Dear families,

Thank you so much to everyone who participated, donated, volunteered, and supported our students for our first ever FUN RUN!  Together we raised $13,450 for Lincoln Eliot….that is amazing!!

If you’d like to learn more or have a say in how those funds will be spent next year, please join us on Tuesday, June 4th at 6:30pm in the school library for the last PTO meeting of the year, where we will be going over the budget and talking about future goals (and looking for new volunteers for an expanded PTO board).

As the nice weather is finally here, we have been reminding our scholars of our recess rules and expectations.  Please reinforce safe recess behavior at home.  We understand the importance of recess for all scholars, which is why it is not our practice to take recess away from students.  That said, there may be times when a student will be asked to miss part of their recess to discuss recess expectations.

We hope to see everyone this Thursday, May 23, for our annual International Night, featuring food, student performances, and cultural displays and presentations.  Incoming K families are very welcome to join us.  The schedule of events is as follows:

5:30pm: Multicultural Potluck
6:00pm: Individual Country Displays
6:30pm: Cultural Talent Show

Please mark your calendars:

* Thursday, May 23rd:  International Night, 5:30-7pm
* May 29th – 31st:  5th grade camping trip to Camp Wing

* Tuesday, June 4th:  3rd grade recorder recital, 9am
* Tuesday, June 4th:  Incoming Kindergarten Visiting Day, 1-3pm
* Tuesday, June 4th:  Last PTO Meeting of the year, 6:30pm in the library
* Thursday, June 6th:  Spring Concert, 7pm (4th and 5th grade instrumental)
* Monday, June 10th:  Instrument Program Information Night, 7pm
* Tuesday, June 11th:  Celebration Day, 10am – 12pm (rain date 6/12 same time)

Have a great week!

Principal Morrissey

Dear families,

You did it!  We reached and exceeded our $8,000 Fun Run fundraising goal, which means new technology for our classrooms and library next year, exciting Creative Arts and Sciences programs for our scholars . . . and also means I’m getting silly-stringed!  We really appreciate all your support for Lincoln-Eliot and our kids, and we look forward to a fun morning of running, community-building, and team spirit.

Fun Run Monday

Sunny Day Schedule: Run will take place on field (if it is not raining out, parents are welcome to attend and cheer on our runners!). It is supposed to be a cooler day tomorrow, so please dress your scholars appropriately for the Run.

9:00 – 10:00am: Kindergarten and 1st grade running
10:00 – 11:00am: 2nd and 3rd grade running
11:00am – 12:00pm: 4th and 5th grade running

Rainy Day Schedule: Run will take place in the Gym (where, unfortunately, due to space limitations, families will not be able to attend)

9:00 – 9:45am: Kindergarten running
9:45 – 10:30am: 1st grade running
10:30 – 11:15am: 2nd grade running
11:15am – 12:00pm: 3rd grade running
12:00 – 12:45pm: 4th grade running
12:45 – 1:30pm: 5th grade running

Then coming up the following week, we’ll be having our International Night on Thursday, May 23rd, when L-E families will share their cultures with each other.  There will be food, student performances, cultural displays and presentations.  We hope to see you there!  Incoming K families are very welcome to join us.  The schedule of events is as follows:

5:30pm: Multicultural Potluck
6:00pm: Individual Country Displays
6:30pm: Cultural Talent Show

MCAS testing also resumes this week, so please be sure to have your kids at school on time and well-rested; the complete schedule is at the bottom of this update.

Please mark your calendars:

* Monday, May 13th:  Fun Run at Lincoln-Eliot
* Tuesday, May 14th:  Teacher Appreciation Luncheon (volunteers needed)
* Thursday, May 23rd:  International Night, 5:30-7pm
* May 29th – 31st:  5th grade camping trip to Camp Wing

* Tuesday, June 4th:  3rd grade recorder recital, 9am
* Tuesday, June 4th:  Incoming Kindergarten Visiting Day, 1-3pm
* Tuesday, June 4th:  Last PTO Meeting of the year, 6:30pm in the library (please note date change)
* Thursday, June 6th:  Spring Concert, 7pm (4th and 5th grade instrumental)
* Monday, June 10th:  Instrument Program Information Night, 7pm
* Tuesday, June 11th:  Celebration Day, 10am – 12pm (rain date 6/12 same time)

See you on Monday — with your running shoes on!

Principal Morrissey

MATH MCAS

STE (5^th Only) MCAS

Dear families,

Thank you to everyone for a successful first week of MCAS testing.  The schedule for this coming week is:

Monday – 5th grade ELA MCAS
Tuesday – 3rd grade ELA MCAS
Wednesday – 5th grade ELA MCAS

And a very big thank you to all the volunteers who came out for a wonderful NewtonServes Day!  We really appreciate the help and all the effort everyone put in to make our school more beautiful!

May and June are always a busy time, so please mark your calendars:

* Thursday, May 2nd:  Fun Run Kickoff
* Thursday, May 9th:  Early Release Day, 12:30pm
* Monday, May 13th:  Fun Run at Lincoln-Eliot — please start collecting pledges at funrun.com to help us meet our goal of raising $8,000!
* Tuesday, May 14th:  Teacher Appreciation Luncheon (volunteers needed)
* Thursday, May 23rd:  International Night, 5:30-7pm
* May 29th – 31st:  5th grade camping trip to Camp Wing

* Tuesday, June 4th:  3rd grade recorder recital, 9am
* Tuesday, June 4th:  Incoming Kindergarten Visiting Day, 1-3pm
* Thursday, June 6th:  Spring Concert, 7pm (4th and 5th instrumental)
* Monday, June 10th:  Instrument Program Information Night, 7pm
* Tuesday, June 11th:  Celebration Day, 10am – 12pm (rain date  6/12 same time)

See you on Monday!

Principal Morrissey

Dear families,

It was great to see so many of you at our Family Science Night on Thursday.  I was so impressed with our young scholars and all their wonderful projects!

Don’t forget that we’ll be having our Lincoln-Eliot Math Morning this Thursday, April 4th, from 8:20-8:50am.  You are invited to join your child’s classroom for a math activity guided by your child.  Come see the math curriculum in action!

Also please note that we’ll be having our annual International Night on May 23rd from 5:30pm – 7:00pm.  Incoming K families are welcome to join us for this fun celebration of our community and its diversity.

And the MCAS will be starting at the end of April; the schedule is below for your reference.

2019 MCAS Schedule

ELA MCAS

MATH MCAS

STE (5^th Only) MCAS

Please mark your calendars:

* Thursday, April 4th:  LE Math Morning, 8:20-8:50am
* April 15th-19th:  No School — April Vacation Week
* Sunday, April 28th:  NewtonSERVES, 9am-12pm
* Thursday, May 9th:  Early Release Day, 12:30pm
* Monday, May 13th:  Fun Run — more information coming soon!

Have a great week!

Principal Morrissey

Dear Lincoln-Eliot Community,

As you know, we have been partnering with the City to improve the physical environment and functionality of the L-E building. Below you will find an update on this work from Newton Public Buildings Commissioner, Josh Morse. The information includes the exciting news of the possibility of an accelerated timeline for our move to the 150 Jackson Rd. property.

We have our share of building challenges here at L-E, especially in the winter. However, I am grateful to the City for helping us to improve the comfort in our current building and for doing what is possible to accelerate our move to the new building.

Please reach out with any questions.

Sincerely,

Principal Morrissey

Lincoln-Eliot and 150 Jackson Rd. Updates

HVAC Improvements Project: The Mayor and City Council authorized the expenditure of $650,000 to replace a boiler, upgrade heating controls and associated equipment, improve ventilation, and invest in the building envelope as needed for comfort and thermal efficiency. Most of this work has been completed, and we are in the process of balancing the exhaust, fresh air intake, and heat. What this means is that areas that were cold before might overheat now, and vice versa. While we continue to refine the heating and ventilation controls, we ask that the staff communicate any temperature concerns to the custodian such that we can get the temperatures where they need to be. We will also be exploring the opportunity to install heated air curtains at the Jackson and Pearl Street entrances. This will help keep the warm air in, and the cold air out.

Window Replacement Project: The Mayor and the City Council authorized the expenditure of $150,000 for the design of the window and door replacement project. Shortly, we will be going back to the City Council for $1,300,000 for the construction costs. This project will replace all the windows and doors throughout the school. Additionally, during a recent tour I felt that there were opportunities to introduce natural light into some of the smaller areas throughout the school. To that end, we are working on additional design work to install interior windows to achieve this. The tentative schedule is to complete the demolition this summer, and window install in the Fall. Clearly this will require coordination with the principal and staff to ensure we are not disrupting the learning environment. This project will improve the look and feel of the classrooms but will also significantly improve the temperatures throughout the school year.

150 Jackson Road Renovation Project: Our original schedule had the renovation of 150 Jackson Road being completed by the Fall of 2023. We have accelerated the NECP project, and as such they are scheduled to move out of 150 Jackson Road sooner than originally expected. Between this, and accelerated goal for the design and approvals process, we have been able to accelerate the project by a full year which means that Lincoln-Eliot is slated to move into 150 Jackson Road in the Fall of 2022. Our reason for accelerating this project is based on our desire to get both the NECP and Lincoln-Eliot Schools into renovated buildings as soon as possible. The budget for this project is $25,000,000, and the scope of work includes the replacement of the heating, plumbing, fire protection, life safety, electrical, and various other building systems throughout the building. We will also be constructing an addition to include a gymnasium, as well as the support spaces needed to meet the educational program. We will be redesigning the site layout to accommodate drop-off, pick-up, buses, vans, open space, playgrounds, pedestrian circulation, and other site amenities.

Josh Morse

Public Buildings Commissioner

Public Buildings Department

City of Newton

Dear families,

The staff at Lincoln Eliot wanted to draw everyone’s attention to World Down Syndrome Day coming up this Thursday, March 21, 2019.

One way Down Syndrome International is bringing awareness and getting people talking about Down Syndrome is by encouraging everyone to wear “Lots of Socks.” If you have any sort of bright/colorful/long/printed socks… even 3 pairs for 3 chromosomes, please wear them on Thursday!

Huffington Post Article: Why We Should All Celebrate World Down Syndrome Day

United Nations Page on World Down Syndrome Day

Down Syndrome International Page with information, fundraising, and merchandise.

Please note that Thursday is also an early release day, with pickup for everyone at 12:30pm.

Also coming up soon, we’ll be having our Lincoln-Eliot Math Morning on Thursday, April 4th, from 8:20-8:50am, when you are invited to join your child’s classroom for a math activity guided by your child.  Come see the math curriculum in action!

The MCAS is starting next month; the schedule is below for your reference.

2019 MCAS Schedule

ELA MCAS

MATH MCAS

STE (5^th Only) MCAS

Please mark your calendars:

* Thursday, March 21st:  Early Release Day, 12:30pm
* Thursday, March 28th:  Family Science Night, 5-8pm
* Thursday, April 4th:  LE Math Morning, 8:20-8:50am
* April 15th-19th:  No School — April Vacation Week

Have a great week!

Principal Morrissey

Dear Families,

Well, it certainly feels like winter out there. With the dip in temperatures, many of you may wonder how we make decisions about whether to have indoor or outdoor recess. Consistent with other NPS elementary schools, we use the Child Care Weather Watch resource to determine when it is safe to go outside. Each day, we check the “feels like” temperature (temperature after accounting for wind chill) to determine whether we will have inside or outside recess. We use the 20 degrees minimum temperature for outside recess. This is within the threshold of the yellow/caution zone.

We know our children benefit from fresh air and exercise and we wish for them to get outside as much as possible. Staff and families have also observed that there have been a number of days in the past when the temperature was just below 20, but it was lovely outside! We want kids to go out AND we need to keep them safe! Depending on “yellow zone” conditions, we may also elect to shorten the amount of time children are outside. We will make those judgments on a case-by-case basis. You can help us by making sure that your child comes to school with warm clothing: coats, mittens/gloves, hats, and snow pants.

Winter Walk and Roll to School Day

Remember that this Thursday, February 7, is Lincoln-Eliot’s Winter Walk and Roll to School Day. Students are encouraged to arrive to school by foot (or bike or scooter – weather permitting).

As we recently experienced, winter weather can create extra challenges in commuting to school. The Massachusetts Safe Routes to School Program, which sponsors the Winter Walk to School Day, offers the following tips to keep our kids safe getting to and from school in the winter.

• Wear layers that hold in the heat and are easy to remove once inside the building. Bright and reflective clothing or backpacks help so drivers can see you.
• Keep heads and hands covered with hats and mittens. Use a scarf to cover your face and a warm coat that deflects the wind.
• Stay dry by wearing waterproof boots with a sturdy sole. Keep an extra pair of socks in your backpack in case feet get damp.
• Plan extra travel time, walk slowly and be cautious of ice or areas the appear wet or dark on the pavement.  Avoid shortcuts where snow might not be removed.
• Walk like a penguin — Point toes out, walk with wide, slow steps and keep your hands free to help with balance. Hold on to stair railings where available.
• If you can’t see drivers, they can’t see you! Look all around when crossing the streets. Sneak a peek around snowbanks before you proceed to safely cross the road. Listen for oncoming cars, plows or other hazards.

FORJ

Newton FORJ (Families Organizing for Racial Justice) will meet on Tuesday, February 12th from 7pm-9pm at Angier Elementary.

Join us for an interactive evening with Madeline McNeely, founder of Conditioning Leaders (and parent of a recent L-E graduate!). She is a facilitator, trainer, coach and consultant who will share with us practices gleaned from her most popular trainings on good group leadership practices to ensure your FORJ team is operating at its best. This is a special opportunity for your FORJ team to reflect on your experiences and learn helpful tools for sustainability and success!

Please Register Here for the February 12th Meeting

Link to ALL FORJ Monthly Meeting Dates for 2018-2019

For more information or if you’d like to meet, your Lincoln-Eliot FORJ group contact is Lanni Isenberg, lanni_harris@yahoo.com.

Please mark your calendars:

* Wednesday, February 6th:  Early Release Day, 12:30pm
* Thursday, February 7th:  Winter Walk and Roll to School Day
* Friday, February 8th:  Lincoln-Eliot Movie Night, 6pm
* February 18th-22nd:  No School — February Vacation Week
* Tuesday, March 12th:  PTO Meeting, 6:30pm

Stay warm, and have a great week!

Principal Morrissey