Lincoln Elementary
BRUIN BULLETIN - April 2019
From the desk of . . .
Our Mission: “Achieving excellence by educating and empowering all students to succeed.”
Email: kiserm@fargo.k12.nd.us
Website: https://www.fargo.k12.nd.us/Lincoln
Location: 2120 9th Street South, Fargo, ND, USA
Phone: 701-446-4900
Snow Day Make Up Days
The North Dakota Governor's Office has approved the Fargo Public Schools' waiver application for school cancellation time. FPS had asked to waive the need to make up one day and four hours school cancellation time from this winter. This means that FPS will not need to make up any additional school cancellation time beyond the two scheduled make up days of April 22 and May 10. FPS will be in session on April 22, 2019 and May 10, 2019. At this time, no further changes to the school calendar will be needed.
Dates To Remember
F-April 5 - Popcorn/Spirit Day
TH-April 11- Music Concert - Ringers/Singers/Stringers - 6:00 pm
F-April 12 - Music tour for Ringers/Singers
M-April 22 - School (Make-up day)
T-April 23 -Skate City - 6:00 to 8:00 pm
F-May 3 - Carnival (Popcorn Day too!!) 6:00 to 9:00 pm
TH-May 9 - Kindergarten Round-Up for 2019/20 - 6:00 to 6:45 pm
F-May 10 - School (Make-up day)
W-May 22 - PRANK Field Day - 9:30 to 11:00 am
F-May 24 - Family Picnic (PTA sponsored)
Lincoln Skate City Night
April 23rd from 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm (skating lessons are free and available from 5:30 – 6:00 pm if a skating pass has been purchased for that night!) – join us for the last Skate City night of the year – lots of fun games and good times. Food available for purchase!
Counselor Info
This month in counselor lessons we will be focusing on learning/reviewing the Problem-Solving Steps and then applying them to student situations.
S-Say the problem (without blame)
T-Think of solutions (safe and respectful)
E-Explore consequences (what would happen if)
P-Pick the best solution (make your plan)
As a parent, you can help reinforce your child’s learning by practicing them at home. Some sample situations you can use when practicing include:
- My friend and I both want to do different things at recess
- My friend and I are playing a board game and we both want to go first
- My brother wants to go to Pizza Hut but I want to go to McDonalds
What's New in the Library
Hello Lincoln families! Your students have been hard at work in the library over the past month, reviewing and practicing new skills and old. Kindergartners have been programming and using code with Kodable. First graders are finishing up their research on authors. (Be on the lookout for their final product—you will soon receive a QR code that links to the video they are creating!) Second grade students have been finishing up their research on prehistoric creatures, and they are moving on to learn the sections of the library. Our third-grade classes have been studying reference books including dictionaries, thesauruses, and encyclopedia. Fourth grade students have also been reviewing what they know about reference materials in preparation for a research project. Fifth graders have been hard at work learning how to become good digital citizens in our age of technology.
As we begin to approach the end of this school year, there are some important dates to keep in mind. Students will not be allowed to take books home starting May 20th. During the week of May 20th-May 24th, students may check out books to keep in their classrooms. All library books and fines should be returned on or before May 24th. Please check with your student to see that their library materials have been returned. As always, thank you for all that you do to help your student learn and grow!
Sincerely,
Library Media Center Staff
Transitions Summer School
Transitions Summer School is a teacher referred program. It is designed to provide additional support for students, in the area of math and/or reading, who are in need of extra instruction for them to be successful for the upcoming school year. Registration forms are due by April 15th. Parents will receive a confirmation letter from the Transitions office by June 10th, informing you of your child's placement.
DATES: July 8th-26th (Monday-Friday)
TIMES: 8:00 AM -12:00 PM
WHERE: Elementary Buildings
Attendance Policy: Students enrolled in the "Transitions" Summer School Program are expected to be in attendance a minimum of 13 days of the 15 class days scheduled. Students who are absent are expected to make up the work they missed during their absence.
Please contact Rebecca Folden, Summer School Director, at 446-4404 with any questions.
Enrichment Summer School
The Fargo Public Schools Elementary Enrichment program offers a wide variety of classes for children who have completed grades 2-5. The summer enrichment courses are intended to strengthen students’ self-esteem, learn new abilities, and encourage lifelong learning through creative and enriching activities. You can register online for courses by clinking the following link: www.fargo.k12.nd.us/SSElementaryRegistration
JUNE 10 to JUNE 28
8:00 am – 10:00 am
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
All Classes held at: Bennett Elementary School- 2000 58th Ave. South Fargo, ND 58104
Kindergarten Registration for Fall 2019 is open online at www.fargo.k12.nd.us/registration. Child must be age 5 by July 31, 2019 to attend school in the fall.
Registration is a two-step process: online registration and document submission.
STEP ONE: Registration can be completed at home online anytime or at computer kiosks in the office at each Fargo Public elementary school building on the following dates with extended office hours:
STEP TWO: Once online registration has been completed, families MUST bring the following documents to the school their child will attend to finalize their child’s registration:
- Child’s certified birth certificate
- Child’s current immunization record
- Document (i.e. current city utility bill or bank statement) that includes parent/guardian name and address to verify the correct neighborhood school
If you do not know which school your child will attend, call 701.446.1043 or check online at www.fargo.k12.nd.us/boundarymaps.
A New Kind of Fitness
Please help us keep students safe!
If you pick up your child from school at the end of the day, we need all vehicles to park parallel to the school so children can safely walk from the sidewalk to the waiting vehicles. Please drive north on 9th street when picking up students. It is essential that we keep a single file line of cars moving north. When vehicles are double –parked or are moving south, it means students must run in between vehicles. This is extremely dangerous. Even though there is a lot of traffic, the cars clear out quickly. Please wait patiently for a spot to pull up and pick up your child safely. THANKS!
Traffic Safety:
- Single file traffic moving north.
- Do not leave vehicle unattended.
- Be patient– traffic clears out quickly.
- Never double park or have children run between cars.
Safe Routes to School Study
In 2019, the Fargo-Moorhead Metropolitan Council of Governments (Metro COG) is working with the City of Fargo to create a Safe Routes to School plan. The goal of Safe Routes to School (SRTS) plans and programs is to increase the number of students walking and biking to school through encouragement and education programs, as well as physical improvements to streets and sidewalks.
The 2019 Fargo SRTS Plan will recommend how to make walking and biking to school easier, safer and more comfortable for students and families. Recommended improvements will be made for all elementary and middle schools within the City of Fargo including Fargo Public Schools, West Fargo Public Schools, and Private Schools.
In the upcoming months, there will be a number of exciting activities involving the school community. Parent and caregiver surveys will be sent home (either electronically or hard copy) to gather valuable insight from families about walking and biking to school. Later in the spring, project staff and other members of the school community will be visiting each school to observe arrival and dismissal and assess walking and biking conditions near schools. There will also be four public open houses held around the City to talk about the project and learn more from the community.
Please contact your school principal if you'd like to be involved. You can learn more at the project website: http://www.fmmetrocog.org/projects-rfps/fargo-safe-routes-school-plan
Tardies/Absences/Appointments
Tardies: Our first bell rings at 8:10. This is the time when students are allowed to go to their lockers and inside their classrooms. Students must be in their classrooms by 8:20. The time from 8:10 to 8:20 is important for organizing and preparing for the day. It is important for all of our students to be on time…meaning in the classroom and ready to learn at 8:20.
Absences: If your child will not be in school, please call our office staff at 446-4900. If we do not hear from you, our office will be calling to check the whereabouts of your child…your child’s safety is always our number one concern. Being on time and having good attendance is crucial for learning. When a child is habitually absent/tardy, there is a negative impact on learning. If you are ever having trouble with getting your child to school on time or your child feeling sick too often, please call the office. Our school counselor, Amy Blesie, would be happy to work with you and offer support and suggestions.
Appointments: If you need to pick up your child during the day, please come to the office to sign he/she out. The office will call your child out of his/her classroom. Due to district policy, we are unable to call your child out of the classroom before you have arrived at the school.
Title One Notice of Information
Written Notification of Interactive Dashboard (School District Report Card)
Dear Parent/Guardian,
North Dakota has launched a new website designed to help communities across the state access important information about K-12 districts and schools. NDInsights features easy-to-read reports on multiple measures of school success, including:
- Test scores
- Graduation rates
- English Learner progress
- Student attendance.
NDInsights, or more commonly referred to as the “Dashboard,” is part of North Dakota’s new accountability system. It is the next step in a series of major shifts in public education that have raised the bar for student learning, transformed testing, and placed the focus on equity for all students. To learn more about the state’s accountability and continuous improvement, visit North Dakota’s ESSA website.
To find out more information about our school, visit NDInsights, select “Find My School,” and search alphabetically for our school.
Why a new system and new tool?
North Dakota is committed to informing communities about how well our schools are doing. North Dakota’s future success depends on tapping into the potential of all students, so they graduate choice ready with the knowledge, skills and disposition to be successful. For schools to reach this goal, teachers, parents, and the community need clear and useful measures of progress. As an accountability tool, the Dashboard will help the state identify schools receiving additional support and assistance.
What is different?
In the past, the accountability system for districts and schools relied heavily on test scores. But one test taken on one particular day does not provide a complete picture of all the ways schools are helping students succeed. The Dashboard continues to provide information on different aspects of student performance, but also includes information on school growth and other factors reflecting a more comprehensive view. The Dashboard replaces the former School District Report Card and Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) reports.
Please note, the data made available to the public masks or hides data for groups with 10 or fewer students to protect confidential information about individual students.
What’s next for our district?
We have strong plans for working to improve the educational programs at our school. We would like you and your child(ren) to continue to be active participants in our educational system. Please help support our high expectations for student achievement by participating in the school educational initiatives, offering input and support in our endeavors to raise student achievement, or volunteering at the school. Meeting our school’s goals will take a united effort, and I look forward to working with our families to ensure success for each student.
School Support under ESSA
All schools engage in continuous improvement for general support; therefore our school will complete an AdvancED Continuous Improvement Plan annually. Lincoln Elementary is a participating Title I school, with a student membership count of 430. If you have any questions regarding this information, please contact the school at 2120 South 9th Street or 701-446-4900.
Megan Kiser
Parent Notification of Annual Review and Evaluation Results
Winter 2019
Dear Lincoln Elementary Public School Parents, Guardians, Teaching Staff, and Community Members,
The purpose of this letter is to inform you of the results of the Lincoln’s Annual Review Meeting. This meeting was conducted with all teaching staff and administration on May 30th of 2018 and is held each school year.
During this meeting, we discussed the merits of the schoolwide program, as well as any questions or concerns of classroom teachers or other Fargo Public School District staff. We also discussed the results of the annual parent survey at this meeting. We closely examined our school’s data to determine ways in which we can better serve our students during the 2018-2019 school year.
This presentation is available for your viewing if you have any questions or concerns regarding this information, please feel free to contact the school.
Sincerely,
Megan Kiser
Lincoln Elementary School Building Principal
Fargo Public School District
Lincoln Elementary School
Documentation of Annual Review
We have scheduled our 2018-2019 schoolwide annual review for May 15, 2019. Since we are submitting this documentation prior to May 15, 2019, we have included the schoolwide annual review results for our 2017-2018 school year. This meeting was held on May 30, 2018. This meeting was led by Principal Kiser. All staff from the schoolwide building attended the meeting.
Agenda Items:
- Review and evaluation of four required components and implementation
- Review of annual assessment of parental involvement (survey results)
- Review of schoolwide goals
- Review of student assessments
- Review of instructional strategies and learning activities implemented
Meeting Minutes:
After thorough discussion on each of the above items, it has been determined the following changes will take place during the 2018-2019 school year regarding the schoolwide plan and its initiatives.
- Reading – Differentiated small group literacy with additional Title I teachers to meet with students for an extra session of literacy instruction using Journeys curriculum
- Math – AVMR small group math with additional Title I teachers to meet with students for specific instruction based on their mathematical understanding
We will continue with our initiatives in the following areas:
- Ongoing assessments and assessment portfolios (reading and math)
- Small group literacy and small group math
- Demonstrating acceptable social and emotional habits
- Parent and family engagement
- Behavior initiatives
We will determine our effectiveness by:
- Reviewing assessment data to help create the best learning environments for our students
- Using data to drive instruction and interventions
- Using collaborative inquiry
- Gathering parental and staff input on the programs that are being implemented
- Collaborating, communicating, and coordinating with staff