August 2026 Family Newsletter
August 2026
Mission, Vision and Values
Our BPS Mission: "Empower every learner to thrive."
Our BPS Vision: "Together, our strong relationships build inclusive, collaborative, and innovative environments that create agency and inspire a passion for learning, excellence, and discovery."
Our BPS Values: Inclusion, Excellence, Innovation and Leadership
We are now in full swing with learning at Lincoln Elementary, and I continue to be incredibly impressed by our Lightning students and the effort they are putting forth each day. Classrooms are filled with engaged learners who are working hard, showing perseverance, and demonstrating what it means to be a Lincoln Lightning!
By now, many of our families have likely had an opportunity to interact with Infinite Campus, our new student information system. We are excited about the enhanced communication opportunities this platform provides between home and school, especially when it comes to student learning, progress, and grades.
Infinite Campus allows families to stay connected to their child's academic journey through access to grades, attendance, assignments, and other important information. We believe this increased transparency and communication will strengthen our partnership with families and help us work together to support student success.
To help you learn more about Infinite Campus and its features, we have included a video and an article below. We encourage you to take a few minutes to review these resources and become familiar with the platform.
Thank you for your continued partnership and support. Together, we can help every Lincoln Lightning student learn, grow, and shine!
October Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Themes
In October, our school-wide SEL theme is Kindness 💙. Each week, we’ll focus on a different way to practice kindness: caring, friendship, empathy, confidence, and courage. Families play an important role in helping children carry these lessons from school into everyday life. Here are some simple ways you can support each focus at home:
- Caring – Caring means showing others that they matter to us. At home, you might encourage your child to help with a chore without being asked, make a card for a grandparent, or check in on a friend who might be having a tough day. Small acts of care add up and make a big difference!
- Friendship – Being a good friend means including others, listening, and showing respect. Families can practice this by role-playing what to say when someone is left out, or encouraging kids to invite a new classmate to play. Sharing stories about your own friendships helps kids see what healthy, lasting relationships look like.
- Empathy – Empathy is recognizing and understanding how others are feeling. At home, pause during a movie or story to ask, “How do you think that character feels?” You can also model empathy by talking about your own emotions and showing how you consider the feelings of others in your choices.
- Confidence – Confidence means believing in yourself and trying, even when something feels hard. Families can support this by praising effort instead of just results by saying, “I’m proud of how you kept practicing ,” rather than only celebrating perfection. Encourage your child to try new activities and remind them that mistakes are part of learning.
- Courage – Courage is doing the right thing, even when it’s not easy. At home, you can talk about times when standing up for yourself or others was important 💬. Practice simple scenarios, like what to do if someone is being unkind, or how to share an honest opinion respectfully. Highlight examples of courage in books, movies, or family stories.
By focusing on these five areas, we’re helping students see that kindness shows up in many ways; through caring for others, being a good friend, showing empathy, believing in themselves, and having the courage to do what’s right. When families and schools reinforce these values together, students gain the tools to build stronger relationships and make positive choices every day.
Hello Lincoln families!
I’m so excited to be joining our monthly family newsletter and to share a little bit about the work I get to do at Lincoln each day. I am honored to support our staff, students, and families as our instructional coach!
My job at Lincoln is to collaborate with teachers to promote student achievement. One of the ways we do this is through weekly PLCs, or Professional Learning Communities. Our PLC process always has students at the heart of the work. During PLCs, teachers come together to discuss what students are learning, how we communicate those learning targets, and how we can best support students in taking ownership of their learning. We review proficiency scales, which not only help us identify what we need to teach based on our standards, but also help us create clear, student-friendly learning targets so students understand what they are learning and what success looks like. We also look at assessment opportunities and student data. This information helps teachers understand where students are in their learning, celebrate progress, identify areas where students may need additional support, and plan opportunities for reteaching or extending learning. By working together, teachers are able to use what they know about their students to make thoughtful instructional decisions and help every student continue to grow.
At Lincoln, we truly believe that we are Better Together, and I’m grateful to be part of a team that is committed to helping every student grow and learn!
Try this at home:
Ask your child: “What are you learning at school right now?”
Then ask: “How do you know you’re getting better at it?”
As the fall/holiday season approaches, it brings a mix of excitement and, for many families, added emotional and financial stress. To help ease this burden, several community programs are now accepting applications for assistance with holiday meals and gifts, but deadlines are fast approaching.
If you need help obtaining winter gear, we encourage you to reach out proactively before the colder weather arrives.
For more details or to apply for any of these programs, please contact our School Social Worker, Mrs. Katie Richter, at 701-323-4310 ext. 2755 or via email at katie_richter@bismarckschools.org. Keep in mind that these programs typically operate on a first-come, first-served basis, so early application is essential.
Please attend this month's PTO meeting on Tuesday, October 6th at 6:30 p.m. The meeting will last one hour (or less) and will take place in the Lincoln Elementary Collaboration Room. Come in door 1 and take a right. The door to the collaboration room is immediately around the corner! See you there!
About Us
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