Prinicpal's Letter

Dear Lincoln Families,

I hope everyone has had a wonderful summer and is as excited as I am to come back to school!

Family involvement and staff commitment that occurs for Lincoln’s benefit, even during the summer months, continues to amaze me! It is easy to see why Lincoln is such a special place with so many incredibly dedicated people. I am really looking forward to the school being filled with our energetic students, the talented staff, and involved families. It is going to be a fantastic year!

Of course, there is a whole lot of anticipation for the first day of school (September 6 for Grades 1-8 and September 8 for Kindergarten students), but there is a lot of preparation taking place in August including:

• Preparation for the Meet the Teacher event is well underway. We would like to extend an invitation to all families to attend two special events on
August 31. Meet the Teacher will take place from 3:00- 5:00pm. This time will allow students and their families to visit the classrooms and connect/ reconnect with staff members and classmates. The Information Fair in the gymnasium will provide important information for families. Please make plans to join us for this important event.

• The Lincoln Back to School Picnic will follow Meet the Teacher Day on August 31 from 5:00-6:30 pm at Lincoln. All Lincoln families are encouraged to attend this special event. The picnic is sponsored by Lincoln’s Programming Planning Team (PPT) and organized by the PPT Social Committee. Their hard work will be evident at the Back to School Picnic and other exciting events throughout the year.

More information about both of these events and other back to school news can be found in this August Lincs newsletter.

I would like to personally welcome and congratulate all incoming Kindergarten students, new students and new families that will be joining Lincoln K-8 this fall. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help make you feel at home.

Please feel free to contact me at 328-3550 if you have any questions, concerns, or comments or would just like to converse about the “Greatest School in the Universe” - Lincoln K-8 Choice School!

You can reach me by e-mail at jasonju@rochester.k12.mn.us.

Sincerely,
Jim Sonju
Principal

Principal’s Letter

Greetings Lincoln Families!

Here we go!  I couldn't be more excited to start another school year for a multitude of reasons.  I will share just a few of the reasons we should all be proud to be in the Lincoln Family.

Our MCAII results are in for last year and they look great! We are very excited about the continued growth and progress at Lincoln which is a tribute to our students, parents and staff!  These impressive results are thanks to the incredible efforts of everyone! Check out this amazing growth over the past three years with Lincoln MCAII proficiency scores:

Subject	06-07	07-08	08-09	09-10
Math	71%	80%	81%	88.65% !!!
Reading	79%	80%	85%	86.52% !!!
Science – Grade 5	----	----	68.3%	82.1% (+13.8%)
Science – Grade 8	----	----	51.7%	85.2% (+33.5%)

Our teachers have been writing exciting new science modules this summer which should be highly engaging for students this year.

We have our brand new SMART Table which was made possible by families purchasing SCRIP. We have only scratched the surface of what SCRIP can provide our students and we look forward to doing everything possible to make it easier for families to participate in this easy program to support Lincoln. We will be fully loaded with cards at Meet the Teacher to get things rolling this year!

We invite all families to attend two events on September 1st to reconnect with teachers, families and classmates. 

• Meet the Teacher (3:00-5:00) is a perfect time to visit classrooms and connect/reconnect with staff, families, and classmates. The Information Fair will be held in the gymnasium where you can get your folders, important information for the year, and sign up for opportunities at Lincoln.
• The Lincoln Back to School Picnic will take place from 5:00-6:30 and is sponsored by the Lincoln PPT (Program Planning Team). This is always a great event organized by the PPT Social Committee.

I look forward to seeing you all soon!  But in the meantime, keep reading with your kids so they are ready to roll this year!  I hope you are ready to make Lincoln the Greatest School in the Universe once again this year!

Jim Sonju

Principal’s Letter - May

Main Entry: world–class

Function: adjective

Date: 1950

: being of the highest caliber in the world <a world–class athlete>


 
As the principal at Lincoln, one of my goals is to provide a world class education for each and every student at Lincoln. That is a daunting task in our current situation in which our district's funding lags far behind other districts. There is a task force working on preparing for a referendum next year that could hopefully prevent us from falling further behind. Please let me know if you would be willing to be part of the referendum committee work.

I always believe that we need to do whatever possible to control the destiny for a successful result for our children as much as we can. The technology initiative is an example of that as there are so many tools we need to provide our students to better succeed. I would really like to get a SMART table for our younger students and I am working on a grant to get one for about half price.

We also want to continue the amazing success with the laptop program as it is making a tremendous impact even though we are only a third of the way to full implementation.

We truly need world class efforts from all to provide that world class education for our students. Thank you for your support through efforts such as buying SCRIP, attending events like Evening of Improv, Auction, Carnival, Garage Sale, volunteering in the classroom, sharing your expertise, etc..

Together, and I mean all together, we can make the education for our students that they need and deserve. Jim Sonju

Principal’s Letter - Jim Sonju

We are getting excited about the upcoming MCA tests for all students in grades three through eight. These tests give us a great deal of feedback on student learning at Lincoln and are considered high stakes testing as they have great implications on schools.

The Lincoln community has long embraced looking outside the box and creating creative approaches for student learning that works very well for our students.  It is imperative that our students continue to do well so we can continue to implement these innovative and unique experiences for our students.

What can you do as a parent to help ensure student success?

• Encourage your son/daughter each day to do their very best on these tests.
  
• Review their status on the Study Island website.
  
• Work with them on Study Island and help them work through tougher concepts that they are having difficulties with.
  
• Ensure they get a good night's sleep the weeks of testing.
  
• Ensure that they are at school on the test days so they are able to take these tests.
  
• 
  
  
  Encourage, affirm, and support students so they know they are ready for these tests as we have all worked hard to prepare them to do their very best!

This is what we are telling all Lincoln students – "Give their best and don't sweat the rest!"

Looking forward to calling with results again this summer to report how well your son/daughter does on the important tests :)

MCA Testing:

Tuesday April 13, Wednesday April 14, Tuesday April 20 & Wednesday April 21