Bear Bulletin

A couple of months ago, we asked for your input about how we are doing as a campus and as a district. We are so appreciative of the 83 families and 25 staff members who took time to submit responses. The survey results will be posted on our webpage. We always want to know what we are doing well, what we need to adjust, and what we need to find solutions for. In almost every single area, the data shows that both staff and families' perceptions of Lincoln improved over the past year. When looking at the data, we still have room to grow, but we are on the right trajectory. Below are some highlights from the survey:

• Overall School Quality: 8% more parents and 17% more staff rated the school favorably than 2021-2022.
• School Leadership: 3% more parents & 6% more staff rated this area favorably with the biggest gains in admin making decisions in the best interests of students and admin clearly communicating the school mission & vision.
• Family Involvement: Both parents (+7%) and staff (+6%) had an increase in positive perceptions on family involvement with the highest gains in welcoming families of different backgrounds, families being informed about activities, and promoting opportunities for parents to volunteer. An area we can improve upon is welcoming input from familes (-5% from parents and -13% from staff over previous year).
• Safety/Behavior: 7% more parents and 8% more staff rated the school favorably than last year with the largest gains in student awareness of safety/security procedures.
• Academic Support: 4% more parents and 11% more staff rated the school favorably in this area, with large gains in almost every component.
• Student Support: We had an increast in positive perceptions from both parents (+4%) and staff (+6%) over last year.
• Positive Employee Experience and Work Environment showed large gains in most areas, the largest being in offering quality professional development (+30%), training offered to meet job expectations (+33%), opportunities for professional growth (+37%), and a strong culture of respect where employees feel valued (+19%).

Our staff has already begun to dig into this data in our efforts to continually improve. If you have any questions about the survey, reach out. I'd love to visit with you about it! Again, thank you to those who participated and made your voice heard. Lincoln is a special place. In large part, that is due to the support of our families and community. Your insights help guide us in making it an even better place for our students.

One of our campus goals is to build more parent involvement on our campus. As parents, you know your child best. We want to partner with you to consistently make our school better. Below are several opportunities where you can be involved or provide feedback.

• Chess Players - See the image below for more information. Reach out to Mrs. Lynch if you are able to play chess with our students on Fridays 11:00-1:30 (some or all of the time).
• WatchDOGS - Click this link for more information, the program presentation from the district, the background form, and the registration form.
  
• Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) - Our PTO is an organization of parents that works to support our students and staff in a variety of ways. They recently purchased some toys and games that students can play with the weather inhibits their ability to play outside. They also bring in special programs and activities for our students and find ways to show appreciation to our staff. We encourage all families to join. For more information, you can contact our PTO at mylespto@gmail.com. You can also find them on Facebook (@myLESPTO).

We are excited for parents to have the opportunity to participate in our class Christmas parties again this year. We are asking the family members interested in attending their child's class Christmas party to pre-register, if possible, by completing this form by Thursday, December 15. Due to space limitations, we are also encouraging families to try to limit visitor attendance to no more than two people per student. Christmas parties will be 45 minutes long and will be held on Tuesday, December 20, at the following times:

9:15-10:00 - PK & 4th Grade

10:15-11:00 - Kindergarten

11:15-12:00 - 1st Grade

12:30-1:15 - 3rd Grade

1:30-2:15 - 2nd Grade

2:15-3:00 - 5th Grade

In order to pre-register, in addition to completing the form above, your ID must be scanned into our V-Soft system at the front office prior to the party. If you have received a name badge from the front office this year, you have already completed this step. If you have not received a name badge this year, you may come up to the school at any time to pre-scan your ID. Visitors who do not pre-register will have to go through the front office to sign in on the day of the party. Be aware that with the large number of visitors, this may take some time and may result in late arrival to the party.

More information about your child's specific party will be sent home by your child's teacher.

Next week, our PTO is hosting our annual holiday store. This store gives students the opportunity to pick out their own inexpensive, high quality gifts for family and friends.

Holiday store not only can help students learn to budget their money and spend wisely, but it also allows them to experience the “Joy Of Giving.”

Gifts are priced for a child’s budget, ranging from approximately $0.25 to $10.00, with most priced between $3.00 to $7.00.

There are gifts available for ALL the members of your family: Mom, Dad, Brother, Sister, Grandma, Grandpa, Aunts, Uncles, Friends, Teachers and Pets.

Don't want to send cash to school with your child for Holiday Store or prefer to pay with a card?

This year, you can buy gift certificates online at www.holidayshop.org/giftcert for your child to shop the Holiday Store!

Purchase Gift Certificates here >> www.holidayshop.org/giftcert

Each week, we want to provide you with an overview of our Lincoln statistics and where we are as a campus. We will share information about enrollment, student behaviors, and attendance. Additionally, as we have celebrations to share regarding our students' academic successes, we'll list them here too.

Enrollment

Current enrollment: 448

Welcome new student, Ayden R!

Attendance (Goal 95%)

Average Daily Attendance Rate August-November: 94.0% (1,932 absences)

Average Daily Attendance Rate for the Week of:

• 12/5-12/9: 90.5%

Classes with the Highest Attendance Rate for the Week of 12/5-12/9:

• Mrs. Christian: 97.8%
• Ms. Haralson: 96.4%
• Mrs. White: 95.8%

Just as our students work hard, so do our staff members. If you have a staff member who has gone above and beyond for your or your child, let us know about it! We love sharing your celebrations with our teachers, paraprofessionals, auxiliary and support staff. Your words mean more than you know for our staff. You can always email your feedback to kerri.ashlock@misd.org or complete this form.

Next Week:

Monday, 12/12:

• Wear Your Scarves, Mittens, and Hats

Tuesday, 12/13:

• Wear Holiday Socks
  

Wednesday, 12/14:

• Wear Plaid
  

Thursday, 12/15:

• Wear Jingle Bells
  
• 3rd Grade Christmas Program - 6:00 pm
  

Friday, 12/16:

• Wear an Ugly Sweater
  
• PAWSitivity Cart
  

Upcoming Events:

• 12/19 - Big Kahuna Party Bus
  
• 12/19 - Wear Lights, Glitter, Tinsel, Light-Up Necklaces, etc.
• 12/20 - End of 2nd 9 Weeks
• 12/20 - Classroom Parties
• 12/20 - Wear Pajamas
• 12/21-1/9 - No School for Students/Winter Break
• 1/10 - Students Return to School; Beginning of 3rd Nine Weeks

Lunch visitors who are on a child's emergency contact list are welcome to eat with that child on the stage during the student's lunch period. Visitors will need to check in at the front office with their ID and get a visitor badge. Please do not invite other students to join you or provide food or snacks for other students. When lunch is over, all students will line up with their class. Visitors will return to the front office to turn in their visitor badge.

A friendly reminder, we do not have an open lunch policy so please do not order food for your child from outside vendors to be delivered to the school during the school day (i.e. Uber Eats, Grub Hub, Door Dash, or any kind of delivery service). This becomes a safety concern when staff need to leave the front office to deliver food to students or take their focus off of families who have business in the office. Food deliveries also increase the number of unfamiliar people entering the building. Additionally, our lunch times are very tight and do not allow for late deliveries. We cannot allow for learning to be disrupted by early or late food deliveries. Thank you for understanding our focus on safety and uninterrupted instructional time.

Lunch TImes:

• Pre-K - 10:40-11:10
• Kindergarten - 11:15-11:45
• 1st Grade - 10:45-11:15
• 2nd Grade - 12:15-12:45
• 3rd Grade - 11:35-12:05
• 4th Grade - 11:55-12:25
• 5th Grade - 12:35-1:05

School Hours:

• Doors open at 7:50
• Tardy bell rings, and class begins at 8:15. (This is the time students are expected to be in their seats in the classroom.)
• School day ends at 3:40

We are working hard to maximize each and every minute our students are here. Students who arrive after 8:15 are considered tardy and will need to be walked into the front door of the building and signed in by a parent or guardian. If your child needs to leave early, they may be checked out through the front office by a parent or guardian.

Changes in transportation need to be made prior to 2:00 in order to allow time for the messages to be communicated with the appropriate staff member. To request a change of transportation, either

1. Send a note with your child,
2. Email LincolnElementaryTransit@misd.org with the note and a copy of your driver's license, or
3. Come to the school with a copy of your driver's license.

Lincoln Elementary is a Pre-K through 5th grade campus in Montgomery ISD that opened in the fall of 2018. We are dedicated to collaboration that focuses on ensuring high levels of learning for every student, every day, in a safe and supportive environment.

Email: kerri.ashlock@misd.org
Website: http://schools.misd.org/page/les.homepage
Location: 700 Dr Martin Luther King Jr Dr, Montgomery, TX, USA
Phone: (936) 276-4700
Facebook: facebook.com/MISDLincoln
Twitter: @lincoln_MISD