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

Cradles to Crayons, a wonderful charity that collects and donates clothing and toys to children in need, is moving to Newton in Spring 2020!  Lincoln-Eliot is thrilled to be one of their donation sites this week, and we’d love to encourage families to bring in items to fill the donation bin before it is picked up on Friday, Dec. 13th.

Please drop off your new and like new clothing (size newborn up to an adult size medium), shoes, and books in the school library from December 2-13 (and in the cafeteria on Thursday during our Books and Cookies Pajama Party).  For more information about items accepted by Cradles to Crayons click here!

Cradles to Crayons also welcomes you to join them at their upcoming community service events to quality check, sort, and package our donations.  The events will take place on Tuesday, December 10, from 1-3:30pm at Newton City Hall’s War Memorial Auditorium, and on Saturday, December 14, from 10am-12pm at the Scandinavian Cultural Center in West Newton.  If you have any questions or are interested in volunteering, please contact Marci Shyavitz.

For more information, see: 2019 Newton CtoC Flyer

We still need a few more volunteers to make the book fair a success — thank you so much to everyone who’s signed up so far!  In particular, we especially need more volunteers to bring cookies to the Thursday evening event, and to help with the cocoa and crafts in the cafeteria anytime between 5-8pm.

We’d also love some help between 11am-12pm on Wednesday, when most of the kindergartners are visiting the fair — if you have a child in Ms. Kremer or Ms. Jang’s class, this is a fun opportunity to browse the fair with them and help the kindergartners write down a favorite book!

Sign up here, or email secretary@lepto.org with any questions!

Our online spirit wear store is open right now for a short time only!  Go to https://lepto-spirit-gear.myshopify.com/ to find over 90 products for adults, kids, toddlers, and even pets — there are lots of great options for gifts and many ways to show your school spirit!

Order must be placed by Friday, Dec. 13th, in order to be received before the holidays!