Lincoln Crossing Colt Connection
May 10, 2020
Mrs. Hladun's Tidings
Thank you to our PTC, Art Docents, and families who reached out to your teachers and our staff during staff appreciation week. We felt the love, and we are grateful!
We are eight weeks into the school closure. By the time school officially ends (on June 5th), we will have been closed for 12 weeks - summer break is 11 weeks long. That's a pretty wild thing to consider.
We hope you continue to be embracing some sort of routine with learning at home. It is important that your child continues to engage in learning at home. Your teachers have put together resources for you, and iReady continues to be available to all students now (and through late July, likely!). Please let us know if you need any support to access learning from home.
In my home, my 4th grader and I have gotten into a habit of doing some of his work super late at night. The Hladun's have learned that kids (and honestly, adult!) brains just don't function as well on math and reading at night as they do earlier in the day. We are finding that 7am is more productive than 8pm! Who knew!??!
A Thought about Stress and Joy
Children express stress in different ways - while some act out on their stress, others hold it in until they can't anymore. Remember that this IS stressful for everyone (including our children) and that stress manifests itself in different ways for everyone. Your children may have questions about COVID and closure that they are trying to process. They are grappling with fear over what the next school year will actually look like and if they'll be ready for their next grade (I've had lots of kids ask me (very seriously) if they'll have to repeat a grade. On top of that, 700+ students left school on March 13th not knowing they wouldn't be allowed back...and of those kiddos, over 350 will go back to school at a DIFFERENT school than they left (TBMS/GEMS or Leaman ES). Our school psychologist team has put together some wonderful resources for families; check it out here: https://bit.ly/school_closure_family_resources
I'm reading a very good book right now called Awakening Joy for Kids by James Baraz and Michele Lilyanna. This book encourages people to set an intention to look for joy or to find moments of joy in everyday life. This is an excerpt that spoke to me:
"Sometimes when a child comes home and we ask them how their day went, they may say 'Bad!' or, 'Nothing good happened at all.' If we can prime the senses and the brain in advance to look for the good, when your child comes home they might not only acknowledge the struggles but also start to build on their successes. By connecting at the end of the day and talking about how intentions unfolded or what the children noticed in their day, slowly children start to see that there are good moments, which may be the simplest things, such as snuggles from their dog or a hello from a friend, that can bring them joy. Our job is to point our compass in that direction and witness the moments."
This is something we can do even in these strange times. In my home, we've been trying to shift our conversations to what we are each finding joy in (kids and adults!). It's been nice to try to intentionally focus on the positives instead of what we can't control right now.
Clever Link on Main Page!
Virtual Talent Show
LCES has a long and strong tradition of visual and performing arts opportunities for our students! One favorite Colt Traditions is our annual Talent Show! This year, given our unexpected school closures, Mrs. Adams is taking the show to the internet and is planning a Virtual Talent Show in late May!
Mon., May 11: Final Acts and MC roles must be recorded on FlipGrid (details were sent home to all finalist this past week)
Thurs., May 21, 6 pm: All school Talent Show Watch Party at 6 PM via YouTube
Music Classes and Websites
Important Updates from District
Borrowed Chromebook Return
We will be returning Chromebooks as part of the checkout this year the first week in June. We will refresh the devices and get them ready for either use at home or relocating them back to the classroom they were used in. Stay tuned for details if you borrowed a device this spring.
End of the Year Instructional Timeline
Now that it is May, we have established a instruction timeline for the rest of the year. We will use following dates to close out the school year:
- Friday, May 22, 2020 – Last day for teachers to assign classwork
- Friday, May 29, 2020 – Last day for students to complete and turn in work
- Friday, June 5, 2020 – Last day of school and last day teachers are available
Food Distribution
LCES FAQs (* = updated on 5/10)
*What about yearbooks?
We got word this week that our yearbook printer will be closed until 5/15 at least and we will receive our yearbooks in mid-July. Once we have them, we'll make plans for distribution this summer or this fall. If you did not order a book, but would like one, please email Mrs. Soha (psoha@wpusd.org) to be place on a waiting list for any extra yearbooks.
What about food service accounts?
When can we pick up additional school engagement materials?
We did our last formal distribution of materials on Friday, 5/1. For the rest of the school year, I'll work with teachers/parents 1:1 to coordinate any materials pick up that is needed.
We'll do a last materials pickup after Memorial Day - this will include items from students desks and cubbies and any end of the year mementos that your teacher has prepared. Stay tuned for those details in mid May.
Can I turn in the work my child has completed?
We are not collecting back work materials that we sent home. Your teacher may reach out to you in order to get pictures of materials and is likely engaging with your child in a digital format. Check in with your teacher if you need/want feedback on your child’s progress.
What about school books that we have at home?
- books from school library - bring them to the school 24/7 - you can drop the in the box by the office
- books from teacher's library - bring them to the school 24/7 - you can drop the in the box by the office; be sure to put a sticky note on them or a bookmark in them that indicates who the book belongs to
- math & science text books - we'll collect those after Memorial Day
- class novels from novel studies (gr 3-5 mostly) - optional to return after Memorial Day
Is it important that my child participate in the activities my teacher is providing?
Although your child’s work will not be graded, many teachers have found creative ways to give them feedback on their work. Participating in the activities/work that your teacher has prepared will help him/her to stay engaged and on track for next school year. We think it’s really important that your child is engaging in the school activities we have prepared, otherwise we wouldn’t send it home! Our #1 goal is to minimize busy work and to maximize productive time!
What if I/my child just can’t do the activities...it’s all just too much!
We hear you! Everyone is in a different spot right now. Just let your teacher know if what you are getting is more than you can manage. It doesn’t matter why, but let us work together with you to find out how to make things work!
Why does my teacher keep trying to get in touch with me/my student?
If your child didn’t come to school for a week, we’d be really worried! That’s our job and our nature! To that end, we are really trying to connect with each child each week. Please help us do that! If you are having an issue that’s preventing your child from participating, just let us know so we can find a way to make it work for you!
When can I get the materials from my child’s desk/cubby and his/her yearbook?
We plan to have those materials available for pick up after Memorial Day. This is also when we are likely to collect back ukes (4th grade), library books, 5th gr. math books, etc… We will not be tracking the collection of class sets of novels (thanks to our PTC!).
The technology that we have at home isn’t enough.
At this point, hopefully you've addressed these issues through the chromebook borrowing program or the hotspot/internet support program. Email Mrs. Hladun (jhladun@wpusd.org) if you still have needs and we'll see what we can do.
What about Fort Bragg reimbursements?
We received the refund from PEEC last week and we are finalizing our reimbursement plans. We anticipate reaching out to all 5th grade families with next steps in the coming week. Thank you for your patience as we navigate this complex process.
What about other field trips?
All field trips have been cancelled for this school year. All refunds have been distributed with the exception of Mrs. Ochoa's and Fort Bragg, but we are working on those this week.
I have more unanswered questions!
Contact your teacher with any classroom related questions. Contact Mrs. Hladun anytime with any school or ‘big picture’ questions. I’ll be checking email every day (jhladun@wpusd.org) and I’m always available on my cell phone (702 324 6884 - text is always best!).Virtual Spirit Days
Past virtual spirit day boards:
- staff appreciation week - week of 5/4-8: https://padlet.com/jhladun1/staffappreciation
- art - week of 4/14-17: https://padlet.com/jhladun1/art
- books! - week of 3/30-4/3: https://padlet.com/jhladun1/books
- superhero - week of 3/30-4/3: https://padlet.com/jhladun1/superheros
- learning at home - week of 3/23-27: https://padlet.com/jhladun1/distance_learning_spirit_day
- colt pride day on 3/20: https://padlet.com/jhladun1/coltpride_mar20
The LCES Office - this week
Mrs. Soha (our amazing secretary) is at work on Thursdays, too. The office is closed while she is here, but if you have a question for her, she is taking phone calls on Thursdays from 10am-4pm.
Stay in Touch!
- Check our our website and our community calendar of activities and fliers; access PeachJar (our flier hub) directly here!
- Download our free app and get notifications on your phone
- Facebook: WPUSD - Lincoln Crossing Elementary
- Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @lcescolts
Email: lces@wpusd.org
Website: http://lces.wpusd.org
Location: 635 Groveland Lane, Lincoln, CA, United States
Phone: 916 434 5292
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LincolnCrossingElementary/
Twitter: @lcescolts