District Survey on Calendar Options for Next Year - Your Feedback is Needed

We are aware that many parents were unable to access the District survey on Calendar Options for next year from the email sent via Skyward. Here is the information - please take some time to complete the survey. The deadline to complete the survey is February 4 at 11:59pm.
http://www.rochester.k12.mn.us/cms/One.aspx?portalId=3083753&pageId=6100598

The major differences between the Options are:

• Option 1: 3 day Thanksgiving Break, 6 day Spring Break, Last day of school is June 8
• Option 2: 2 day Thanksgiving Break, 3 day Spring Break, Last day of school is June 2

Text of original email sent out by District:

Rochester Public Schools 2015-2016 Calendar Options

Dear RPS Family,

RPS has put together TWO calendar options for the 2015-2016 school year. ​You are welcome to provide your input on which calendar you prefer along with open-ended feedback via the link below.  The feedback survey will remain available until February 4, 2015 at 11:59 pm. 

The calendar options and survey are posted here.

Thank you,

Rochester Public Schools

All Pro Dads - Friday, February 13

This month's All-Pro Dads will meet on Friday, February 13 at 8:00-8:45 in the Gym.
This promises to be another great morning!
Perkins is a strong supporter of this program and donates muffins and juice for all of the events.
Please RSVP to Amy amkrahn@rochester.k12.mn.us if you and your kids can attend - RSVPs help us with the food order, door prizes, etc...

This is a great way for Dads to support their students at school and make connections to home.
We have an outstanding group of Lincoln Dads that are co-facilitating the events this year.

Dates to be announced for the All-Pro Dads dates for the rest of the school year.

 

Lincoln Makes the Front Page

In case you missed it on the front page of the Post-Bulletin yesterday:
http://www.postbulletin.com/news/local/digital-wave-hits-rochester-schools/article_1f98f165-d044-521f-9fa9-42b50b08e5a0.html


 Principal Jim Sonju hands out iPads Monday to Lincoln at Mann students Makenna Studer, left, and Kyleigh Anderson. The high technology devices will be distributed to 7,000 students in the Rochester School District.

Digital wave hits 7 Rochester schools 
MATTHEW STOLLE, mstolle@postbulletin.com | Posted: Tuesday, January 27, 2015 8:04 am 

Lincoln K-8 Choice School student Tommy Welch was handed a new iPad, an episode that was repeated thousands of times across the district Monday and today, as Rochester Public Schools, after a series of fits and starts, officially jumped into the digital learning era with both feet. "I definitely think this is the next step in education, getting our education linked up to technology," said Welch, an exuberant Lincoln eighth-grader, soon after being handed an iPad Air along with 30 other students in his class. "I feel that it will (impact my learning), but I don't even know how yet because it's just so new, so many options. I can't even think of all of them." 

Seven schools are going fully one-to-one with the tablets this week, making it the largest digital wave in Rochester Public Schools since Longfellow Elementary School started out as a tablet pilot site three years ago. The distribution will take place over two days, with middle schools receiving them Monday and elementary schools today. 

In addition to Lincoln, Pinewood, Riverside Central and Gage elementary schools, Willow Creek and Friedell middle schools and the Alternative Learning Center high school will be going fully one-to-one as Rochester students start second semester. More tablets also will be heading to Rochester's other high schools. Altogether, nearly 3,500 iPads will be added to the district's inventory of tablets as part of what district officials are calling a Phase 1 expansion, said the district's Director of Communications Heather Nessler. The move brings the total number of the district's iPads to 7,000. That equates to about 41 percent of the district's more than 17,000 students. The district paid about $1.3 million for the new devices. 

But what all of this means for education in Rochester classrooms isn't crystal clear. Whether this was a transformative moment or an evolutionary one for Rochester schools — or a little bit of both — depends on who you talk to. But there was a sense of change taking place within classrooms — that there would be a learning curve to using the devices. 

Linnea Archer, a Lincoln language arts middle school teacher, called it both an exciting moment and an anxious one. "I've got to step up my game," Archer said when asked how the devices would change her classroom. "I've got to change the way I do things, which is both exciting and terrifying. And if I'm a good teacher, it's more exciting than terrifying." But Archer said she didn't intend for her classroom to drown in technology and anticipated the first couple of days would be used to explore the devices. Students often are referred to as "digital natives" because of their adeptness at using such tablets. But Archer thought the learning would be two-way. "Most kids know how to use it for games, but they don't know how to use it as a tool," Archer said. 

Lincoln students had their own views about how the devices would change their school's culture. Sometimes students forget their textbooks or leave them in their lockers, but that won't happen anymore, now that students will be able to access them on their iPads, said eighth-grader Ashley Stortz. Stortz also thought the iPad expansion would help bridge the digital divide in Rochester, between the haves and have-nots when it comes to technology. "Some people don't have computers at their homes or they don't have a very good working Internet, and now, they can take this home and use this," Stortz said. 

Yet, several students and teachers resisted the notion that this new infusion of technology would somehow represent the end of books. It wouldn't, they said. "I love books because, even with technology, if you're constantly looking at it all the time, it's not good for your eyes, and you start getting headaches," said eighth-grader Christine Lawrence. 

There was also a sense of excitement about a device's potential to change education and make it more engaging for students. Lincoln teacher Andy Roth talked about a new application he planned to use in his algebra class. It would allow him to check his students' work in near real time as students worked on their tablets and offer immediate feedback in the classroom. "A lot of times, I don't get to see (their work) until it's turned in," Roth said. "If the kids are making the same error over and over, I can hopefully correct it at the time they are making it." 

District officials say the goal is to have complete one-to-one coverage across the district by the 2016-17 school year. But they say a date for rolling out a second wave of iPads has not been determined yet. "We are currently focused on Phase 1, which is the second semester of this school year," Nessler said in an email. "We believe that Phase 1 will continue through the beginning of next school year. We anticipate a second phase, but what that looks like at this time is not clearly defined."

Special Projects - Applications Due 2/6 and Consensus Meeting 2/25

It's Special Projects time! Special Projects is what we call the process we use to determine how to spend the money raised at the Lincoln Auction that is above and beyond our PPT budget for the year. This year, we have $11,854 that is just waiting for you to claim it! Yes, you!
Parents, teachers, and students, all can submit a proposal. No project is too big or too small. We'd love to see a variety of projects submitted for consideration!
Examples of proposals funded in previous years include:

• Lynx leveled library books
• Netbooks
• Cameras
• Microphones
• iPads
• Playground/gym equipment 

Applications are due Friday, February 6th. CLICK HERE FOR AN APPLICATION FORM

You helped raise the money, now please help decide how it gets spent! Come to the consensus meeting on Wednesday, February 25th, at 6:00 pm in the Lincoln Media Center. We will be guided through the process of creating a proposal that funds items/experiences that will benefit the Lincoln community.
CLICK HERE FOR A FLYER ON THE SPECIAL PROJECTS PROCESS

Lincoln Fun Day - January 24

Lincoln Fun Day At the Boys and Girls Club
Saturday, January 24th, 2015 10:30 AM to 1:00 PM
Boys and Girls Club 1026 East Center Street, Rochester MN
Get out of the cold and have some fun with other Lincoln Family and Friends!!! Join us for gym games, art activities, and game room. We will have activities for the entire family.

Mr. Pizza pizza will be available for $2.00 a slice and drink (cheese, sausage, or pepperoni).

Please RSVP by 1-20-15 so we know approximately how much pizza to order and how many people – what ages – are coming. LincolnK8social@yahoo.com or to the Lincoln office.

CLICK HERE FOR A FLYER ON LINCOLN FUN DAY

Digital Learning Transformation/iPad Parent Information Sessions - Uppers Parents - January 22

Lincoln 6th,7th and 8th grade students will be receiving an iPad on January 26 as part of the District's Digital Learning Transformation program. Parents are strongly encouraged to attend a Parent/Guardian Information Session before their student receives their iPad.

At the Information Session, parents/guardians will receive information about the iPad, including proper care, use, expectations and how parents/guardians can help students be successful.

The District is holding a Parent/Guardian Information Session on Thursday, January 22 from 5:00-6:30pm in the Lincoln K-8 Gymnasium. There are Information Sessions also being held on other dates - parents/guardians can attend any of the sessions at any of the locations.

CLICK HERE FOR THE INFORMATION LETTER FROM THE DISTRICT ON THE DIGITAL LEARNING TRANSFORMATION.

Information session dates:
January 20 - Willow Creek - 5:00pm-6:30pm
January 22 - Lincoln - 5:00pm-6:30pm
January 23 - Friedell 11:30am - 1:00pm
January 23 - John Marshall 1:30pm-3:00pm
January 23 - Willow Creek - 3:30pm - 5:00pm

PPT Meeting - January 12

 Please join us for the January PPT meeting, this Monday, January 12, from 7-8pm in the Lincoln Media Center.
We will hear from Joscelyn Martin, Special Projects Chair. Joscelyn will speak about the Special Projects application process. Come learn about how much special projects money we have available this year and how YOU can get involved in deciding how it can be used to benefit Lincoln students!
We will also get a 2015 Lincoln Family Auction Preview from auction co-chair Donna Layton.

All Lincoln parents, guardians and staff are welcome.

All-Pro Dads - January 16

All-Pro Dads is on January 16th at 8:00 am in the Gym. Please let Amy know at amkrahn@rochester.k12.mn.us if you will be able to attend so we can order the proper amount of Perkins muffins and juice.