The Lions' Pride

Dear Lincoln Elementary Families,

I hope this message finds you well and enjoying a fun and restful summer! As we prepare to kick off the 2025–2026 school year, I want to extend a warm welcome to all of our returning families and a special greeting to those joining the Lincoln community for the first time. I’m thrilled to begin another exciting year as your principal, and I look forward to partnering with you to make this year one filled with growth, learning, and joyful memories.

The first day of school is quickly approaching! All students in grades 1–5 will begin on Thursday, August 14. Our Kindergarten students will follow a staggered entrance schedule. If you are unsure of your child’s assigned start date for Kindergarten, please contact our school office at 614-478-5555 and we will be happy to assist you.

We also have some exciting staffing updates to share:

• Riley Finnegan will be joining our team as a new 5th grade teacher.

• Sara Shininger is joining us as our new 2nd grade teacher.

• Sarah Pershing will be serving as an Intervention Specialist.

• MaryAnn Byrum joins us as our new Reading Specialist.

• Cortney Crenshaw, previously a 2nd grade teacher, will now be teaching 3rd grade.

• Alexis Zabor- splitting time between Lincoln and Goshen as an Art teacher

We are excited to welcome these talented educators to our Lincoln team, and I know our students will benefit greatly from their passion and expertise.

As always, we are committed to making Lincoln a safe, welcoming, and nurturing place for all learners.

Please feel free to email (giardinoc@gjps.org) or call (614-478-5555) anytime you have a question or concern—you are never a bother. We are here to support you and your child every step of the way.

With excitement for the year ahead,

Claire Giardino

Class assignments for 2025-2026:

Families of students in grades 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 will be able to see which teacher your child(ren) will have for the 2025-2026 school year by logging into the Parent Portal through Infinite Campus on August 8 after 5:00pm.

7:50 AM Breakfast offered in the cafeteria for interested students. If you are a walker or car rider, students need to arrive by 8:00am for breakfast.

7:55 AM Students enter classrooms.

8:05 AM School starts - Students are to be in classrooms and ready to learn by 8:05 AM! Students entering the building after 8:05 AM will need to be signed in to the office by a parent/guardian.

2:35 PM Dismissal begins.

Dismissal Changes: If you need to make changes to your child's dismissal on the day of, please call the office before 2:00 p.m. so we can ensure they receive the message.

We are excited to welcome all students in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade to our Open House on Tuesday, August 12th from 5:00–6:30 p.m.

This is a great opportunity to:

• Tour the school building

• Find out who your teacher is

• Visit your classroom

• Drop off school supplies

• Say hello to classmates and staff

We can’t wait to see you there!

If you have any questions, feel free to call our office at 614-478-5555.

Kindergarten Families: We invite you to join us for a Kindergarten Open House on Wednesday, August 20, from 12:00–1:00 p.m. During this time, you and your child will have the opportunity to meet their teacher and drop off any school supplies.

We want to inform you of an important update regarding the Infinite Campus Payment Portal. Beginning July 23, Infinite Campus is transitioning to “Stripe” as its new merchant service provider. This change affects how online payments are processed for food service accounts and student fees (including instructional, athletic and technology fees).

All families will need to update payment information and re-enter any recurring payments, as your previous data will not carry over to the new system.

1. Add Payment Method(s)

Payment methods are used for both food service and school fees. Your current payment information will not be transferred. For security reasons, you must manually re-enter your payment methods.

You can add:

• Credit/debit cards

• Bank accounts

  • To validate bank accounts:

    • Automatic Validation: Log into your bank to confirm.

    • Manual Validation: A 24-48 hour delay for confirmation.

Steps to Add a Payment Method:

1. Go to "Food Service" in the Infinite Campus menu.

2. Click on "My Accounts."

3. Select the "Payment Methods" box.

4. Click the blue "New" button, enter your info, and hit "Save."

2. Re-establish Recurring Food Service Payments

Recurring payments will not carry over for security reasons. You must reconfigure them using your newly established payment method.

Steps to Set Up Recurring Payments:

1. Click on "Food Service" in the Infinite Campus menu.

2. Select "My Accounts."

3. Click the "Recurring Payments" box.

4. Under "Food Service," click "View."

5. Set your frequency, amount and payment method.

6. Click "Save."

For more detailed instructions, including screenshots, please see the documents listed below. There are no other changes to the way you experience online payments.

We appreciate your attention to this important update. If you have any questions or need help, please fill out the Infinite Campus Help Form.

How to Add Fee Payments to Infinite Campus

Parent Portal Annual Update - Beginning August 1

Infinite Campus is our parent portal and student information system. This site will allow parents/guardians to access school information electronically. For example, Infinite Campus will allow you to update email addresses and other important information regarding your child as well as view your child's report card electronically.

ALL Families need to update your information in the Parent Portal of Infinite Campus. Directions for how to update Infinite Campus are linked below:

1. Log into the Parent Portal on Infinite Campus at: https://gahannajeffersonoh.infinitecampus.org/campus/portal/gahanna_jefferson.jsp

2. Click MORE from the left hand column

3. Click on ONLINE REGISTRATION from choices on the right

4. Click START next to "Existing Student Registration"

5. Go through each step to complete the registration

If you need assistance - please call the school office at 614-478-5555.

Bus Transportation

Your students' bus route for the 2025-26 school year is available on Transfinder. The web-based service provides Gahanna-Jefferson families 24/7 flexibility and access to route information based on their home address!

Be sure to enter only the street number and street name. Do not enter zip code, grades or school. (Entering more than the street number and name may cause inaccurate information to display.)

When you receive your bus information, please check over it carefully. If something does not make sense, please contact transportation at (614) 751-7581.

We are excited to offer the mobile device app Here Comes the Bus. This app allows families to view the real-time location of your child's school bus on a smartphone, tablet or computer using GPS technologies with which each school bus is equipped.

How to Get Started with Here Comes the Bus:

1. Download the Here Comes the Bus app or visit www.HereComesTheBus.com.
2. Click the “SIGN UP” button at the bottom of screen.
3. Follow directions on screen to create an account using the GJPS school district code: 29231
4. You will be sent an email to verify your email address and activate your account.
5. Return to app and add your child’s last name and STUDENT ID number.
   (STUDENT ID NUMBER IS THE SAME AS STUDENT CAFETERIA PIN NUMBER)
6. Click “ADD STUDENT” to add other children in your household.
7. You are now ready to begin following the location of your child’s bus!

A plate lunch is $2.75.

Breakfast is $1.50.

*New this year - 2 hot lunch options will be available for students to choose from for lunch each day. Please see the lunch menu for details. Students not interested in the hot lunch options will be able to select Yogurt/roll, Wowbutter sandwich, Garden Salad, Cheese Sandwich, or a Turkey Sandwich.

Families are again asked to complete and submit a 2025-2026 Free/Reduced-Priced Meal Application if they believe they may qualify. Applications are available in the Lincoln school office or online at: GahannaSchools.org. If approved, the completed application will cover the student for the entire 2025-26 school year, and no other steps will be necessary unless there is an income change during the school year.

Gahanna-Jefferson Public Schools Food Service Department is committed to assisting families and making this transition back to normal operations as easy as possible. Please feel free to contact Food Service Supervisor Stephen Ismael (Ismaels@gjps.org) if you have any questions.

Lincoln Elementary's School supply lists is here.

GJPS Elementary Student Handbook 25-26

Wit & Wisdom is our English Language Arts curriculum.

Here is a Curriculum Overview for Families.

Bridges is our Mathematics curriculum.

Check out Bridges Family Information if you would like to learn more by clicking on your child's grade level.

Ohio State Testing Dates are ready for the 2025-2026 school year. Please avoid scheduling vacations or appointments over these dates.

August 11 Convocation for Teachers

August 12 Professional Learning Day for Teachers

August 12 Open House 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade

August 13 Work Day for Teachers (building closed)

August 14 First Day of School for Students

August 14 - 20 Staggered Entrance for Kindergarten Students

August 20 Open House Kindergarten 12:00-1:00pm

August 21 Second day of school for all Kindergarten Students

September 1 Labor Day No School for Students and Staff