 best options! Please refer to the diagram and watch the video for more detailed information.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxTckyP42FTVSGFWTWZQeVlPMVE/view?usp=sharing

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 400+ 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!

If you have questions or concerns regarding drop-off and pick, contact me, chubble@sjschools.org, or call at (269) 926-3700 and I will return your call as soon as possible.

Thanks for your support and understanding!

What will I do on the first day of school?

The first day is always exciting, but it can be a little scary too. Here is a diagram that should help!

Lincoln School News! Mid-Summer 2018

Summer is moving right along; I hope everyone is enjoying the great weather.  We are fortunate to live in such a beautiful place!

I was shopping the other day and noticed the Back to School Supplies are out in full force.  I thought the following information would help you out if you are feeling the pressure to start school shopping.

St. Joseph Public Schools provides all necessary supplies, but these are some items that are recommended and used daily in class.  If you choose, please send these items with your child on the first day of school for our classroom use:

Young 5s and Kindergarten

One box Quart Size Ziploc Bags

One box Sandwich Size Ziploc Bags

One box Gallon Size Ziploc Bags (no zipper please)

One large package napkins

One roll white Bounty paper towels

One bottle hand sanitizer (with pump)

One package of AAA batteries

One package Expo brand dry erase markers (black)

One box of Kleenex

One package of large paper plates

One package of glue sticks

One box of 24 Crayola crayons

One pair of headphones (not earbuds)

On the first day of school please remember to bring:

*A backpack large enough to hold a two-pocket folder with room to spare.  Some backpacks are very cute, but are not practical for transporting kindergarten creations.  Also, due to limited space, backpacks/suitcases with wheels are not appropriate.

1^st Grade

*Indicates items that will be only for your child.  All others will be for the classroom.

Backpack (without wheels)*

2 spiral notebooks*

Ear buds*

Gym shoes*

Sealable water bottle*

Pencils (no mechanical)

Glue sticks

Dry erase markers

Kleenex

Clorox wipes

2^nd Grade

Backpack

2 composite Notebooks Wide Rule

2 Dry erase markers (black, not red, orange, or yellow)

Large box of tissues

Small Water Bottle

Gym Shoes - need not be new

Earbuds/headphones

Healthy Snack

*Snack:  We have a daily snack time in second grade.

Good daily snack choices are fruits, cut up vegetables, crackers, cheese fruit roll-ups, or other healthy choices.  Small water bottles are welcome and encouraged. Please do not send cookies, candy, or chips.

3^rd Grade

Gym Shoes - individual

Box of Kleenex

Can of Clorox wipes

Colored Pencils
Pkgs. of Sharpened Pencils (#2 Ticonderoga, yellow)
Lg. Glue Stick

1 Permanent Bound Composition Book
2 Pocket Folders

2 Packs of Expo/Dry Erase markers
1 box sandwich Ziploc bags

1 pair of earbuds or headphones
Please do not bring personal pencil boxes/bags, Trapper Keepers, or large binders.

4^th Grade

Box of Kleenex

Backpack

Art Shirt

Clorox Wipes

Gym shoes (only one pair is necessary/you don’t need a second pair)

Headphones or ear buds

Zip Lock bags (small or large)

All our supplies are shared, so please don’t send pencil cases or boxes.

5^th Grade

Box of Kleenex

Backpack/Book Bag

Art Shirt

One Highlighter

Dry Erase Markers (4+)

Markers/Colored Pencils

Pencil Box or Bag (small 5”x8”)

Crayons

An Old Sock/Rag (whiteboard eraser)

Gym Shoes

Hand Sanitizer

2 Spiral Notebooks (70 pages)

Pencils

Pens (blue and red)

Scissors

Fine Tip Sharpie Markers

Glue Sticks

Pocket Dictionary

Calculator

Small Pencil Sharpener with Lid

Clorox Wipes

6 Pocket Folders (one of each: red, yellow, orange, green, blue and purple)

Music

Kleenex

Wipes wet and dust dry

Earbuds or headphones with an aux jack, not usb

Here are some important dates to put on your calendar!
Lincoln School Office will officially be open for regular hours starting Thursday, August 9.
Ice Cream Social is 6:00-7:00pm on Wednesday, August 29
First Day of School (8:25-3:48) - Tuesday, September 4
Picture Day - Monday, September 10
Elementary Back to School Night - Monday, September 17
Late Starts (one-hour delay) Wednesday, September 19 and Wednesday, September 26
LAPS for Lincoln - Friday, October 5