Lincoln Middle School Syracuse, New York

#Higher Achievement, Greater Results

June 26, 2018

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We are so excited to unveil the changes coming for all middle school students during the 2018-2019 School Year! Middle school students will attend 21st century schools for 21st century learners supported through AVID School-wide, Personalized Learning, the WEB Program, Enrichment Activities, and Afterschool Programming.

AVID’s mission statement is to close the achievement gap by preparing all students for college readiness and success in a global society. Students receive support through a rigorous curriculum and begin to develop long-range academic goals. The use of AVID methodologies such as WICOR strategies (Writing, Inquiry, Collaboration, Organization, and Reading) across all content areas will help create an atmosphere that fosters higher education. AVID has been shown to create positive peer groups with students and develop a sense of hope for personal achievement gained through hard work and determination.

“My Goals, My Pace, Flexible Time, Flexible Space“
Personalized Learning focuses on a combination of face-to-face learning with digital content in order to target instruction that best meets the needs of students. Teachers frequently collect and review data to create and change student groups based on student interest, need, or skill level. These data-driven decisions allow teachers to modify their instruction as well as help students to set goals and monitor their own progress. Students are given ample opportunities to reflect on their own learning, track their own data and set specific learning goals to become self-directed learners.

WEB is a middle school orientation and transition program that utilizes 8th grade students to welcome 6th graders and make them feel comfortable throughout their first year of their middle school experience. WEB Leaders meet with 6th graders during an orientation before school starts and follow up with their partners on a bi-monthly basis throughout the school year. As positive role models, WEB leaders are mentors and student leaders who guide 6th graders to discover what it takes to be successful during the transition to middle school. The goal of WEB is to provide a structure in which students make real connections with each other, enhance character development efforts, and increase student achievement.

Enrichment Activities
Students will have opportunities to participate in various enrichment activities during the school day every other week, based on student interest. Teachers will supervise various clubs and activities for students to join in order to build and foster positive relationships. These partnerships will allow students and teachers to make social connections outside of the classroom environment.

Some of the extracurricular activities may include:

• Modified Sports
• Chorus, Band, and Drama Club
• Student Council
• Robotics and Engineering
• Building Men and Building Women
• Art Club
• Book Clubs
• Computer Games 

Just to name a few…

Afterschool Programs
Afterschool programming will be offered to all middle school students. The afterschool program will provide additional ELA and Math tutorial support and enrichment activities for students. The afterschool program will run from 3:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. Monday – Friday. The afterschool program will begin in October and end in May. More information will be forth coming in September of 2018 about the afterschool program.
Proposed Important Changes for 2018-2019 School Year:
• Next year the school hours for Danforth, Grant, Lincoln, and WSA will be 7:50 a.m. – 3:10 p.m.
• Danforth, Grant, Lincoln, and WSA will offer optional afterschool programs for all students from 3:15 p.m. – 5:15 p.m., Monday thru Friday.
• Students and teachers will have opportunities to participate in enrichment activities during the school day every other week.

We are truly excited about what is happening for all of our middle school students next year. We will continue to move schools in a positive direction, while continuing to focus on student interest and personalized learning. This will help us reach our ultimate goal which is to raise student achievement across the middle school division.

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.