Lincoln Family Morning at the Movies - May 5

When: Saturday, May 5, 2012
8:30 a.m. muffins and juice will be served.
9:30 a.m. movies will begin.

Where: Cinemagic Theaters 2170 Superior Drive NW.
Cost: $3 per person (pay when you arrive).
For: All Lincoln students, staff and families.

Cinemagic Theaters will be closed to the public during thihttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifs event and open only to Lincolnites.

Concessions will be available for purchase (and they have offered us a couple of wonderfully priced options)!

Specific movies showing will be listed closer to the date; however, it will consist of currently playing movies at that time. We are assured there is something for everyone! The number of choices will depend on the number of people attending.

Please RSVP with your family name and number of attendees to: lincolnsc2012@yahoo.com by Tuesday, April 24. Use this email for any questions.

We hope to see many Lincoln families at the movies!

PPT Meeting - Monday, April 23, 7pm

Please join the Lincoln PPT on Monday, April 23 at 7:00 pm inthe Media Center - we will be discussing the PPT budget for next year. All parents, guardians and staff are welcome.

Parent Volunteers Needed to Teach Mini Electives - May 11

On May 11 from 9:30 to 11:30, Lincoln K-8 graders will be doing mini electives for Project Family. We are in need of parents who can teach 30 minute sessions (1, 2, 3 or all 4) on a topic of your choice. Kids will travel in groups of 5-6. Each group will have kids from primary, middle, intermediate and uppers. Mini electives can have 1-4 groups of students, so 5-24 students depending on what the leader wants. The more mini electives we offer, the smaller the classes can be. So, are you interested? Can you help us? What do you love to do? Share that with kids!

Please let Linnea Archer at liarcher@rochester.k12.mn.us know by April 27 if you can help us out. E-mail her the class you will be leading, how many kids you want, and any special things you might need to do this. Remember classes are mixed ages.

Project Family: Where did this idea come from? Student Government noticed that the big and little buddies had great relationships, but often there seemed to be a pecking order on the playground between grade levels. Student Government recognized that when we had relationships with people, we tended to respect them and their ideas more. So, we planned Project Family: a day to build community at Lincoln.

Volunteer Project Leaders Needed for Next Year

James Kulzer is looking for volunteers to help with a few positions for next year. If you are interested and are willing to commit to one of the following projects for a year or for the duration of the project, please contact James at jakulzer@rochester.k12.mn.us

• Lincoln Web Page – Take over the updating of the Lincoln web page. Adding dates to the calendar, promoting upcoming events and updating teacher pages. Our webpage is hosted by rschool and it easy to update – just takes time. This would be a year long project.
• Dad’s Belgian Waffles – Setting up this breakfast & Brunch fund raiser. It will take about a two week commitment.
• T-Shirt / Sweat Shirt – This is a three time a year project. Collect the orders and get them in a spreadsheet ready for ordering. Once the shirts arrive sort them into bags and deliver to students.
• Memory Book – Enter sales information into the sales tracker program. Basically taking the order forms and entering them into Lifetouch’s Sales Tracker program. This allows us to track the number of orders we have taken and eventually upload the order to Lifetouch. This is about a three month project but only an hour a week.
• SCRIP – This is a year long project for someone to help promote the SCRIP program, and be available to sell SCRIP at events such as conferences. We need someone to create signage and monitor the website for SCRIP deals we should be taking investigating and designing new and innovative way to deliver SCRIP and to get more parents involved in purchasing SCRIP.

Lincoln Rummage Sale June 2 - Get Cleaning!

Make your Spring Cleaning pay off for your school! Our annual rummage sale will be Saturday, June 2. This year’s rummage sale will go to purchase new gym equipment and toward the InSciEd Outside Garden Project. So clean out those closets, drawers, toy boxes, and bookshelves and save your stuff for the rummage sale. Contact your friends and neighbors to see if they would donate a few good items.

SUMMER READING - BOOKS & BAGS NEEDED

Summer is fast approaching. We will again be sending home several books with each child. Research suggests that children who read over the summer maintain or improve their reading skills!!! However, children who do not read often lose 3 or more months of instruction. This loss can amount to 2 years of regression by 8th grade. Yikes! We have all worked too hard to let this happen! Start thinking now about how you can make reading part of your child's summer routine. Lincoln prides itself on our researched based summer reading program for ALL students.

Your child will be able to choose several books to take home for the summer. This year, we are looking to expand our collection of books for summer reading. We are in need of gently used books for children in grades K-7 and gallon Ziploc bags. If you are interested in donating, there is the box outside the office or your child's classroom teacher can deliver them to Katie or Janis in the Media Center. Thank you for your donation this year

STEM Camps Offered August 6 - 10

RCTC is pleased to again offer STEM Camps! Concentrating on the four components of STEM – science, technology, engineering and math – Rochester Community and Technical College will offer three STEM Camps this summer: Junior Forensics, First Lego League Boot Camp and Future Doctor Training, August 6-10, 2012, 8 AM – 4 PM at the Heintz Center for students completing grades 3, 4, 5. Enrollment is limited to 60 students per camp.

Registration process and information on RCTC web site: www.rctc.edu/community/youth
10% discount if registrations received by April 27, 2012.

RCTC STEM Camp 2012 has been approved as a scholarship program from the State of MN ”Get Ready For College,” for students who qualify for free or reduced priced meals. Applications must be completed at http://www.getreadyforcollege.org/gPg.cfm?pageID=1958 Locate STEM2012 and complete their form. They will notify RCTC of applications. Parents/Guardians must also complete RCTC registration form, available at http://www.rctc.edu/community/youth/academics.html; provide verification of eligibility and submit a $25 processing fee.

Lincoln Receives a SHIP Grant from Olmsted County

Olmsted County received a SHIP grant to work on the following areas: Safe Routes to School, Active Recess, Healthy Snacks, and School Gardens and Farm to School. We applied and received two grants from Olmsted County; School Garden and Active Recess. Each project was awarded $1000.00 so we will be purchasing recess and noon hour PE equipment that will encourage students to participate and be active during the noon hour and recess. We also received money to start a Lincoln Garden will be on the east side of the playground between the blacktop and the neighborhood. We are planning on building raised garden beds which will be 6 X12 feet spaced about four feet apart. Each classroom that wishes to participate will have a bed constructed for them. The beds are being built by high school students and will be delivered in a couple of weeks. We will have to put them in place, fill with soil and mulch around them. Watch for more information and an invitation to help set up these gardens on a Saturday.

May 11 - A Busy Day at Lincoln

May 11 will be a busy day at Lincoln!
1. 9:30 to 11:30 - Lincoln K-8 graders will be doing mini electives for Project Family.
2. All School Meal during lunchtime
3. Playground cleanup of rubber pieces
4. Photo will be taken of all 400+ students holding the 500 books donated by the We Give Books
5. 1:30-3:30 - Talent Show!

Volunteers Needed To Help With Lincoln's Space in Haunted Hallways

Haunted Hallways is a community fundraiser for Rochester Public Schools. Last year the event had 7000 attendees and raised over $30,000.00 for Rochester Public Schools. Half or the net proceeds go directly back to participating school groups, Lincoln received a check last year for $1,000.00, and the other half is granted to Rochester Public Schools through Rochester Public School Foundation's November Grant cycle.

Haunted Hallways 2012 will be held October 24-27, 2012. School teams need to be formed now and will decorate an area of one of the three halls; Hall of Fun is a non-scary area for younger children, Hall or Haunts is a medium scare level for a larger age group, and Hall of Horrors is the extremely scary haunted house section. Last year's team worked with the Upper Students who had a lot of fun creating really great art for our room and volunteering at the event. If you are interested in leading or helping with this fun volunteer opportunity please contact Dani at dani.nikolai@gmail.com or 216-4124.

Why Every Child Needs to Read Over the Summer

By Katie Schafer, Reading Specialist at Lincoln

How could a child who could add (36+57) before Kindergarten still have so much difficulty decoding words in first grade? I told my son’s first grade classroom teacher, “For the amount of reading we’ve done at home, he should be reading Shakespeare!” (I wasn’t kidding.) He left first grade as he did Kindergarten--just barely at grade level in reading.

Knowing the research, I was determined to not let his skills regress over the summer. We made it a priority to read thirty minutes each day as we did the summer before. During times I read to him, he would have 5 books piled up eager to listen. He loved listening to books, but the grumbling began when it was his turn to read. I would answer his negative comments with things like, “Reading is a skill you’re going to need your entire life, and besides it’s fun. You learn stuff. It makes you laugh. Dad and I read all the time.” Practice continued and summer ended. I was proud of his hard work and couldn’t wait to see his fall scores. He was given his first reading assessment at “Meet the Teacher” day--where we found out that Dylan had lost 4 words per minute over the summer. I couldn’t believe it. He regressed? I was disappointed. It was a very small regression, but I was hoping for at least some sort of gain. We had worked so hard!
So we started the 2nd grade year with our same home reading routines as the year before, including the complaining. Then, one night I noticed him reading a book on the couch for FUN. He started telling me, “Mom, did you know that frogs…” followed with a similar question, and another, and another. He made me laugh with all his questions. I was so happy to see him experiencing a reader’s joy and knowledge on his OWN. His quarter 3 scores rolled in, and I was ecstatic to find out that his scores were above grade level expectations. Our hard work (including a hefty fine for overdue books at the library from summer) finally paid off.

What about the upcoming summer? You got it. We’ll be reading again. While Dylan didn’t make enormous gains last summer, he also didn’t experience very much regression. Research states that children who don’t read over summer suffer a 2-6 month loss in skills. This is known as the summer slide and can accumulate up to a 2 year gap by eighth grade! Regression can happen to ANY child regardless of reading ability, socio-economic status, gender, grade, etc. when reading does not take place over summer. Regression is happening to our children at Lincoln. In fact, when looking at a sample of Lincoln‘s population, only 9% maintained or increased reading skills over summer. When I looked at our data, here’s a sample of what I saw this past September:

Lincoln Student - - Before Summer Score - - After Summer Score
Third Grader - - - - - - -128 - - - - - - - - - - - - - -99 (Lost a years growth in fluency over summer!)
Third Grader - - - - - - - 142 - - - - - - - - - - - - - 103 (Lost almost 2 years growth in fluency)
Third Grader - - - - - - - 71 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -41 (Lost 8 mos. growth in fluency over summer!)
Second Grader - - - - - -92 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -62 (Lost 7 months)
Second Grader - - - - - -63 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -27 (Lost a year)
Second Grader - - - - - -37 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 22 (Lost 4 months)

There are many other students with similar data. If you are interested in your child’s previous summer loss or gains, I can look it up in our shared drive. E-mail me at http://www.blogger.com/kaschafer@rochester.k12.mn.us. More importantly, start thinking now about a plan to incorporate reading into your child(ren)’s routine. Stay tuned for the next post where we discuss how to make summer reading extra special.

Student Dress and Appearance Policy

It is spring and like other schools in the district we have to the follow the District’s dress code policy. Students that are not in compliance with this policy will be asked to call home and have appropriate clothing brought to school.
CLICK HERE FOR A POSTER DESCRIBING THE DRESS CODE POLICY

School District Policy - Appropriate Clothing

Clothing appropriate for the weather

Clothing that does not create a health or safety hazard

Clothing that is clean and does not distract from the educational process

Clothing appropriate for the activity

School District Policy - Inappropriate Clothing:

“Short Shorts,” short skirts, spaghetti strap tank tops, tops and/or pants that expose the midriff or underwear, and other clothing that is not in keeping with community standards.

Clothing bearing a message that is lewd, vulgar, or obscene

Apparel promoting products of activities that are illegal for use by minors (alcohol, tobacco, drugs etc)

Objectionable emblems, badges, symbols, signs, words, objects, or pictures on clothing or jewelry communicating a message that is racist, sexist or otherwise derogatory.

Hats or caps are not allowed in school district buildings except at extracurricular activities or for approved health or religious reasons.

The full Rights, Rules and Regulations booklet was distributed in the fall and is available in the Lincoln office.

PPT Minutes - February, 2012

PPT Minutes from February, 2012 are now available.
PPT Minutes - February, 2012

Everyday Math Part 2 - April 20

Please join us on Friday, April 20, from 12 noon - 1 pm at the Northrop Community Education Center, located at 201 8th St NW, Room 109 for a workshop on Everyday Math.

Carol Lucido is an elementary teacher with experience in grades 1, 4, and 6. Carol Lucido currently works in the Office of Curriculum and Instruction for Rochester Public Schools with elementary curriculum where she has done extensive training in the area of math. She also is an adjunct teacher for Augsburg College where she teachers a Math Methods course to students studying to become educators. Previously she has taught first, fourth, and sixth grade in the Rochester Schools.

The 1 hour workshop will provide parents with information on the following questions:
• How can I better understand the Everyday Math curriculum?
• How can I support my student in learning math?
• What resources are available to help?
The presentation will also provide at least 3 games/activities to take home that day!

Come join the fun and learning!
To register, please e-mail Juan Vasquez at juvasquez@rochester.k12.mn.us
NOTE: You did not have to participate in Everyday Math Part 1 in order to register for Part 2.

Goldilocks and the Gifted Child: Parents Who Parent Too Much, Not Enough, or Just the Right Amount - May 9

Southeast Service Cooperative will offer Goldilocks and the Gifted Child: Parents Who Parent Too Much, Not Enough, or Just the Right Amount on Wednesday, May 9, from 7:00 – 8:30 PM. This session, presented by Gifted and Talented Education Consultant Nancy Arey Cohen, will explore both the positive and negative short-term and long-term psychological effects of over-parenting, under-parenting, and parenting "just the right amount" - if there is such a thing. This session will be highly interactive, allowing time for attendees to discuss issues of concern and share tips with the presenter and each other.

This session is geared to parents of gifted children, classroom teachers and principals. For more information, inluding registration information, click HERE.

Would you be interested in getting SACC back at Lincoln?

A group of Lincoln parents are trying to get School Age Child Care (SACC) back at Lincoln for the 2012-13 school year.  If you are interested in before and/or after school care for your family (grades K-5) on-site at Lincoln, please contact one of the following individuals:

Donna Layton:  calldgl@aol.com
Karen MacLaughlin:  karenhome@charter.net    or    358-1888
Cinnamon Marxen:  cinnamonmarxen@yahoo.com

You can also find more information at the SACC website at:  

www.rochesterce.org/sacc

(Look for the Lincoln SACC Survey link on the left-side menu)

Lincoln SACC 2012-13

Interested in SACC at Lincoln? Contact information.

Parent or grandparent volunteers needed!

We are looking for math helpers from 12-1 each day to help students prepare for the math MCA tests. Please contact Kara Short at kmshort@charter.net if you are interested and available. Thank you!

STUDENTS - Apply to attend the 10th International Conference on Zebrafish Development and Genetics - Applications due TUESDAY

InSciEd Out invites Lincoln students grades 4-8 to apply to attend the 10th International Conference on Zebrafish Development and Genetics in Madison, Wisconsin - June 22-23.

InSciEd Out will be sponsoring 16 students to attend this conferences. InSciEd Out will be paying for all expenses - lodging, food, conference registration, poster preparation fees, and will be providing transportation and adult chaperones. Students from Lincoln K-8, Kellogg and Franklin and the Century STEM Society have been invited to apply. Students selected will be required to create a poster for display at the meeting.

Students must apply to attend the meeting. The application is due NEXT TUESDAY, MARCH 20, to Dr. Chris Pierret at pierret.christopher@mayo.edu. The application should be on one page, and should include the following information:

1. Student name, current grade, school
2. Abstract - In 200 words or less - tell us about your current work in science or science education.
3. Essay - In 200 words or less, describe how you have been personally affected by InSciEd Out’s efforts to improve science education.

The criteria/process for student selection for the Madison conference can be found HERE.

Background on the conference: http://www.zebrafishgenetics.org/
Students who attend the meeting will have the opportunity to attend workshop sessions (including two workshop sessions being presented by InSciEd Out); present their posters at conference poster session(s), discuss and build collaborations with meeting attendees in the InSciEd Out "Zebrafish in Education" room; and meet and mingle with scientists and educators from all over the world.

Rochester Public Schools Want Your Input at "World Cafes" and Core Planning Team

As the Rochester Public Schools begins strategic planning, the first important step in the process is engaging the community in a conversation about our future. The venue for this conversation will be a World Café at four different locations and times over the course of two days. We invite parents, students and community members to commit two hours on either March 14 or 15 to join in this conversation. The World Café is an opportunity to discover what we care about, to imagine the future and to create a commitment to our school community. We encourage everyone to participate. We need many voices to create one mission for our District.

World Cafes times and locations, you can RSVP by calling 328-4000:
• Wednesday, March 14, Mayo HS Cafeteria, 7-9 pm (Class Code: 9000.231)
• Thursday, March 15, Edison Board Room, 9:30-11:30 am (Class Code: 9000.232)
• Thursday, March 15, John Marshall HS Cafeteria, 4-6 pm (Class Code: 9000.233)
• Thursday, March 15, Century HS Cafeteria, 7-9 pm (Class Code: 9000.234)

CLICK HERE FOR A FLYER ABOUT THE WORLD CAFES

The Second step in the process is the recruitment of the Core Planning Team. The Core Planning Team will be made up of 30 individuals that represent the diversity of our community. These individuals will reach consensus to create a long-term mission and plan for our district that will be presented to the Board. On March 5, we will begin seeking nominations for members of the Core Planning Team. Individuals can nominate themselves or others to the Team. Nominations and additional information will be available on the Rochester Public School website on March 5, 2012. www.rochester.k12.mn.us

Parent Volunteers Needed for InSciEd Out Classroom Activity - March 27 and 28

The 4/5s will be working on a Water Treatment Module in late March. Parent/family volunteers are needed to help build the water filtration systems used in the module in the classrooms. Volunteers are needed on:

• Tuesday, March 27 in Mickey's room in the afternoon and
• Wednesday, March 28 in Mrs. O's room and Beth's room in the morning.

Please contact Beth Napton at elnapton@rochester.k12.mn.us if you are able to volunteer and she will provide you with specific times.