Lincoln Middle School- Syracuse, New York

Welcome back Lincoln Middle School Families, Scholars, Community Based Organizations and Staff,

Welcome to the 2019-2020 school year! We plan to educate and develop scholars

“Who Will Change the World! “

I hope everyone had a relaxing summer that reignited your spirit and has you excited to start the school year ready to give your 100% to our Lincoln scholars. We are all responsible for providing the tools and resources to ensure our students are prepared to compete with a local and global community. We saw an incredible amount of growth with student proficiency because of the hard work of our Lincoln educators.  We are waiting for the NYS test results for ELA and Math and the moment we receive them I will share the results. We do know that we ROCKED the Living Environment regents (90% passing) and the Algebra regents (98% passing). Because of the family support and hardworking Lincoln staff and scholars, I have faith we will see the same, if not better, progress in the 2019-2020 school year.

When you return to the building, you will see we have a “refreshed” look at Lincoln. I am excited for you to see the changes.  Lincoln Middle School celebrates its 45^th year educating students this year!

Over the summer, we have worked diligently to maximize the effectiveness of our building staff in order to improve our school achievement data and build a positive school culture. It is very important that we push ourselves and our students to work hard each day to achieve their fullest potential.  We need the support of parents, guardians, and families so that we have 100% of our student body giving their best effort on their attendance, in their classes and on their assessments, so that Lincoln is able to demonstrate the improvements we are making on a daily basis.. 

Important Announcements:

Grade-Level Changes:

We have shifted administrative offices to ensure that school leaders are positioned around the building to support the needs of students and teachers:  Ms. Sayles will continue to lead the 8^th grade team. We welcome Ms. Ellis-Smith to Lincoln Middle School, she will lead the 6th grade team, and Mr. Foley will lead the 7^th grade team.  These changes will allow for more clear communication between families and our school because all stakeholders will know who to contact as potential issues arise. 

Drop-Off/Pick-Up Location:

All parents, guardians, and families will be asked to drop off and pick up their Lincoln scholars on Hampton Road, which is adjacent to the tennis courts in front of the school, so that we can maximize the safety and efficiency of buses arriving and leaving school.  Cars will not be permitted to drop off or pick up students from the school parking lot and must use Hampton Road instead.  Last year we received many complaints from our neighbors regarding people parking in front of their driveways and or observing unsafe crossings by our scholars. Our neighbors have been very good to Lincoln over the years and maintaining a cordial and respectful relationship is extremely important.

Lincoln Spirit/Gym Gear:

We encourage our students to have pride in our school and a great way to do this will be to have special events where students and staff will be encouraged to wear their Lincoln Spirit Gear.  We really encourage families, students, and staff members to use the link on our school website to purchase more Lincoln Spirit gear.  This year students are expected to wear a gym uniform on the days they have gym. More information about how to purchase the gym uniform can be found on our website: WWW.LINCOLNSCSD.COM

Cellphones & Electronic Devices:

To emphasize an academic focus, we DO NOT allow students to use or have electronics at school.  This includes cell phones, iPads, tablets, earphones, and other electronic games are not permitted in school. These items will be taken from students and only returned to parents. Please do not have your only visit to Lincoln Middle School to be to retrieve a cell phone. We need parents to be actively involved and engaged, as that is the number one reason for student achievement.  Please remind your scholar.

Upcoming Events:

We encourage full family participation in all of our back to school events:

• The First Day of School is Thursday, September 5^th @ 7:35a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
• Lincoln Spirit Day Pep Rally will be on Friday, September 20^th from 2:00-3:00 p.m. in our gymnasium.  We want to continue building a strong, positive school culture and will use this occasion as an opportunity for all of our scholars to wear their Lincoln Spirit Gear, encourage students to participate on our fall sports teams, and show pride in our school community through the various events we schedule for the pep rally.
• Open House will be on Thursday, October 3^rd from 5-6:30 p.m.  We encourage all families to attend so that you can meet Lincoln teachers and support staff.
• Our first CET – Community Engagement Meeting (formerly known as the PTO) will be on Monday, October 7^th from 6-7 p.m.  We would really like to grow our Parent-Teacher Organization this year to include many more families who want to see success for their children at Lincoln.

We are extremely excited about the start of a new school year at Lincoln. Please make time to attend some of our back to school events so that we can answer questions, address concerns, and ensure that we are supporting your children in the best ways possible. 

Sincerely,

Ms. LaJuan White

Lincoln Attire:  We are aware that many parents are shopping for school clothes.  Please remember students can dress to express one’s personality as long as it does not distract/disrupt the learning environment.  All scholars should wear pants or shorts that are knee length and below.  Tank tops should have a strap that is at least two fingers in width.  Girls can wear skirts that are knee length or below; no halter tops are allowed.  Scholars can wear hats, scarves, sunglasses, and backpacks to school but the items then need to be placed in a locker when they arrive.  Scholars will not be permitted to wear these items throughout the school day.

Lincoln Spirit Gear:  We encourage our scholars to have pride in our school.  The school will have special events where scholars and staff will be encouraged to wear their Lincoln Spirit Gear.  Be on the lookout for our periodic FLASH STORES where families can purchase Lincoln - Spirit Gear directly from the internet.

Electronics:  Scholars are encouraged to keep electronic devices at home or off and out of sight; there are phones for use with teacher approval.  If scholars bring electronics to school, they will be immediately turned off before entering the building. If a scholar has any electronic device and it is visible during the school day, it will be taken and returned to a parent/guardian.  No Exceptions!  We are asking parents to partner with us by reiterating these expectations at home to ensure a safe and orderly environment at school.