Lincoln Weekly News

Lincoln Early Learning Center houses the preschool programs for three school districts: Fremont District 79, Hawthorn District 73, and Mundelein District 75.

⬅️ Check out the Table of Contents on the left for the latest news from your district.

Please note that you will need to open the newsletter from your browser in order to see the table of contents.

Dear Lincoln Early Learning Center Families,

February continues to bring joyful learning to our preschool classrooms as students build new skills and friendships each day. With the warmer weather this week, our children have loved getting back outside. Outdoor play supports movement, exploration, and social growth.

5Essentials Survey Reminder
Please be on the lookout for the 5Essentials Survey. Your feedback is extremely important and helps guide decisions that support our students, staff, and overall school environment. We greatly value your input and encourage every family to take a few moments to complete the survey.

Attendance Matters
Consistent attendance plays an important role in your child’s success, even at the preschool level. Being at school each day helps children maintain routines, build strong relationships, and fully engage in daily learning experiences. We appreciate your continued commitment to ensuring your child attends school whenever they are healthy and able.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support. We look forward to another wonderful week together!

Warm regards,

Katie O’Brien
Principal, Lincoln Early Learning Center

kobrien@fsd79.org

Kim Stergios
Building Assistant Supervisor, Lincoln Early Learning Center

stergiosk@hawthorn73.org

Absences

If your child will be absent from school because of illness, doctors’ appointments or vacation, please contact us at Lincoln at 847-949-2720. Please notify the school office by 9:30 a.m. the day of the absence to leave a recorded message regarding your child's absence. Keeping track of all the students on a daily basis is a huge task and we greatly appreciate your prompt attention.

Medical Forms

Annual Physical Examinations are required within the first 30 days of entering preschool. All forms can be emailed, faxed, or brought in with your student. If we do not receive your child’s physical, your child will be excluded from school and cannot return to school until submitted. Per IL State Law we must have a child’s physical by October 15 or within 30 days of starting preschool.

Illness and Injuries

Please remember that any child with a fever should stay home until they have been fever free without the use of fever-reducing medication, for at least 24 hours.

Students should also remain home if they are experiencing vomiting or diarrhea. Students may NOT return to school for at least 24 hours after the last episode.

The health office must have current telephone numbers for parents and designated emergency contact persons. Please select your emergency contacts carefully. This person should be familiar with your child, your family routine, and be available to transport your child home if necessary.

Please pre-plan for a telephone call from the health office. If your child becomes ill at school, you are responsible for picking up your child within 30 minutes of the call.

Medications

All medications, feeding, and treatment supplies are to be supplied by the parent per school policy.

Doctor’s orders for medications, feedings, and treatments are required at the beginning of each school year. The school nurse will not accept or administer any medications (including over the counter medications) or perform nursing services or treatments without a doctor’s order.

Any questions related to the above health office guidelines should be directed to the health office staff.

Lincoln Health Office

Holly Palo

847.949.2720 ext.1503

Change in Dismissal

Please contact América Lanuza (lanuzaa@hawthorn73.org) or Danielle Garcia (dgarcia@d75.org) at the Lincoln Front Office(847-949-2720) if there are any end of day changes throughout the school year. Teachers may not always be able to pick up their phone or check email throughout the day, so it would be best to call the front office with any changes. América and Danielle will relay any changes to the classroom teacher after you contact them. Please contact the main office by 10:00 a.m for the morning session and 2:00 pm for the afternoon session for any changes in regards to a child's dismissal procedures.

As a reminder, if your student is in our Tri-District classroom, they will follow the arrival and dismissal times below:

• AM: 8:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
• PM: 12:15 p.m. - 2:45 p.m

Please review the Hawthorn School District 73 section for information about important dates. Please review your home district section for any other information.

Kindergarten Pre-Registration is NOW OPEN!

The wait is over! Online registration for our incoming Kindergarteners is officially live.

If you have a child turning 5 on or before September 1, please take a few minutes to add them to your family account today. Early registration is vital for our district’s planning and staffing!

Ready to register? Follow these steps:

1. Login: Head to your TeacherEase Parent Portal.

2. Add Student: Select Online Registration > “Register a new student(s) to the district.”

3. Submit: Complete the prompts and hit submit!

First time adding a student? 📽️ Watch the quick video tutorial here.

Mark your calendar!

Kindergarten Information Night will be held on March 4, with sessions at 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

This informative evening will cover the registration process, what a typical kindergarten day looks like, include a school tour, and provide an opportunity to meet the school principal.

The form below provides an opportunity to share information regarding your child for classroom placement purposes. The Elementary School will add this information to our teacher provided input as we place students into homerooms for next year.

Student Characteristic Form 2026-2027

We Need Your Help - Take the 5Essentials Survey!

Fremont School District 79 greatly values your feedback as it relates to your student’s educational experience. Once again, the State of Illinois has partnered with 5Essentials to create a forum by which you can provide your input.

We need at least a 20% response rate in order to receive a report and our current response rate for Lincoln Early Learning Center is 9%.

If you have not already done so, we would greatly appreciate it if you would take the brief survey by visiting:

http://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/survey/parent/

Your responses are vital for continuous improvement and long-range planning for your child's school. Parents are welcome to answer the survey for each of their children’s schools.

The deadline to complete the survey is March 13, 2026.

Translation for Conferences

If you need a translator for your parent-teacher conference, please fill out this Google Form by February 13th.

Save the Date: Parent Book Club - March 11

Back by popular demand, we'll be holding a Parent Book Club event coming up on March 11. This year's book is Permission to Feel by Mark Brackett. Secure your physical copy of the book now or listen to the audiobook and make plans to join us!

Please note: It is not required for attendees to read the book to attend on March 11.

Report an Absence

If your child will be absent from school because of illness, doctor's appointments, or for any other reason, please report it to the school office by 9:00 a.m. on the day of the absence by completing the form linked below. While the online form is preferred, you may also call in the absence to the front office at 847-949-2720.

March 5 - No School - Parent/Teacher Conferences 11:00 - 7:00 p.m.

March 6 - No School - Institute Day

March 12 - Additional Parent/Teacher Night 4:00 - 8:00 p.m.

March 13 - No School - Preschool Screening

March 23-27 - No School Spring Break

Share Your Feedback - Take the 5Essentials Survey

Hawthorn School District 73 greatly values your feedback as it relates to your student's educational experience. Once again, the state of Illinois has partnered with 5Essentials to create a forum by which you can provide your input.

If you have not already done so, we would greatly appreciate it if you would take the brief survey by visiting:

http://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/survey/parent/

Your responses are vital for continuous improvement and long range planning for your child's school. Parents are welcome to answer the survey for each of their children's schools.

The deadline to complete the survey is March 13, 2026.

Parents’ Night Out – Key to 73 Bingo Night!

Enjoy a fun night out while supporting a great cause!

No registration required

Free to attend

Childcare available with Hi-5 for just $20: https://bit.ly/4ksJ5nx

Learn more about the Key to 73 Foundation and how it supports our community, including funding the Hawthorn Pantry. Optional donation opportunities will be available.

Come play bingo, connect with other parents, and support D73

Give a Shoutout to Your Favorite Teacher! We’re launching a new Hawthorn Shoutouts campaign to celebrate our incredible educators — and we want your help! Families are invited to submit a short video of their child thanking their teacher or staff member and sharing something special about them.

Selected videos may be featured on our district social media channels and in future newsletters.

March 13 - No School - Preschool Screening

March 23 - 27 - No School - Spring Break

PTO Updates

BOX TOPS:

We're getting closer to reaching our Box Tops goal of $1,000.00!

If you haven't yet, you can still download the Box Tops for Education App and start earning for our schools today!

How to Start Earning:

1. Go to your app store and download the Box Tops for Education App
2. Look for District 75 PTO Mundelein (enter code PNKN0SEQ) for bonus earnings
3. Scan a receipt that includes any Box Top eligible item.
4. Have family and friends near and far join.

Don't forget to opt-in for our monthly bonus opportunities! Watch the Box Tops (and $$) quickly add up for our schools as you scan.

March Madness

Is your March basketball bracket already falling apart?

Perfect. You’ll have better odds here.

This isn’t the basketball tournament — it’s our month-long PTO raffle fundraiser supporting Mundelein District 75 students!

Throughout the month of March, we raffle off AMAZING prizes — including electronics, gift cards, family fun adventures, party packages, themed baskets, and more — all while raising funds to support our D75 schools!

Purchase tickets here, now through the end of March:
1 for $10
3 for $25
10 for $100

We go LIVE on Facebook multiple times a week to draw winners, so be sure to follow the PTO page and tune in!

Tickets purchased by 10PM the night before a drawing are entered into the upcoming drawing.

The best part?
Your ticket stays in all month unless it wins — so even if your team gets knocked out… you’re STILL in the game here.

More tickets = more chances to win.
No sports knowledge required.

For information about our sponsors or sponsorship opportunities, visit: Mundelein 75 PTO – March Madness

March 13 - No School - Preschool Screening

March 23 - 27 - No School - Spring Break