Lincoln Newsletter
November 29, 2018
From the Principal's Desk
Important Attendance Reminder
As you may have seen in recent news, Lincoln earned a "Commendable" rating from the Illinois State Board of Education. This designation was calculated largely on student academic growth (as measured by the PARCC test) among other factors - one of the most significant being our students' attendance record. In reviewing student attendance patterns, I noticed that our absenteeism is a bit higher than it should be. If we are to achieve "Exemplary" status, we need our students missing fewer days of school. In that effort, please note the following:
Per Illinois School Code and District 64 attendance guidelines, we communicate with parents regarding student absences and tardies to promote timely arrival and good attendance. When your child accumulates absences equal to 5% of enrollment days, you will receive a letter from our school. While illness and extenuating circumstances are valid reasons for an absence, we ask that you closely monitor your child’s attendance as lost instructional time can have a significant impact on your child’s learning.
As you may know, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) now calculates summative designations for each school and reports this information on our Illinois School Report Card (illinoisreportcard.com). Attendance is one factor that determines our school’s rating. Students who are absent more than 10% of the school year (18 days total, including excused and unexcused absences) are reported to ISBE as “chronically absent.” Students who accumulate 9 unexcused absences over the course of the school year are identified as “chronically truant” by ISBE.
The District 64 Handbook defines a valid cause for absence as “illness, observance of a religious holiday, death in the immediate family, family emergency, other situations beyond the control of the student, other circumstances that cause reasonable concern to the parent/guardian for the student’s safety or health, or other reason as approved by the Superintendent or designee.” Absences due to vacations, attendance at a cultural or sporting event, or participation in a team sport, acting, or fine arts performance are not considered valid causes for an excused absence from school.
Please contact our nurse, the school social worker, your child’s teacher, or me if there is anything we can do to assist you with your child’s school attendance.
A Reminder on Water Bottles
- The bottles must be reusable, and transparent (like the picture above)
- No steel or disposable bottles are allowed.
- Teachers may restrict the use of water bottles in a classroom depending on the learning activity (e.g. when using Chromebooks or in a Science lab to avoid spillage.
Girls Basketball 2018
The 7th grade girls basketball team had a wonderful season with a record of 20 wins and 3 loses. They were Tournament Champions of the Elk Grove Village tournament back late September. The girls were tied for first in the conference with Emerson. They placed 2nd in the conference tournament at the end of the season in late October. I am very proud of all the girls and their efforts throughout the season. They were a joy to coach and be around.
Cross Country 2018
NEW! Health & Wellness Resources Webpage Launched
In District 64, we regularly support our students through individual and group counseling as well as our social emotional learning programs so that students are able to engage in all that school has to offer.
As a follow-up to the recent showing of the documentary film, Angst, about teen anxiety, District 64 would like to further support our students and families by providing information about community resources available in Park Ridge and Niles as well as links to where you can find additional perspectives from other reliable organizations. Visit our new webpage here.