TLA Times 4/28/23

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Hello TLA Families,

What a week! The transition to nice, warm weather this week brought a host of fun activities. We began the week with our Quarter 4 pulse check - progress reports. Tuesday, some our of parents joined us for our PLC meeting. Wednesday, our primary scholars brought light and joy during their Spring Sing. Thursday gave some of us a reprieve, but third grade tackled the Children's Theatre of Madison. Friday is here and there is more in store. Our high school TLA Ensemble elective and our middle school TLA Rocks exploratory will be performing at 6:00 pm. We hope to see you there.

On Thursday, May 4th, all scholars will be working on a service learning project in the afternoon. As homerooms, scholars picked what project they wanted to do. Some homerooms will be staying at TLA to complete projects for partner organizations, and some homerooms are going out into the community to complete projects such as mulching, painting, cleaning, picking up trash, and visiting nursing homes. Scholars may wear jeans with their uniform tops to school in the morning. All scholars will be given a Service Learning Day t-shirt to wear in the afternoon.

COMING SOON! Thursday May 18th, TLA will host the Scholar Showcase Fundraiser. This event is a silent auction featuring scholar creations. Details about the event and to RSVP by Monday, May 1st are below.

Here's what's on the docket for next week.

• 5/1 - 5/5 - Staff Appreciation Week
• 5/2 - Parent/Scholar Lead for Staff Appreciation Week (More details below)
• 5/3 - Sky Carp Education Day - High School Scholars
  
• 5/4 - Service Learning Day - All School
  
• 5/5 - Dress Down Day - Usual Dress Down Expectations
  

Now, let's go be great.

Tavi Riddle - Principal, K4-5th

Priscilla El-Amin - Principal, 6th - 12th

Hello TLA Families,

As I have shared recently at our PLC meetings, now is the time for the State of Wisconsin's budget cycle in which decisions are being made regarding educational funding. Charter school pupils receive several thousands of dollars less than traditional public schools which ultimately hurts your scholars. We are asking our legislators for equity in per pupil funding and to close the gap between traditional public schools and charter schools. Our scholars deserve the same amount of financial support as other students in Beloit. The middle of this page gives you the ability to enter your address and it will share your legislators with you: https://legis.wisconsin.gov/. Please share your story. Tell them why this is important to you and what The Lincoln Academy means for your child and our community. Every voice matters. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out, Kristi.Cole@tlabeloit.com. Thank you.

Thank you to all those who joined us for our first morning PLC meeting this past Tuesday, April 25th from 8:00 - 9:00 am. We had a largest turnout of the year and were very productive. Scholars were excited to see their parents present for morning announcements and assembly. There was one major announcement and one big decision.

Major Announcement - Governance Board Update - We are happy to share that our Governance Board did approve the schedule change. So, that means our school day will be 8:00 am -3:30 pm next school year.

Big Decision - Next week is Staff Appreciation Week! We celebrate Staff Appreciation week versus Teacher Appreciation week, because we want to recognize all of the amazing people that help our school community function and thrive. We have designated this TUESDAY as the day for scholars and families to take the lead in showering those at TLA they appreciate with gratitude. If you would like to participate, please send scholars to school with a small gift you would like to provide. Some examples include: a special treat such as a handwritten note or picture, baked goods or treats, flowers, stationary or pens, or gift cards.

THE NEXT MEETING WILL BE May 16th AT 8:00 - 9:00 AM. Remember all parents are welcome. There is no standing commitment necessary. This meeting is an opportunity for us as a school staff and parents to connect and collaborate about next steps and ways to continue to make TLA great. We need your presence, ideas, and voice. So join us next month.

Construction is going well. The new edition's exterior framing has been raised and the construction team is ready to tackle adjustments in our locker room area. This means that the locker rooms will be closed for the remainder of the year. Middle school scholars will no longer be required to change for gym. High school scholars should change in the third floor restroom before coming downstairs to the gym. Thank you all for your continued flexibility. There will be additional adjustments as we finish out the construction. However, quality instruction and fun will continue.

This week in physical science, scholars completed their Catching Waves Project! Scholars were given the task of creating a detailed timeline of the history of electromagnetic waves and technology. They needed to include major milestones in technological advancements, inventors, scientists, researchers, developers, and unique facts. Scholars presented their timelines to the class and fielded questions about their research.

The AP World History Modern Exam is May 11th @ 8:00-11:30. AP scholars are asked to arrive by 7:45 with a fully charged Chromebook, as the exam will begin promptly at 8:00 and end at 11:30. The exam fee will be posted in Skyward Family Access. Follow this link to pay for the Exam- https://payments.efundsforschools.com/v3/districts/56584. Please be aware that the exam fee is waived for some scholars. If you do not receive a bill, then the fee has been waived.

AP Exams are scored on a scale of 1 to 5. The score is a weighted combination of your scores on the 2 sections, multiple-choice and free-response. Many U.S. colleges grant credit and/or advanced placement (that means they let you skip the equivalent course once you get to college) for scores of 3 and above.

Ninth grade scholars will be taking the DPI Civics Exam on May 24th and 25th. The exam will take place during their history class. Wisconsin statute requires that any students graduating from a Wisconsin high school (starting with the class of 2017) "takes a civics test comprised of 100 questions that are identical to the 100 questions that may be asked of an individual during the process of applying for U.S. citizenship by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services and the pupil correctly answers at least 65 of those questions" (Wis. Stat. sec. 118.33(1m)(a)1, Section 3266R).

The MAP Growth assessment is scheduled for May 16th and 17th for K5-10th grade scholars. This assessment will showcase all of the learning that happened in classrooms this year. Scholars will take Math on Tuesday and Reading on Tuesday. Please be sure to have all Chromebooks fully charged. Testing will occur from 8:30-10:30, so plan for a prompt arrival to school. Scholars will be writing their RIT score goals in the following week.

The MAP Reading Fluency Assessment is scheduled for May 22nd-25th. Scholars in K4-3rd grade will take this assessment to assess their early literacy and reading decoding skills. Here are the expectations for Spring Words Read Correct Per Minute.

Hello TLA families! This week we started our first mentor/mentee meeting and it was an awesome first day. I am still handing out more permission slips so parents please look for them when your scholars come home. As we work towards the end of the school year, we are determined to finish strong. We will continue to hold our scholars to high expectations and hold them accountable. This also means that we will continue to provide opportunities for character growth and development.

More Sophomores completed job shadows this week. Scholars gained valuable work experience and soft skills by shadowing at Nature at the Confluence, Finley Auto Group, and education here at The Lincoln Academy.

Check out our new VR sets that our middle school scholars are using to participate in virtual job shadows. Scholars have virtually changed oil, operated a crane, welded, and performed hospitality tasks.

As we embark into May (hard to believe!), this is the time to support your scholar to finish the school year strong, and attendance is an important part of finishing the school year successfully. Our school-wide goal is 95% or higher attendance… can YOU help us improve our current rate?

Your child’s presence at school helps to set them up for success. If you have questions or concerns about your child’s attendance, we are here to help! Please reach out to the School Social Worker, Mrs. Nitz, at (608) 690-5158 or jennifer.nitz@tlabeloit.com

Attendance Goal - 95%

Year To Date - 92.76%

Weekly % - 92.61%

The Experience Fellowship is a scholarship opportunity for youth (13-19 years of age) from the Stateline Area to follow their passions and build skills related to the following:

• Education and career exploration activities
• Civic and/or leadership opportunities
• Mission/volunteer pursuits
• Artistic/creative endeavors

Activities appropriate for scholarship awards achieve the following:

• Allows youth to explore or strengthen a self-declared area of interest, with a priority toward career-related interests
• Encourages curiosity and healthy risk-taking
• Expands abilities, builds skills
• Offers engagement with positive adults

Click here to learn more and apply.

May

Career Focus - Hospitality & Education

Character Virtue - GRATITUDE

• 5/1 - 5/5 - Staff Appreciation Week
• 5/3 - Sky Carp Education Day - High School Scholars
• 5/4 - Service Learning Day - All School
• 5/5 - Dress Down Day
• 5/11 - Service Learning Rain Day
• 5/12 - Middle School Spring Dance (6:00 - 9:00 pm)
• 5/13 - High School Spring Dance (7:00 - 10:00 pm)