College Preparation for Middle School Students – February 11 - 7:00pm, Kellogg Middle School

College Preparation for Middle School Students Tuesday, February 11, 2014, 7:00pm Kellogg Middle School Auditorium This presentation, sponsored by the Kellogg Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) and Guidance Counseling Departments, will focus on what middle school students and families should be doing to prepare for going on to college after high school. Other topics to be discussed include types of colleges, how to select a college, college admission testing and financial aid. This presentation is free and open to the community. It is specifically designed for middle school students, and parents of middle school students, who are interested in learning more about college.

Special Projects Applications Available - Due February 7, Consensus Meeting February 18

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 $10,436 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:

• Uppers books 
• Laptops 
• Cameras 
• Microphones 
• iPads 
• Playground/gym equipment 

CLICK HERE FOR A SPECIAL PROJECTS APPLICATION
Applications are due Friday, February 7th.
The applications will be posted for review by Tuesday, February 11th.
You helped raise the money, now please help decide how it gets spent! Come to the consensus meeting on Tuesday, February 18th, at 6:00 pm in the Lincoln Media Center where we will be guided through the process of creating a proposal that funds items/experiences that will benefit the Lincoln community.

CANCELLED - MONDAY'S PPT MEETING

Look for the rescheduled date soon! We will again invite Katie Schafer to talk about Lincoln's new reading program, Action 100.

Lincoln Spirit Wear - Time to Order!

Order forms available on the Lincoln website at http://www.lincolnk8.new.rschooltoday.com/page/2972.
Orders due by February 5.

GATEway Science Fair - Registration Open!

It is not too late to register your students in grades 3-6 for the GATEway Science Fair, which will be held Saturday, February 22, 2014, from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the Gonda Building of the Mayo Clinic. Entrants will present their projects to reviewers and enjoy a fun family presentation by the Science Museum of MN.

Registration deadline is January 30th and costs only $12, which includes a t-shirt if registered by the deadline. Registration is available through Community Education at www.rochester.thatscommunityed.com or 328-4000. Financial help for individual students may also be available in the form of student grants of up to $35 for students who may not otherwise have the funds for experiment and display materials.

Additionally, the fair is open to public viewing from 4:00 - 4:30 p.m. Parking is free in the Damon Ramp. Take the elevator to the Subway level to enter the Science Fair.

Parents - Feedback Needed on Next Year's District Calendar

The 2014-15 Rochester Public Schools District Calendar has a new look and the District is looking for your feedback. Go to the main page of the RPS Website under District News to see the calendar and leave your comments.
http://www.rochester.k12.mn.us

Parents of 8th Graders - High School Parent and Student Nights

Future Mayo High School Parents - Spartan Night January 13
Eighth grade students and parents are invited to Spartan Night on Monday, January 13th at Mayo High School. Clubs, organizations and electives will be gathered in the Cafeteria from 5:30 – 7:00. The orientation to course registration part of the evening will begin at 7:00 with a general session in the auditorium followed by shorter sessions with department chairs in the Cafeteria.

Future John Marshall High School Parents - Parent and Student Night January 13
8th Grade Parent and Student Night at John Marshall High School Monday, January 13, at 6:30 PM
Ilstrup Auditorium, John Marshall High School
Visit with teachers, counselors, and administrators to learn about:

• The registration process
• Graduation requirements
• Course offerings at JM
• Extra-Curricular Activities at JM
• Short overview of registration process with counselors, teachers and administration in Auditorium at 6:30 Questions for teachers and other staff in classrooms afterward 

Future Century High School Parents - Panther Night for Parents and Students - January 21
8th Grade Parent and Student Panther Night at Century High School Tuesday, January 21st at 6:00 PM Cafeteria and Auditorium Century High School
Visit with teachers, counselors, and administrators to find out about

• The registration process
• Graduation requirements
• Course offerings at Century
• Extra-Curricular Activities at Century
• Have your questions about high school answered
• Short overview of registration process with counselors, teachers and administration in Auditorium at 6:00 
• Questions for teachers and other staff in Cafeteria afterward

Kindergarten Lottery Postponed to Tuesday, January 7

Due to Monday's school closing, the Kindergarten Lottery is postponed to Tuesday, January 7.  Families selected in the lottery will be contacted by email and phone call on Tuesday.

Calling all Dads - All Pro Dads Coming to Lincoln January 15!

We are always looking for new ways to include family members at Lincoln. We are starting a new and exciting opportunity for dads and kids for a quick, before-school breakfast and a 45-minute program of fatherhood and family topics on January 15 at 8:00 AM. You’ll take away some great tips and resources to help you be the best Dad you can be, and you’ll strengthen your relationship with your kids at the same time.
It’s fun, and it’s FREE!
See you there... Please RSVP
amkrahn@rochester.k12.mn.us
Jasonju@rochester.k12.mn.us
Perkins will be providing delicious muffins and juice for this event!

CLICK HERE FOR A FLYER ABOUT THIS EVENT

AUCTION 2014 – Help needed!

It’s hard to believe, but it's recruiting season for team Auction 2014. In the next few months, you will see a lot of information about the leadership opportunities open for Auction 2014.
We realize that there is an auction “lingo” that many may not be familiar with, so we thought an overview of the Auction process would be helpful. There are 6 phases to the Lincoln Auction: Coordination, Getting items donated, Grouping items, Describing items for the catalog, Creating the catalog/tags/labels AND Auction weekend. There are important positions open in every phase for Auction 2014. In order to continue with this incredible fundraiser we need your help!

Currently we need to fill the Coordination role. We are in need of 2 people for Auction co-chairs.
Job description: The Auction Co-Chair(s) serves as the “project manager” for the Auction as a whole. They plan and lead Auction committee meetings; give regular reports to the PPT, complete the Auction budget, determine Auction day schedule of events, are the point of contact for all Auction coordinators and managers (IE: live/platinum, solicitation, poofing, etc) and are responsible for ensuring that all areas are on schedule and completing tasks on time.
Skills Needed: Great organization and communication skills, ability to work with and track many different people, ability to troubleshoot issues as they arise.
Timeframe: March thru November (Emphasis July-October)

This role has training, materials, and experienced individuals available to answer questions and provide guidance. If we are unable to find people to step into these positions before February, we will need to look at other fundraising and PPT budgeting alternatives. This could mean selling gift wrap, magazines, cookie dough etc. We would love to keep the uniqueness of our Lincoln Auction so please consider helping in some capacity… Additionally there will be no special projects meeting until we have chairs for next years auction or an alternate fundraising plan is in place.

Please contact us with any questions you have regarding this volunteer opportunity, or any other auction area you may be interested in.

PPT Co-Presidents Donna Layton (calldgl@aol.com) Jodi Kruse (jmkruse22@gmail.com)

Help with A Donation for Staff Appreciation - December 16 and in January

On December 16 we would like to provide staff with holiday cookies, candies or other yummy treats to thank them for all they do and wish them a great winter break.
Donations should be brought (cut and ready to serve) to the staff lounge on Monday, December 16 at 8:45am. (If you need to bring them latter, just add them to the table as soon as you can.) If you need to make other delivery arrangements please let us know.

We will also be having Melted Snowmen in the staff lounge in January to help warm the staff up in this cold month!! Please consider dropping off any of the following items in December (labeled for staff appreciation committee) so that we are ready to serve right away after break:
Hot Chocolate mix
Mini Marshmallows
Peppermint Candy Canes
Hershey Kisses
Cups for hot drinks

We will also need a larger hot beverage server/maker to keep the hot water ready to go throughout the day. (This would be borrowed for January and returned after we are done - we will keep doing this for a few weeks until supplies run out).

Please e-mail dani.nikolai@gmail.com or call Dani at 254-3594 if you are able to help in one of these areas.
Thank you all in advance for your generosity and supporting our staff!
Lincoln Staff Appreciation Committee

Community Awareness Sessions - School Safety and Security - December 4 and 5

Dear RPS Families,
Over the course of the last several months we have been working to continually evolve our practices with respect to safety and security. We are enhancing the ways in which we respond to certain events that may occur within our schools. We have been working with The Educator's School Safety Network to provide training to all of our RPS staff.

We would like to invite you to a presentation by The Educator's School Safety Network to learn more about our evolving practices with respect to emergency response. We are offering the community awareness sessions this week on December 4th and December 5th. This is a mature discussion about safety and is suitable for adults only.

December 4 - John Marshall High School Auditorium - 5-7pm
December 5 - Mayo High School Auditorium - 6-8pm

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION AND THE EVENT FLYER

NEXT PPT MEETING - MONDAY, NOV. 25

Please join us for the November PPT meeting next Monday, November 25 from 7-8 pm in the Lincoln Media Center.  James Kulzer will talk about Project Lead The Way.  The PPT is a great way to learn more about Lincoln and how you can get involved.  All parents, staff and guardians are encouraged to attend!

Action 100 Reading Program - New Resource Page on LincolnLincs

At the top of the main page of the LincolnLincs is a new page tab titled "Action 100 Reading Program".  It has all of the information that has been sent out on e-files about the new Action 100 reading program at Lincoln, including quick links to the video powerpoints Katie Schaefer narrates about the program and links to informational websites and links to databases to help you find books at your child's level.

CLICK HERE FOR THE ACTION 100 PAGE

Labels for Education - It is is time to vote again!

Please submit your vote for your teacher of choice to receive points from the Labels for Education catalog. In the past teachers have gotten gym equipment, class supplies, and art supplies. This is a great way for teachers to get some fun extras for your child's classroom.
Thank you to all that send in the Labels for Education points!
Voting ends November 21, 2013. Voting can be submitted to katiedid159@gmail.com.

This Thursday - Give to Lincoln on GiveMN.org - and Watch Mr. Sonju Swim With the Sharks!

Lincoln is now on www.GiveMN.org so that people throughout Minnesota can contribute to our projects. Please forward the link to anyone you know that would be interested supporting our projects. If you were unable to attend the auction or purchase SCRIP and you want to support Lincoln…here is the place.

http://givemn.razoo.com/story/Lincoln-K-8-Choice-Elementary?referral_code=share

This Thursday, November 14, every donation you make gives Lincoln the chance to win even more money. Hundreds of organizations will offer the opportunity to double your dollars with matching grants throughout the 24 hours. And, TODAY through November 13, you can schedule your donation. Simply go to Lincoln's page and look for the checkbox that says "Make this donation count for Give to the Max Day." The donation will be deducted from your credit or debit card at 12 a.m. on November 14.

Also on Thursday, Mr. Sonju will Swim With the Sharks at at the Sea Life Minnesota Aquarium at the Mall of America to support Lincoln on Give to the Max Day! Mr. Sonju's swim (no, really - there's a wetsuit and snorkel involved) and an interview will be broadcast on Thursday between 5:00 and 6:00pm on the www.GiveMN.org  LiveStream! Make sure to tune in and watch our brave principal share "the greatest school in the universe" with all of Minnesota!

GiveMN is a collaborative venture to transform philanthropy in Minnesota by growing overall giving and moving more of it online. The idea is actually simple – GiveMN.org is a website that features Minnesota nonprofits and schools. GiveMN markets giving opportunities and donor tools to people who care about Minnesota. GiveMN helps them find, connect and engage with the causes that they care about. The GiveMN model combines a state-of-the-art national technology platform with local knowledge and trust-based relationships. The result is a uniquely dynamic nonprofit marketplace that has quickly established itself as the destination for online giving in Minnesota.

25th Anniversary GATEway Science Fair and Upcoming Workshops

Calling all students in grades 3-6 - GATEway is proud to announce the 25th Annual GATEway Science Fair. This is a great chance to be a scientist! There are three ways to get involved:
1) Register for the fair,
2) Sign-up for a Free Workshop,
3) Help design the 2014 Science Fair T-shirt.

To begin, the GATEway Science Fair will be held Sat. Feb. 22, 2014 from 12:30 to 4:30 PM in the Gonda Building of the Mayo Clinic. You can register now at www.rochester.thatscommunityed.com and start thinking about project ideas. You can also find more information about the GATEway Science Fair at www.rochestergateway.com.

If you need a little help getting started or are curious about how to put a science project together, then sign up for one of our free “How-To” Workshops. You'll learn what a science fair project is and get ideas for one of your own. You will also learn how to prepare the display board and get tips on how to explain it to reviewers at the science fair. Scientists will be on hand to demonstrate some sample experiments and help you get started.

Our “How-To” Workshops are free, but pre-registration is required. Workshops are open to students in grades 3-6 and their parents and will be held in the RCTC Heintz Center in the Commons.
Choose between two available times:
Tuesday, December 3, 2013, 6:30-8:00 PM or
Saturday December 7, 2013, 1:00-2:30 PM.
Sign up online at www.rochestergateway.com and click on “Science Fair” in the left hand column and look for the “Workshops” link in the left column. Science Fair Workshops are co-sponsored by RCTC Community & Youth Programs, in collaboration with Mayo Research Fellows’ Association and the Century High School STEM Society.

Last but not least, to commemorate our 25th anniversary, we are having a contest to create the 2014 Science Fair T-shirt design. We are looking for ideas in the form of a description, a sketch, or actual artwork. Please check in the Science Fair link of our website at www.rochestergateway.com for more details. Entry deadline is Wed. Nov 20, 2013.

Motivate Unmotivated Kids - Featuring Kirk Martin - Coming to Lincoln November 4 and 5

Motivate Unmotivated Kids: Ignite Internal Motivation & Passion in Your Children
Featuring America's Calm Coach, Kirk Martin
Where: Lincoln K-8 Choice School, 1122 8th Ave. SE, Rochester, MN
When - 2 Events:

• Monday, November 4 from 7:00-9:00pm 
• Tuesday, November 5 from 9:15-11:15am 

The Workshop is free and there is no need to register.
Do you need help calming your explosive household? Tired of yelling at, negotiating with and bribing your child? Do you want your child to take responsibility for his assignments, chores and attitude? We promise you will laugh and leave with a dozen practical strategies that really work. Seventy percent of parents say they attended the workshop solely because they identified so strongly with Kirk's message.

Kirk will show you how to:

• Get your kids to listen the first time. 
• Say no and stop the entitlement mentality. 
• Stop the eye rolling and backtalk immediately. 
• Motivate kids who are angry, negative or overwhelmed. 
• Get your kids to stop playing video games and texting non-stop. 

Visit www.CelebrateCalm.com to learn more.
Watch this short video to see why parents connect so strongly with Kirk.
CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO
CLICK HERE FOR A FLYER ABOUT THE MOTIVATE UNMOTIVATED KIDS EVENT

Lincoln RAP (Rochester After School Program) - Starts November 4 - Registration Open!

RAP will be starting on Nov. 4th at Lincoln from 3:35-4:50. All students in grades 1-8 are welcome to attend. There is homework help, extra enrichments, and learning activities all taught by Lincoln Staff. The best part is it is FREE!! There is late busing available (students will be making a transfer) or you can pick your child up in the front of school. RAP runs Mon.-Thursdays. You must attend at a minimum of two days a week. At this time snacks will not be provided so send a snack along. Students must also have a book at their level in their backpacks each day. To register, ask your child’s teacher.
If you have further questions regarding the program email Andi Harmon at anharmon@rochester.k12.mn.us.

Lincoln Apocalyptic Zoo at Haunted Hallways a Success!

Thank you to all that attended Haunted Hallways this year at Golden Hill. Our Lincoln kids had fun haunting people as they went through the Lincoln Apocalyptic Zoo. We had a room full of zombie animals (lion, monkey, penguin and wolf) that broke free from their cages and a Zoo Keeper that were looking for donations- an arm or leg would do- and a few zombies left behind in the zoo. The kids got some really good scares!

 A big thank you goes out to:

• Rochester Public School Foundation for setting up this event for a 3rd year. 
• KimSue for helping with the sign in the Lincoln space
• Construction Plus (Brandon Henderson) for sponsoring Lincoln’s Hall of Haunts room this year. 

We could not have put together our great space without you!
Above all, thank you to the following for planning, building, sewing, setting up, haunting and clean up- you made it happen!
Jayden Engelken, Megan Engelken, Maria Fichtinger, Melissa Fichtinger, Drew Fredrickson, Kayla Godfrey, Tristyn Hildman, Kari Makoutz, Jason Makoutz, Julien Makoutz, Ethan Makoutz, Saffron Makoutz, Kylie McFarland, Kate Murphy, Celia Napton, Jared Nathan, Cathy Nathan, Tara Olson, Jasmine Olson, Ella Schornack, Nikki Sterns, Al Sterns, Ethan Thompson-Jewell, Landon Thompson-Jewell, Sylvia Thompson-Jewell, Ryan Thompson-Jewell, Kate Thompson-Jewell, and all the parents and grandparents that helped bring kids to and from meetings and the volunteer time slots.