WHAT'S UP AT LINCOLN
Weekly Newsletter and Announcements
A Message from Principal Gordon
Dear Lincoln Families,
I hope you will continue to enjoy the sun and increasing temperatures. As we are coming up on Trimester 3, we will be cancelling the carpool lane and closing the cul-de-sac as we can not safely accommodate the increased number of cars. Friday, March 12th, will be the last day the cul-de-sac will be open for the carpool.
I NEED YOUR HELP! Please continue to complete the 5Essentials Survey. We have approximately 12% of families that have completed this survey and we need at least 20% to have results for our school. I will keep you updated as we get more results in.
Trimester 3 will start on March 15th. Next Monday, we will be welcoming an additional 140 students to on-site learning. If this change is applicable to your child(ren), you will receive an email later this week with all the details you need to know.
Please click here to read the communication regarding the Trimester 3 Schedule that was sent from the district office last week.
Finally, please remember there is no adult supervision on our school playground before 7:50 a.m. so please do not drop students off before then. Don't forget to complete your CrisisGo by 7:15 a.m. Part of our agreement for students to attend on-site learning is that you complete this information on time.
Take care,
Ms. Gordon
Illinois 5Essentials Parent Survey
The parent survey will take approximately 10 minutes to complete. You may skip questions you do not wish to answer, but the survey must be completed in one sitting and cannot be retrieved once it is submitted. If you have more than one child enrolled in a building (i.e., two students who attend the same school), you have the option of completing multiple surveys for that building. In addition, if you have children enrolled in multiple schools (i.e., a District 97 elementary school and middle school), you may participate in the survey for each school.
However, only one parent/guardian per household may fill out the survey.
As with the student and teacher surveys, your identity will be kept completely confidential and your responses will not be linked to you. In addition, school-level reports will only be generated if at least 20 percent of our parents/guardians complete the survey, which can be accessed until April 2, 2021, by visiting http://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/survey/parent/. This percentage will be based on the total number of students enrolled at each school. If we successfully meet this requirement, we will receive our reports in Spring/Summer 2021.
You can access general information about the Illinois 5Essentials Survey by visiting https://www.uchicagoimpact.org/our-offerings/5essentials.
Thank you for participating in this important endeavor, and for your continued support of our schools and the children we serve.
Dates to Remember:
3/9 - School Board Meeting
3/12 - Trimester 2 Ends
3/15 - Trimester 3 Begins (Students who elected hybrid for T3 will return)
A Note from Nurse Donovan
District 97 pandemic protocols represent the latest guidance from IDPH. These protocols have also been reinforced by the Oak Park Director of Public Health. The CrisisGo self-certification system is intended to identify students, or students' households, who may be experiencing symptoms that present a potential risk for Covid-19 transmission to the school community.
Parents and Guardians of students attending in-person hybrid instruction are asked to complete the CrisisGo self-certification by 7:15 am on each school day. Please read all questions carefully before submitting your replies, and note that Question #1, which asks about the presentation of noted symptoms, applies to your child as well as anyone within your child's household.
If your response triggers a RED At Risk alert, your child/children must remain at home, and we ask that you contact the Lincoln School Nurse, Georgia Donovan gdonovan@op97.org (708-524-3108) for further guidance regarding your child's return to school.
Responding to a Positive COVID-19 Case
When to Stay Home from School/Work
We ask that our entire District 97 community help keep our schools safe by adhering to our COVID-19 guidelines. This includes students/staff staying home if they:
- Are feeling sick
- Have tested positive for COVID-19
- Are waiting for a COVID-19 test result
- Are a close contact of a positive/probable COVID-19 case
- Have traveled for more than 24 hours out of state.
Staff Shout Out's!!
Mrs. Zarosl has been incredibly thoughtful this year. She is not only consistently organized and communicative, but I also know that my daughter trusts her and feels cared for - a huge win for this year!
- Jenni Strobel
Mrs. Meisinger has been an incredible force throughout this school year. We are so grateful for all that she has provided to our daughter all year long. During remote learning, I took comfort in overhearing her powerful lessons that address amazing topics that get 3rd graders talking and thinking--such as the Civil Rights Movement and Global Warming. My concerns about the hybrid model (with my child being remote) were lessened because I knew my daughter was in good hands. We feel so lucky to have Mrs. Meisinger as a teacher and are excited about all of the learning and growing we are seeing in our daughter!
- Arnetta Thompson
Ms. Spillane has made my twins transition to in person learning wonderful and engaging. They say everyday how happy they are to be with their teacher in person and they are learning SO much. Ms. Spillane is caring and positive and the best in person environment for them! Thank you!
- LeeAnn Reinfuth
Alice is so excited to be in Senora Ruiz's class this year, because she really loves the novel they are reading in Spanish now, and she enjoys learning the vocabulary words that help her understand the story. Thank you Senora Ruiz for creating such an engaging environment and sharing your enthusiasm for learning in Spanish!
- Parents of Alice
Thank you Mrs. Childress for being such a helpful communicator and inspiring educator through this entire year. We really appreciate knowing what the class is learning each week and what to ask Alice about. Even in the remote environment, Alice stays on track, gets the content she needs, feels included, and gets challenged. It's all that we could hope for from 3rd grade, much less during a pandemic! Thank you so much for all the time you put in to make this 3rd grade year a success!
- Parents of Alice
Staff Shout Out
Please click here to let us know and we will feature them in the next newsletter.
INFORMATION FROM DISTRICT 97
Next Meal D97 Meal Distribution: Tuesday, March 9
February Breakfast/Lunch Menus
Meals will be provided free of cost this fall to any District 97 student in need. Each bag of food will contain five breakfasts and five lunches.
Meal distributions will be held every Tuesday, from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Longfellow Elementary School (for Julian and feeder schools), 715 S. Highland Ave., and Brooks Middle School (for Brooks and feeder schools), 325 S. Kenilworth Ave.
D97 Breakfast/Lunch Menus - March 2021
D97 to Host Virtual Parent-to-Parent Circle Series
District 97 families are invited to join our upcoming Virtual Parent-to-Parent Series, which will be facilitated in partnership with the E-Team of Oak Park. Events will be held:
- Wednesday, March 18, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
- Wednesday, April 29, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
The sessions are designed to build community among District 97 parents and guardians and provide support as we navigate hybrid learning. The intention is for parents/guardians to attend all three sessions to help build a consistent community, but if you cannot make the first session you may still attend the others. Please let us know your availability in the registration form so that we can plan accordingly.
The deadline to register is Tuesday, Feb. 16. To sign up, please visit https://bit.ly/D97ParentCircles.
"Mindful Middle-Schoolers" Program
The Community Mental Health Board of Oak Park Township, Oak Park Elementary School District 97, and DePaul University’s Community Counseling Center have partnered to deliver a vast array of educational and therapeutic services to staff, families, and youth through the “Mindful Middle-Schoolers Program.” Below is a list of upcoming VIRTUAL talks, which will be held via Zoom. Registration via the Eventbrite links below is requested. Once you register, a link will be emailed to you four hours prior to the start of each event.
"Mindful Middle-Schoolers" Community Talk Flyer
- Thursday, March 11 (6 p.m.): Mindfulness-based strategies and their applications in academic and home environments https://www.eventbrite.com/e/understandingmindfulness-tickets-141700721673
- Wednesday, March 17 (6 p.m.): Understanding and supporting the emotional health of Black children https://www.eventbrite.com/e/understanding-and-supporting-theemotional-health-of-black-children-tickets-141702515037
- Wednesday, March 24 (6 p.m.): Understanding depression in youth and strategies for treatment and support https://www.eventbrite.com/e/understanding-depression-inyouth-and-strategies-for-treatment-and-support-tickets-141698771841
PTO INFORMATION
How Do I Access Technology Support During Remote Learning?
Technical support will be available from school and district technology staff by accessing the Help Desk through email, helpdesk@op97.org. When an email is submitted, a Help Desk ticket is created and assigned to technology staff, who will be working throughout the day to address technology concerns. Our technology team can support District 97 devices and student online programs.
About Us
Email: lincolnoffice@op97.org
Website: op97.org/lincoln
Location: 1111 South Grove Avenue, Oak Park, IL, USA
Phone: 708-524-3110
Twitter: @UpAtLincolnOP