Lincoln-Eliot’s FIRST Juneteenth Celebration
Lincoln-Eliot was alive with energy and fun with more than 350 guests for our first Juneteenth celebration! Kids and grown ups joined in to jump with the Double Dutch Destroyahs, featuring Lincoln-Eliot parent Suzette Worrell. Along with some energetic L-E students and families, Principal Morrissey even jumped in! An incredible DJ provided the soundtrack as talented Newton South student Chelsea Jones led us in the Electric Slide, the Cha-Cha Slide and Wobble and more! We enjoyed ice cream, kite flying, ball games and lots of friendly faces! We decorated a big Juneteenth sign with colorful hands with messages of hope and encouragement. Special thank yous to event host/emcee/L-E parent Chris Worrell, METCO coordinator Fhynita Brinson, our L-E custodial staff, and more than a dozen parent volunteers who brought supplies and helping hands throughout the whole event! We hope to make this an annual event!
THANK YOU, JUNETEENTH GUEST READERS!
Every Lincoln-Eliot student had the chance to hear a book about Juneteenth in their classroom last week. Special guest readers joined in person or by zoom to read a book to each class! Thank you to every Lincoln-Eliot teacher for finding time in your wild end of the year schedule to host a reader! Thank you to our Lincoln-Eliot and DLA librarians for incorporating Juneteenth lessons into the last library sessions. And thank you to our readers: Mass. State Senator Cynthia Creem; Bigelow School Counselor Jessica Pierce; Assistant Superintendent Tony Remer; Mason-Rice Elementary School Principal Jake Bultema; Assistant Principal Brown Middle School (and former Lincoln-Eliot Social Worker/METCO coordinator) Julian Turner; METCO Director Lisa Gilbert-Smith; Ward Elementary School Social Worker Kadesia Wood; Superintendent David Fleishman; Honored Uncle from one of our kindergarten families Brian Worrell; ELL specialist and Lincoln-Eliot parent Emily Nunez; NPS Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Kathy Lopes; Behavioral Therapist Loring Masters; and parents from Ms Gayle’s 1st grade classroom. And a huge thank you to Lincoln-Eliot Social worker/METCO coordinator Fhynita Brinson for coordinating those sessions and making connections with so many local leaders and families!
LINCOLN-ELIOT FORJ KIDS BOOK CLUB – SUMMER
Since the start of the pandemic, the L-E FORJ Kids Book Club has read and discussed four books. This group of 2nd to 5th grade students and their families covered a lot of ground, talking about topics including friendship, bullies, kids’ voices, politics, race, refugees, book characters, and much more! We hope to read a book or two this summer, too, so contact L-E FORJ Coordinator Lanni Isenberg if you’d like to hear more: Lanni_harris@yahoo.com
JUNE IS LGBTQ+ PRIDE MONTH
June is recognized as LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender & Queer) Pride month. Pride month was established in 1999 to lift the voices and ultimately, increase the rights of the LGBTQ community. People fighting for human rights, civil rights and legal rights sometimes have to remind supporters to think inclusively. Did you know that the colors of the rainbow flag that is known to symbolize Gay Pride have meaning? Red is for Life, Orange is for Healing, Yellow is for Sunlight, Green is for Nature, Blue is for Serenity, Purple is for Spirit and there’s been a more recent addition of a Black stripe or multicolor Black and Brown stripes for Inclusive! (Source: https://www.nickelodeonparents.com/explaining-the-pride-rainbow-flag-to-your-child/)
GIVE TO THE METCO SCHOLARSHIP FUND
To support the 40 graduating seniors from both Newton North and Newton South as they move on to pursue their future dreams, consider contributing to The Newton METCO Community Scholarship Fund: https://www.gofundme.com/f/newtonmetcoscholar.
M.E.T.C.O. Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity is a state-funded educational program designed to eliminate racial imbalance through the busing of children from Boston and Springfield to public systems in surrounding suburban metropolitan communities.
JOIN A FORJ SCHOOL CHAPTER!
The Bigelow Middle School FORJ chapter is looking for more members. If you’d like to join their chapter this summer or in the fall OR if you’d like to join the Lincoln-Eliot FORJ chapter, please contact L-E FORJ Coordinator Lanni Isenberg: lanni_harris@yahoo.com!
FORJ (Families Organizing for Racial Justice) is a coalition of school-aged families in Newton coming together to teach our children – and ourselves – how to stand up for racial equity. We seek to generate understanding and curiosity about the differences in our society.
We strive to achieve safe and welcoming environments that enhance the well-being of all people. We promote healing and connection between individuals and communities. We speak out against injustice, support our kids to be upstanders, and take action to address bias and inequity.
