Upload
others
View
3
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
LINCOLN ELEMENTARY
Options Opus
A Community Committed to Learning, Kindness, and Celebration
Welcome Aboard! -- Rob Campbell, Options Community Council
President
Hello Lincoln Options Community! As I
write this we are half way through our
summer here in Olympia and in a few short
weeks we will welcome the 28th
year of the
Options Program at Lincoln Elementary
School! Some of you are returning to
familiar classrooms, hallways, and outdoor
spaces, some will be in new classrooms with
new teachers, and some are new to our
community all together. To all of you, a
warm and hearty welcome! I too am
stepping into a new role as President of the
Options Community Council. I look forward
to working closely with so many of you in
our community, and to celebrating all the
great things happening here at Lincoln.
It is hard to believe that my family and I
moved to Olympia just two summers ago,
knowing very little about the city and with
no friends or family already living here. It is
hard to believe because we have been so
warmly welcomed by the Lincoln Options
community that it feels like we’ve been here
forever. Lincoln students, families, and
alum are woven throughout Olympia and the
South Sound. So whether we are
participating in school events, walking
through our neighborhood, or attending a
citywide concert, play or sidewalk sale, the
Lincoln community is well represented and
we can feel welcome and proud of our
association with such a vibrant community.
You will hear from your child’s classroom
teacher that the theme for the 2012-2013
AUGUST 2012 See Page 6 for Class Potluck and
Work Party Dates
SEPTEMBER 2012 Wednesday 5th
8:40 – 3:02 FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
Thursday 6th 6:30 pm
New Family Orientation
Monday 10th
6:30-8 Lynn’s Class Meeting
Tuesday 11th
6:30-8 Class Meetings - Angela, Caron, Wendy
6:30-8 OCC Mtg
Wednesday 12th
6:30-8 Class Meetings - Michael, Roxanne
Thursday 13th
6:30-8 Marty’s Class Meeting
Friday 14th
Early Release at 12:32
Tuesday 18th
6:30-8 Class Meetings - Maggie & Maribeth
Wednesday 19th
6:30-8 Class Meeting- Michi
Thursday 20th
6:30-8 Class Meeting - Kari
Tuesday 25th
6:30-8 OCC Mtg. and Committees
Friday 28th
DISTRICT IN SERVICE
NO SCHOOL
OCTOBER 2012 Wednesday, 3rd District Late Start
NO AM BUSES
Friday 5th –Early Release &
HARVEST FESTIVAL
School Year is in fact, One World, the focus being on Culture and Community. I look
forward to working with the parents and families who are able to contribute their time and set
positive examples of “Community” for all students, staff and volunteers. Parent involvement in
the school community is a big determining factor in student’s immediate and future success and
it is vital to the success of the Lincoln Options Program.
There are several ways for parents to get involved in the Lincoln Community, either as a regular
classroom volunteer during the school day, at evening meetings as a member of the Option
Community Council (OCC), or through involvement in one of our larger community events. As a
classroom volunteer you provide vital assistance and support for the Lincoln teachers and staff as
they plan and provide engaging, student centered instruction. As a member of the OCC you meet
twice a month to discuss, budget, and plan ways to support fundraising, garden activity and
various other school activities and events. And for those of you who are project oriented there
are several big events, such as the Harvest Festival, the Auction, or Camp Elderberry, that
require planning and coordination of activities and volunteers. Members of the OCC will be
available at the class potlucks to provide more information related to volunteer opportunities.
Once again, welcome one and all to the 2012-2013 School Year at Lincoln Options Elementary
School, a community committed to learning, kindness, and celebration.
Warmest Regards,
Rob Campbell
Greetings, Options Families! -- Marcela Abadi, Principal
The sun is shining, and rainy day recess is a distant, cloudy memory. Sunflowers, marigolds,
corn, orange"ing" pumpkins in the garden, and the sweet smell of tomatoes confirm that fall and
school are near. The strangely silent halls glisten with new wax, ready for students to enter.
This OPUS is full of invitations to join in potlucks, class meetings, classroom work parties,
council work, garden work parties and to our first assembly celebration on September 11th
at
8:55 a.m. in the gym. Tuesday assemblies offer a forum for creating and expanding on
community. We begin the school year welcoming and including new families, offering
friendships to new classmates, reuniting with old friends and learning to work and live together
in this wonderful school community. I begin the year with a deeper appreciation for the
community that supports all of our children--parents,
teachers, staff–all of the loving adults who surround them and share in this work. These children
will be loved and taught well because of what we do together everyday! We have so much to be
grateful for as we begin the year together: children, families, caring and skilled staff, our garden,
our wetlands, our beautiful historical school building, endless resources, and the opportunity to
August 2012 Opus Page 3 of 14
create a unique learning experience for the children we share. This OPUS brings loving and
welcoming news.
Learning
Math will continue to be our staff's primary learning focus. On August 29th
we will be working
with Evergreen faculty members, Anita Lenges and Sunshine Campbell (Merrick and Deacon’s
mom) on best teaching practices for computational fluency. This is the second of three years that
Anita, Sunshine, and our staff will work together. We are both excited by and grateful for the
opportunity to continue this rich and rewarding work with Anita and Sunshine.
Then on August 30th, we will work on creating a common language and implementation
strategies for most effectively meeting educational standards through Options' Developmental
philosophy. We are excited about these days of learning! Watch your children grow as we learn
new strategies in academics, and in the Social Emotional Development of children.
Staffing
As many of you know, Barbara Weaver retired in June. This was not an easy decision for
Barbara, as she has been with the Options Program for over 20 years, though she is confident
that it was the right timing. Her dedication to teaching and learning, to our Options program, to
her colleagues, and to children and families is astonishing. We will miss her tremendously but
are comforted in knowing that Barbara will always be part of our Options Community. We send
her off into this new adventure in her life with much love and many, many good wishes!
We are happy to introduce Michael Stine, our new intermediate teacher, who will take Barbara’s
classroom position. Michael will be a strong addition to our staff, and we're looking forward to
all he will bring to our Options program, our staff, our students and our community. Please help
us to warmly welcome and include Michael. The following is his brief introduction: Michael Stine came to teaching, and Olympia, via The Evergreen State College, where he
received his Masters in Teaching in 2001. He has endorsements in elementary education, art,
and history. Directly after graduate school, he worked for two years at Margaret McKenny
Elementary, teaching 5th grade, and then moved to Garfield Elementary for eight years,
teaching 3rd and 4th grade. While at Garfield, Michael directed the annual Science Expo, led an
initiative to bring an industrial food composter (Earth Tub) to the school, and taught after-
school juggling classes. Last year, Michael participated in a Fulbright Classroom Teacher
Exchange teaching 2nd graders in Carlisle, England, a city of 75,000 on the border of England
and Scotland. One of his favorite experiences during his time abroad was exploring Hadrian’s
Wall with Michael Dempster in the pouring rain! Michael Stine is very excited about working at
Lincoln, where his stepdaughter Chloe attended K-5, and where his daughter Calla will be
starting Kindergarten this year.
A quick picture of our amazing staff: Caron -- Half-day Kindergarten
Lynn and Wendy -- K/1st
Kari and Maribeth --1st/2nd Angela, Maggie, and Roxanne -- 2nd/3rd Marty --3rd/4th
Michi and Michael -- 4th/5th
Paul --Music and Science Michael Dempster --Assemblies and Choir Donna -- Librarian Jenny and Rachel -- Special Education Dan -- Speech and Language Therapist Charlene, Joanne, Cheryl, Cathy, and Nancy-- our amazing team of Paraeducators Vladko -- Head Custodian Brenda --who serves those beautiful organic school lunches in the cafeteria Phyllis Price -- District nurse Dale Rayburn --1:1 LPN Wendy Trevorrow -- our gifted "office queen," offering the first smile that greets you at Lincoln and providing any help or information needed.
And now, about our lovingly prepared class lists... Our goal and intention is to honor the children, their learning needs and their friendships in the placement
process. With approximately 280 students, this is no easy task. Please remember that our first goal is
continuity with the teacher, so whenever possible children stay with their current teacher. Each placement
is interdependent, which means a change for any one child causes a ripple effect for other children. Please
work with your children and their teachers if you have questions, information, or would like to request a
specific plan to help your children enjoy and graciously accept their class placements. Each family
working with staff for the benefit of all of our shared children is the glue that holds our learning
community together.
SCHOOL BEGINS! September 5th brings all of those smiling children, eager to enter their classroom doors! I love that
moment! New friends, old friends, assemblies, garden time, Harvest Festival, recess, Mt. Lincoln, great
books, new stories, and routine are all part of the picture. So are you! Join us often. I welcome all of you
and look forward to a year of shared learning, kindness, and celebration.
In gratitude,
Marcela
Absences or Late Arrivals: Regular, on time attendance at school provides a foundation for academic and social success. At Lincoln we place an emphasis on community and routine. When children are tardy or miss school, they miss out on essential connections and interactions with the classroom community as they start their day together. It is also difficult for teachers to find time to re-teach lessons that students miss. If you child’s attendance becomes a concern to his/her teacher, you will receive notice, possibly requesting a meeting to create an attendance plan.
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY
August 2012 Opus Page 5 of 14
Parents are responsible for notifying the office of student tardiness and absences. The Lincoln Options Attendance Line, 596-6403, is a 24 hour voicemail number that you can call anytime. Please use this rather than our main line for attendance reporting. You may also send a note to the teacher or office. Your notification should include the reason for your child’s absence or tardiness, and, if due to illness, please include significant information about the illness, i.e. fever, vomiting, or medical diagnosis of contagious illnesses such as strep throat, chicken pox, etc. All planned absences (vacations/family reasons) must be pre-approved by Marcela Abadi, principal. A student is marked unexcused if he or she is absent from school and the office does not receive notice on or prior to the day of the absence. Olympia School District Policy states: If a student reaches 10 or more total unexcused absences during the current school year, the District is required to file a court Becca Bill petition. Unexcused absences cannot be amended after 72 hours from the date of the absence. The District may also file a court petition if a student reaches 20 or more excused absences during the school year. If you have any questions, please feel to contact Wendy Trevorrow at 596-6400.
Assistance Programs @ Lincoln: Thanks to the Olympia School District, the Thurston County Food Bank, and other
charitable organizations in our community, several programs are available to families who find
themselves needing assistance during difficult times. Family circumstances can change and
these programs are available to you anytime throughout the year.
ForKids provides a weekend supply of snack foods delivered every Friday by the Food
Bank and distributed to children in their backpacks or on coat hooks. Contact Wendy T.
(596-6400)
Emergency Fund Checkbook offers funds to be used for many types of assistance,
including school supplies, backpacks, clothing, gas, or transportation vouchers. Please
contact Marcela (596-6405) to access this support.
The National School Lunch/Breakfast program is funded to provide school meals at a
free and/or reduced rate to families with financial need. Your application to this program
DAILY DETAILS NOTICE: We would like to encourage ALL families to read this attached document carefully as it is filled with important information regarding our upcoming school year. Though we publish this document with the August OPUS each year, many of the specifics change from year to year; and this is especially true for the 2012-2013 School Year.
benefits not only your family, but our school, so please stop by the office and pick up a
form if you don’t already have one. Holiday Support: various types of support are available during winter and spring holidays
as needed. If you are interested in this support for your family, contact Wendy T. (596-
6400)
Thanksgiving Dinners organized and delivered by the Trinity Lutheran Church, provides
families with all the makings for a Thanksgiving meal. Contact Wendy T (596-6400)
The Heart of Volunteering: Communication --Bradley Naragon
How grateful we are to be part of this community; witnessing the dedication and effort of parent
volunteering and participation alongside and complementing the hard work, care and efforts of
our beloved Lincoln staff (and the students!)
Parents help out in so many ways, from directly in the classroom to behind the scenes.
The heart of organizing the parent interests in volunteering starts with the Parent Participation
Forms.
Why are the Parent Participation Forms so helpful? How do we use this resource to
organize volunteering at Lincoln?
The school year starts with a push to get every parent to fill out the Parent Participation
Form (included in this packet). From parents making it known they want to help in the garden,
with science projects, the book sale, or even if someone can only help every other Thursday
morning in the classroom - all this information is helpful.
As these forms come in, lists are compiled of parents who are interested in helping with
committees, workgroups, and annual events. All this information is then passed on to the
faculty and council president in the form of one spreadsheet. These lists of parents are also used
by those coordinating the annual events to help bring together the core groups that make these
events successful.
All the Parent Participation Forms live for the whole school year in the office, filed by
teacher/class. This is a resource all teachers can access at any time during the school year.
Maybe a teacher really needs someone on a certain day, week, or time. These records are very
helpful!
One final note, last year many forms were missing key pieces of information--parent,
student, and/or teacher names, telephone numbers, email addresses. For parents with more than
one student, please try to identify your responses by student. Also, please help our tired eyes by
writing as legibly as possible. I encourage you to fill out the Parent Participation Form clearly,
fully, as soon as possible to support the overall start of another great school year!
August 2012 Opus Page 7 of 14
Class Potlucks & Work Parties Lincoln’s tradition of class potlucks is a great opportunity for you to connect with
the students and parents you will be journeying with through this academic year.
Not only is it great fun and a stress reliever for students new to the school or
moving to a new classroom, it provides the opportunity for you to tell the larger
community what you would like to help with this year. Please take the time to fill
out a Parent Participation Form for each of your students and turn them in at the
potluck. Please also make sure that you and your students get your photo taken in
the garden. These photos are posted in the main hallway near the office so that we
can all get to know each other better.
Options Directory Information: A printout of your family’s contact
information will also be available at the welcome/check-in tent at your Class
Potluck. Please review, update, indicate information you would like to have
included in the Directory and sign. We cannot publish your information
without signed authorization to do so. It is our goal to print and distribute our
family directory in October…..AND we need your help and cooperation in providing
us with the necessary information and permissions to do so.
Class Potluck Times: Tuesday, August 28th 6-7:30 Kari, Roxanne, & Wendy
Wednesday, August 29th 5:30-7 Angela, Maggie, & Michael
Thursday, August 30th 5:30-7 Caron, Lynn & Marty
Tuesday, September 4th 5:30-7 Michi & Maribeth
Class Work Party Times: Wednesday, August 22nd 9-12 Wendy
Thursday, August 30th 5-7 Maggie
Friday, August 31st 9-12 Wendy
Friday, August 31st 10-12 Kari
Friday, August 31st 10-2 Lynn
Monday, September 3rd 10-1 Marty
Tuesday, September 4th 11-2 Michi
Early Release Fridays -- Addie Spencer, Lincoln Parent & Early Release Coordinator
Welcome to the new school year! Please check your calendar and make sure you
have noted which Fridays will have early release.
September 14
October 5
November 9
December 7 (district-wide)
January 11
January 25
February 8
February 22
March 8 (district-wide)
April 19
May 3
May 17
June 7
Why does the school day end early on thirteen Fridays during the school year? This
is the time the wonderful Lincoln Options teachers develop curriculum and plan for
experienced-based learning. Remember, we do not have the late start
Wednesday mornings that are on the calendar for the rest of the district.
(Another note to add to your calendar.)
The school day ends at 12:32 on Early Release Fridays. But don't panic. For those
families that need a safe and fun place for their kids, parent volunteers put together
a variety of educational and engaging activities for the kids.
Let me introduce Rosie Finn and Addie Spencer, your Early Release coordinators.
We are the parent volunteers who organize the after school activities on Early
Release Fridays. Over the years we have hired some excellent instructors to come
and offer everything from wood working to Spanish language activities for the kids.
We have also been super lucky to have talented parents volunteer to lead or help
with activities from rock climbing to bike repair.
Please watch for the blue sign up sheets that will come home with the kids or can be
picked up in the office about a week before an Early Release Friday. You will need
to return a form for each kid who wants to sign up for an activity.
We always need parent help on Early Release Fridays. If you can lead an activity or
pitch in as a helper please contact Addie at [email protected] or
705-0879.
This year we are interested in making Early Release paperless. Can you help?
Please contact Addie or Rosie.
August 2012 Opus Page 9 of 14
Volunteers needed for Friday Early Release
What is your talent? Do you have a cool hobby? It's time to
bring out your inner teacher!
We need parents to lead activities on Early Release
Fridays. Whether it is double Dutch jump rope or chess
club, we know there are kids who will love spending a
Friday afternoon learning something new.
Helpers are great too! We can match you up with an
activity that needs extra adult help.
Make it more fun and safer for everyone.
And remember, your kids can attend any Early Release
activity for free when you are volunteering!
Please contact Addie Spencer at
[email protected] or 705-0879.
Welcome to the Lincoln/Options Library Donna Dannenmiller … Teacher-Librarian
Who works in the library? Donna (a former Options classroom teacher for 20 years, and starting her 10th year
in the library) teaches library classes, works on collection development by reading,
reviewing, and ordering the titles for our 15,000 book inventory, and supports staff,
parents, and students in their need for resources. She works Monday through Thursday.
Due to budget cuts, Donna’s “once upon a time” half day library aide, Cathy Smith,
was reduced to 40 minutes per day of support. Since library is open during recesses, Cathy
is the paraeducator support during that time.
Donna heavily relies on parent/grandparent/student volunteers to manage our large
collection, give clerical support and sort books for our annual Used Book and Toy Sale
fundraiser. The library is a happy place to spend time…even 10 minutes significantly helps!
How many books can my child check out? Kindergarteners check out one book and First Graders check out two books. All
other students can check out three leisure books, plus three research books. If your
family wants a Family Read Aloud book to read together... that is a bonus book.
Just say the magic words… “This is our Family Read Aloud.”
Can parents check out books? YES! Come into the library to set up a parent account. It only takes a minute. If
you already have an account, please come in and confirm the information. We have a
Parent Resource Library and Donna can suggest Family Read Aloud titles. It is a
fabulous library for browsing!!!
How long can we keep a book? The books are checked out for one week. Students and parents may renew books
as long as there is no hold on the book. Call to renew a book using the barcode number on
the front cover, 596-6402. You do not need to bring the book in to renew it. You do not
have to wait until your class’s library day to return, renew, or check out a book. Students
may come to the library any day before school, during recesses, lunch time, or after
school to do their library business.
When are the books “overdue”? They are overdue one week after check out, unless they are renewed. If you have
an overdue book, you are never “in trouble”… and you are always responsible. One strategy
is to renew your books each week instead of letting them become overdue. This keeps
the books fresh in the children’s mind.
What if we lose a book?...or it’s damaged beyond repair? If you truly believe that the book is lost, you have several options:
purchase another copy of the book as a replacement.
pay for a replacement of the book.
bring in a new or used book that our library can use.
community service in the library.
Work with Donna for an option that best fits your situation.
Strategies to avoid losing, misplacing or damaging books. 1. Backpacks are a great place to keep track of and transport books out of the
elements.
2. Designate a special shelf or basket at home specifically for library books.
( Parents have said that this is the single most successful strategy.)
2. Return books on time. Long overdue books become lost books.
3. Keep books away from dogs, water (rain), food, and unsupervised younger
siblings.
SEE YOU SOON! BE SURE TO COME IN AND SAY HI…AND ENJOY OUR
GORGEOUS LIBRARY
August 2012 Opus Page 11 of 14
Notes from Paul
Welcome to a new school year! For those of you new to Lincoln, my name is Paul
Rocks (yes, really, that is my name). I work with all the students in the areas of
science, music, and gardening.
As an amateur astronomer one of the things I’ve enjoyed about his summer is
watching the progress of NASA’s rover Curiosity as it landed successfully on the
planet Mars earlier this month.
Its mission is to investigate the possibility of life on Mars, learn more about the
climate, geology and collect data for future human missions to the red planet. It is
no accident that this spacecraft is named Curiosity. Deep in our DNA is a
hardwiring to learn, to understand, to build. At the heart of science is the need to
ask questions, and to find answers to those questions. It is what we all do from the
earliest of age. The founders of the Options Program understood the role of
curiosity in the development of the whole child when they sat down to write the
philosophy that guides our work today. These pioneers of alternative education said
that, “Curiosity and creativity are innate in all children, and that a school can
enhance the child’s natural drive to explore and experiment in the real world.”
The theme for this school year is One World; this will be an opportunity to use our
curiosity to experience and study culture. Every classroom goes about this study in
it’s own unique way. For me, it is how different cultures use science, music and
technology. It is also about how we, as a species, connect to the land.
At Lincoln we are lucky to have several green spaces for children to explore: the
native garden, the wetland, and our edible garden. Soon children will be working,
learning, and eating in the edible garden, as we get ready for our annual Harvest
Festival on October 5th. If you are able to take time off work for this event you will
witness our school’s commitment to community, learning, and celebration.
I’ve been looking forward to seeing all of you, and working with your curious
children as they make new friends, connect with nature, and learn about this planet
we call home.
Work Party You’re invited to come join the fun!!
What: You are invited to work and play with other Lincoln adults to maintain our green spaces. Where: The Lincoln Wetland and Garden When: August 26, 10-2 Why: Tidy up our lovely green spaces
We can use extra gas powered lawn mowers & weed whackers. Children are welcome if they are supervised.
Contact Paul Rocks with questions [email protected]
Options OPUS Deadlines
Our goal is to get the Opus out to you during the last week of the month for the month to come. If you have an item
that you think should be included, please forward it to Melissa Minjares at: [email protected]. You can help
by not assuming that items submitted for the weekly Talking Points will automatically be in the OPUS.
Upcoming Deadlines:
Wednesday, September 12
Wednesday, October 17
Wednesday, November 14
Wednesday, December 12
Questions? Contact Melissa Minjares at: [email protected].
Sustainability: We hope to shift distribution of the OPUS almost entirely to email this year. If you need a paper
copy or need to update your email address, please let us know in the main office.