Recess | Bathroom | Meals | Nurse’s Office | Sick Days and Planned Absences | Before-and After-School Care | Beginning-of-Day and End-of-Day Plans | Half-Day Wednesdays | Early-Release Days | Bus Service | Safety and Preparedness
Recess
There are three recesses every day for Lincoln students. During recess, the students have several options, which include going outside, to the library, or (during morning recess only) to the cafeteria for Art Cart. Special curriculum/events such as Samba, Choir, Orchestra for fourth and fifth graders, and Band for fifth graders are also available to the students if they choose to participate. Students are encouraged to go outside during at least one recess, so be sure that your child is dressed appropriately for all kinds of weather.
The playground is divided into “zones” with a paraeducator assigned to each zone to monitor children. The paraeducators’ primary role is to ensure safety and to keep their eyes and ears open for unsafe situations or behaviors. During the first week of school, the paraeducators visit each classroom and introduce themselves so your child will know who they can go to for help if they are hurt or in trouble.
Bathroom
New students, particularly kindergartners, may be surprised that they are expected to use the bathroom independently. Teachers give students permission to leave the classroom, when appropriate, and use the bathrooms, one of which is located on each floor. Please remember, particularly in the beginning of the year and/or if this is new for your young child, that it is best for them to wear clothes that are easy to navigate. For younger children, pack an extra set of clothes for their cubby or backpack. A few pieces of emergency clothing are available in the office.
Meals
Full-day students at Lincoln have a choice to bring lunch from home or to purchase a district lunch from the cafeteria. Breakfast is also available for purchase. Half-day kindergarten students do not eat lunch at school.
If your child brings a lunch to school, there will be a system in the classroom to help them keep track of it and locate it when it’s time to eat.
For school lunches, there is a payment system through the district. To add funds to your child’s account, use the lunch envelopes in the office, located on the wall to the left of the visitor sign-in sheet. Put your cash or check in the envelope, fill out the appropriate information on the front, and place it in the basket on Wendy Trevorrow’s desk. It will be deposited quickly into your child’s account. Payments may also be made online through Family Access. (There is a service fee. You will receive more information about this online service from the district after the school year begins). If the account is empty, or negative, you will receive a phone call and email from the school district notifying you of the status of the account.
Free and reduced lunches are also available. At the start of the school year, watch for information on this program.
During lunch, your child uses a designated lunch card with their name on it to pay for lunch. Sometimes children decide to purchase a lunch from the cafeteria even if they have a packed lunch from home. If you need help with this, you may have their card removed so they are not able to purchase lunch without a parental note giving permission. Work with Brenda Young, cafeteria services, to manage this or any other meal-related concerns.
Students have approximately 25 minutes for lunch, so packed lunches should be simple to open and quick to eat. There is no way to re-heat food. Youngers have snack time in the morning and in the afternoon. In some classes, families provide snacks for their children individually. In others, parents sign up to provide snacks for the whole class once or twice during the year. Lincoln is a peanut-free school.
Nurse’s Office
Lincoln Elementary has a district nurse who rotates through several schools, so a nurse is not on site every day. The paraeducators and Wendy Trevorrow are able to provide basic nursing services for your child if needed. This includes care for minor cuts, administering medication, taking your child’s temperature, and addressing minor discomfort or pain.
If medication is needed for your child, including over-the-counter medications and topical creams, it must be given to the nurse to administer along with an Authorization to Administer Medications Form signed by you and your healthcare giver. Check with the office to obtain the proper form. Students are not allowed to take medications themselves or carry them with them or in a backpack unless authorized by a healthcare professional.
Sick Days and Planned Absences
If your child is unable to attend school due to illness or an appointment, call the school attendance line at 360-596-6403. Please do not call the main line to report attendance. If you are planning for your student/s to be out of school for non- illness related reasons for three or more consecutive days, see the office to fill out the appropriate paperwork. At the start of the school year, more information will be available in the Daily Details document from the office.
Before- and After-School Care
The YMCA offers for-pay, ongoing care on the Lincoln premises before and after school. It is not a drop-in service. You can sign your child up for Y-Care any time during the summer by stopping into a YMCA branch and filling out a Y-Care form. For more information, call the South Sound YMCA at 360-753-6576.
Beginning-of-Day and End-of-Day Plans
Class begins at 8:40. Students may arrive five minutes before the start of the school day. Please refrain from earlier drop-offs to give your child’s teacher time to make final preparations for the day. Students may not be dropped off early to wait in the office for class to start.
Half-day kindergarten students are released at 11:20. All other students are released at 3:02 on most days at Lincoln Elementary (see Early Release Days below). All times are subject to change by the district. At the end of the day, children are either picked up, walk home, take the bus, or walk to Y-Care. Your teacher may ask you to indicate your end-of-day plan in advance, including where they go after school and/or who is picking them up each day. Names of all adults picking up children at the end of the day must be listed on the appropriate form in the office.
Half-Day Wednesdays
Half-Day Wednesdays
Lincoln does NOT observe the monthly, district-wide late early-release days on the first Wednesday of every month. If your child takes the bus, you will need to arrange for alternate transportation from school on these days. Morning buses will run on schedule.
Early-Release Days
Lincoln’s schedule is unique in that approximately every other Friday, students are released from school at 12:32 to allow for teacher training and collaboration. A volunteer group of parents work to organize a variety of supervised activities for your child, ranging from art classes and computer skills to science and soccer. Early Release Activities occur between 12:32 and 3:02, to coincide with the typical end of the school day for full-day students. Half-day kindergarten students do not participate in Early Release activities. A permission slip is sent home prior to each Early Release with a list of activities and a suggested donation. If your child wishes to participate, fill out the form and return to the office with any appropriate payment. Afternoon bus service runs at the Early Release time, NOT at 3:02. Since this program cannot accommodate Lincoln’s entire student population, this service is intended only for families who need it.
Additionally, the district has scheduled two half-days (Jan 29 and June 10). Dismissal on half-days is 11:45. On these days, there is no half-day kindergarten and Lincoln will not sponsor Early Release Activities.
Bus Service
In a number of neighborhoods, bus service for Lincoln students is available through the school district. Visit http://osd.wednet.edu/departments/transportation for bus route information. For questions, call the OSD Transportation Department at 360-596-7700. Their office closes at 2:00 during summer months.
Safety and Preparedness
All classrooms practice safety drills throughout the year, including safe practice exiting the building. The school is equipped with emergency supplies including snacks, water, blankets, and first aid supplies. The staff also has an up-to-date communications plan tailored for emergency situations.
