At our PTO meeting this Tuesday, January 7th, we will be joined by Superintendent David Fleishman and School Committee members Ruth Goldman (Chair) and Margaret Albright.

The Superintendent and School Committee members visit each school throughout the year to answer questions and provide information to each school community.  This is a great opportunity to ask questions specific to our Lincoln-Eliot community and learn more about district-wide initiatives.  If you would like a certain topic to be addressed and are unable to attend the meeting, please forward your questions to president@lepto.org and we will pass your questions along at the meeting. 

For a preview of the rest of our agenda, you can view our slideshow presentation here.

The PTO meeting will take place from 6:30-7:30pm in the library.  We are hoping as many families can attend as possible.  As always, child care will be provided in the gym for the duration of the meeting.  We look forward to seeing you there!

This coming Thursday, January 9th, our 4th and 5th graders will be performing their Winter Concert in the L-E gym at 7pm!  Come see our 4th grade strings, 4th grade band, string ensemble, 5th grade band, and the 4th and 5th grade chorus perform!  Everyone is invited to attend and support our young musicians.

The music groups will also be performing for the younger grades during the school day on Thursday, so if you can’t make it in the evening, ask your kids about the concert and what music they heard!

If you didn’t get a chance to stop by the book fair last week, or if there were books on your wish list that were sold out, or if you’d love to buy some more books in a way that supports our school — there’s still time!

Shopping in our online book fair will earn back 25% in rewards for Lincoln-Eliot through December 17th, with free shipping on books-only orders over $25.  Or if you place your order TODAY, December 15th, using code WRAPUP20, you can get 20% off your entire order plus free priority shipping on orders over $50!  Orders ship directly to your home this year and should (hopefully) still arrive in time for the holidays!

You can find a link to our online fair at our book fair homepage:  https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/lincolneliot — scroll down to The Scholastic Store Online Shopping Experience and click Shop Now!

Thank you so much for supporting our school library!  Happy reading!

The Book Fair committee thanks everyone at Lincoln-Eliot for joining us this week to celebrate the magic of books and reading!  We had a joyful and successful book fair, with kids being incredibly adorable about books all week long, and we couldn’t have done it without you.  Whether you were browsing the fair, buying books for teachers for their classroom library wish lists, showing up in costume as a book character, volunteering, or reading and talking about books with your kids, we really appreciate all of you!

This coming Thursday, December 19th, our Creative Arts and Sciences Committee is bringing in an exciting enrichment program for our 5th graders.  Wingmasters: World of Owls shows that owls are highly specialized birds of prey, very different from other raptors, and superbly equipped nocturnal hunters.  This presentation shows how owls use their specialized adaptations of sight, hearing, and flight to survive and thrive.  A wealth of fact and folklore is presented separating myths from reality.  Five live owls of different species provide the focus for this presentation.

Thank you to our CAS team for bringing in programs like these all year long, and thank you for your support that makes it all possible!

Dear families,

As you know, we had a delayed start time earlier this week due to the weather. Please note: there will be no breakfast served and no before school programing on days we have a delayed start time.  Students should not arrive early, as staff will not be here to supervise. 

We hope to see everyone at our Books and Cookies Pajama Party this Thursday, December 12th, from 5-8pm!  Come in pajamas to celebrate the joy of reading with us, shop the book fair in the library, and enjoy free cookies and cocoa in the cafeteria.

MCAS 2020 Schedule:

Below is the 2020 MCAS testing schedule for grades 3-5.  It is very important all scholars are present on testing days.  Please mark your calendars now to avoid scheduling family vacations on testing days.

ELA

MATH

SCIENCE

Lost and Found:

As winter break approaches, we want to make sure students can claim lost clothing to keep them warm over the break!  Items in our lost and found will be laid out in the cafeteria on Tuesday, 12/17/19 from 8am-12pm; and Friday, 12/20/19 from 8am-11:30am.  Please come in the morning to look for your child’s belongings with them.  Teachers will be allowing students to go look for lost items throughout the day both days.  At 12pm on Friday, 12/20/19, all items will be donated to Goodwill.

School Council looking for 3 parent representatives:

As part of the Education Reform Act of 1993, School Councils were created at each school across the Commonwealth.  The Council offers a way for parents, teachers, and other members of the community to work together in an advisory capacity to the principal.  The state describes School Councils by saying:

Every public school in the Commonwealth must establish a School Council.  School Council consists of the principal, parents elected by other parents, teachers elected by other teachers, and other public members who are not parents.  Principals serve as co-chairs.  Each council is free to determine the size of its membership, but must have at least as many parent representatives as teachers (plus the principal).  No more than 50% of the council’s membership may consist of members of the public who are not parents, teachers, administrators, or students of the school.  School councils are subject to the open meeting law.

School Councils are responsible for assisting the principal in setting educational goals, identifying educational needs, reviewing the school building’s budget, and preparing the school improvement plan.  The school improvement plan is to address issues such as class size, professional development, parental involvement, and school climate.

The Lincoln Eliot School Council is an elected group of four parents, an elected group of four teachers, the principal, and community members appointed by the principal.  School Council meetings are held four to six times each year and are open to the school community.

School Council Election Process
Teachers and parents are elected by their peers and serve a one, two, or three year term.  The PTO Co-Presidents and the Newton Teachers Association representative conduct elections each year to replace departing parents and teacher members.  The principal appoints community members with an attempt to bring to the council a spirit of diversity that is reflected in the larger Lincoln-Eliot community.

Please reach out to me if you’re interested or would like to know more.

Upcoming Dates To Note:

• December 9th-12th:  Lincoln-Eliot Book Fair
• Wednesday, December 11th:  Dress Like a Book Character Day
• Thursday, December 12th:  Book Fair Books & Cookies Pajama Party, 5-8pm
• December 23 – January 1:  No school — December recess

Have a great week!

Principal Morrissey