Lincoln Central Elementary School

CLASS AND TEACHER ASSIGNMENTS FOR 2010 – 2011: Teacher assignments in the Lincoln Schools for the upcoming year will not be determined until the summer when the Teacher Job Fair will be held. With the closing of Fairlawn and Northern Early Learning Centers a number of teachers will be relocated to other schools and grade levels within the district. Once teachers are reassigned, parents will be notified by mail of their child’s classroom assignment.

STUDENT ORIENTATION PROGRAMS: Plans call for new kindergarten, first and second grade students to have an orientation program prior to the start of school. At this time, the date for all Lincoln elementary schools to have their orientation is tentatively scheduled for August 25^th. Further details regarding time and other specifics will be mailed to parents in the summer.

TRANSPORTATION ADDRESS: We have a number of students attending our school who are transported to and from a different location in the Central district. It is very important that we be informed as soon as possible if your child will be picked up or dropped off at a different location than their home address, so that we can arrange bus routes, insure adequate seating on buses and be sure that we get your child on the right bus when they leave school on the first day.

PACT BACK to SCHOOL BASH: The PACT will again be holding its annual “Back to School Bash” for all students and their families on August 30^thfrom 5-7 pm.

BACK TO SCHOOL INFORMATION: Information regarding the opening of school, bus routes and other pertinent data will be posted on the School Department and Central Elementary websites. Parents are also encouraged to refer to the Central Elementary listserv at: CENTELE-L@LISTSERV.RI.NET for school information throughout the year

SCHOOL CLOSES: The last day of school for Central students is June 16^th. Students currently attending Northern will have school on the 17^th to make up for the recent postponement of classes at that building.

SCHOOL OPENS: The first day of classes for the 2010-2011 academic year, will be September 1^st.

LOST AND FOUND: During the past year we have accumulated a large number of coats, sweatshirts, hats and other clothing items. Articles not claimed by June 25^th will be donated to charity.

MOVING OR LEAVING CENTRAL: If you are moving or if your child will be attending a school other than Central we would appreciate this information as soon as possible so that we can transfer records, adjust bus routes and update class assignments.

CONGRATULATIONS: We congratulate Miss Amy Devault, our Art Teacher for attaining National Board Certification. She will be recognized along with other Rhode Island teachers at a reception by Governor Carcieri at the State House on Thursday, June 10^th.

Miss Devault’s second grade students were also honored with the publication of their work in the “Create Your State” book, a nationwide collaborative student art project featuring state shaped art work created by schools across the country.

THANK YOU: In closing, I would like to thank our Central parents and the school staff for their strong support of our school activities throughout the past year. I would especially like to thank the PACT Board, as well as the many committee members and classroom volunteers for all the time and work they devoted to the numerous enrichment opportunities that enhanced the educational opportunities afforded our students.

I also extend my personal best wishes to all of our Central families and staff for a very enjoyable summer.

WELCOME BACK: We welcome back our School Secretary, Mrs. Susan Rogers who has recuperated from recent surgery. We also thank Mrs. Rachel Uttley for so competently filling in for her during her absence.

SCHOOL CLOSES – OPENS: The last day of school is scheduled to be June 16^th. Classes will resume for the 2010 -2011 year on September 1^st.

FIFTH GRADE CELEBRATION: The fifth grade end-of-year celebration will take place on June 14^th at the Middle School. The program will begin at 5:45 pm.

SCHOOL ORGANIZATION FOR NEXT YEAR: As I’m sure you are aware, Central Elementary will house grades kindergarten to grade five next year. Plans are underway for student and parent orientation programs for those students who will be new to the school next year. With the additional classes, many classrooms will be relocated and the teaching staff reconfigured. Further information regarding these programs and changes will be forthcoming.

TRANSPORTATION ADDRESS: Parents are reminded to inform the school if they plan to have their child go to or from school to an address other than their home address next year. This information is important in planning bus routes and enabling us to get the child on the correct bus on the first day of school.

GENTLEMENS’ CHOICE: The boys had a great time at the Gentlemen’s Choice event held at the Wide World of Indoor Sports complex on April 10^th. We truly appreciate the efforts of the committee who organized this memorable event.

NECAP SCIENCE: Fourth grade students will take the NECAP Science Assessment on May 18, 19, and 20. Testing sessions will begin promptly at 9:30 each day.

PARENT INFORMATION MEETINGS: There will be a School Report Information Night on Thursday, May 13th. The results of the school’s performance during last fall’s administration of the NECAP testing in Math and Language Arts will be reviewed. The program will begin at 7:00 pm.

On Tuesday, May 4^th, Mrs. Elizabeth Forde-Proffitt and Ms. Lauren Renzi will present a program regarding Auditory Processing beginning at 6:30 pm in the Central Library. This program promises to be very informative and will address an area in child development that affects the academic progress of many students.

FINANCIAL TOWN MEETING: The Financial Town Meeting will be held on Monday, May 10^th at the High School. All parents are encouraged to attend.

JUMP ROPE FOR HEART: Congratulations go out to our students and to Mrs. Howard for raising $1,345 for the Heart Fund, through the Jump Rope for Heart fundraiser. This event has been held annually at Central Elementary for many years with great success.

CENTRAL STUDENTS PUBLISHED: Last spring, Central students submitted poems that they had written for possible publication in the Pine Tree Poetry Collection. Congratulations go out to the following children whose poems were selected: Aaron Hertzer, Allie Fish, Alexis Nikitas, Elise Papazian, Elizabeth Mello, Eric Stromberg, Evan Grivers, Evan Voyer, Gabrielle Smith, Jack Hoyle, Jacklyn Meo, Jessica Iasimone, Jordan Leahy, Kyleigh Salo, Lauren Christo, Macey Cabana, Marissa Isabella, Matt Fraser, Megan Botelho, Michael Nelson, Molly Boyle, Nathan Katzman, Nicola Crocenzi, Owen Azevedo and Pratul Maddipudi.

CASEY PROGRAM: As I write this article, our CASEY Program is well underway. It is certainly rewarding to see how enthusiastic and engaged our students are as they participate in the many courses being offered.

We certainly appreciate the many volunteers who are donating their time to provide the children with these quality experiences, which I’m sure will be one of the highlights of their school year.

LI’L BIT COUNTRY: Our musical program is scheduled for Wednesday, April 7^th. To comply with fire codes and alleviate parking problems, we ask that second and third grade parents attend in the morning and fourth and fifth grade parents in the afternoon. Your compliance with this request would be deeply appreciated.

LOST AND FOUND: A reminder that we keep a Lost and Found bin at the entrance to our cafeteria. If your child has lost an item, please encourage them to look for it there. Items not claimed by June 23^rd will be donated to a local charity.

MOVING: If you are moving, please notify our school as soon as possible. Your cooperation will enable us to plan for the upcoming year and to prepare for the transfer of your child’s records to their new school.

STUDENT TEACHER: We welcome Ashley Erickson from Providence College who is interning with Mrs. Goyette in the fourth grade.

LOCKDOWN, EVACUATION AND FIRE DRILLS: In compliance with state regulations we conducted a lockdown on Thursday, March 18^th. Rhode Island requires fifteen drills per year, which must include two lockdowns, two evacuation drills, and fire drills (both obstructed and unobstructed.)

LADIES’ CHOICE: We certainly appreciate the efforts of Mrs. Bridget Crocenzi and the many volunteers who made our recent Ladies’ Choice event such a success.

MICROWAVE OVEN: If you have an operating countertop microwave oven that you no longer have use for, please consider donating it for our staff dining room. We have many people trying to use the one microwave that we now have and with a short lunch time due to assigned duties, heating lunches during the limited time is difficult.

LAST DAY OF SCHOOL: Unless there is another cancellation of school, the last day of classes will June 16^th.

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL: The first day of school for the 2010 – 2011 academic year will be September 1^st.

CASEY PROGRAM: As I write this newsletter, plans are well underway for our annual CASEY enrichment program. The wide variety of mini-courses offered should promise to provide some great learning experiences for our students.

I certainly appreciate the work devoted to organizing the program and the willingness of so many volunteers to teach the classes.

KINDERGARTEN – FIRST GRADE REGISTRATION: Registration for new students who will be entering kindergarten or first grade was held on February 6^th and 27^th. If you or someone you know missed the registration, please contact our school office so that we can inform you/them of the proper registration procedures.

Timely registration is very important as it may determine the number of kindergarten sessions needed, the amount of materials to purchase, the routing of buses and help us and your child have a successful opening of school.

LUNCH MONEY: The cafeteria staff requests that all cash sent in with students be placed in an envelope with the student’s name on the envelope. Your help with this request will enable them to keep track of student deposits.

LOST AND FOUND: We continue to accumulate a large inventory of jackets, sweatshirts, hats, mittens, gloves and other items, which are place in our Lost and Found area at the entrance to the cafeteria. If you are missing an item of this type please encourage your child to search the bin located there. It is also very helpful to us if items are labeled so that we can return them to the owner.

LADIES CHOICE: Plans are well underway for the Ladies Choice event to be held at the Kirkbrae Country Club on March 13^th. Parents are reminded that this is a non-alcohol event and that compliance with this request is important. Non-compliance could affect the scheduling of future events.

MUSIC PROGRAMS: Third grade students will present a program for parents on March 2^nd at 2:00. The program, entitled “Sounds” will demonstrate how our integrated arts staff supports academic objectives.

The school wide musical originally scheduled for March 31^st has been changed to April 7^th. This year’s program will feature a country music theme. Performances will be shown at 10:30 and 1:30.

FLU CLINICS: I’d like to express my deep appreciation to all the staff members who helped make our H1-N1 Flu Clinics such a success. Special accolades go to the school nurses who helped at all ten clinics held at the five elementary schools.

INTERNET SAFETY PROGRAM: The Internet Safety Program presented by School Resource Officers Mike Cavanaugh and Dave Waycott was well received by the parents attending. I have had inquiries from some parents who were unable to attend wondering whether or not the program would be presented again. If another program is scheduled, we will be sending out a notice with information regarding the location, time etc.

Thanks go to the Officers for their informative presentation which was very enlightening to those in attendance.

FLU CLINIC: Parents are reminded that we will be holding our second H1-N1 Swine Flu clinic on Friday, February 5^th, beginning at 4:00. The Clinic is for Central students only and is for students who were younger than ten when we conducted the first flu clinic. Students must be accompanied by an adult to the clinic. If your child has not had their first shot, they may receive their initial shot at this time.

WELCOME STUDENT TEACHERS: We welcome the following student teachers from Providence College who are interning with us: Lisa McAdam with Mrs. Peterson and Mrs. Logan; Sara Paciorkowski with Mrs. Metivier and Kathryn DeBettencourt with Mrs. Costa and Mrs. Coelho.

KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION: Parents of students entering kindergarten are reminded of the upcoming kindergarten registration dates which will be held at Lincoln High School on Saturday, February 6^th for children whose last name begins with A – K and on February 27^th for children whose last name begins with L through Z.

Prior to the registration sessions, please call the Fairlawn or Northern Early Learning Centers to obtain a registration packet which should be completed prior to arriving at the High School. Parents will also have to bring the child’s birth certificate, documents proving residency in Lincoln and the child’s immunization record.

Please inform any friends or neighbors who might not be aware of the registration dates. We need that information to plan bus routes, determine am or pm sessions, determine staffing and purchase the necessary supplies essential for a successful start to the school year.

SPELLING BEE WINNERS: We congratulate the following winners of the Central Elementary Spelling Bee who will represent our school at the townwide bee to be held at Lincoln Middle School: Grade 4 winner; Domenic Cunha, and runnerup; A.J. Marchetti. The fifth grade winner was Ava Jiang and the runnerup was Brandon Bisbano.

HEARING SCREENING: Second and third grade students will have a hearing screening on March 3^rd. Only those students who return a signed permission slip will be screened.

NECAP RESULTS: The overall results of the New England Common Assessment Program tests administered to our third, fourth and fifth grade students will be released on, or about February 3^rd. Parents will receive a report detailing their child’s performance shortly after the February vacation.

HAPPY NEW YEAR: On behalf of the school staff I’d like to wish all of our Central Elementary families a very happy, prosperous and healthy new year.

TEMPORARY OFFICE CHANGE: Mrs. Rachel Uttley will be serving as our school secretary for the next few weeks while Mrs. Rogers recovers from surgery. We wish Mrs. Rogers a quick and complete recovery.

FLU: As I write this article, I am happy to report that the incidence of flu related student illnesses has diminished to a point that on most recent days we have had no students absent due to the flu. We continue to request that parents report the reason for an absence to us as soon as possible, as we are mandated to report illness data to the state health authorities.

We also anticipate additional H1-N1 immunization clinics will be scheduled for students under the age of ten sometime in the next few weeks.

COMMUNITY FORUM CANCELLED: The Community Forum regarding the partial redistricting of elementary schools that was scheduled for the evening of January 5^th has been cancelled.

SCHOOL REORGANIZATION: The Superintendent has recommended to the School Committee that the elementary schools be reconfigured, eliminating the Early Childhood Centers at Northern and Fairlawn. Under the proposed plan the present elementary school district boundaries would not change. Central would house kindergarten through grade five beginning in September 2010. Further communication will be forthcoming after the School Committee deliberates this recommendation.

NECAP RESULTS: NECAP test results will be released on or about February 3^rd. Parents of third, fourth and fifth grade students will receive their child’s results shortly after that date.

REPORT CARDS: Second quarter report cards will be sent home with students on February 1^st.

BAND CONCERT: Fifth grade students in the band will present a performance for parents on Tuesday, January 12^th at 7:00.

LOCKDOWN DRILL: In conformance with Rhode Island regulations we will be conducting another lockdown drill during the month of January.

INTERNET – CELLPHONE SAFETY: School Resource Officers David Waycott and Michael Cavanaugh will present a program for Central parents on January 27^th at 7:00 pm in the school library regarding the potential problems confronting students using the Internet or cell phones. Issues such as sexting, texting, pornographic sites and solicitation of children for illegal purposes will be discussed.

NO SCHOOL: School will be closed on Monday, January 18^th, in observance of Martin Luther King Day.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS: On behalf of the school staff I’d like to wish all of our Lincoln Central families a wonderful Holiday Season. May you truly enjoy this special time with your families and relatives.

COMMUNITY FORUMS: Parents are reminded that the School Department will conduct three additional Community Forums to present proposals for an all-day kindergarten program and the partial redistricting of students. The Forums are scheduled for December 3^rd at 5:00 pm at Lincoln Middle School; December 17^th at 7:00 pm at Lincoln High School; and on January 5^th at 7:00 pm at the Middle School.

SIGN UP FOR CENTRAL ELEMENTARY ANNOUNCMENTS: Using our listserv we send important information out to parents regarding meetings, school events etc. If you have not signed up for the listserv you may do so using the following steps: Send a message to: listserv@ri.net with the following body to your message: SUBSCRIBE CENTELE-L (then insert your name).

SCHOOL WEBSITE: Mr. Herb Larkin, our Central Elementary webmaster and fifth grade teacher has returned to school following his recent surgery. We welcome him back and are now in the process of updating our website. School information may be obtained by accessing the Lincoln Schools website lincolnps.org Once you are on the School Department’s website you can click on Central Elementary to see school information regarding meetings, events and the cancellation of meetings in the event of poor weather. We will also post information regarding the early dismissal of school should weather conditions necessitate it.

STUDENT ILLNESS: Please call the school whenever your child is absent and inform us of the reason why the child will not be attending school. It is very important that we monitor student illness and report any spikes in illness to the State Department of Health.

I am very happy to report that our student absence rate has markedly declined. In the past week we averaged between five and ten absences each day which is typical for this time of the year.

NO SCHOOL: There will be no school for Lincoln elementary students on Wednesday, December 23^rd. The Middle School and High School students, however, will have school on that date.

EARLY DISMISSAL: With winter weather approaching, we remind parents concerned about an early dismissal from school that we will be posting that information on the school website as soon as we receive it. Please refer to: www.lincolnps.org Then click on the Lincoln Central website.

By using this source of information, you free up our phone lines for calls from the bus company, Superintendent of Schools Office and other personnel involved in the early dismissal process.

Should a Lincoln Central School activity be scheduled for that afternoon or evening, such as a concert, PACT meeting etc., we will post those postponements on the website as well. If school is dismissed early or cancelled altogether, all after school and evening activities are cancelled as well.

LOST AND FOUND: We are beginning to accumulate lost sweatshirts, jackets, hats and other personal items in our Lost and Found container located at the entrance to the cafeteria. If your child has lost an item the staff encourages them to look in this box. We also remind parents that it is very helpful to us if clothing items, lunchboxes etc. are clearly marked with the child’s name so that they can be returned to the owner.

RECESS: A reminder that students go out for recess unless the temperature or wind chill is below 30 degrees. Children should be appropriately dressed for the weather conditions.

FLU CLINIC: Our Flu Clinic held on November 17^th was a great success. I want to publicly thank Cathy Villeneuve, our School Nurse for all of her work in organizing the event and express my deep appreciation for the support we received from our school staff, the Lincoln school nurses and my fellow Lincoln school administrators which was essential to the smooth operation of the event.

STUDENT SAFETY: As required by state law we recently conducted a Building Lockdown Drill; a School Evacuation Drill and a Bus Evacuation Drill, in addition to our required Fire Drills.

ASSEMBLY PROGRAMS: The PACT funded an assembly program featuring Michael Higgins which was a reward for our students for achieving PBIS goals on November 23^rd. We also have a musical program for parents scheduled for December 16^th at 7:00 pm. The student body will enjoy an appearance by the Schoolhouse Orchestra, a group of professional musicians on December 17^th and a musical program for students only on December 22^nd.

TABLE HOSTING: As a part of the School Department’s Wellness Program our second graders participated in a Table Hosting Program on November 30^th. Parents who attended a training session ate with the students, discussed new healthy menu items and surveyed students regarding their favorite foods.

ELECTRONIC ITEMS: Parents are reminded that students should not bring electronic items to school unless specifically requested to do so by their teacher. In particular, personal listening devices, cell phones, electronic games and other valuable items of this type should be kept at home. The school assumes no responsibility for their loss or damage. if they are brought to school without specific permission.

EARLY ARRIVALS: Parents are reminded that students should not arrive at school before 8:55 am. .

If school is cancelled or delayed the information will be announced on the following radio and television stations.

WPRO (630 AM 92.3 FM	WHJJ (920 AM)	B101 (101.5 FM)
FLKW (790 AM)	WNRI (1380 AM)	WWRX (103.7 FM)
Channel 12 TV News	Channel 10 TV News	Channel 6 TV News

In order to facilitate communication between the central office and the school during emergencies, parents are asked not to call the school for information regarding school cancellations.

Should school close before the usual dismissal time, you children should know where to go if you are not at home. The school will follow the instructions given on The Emergency Dismissal Form that all parents filled out at the start of the school year.

In addition, the School Department plans to contact families through the Global Connect system, and post information on the School Department website (lincolnps.org) under Announcements.

Principal's Office