Dear Lincoln Public Schools Families,

Happy snowy Monday! Apologies for the late communication – for this week’s message I wanted to recognize the purposes for the long weekend, and draw your attention to a free webinar focused on keeping children safe and secure online.

Today we recognize Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Initially established as a federal holiday in 1983, this is a day when we recognize and reflect on the life and legacy of Dr. King, and the importance of the American civil rights movement that Dr. King helped to lead. Two of the core values in Lincoln Public Schools are respect for every individual and a focus on creating communities where all voices are heard – these values connect directly to the legacy of Dr. King, and continue to guide the work that we do every day.  

In addition to today’s holiday, students also had a day off on Friday, but it was a work day for our faculty and administrators. Each year we schedule a day of professional development when our staff can work, learn, and collaborate together on important topics. This year’s professional development day allowed faculty to spend time working on a variety of topics, including the implementation of the EL literacy curriculum, the development of student self-regulation skills, and how to leverage AI to enhance teaching. To end the day, all faculty and administrators had the opportunity to view and discuss a documentary around the importance of math skills and how numeric literacy is a key factor in social and economic power. 

While I know that it can be burdensome for families to have children at home on a weekday, these sorts of professional development opportunities help our teachers and administrators improve their own knowledge and skills, and therefore constantly improve the quality of education we are offering to students. We appreciate the community’s support in allowing us to have a day of professional learning, and families’ flexibility in having their children be home on a weekday!

 

As part of Project Safe Childhood, a federal initiative launched back in 2006, the local US Attorney’s office for Massachusetts is sponsoring a free webinar for parents called Keeping Kids Safe and Secure Online. The webinar will take place on February 3rd from 6:30 - 8:00 PM, and participants need to register in advance (there is a limit of 1000 registrants). Please note: because of the nature of the webinar, there will be content that would not be appropriate for young children.

 

Thank you!

Parry Graham

Superintendent