Lincoln's September Newsletter
Leading the Pack in Kingsport
Great Start to the School Year
We've been able to add some new things in the morning before school starts to get students ready for a great day too! First we have Mrs. Galloway reading in the library each morning in support of our Roaring Readers Initiative. We are enjoying anywhere between 50 and 60 students a morning in the library listening to a great book! We also increased the number of grades walking each morning to afford more students the opportunity to get some physical activity. We have a space for quiet silent reading, and the auditorium is also open for students to wait and talk to classmates. We also received a grant allowing us to have a second place for students to get breakfast in a "grab and go" format. These multiple options have truly changed our mornings and have created a great environment for lions before school starts.
Finally, thank you to all parents, grandparents, and supporting adults who have worked to get students here ON TIME every day. As I have mentioned before, ON TIME is 8:15 AM---IN THE CLASSROOM! We have significantly decreased students coming through the doors at 8:15 or later because of our collective commitment to get students here ON TIME, EVERYDAY!
We are looking forward to another great month at Lincoln Elementary.
Parent Teacher Conferences
Updated Security and Change in Early Dismissal Procedures
On other change that we are instituting to support a safe dismissal for all students is we are no longer dismissing students between 3:00 and 3:20 from the school office. All students need to go through the normal school dismissal if they are in school after 3:00 pm. If you need a student early from school, for example to get to a dentist appointment, you will need to get your child before 3:00. If you, or a designated person come to school between 3:00 and 3:15 to get your child, you will need to wait until 3:15 and regular dismissal for your student to be dismissed. Being on time is important every day, and staying until the very end of the day is also important too. Kindergarten dismissal starts at 3:05 on the Waverly side of the building, and the rest of the building dismisses at 3:15 promptly each day. All students should be picked up by 3:30 unless they are bus riders or attend the Y.
Thank you for your understanding regarding our new pickup policy and supporting the security of our building.
To recap: Starting Monday, September 9th, students will no longer be dismissed between 3:00 and 3:20 from the main office. If you need a child between that time, you will need to wait until we get to regular dismissal at 3:15 in order to get your child.
PTO News
Our Fall fundraiser starts September 5th and runs until September 20th. Packets will arrive in your student's folder. Please remember that all of the profits that we make from PTO fundraisers goes back to students. We support the school by reducing the cost of field trips (paying for buses), buying equipment for teachers (Ukuleles for Mr. Wallingford), and supporting special events for students (like the safety patrol induction) and teachers (teacher appreciation week). We need YOU to help! If all families could sell at least one option, it would enable us to support students so much more than we are currently. Thank you in advance for your help.
Turn in your membership forms and optional donation by September 15th to be entered to win a gift card! We need your help to support our school! PTO is a great way to support the needs of Lincoln!
Grade Level Updates
Kindergarten is off to a great start! Students are doing well with procedures and routines. We are building the foundation for a successful school year filled with learning.
Literacy: We are in the middle of our unit, Exploring Who We Are, which focuses on growing up and the feelings/emotions that come with it. Students are learning letters and the correct way to form them. They are also working on hearing rhyming words and producing their own rhyming words. Our next step in phonics will be understanding letter/sound relationships. Please be sure to read with your child for 20 minutes each night to help your child develop a love for reading!
Math: Students can now describe and sort objects based on their attributes. We are working on identifying and writing numbers 0-10, as well as counting sets of objects up to 10. Soon, we will be learning the terms “greater than, less than, and equal to” to compare sets.
Science: Our next literacy unit focuses on the five senses. We will read narrative and expository texts to learn about the different senses. We will make personal connections with what senses we use in familiar places.
We look forward to sharing more information with you during parent conferences.
First Grade
First Grade had a GREAT start back to school. We have been building relationships at school and in our community through our literacy units. Now, we are focusing on Change-Past, Present, Future. In math, we have been adding and subtracting to make number sense. We have built numbers and solved story problems. Our next unit will focus on 2-D Geometry with comparing and combining shapes. Homework is designed to reinforce learning at school. Please help your child each day with the reading and math homework. Remember to sign the yellow Roaring Reader calendar. First Grade Teachers are looking forward to meeting each of you the week of September 9-13 for a conference.
Second Grade
See link below for the Second Grade Newsletter
Third Grade
Third grade is enjoying learning about folktales, fairy tales, and fables in literacy. We are learning the importance of reading carefully for meaning and using evidence from the text to respond to questions. Remember that 3rd grade does not do traditional weekly spelling tests. Instead we ask the students to write a short paragraph telling us what they have learned that week about our word work pattern. They are also asked to give examples of words that follow that pattern. We encourage them to use these word patterns in their writing; we do a lot of writing in 3rd grade and it is very important that they use words effectively.
In math this month we will be working hard on Graphs and Line Plots by modeling with data and collecting, representing, and analyzing measurement data. Students will be using bar graphs, and pictographs to model what their data shows. They will generate measurement data and represent that using a line plot that includes fractions. Please continue completing homework and working on multiplication and division within 100!
Fourth Grade
Literacy- In Literacy, we are working on narrative elements, such as characters, plot, setting, point of view, theme, and sensory language. We are also discussing similes and metaphors and homophones.
Social Studies- We have been discussing the 13 colonies, The French and Indian War, and are getting ready to move into the causes of the American Revolution. Students will understand why the colonists were angry towards the King and why they protested against the King's taxes.
Science- Students have been reviewing the components of a food chain: the sun, producers, consumers, and decomposers. They have been exploring the connections among different types of animals and how organisms meet their energy needs through more than one source. We will begin digging in to the process of photosynthesis more deeply to learn how plants get the energy they need to survive.
Math- We are finishing up our first, and a very important, first unit. During the past 4 weeks, students have been working to extend their knowledge of place value up to 1,000.000. This is a big jump from working within 1,000 in 3rd grade. Students should be able to add, subtract, compare, and round numbers within this range by the end of 4th grade. They also must be flexible with 3 different number forms: standard form (145), word form (one hundred forty-five), and expanded form (1x100) + (4x10) + (5x1). Our September unit will focus on using multiplication to compare quantities. We will also work to find factors, multiples, prime, and composite numbers up to 100. Please refer to the curriculum goals and math support documents that were sent home in the first couple weeks of school. These will be a great guide for you all year long!
Fifth grade
Math: We are beginning or unit on volume, focusing the different formulas used to find volume. We are continuing to work on fact fluency with multiplication and division. Practicing math facts at home is always appreciated!
Science: We are focusing on force and motion. Students are participating in a variety of experiments to help them better understand balanced and unbalanced forces.
Literacy: We are continuing our unit on the author Pam Munoz Ryan. We have a special focus on character development and narrative techniques. We will begin unit 2, focusing on main idea and making inferences, shortly.
Social Studies: We are working through Tennessee history, from the prehistoric time to modern day.
Job Opportunities in Kingsport City Schools
JOB OPPORTUNITIES IN OUR SCHOOLS!
PART TIME AND FULL TIME OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE
MULTIPLE SCHEDULE OPTIONS
BENEFITS FOR FULL TIME EMPLOYEES
High Priority Needs: School Bus Drivers.
- Paid Training
- Earn your CDL
- Part time or full time shifts available
- Benefits available for full time employees.
- Instructional Assistant
- School Nutrition Services
Full Time Positions:
- Bus Driver (Part Time or Full Time)
- Custodian
SUBSTITUTES: Work a schedule most convenient for you. Substitutes needed for teachers, school nutrition workers, custodian, bus drivers, and school nurses.
To Apply:
Please submit an application through our on-line system at www.k12k.com. Click on the Employment link and follow the instructions on the employment page.
Parent Portal
If you need assistance please contact the main office for help.
Remember the parent portal allows you to monitor your child's attendance, grades, and you can be one of the first to know your child's teacher at the end of the summer.
Don't delay! Sign up today!
Roaring Readers
This next month we are excited to share that we are reading to support St. Jude! Students were asked what they would like to read for (as an incentive) and multiple students stated that they would like to read to get people to sponsor them and use that money to donate to St. Jude. St. Jude, as you may know is an important cause for Mrs. Rivers and our students want to support her cause too. Thanks to an anonymous donor, we will be earning $1 per student that participate which could earn us $510 to donate. What is more exciting is if we have more than 75% of students participating the anonymous donor will donate $500 to St Jude!
So we need your help to ensure that your child is participating. We are looking for 20 minutes of reading each day from all of our lions. We are truly reading for good and am glad you are with us as we help our students fall in love with reading!
Support with Phone Calls To and From School
Please make sure that your voicemail can accept messages so if the school calls we are able to leave a message if we need to reach you. While the majority of calls we make to a parent are not emergencies, if we do have an emergency we need to be able to reach you and leave a message with key pieces of information if you don't answer. We have found that many numbers we call have an inactivated voicemail or the box is full. Please make sure we can leave a message if necessary. It helps us reach you if you know why we are calling so you can get back to us quickly if necessary.
Insight KCS Class of 2019-2020
Kingsport City Schools is now accepting applications for the 2019-20 class of Insight KCS, an opportunity for up to 10-15 area residents to learn more about the inner workings of all KCS educational and functional operations.
Insight KCS is an initiative that provides opportunities for stakeholders and potential advocates from various sectors of the Kingsport community to study the full scope of education and operations of Kingsport City Schools. During six sessions occurring throughout the 2019-20 school year, accepted program participants will review the full scope of Kingsport City Schools. Sessions will take place in KCS schools and department locations across the district and will explore topics including:
- Friday, September 27, 2019 – Orientation, Leadership, and KCS Organizational Overview
- Friday, November 1, 2019 – Teaching and Learning
- Friday, December 6, 2019 – KCS Vision
- Friday, January 31, 2020 – School Facilities and Operations
- Friday, February 28, 2020 – Human Resources and Finance
- Friday, April 3, 2020 – Student Services and Community Engagement
Session times are 8 a.m. - 1 p.m. Participation in Insight KCS requires a non-refundable tuition cost of $100 that covers all food (including breakfast and lunch), training materials, monthly training sessions, KCS logo items, and all administrative costs (tuition due by the first program session). Applicants must be 21 years of age to apply, and individual interviews may be held prior to participant selection.
Insight KCS was the 2015 recipient of the Tennessee School Boards Association (TSBA) Award for Excellence in Education Program.
More information on Insight KCS is available at www.k12k.com or by clicking here. Applications will be accepted online through Monday, September 23, 2019 by clicking here. For additional program information, contact Andy True, KCS Assistant Superintendent – Administration at (423) 378.2130.