WHAT'S UP AT LINCOLN
Weekly Newsletter and Announcements
A Message from Principal Gordon
Dear Lincoln Families,
I hope you had an amazing Halloween weekend! I also hope that you will continue to share your pictures with us so that we can feature them. For now check out Virtual Halloween Tour!
This week marks our 10th week of school and I must say that time is flying. As we come to the close of our first trimester, I would like to tell you thank you for helping to make this an amazing school year (thus far). Even through our challenges, we have managed to keep it together and do what is best for kids. For that, I am eternally grateful!
On another note I would like to share some metrics from our Lincoln Remote Learning Survey. This information is included in an attachment below. As a administrative and support staff, we have contacted all families that indicated they needed additional resources for food, shelter or clothing. Families that indicated that their child is not doing well with remote learning have also been contacted. If you are still in need of support please let us know and we will work to support you and your family.
Take care,
Ms. Gordon
Dates to Remember:
Nov 3 - No School (Election Day)
Nov 4 - Spanish Immersion Meeting (3pm-4pm)
Nov 9 - Virtual Tour of the Museum of Mexican Art (see details below)
Nov 25 - 27 - Thanksgiving Break
Dec 23 - Half Day of School (school dismissed at 11am)
Dec 24 - Jan 8 - Winter Break
Virtual Tour of the Museum of Mexican Art
This year, our Lincoln students will learn about the Day of the Dead virtually. This is a traditional Mexican celebration that takes place on November 1st and 2nd to remember, celebrate and honor those loved ones who are no longer with us. This is a great opportunity to keep exposing our children to other cultures.
The schedule for the day is as follows:
9:00 a.m. - First and Second Grade
10:00 a.m. - Kindergarten and Fifth grade
1:00 a.m. - Third and Fourth Grade
Please email your child’s teacher if you DO NOT want them to participate in this virtual tour.
Introducing Lincoln's Emotional Support Team
This year at Lincoln, we are excited to have a full time School Psychologist and two full time School Social Workers to help support our students, teachers and families with social emotional learning needs.
Rachel Kibblesmith, LCSW (School Social Work)
Mrs. Kibblesmith started working at Lincoln in 2018. She loves to travel, cook and read. A fun fact is that Mrs. Kibblesmith also attended Lincoln Elementary School when she was a student! Mrs. Kibblesmith is the assigned full time social worker for Kindergarten - 2nd grade for both special education and general education students and the assigned social worker for our K-2 and 3-5 instructional classrooms.
Please contact Mrs. Kibblesmith when you are a parent/guardian, or teacher who have social emotional concerns or need support with resources related to the assigned grade levels.
Email: rkibblesmith@op97.org
Dr. Becky Perez, School Psychologist
Dr. Perez is the school psychologist at Lincoln. She provides services for the K-5 building. Dr. Perez began her tenure in District 97 in 2017. Dr. Perez is nationally certified school psychologist and recently finished a postdoctoral training at Loyola Community and Family Services clinic at Loyola University at Chicago in preparation for a clinical psychology licensure.
When to contact Dr. Perez:
Dr. Perez is available to manage and review referral requests for special education evaluations. Dr. Perez also provides wellness services on a weekly basis for those needing acute or short-term support to consult on behavior, social emotional needs, and difficulties managing remote learning experience. Dr. Perez is tasked to work as part of the acceleration evaluation team. The team assesses referrals for acceleration in single subject and whole grade requests. Dr. Perez will assemble groups this school year focused on executive functioning and mindfulness.
Email- bperez@op97.org
Kate Rojas, MSW (School Social Work)
Mrs. Rojas is one of two full-time social workers at Lincoln Elementary working with grades 3-5 for special education and general education students. She began working at Lincoln in 2018. In her free time Mrs. Rojas likes spending time with her husband, son, and dog.
Mrs. Rojas is one of our co-special education team facilitators as well as and can be a resource for families throughout the special education evaluation process.
Please contact Mrs. Rojas when you are a parent/guardian, or teacher who have social emotional concerns for students in grades 3-5. Mrs. Rojas can also help connect families and teachers with community resources.
District 97 Information
Next Meal D97 Meal Distribution: Monday, Nov. 2
Due to Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 3, District 97 will hold its weekly meal distribution on Monday, Nov. 2, from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Pick-ups will be held 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.
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.
D97 Breakfast/Lunch Menus - November 2020
Stamped' Family and Community Discussions
District 97 students, families and community members are invited to participate in a three-session discussion on the book Stamped by Jason Reynolds and Dr. Ibram X. Kendi. Attendees will join together for a presentation followed by discussions in separate breakout rooms.
In conjunction with Brooks and Julian middle schools' fall curriculum read, the sessions will follow along with the chapters being read by students and staff. Breakout sessions will be led by students from Dominican University, who will follow a peace circle format and draw on the Stamped Educator's Guide.
Events will be held:
- Tuesday, Nov. 17 - 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. (click here to register)
- Tuesday, Dec. 1 - 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. (click here to register)
These sessions are made possible with the support of: District 97 staff; Oak Park and River Forest School District 200; the Oak Park Public Library; the E-Team of Oak Park; and Dominican University’s Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (TRHT) group.
Continued Social-Emotional Wellness Check-Ins for Students
District 97 school psychologists and nurses have collaborated to offer access to virtual mental health wellness checks at each school this fall. Parents may sign up children for 25-minute Telehealth sessions where they can access an open ear for their sources of stress and learn self-care and coping strategies. Students may attend up to three sessions per trimester and may then be referred for other school-based supports if needed.
To sign up or learn more about these services, please visit https://bit.ly/3m3Xece.
If your child is experiencing an immediate mental health crisis, please do not use this service and instead call the Thrive 24-Hour Crisis Hotline at 708-383-7500. You may also refer to this local resource guide created by the Community Mental Health Board of the Oak Park Township.
"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
- Wednesday, November 4: Mindfulness-Based Strategies and Their Applications in Academic and Home Environments https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mindfulness-based-strategies-in-academic-and-home-settings-tickets-124164791233
- Thursday, November 12: Technology and Mental Health: Strategies to Promote Mindful Digital Citizenship https://www.eventbrite.com/e/technology-and-mental-health-strategies-to-promote-mindful-tech-use-tickets-124165523423
- Wednesday, November 18: Understanding Depression in Youth and Strategies for Treatment and Support https://www.eventbrite.com/e/understanding-depression-in-youth-and-strategies-for-treatment-and-support-tickets-124167264631
- Tuesday, December 1: LGBTQ Youth: Understanding and Supporting Mental Health and Well-Being https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lgbtq-youth-understanding-and-supporting-mental-health-and-well-being-tickets-124167752089
- Wednesday, December 9: Understanding Anxiety in Youth and Strategies for Treatment and Support https://www.eventbrite.com/e/understanding-anxiety-in-youth-and-strategies-for-treatment-and-support-tickets-124168632723
Staff Shout Outs
Ms. Cooper's dedication to meeting each child where they are, working collaboratively with parents, balancing the demands of school with the realities of 2020, and making sure that kids are excited to attend school...priceless. We are so grateful for Ms. Cooper!!!
- Jori Fleisher
Mrs. Knox has made our daughter’s transition to Kindergarten such a great one! Despite being on Zoom, Mrs. Knox has been able to make a strong connection with our daughter. She has helped her to be a new reader, takes time to listen to hers and others’ comments and ideas, is very responsive to the kids’ work that is turned in, supports all the kids’ when needed and brings a lot of smiles to our daughter’s face. Thank you for being so wonderful and impactful during this entire remote learning process!
- Donna Hartin
Mrs. Wheatley truly knows and understands our son. She amazingly engages him in learning, believes in his skills, and makes learning fun. We are beyond thankful to have her as his teacher.
- Dolan’s mom
Staff Shout Out
Please click here to let us know and we will feature them in the next newsletter.
A message from the Girl Scouts
You will enjoy take home crafts, a fun game, a STEM demonstration and gather information about Girl Scouts. Please see the flyer below for the details.
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