Principal Lavallee's Edu Blog Learning in and Through the Arts

Greetings

I am pleased to begin communicating to you weekly from this Blog as it seems that more and more parents are using it as a way to learn about what is happening at the school.

This past Thursday, report cards were sent home with the students.  Please ask your youngster for his/her report card.  If it has been lost, you can obtain an additional copy by contacting the guidance office at the school.

Though our “alert now” system of Friday we sent out the following message:

Dear Parents,

 This is a reminder that the school building is open for students and the public beginning at 7:30 every morning school is in session.  Parent and care givers should not have their student arrive to school earlier than 7:30am as there is no security or supervision for students prior to this time.

 We truly appreciate your helping us with this matter by ensuring that your youngster arrives to school between 7:30and 7:45 am each morning.

I had the privilege of attending the Tri M Music Honor Society Induction Ceremony on Friday evening.  Our new inductees and our returning members were in attendance along with their parents and families.  Thank you to Mr. Cote, Mr. Renner, Mrs. Boates and Mrs. Shaker for giving up your Friday evening for our music students.  It was a wonderful evening and I received several positive comments from parents. 

 Thank you also to Mrs. Guyette and Mrs. Medina as they were returning from a science field trip as part of the “Captivating Kids” program around 8:15 on Friday night. 

 We are very fortunate to have so many dedicated staff willing to give of their time to help our Lincoln youngsters.  Bravo!!!

The newly formed LMS School Governance Council has been meeting since November.  The initial meetings have been to organize and set goals for the long term operation of the council.  At the most recent meeting officers for the executive committee were selected; Chair – Joseph Galotti, Vice Chair (Facilitator) – Tom Moore, Recording Secretary – Robin Wolk, Corresponding Secretary – Evelyn Robles-Rivas, Time keeper – Trisha Bleicich. 

The School Governance Council is comprised of seven parents of current LMS students, five faculty members currently employed at LMS, two community members and the principal.   The purpose of the council is to act in an advisory capacity to the school’s administration.  It provides an opportunity for stakeholders in the school to craft a productive collaboration to support student success. The intent of the council is to enable parents, school staff and community leaders to work together to improve student achievement at our school.

On March 30th over 300 teachers, parents, students and community supporters gathered on the steps of the Board of Education and City Hall Buildings to support the educating of Meriden’s students.  There were several inspiring speakers but none touched the hearts of the Lincoln family the way that Emily Lowit did as she spoke to the crowd.

Great job Emily!  You have made us all very proud to be involved in your education and the educating of Meriden’s Children!

Beginning in March Lincoln students, along with students from across Connecticut, will be taking their annual state assessments (CMT’s).  Our students, faculty and staff have been working consistently all year to give each Lincoln student the opportunity to perform at their maximum on these important benchmarks. 

As a parent, you can help prepare your child for each ”CMT day” the by taking any or all of the following simple measures:

1. Insist that your child get at least (8) eight hours or sleep every night

2. Provide a healthy nutritious breakfast for your child every morning

3. Help your child arrive at school no later than 7:50am every day.  Students who arrive late to school or are absent on testing days generally perform at a lower level than students who arrive to school on time.

I have teenage children so I can appreciate how difficult it can be at times to get your child to do what we may think of as common sense… i.e. get enough rest, wake up on time and eat sensible meals…

Your assistance with providing these important areas of care can make a world of difference in your child’s ability to perform at his or her maximum at school.

I’d like to thank you for all that you do to help us prepare your child for the future that awaits them.

Thank you parents and community members for everything you do to support our school and your children’s success!  Here are a few holiday updates happening at the school.

Tonight there is our annual Choral Concert featuring over three hundred students from all three grades.  Students should arrive by 6:30pm.  The concert begins at 7:00pm and will be about an hour in duration.  We ask that parents stay for the entire concert.  Students will be sitting in the audience after their performance and will be listening to their classmates sing.

Next week, on December 16th we have our Holiday Band Concert at the school.  In addition to the band performance, this year’s concert will feature students from our music through movement class performing their original cheorography.  This concert begins at 7pm.

Beginning Monday, December 13^th there will be no main office phone use after school by students unless approved in advance by an administrator.   Of course, when there is an emergency, students will always be allowed to use the phone. 

Thank you again for all that you do for our school.  Have a wonderful holiday season!

In an effort to reduce the number of distractions in the classroom due to students arriving to school late, and to align our school procedures with other schools in the district, the following “tardy procedure” will be implemented beginning October 12th. 

Students arriving tardy (after 8:00am) with a parent note/phone call will be given a pass to class and will be given an “excused” tardy. 

Students arriving tardy without a parent note/phone call will be given an “unexcused” tardy and will:

• report to the cafe for period one
• have an “unexcused” absence from first period class
• be responsible for contacting the teacher regarding all missed work
• be required to turn in the assignment on-time (as if they were present in class that day – no extension given)
• be expected to hand in previously assigned homework due that day in the missed class

 Students arriving after 8:30:

•  Must have a parent sign them in
• If no parent is present to sign them in, they get a warning the first time, disciplinary consequences will be enforced for each subsequent time

Thank you for helping ensure your Lincoln student arrives to school on time and is ready to learn each day.  Please contact me if you have any questions regarding this tardy new procedure.

New Schedule –  This year students will be following a new schedule that will rotate over a seven day cycle.  Students will continue to have five core-academic classes and two classes of unified arts each day of the rotation.  The changes to the schedule were made to allow students who need additional time and support or enrichment to receive it and to allow all students to be at their best for each of their subjects.  

 Unified Arts Schedule - As in past years, the core unified arts program at Lincoln includes study in Music, Visual Arts, Technology Education, Library Media, Physical Education and Spanish.   This year students, who need additional time and support in reading or mathematics, will be assigned a strategies class in addition to their full course load of unified arts.  Students who do not need this additional time and support are provided unified arts plus classes.  Unified arts plus classes are designed to further enrich the student’s experience in one of the arts areas.

 Advisory Period – Lincoln has adopted a new Advisory Program beginning with the 2010-2011 school year.  We are the last of the four secondary schools to adopt this type of program.  The purpose of an advisory is (1) to give each student an adult advisor that stays with him or her for the entire three years while at Lincoln; and (2) to have students explore social and behavioral issues in a safe school setting with a small group of peers (10-12) and a caring adult.  The advisory meets for 40 minutes on C day.

Health and Wellness – This year in Meriden there is a new Health curriculum being taught at the middle level.  At Lincoln all students will be receiving health classes for one quarter each year.  The course will be taught by Lincoln’s two PE/Health teachers, Mr. DeMatteo and Mrs. Carabetta.

Happy Summer Everyone!  The school year has ended, Lincoln families are adjusting to the new summer schedules, and back here at school we are working on getting ready for the upcoming school year. 

Overall, this year was an overwhelming success for our students and our school community.  First, more students are achieving at higher rates in math, reading and writing while fewer students are getting into trouble.  In addition, our arts and sports programs are growing in size and developing in quality.  Finally, there are more afterschool activities and events for students and families to participate in together.   These positive steps are a result of the entire school community, students, staff and parents, working together with a focus on helping each child become successful.  Thank you to parents for your many individual contributions to the school this past year.

As we all know, learning does not stop just because students are not in their classrooms.  There is still work to do.  Students were given two assignments for the summer; one in math and one in reading.  These assignments are available in the main office or on the school’s website.  All students are expected to complete these assignments prior to returning to school in August.  In addition, each student should meet the Governor’s reading challenge during the summer. 

If you need assistance during the summer, the main office and guidance office will be open every Monday through Friday from 8:30 to 2:30. 

Enjoy your time during July and August with your families and remember to keep the learning alive!

Congratulations to the cast and crew on a fantastic run of Grease-school version this past weekend.  You worked very hard for almost five months but the result was truly wonderful.

Thank you also, to the many parents and Lincoln faculty who volunteered and helped to make the student’s experience very special.