K-4 Family Updates Newsletter
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Dear K-4 Families,
It has been a busy week at Lincoln School and across the district, filled with New Faculty Orientation, Opening Days for staff, and today’s Meet and Greet visits. Without a doubt, the best part of returning to school is having your children back with us!
A special thank you to the Lincoln PTO for organizing today's Kindergarten Lemonade Playdate. We had a wonderful turnout at the playdate and our Meet & Greets, making it a fun and welcoming start for our youngest, new and returning students, alike.
To cultivate a positive and safe learning environment, our daily words and actions are guided by our CARES values: Cooperation, Assertion, Responsibility, Empathy, and Self-Control. Throughout the year, students explore each value through books, announcements, class discussions, and shared celebrations. We also use a "Behavior Dial" visual to help students reflect on and learn from behavioral choices. Visuals for both the CARES values and the Behavior Dial are included below—feel free to print and reference them at home!
Please read on for important dates, arrival and dismissal procedures, ParentSquare details, personal device reminders, and September's school menus.
Sincerely,
Sarah
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AUGUST 2026
August 31 - First Day of School (8:00-2:50)
SEPTEMBER 2026
9/4 and 9/6 - No School - Labor Day
9/9 - PTO Back to School Picnic - Back fields, 5:30-7:30
9/11-13 - Rosh Hoshanah
9/21 - No School - Yom Kippur
9/22 - K-4 Back to School Night, 6:00-7:00 pm
9/25-10/2 - Sukkot
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Please review these procedures to help make arrival and dismissal safe and orderly for everyone. |
Upon entering the building, students will go to their designated arrival area:
K-2nd Graders
- Breakfast in the art room, or
- Directly to their cubbies
3rd & 4th Graders
- Lockers
- Learning Commons where breakfast is available
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Car Drop-Off
Vehicles with students in K-4 and 5-8 may drop off at both locations or use one drop off for all children.
- Students exit the vehicle on the left.
- Drivers stay in the vehicle to keep the car line moving along, and stay in the car line until staff direct the line to proceed.
School starts at 8:00. Vehicles dropping off students who are late can use the bus loop to drop off at the main entrance starting at 8:00. Students should report to the office to sign in and get a tardy slip.
We ask preschool families to drop off K-8 students off first, then loop back around to park for preschool drop off.
Bikes & Pedestrians
We encourage students to ride their bikes to school. Under state law, bicycle helmets must be worn. Bikes must be operated in a safe manner while on school property and elsewhere. Bicycle racks are provided in a designated location. Locking bicycles and scooters in the racks is recommended. Bicycles and other wheeled items must be walked on the sidewalks between the South and North parking lots. Following these rules will help ensure the safety of bicyclists and pedestrians.
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Students are escorted to the car line, bus loop, and Dining Commons for LEAP and Rec programs based upon the dismissal plan you submit.
Our goal is to have all dismissal information and changes flow through the PikMyKid app to give us a single, reliable system, ensuring a safer and smoother routine for everyone.
Here is a look at how using PikMyKid simplifies and secures the dismissal process for everyone:
*We will update kindergarten families when PikMyKid is updated with all pick-up modes available for kindergarten students.
For Parents/Guardians
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Complete Control: You can manage your K-4 student’s dismissal schedule for the entire week, month, or year right from the app.
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Diverse Options: Select if your child is going home via walker, car-pick up, bus, or staying for after-school activities like LEAP, Park & Rec programs, or school-sponsored activities.
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Total Accuracy: Since many students have different dismissal plans daily, the app keeps track of all your updated choices, making it the single, most accurate source of information.
For Teachers
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Focus on Teaching: When all dismissal communication comes through the app, teachers can simply pull up their class list at the end of the day and instantly see an accurate plan for every student.
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Reduced Distractions: This eliminates the need for teachers to sift through emails and notes for 18-20 children, allowing them to remain focused on teaching and student supervision, not dismissal plans.
How to Make a Dismissal Change
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Daily Deadline: Last-minute changes can be entered directly into PikMyKid up until 1:00 PM. The app will automatically alert both teachers and me of the update. I will then distribute the final dismissal change list to all faculty and staff by 2:00 PM.
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Post-Deadline Changes: For any urgent changes that need to be made after the 1:00 PM deadline, please call the office directly at 781-259-9404 to ensure the teacher receives the information immediately.
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The K-4 Quick Guide has all of the information you need to get started at Lincoln School:
- Breakfast, Lunch, and Snack
- Dismissal
- Reporting an Absence
- Contact Information and more!
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As we prepare for the upcoming school year, our focus remains on creating a safe, inclusive, and highly engaged learning environment for every student. To achieve this, we are writing to share an important update regarding our new district Personal Electronic Devices policy (attached at the end of this letter).
The K-4 continues to have a "bell-to-bell" personal electronic devices free environment.
While technology is a powerful tool when used safely and aligned with learning objectives, personal devices have proven to carry a heavy cost to our students' academic focus and emotional well-being. This shift is about changing our school culture so that students can truly relax, focus, and connect with one another.
How does this policy benefit our school community?
Our core goals are to lower student stress, reduce distractions, and build the academic stamina required for deep learning. Most importantly, we want to foster a true sense of inclusion, belonging, and community—things that are severely hindered when students are distracted by personal electronic devices.
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Safety and Community: According to school safety experts—including the National Education Association (NEA) and districts like Newtown, CT—keeping phones put away actually increases school safety and streamlines emergency protocols. (The Anxious Generation, 2024)
- Compliance with pending Massachusetts legislation: This proactive step aligns directly with current legislative momentum across the Commonwealth. The Massachusetts Legislature is actively deliberating statewide framework bills (such as House Bill 5366 and Senate Bill 2561), already passed in draft form by both the House and Senate. The bill is aimed at mandating phone-free public schools to protect student learning and mental health. Rather than scrambling to adapt after a formal law passes, our district is taking the lead now to ensure our students benefit from a focused environment from day one.
How It Works
To ensure absolute consistency, this policy will be enforced across school classrooms, hallways, and essentials rooms.
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Secure Storage: Upon entering the building, students will place their turned-off phones, smartwatches, and other personal electronic devices into their lockers (grades 5-8) or classroom cubby (grades K-4). Phones will remain there from the morning bell until the dismissal bell.
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Navigating the Challenges Together
We know this shift will require an adjustment period for both students and families. We anticipate a few logistical hurdles and appreciate your partnership in navigating them:
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Contacting Your Child: If you need to reach your child for an early dismissal or an emergency, please contact the main office at 781-259-9404. We will ensure they get the message immediately.
- If a student is found accessing or using their phone or other personal electronic device during the school day, it will be confiscated and brought to the main office. The device will returned to the student unless it is an ongoing issue in which case a parent or legal guardian will be required to come to the school office to retrieve it.
Medical Needs
If your child requires access to a personal electronic device for a medical reason, such as a connected glucose monitor, please contact the school nurse or student services coordinator.
What's Next
We are confident that the rewards—more smiles, better conversations, higher focus, and a stronger school community—is profoundly worth it.
Thank you for your trust, support, and partnership as we lean into a healthier, more connected and productive school year.
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Personal Electronic Devices, Code of Conduct (p 52-53 of the Student and Family Handbook)
Personal Electronic Devices
Student use of personal electronic devices (such as mobile phones, smart watches, smart glasses, computers, tablets, gaming devices, or any other device capable of audio/video recording or connecting to the internet) is not allowed during the school day. Devices must be turned off and stored in a student locker or bag prior to the start of school and should not be taken out until after dismissal.
Parents are encouraged to have their students leave personal electronic devices at home and should contact the main office if a need arises for contacting their student during the school day.
If a student requires access to a personal electronic device for disability or medical reasons, please contact the student services coordinator or school nurse.
School bus transportation is an extension of the school day and personal electronic device use on buses are only permitted as specified in the Bus Safety Rules expectations.
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Walking Tacos — featuring local beef
Hot Dogs
Chicken Smackers
Local Burgers
Over the past few years, we’ve had great success working with our local vendors to bring local New England products and produce into our school meals. We’re excited to continue that work this year and bring as many local products as we can to our students!
September Entrées to Look Forward To
September 8
Homemade BBQ Chicken Quesadilla
Black Bean & Corn Quesadilla
September 15
Shredded Chicken Tinga
Bean & Cheese Pupusa
September 24
Baked Moroccan Chicken Thighs — featuring local chicken from Maine Family Farms - and Jollof Rice
And remember—every student can receive one free breakfast with milk and one free lunch with milk every school day! Our lunches are served using the Offer vs. Serve model. Students are offered all five meal components and must select at least 3 components, with at least one being a fruit or vegetable.
Students who would like milk only or an additional milk with their meal will need to have money available on their meal account. Additional milk is $0.65 each.
We’re excited to offer students nutritious meals, plenty of choices, and lots of delicious local products throughout the school year!
Adults are also able to purchase lunch daily. In addition to our main entrees, we serve salads with local, hydroponically grown, Little Leaf lettuce. If you would like to purchase lunch, please email your Cafeteria Manager (Lincoln: Ashley Hurley - hurleya@lincnet.org or Hanscom: Alexis Suden - sudena@lincnet.org) by 9AM with your lunch order. Adult lunches cost $5.50 plus tax and include the entree, a milk and all of the choices on the Produce bar.
Menus are always subject to change and you will be notified if there are any entree changes. Menus can always be viewed HERE. This is the best place to view allergy information, see the full menu with all of the offerings and view the menu in other languages.
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We’re excited to share that the Lincoln Public Schools have adopted a new communications platform called ParentSquare to help us keep you better informed and more connected with our school community.
With ParentSquare, you’ll receive regular school and classroom communication for all of your LPS students in one place, translated into your preferred language. You will be able to choose how you receive messages - by email, text, app, or web.
To get the most out of ParentSquare, we encourage you to download the free mobile app, available for iOS and Android. You can also access ParentSquare from your web browser at www.parentsquare.com. |
Join Spark Kindness for a free virtual evening with nationally recognized psychologist, bestselling author, and parenting expert Dr. Lisa Damour.
Healthy relationships begin early and evolve as children grow. Every stage of childhood brings new friendship challenges and opportunities to build essential social and emotional skills. Dr. Damour will share practical, evidence-based strategies for helping young people build healthy relationships, navigate conflict, and respond to bullying with confidence.
Drawing on decades of clinical experience and the latest research on child and adolescent development, Dr. Damour's compassionate approach helps caregivers:
- Understand what's developmentally typical
- Recognize when additional support may be needed
- Respond to the everyday social and emotional challenges children and teens face with confidence
Program Includes Live Q&A
Participants are invited to submit questions in advance or ask them during the webinar using Zoom's Q&A feature. You'll leave with useful tools and insights you can put into practice right away to support the young people in your life.
Accessibility
Spark Kindness is committed to providing events that are accessible to all community members. Please contact us with accommodation questions or requests at info@sparkkindness.org. Spark Kindness is an Autism Welcoming Organization.
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Hello K-2 Soccer Families!
Join us for another amazing In-Town season with Lincoln Youth Soccer! Calling Grades K-2 to come and learn basic soccer skills, have fun with friends and learn to be part of a town team!
Dates & Time
Saturdays, September 12 - October 31
Grades K-1: 8-9am @ Smith Field (behind the Red Playground)
Grade 2: 9-10am @ Smith Field (behind the Red Playground)
Registration Fee ($250) covers the Fall & Spring season
What to Expect: Each week players will work with their specific team and coaches. We will spend half of the practice working on our fundamental skills through fun games and drills. The second half of the practice will be spent scrimmaging 5 v 5 against another one of the Lincoln teams. Players learn how to improve their skills, while having fun and learning what It means to be part of a team.
What To Bring: Please wear sneakers/ cleats and shin pads and bring a water bottle. Players will be given jerseys and team assignments at the first practice.
WE NEED YOUR HELP! Consider Being a Parent Coach! As most of you know, Lincoln Youth Soccer is run by the support of Parent volunteers. We are looking for several additional parents to volunteer to be a parent coach/assistant coach to help the season run smoothly. The more parents involved the easier it is for teams to have coverage week-to-week and to keep the teams a manageable size. Please note that no experience is necessary. All our practice plans are posted on a weekly MOJO app and are very easy to understand and follow. The MOJO app provides videos to show you how each game and drill should run. PLEASE consider getting involved. This program is most successful when we have the dedication and excitement from the parent coaches. If you are interested in helping this season, please reach out to sallyannecoleman@gmail.com
We look forward to seeing you and your players back on the field this Fall!
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This fall for the 17th year, Sudbury Flag Football League will be running an organized flag football program in Sudbury. This is a non-contact contact version of football where young players can develop their passing, catching and defending skills. The SFFL Is for BOTH Boys and Girls. The games will be played by the Official National Flag Football rules. Each player who is placed on a team will receive an NFL replica jersey with NFL team colors with matching shorts and a flag belt and flags.
If you are interested in having your child join the League, visit our website to register
at www.sudburyflagfootball.com or email Sudburyflagfootballleague@gmail.com.
We have a limited number of spots available. Please do not wait till the last minute because once we hit capacity, we will NOT be able to add any new players. Unfortunately, last year we had to turn some players away.
The first proposed date of the league is Sunday 9/13. The drop-dead date for registration is Friday 9/4.
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6 Ballfield Road
Lincoln, MA 01773
ph: 781-259-9404
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Sarah Collmer, K-4 Principal
scollmer@lincnet.org / 781-259-9400 x 2300
Alison Bryan, Interim METCO Director
abryan@lincnet.org / 781-259-9400 x 1146
Allie Sears, Student Services Coordinator
asears@lincnet.org / 781-259-9400 x 1139
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Joyce Jennings, RN - School Nurse
jjennings@lincnet.org
Alana McLaughlin, School Nurse Assistant
amclaughlin@lincnet.org
Tel: 781-259-9407
Fax: 781-259-2705
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Catalina Gonzalez
K-8 Administrative Assistant
cgonzalez@lincnet.org
Carolyn Morrissey
K-8 Administrative Assistant
cmorrissey@lincnet.org / 781-259-9408
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Kerri Martinec
Student Services Administrative Assistant
kmartinec@lincnet.org / 781-259-9400 x 2203
Nanette LaRochelle
Administrative Assistant to the Principals
nlarochelle@lincnet.org / 781-259-9404
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If your student needs financial assistance, please review these links. Applications are submitted by US Mail or In-person Drop-Off or by Confidential Fax: 781-259-9246. EMAIL is not confidential.
The town also has financial support available as well.
All applications are confidential.
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