Lincolnshire News

Lincolnshire Elementary - 17545 Lincolnshire Road - Hagerstown, MD 21740

Phone: (301) 766-8206
Fax: (301) 582-0428

February 2015
Volume 3, Number 5

Mrs. Beth Allshouse, Principal

Mr. Matt Wagner, Assistant Principal

Principal and Assistant

Principal Message

Exxon Mobil Grant

Thanks to the efforts of Mark Fulton of the AC&T

Travel Center at 11564 Hopewell Road Hagerstown,
Lincolnshire Elementary has been awarded a $500
ExxonMobil Educational Alliance grant. Lincolnshire will
use this grant to support our math and science
curriculum. Funded by the Exxon Mobil Corporation, the
ExxonMobil Educational Alliance program is designed to
provide retailers like AC&T with an opportunity to invest in
the future of their community through educational grants
to neighborhood schools.

1st Grade
News
Our Valentines Day party will be on Friday,
February 13th.
In reading, we will be focusing on describing a
character and what type of personality that character
has. We will be extending it to how that character
might change over time within the text.
In math, we will be moving towards adding and
subtracting 2-digit numbers. We will be learning new
strategies to help us complete math problems quicker.
In writing we will be starting opinion writing. We will
be focusing on persuading others to see our
viewpoint.
In science, we will be learning all about sound and
how vibrations cause sounds to happen.

Winter is well under way as we begin another

round of testing at Lincolnshire. These tests help
teachers plan instruction based on strengths and
areas for growth. It is very important that students
are well rested in order to do their best each day.
According to research, having a scheduled bed time
for elementary aged students helps them perform
better at school. A great routine before bed time is
to read with your child or have discussions about
what they are reading.
Great news for Lincolnshire Elementary! The
Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE)
has selected Lincolnshire Elementary to have two
full day Pre-Kindergarten classrooms for the 20152016 school year. Funding for this program will be
provided by the MSDE Pre K expansion grant.
Early learning helps students succeed by
establishing foundational skills and routines in a
classroom setting. We are very excited to give
students an opportunity to learn all day with us.
More information about this program will be made
available in the near future.

PE Upcoming events!!
During the month of February, Lincolnshire will be
participating in Jump Rope for Heart! Fundraiser slips
will be going home with each student by February 2nd.
All students will get to participate in the JUMP event on
February 27th even if they did not participate in the
fundraiser portion! There are instructions for online
donations on the forms and as a reminder please also
note that we cannot accept any cash in the donation
envelopes! Please convert all cash to either a check
or money order!
The Washington County Jr. Olympics event is also
quickly approaching! The event is set for May 2nd and
will be returning to South Hagerstown High School again
this year. The event is open to all 4th and 5th grades
students. Permission slips for this event will be going
home before spring break (late March).

Page 2 of 6

Grade Level News

Lincolnshire Elementary School

News from the Media Center

Greetings from the Media Center. I am excited to be starting the second half of the school year.
Second, fourth and fifth grade students will all be starting big research units this marking period. Second grade
students will be studying an animal of their choice and sharing what they learn through some computer program. Fourth
grade will be learning all about insects and spiders. They will be sharing projects with first grade. Most fifth grade
students will be learning about endangered animals, but some will be allowed to choose a different topic. Eventually
they will be sharing what they learn with kindergarten students. All 3 of these grades will be using a research model
called Super3 (for younger students) or Big6 (for intermediate students). They will be learning a lot and working hard!
Kindergarten has been listening to books by Mo Willems. I strongly encourage parents to look for these books to
read with your children. His website is www.mowillems.com. We are moving on to a new author, Melanie Watt. They will
be reading Scaredy Squirrel and Chester books. We are working on listening, thinking, discussing and retelling skills.
First and third grade are listening to books that are part of a contest called Black-Eyed Susan books. We are
making response journals to use as we read. We will be reading about Martin Luther King, Jr., Helen Keller, bees, the
Beatles, basketball, baseball, and books that are just plain fun.
I recently purchased 146 ebooks that are for reading online. The website is www.mycapstonelibrary.com. The
username is lincolnshire. The password is book. Please take advantage of this different selection of books to read at
home. I would love to get feedback about the use of these ebooks. Let me know if your students are taking advantage
of them, and if you find them useful. Some of the books are for recreational reading and some should support the
classroom curriculum.
Dont forget to take advantage of our countys Library Portal at http://wcpsmd.follettdestiny.com. This link will take
you to the library catalog for Lincolnshire. It will also take you to the many online database resources that are paid for by
the county. The username for most of the resources will be wctys14 and the password will be linco.
Thanks for all you do to encourage your students use of the Media Center and Reading!
Mrs. Byers, Library Media byersmel@wcps.k12.md.us

Kindergarten Corner
We are half way through the school and year and are so excited with all the
growth we have seen so far! A couple of friendly reminders for the next half of
the school year:
Continue to read a book with your child EVERY night!
Continue to practice building their reading strategies and working on
comprehension.
Please help your child complete their homework every week. Homework
is due on Fridays.
ODDS & ENDS
We are always in need of snack, tissues, hand sanitizer and Clorox
wipes.
We will be celebrating Valentines Day on Friday, February 13 th. We are
asking for donations and will be sending home a letter soon.
Please make sure that your child is wearing appropriate clothing. We will
continue to go outside if the temperature is above 32 degrees and if
there is not snow on the ground.
Please make sure that your child is wearing sneakers on P.E. days.
Those days are always the same and are listed on the weekly
Newsletter.

Goodies for Prize Boxes

The teachers have been thrilled with all the goodies parents have sent in
for their prize boxes. We accept all Happy Meal type, leftover party supplies
and goodie bag items you may have. Pencils/stickers and erasers are great
too!

Thank You
Lincolnshire would like to thank
the Williamsport Lions Club for
your $250.00 donation to our
school.

Campbell Soup
Labels
Dont forget to save your Campbell
Soup labels. Last year classes
received playground balls. Thanks for
all your help and save those labels.

Dont Forget to
Recycle!
Lincolnshire Elementary is still
collecting used inkjet and laser printer
cartridges to recycle. Our school
earns money for e+ rewards for every
cartridge we send in. Please drop off
your used cartridges in the office.

Lincolnshire Elementary School

Grade Level News

Grade 5

4th Grade
This February, we
will be beginning
a new Science unit focusing on
Lincolnshire
Elementary
School
structures of life. We will study living things and how
they are
adapted
to
Grade
Level
News
live in their environment. In Math, we will continue to work on fractions,
using what weve already learned to add and subtract fractions. We will be
focusing on informative texts in reading and will continue to build our skills
in reading to learn. In Writing, we will begin a new unit on informative
writing.
The weather has gotten very cold, so wed like to make sure that
students are dressed appropriately for the weather. At the beginning of the
month, we will be taking a trip to the Planetarium to review our past
Science unit. No chaperones are needed for this trip. As always, donations
of hand sanitizer, Clorox wipes, and tissues are greatly appreciated. The 4 th
Grade team would also like to remind you to fill out your
chaperone/volunteer paperwork now, as we will have a couple of field trips
coming up in the spring. Thank you for your continued support as we work
together to ensure your childs success!

2nd Grade
Second Grade has started off the
New Year with challenging units of
study for our students. In Reading,
we are using a variety of strategies to
improve fluency and comprehension.
We are focusing on informational
writing while studying slow and fast
changes on the Earth. In math, we
are studying addition and subtraction
of 2 digit numbers and money.
Remember to ask your child what
they are learning each day at school!
We are looking forward to
continuing to give our students every
opportunity for success as we move
into the second half of our school
year! Thanks for all your support and
we continue to look forward to work
with you to instill a love for learning in
your child!

Page
Page 33 of
of 6
6

3rd Grade
Happenings
Third grade will be focusing on
water and the water cycle in
reading and in science. We will
do various water investigations
and read both fiction and
nonfiction books about water. In
Math, third grade will be
focusing on fractions. Make sure
your third grade student is
continuing
to
study
their
addition,
subtraction,
multiplication and division. Third
grade will also be getting ready
for our second round of map
tests.

Pre-K Happenings
Happy February Pre-K families! We have lots of exciting things happening
in Pre-K this month. We will kick off our month with a 100th Day of School
celebration. Students are working hard on their counting and number sense
skills and are excited to share what they've learned. We will continue to focus
on letter recognition, concepts of print and writing. Please continue to work
with your children at home on writing their name and utilize the Raising a
Reader books to encourage literacy skills. There are lots of wonderful learning
experiences your children will participate in this month; from Groundhog Day
to Chinese New Year we will explore them all! We also have a special visitor
Lincolnshire
Elementary
School
News
coming to our classroom
to talk with
students aboutGrade
dental Level
health since
February is Dental Health month. It is an awesome month of learning and we
are looking forward to every minute of it!

We finished out the first half of

the year wrapping up our unit on
force, motion, and light in science.
The students seemed to really
enjoy our hands on experiments
and activities during this unit. We
now shift into social studies and will
be covering relationships and
interactions in events that lead to
the Revolutionary War. We are
moving from fractions into decimals
in math and will soon start
research-based argument writing.
Information was recently sent
home about Outdoor School
chaperons/volunteers. Please let
us know if you are willing and able
to help us at Outdoor School as a
short training is required prior to
going.
One of the best things you can
do to support your student's
education is to encourage their
reading. Reading at least 20
minutes every night is usually
assigned as homework. Please
provide time and a quiet place for
your child to read daily.
Thank you for partnering with us
to help your child learn and grow!

Box Tops

We have one more collection for

this year of Box Tops. Send them in
to your teachers to help them buy
more supplies for their classrooms.

Coke Points
Coke has decided to extend the
Coke point caps and cartons for
the schools. Please continue
sending in your
coke 3points
Page
of 6for
great stuff for our kids.

Page 3 of 6

Grade Level News

Lincolnshire Elementary School

Geography Bee
Nine students from fourth and fifth grade competed in the Geography Bee on
January 9, 2015. The students had the opportunity to take a qualifying test to
participate in the Geography Bee. The nine students that scored the highest on this
test were then chosen to participate in our school level bee. The students were very
prepared and answered many difficult questions correctly! The students did a
wonderful job. Congratulations to our school Geography Bee winner Alexander
Bromwell and our second place winner Courtney Daniels. As the school winner,
Alexander has also taken a test to see if he will qualify for the state level geography
bee.

Congratulations Alex and good luck.

LUNCH & LEARN

PARENT PARCC WEBINARS
February 2015
Presented by:
Title: Social Studies: A Piece of the PARCC
Donna
Olszewski,
MSDE, Social
Puzzle
Studies
Date: February 5, 2015
Education
Specialist
Time: 1:00-1:30 PM
Cecilia J. Roe, MSDE, Direction of
Limited Spaces are available!
Instructional
Assessment & Professional
Register Here:
Development
http://bit.ly/ParentWebinarSocialStudies

Description: How does social studies contribute to a students success on

PARCC? Learn what happens during a social studies lesson that reinforces the
skills needed when taking the PARCC Assessment. Also, receive some strategies
that you can use at home.
Title: English/Language Arts
Date: February 6, 2015
Time: 1:00-1:30 PM
Limited Spaces are available!
Register Here:
http://bit.ly/PARCC-ELA1

Title: Mathematics
Date: February 12, 2015
Time: 1:00-1:30 PM
Limited Spaces are available!
Register Here:
http://bit.ly/PARCCMath 1

Presented by:
Kanika Dorsey, MSDE,
English/Language Arts Education
Specialist
Cecilia J. Roe, MSDE Direction of
Instructional Assessment & Professional
Development

Presented by:
MSDE Mathematics Office
Cecilia J. Roe, MSDE Direction of
Instructional Assessment & Professional
Development

Description: Developing an understanding of the timeline and process for the

implementation of the PARCC mathematics test. Discover resources to support
your child before and while taking the PARCC Assessment.

FEBRUARY 2015
Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

10

11

12

13

14
Valentines

TH

4 Grade
Planetarium

TH

4 Grade
Planetarium

15

16
NO
SCHOOL

17

18

19

20

22

23

24

25

26

27
Jump Rope
for Heart

Day
21

28