Lincoln Newsletter

Hello 5th Grade Families,

I want to welcome you to Whitewater Middle School and share some information about how we will help you and your child transition to WMS. On April 29th & 30th, a team from the middle school will visit each 5th grade classroom for a meet and greet. There will be a slide show presentation followed by a question & answer session. Then on May 1st & 2nd the 5th grade classes will visit the middle school for a tour of the building and a chance to ask middle school students questions during a panel discussion. On May 1st from 5:30 until 6:30, it’s the parents' turn to come to the middle school for a meet and greet in our gym. There will be a slide show presentation followed by a question & answer session.

On August 28th, we will hold our Open House. You will be able to meet the teachers and visit the classrooms. There will also be a slide show presentation about grade level expectations and technology expectations. This brings us to our first day of school which is August 30th. Only 6th graders come to school on this day and it gives them the opportunity to meet all of our staff and learn the ways of WMS without having other students in the building. Please click this 2024 WMS 5th Grade Transition Plan for more details on the transition plan.

I look forward to getting to know all of you and your children. I truly have an open door policy so feel free to stop in anytime or give me a call if you have any questions. Have a wonderful weekend and I hope to see you in May!

Mr. Fountain

WMS Principal

Tuesday and Friday- Garden Club

May 1- 2nd Grade Field Trip to Discovery World

May 2- Lincoln Orchestra Concert (6:30 at the High School)

May 7- Culver's Night 4-7pm

May 8- Family Teacher Partnership Meeting- 6:15 (Virtual)

May 9- 5th and 8th Grade Band Concert at High School- 7pm

May 10- 4th and 5th Grade Spelling Bee

May 11- Multicultural Heritage Showcase

May 17- The last Family Friday Assembly of the year

May 20- High School Creative Writing class visit

May 24- Whippet Walk for High School Seniors- Class of 2024- Lincoln students will cheer them on!

May 27- Memorial Day- No school for staff or students

May 31- 3rd Grade Field Trip to the Zoo

June 3- 5th Grade trip to the Milwaukee Public Museum

June 3- Kindergarten trip to the Madison Zoo

June 4- 1st Grade field trip to the Zoo

June 4- 5th Grade to the Whitewater Aquatic Center

June 5- End of school year family picnic

June 6- 5th grade promotion ceremony

June 6- Last day of school- 11am dismissal

Annual update opens on May 2. Check your email and Facebook in the near future for directions on how to complete the annual update. Annual update is where families will go into their Infinite Campus portal to update any information and register for next school year.

As we continue to focus on literacy and getting each student to grow in their abilities we were able to host 20 UW Whitewater football players that went into the classrooms, read books and got to answer the student's questions about being a student athlete. We are fortunate to have great collaboration with the Warhawks! Our Lincoln students loved the opportunity to meet and learn from the players!

Last year local Girl Scouts made a "Buddy Bench" and donated it to the Lincoln playground to enhance inclusion during recess time. This spring the WWUSD maintenance team was able to place the bench next to the playground for our students.

Last month Emma Carpenter donated Girl Scout cookies to the staff at Lincoln. The staff greatly appreciated Emma's generosity.

Kindergarten students are learning about incubation and hatching of eggs. Students get to follow along the development of the embryo and see how it grows inside the egg before it hatches!

The wait is over! Season TEN of the Lincoln Growing and Learning Garden is underway. Our students had a great time helping with the first plantings, working the soil, adding compost, and planting radishes alongside three highschool volunteers who once roamed the halls as Lincoln Pandas. Get involved by meeting at the garden this summer every Monday from 4pm to 6pm and sign-up to be a garden helper for a week this summer. See you at the garden!

Fifth graders are gearing up for an exciting last month of elementary school! We have several special activities planned, field trips, concerts, spirit days, and goal setting just to name a few. Students have been working hard to meet their literacy goals and we can’t wait to share our amazing progress with families. We will be doing our final testing mid-month. We are extremely proud of our students' resilience and dedication to working through many new programs this year. Fifth-grade families, please be on the lookout for information regarding field trips and graduation.

We had some wiggly guests in our classroom last week! In our Web of Life unit, students discovered the critical role earthworms play in decomposing dead material and releasing nutrients into the soil. We spent some time learning about and observing the wiggly new classmates.

The Whitewater Rotary hosts an exchange student at Whitewater High School on an annual basis. A critical part of this program is finding willing host families from within the Whitewater School District families. Families come in all shapes and sizes; married w/students, married/no students, retired, single and everything in between. Rotary families host for a semester or a trimester, depending on the need and number of host families that apply. Your local Rotarians will meet with you to discuss the specifics.

Youth exchange helps broaden viewpoints of the events in the world and gives a student the opportunity to realize their dream of studying abroad. Rotary students are sponsored by other Rotary clubs around the world, are vetted and arrive with health insurance. They are enrolled in local schools, attend classes and are expected to attend Rotary events throughout their school year.

Contact the names listed below if you are interested in applying to become a Rotary Host family. We look forward to hearing from you!

Aurielo Callope: callopeand86@gmail.com

- or -

Mark T. Ohm: mark@olmandassociates.com