This is such a wonderful time of the year. Students (and staff!) get a fresh start with the beginning of a new semester and a chance to be their best self in and outside of the classroom. Although the spring semester can feel long (there are actually more days this term!), there is so much to look forward to that it keeps things light and optimistic!

While 2021 was a tough year on many levels, and we are excited to start 2022 on an exciting note. While there are LOTS of things to look forward to, here are three really important ones:

In January: We'll be bringing a group called Learning for Living to LHS and they'll work with about 400 of our students starting through a program called Breaking Down the Walls (learn more here). Students are nominated for this experience by our staffulty because they have something important to contribute to making LHS a wonderful place to learn and grow. We are excited to get invites out early this week!

We will also host our annual Zebra Showcase on Tuesday, 1/25 (watch for details this week if you have an 8th grader!), and we'll start course selection for 22/23!

In February/March: We are laying down plans to engage in some listening circles with various staff and students in our community to help us better understand the student and staffulty experience (globally at specifically at LHS). We'll use what we learn in order to make plans to grow where we are weak and celebrate where we are succeeding!

In March/April: we will be welcoming a group of school leaders from across the region to visit our campus, look at our programs and services, and offer our staffulty feedback and next steps. This is what is called our WASC Accreditation visit and it happens every few years; it's been seven years since our last large scale accreditation visit. Learn more about WASC here.

On a very personal note, this month, I celebrate one year of being an Fighting Zebra. Through all the learning, trials, tribulations and celebrations, I must thank our community for welcoming me with open arms. I'm so proud to be a part of this team of students, staff and families - together I know we'll move mountains!

Please make note of these uniquely scheduled days:

• school resumes on Monday, January 3 with an Odd/Herd Time Early Release schedule.
• Monday, 1/17 - non school day in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (no staff or students; office is closed)
• Friday, 2/18-Monday, 2/21 - February Break (no staff or students; office is closed) (date updated on 1/4/22)
• Friday, 3/18 - a non school day - just because we'll need it!
• Friday, 4/8-Monday, 4/18 - Spring Break (no staff or students; office is closed); if needed, the district might us 4/8 or 4/18 to make up instructional minutes, but we haven't heard yet!

We have been SO grateful to the LHS CTE AME program for their efforts to livestream so many of our big events and activities this spring and fall. This service was much appreciated by our community, so we are going to be launching a broader version of live streaming with a new partnership with NFHS and Pixellot Cameras that should make EVERY game/event in the stadium and Pence Gym accessible to all Zebra fans online. As our AME programs continue to migrate over to TBHS, the timing is perfect. Stay tuned...our equipment is getting installed in January and then we'll start to launch more streaming!

Be on the lookout for info coming from our newest Zebra - Mrs. Sruti Vadgama is our new LHS College and Career Technician! She just started with us and has jumped in feet first! She's all over our College & Career Schoology Page, Schoology and in our classrooms meeting students.

She's partnered up with her colleague at TBHS and our district C&C Coordinator to figure out how to help students be ready with options as they approach graduation. Be watching for a career fair this spring and lots of new tools to explore careers first hand in a digital space, plus planning workshops for students and parents looking to get a leg up on paving a path after graduation.

We are lucky to have her. Be sure to say hello - her office is at the end of the 70s wing in the middle door!

LOOKING FOR WAYS TO PAY FOR EDUCATION AFTER LHS?

If your student is looking to continue their education after high school, then be sure to be looking at our scholarships/cash for college information.

Lincoln High School has an incredible scholarship program for our graduates. In addition to national, state and regional scholarships, LHS is proud to offer over 50 local scholarships that are gifts from our community for LHS graduates! Last year alone, we awarded over $195,000 in scholarships to the LHS Class of 2021!

• To get more info about the types of scholarships we give and to get all the details about how to apply, your Senior needs to start in Schoology. From there, visit "Groups" (in the blue bar at the top) > "College & Career Center" tile >" Resources" (on the left in the grey side bar) > "Class of 2022" folder. Here there are tons of resources for your Senior to explore - whether their next stop is the workforce, the military or more school! Within the "Class of 2022" folder, students should scroll down and click on the "Scholarships" folder. There are a several links for scholarships, and all of our local LHS scholarships are listed in the yellow "Local Lincoln Scholarships" folder. ​Here is a video that walks you through the steps, too.

• It's time to order Caps and Gowns! Families can review information about caps, gowns, rings, and more here. Orders can be placed 24/7 here.

• It is our plan to host a Spring Prom for our juniors and seniors. We are finalizing plans on a location, so stay tuned for details on the date and other prom related details soon. Certainly our plans may shift and evolve as we get closer given COVID, but we are working to secure a location that will give us opportunities for indoor and outdoor spaces so we are ready for whatever comes our way!

• We are hopng to host a Sober Grad Night for our seniors on the evening of graduation - this is 100% a parent run activity, so if you are interested in helping, please contact the Sober Grad Night Committee via Facebook!

• We will be hosting Graduation on the evening of Friday, June 10th. More details will come out in the upcoming months regarding times, ticket availability and graduation details.

STAY INFORMED!

We strongly encourage students and families to keep an eye on the Schoology Activity Feed (on Schoology Main Page) and the College & Career Schoology Page for information about college & career visits (in person and virtual); access it via: Schoology > Groups > College & Career

FOCUS ON COLLEGE & CAREER READINESS!

Be on the lookout for info coming from our newest Zebra - Mrs. Sruti Vadgama is our new LHS College and Career Technician! She just started with us and has jumped in feet first! She's all over our College & Career Schoology Page, Schoology and in our classrooms meeting students. She's partnered up with her colleague at TBHS and our district C&C Coordinator to figure out how to help students be ready with options as they approach graduation. We are lucky to have her. Be sure to say hello - her office is at the end of the 70s wing in the middle door!

This fall, our counselors met with all juniors during their history class. Here is the link to the powerpoint that was shared. There are links embedded on slide 19 to help students explore their next steps; that's also where the survey is linked. If you have additional questions, please reach out to your student's counselor (get their contact info here!).

In late January/early February, our Juniors will meet up with the counselors to work on course scheduling for 22/23. Stay tuned!

Also, please encourage your Zebra to keep an eye on Schoology - we have a variety of visitors on campus (weekly if not daily!) to help students explore their options for college, careers and the military. Schoology is where much of this information is pushed out to students!

A few reminders for our sophomores:

~ the start of the spring semester (on 1/3!) is a fresh start. All of your grades reset and you are working on a new batch of credits to apply towards your diploma! You've got this!
~ encourage your Zebra to keep an eye on Schoology - we have a variety of visitors on campus (weekly if not daily!) to help students explore their options for college, careers and the military. Schoology is where much of this information is pushed out to students!

~ in late January/early February, our Sophomores will meet up with the counselors to work on course scheduling for 22/23. Stay tuned!

~ your first credits (fall 2021) are behind you now and the new semester (spring 2022) is a fresh start to earn all new credits - grades reset and you can accomplish anything you set your mind to!
~ as you talk through your Zebra's four year plan, families are encouraged to learn more about our program and course offerings. On our website, there is information about our AP and honors courses as well as our Career & Technical Education courses/pathways, our Arts offerings, our AVID program, and our Cadet Corps program. You can review our entire course catalog here as well. Check it out here - click on the links on the left to get more info about our programs and to view our catalog.
~ encourage your Zebra to keep an eye on Schoology - we have a variety of visitors on campus (weekly if not daily!) to help students explore their options for college, careers and the military. Schoology is where much of this information is pushed out to students!

~ in late January/early February, our Sophomores will meet up with the counselors to work on course scheduling for 22/23. Stay tuned!

The program will run from 5-8pm; be watching for a flier coming out in the next week with specific details on what is offered when!

The goal of this program is to help you (parent/guardian) and your incoming Zebra begin to feel prepared as you approach high school. Shortly after the showcase, we'll collect course selections for the our incoming frosh students for the 22/23 year, so it is important to come get information at the showcase so you are well prepared to complete your first enrollment paperwork for LHS without a hitch!

We are also thrilled to be expanding our College and Career team. Our counselors work hard with our students to set them up for success! In addition, we have a College & Career Team that is getting established:

• Jenn Horton is our district College & Career Coordinator
• Theresa Wilson is our Counseling Intern focused on College & Career Initiatives
• Sruiti Vadgama is our newly hired College & Career Technician who works at LHS from 8-2:30 Monday-Friday. Eventually her hours will shift to mid-day through late afternoon to accommodate workshops for students and families.

Our Site Based Leadership Team (SBLT) meeting will meet three more times this year to review our site plans and check in progress towards our supplemental spending plan:

• Thurs., 1/6 at 5 pm - online and in person (google meet code is on our LHS calendar)
• Thurs., 3/3 at 5 pm - online and in person (google meet code is on our LHS calendar)
• Thurs., 5/5 at 5 pm - online and in person (google meet code is on our LHS calendar)

Our site English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC) is scheduled to meet three more times this year. Be watching for agenda topics of interest to our English Learner Student/Family community. Mark your calendars now:

• Wed., 2/23 at 6 pm - format TBD
  
• Wed., 4/27 at 6 pm - format TBD

• students are expected to wear a mask indoors - the mask must rest on the bridge of their nose and cover their nose and mouth. If your student does not wear their mask properly, they will be reminded, but if they are a close contact, they may not have the opportunity to be on modified quarantine and instead may be told to quarantine at home for 10 days. Thank you for your support to keep our community safe and healthy

• if your student is not feeling well, please just keep them home and call us for advice on sending them to school - we are here to help you navigate the system.

Symptoms consistent with COVID-19 include:

• Fever or chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• New loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea

More information about our protocols for COVID can be found here - take a look at pages 16-19.

We can be reached from 7:30am-4pm at 916 645 6360 if you aren't sure if you should send your student to school and still have questions after reviewing the district's materials (linked above).