Lincoln Lions Family Newsletter

Dear Lincoln Families,

As we welcome this month of gratitude, I want to thank our Lincoln families for your continued support and partnership! It has been a busy and exciting start to the school year, and we are grateful for all the ways you help make our school community special.

📚 Parent-Teacher Conferences

Thank you to all the families who joined us for Parent-Teacher Conferences! We appreciate the opportunity to celebrate student growth and work together to support learning.

Our goal is to connect with 100% of Lincoln families! If you missed your conference, we will continue reaching out by phone, email, messages, or in person.

💡 The Importance of Two-Way Communication

Strong home-school partnerships require communication in both directions. When your child's teacher reaches out, please take a moment to respond—even a quick acknowledgment helps us know you've received the message! Working together helps us celebrate successes, address academic and social-emotional needs, and ensure every student has a team supporting their success.

🍽️ A Special Thank You!

A huge shout-out to our wonderful PTO parents for providing meals for our staff during conference week! Your generosity and kindness meant so much during our long days and evenings. Thank you for taking care of our Lincoln team!

LIONS ROAR! 🦁💙

Respectfully,

Mrs. Roberts 🤎

Lincoln Principal

robertsdn@kalamazoopublicschools.net

~Tuesday, November 10th is Picture Retake Day~

Family Health Center Mobile Dental and Health Clinics

We Need you to Sign-up TODAY!

In order for mobile units to visit Lincoln to accomodate our students' needs, we need you to sign-up online! https://form.jotform.com/231327122384146 We will also have paper forms for you at conferences this week. Email Mr. Joseph Burrel for assistance with registration at burrelj@kalamazoopublicschools.net

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Art Spotlight From Miss. J

A Look at Learning in the Art Room! 🎨

The art room has been especially busy this month. Each grade level explored new ideas, experimented with different materials, and brought their own unique creativity to life. Here’s a little look at what we’ve been working on!

Kindergarten – A Walrus in Our Art Room! 🦭

To end the month of October on a sweet note, our kindergarten artists began exploring their painting skills! After reading There's a Walrus in My Bed by Ciara Flood, students used lines and shapes to create their very own walrus portraits. Before picking up their paintbrushes, we talked about the proper use of color and how contrast can help colors stand out and make artwork more exciting. Our youngest artists had a wonderful time bringing their walruses to life with paint!

1st Grade – A Frightened Lion 🦁

Our first graders became shape artists this week! After listening to the story The Frightened Lion, students used a variety of shapes, scissors, and glue to create their very own lions. It was so fun to see how everyone used simple shapes to bring their lions to life!

2nd Grade – Exploring Basquiat 🎨

Second graders learned about the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat and explored his bold, expressive, and colorful art style. Using his work as inspiration, students created their own self-portraits with a Basquiat-inspired twist. Their artwork was extra special this week, as it helped decorate our auditorium for guest author Derrick Barnes's visit on November 5th. What a wonderful way to celebrate both art and literature!

3rd Grade – Reflecting on Our Cityscapes 🌆

Third graders wrapped up their cityscape artwork this week! We explored how artists can create the illusion of a reflection by using markers and a wet sponge. Students experimented with this fun technique to add reflections to their city scenes, giving their artwork an extra layer of depth and interest.

4th Grade – Building Our Own Little City 🏙️

Our fourth graders began an exciting new project! We started by discussing architecture and exploring the important role art plays in the design and creation of buildings. From there, students began designing buildings of their own. Eventually, these individual designs will come together to create a tiny Lincoln City, which will be displayed in the hallway. I can't wait to see our little community take shape!

5th Grade – Basquiat's Iconic Dinosaur

Fifth graders also explored the work of Jean-Michel Basquiat, focusing on his iconic dinosaur imagery. Instead of creating self-portraits, students put their own spin on Basquiat's recognizable dinosaur, experimenting with bold colors, expressive lines, and his unique artistic style of collage. Their finished artwork also helped transform our auditorium into a colorful gallery for Derrick Barnes's guest visit!

Congratulations, Young Artists!

Last, but not least, congratulations to Clarissa Galvan, Alina Lindsey, Shukurani, Lara Amoni, Jeremiah Adams, Da’Mirah Coleman, and Darron Grayson on having their beautiful artwork displayed in the KVCC Gallery downtown! Join us to celebrate this wonderful accomplishment November 16th, 5pm to 6pm! 💛

This year has been full of creativity, exploration, and artistic growth! I love seeing the different ways each grade level interprets what they learn and makes it their own. Keep creating, artists! 💛

A Visit From Author Derrick Barnes

The Kalamazoo Public Library arranged for award-winning author, Derrick Barnes, to visit our school last Thursday. All students were gifted a copy of one of his books to share with their families at home. Thank you, KPL and Thank you, Mr. Derrick Barnes!