August 2026 Family Newsletter

It is both an honor and a privilege to welcome you to the 2026-2027 school year! Our Lincoln team is eagerly looking forward to greeting all our returning and new Lightning students and their families as we begin another exciting season of learning and growth.

I hope your summer was filled with meaningful moments and quality time with loved ones. As I continue in my role as principal, I’m truly thrilled to deepen connections with each of you and your children. Lincoln is a special place, and I’m grateful to be part of this journey with you.

On a personal note, my husband and I have two adult children. Our son and his wife have blessed us with our first two grandchildren. Our granddaughter, Ella is 20 months old and her little sister, Hatten is five days old today. Our daughter and her husband will be moving back to Bismarck from Fargo at the end of this month. We are so excited for all the amazing goodness happening in our family.

This year, we’re proud to welcome back many familiar faces and introduce a few new staff members to our Lincoln family. Each one is deeply committed to advancing our mission and vision, while keeping the BPS values and commitments at the heart of everything we do...for our students, each other, our families, and our community.

As partners in your child’s education, we want you to know how much we value your involvement and support. We warmly invite you to participate in school activities and events throughout the year. Additionally, we encourage you to consider joining our PTO, which meets on the first Tuesday of each month from 6:30–7:30 PM at Lincoln Elementary.

We’re excited to kick off the year with our Open House on Monday, August 17th. Please see the details below. I look forward to seeing you there and here's to a fantastic year ahead!

I am excited to join the incredible Lincoln Lightning team! I have spent the last 15 years in education as both a classroom teacher and an instructional coach, and I have a passion for teaching and learning. What I am most excited about is joining your close-knit community and partnering with you to support your children. It's going to be fun getting to know each of their interests and capabilities!

Outside of school, my family is my world. My husband, Joe, serves full-time in the National Guard, and our daughter, Blake, just turned one and keeps us wonderfully busy and smiling.

I cannot wait to meet you all soon and kick off a NEW school year together!

💙⚡ Lincoln’s Fall Open House is set for Monday, August 17th from 5:00-6:30! This is a great chance for students and families to visit the school, meet the teachers, and get ready for a fantastic year ahead. To help with traffic flow, we kindly ask families to follow this suggested schedule by last name:

• 🕔 A–L: 5:00–5:45 PM
• 🕕 M–Z: 5:45–6:30 PM
• If those times don’t work for your family, no worries — come when it works best for you!

💙⚡ The first day of school is Thursday, August 20th.

💙⚡See the attached 26-27 school calendar to begin planning for the upcoming school year.

Our school doors open at 7:15 a.m. Please do not drop students off before this time, as there is no supervision available. All students must enter through the front door (Door 1) unless they are bus riders. Breakfast is served daily from 7:20–7:50 a.m.

School dismisses at 2:30 p.m., and all students should leave promptly at that time, as there is no supervision after school. To ensure the safety of all students, please make arrangements for your child to be picked up on time or enrolled in an afterschool program. We appreciate your cooperation!

Our office hours are 7:00 a.m.– 3:30 p.m. each day.

Thank you in advance to all families for following the drop-off protocol and who will ensure that student drop-off in the morning provides the opportunity for students getting to school in a safe manner. This process provides a quick experience for families needing to get to work. Here are a few things that we learned two years ago when implementing this protocol for morning drop-off.

1. When the process is followed, it is smooth and efficient.
2. If your child needs a little more assistance, please pull into the parking lot, park in a parking space, and then assist your child out of the vehicle and to the crosswalk.
3. DO NOT go around vehicles in the drive-through (drop-off) lane to get a spot in front of vehicles currently dropping.
4. This protocol is intended to be utilized during our high traffic drop-off time of 7:15 - 8:00 am.

Drop Off Protocol

Please see the following guidelines for clarification of dropping students off at Lincoln Elementary.

• This is a DRIVE-THROUGH zone ONLY.

• Drop-off should occur only in the drive-through lane (Green - the right lane nearest the curb. See map)

• Exit lane (BLUE - left lane nearest the parking lot. See map) is strictly for exiting this zone after students have exited the vehicle.

• Students should NOT be dropped off from anywhere in the exit lane.

• Dropping off from within the parking lot is strictly prohibited as it is a major safety concern and often blocks our handicapped parking spaces.

• Students should be COMPLETELY ready to exit the car before entering the drive-through zone.

• While in the drive-through lane, please pull all the way to the sidewalk leading to door 2 or until traffic is stopped.

• Park next to the curb and come to a complete stop. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR VEHICLE

• Students should exit vehicles IMMEDIATELY on the passenger side, once vehicles come to a complete stop in the drive-through lane.

• When a student has exited the vehicle and is making their way to the door, the driver should signal and turn into the exit lane.

If you are sending medication for your child to take at school, you must complete a Medication Administration Authorization form. This form is found on the Bismarck Public Schools website under Departments, Health Services, and then Medication on the left. We will also have these forms available in the office. All prescription and non-prescription medicine must arrive in its original container. We will not accept any medication arriving in baggies, envelopes or other types of packaging.

We send out our Lightning Lowdown (previously Lincoln Family Newsletter) straight to your email, along with a text alert to let you know when it's available. Be sure to follow our Facebook page for updates, reminders, and photos throughout the year: Lincoln Elementary Bismarck Public Schools Facebook Page. You can also check out our marquee sign in front of the school, where we regularly post upcoming events, news, and important information.

BPS will continue to utilize Stopfinder, an easy-to-use app that gives you instant access to your student’s bus schedule and updates!

✅ View schedules

✅ Receive push notifications for changes to bus times and routes

✅ Create GeoAlerts that notify you when buses arrive or depart from key locations

✅ Invite caregivers or family members

✅ Message the transportation office

✅Supports multiple languages

Download the app now from the App Store or Google Play. If you have not already used Stopfinder, watch for your invitation email on August 7th. It will go to the primary email on file in PowerSchool. This invitation is required to use the app.

Learn more 👉 stopfinder.com/parents

Throughout the school year, our Lost and Found tends to grow quickly with forgotten jackets, water bottles, lunchboxes, and more! This year, we will be donating any unclaimed items five times: November 13, December 18, February 19, May 28, and June 30. To better understand why those five dates. Three of them are the end of each trimester, one at Christmas break and the final at the end of Camp Edventure. Prior to each donation date, families will have an opportunity to come in and look through the remaining items. We’ll also post photos on our school Facebook page and send out reminders via text and email to give everyone plenty of time to check. Thank you for helping us keep our Lost and Found under control!

Elementary:

Breakfast - $1.95

Lunch - $2.85

Adult:

Breakfast - $3.10

Lunch - $4.60

Families are welcome to join their student(s) for lunch on an occasional basis. The cost of an adult meal is noted above. If you plan to visit, please contact the office (not your child’s classroom teacher) by 8:30 a.m. on the day of your visit so we can make proper arrangements. Payment for your meal must be made in cash (exact amount is appreciated) or by check.

The BPS meal payment platform is called LINQ Connect. This system provides parents with more control over school lunch accounts while offering many convenient features. Activity and library fees will continue to be processed with My Payments Plus. All families with students who eat school lunches must create an account for LINQ Connect. Balances from the old system will automatically be transferred over.

Registering is simple, just follow these steps:

1. REGISTER at linqconnect.com by clicking on the register button near the upper right-hand corner. Next, input your name, email address, and password. Choose your language and timezone and check the I agree to the Terms of Use box. Finally, click submit.
2. VERIFY YOUR ACCOUNT by opening your email and clicking on the verification link sent to you from LINQ Connect. After doing so, please click the Back to LINQ Connect button in the email. BPS staff will need to use their personal email, you cannot use your BPS email address.
3. SIGN IN. You should be automatically signed in, but if not please click the login button in the upper right-hand corner.

To add students:

1. After logging into LINQ Connect, click the plus sign in the upper right-hand corner.
2. An “Add” menu will appear. Here, you will choose type, which will be student for student accounts. Next, type in “Bismarck Public Schools” for the district area.
3. Now you will be able to input your child’s first name, last name, and birthdate in order to add a student. Please note that the name must match what is in PowerSchool.

Adding Auto Pay

1. On your account homepage, click the Add Money to Account button.
2. You now have options to transfer balances or add auto pay.
3. Click Add Auto Pay and fill out your payment account information. The frequency option allows you to choose when payments will occur.

Download the new LINQ Connect app in the Google Play Store available now, or visit LINQConnect.com to manage all your payments in one convenient location. An Apple Store version will be available soon. Within the LINQ Connect portal, you can set up one-time or recurring payments for your students’ meals, view previous transactions, set spending limits, transfer funds between students, set low-balance notifications, and more. It’s an easy way to manage meal payments without the hassle of sending cash.

For more information and helpful resources about LINQ Connect, please visit www.bismarckschools.org/linq or see the LINQ Connect FAQ.

Applications are accepted anytime during the school year for free or reduced meals. If your household income changes at anytime during the school year and you think you may qualify for Free or Reduced Meal benefits, you can apply Online through your LINQ Connect account or submit a Free/Reduced application at Lincoln Elementary.

When students are approved for Free or Reduced meals, it covers reimbursable meals and does not include any Ala-Carte items. Ala-carte is an additional food item that can be purchased at full price if a student has funds in their lunch account or cash to cover the cost. There is no charging allowed for Ala-carte items.

Free or Reduced meal benefits DO NOT rollover from year to year, you must reapply every year. If you qualified for Free or Reduced Meal benefits during the previous school year, you will receive a 30 school day grace period. Your benefits will expire after the first 30 school days of new year, if a new application has not been received. Students will be charged full price for lunches if no application is received by the 30 day cut off. Charges will continue until the application is received, entered, and approved for benefits. These meal charges will not be reversed, and will become the parents' obligation to pay.

You may find the online application at our BPS Website.

Missing just 1 or 2 days a month makes it hard for students to:

• Gain and retain reading and math skills

• Build meaningful relationships

• Develop life and work habits

• Feel positively about school and themselves

What you can do...

• Set a regular bedtime and morning routine
• Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before
• Use the school calendar in your family planning
• Talk about and celebrate school everyday
• Keep up to date with school communication
• Create a routine for practice and learning at home

Start the school year off right!

• Generate excitement by doing a countdown until the 1st day of school.

• Attend open house with your child to meet teachers and classmates.

• Read the school handbook for health and safety procedures.

• Ask for resources to continue learning at home when needed.

• Have a backup plan for getting to school such as family members, neighbors or another parent.

• If your child seems anxious about school talk to your teacher, doctor or other parents for advice.

Bismarck Public Schools has transitioned from PowerSchool to Infinite Campus as part of a statewide change initiated by the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction.

Families may now access the Infinite Campus Parent and Student Portals. The portal will eventually provide access to student information such as attendance, grades, schedules, classroom assignments, and more.

Please note that the transition is still underway, and not all information will be available immediately.

Elementary classroom assignments will be available for all families in the portal by August 7.

Accessing the Parent Portal

Visit the Infinite Campus Parent Portal:

https://bismarcknd.infinitecampus.org/campus/portal/parents/bismarck.jsp

You may also download the Campus Parent app from the Apple App Store or Google Play. When prompted, select:

• State: North Dakota
• District: Bismarck 1

Returning BPS PowerSchool Users

If you previously had a BPS PowerSchool parent account:

1. Enter the personal email address associated with your PowerSchool account.
2. Click forgot password to generate a password reset email
3. If you do not receive a password reset email, then proceed to the steps below for new users.

Parent Account Settings

We encourage you to update your contact preferences.

• Click on the user icon in the top right > Settings > Contact Preferences or update household information at top left > More > Address Information
• Contact information is at the top, messaging preferences are at the bottom.

Need Assistance?

If you have difficulty accessing or creating your Infinite Campus account, please call the school 701-323-4310 for assistance.

We appreciate your patience as we continue the transition to Infinite Campus.

Employing high quality teachers is a priority in our school district. Through federal law, you have the right to information about the professional qualifications of teachers and paraprofessionals at our school. If you are interested in learning this information, please contact the school office at (701) 323-4310 to receive a list of the teaching staff at Lincoln along with their licensing, education, and experience. You will also receive information regarding the names and qualifications of the paraprofessionals at our school.

Our Student-Parent Handbook is now available. A PDF version is linked below also. If your family would prefer a printed copy, please contact the school office, and we will be happy to provide one.

As a reminder, Bismarck Public Schools’ cell phone policy is in place to support a focused and distraction-free learning environment. All student cell phones, smartwatches, and similar devices must be turned off or silenced and kept in backpacks or lockers throughout the entire school day—from arrival until dismissal, including lunch and recess. If students need to contact home during the day, they may use a school phone with staff assistance.

Thank you for your continued support in helping us maintain an environment where students can stay engaged and ready to learn!

We’re excited to remind our Lincoln families that our expanded apparel selection is available again this school year. The online store features more styles, more choices, and plenty of Lightning pride!

You can order Lincoln gear anytime throughout the year by visiting our online store. Items can be shipped directly to your home or picked up at The Locker Room, whichever is most convenient for you.

Show your school spirit and gear up in style! 💙⚡

👉 Visit our apparel site HERE

Stay tuned for more information about Art From The Heart as the year kicks off!

We warmly invite all Lincoln families to get involved in our Parent Teacher Organization (PTO)! Your participation makes a meaningful difference in supporting our students, staff, and school community.

Our first PTO meeting of the school year will be held on September 1st, and all meetings will take place on the first Tuesday of each month from 6:30–7:30 PM (one hour or less). Meetings are held in our school collaboration room, conveniently located across from both the office and the library.

Monthly agendas will be shared in the Lincoln Lowdown (our family newsletter) so you can stay informed and plan to attend when topics are of interest to you.

We would truly love to see more families join us—whether you can attend regularly or occasionally. Your voice, ideas, and involvement help make Lincoln a great place for kids to learn and grow!

Mark your calendars for the meetings for the entire school year:

October 6, 2026

November 3, 2026

December 1, 2026

January 5, 2027

February 2, 2027

March 2, 2027

April 6, 2027

May 4, 2027

AUGUST

7 - Classroom Placement Emails Sent to Families

17 - Open House (5:00 - 6:30)

20 - First Day of School

27 - PTO Back to School Bash (5:00 - 7:00)

SEPTEMBER

1 - PTO Meeting (6:30 - 7:30)

7 - NO SCHOOL - Labor Day

9 - School Picture Day

21 - NO SCHOOL - Staff Development Day

OCTOBER

6 - PTO Meeting (6:30 - 7:30)

10 - PTO Trunk or Treat (4:00 - 6:00)

19 - Parent Teacher Conferences (2:45 - 6:45)

20 - Parent Teacher Conferences (2:45 - 6:45)

20 - School Picture Retake Day

22 - NO SCHOOL - Administrators Convention Day

23 - NO SCHOOL - Administrators Convention Day

To help with family planning and possible getaways, we wanted to share several upcoming long weekends during the 2026–2027 school year:

• September 5–7 (Labor Day Weekend)

• September 19–21 (Staff Development Day on Monday)

• October 22–25 (No School Thursday–Friday, Admin Convention)

• November 26–29 (Thanksgiving Break)

• December 19–January 3 (Winter Break)

• January 16–18 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day)

• February 13–16 (Presidents’ Day + Staff Development)

• March 4–7 (Storm Make-Up Day + Conferences)

• March 26–29 (Spring/Easter Break)

• April 23–25 (Storm Make-Up Day)

Email: melissa_hurt@bismarckschools.org
Website: www.bismarckschools.org/lincoln
Location: 3320 McCurry Way, Lincoln, ND, USA
Phone: 701-323-4310
Facebook: facebook.com/LincolnElementaryBismarckPublicSchools