K-4 Family Updates Newsletter |
We had a successful evacuation drill this afternoon. When the drill was announced, staff had to determine if it was safer to lock down inside or evacuate the building knowing there was a situation in the Learning Commons. The students and staff did an excellent job! |
Back-to-School Night General Assembly Remarks
At the beginning of the year, Superintendent Graham recognizes staff members who have reached a significant milestone as an educator in Lincoln. Teachers who successfully complete three years in the district are granted Professional Teaching Status at the beginning of their 4th year. Congratulations to our literacy specialist Marc Haggerty, music teacher Elisabeth Hoffman, and 3rd grade teacher Laura Witherbee! There is also recognition from the district and Lincoln Educators Association for educators who have been in the district for 25 years- congratulations to 4th grade teacher Jen O’Sullivan!
I also want to introduce you to our new faculty members: Dee Shea joined the 2nd grade team, Courtney Philbin is the Preschool-8th Grade Instructional Coach, and Dr. Jaron Green is the LIncoln METCO Director and Building Administrator.
At our opening meeting, we also heard from Rob Ford, the Director of Educational Operations and Technology, about screen time. He shared a funny and insightful metaphor comparing screen time and eating time. While eating fast food may reduce the amount of time one spends eating, eat time is not the right metric for nutrition. Similarly, our metrics for effective use of technology should measure more than screen time. Rob and the district Instructional Technology Team developed a Five Question Framework for evaluating Instructional Technology use in the classroom to guide our thinking around technology use that enhances learning. You can view the Five Question Framework in the General Assembly slides linked below. Thanks to Cindy Matthes and Mark McDonough, Lincoln School IT’s for their contributions to this resource!
There is a tremendous amount of curriculum work happening throughout the district. Led by Karyn Saxon, the district LASH Coordinator - Literacy, Arts, Social Studies and Humanities, we are in year 2 of our new literacy curriculum from EL Education. The first year of curriculum implementation can feel like following the GPS directions to a location you are going to for the first time. The second year, you know where you’re going and have a sense of when to go faster, slower, anticipate confusion- in other words, internalize how to teach the lessons, units and modules. We will continue working with Toolkit and the Department of Education to ensure teachers have what they need to provide high quality instruction to your kids. |
We are currently in the process of selecting a new math curriculum. Our STEM Coordinator, Steph McKenna worked with the district math team to review 16 math programs, and brought 21 district staff members together to work on a committee charged with evaluating 6 programs using a scoring tool to evaluate pacing (how the curriculum progresses across the year), culturally responsive teaching practices (ways of teaching that connect student cultures, languages, and life experiences to everyday classroom learning), and the effective teaching practices from the National Council of Teaching Mathematics. This year, we are piloting two math curriculums - Amplify Desmos and Imagine Math. Thanks to the K-4 faculty who volunteered their time and insights on the curriculum review committee: Liz Eisenman, Rachel Goldner, Adele Julien, Nicole McDonagh, Alechia Torchia, and Laura Witherbee!
Our dedicated team—classroom teachers, academic specialists, student services faculty, paraprofessionals, and support staff—brings tremendous creativity, skill, and heart to our school every day. We are deeply committed to making a positive impact on every student who walks through our doors. Thank you for all you do at home to prepare your child for learning. We look forward to partnering with you to make this a wonderful year of growth, community, and fun!
Stay safe during the anticipated Nor'easter this weekend!
Sincerely, Sarah |
SEPTEMBER 2026 9/25-9/26 - Chuseok (Korean) 9/25-10/2 - Sukkot (Jewish)
OCTOBER 2026 10/2 - National Custodian Appreciation Day 10/2 - MCC Monthly Meeting (virtual), 9:30-10:30 10/3 - Shemini Atzeret (Jewish) 10/4 - Simchat Torah Jewish 10/5 - School Picture Day 10/8 - Kindergarten PTO Enrichment: Discovery Museum Bubbles Workshop 10/11-10/20 - Navaratri (Hindu) 10/12 - No School - Indigenous Peoples’ Day 10/20 - Dussehra (Hindu) 10/23 - 2nd Grade Music Performance (details coming soon!) 10/31 - Halloween
Parent-Teacher Conferences by appointment 10/28, 1:35-4:00 10/29, 5:00-8:00 11/4, 1:35-6:00 |
We had two visitors from Bentley University talk about "SDGs for You and Me", the afterschool program they are running her at Lincoln School.
From the Bentley Website: Bentley students designed SDGs for You and Me to inspire the next generation of changemakers. Through facilitated workshops, activities, and reflections in weekly sessions, Bentley students teach elementary school students about the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. These elementary school students are also challenged and equipped to drive progress toward these goals on a local level.
It's not too late to sign up!
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We are excited to share that Lincoln Public Schools supports the use of therapy dogs in our classrooms!
Research shows that spending time with gentle, trained therapy dogs can make a wonderful difference in a child’s school day. These friendly helpers offer comfort and encouragement, giving students an extra boost both emotionally and academically.
How therapy dogs help our students: - Kids love reading aloud to a patient, non-judgmental furry friend, which builds reading confidence and language skills.
- A visit with a calm, friendly dog helps soothe worries, brighten moods, and make school feel even safer and more welcoming.
- Interacting with therapy dogs encourages empathy, positive connection, and personal growth.
- When children feel emotionally secure and supported, they are better ready to focus, participate, and succeed in class.
We look forward to the smiles and positive energy our therapy dog partners will bring to our school community! |
Want to help at school? Join us as a compost helper!
Looking for a way to help at school? Join us as a compost helper! Volunteers guide students as they sort their lunch items—volunteer weekly, monthly, or quarterly.
Questions? Contact Green Team members Gwen Blumberg (School Librarian), Nicole McDonagh, (Kindergarten Teacher), or our parent and community volunteers: Emily Hasslet, Candace Pearson, or Lauren Wirth. We'd love to have you! |
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. |
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!
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. |
Monday, Oct. 26, 2026 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm
Kennedy Middle School (Auditorium) 165 Mill Street Natick, MA 01760
For parents, caregivers, educators, and community members who support children and teens of all ages. Do mornings feel rushed? Is homework a daily challenge? Does your child need frequent reminders to get organized, manage time, start tasks, or follow through? Executive functioning skills—the skills that help us plan, organize, manage time, regulate emotions, and complete tasks—are essential for success at home, in school, and in everyday life. Sarah Ward will share practical, easy-to-implement strategies to help children and teens strengthen these skills and develop greater independence and confidence. Participants will learn how to support young people in organizing materials, managing time, breaking tasks into manageable steps, creating effective routines, and taking greater ownership of their responsibilities.
Participants will leave with tools to help young people: - Build effective study habits and homework routines
- Organize materials and manage tasks
- Better understand time and plan ahead
- Initiate and complete assignments more independently
- Develop confidence and self-advocacy skills
This interactive program will provide caregivers with practical strategies they can begin using right away to help children and teens become more organized, independent, and prepared for the demands of school and 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. ASL interpretation is available upon request. Request must be made no later than 7 business days prior to event.
About Our Presenter Sarah Ward, M.S., CCC/SLP has over 30 years of experience in the treatment of executive dysfunction. She is an internationally recognized expert on executive function and presents seminars on the practical strategies she has developed with her Co-Director, Kristen Jacobsen. Together, they created the 360 Thinking Executive Function Program, which received the Innovative Promising Practices Award from CHADD. Their latest work, The Time Tracker Program—a groundbreaking three-volume book series—has received high acclaim for its innovative approach to shifting students from adult-managed to self-regulated time management. Sarah has presented to over 2,200 public and private schools and organizations across the globe. In recognition of their international impact on executive function skills in education, Sarah and Kristen were named one of the Top 10 Professional Development Providers for 2023 by Education Technology Insights Magazine.
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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
Dr. Jaron Green, METCO Director & Building Administrator jgreen@lincnet.org / 781-259-9400
Allie Sears, Student Services Coordinator asears@lincnet.org / 781-259-9400 x 1139 |
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 |
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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