Imagine Lincoln PCS Newsletter Dece m ber, 2009 Volume 1, Issue 3 Principal Kimberly Strayhorn From the Principal s Desk Dear Imagine Lincoln Public Charter School Family, Contents Principal s Desk 1 Upcoming Events 1 Kindergarten News 2 First Grade News 2 Second Grade News 2 Third Grade News 3 Fifth/Sixth Grade News 3 Character Counts 4 Nurse s Info 4 Many wonderful things are happening at Imagine Lincoln Public Charter School! We received twenty computers from the Library of Congress to enhance student s use of technology. Our MSA Extended Learning program began in October to further assist students understanding of the MSA testing format, structure, and to help build student s testing stamina. We are well on our way to making academic gains across all grade levels. Additionally, our boys and girls basketball teams, and cheerleaders also began practicing in October. Our basketball teams will sport new uniforms this school year, thanks to a donation by One Elite Enterprise. Imagine Lincoln Public Charter School is proud to announce our newest endeavor to go green. In an effort to save paper, and ultimately save the environment, the newsletter, will be entirely paperless and online at www.1pgcps.org/lincoln. However, in an effort to accommodate, those who would like to have a paper copy please forward a request to your child s teacher. We have also a calling system to notify parents of school events, web updates, and PTO announcements. See Ms. Moody to update your telephone number if you have not been receiving phone calls from the school. Enjoy your winter break and we look forward to seeing you in the New Year. Counselor s Corner 4 Dec. 18, 2009 Second Quarter Progress Reports Released Dec. 21, 2009 Citizenship Assembly Gr. 3-6 Dec 24-Jan. 4, 2010 Winter Break Jan. 5, 2010 ~ Charter School Info. Night Jan. 25, 2010 No School For students Charter School Information Session Tuesday, January 5, 2010 at 6:30pm I chose a Charter School for my child, now what? at River of Life, 3106 Branch Avenue, Temple Hills, MD (next to Imagine Lincoln Public Charter School) A question box is located in the main office!
Page 2 of 4 Grade Level News School Newsletter Kindergarten News You always pass failure on the way to success. Mickey Rooney. In Kindergarten, we are continuing to add a plethora of words to our sentences. Students have begun chunking words and reading words with the same ending sounds. We studied short words and are beginning to use those words in sentences as well. We've read stories about friendship and how to be a good friend. Socially, we are also learning how to be good friends and using our words instead of hitting to show our emotions. In Math, we are beginning to learn partners and how to use partners when we are adding. Students are beginning to identify the symbols of addition such as the plus and equal sign. In Science, we have been studying Weather and the Seasons. We are studying the different types of weather conditions and how they affect our lives. We will begin studying severe weather conditions such as thunder and lightning, hurricanes, tornadoes, and blizzards. In Social Studies, we have been studying the different types of Holidays that are celebrated and where the holiday originated from. We are also comparing the similarities and differences among the holidays in the different regions to how we celebrate them in our country First Grade News Our first grade Imagineers are very excited about the arrival of winter and all of the projects we have in store. On Friday, December 18, 2009 we are going to the Smithsonian Natural History Museum to study things from the past and to make connections to the early civilizations. We are also headed to the National Aquarium in January. We will need help from parents for both of these trips. You will need your fingerprints done to join us for this trip. We are beginning a new unit in science on body systems. We are adding with double digit numbers and working on problem solving strategies. In Reading and Language Arts, we are working on questioning, predicting, summarizing, and main idea. We need to practice, so be sure to slide into some good books over the winter break. Have a safe and happy winter break! Second Grade News Happy Holidays from the Second Grade! The second graders are so excited about this holiday season and all the wonderful things they are learning in school thus far! In Reading, we are exploring the theme Around Town. We visited Chinatown, we took a Trip to Firehouse, and next week we will visit with a boy named Ricky as he dreams of being like his father that has a big bushy mustache. We are practicing our reading skills by identifying the main idea and supporting details, exploring proper and common nouns, and next week we will discuss plural nouns. In Math, we are studying place value in order to add and subtract numbers with and without regrouping. We will be visiting time concepts and graphs very soon. In Science, we are discovering ways that plants and animals are like their parents and how plants and animals change as they grow. In Social Studies, we are learning about other countries. Students are getting the opportunity to compare and contrast life in the United States to life in distant countries. HAPPY TRAVELS 2 nd Graders! Get ready for field trips in the New Year. We will be able to learn and explore outside of the classroom, just as we explore inside of the classroom!
School Newsletter Third Grade News Grade Level News Page 3 of 4 Seasons Greetings! We hope this letter finds everyone healthy and in good spirits! In Math we are now completing decimals and will soon be wrapping that up. When we return for the New Year, we will begin measurement and temperature. Please provide students with a ruler, replenish pencils, tissues, and paper. In Reading we are in Theme 3, Incredible Stories. The first two stories were Fantasy. Students really enjoyed them and did a great job distinguishing between fantasy and realism. Spelling lists are in the back of the practice book. WE HAVE SCIENCE BOOKS FOR EVERY CHILD!!! We have wrapped up Chapter 4 and will begin the Human Body on December 14th. As for Social Studies we will begin our first history chapter on Canada. Thanks and Happy Holidays! Fourth Grade News Fourth graders are keeping busy. We are reading a scene from a play adapted from Judy Blume s, A Tale of a Fourth Grade Nothing. We are adding stage directions and dialogue to our vocabulary. In Social Studies, we are making our way through the European Middle Ages and finding out that castles were not very comfortable places to live in. In Math, two and three digit division is occupying our time. In Science we are learning about the Respiratory System. Fifth & Sixth Grade News North Bay Adventure is coming soon. The dates for our excursion to North Bay Adventure are May 10-14, 2010. North Bay is an outdoor educational facility, located in Horseshoe, MD. Trained educators guide. student s discovery through interactive, hands-on activities through all curriculum areas. A parent information meeting will be scheduled in January. Please visit www.northbayadventure.com for additional information on this fabulous learning opportunity for our students. Technology in the Classrooms Advance Reading Challenge The Prince George s County Board of Education continues to celebrate the remarkable progress of Prince George s County public school students, and encourages all students to complete and return their winter vacation homework packets when they return on January 4, 2010. These educational packets are designed to sharpen students skills and prepare them for state exams. Winter Break Packets can be accessed on-line at www.pgcps.org. Please speak with your child s teacher if you need a printed copy. The ARC Holiday Party has been moved from December 21, 2009 to Tuesday, December 22nd from 4:00-6:00 pm. The Party is for students who have met the December deadline of reading 4 or 5 books. Parent volunteers are needed. If you would like to assist, please email me at karyn.parris@pgcps.org Students are encouraged to check out books from the school library for over the Christmas Break. February will be the next ARC incentive which will be a pizza party. Students should have read 10-12 books for this incentive. TAG is up and running. A newsletter will be forthcoming for the month of January.
Imagine the Possibilities! Imagine Lincoln Public Charter School s Mission The mission of Imagine Lincoln Public Charter School is to provide students with a world-class learning opportunity by maintaining a caring learning environment: working with parents and local communities to develop the intellect and character of the students who choose to attend the school; utilizing innovative teaching techniques delivered by a superior faculty; and offering a challenging curriculum that prepares children for lives of leadership in a rapidly changing world. 3120 Branch Ave Temple Hills, MD 20748 (301) 505-6020 (office) (301) 505-6021 (fax) We re on the Web! http://www1.pgcps.org/lincoln School Nurse Our H1N1 clinic was held December 10, 2009 for those students who returned their consent forms. The parents/guardians of those students will be contacted when the date for the second vaccination has been scheduled. The Mobile Dentist is scheduled to come to our school on January 20 th for cleanings and screenings. Consent forms will be sent home after the winter break. Please return them in a timely fashion, as we need an accurate count in order to confirm the date. Character Counts! Character Education Assemblies for students in grades 3-6 are scheduled for the following dates: Dec. 21, 2009 Feb. 5, 2010 April 30, 2010 All assemblies will be held at 10:00 a.m. at the River of Life Church (next door) Recognitions for grades k-2 will be arranged by their classroom teachers and will take place in student s classrooms. Counselor s Center Jr. Achievement of the National Capital Area is coming to sixth grade. The vision and purpose of Jr. Achievement is to use hands-on experiences to help young people understand the economics of life. In partnership with business and educators, Junior Achievement brings the real world while opening their minds to potential. This is another excellent opportunity for our students.
Imagine Lincoln Shared Values Guiding Framework Imagine Lincoln Public Charter School 2009-2010 School Year 1. What does I am Imagine mean to you? I am Imagine means that every stakeholder (parents, students, all staff) has a say in making decisions. We are all accountable to one another. We are a reflection of the community that we serve. We all have a certain sense of ownership. We are a part of a bigger network of educators and one of many Imagine campuses across the country. 2. How does your school operate with integrity? Our school operates with integrity by holding all stakeholders accountable for their actions, instruction of children and decision-making. We must operate as one and demonstrate the same shared values outside of school as we do inside. The school must set high expectations for all students and staff. 3. Does Justice characterize your school? Please explain your answer. Justice characterizes our school because we treat others fairly, meaning that staff and students are treated as individuals by addressing each one s specific needs. Everyone isn t treated the same, but treated according to their needs as individuals. We recognize the needs and talents of students and staff in addition to their work. We allow all stakeholders to make decisions and feel comfortable about the final decisions that are made, even though at times these decisions may have adverse effects. As long as we have sought input from others before making decisions, we are satisfied. 4. What s fun about your job and school? We have the freedom to make decisions as professionals and receive the satisfaction from the results of those decisions. The school and job are fun when we see students learn. We see children take responsibility for their peers development. We guide them toward making significant gains academically. We develop new professional relationships.