Hello Lincoln Community,
This week was a little quieter. No Big BMX Biking Assembly, no emergency drills, and nothing out of the ordinary. This actually made for yet another amazing week because our focus was fully on quality instruction, student learning, assessment, and promoting our positive culture. Our teachers are also doing their final steps to get ready for next week's conferences.
Fall Conferences: Next week our teachers will be meeting with each family to give an update on how the year is going, provide specific student data, set goals, and have a look ahead at learning throughout the year. Your conference date will either be on Wednesday, October 9, at a specific time between 4:00 and 8:00 PM, or on Thursday, October 10, at a time between 12:00 and 8:00 PM. We look forward to spending time with each of you.
Community Meetings: On Thursday and Friday this week we had community meetings in the gym. Almost every week on Thursday our 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders have Community Meeting, and then Fridays is for our Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd graders. This week and this month we are focused on Anti-Bullying and thinking about how we treat each other with respect. Also at Community Meetings we celebrate birthdays and students with solid character, we dance to good music, and we learn about culture such as Hispanic Heritage (this month).
PBIS: In this Newsletter edition we've included a description of our school-wide behavior system. We hope you'll take the time to read it and also get a feel for how we make it specific to Lincoln.
The Roofing Project Update: Progress continues and we're still on target for a later October completion date. Soon the evening tarring will be done and it'll be quiet again. Thank goodness, too, because the rain is coming soon!
Questions: Please feel free to send your questions or feedback to us at teresa.alfaro@woodburnsd.org or pmcdougal@woodburnsd.org. Go Dolphins!
Sincerely,
Teresa Alfaro - Principal
Peter McDougal - Assistant Principal
Why unity? For years, bullying was justified with expressions such as, “Bullying is a natural part of childhood,” “Bullying makes kids tougher,” or “Bullying is a rite of passage.” The goal of Unity Day is to bring together youth, parents, educators, businesses, and community members across the nation to emphasize the message that bullying is not acceptable, and that all students deserve to be safe in school, online, and in the community.
On the third Wednesday of October (10/16), plan to support the event by participating in the simple call to action—wear and share the color orange.
October 2-10 - Book Fair in Lincoln's Library
10/7 - 3rd-5th Grade Community Meeting (usually every Thursday)
10/8 - K-2nd Community Meeting (usually every Friday)
10/9 - Fall Conferences from 4:00 to 8:00 PM
10/10 - Fall Conferences from 12:00 to 8:00 PM
10/11 - No School due to Fall Conferences
10/14 - Monday Professional Development Day - No School
10/16 - Unity Day. Wear orange colors
10/17 - Great Shakeout - Earthquake Drill
10/21 - Site Council Meeting at 6:00 PM
10/23 - Family Math Night to Start Learning About the New Curriculum Materials
10/25 - Spirit Day - Sports Day and PBIS Assembly
10/31 - End of Quarter 1
Some of you may be wondering what our primary focus is for creating a safe, positive, and respectful school culture here at Lincoln. The following is an overview of what we prioritize and how we strive to actualize the kind of culture where everyone can feel safe a enjoy strong sense of belonging.
PBIS: Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a system designed to provide a safe environment here at Lincoln Elementary, where each student can thrive, grow, and belong. It consists of a system of strategies and supports that positively impact school-wide behavior for all of our students.
PBIS helps us to create a customized school system that support student outcomes and academic success. It is beneficial for our whole school. Approaches include instruction on what to do, as well as preventive measures we can use to ensure that our focus is on positive expectations and interactions, rather than negative behaviors. It helps each person to know what to do, to gain strategies and tools and it provides them with a sense of belonging.
Why Do We Have This Program? When we asked our staff this question, here's what they collectively came up with:
- "PBIS plays a vital role in education by teaching students responsibility and good citizenship in both the school and broader community. It fosters safe, positive, and accountable learning environments, emphasizing self-regulation and positive relationships. With a focus on equity, PBIS promotes safety, respect, and responsibility, striving for long-term behavior improvement within a shame-free and predictable setting. Its overarching goal is to establish a consistent, inclusive, and welcoming community, encouraging positive behavior, academic growth, and student well-being. In essence, PBIS aims to create a positive and equitable learning environment that prioritizes the development and success of all students."
How We've Designed PBIS Specifically for Lincoln: Here at Lincoln we're The Dolphins. And what do dolphins do? They SWIM. So our PBIS system promotes SWIM expectations for our students and staff. Here's what SWIM stands for here at Lincoln:
- S Safety First
- W We are Respectful
- I Inspire
- M Make Responsible Choices
In each classroom our students have helped to create SWIM expectations for their learning community. They know how others should treat them, as well as how they should treat others. They think about how to be safe, how to be respectful and responsible, and also how to inspire others to do the same.
SMART (Start Making A Reader Today) is starting another year at Lincoln Elementary in mid October on Tuesdays and/or Thursdays from 8:00am - 9:15am. We are looking for volunteers to read with students one-on-one for this program. It is a great way to make a difference in some of our students' lives. You can apply by going to the website and fill out the application. https://www.smartreading.org/volunteer
Each year throughout the Woodburn School District we distribute the Student-Parent Handbook. This is an important resource that provides information about rights and responsibilities, expectations and accountability, and systems and procedures. It's linked here in English, Spanish, and Russian.
- English: Student-Parent Handbook
- Español: Manual Para Estudiantes y Padres
- Russian: Руководство для учеников и родителей
This year we are continuing to pay close attention to ensuring that children are present at school regularly, because Every Day Matters.
Setting High Goals: We're focusing on attendance because last year 58% of our students were regular attenders (attended more than 90% of the days) and 42% were chronically absent (attended less than 90% of the days). The 58% was an improvement from the previous year when we had 51% of our students who were regular attenders. For the current school year our school leadership has set the goal to improve from 58% up to 70%. WE CAN DO IT!
So Important: There's a very strong correlation between good attendance and student success in school. Please see the visual below for more information.
Safe Oregon. Feel Safe. Be Safe.
Remember, if you see something, say something. If you become aware of a safety concern please report it to our school office at 503-981-2925 or anytime of the day.
You can also report it to SafeOregon.com or call or text 1-844-472-3367 to report it. SafeOregon gives students, parents, schools, and their communities a way to report safety issues or threats confidentially or anonymously with a simple phone call, text, email or by using the web form or mobile app.
