Lincolnwood Elementary School

Hello Superstar Families-

Happy weekend before the first day!

This past week, the staff had two great and packed days of preparing and we are ready and so excited to welcome your students to Lincolnwood on Monday! See below for a fun picture of almost all of us!

If you'd like to see individual pictures of our staff members and learn a bit about everyone, check out our 26-27 Lincolnwood "Who We Are" Staff Slideshow. Students often enjoy reviewing this throughout the school year. Not every staff member has had the chance to add their info but it should be complete by the end of next week!

Huge thanks to the many families who have been helping us get ready for the 26-27 school year - organizing and distributing supplies and extra clothes, donating a new Keurig coffee maker and two microwaves for our staff lounge, painting our blacktop map and stars, bringing Kindergartners in for their visit days, supplying pizza and fresh fruit for our Friday staff lunch and planning family/community events. A special huge thanks to parents Annie Sutula and Angie Eubank for the many days of volunteer time they have given over these past weeks!

Below, you will find an update from our PTA co-presidents along with:

• Our September Events Calendar
• The Lincolnwood Family Handbook
• Updates/info on:
• Lincolnwood Student T-Shirts
• Staff Lounge Donations
• First Day Parent/Caregiver Welcome Coffee & First Day Drop Off
• Back to School Block Party
• Before & Aftercare & Right Club Elective Options
• Volunteering at Lincolnwood
• Fall Sports
• Becoming a PTA Member and Joining the LWD Directory

Thanks for reading over things and reaching out with any questions!

In partnership,

Laura & Kojo

Laura Pinsof, Principal

Kojo Sheppard, Assistant Principal

Hi Lincolnwood Families!

Two days to go! We know well that as parents of energetic Elementary school students, the last week of summer can feel like a marathon, but we hope your family has been able to enjoy the last few summer days and are looking forward to the exciting start on Monday! We can’t wait to see you in person soon!

Annie Sutula & Katy Shapiro

Lincolnwood PTA Co-Presidents

Mon. 8/24:

• First Day of School!
• 9:00-9:45am: Parent/Caregiver Welcome Coffee on the Front Lawn

Thur. 8/27, 5pm-7pm: Lincolnwood Back to School Family Block Party

Fri. 8/28, 7:45am-8:15am: Virtual Parent/Caregiver Check-in with Ms. Pinsof

Mon. 8/31: Right At School Discovery Club Registration Opens

Mon. 9/7: NO SCHOOL for Labor Day

Mon. 9/14: Right At School Discovery Clubs Begin

Tues. 9/15, 3:35pm: Lincolnwood Bike Safety Ride

Mon. 9/21: NO SCHOOL for Yom Kippur

Tues. 9/22, 5pm-7pm: Lincolnwood Curriculum Night

Wed. 9/23: NO SCHOOL for School Improvement Day

Sun. 9/27, 9am-11am: Lincolnwood Superstar Scramble

Mon. 9/28: First Day of Books and Breakfast

With so many new faces at Lincolnwood this year, the PTA has created a new Lincolnwood School t-shirt so all students can feel part of our unified community! The shirts will be distributed during the first week of school, and kids are encouraged to wear them to our Back-to-School block party on Thursday, August 24 so we can show our school spirit together!

T-shirts are $15 but are FREE for any family who qualifies for free or reduced lunch. Whether you are paying or not, please place your t-shirt order here so that we have accurate size information.

Please note: the image to the right is not the actual t-shirt design!

We know this is a big ask but if you happen to have a full size refrigerator that you are ready to part with, our staff lounge can make use of it! Please reach out Laura if you are able to donate.

To officially kick off the year, join us for the Parent/Caregiver Welcome Coffee from 9-10am on the first day of school (8/24) outside near the school garden. This is a great chance to catch up with fellow Lincolnwood families new and old, ask questions and find out more about ways to get involved this year.

During the school year, Lincolnwood has a "rolling entry" starting at 8:50am.

The only exception to this plan will be the first day of school when students will line up outside of school to connect with their classmates and teachers and be walked into school. On the first day only...

• Homeroom teachers will be outside starting at 8:50.
• 1st and 2nd grade, Kindergarten STEP, and 1st-3rd grade STEP will line up on the blacktop (with the U.S. map and stars) by Door 5.
• All 3rd-5th grade (including STEP) will line up on the blacktop on the east side of the building near Door 4.
• Gen Ed Kindergarten will line up on the blacktop outside of the Kindergarten Breezeway near Door 7.
• All students who are taking the bus on the first day will be met by staff members and taken to their homeroom teacher when they arrive.
• On the first day, students who are eating breakfast at school will be able to pick it up when they enter the building with their teacher. However, if you would like your child to be dropped off for breakfast before 8:50, it will be ready as early as 8:30am and your child can enter the building by ringing the bell at Door 1.
• Our fabulous Superstar Mascot will be outside to greet students. If your kids would love to be surprised by this, please don't tell them! But if a walking blow-up star might make them nervous, please give your child a heads up, show them this picture, and let them know that it's Ms. Gilbert inside.
• After drop off, parents and caregivers are invited to join our PTA for an outdoor Welcome Coffee on the front lawn near the Star Garden (off of Colfax).

Lincolnwood offers two options for before and aftercare - Right at School and School Aged Childcare.

• At this point, School Aged Childcare (SACC) is full for the 26-27 school year with a waitlist. We recognize that SACC filling so quickly has caused significant frustration and worry for families. District leadership is working to expand SACC capacity at Lincolnwood (the current DCFS license is capped at 30 students) but this will be a long process.
• Right at School is still open for registration and families in need of before or after-care are encouraged to explore this option.
• Right at School also offers a wide range of elective Discovery Clubs for all students - see attached info!

Once you have decided on and registered for before or after-school options for your student, please let your child’s homeroom teacher know the plan for your student.

Lincolnwood encourages any interested parents to become approved to volunteer at the school! Staff will reach out about volunteer opportunities throughout the school year.

• There are two types of volunteers - limited (supervised) and comprehensive (unsupervised).
• Limited volunteers are only able to volunteer at school occasionally and must be supervised by school personnel at all times. Limited volunteers may not chaperone field trips.
• All interested Lincolnwood parent/caregivers are encouraged to become Comprehensive Volunteers if possible.
  
  

Here are the steps to take if you are interested in volunteering:

1. Fill out a Volunteer Form (Limited and Comprehensive)
2. Fill out a Background Check Form (Comprehensive)
3. Print and take this form to an Accurate Biometrics location. (Comprehensive)

Registration is now open for our Fall District 65 Sports Leagues!

To guarantee a spot in the league, participants must be registered by August 20.

Please note that all registrations must be completed online or in person at one of our Community Centers. We are unable to accept registrations over the phone, as a parent or guardian must sign the required waiver and code of conduct for each participant.

Families seeking financial assistance may contact scholarship@cityofevanston.org to learn more about our scholarship program. District 65 McKinney-Vento students are eligible for additional league discounts and should contact me directly at eeichholz@cityofevanston.org for more information.

We are also looking for volunteer coaches for each league! This fall's offerings include:

• 4th & 5th Grade Cross Country
• 2nd & 3rd Grade Flag Football
• 4th Grade Flag Football
• 5th Grade Flag Football

Flyers for each program are below. I've also attached registration tips to help families navigate the Amilia registration system.

For answers to frequently asked questions, please visit our FAQ page:
https://bit.ly/4wpPntl

We look forward to another fun and successful fall season!

Best,

Eric Eichholz, CPRP

Program Coordinator

PRCS Department

City of Evanston

Pronouns: (He, Him)

1028 Central Street | Evanston, IL 60201 | 847-448-8685

eeichholz@cityofevanston.org | cityofevanston.org

This is an exciting year for Lincolnwood and our school community as we welcome new families and continue to grow and strengthen our community. We are a strong, vibrant, loving and inclusive school led by an amazing administrative team, exceptional teachers and supported by a small but mighty PTA.

The Lincolnwood PTA is a volunteer run parent-teacher organization committed to serving our entire Lincolnwood community. We encourage all parents/caregivers to join the PTA. Membership is free to all but voluntary donations are always welcome. If you are interested in joining the PTA this year, please complete this form! Please remember, membership must be renewed each school year!

Each year, our PTA creates a family directory. It is optional to be included but highly encouraged so that you can connect with other families and receive any PTA communication outside of the bi-weekly Family Newsletter.

To sign up for the directory for the first time, click this link: https://forms.gle/1aEXi7pPo1AWdwTm7.

Once you join, you will have an account created HERE where you can view the directory, make changes to personal information, etc. Haven parents can use the same login.

Email lwooddirectory@gmail.com if you have any questions.