What is a School Wide Positive Behavioral Program?
PBIS or Positive Behavioral Interventions or Supports is a school-wide positive behavior support system or set of strategies and systems to increase the capacity of schools to (a) reduce school disruption, and (b) educate all students including those with problem behaviors
- Clearly defined outcomes
- Research-validated practices
- Supportive administrative systems
- Use of information for problem-solving
WHAT ARE THE FEATURES OF PBIS?
- Establish regular, predictable, positive learning & teaching environments.
- Train adults & students to serve as positive models.
- Teach and model behavioral expectations
- Create systems for providing regular positive feedback.
- Acknowledge students when they are “doing the right thing”.
- Improve social competence.
- Develop environments that support academic success.
Enrollment for Instrumental Music
Enrollment for Instrumental Selection is currently open. Students may begin string lessons in grades 3, 4 or 5, and may begin band lessons in grades 4 or 5. The enrollment deadline for 2023-2024 is October 1st. Instrumental music classes are 30 minute pull-out lessons. Students are pulled out of other classes during the school day on a rotational basis, so they do not miss the same class each week. Students are expected to make up all of the classwork that they miss. Please contact the Mrs. Harris (aharris@mtlsd.net) or Mr. DeLaurentis (ddelaurentis@mtlsd.net) about the orchestra program and Mrs. Wockley (kwockley@mtlsd.net) about our band program.
Pupil Attitudes to Self and School (PASS) Survey
Dear Families,
As you may recall, as part of the District’s ongoing commitment to the social and emotional well-being of our students, we utilized the Pupil Attitudes to Self and School (PASS) Survey last school year. After careful analysis and review, we have determined that this tool continues to be helpful in achieving the District mission of Providing the Best Education Possible for Each and Every Student.
Developed by a team of educational psychologists from multiple universities, PASS provides teachers, school counselors, and administration with highly reliable and valid information into how students feel about themselves as a learner and how they feel about school. Available in 20 languages, PASS allows schools to detect possible barriers to student learning, including issues around confidence, resilience, motivation, and concentration. The PASS survey will allow our schools to proactively address non-academic barriers to learning, which can compromise the wellbeing and academic success of our students.
With a continued commitment to addressing social and emotional barriers to learning, we are asking that all students enrolled in our school complete the Pupil Attitudes to Self and School (PASS) survey.
We plan to administer the survey in the Fall and Spring. In the coming weeks, PASS, a 15-20 minute survey, will be administered in your child’s school. The survey questions for Grades K-1 and Grades 2-12 are available for your review. If you wish to not have your child participate, please let your child’s school counselor know by Friday, September 8. Please be assured that student confidentiality will be strictly protected.
Sincerely,
Dr. Ronald P. Davis
Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Education
Hispanic Heritage Month
Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from September 15th to October 15th each year in the United States. This celebration honors numerous people from Spanish-speaking backgrounds who have come to the United States. We celebrate their cultures and traditions during this month. September 15th was chosen as the starting point for the celebration because it is the anniversary of independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Also, Mexico celebrates its independence day on September 16th and Chile celebrates its independence day on September 18th.
Check out these websites for more information about Hispanic Heritage Month and how you can celebrate!
Lincoln School Picture Day
Our annual school pictures will be taken on Thursday, September 21st. This will allow us to include all of our students at the school. Order forms will be sent home with the students on Wednesday this week. Some reminders so the students are ready for picture day:
Complete the order form and have your child bring it to school
Make checks payable to Wayne’s World of Photography or complete the credit card information on the order form
Students should come to school “ready” for their school pictures
School staff will be present to help the students look their best before stepping in front of the camera
Weather permitting, ALL photos will be taken outside
Homeroom classes will take a group picture outside in front of the school
For additional information about our photographer, please access his website at http://waynesworldofphotography.com/
Book of the Month - All Are Welcome
To celebrate the diversity present in our Lincoln School community, I have selected All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold as my first book of the month for this year. This story will be shared as a read aloud text with each homeroom by the end of September. The following summary of All Are Welcome comes from the Common Sense Media website which you can access here. You can also access a YouTube video of the story by clicking here.
"All Are Welcome follows kids through their school day, activities, and homes while repeating the message that, no matter their race, family makeup, clothes, religion, or ability, everyone belongs. The kids arrive to school on foot, in a wheelchair, in a taxi, and eat foods from their diverse cultures for lunch. They do projects together, point to the map to show their family's origin, and play together on the playground. No one is left out, and everyone is valued."
Let me know if you should have any questions.
Dr. Ron Kitsko
Principal
Lincoln Dismissal and GO ZONE Form
Please complete this form indicating your dismissal plans for your student(s). Unless we are informed of different plans, students will be released at dismissal to walk home. GO ZONE car riders may only be be picked up by the adult(s) listed on the form. Please be prompt when picking up students at dismissal and follow established GO ZONE procedures. If you have multiple students at Lincoln, please complete this form for each student.
Absences and Excuses
When a student is absent from school, the family must send a written excuse or an email within 3 school days to their student's teacher. If the excuse is not provided to the teacher by the third day, the absence will be considered illegal. If a student accumulates more than three days of unlawful absences, an attendance hearing at the school will be held and the matter may be referred to the local magistrate.
When a student is absent for five or more consecutive days for health reasons, the student must be readmitted to the school through the Health Office.
Students will not be granted more than five (5) days of pre-approved absences (form linked here) during the school year. The district attendance policy can be viewed by accessing the following link - JED - Students Absences and Excuses.
Elementary Handbook
The Elementary Handbook contains useful and important information regarding school policies, procedures, and programs. The Elementary Handbook information is arranged by topics. Please browse the topic list in the handbook linked below to find the information you need.
MTLSD Policy on Anti-Bullying
The Mt. Lebanon School District’s goal is to establish a secure school climate, conducive to teaching and student learning that is free from threat, harassment, and any type of bullying behavior for any reason including membership any protected class including, but not limited to, race, color, age, creed, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, ancestry, national origin, familial status, language, genetic information, pregnancy,, or handicap or disability. One of the District's core values calls for each member of our learning community to demonstrate respect toward others. The entire Anti-Bullying policy can be accessed via the following link - MTLSD Policy on Anti-Bullying.
The objective of this policy is to:
- Provide a safe, positive environment for learning through prompt resolution of bullying incidents;
- Educate students, employees and parents about bullying, its adverse impact on students and the District generally, and how to prevent and resolve bullying incidents, so as to minimize the potential for bullying;
- Communicate to District students, employees and parents the District's commitment to countering and preventing bullying and to inform the District community of the specific measures the District will undertake to resolve problems in this area;
- Delineate disciplinary consequences for bullying and authorize the development of prevention, intervention and education programs; and
- Identify the appropriate school staff person to receive reports of incidents of alleged bullying.
Please note that this form (click here to access) is on the school's website for your ease of use in reporting bullying concerns.
Drop Off Table for Student Items
Students are responsible for ensuring they bring required items to school each day. Some forgotten items, such as instruments and lunches, are clearly needed at specific times. Other items, such as library books or water bottles, may instead be an opportunity for your child to learn to do without the item for the day, and hopefully remember it in the future.
If you are bringing a forgotten item, please use our Drop Off Table just inside Door A1. Note your child's name, teacher, and item on the sign-in sheet. The office will contact teachers periodically throughout the day, to send students to pick up those items at a time that does not interfere with their teaching schedules.
Month Long Recognitions
- Hispanic Heritage Month - Hispanic Heritage Month begins on September 15, the anniversary of independence for 5 Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Lasting until October 15, it celebrates the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.
Specific Dates in September
- September 4: Labor Day, a federal holiday that honors the American labour movement and the contributions that workers have made to society.
- September 11: Grandparents’ Day, established to honor grandparents for the love and support they provide to their grandchildren, with a presidential proclamation signed by president Jimmy Carter in 1978.
September Holidays
- September 6: Arba'een (Islam)
- September 6: Krishna Janmashtami/Jayanti (Hindu)
- September 8: Feast of the Nativity (Orthodox Christian)
- September 11-18: Paryushan (Jain)
- September 15: Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown (Jewish)
- September 24: Yom Kippur begins at sundown (Jewish)
- September 27: Birth of the Prophet Muhammad (Sunni) (Islam)
- September 29-October 6: Sukkot (Jewish)
Lincoln Lunch Preference Form
Students will have the option to return home during their scheduled lunch & recess hour. Students in Grades 4-5 also have the option to go to Shops as well. If you plan on having your student come home (or go to Shops in Grades 4-5) for their lunch & recess hour, please complete the form below so we can make the proper arrangements each day. Contact your student's homeroom teacher any day that there is a change to your student's lunch/recess plan so that we can be prepared for their lunch & recess hour.
If you have multiple students at Lincoln, please complete this form for each student who will be traveling home. You only need to complete this form if your student will be leaving for lunch & recess.
Free and Reduced Lunch Program Application
Children need healthy meals to learn, so the Mt. Lebanon School District is committed to offer healthy meals every school day for our students.
- Breakfast will be free for all students
- Lunch costs $2.65 for elementary students and $2.80 for middle school and high school students
Your children may qualify for free meals or for reduced price meals. Reduced price is $.30 for breakfast and $.40 for lunch. Click the link below for free or reduced price meal benefits, and a set of detailed instructions to help you apply.
You can also apply for free and reduced meals online via the state's COMPASS portal. Please follow the link below to begin the online application.
PaySchools Central Information
Payschoolscentral.com is an online lunch money accounting system where you easily monitor and deposit money into student lunch accounts.
By logging onto www.payschoolscentral.com, you can easily:
Set up an account
Deposit money at your convenience using a credit card
Set e-mail reminders to notify you when your child's account has a low balance
Set up recurring payments
Check your child's account balance (no fee charged)
Request an activity report to check account activity for the previous 30 days (no fee charged)
To set up an account, all you will need is:
- A valid email address
- A credit card
- Your child's student identification number, school and grade
There will be a 3.9% per transaction fee. Each child in your family can be set up on the same account therefore you can add money to each child's account during the same transaction. Transactions processed by pay are safe and secure using Secure Socket Link. With this technology, schools can be assured that all student information, credit card and all other student data will be highly encrypted and secure. Once the money is put on the account, it typically appears on the account in about 30 minutes.
Please follow the link below to a video that will walk you through how to add funds to your student's account.
If you choose not to use pay for credit card transactions, the District will continue to accept cash and checks.
Mobile Phones and Smart Watches
Some reminders about the use of smart watches and mobile phones by students during the school day:
- Students are expected to keep mobile phones stored in their lockers
- Mobile phones should be in silent or airplane mode when stored away
- Students may take their mobile phones with them if heading home or to shops (Grades 4-5 only) for lunch
- Video and audio recording of other students and staff members with personal mobile phones/devices and smart watches is prohibited
- Students should keep smart watches in silent or airplane mode once inside the school
- Students are not permitted to call home (or to others) using personal mobile phones or smart watches
- If students need to speak with a parent or family member, they need to seek staff approval to use one of the many phones we have located throughout the school
- Students that are ill or not feeling must be seen in health office and are not to call home using a mobile phone or smart watch - the health office staff will make ALL phone calls home when students are ill
- Family members should not call or text students during the school day - if a student's smart watch alerts the student of an incoming notification during class time, it distracts everyone that hears the device
Schoology (LMS)
Schoology, the Mt. Lebanon School District's official Learning Management System (LMS) provides families with a deeper look into their student's classwork and learning progress. Calendars in Schoology will have school events listed as well as course events and assignments. Classroom assignments, due dates, reminders and other events will be posted by teachers in the Schoology calendar. We hope this video is useful as you get started with your account if you are new to Schoology.
Additionally, an orientation course for families, MTLSD’s Family Guide to Schoology, is available within the Schoology platform. Visit our website (www.mtlsd.org/families/technology/schoology) for directions to join this course. If you have questions or need support with Schoology, please email us at SchoologySupport@mtlsd.net.
Schoology Information for Families
For Families
- Families can sign into Schoology by going to app.schoology.com and signing in using the email address registered through PowerSchool.
- Once signed in, parents can follow these directions to join a course.
- The access code for Lincoln families to join MTLSD's Family Guide to Schoology is NTSQ-D33Z-MCD3R. Families with more than one student only need to join one course, though it is suggested to join a secondary course if the oldest student in that family is enrolled in one of our secondary schools.
- If you have not received initial communication from Schoology about your account, email us at schoologysupport@mtlsd.net.
For Students
- Students sign into Schoology using Clever, or at mtlsd.schoology.com with their Google account.
Safety Information About Crossing at N. Meadowcroft and Beverly
In accordance with safe walking routes there is a procedure in place to ensure the safety of each child that approaches the intersection of N. Meadowcroft and Beverly on their way to and from Lincoln. This walking procedure has been in place since 2009.
School Guard Policy
Primary role of a school guard is to guide children safely across the street; children also remain responsible for their own safety. In this manner, a guard plays another key function - a role model helping children develop the skills necessary to cross streets safely at all times. A school crossing guard also reminds drivers of the presence of pedestrians.
- Encourage safe behavior by all pedestrians at the school crossing.
- Discourage children from behaving unsafely near traffic, such as darting into the street without looking or crossing against a traffic signal.
- Use existing gaps in traffic to help students cross safely. When the natural traffic flow does not allow enough time for children to safely cross a street, a guard may need to create gaps by stopping traffic temporarily.
- The guard stops traffic with a STOP paddle and hand signals, then verbally directs children to cross the street.
- Alert motorists that pedestrians are in the process of using the school crossing.
- Observe and report any incidents or conditions that present a potential safety hazard to the school children or the guard.
The Job of the Crossing Guard is to safely cross children, not control traffic. Unlike the intersection of Beverly and Ralston, this intersection Beverly and N. Meadowcroft is NOT equipped with “dedicated” crosswalk signals (the ability to stop traffic in all directions at the same time by pressing the pedestrian button on the pole). School students are only crossed at this intersection by using two of the four crosswalks. By doing so, the traffic flow in either direction on Beverly road continues to move smoothly and prevents a dangerous back up of traffic at the other intersection of Beverly Road where a high volume of fellow students is walking to school with the assistance of other Crossing Guards.
Under no circumstances should Lincoln students access the back of the school through the teacher parking lot on Beverly Road. They are simply in danger of being struck by a car. Instead students should take one of three routes: (1) walking up the right side of N. Meadowcroft after crossing with the Crossing Guard and proceeding to the stairway access between the field and the tennis courts, or (2) using the stairway access from Ralston (under the nurses’ office) after crossing with the Crossing Guard, or (3) walking to the Crossing Guard at Beverly and Ralston to be on the proper side to school and home from school. The Crossing Guard will not Cross Students or Pedestrians in the marked Non-Crossing Guard Crosswalks.
Respectfully,
Sharon Kroner
Crossing Guard Supervisor
Mt. Lebanon Police Department
Call for Photos
If you would like to submit your favorite First Day of School pictures, pictures from the Family Picnic or other school events this year for possible including in the Lincoln Yearbook, please send high resolution images to Lebolincolnyearbook@gmail.com.
Mrs. Maggie Shiels
Lincoln Yearbook Coordinator
Seeking Yearbook Photographers!
Volunteer to be a yearbook photographer! The PTA is looking for volunteers to take pictures at classroom parties and other events throughout the school year. All you need is your phone's camera. We are looking for one or two volunteers from each classroom. Please email LeboLincolnYearbook@gmail.com to let us know that you'd like to volunteer or to ask any questions.
Lincoln Elementary School PTA Membership
After hearing about ALL of the WONDERFUL THINGS that the Lincoln PTA does, I bet you are wondering how you can be a part of it! We can do such great things each year because of our families who join the PTA and volunteer in many ways! Nothing would make us happier this year than if your family JOINED THE PTA!
Please know that even if your schedule does not allow you to volunteer or participate in the PTA in person, your PTA Membership Dues contribution is an amazing way to support your children throughout the entire school year!
By joining, your membership dues help to support all programs that the PTA sponsors in some way! Programs such as: Read-A-Thon, Frosty Shop, Cultural Arts, New Family Buddies, Garden Club, Grand Finale, Popsicle Playdate, Scholastic Book Fair, Yearbook, Spelling Bee, Family Picnic, Staff Appreciation, Ice Cream Social, Matt’s Maker Space, Science Fair, Winter Lunchtime Clubs, Talent Show, Family Bingo Night, Skating Party, Helping Hands, Fifth Grade Farewell, International Families Night and more! These are all made possible by your Membership Dues!
You also get the chance to vote at PTA meetings if you are able to attend them and will receive a copy of the fabulous Lincoln Elementary School Directory!
Please contact Lorraine @LincolnAwesomeAbesPTA@gmail.com or message our Lincoln PTA Facebook page @LincolnAwesomeAbesPTA if you have any questions! Thank you so much for your support!
Safety and Security
The school building will be locked down all day except during the AM arrival and PM dismissal times. All visitors/parents that want to access the school must enter through the main entrance (Door A1) and be buzzed into the school office. Visitors should be prepared to identify themselves when asked by the school office staff. All visitors MUST have a photo ID handy when the office staff asks for identification. While in the school, visitors must wear a visitor’s pass (in a clearly visible manner). Visitors need to check out in the school office before leaving the school. Please remember that these measures are in place to protect the students and staff.
Safe 2 Say Something
Safe 2 Say Something is a youth violence prevention program run by the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General. The program teaches youth and adults how to recognize warning signs and signals, especially within social media, from individuals who may be a threat to themselves or others and to “say something” BEFORE it is too late. With Safe2Say Something, it’s easy and confidential to report safety concerns to help prevent violence and tragedies.
Check Your Clearances
Please be aware that we are coming up on the 5-year mark from when many past volunteers have submitted their clearances. Clearances for volunteering within the district will expire after 5 years and will need to be renewed. If you have any questions or need to know the date(s) your clearance(s) expires please email Mrs. Sektnan at dsektnan@mtlsd.net.
Lincoln Elementary School
Lincoln Elementary School, named after President Abraham Lincoln, opened in 1925 and is the second oldest school in the Mt. Lebanon School District. Lincoln was awarded three United States Department of Education National Blue Ribbons (2001, 2003 and 2013) for its overall academic excellence and outstanding student achievement. Lincoln Elementary School presently serves students in Kindergarten - 5th Grade. The dedicated faculty members take great pride in working with the students and collaborating with their families to "provide the best education possible for each and every student" that attends Lincoln.
Email: rkitsko@mtlsd.net
Website: www.mtlsd.org/Lincoln
Location: 2 Ralston Place, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Phone: 412-344-2147
X (formerly Twitter): @LinkedAtLincoln