Lincoln Cluster Schools Newsletter
January 2021
Hello Lincoln Cluster Families
Greetings Lincoln Community,
During this month we have had some major shifts in our county, whether in our US politics or the gaining of accelerated access to vaccinations. These are points of light in a direction of supporting the expansion of on-site learning opportunities for our students. Our leaders and teachers in the Lincoln Cluster have been incredibly amazing in their abilities to create virtual learning environments that are welcoming and inviting, safe and inclusive, and active and engaging for our learners, Our district has created resources, videos, and trainings that distill the critical learning indicators and teaching practices that will support each and every student in their learning environments. Our leaders are paying close attention to the teaching and learning environments, and providing critical feedback and support, as they ensure each student is being cared for, supported and nourished in their own learning. Parent partnership is more critical than ever, and we are incredibly thankful for all of our parents that continue to engage in the learning with their child, help extend the learning at home, and provide space for learning in the environment that is most conducive. As we look back at the inaugural events of January 20th, regardless if you are a Democrat or Republican, the clear message was around unity. Whatever problem or problems we face, the answer is always community. Unity within community. Community must come together to listen, to learn, and to solve together. It was equally powerful to see a Los Angeles native student be lifted for her oratorical genius and present a powerful poem to our nation’s listeners. I will conclude with an excerpt from Amanda Gorman’s poem entitled, ‘The Hill We Climb’; “We will rebuild, reconcile, and recover in every known nook of our nation, in every corner called our country, our people diverse and beautiful, will emerge battered and beautiful, when the day comes we step out of the shade aflame and unafraid, the new dawn blooms as we free it, for there is always light if we are brave enough to see it, if only we’re brave enough to be it.” #stepout #BeBrave #unityINcommunity
Bruce R. Bivins
Area 1 Superintendent
Lincoln High School
Lincoln High School
Lincoln High School has partnered with ConnectEd. The National Center for College and Career to develop design plans for several college and career pathways we hope to implement in the Fall of 2021. Come hear the results of this effort as pathway design teams provide short presentations, regarding the theme of their pathway, vision, mission, student learning outcomes, what will be different as a result of the pathway, the work-based learning opportunities planned for students, and their recruitment plan for welcoming students into their pathway. Each presentation will be followed with an opportunity to provide feedback and ask questions. If you are interested in participating or have questions, please email Stephanie Brown Stephanie.brown@sandi.net
Stakeholder Feedback and Input Sessions
February 2nd, 8:00-9:00 am
Zoom Meeting ID: 849 8469 7070
February 2nd, 5:00-6:00 pm
Zoom Meeting ID: 898 5775 0361
February 4th, 8:00-9:00 am
Zoom Meeting ID: 810 6404 8816
February 4th, 5:00-6:00 pm
Zoom Meeting ID: 874 5685 9292
Knox Middle School
Knox Middle
Knox Middle School has a rigorous math program focused on cooperative group learning. Students work as teams to persevere in solving problems using the California Standards for Mathematical Practice. During online learning, teachers have maintained the rigor
of the curriculum through Desmos - a powerful, online mathematical tool that is built into the majority of state-level assessments including SBAC. Desmos is intuitive and gives students the tools they need to explore math concepts deeply while allowing teachers to monitor student work and facilitate cooperative group learning.
The Knox MS MathCounts Math Club is a 6-8 program that gives students the opportunity to play fun math games in a non-competitive environment. Students get to socialize with their peers while exploring activities involving puzzles and logic games.
Check this link https://www.mathcounts.org/programs/math-club to learn more about the National Math Club.
Millennial Tech Middle School
MTM
Millennial Tech Middle School would like to highlight our counselor’s--Mr. Christopher Elie, Ms. Viliya Ketavong, and Ms. Abigail Rogers! They are working hand in hand with our elementary feeder schools to help spread the word about MTM’s course offerings, programs, and opportunities for students and families. Please check out the video advertisement that has been created, using our video broadcasting equipment and resources. MTM Video Ad--Click Here :)
Our counselors are launching the Why Try program, which is a social-emotional support program, meant to help both students and families during these unprecedented times. We at MTM believe that social-emotional well-being is as important as academic instruction. To support this cause, our School Site Council has voted to use Title 1 funds to hire an additional mental health clinician to work with individual students, peer groups, and MTM families.
If you have a 5th grader from the following schools:
Webster Elementary
Johnson Elementary
Chollas-Mead Elementary
Encanto Elementary
Horton Elementary
Please save the date for March 6th, 2021, from 9am-12:00pm. MTM will be hosting a drive-thru event to welcome incoming students and providing snacks and a welcome gift.
Porter Elementary School
Porter Elem.
This year at Porter, we were able to open up a TK/4 classroom that addresses the needs of our youngest learners. In this classroom, our exceptional teachers, Ms. Leal and Ms. Ruvalcaba, work with our students on their Reading and Math Foundational skills while also teaching them what it means to be in school. Both teachers use their strengths to engage our students daily and give them the best learning experience possible--even during Online Learning. Our teachers focus on the whole child and emphasize work around our students' social and emotional learning (SEL). They do this work through engaging our learners with visuals, movement, dancing, songs, and just having fun with their learning. Our teachers also emphasize the visual arts by having art projects that our students create at home with their families. We have been able to do monthly supply distributions where our students get the materials they need for these different art explorations. They do all of this work in partnership with our families. We know how important our community is to ensure high achievement and success for all. The goal is to ensure that all of these students are well-prepared for Kindergarten and the rest of their school learning.
Baker Elementary School
Baker Elem.
AT&T Brings Joy to Baker Kindergarteners! Baker Teacher Jennifer Hollow Leads Assistance Effort for a Baker Family in Need! Baker Teacher, Josie Escalante Provides Hybrid Learning for 3rd Graders! Baker Student, Jennyfer Mateo participates in ART CLASS On-Line!!
Nye Elementary School
Nye Elem.
Nye Elementary School is spotlighting our 3rd team. Please take a moment to review their individual websites. This team is so creative and works to ensure our students and parents are informed as to what is happening in their grade-level. At Nye, our goal is to make sure we are an inclusive staff that honors the wonderfully diverse students on our campus. We have worked hard to staff our campus so that if reflects our community. Students will see through our staff that they can be anything they dreamed of in the future.
Valencia Park Elementary School
Balboa Elementary School
Balboa Elem.
Dear Balboa Families,
Balboa welcomed the year with daily affirmations and inspirational quotes. We felt that the media was bombarded with discouraging messages. Words of Wisdom is a program where daily quotes and videos are presented followed by classroom discussions. Teachers and parents report that it lends for healthy conversations and healing.
The Words of Wisdom this week have been focused on our project started by the counseling department Kindness Week. Daily we: students, teachers, and parents make an effort to aim at being kind in many forms/
Estimadas familias de Balboa, Balboa dio la bienvenida al año con afirmaciones diarias y citas inspiradoras. Sentimos que los medios de comunicación fueron bombardeados con mensajes desalentadores. Words of Wisdom es un programa donde se presentan citas diarias y videos seguidos de discusiones en el aula. Los maestros y los padres informan que se presta para conversaciones saludables y sanación.
Las Palabras de Sabiduría de esta semana se han centrado en nuestro proyecto iniciado por el departamento de consejería Kindness Week. Diariamente nosotros: estudiantes, maestros y padres hacemos un esfuerzo para apuntar a ser amables en muchas formas:
We share our folder Words of Wisdom with you hoping it too will inspire you!
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1t_q1x_6s4d3YOvVjut-_V56zcC3BjkGg?usp=sharing
Chavez Elementary School
Chavez Elem.
Chavez Elementary would like to showcase their amazing School Librarian, Xenia Villalino. She takes pride in the book collection that she has built in the last six years at Chavez. Her collection of just right books ignite and support all types of readers in English and Spanish.
During online learning, Xenia has been able to transfer her high-level energy and animation onto the student’s laptop screen. Our students see her as their Fortnite Librarian that captures their attention the moment she enters their zoom classroom. Her passion around loving to read has a powerful impact in our learning community at Chavez. What is more amazing is the time that she puts into building relationships with every student. Our students feel valued and appreciated every time they visit the library and leave with huge smiles of enjoyment. They walk out of the library like they just received an award with a book in their hand.
Xenia also supports the whole community by posting on our website and facebook the local resources that are available for families. Please request us on facebook!
Horton Elementary School
Horton Elem. -
Earlier this month, Horton Elementary held its first virtual Family Literacy Night. Parents and students engaged in an interactive reading routine through affirming and culturally empowering books that foster young children’s joy in reading, language and literacy development, and creativity. Families learned about a routine for interactive reading at home and engaged with their students in activities to extend language development beyond the reading of the book, such as writing, visual arts, and drama/movement. Horton’s staff is excited to partner with parents, families, and caregivers and to create school-to-home connections. We will continue to hold virtual family events monthly. Check out the resources that were shared with parents.
Al principio de este mes, la Escuela Horton celebró su primera Noche Virtual de Lectura en Familia. Las familias y los estudiantes participaron en una rutina de lectura interactiva a través de libros que afirman y fomentan la lectura alegre enfocado en la cultura de uno y el desarrollo del lenguaje y la creatividad. Las familias aprendieron sobre una rutina de lectura interactiva en casa y participaron con sus estudiantes en actividades para extender el desarrollo del lenguaje más allá de la lectura del libro, como escritura, artes visuales y drama / movimiento. El personal de Horton está emocionado de trabajar con los padres, las familias y los cuidadores y de crear conexiones entre la escuela y el hogar. Continuaremos realizando eventos familiares virtuales mensualmente. Consulte los recursos que se compartieron con los padres.
I Am Every Good Thing Reading Activity Card-English
Soy Todo Lo Bueno Tarjeta de Actividades de Lectura- Español
Webster Elementary School
Webster Elementary
What is happening at Webster? Back in November, Webster was lucky enough to open a new kindergarten classroom. (Welcome Mrs. Yockey) Now, you may think this is no big deal, but it is. Over the past four years, Webster has only gotten smaller as a school and staff. Adding a teacher means are numbers are growing in the right direction. It is our goal to grow our school’s population and diversity of the student body. Because of this, Webster has applied for a multi-million dollar grant from the Federal Government. It is entitled, “The Magnet Grant for STEAM Education”. If awarded the grant, it will support Webster for the next five years in the areas of Requirement of students, Science, Engineering, Technology, Math and the Arts! We are hoping to hear from the Federal Government in the spring. Please cross your fingers.
Other things happening around Webster is, Mr. Schweitzer, our Resource Teacher, has rolled out to the staff a computer tool called NearPod. This tool allows students to interact during a zoom lesson. We believe this will encourage and support student engagement online during a zoom class. NearPod comes with a library of lessons teachers can pull from or they can create their own. Students can then answer questions in complete sentences, participate in a matching activity, be involved in academic games, and teachers can even assign students to watch a video which is 360 degrees around. For example, if you are studying the arctic, the class can take a virtual tour of the arctic though this program. One of the neatest aspects of this tool is the teacher receives student feedback in real time. A teacher can see what students know and what needs to be re-taught. This is a formative assessment. Teachers can use this data to drive their instruction. Our goal is to engage students during online learning, as teachers collect data on students to improve the teaching and learning of our school community. Webster teachers and staff are doing all they can to support our students and their families during these trying times. Be well.
Encanto Elementary School
Encanto Elementary
Encanto Elementary is proud to spotlight the work of the students in Mrs. Woods-Tynes 3rd grade Two-Way Dual Language classroom.
In their learning community, they are building alliances through quality learning interactions.
Mrs. Woods-Tynes has created space and time for connecting and communicating with students. She and the students use their morning meetings to welcome each other and build a culture of belonging where all members are seen and heard. This time together affords them an opportunity to grow in their alliances and understandings of each other.
Upon entering their virtual learning community, members are welcomed by the morning greeter who asks how the learner is feeling that day before prompting them to respond to the morning question in the chat. The student greeter then monitors the chat, responds to students with positive feedback, and gives gentle reminders to write in a complete sentence.Students share their responses to the question, ask follow-up questions and deepen their relationships.
Please enjoy an example of how the learners in room 109 begin their day in the Encanto way!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-USIsAORJMSZNZ4B5zIupPvt1bShSddz/view?usp=sharing
Chollas-Mead Elementary School
Chollas-Mead Elem.
Thank you to Mr. Tom Cortney and his wonderful student teacher Ms. Rachel Petrivelli. This dynamic duo host phase one learning to support some of 5th grade students who need a little extra push. On top of this, Mr. Courtney and Ms. Petrevielli have spent their "office hours" on the road. The duo often go house to house to collect student work or just check in on students and their families to ensure they are all doing well.
These two educators know how important it is to continue to make personal connections with their students and building meaningful relationships. This truly helps student know that learning matters.
To read more about the efforts of Mr. Courtney and Ms. Petrivelli please read the article that was published in "The Educators Room." https://theeducatorsroom.com/how-reverse-halloween-helped-my-students-feel-connected-to-me-as-their-teacher/
A very big congrats to Mr. Courtney who was voted, Chollas Mead Teacher of the Year by his peers.
Johnson Elementary School
Johnson Elem.
Johnson Teachers are working diligently to engage our students! Here are some examples of teachers working with students in Social Studies, Math and Science. Teachers are encouraging students to speak, share with classmates and tell what they know about the subject being discussed. Here are Teachers and Students are doing their best to demonstrate their learning in a tangible way!
Lincoln Community Council Meeting Info.
Lincoln Cluster Community Council Meeting
Thursday, Mar 18, 2021, 05:00 PM
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