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How are you?
By Marcela Abadi
This is the question I get asked often. In fact, with every interaction whether it is on a phone call, during student packet pick up, at the Farmers’ Market, etc.
The truth is that often I answer, “I am OK.” This is because I think; I am healthy, I have a job that I love (yes...I still love my job!!!), I have a home, I can buy groceries…
That is my personal life. I am privileged and fortunate and I am OK.
And yet, there are many things that are not OK when I think in the context of our country……..and I think about them all the time:
- I am not OK with the students not being at school. I miss them and I miss you- the families. Yet I know and accept that this is our reality. I still miss you! We will get through this... schools are meant to be filled with joy and life and learning. And, I really miss you!
- I am not OK with racial injustices, especially the senseless and brutal deaths of so many African Americans.
- I am not OK with the lack of acknowledgement of individuals’ true identities due to misgendering. Please pay attention to each person’s identifying pronouns.
- I am not OK with the Achievement Gap which places students who are the farthest away from educational justice at the lower end of the performance scale. This academic disparity can result from race, economic status, gender, English language proficiency, single parent households, households in which both guardians work or one or both work in the medical field during this pandemic.
- I am not OK with how immigrants are treated, particularly the separation of families and inhumane conditions at our borders.
- And yes, I could go on…..I think you get the gist.
I Wish:
- That families who are “podding”, or those who have a family member able to support and instruct in-home learners, would invite a student who does not have access to such a helpful learning opportunity to join them.
- For the health of our country and our community to improve. For that I continue to recommend: wash your hands, wear a mask, physical distance, and stay at home when you’re not well.
- For us to be together in our Lincoln Options Community!
- To see you and be connected with you!
Today these words from Coretta Scott King inspire me to stay connected, to nurture our community and to know that we have something precious… knowing and caring for each other!
"The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members."
With gratitude,
Marcela
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Love at Lincoln
By Dannie Clark, 2/3 Teacher
"Write it on your heart
that every day is the best day in the year.
He is rich who owns the day, and no one owns the day
who allows it to be invaded with fret and anxiety.
Finish every day and be done with it.
You have done what you could.
Some blunders and absurdities, no doubt crept in.
Forget them as soon as you can, tomorrow is a new day;
begin it well and serenely, with too high a spirit
to be cumbered with your old nonsense.
This new day is too dear,
with its hopes and invitations,
to waste a moment on yesterdays.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
I remember the day we were told schools were closing for two weeks and how temporary it felt. The fear, worry, and stress were less in that moment...it was more of a feeling of security and safety for all. We didn’t know a lot about COVID-19 and the messages were very confusing. Fast forward to the 2020-2021 school year and our feelings, worries, stress, and trauma brings light to a different experience.
I start the article with the poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson because of its trueness, yet how challenging some of the expressions may be illustrated in this poem. We, a Lincoln community want to acknowledge the stress, worry, and feeling of isolation families are experiencing. We know you are doing the very best you can. We are all doing the very best we can. We are facing challenges and obstacles people do not typically experience in their lifetime.
We often hear families say “my kid needs to play with a friend for their own sake” or “we are missing the interactions with other families on the playground after school.” Our realities are different depending on our situations and experiences but overwhelmingly, families are struggling with a feeling of isolation and missing what we typically share and celebrate. Our empathy and love is with you. We are here to listen. We are here to provide support. We are here to provide resources to your family. We are here to extend our virtual hugs and arms to you.
The feeling of isolation and loneliness is something many of us are experiencing more than usual. Families mention the idea of connecting via Zoom for a dance party or to chat and connect. Here are some things Lincoln is doing to increase the sense of connection and community…
- Support Meetings from 5-5:45...
- Weekly on Thursdays starting Nov 5 and we will reevaluate its effectiveness and participation after December 17th.
- Zoom link Family Outreach Meetings
- The Options Community Council (OCC) worked hard to publish the directory. This allows families to connect with one another.
- The OCC collaborates bi-weekly to plan events (via Zoom) to connect families. More to come on this.
Much of what we are experiencing now makes me reflect on our teaching and work on Glasser’s Theory. We teach children about the Basic Needs and identify ways to get these needs met. In some ways, this is entirely out of our control at this time. The 4 Basic Needs are:
- Love and Belonging
- Freedom
- Power...this refers to a sense of achievement
- Fun
An activity you may engage with is to identify what your family has control over in this moment (Sphere of influence) and how you can get your needs met in this exceptionally challenging time.
Lincoln’s hearts and love is with you all.
Please remember, you are doing the very best you can. And, whatever that is, that is okay.
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Specialist News
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A Sense of Place and Habits of Mind
By Paul Rocks, Science Specialist
This year’s all school theme is A Sense of Place. It’s about connecting students to the plants, animals, and people of the Puget Sound region. We live in such a rich environment, with migrating birds, salmon, weather, lowland forests, mountains and the tribes that have lived here from time immemorial. On one hand, this will be challenging since we are spending so much time behind screens, on the other, Olympia is the emergent curriculum. By simply stepping outside of our homes, we will find there is so much to learn, be curious about, and explore; from the night sky to the wooly caterpillar. I will be creating lessons with the intention of keeping students connected to Lincoln as well as this special place. In addition, we will be practicing the following Habits of Mind, integrating them into science, art and physical education. These behaviors deepen our critical thinking skills as we make meaning of the world around us.
Habits of Mind from Art Costa:
- Metacognition
- Remaining Open to Continuous Learning
- Responding with Wonderment and Awe
- Gather Data through the Senses
- Finding Humor
- Questioning and Posing Problems
- Striving for Accuracy
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Lincoln Library
By Kari Rigg, Teacher Librarian
Fall has arrived. While I am always a bit sad to say goodbye to summer, clip the final blooms in the garden and make both commutes in the dark, there is something I love about the dark, rainy days ahead… reading! I want to share with you another GREAT resource for books and information that your student can access for free from home: MyTRL.
MyTRL is a partnership between the Olympia School District and the Timberland Regional Library. MyTRL provides digital access to ebooks, databases, and other online resources at the public library. All students in Kindergarten through 12th grade are automatically given MyTRL access unless a parent or guardian opts out of the program in Skyward Family Access. If your student is UNABLE to access MyTRL, please check your Skyward Family Access settings.
How to Log in to MyTRL
Student logins follow a pattern to make access easier:
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Login
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OSD+student username
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PIN
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4-digit birth month and day
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Let’s imagine the student’s username is: smithbr
And their birthday was March 7.
Here is an example of how that information gets used to log in to MyTRL:
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Login
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OSDsmithbr
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PIN
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0307
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Here is what it looks like on the TRL website:
Students use the login and PIN highlighted above in place of the library barcode # and the PIN. They may need to log in to more than one place in the TRL system for different resources.
Database Access for Research
Students may access databases by going to MyTRL Program for Students and choosing Homework Help for Kids. Once an individual database is selected, the student will be prompted to log in using the procedure shown above.
Overdrive Access for Ebooks
Students may check out Ebooks by going to MyTRL and selecting Book and Apps for Kids (http://www.trl.org/Kids) and choosing Books to Read then Overdrive for Kids
OR Kids
Once a title is selected, the student will be prompted to log in to check out the Ebook. Ebooks may be downloaded to another device (Kindle, etc.) or read on the computer browser. Ebooks are checked out for 21 days and automatically returned at the end of the time period. No overdue fines are possible. Ebook titles may be renewed three days before the end of the check-out period unless someone else has placed a hold, in which case the student may request the title again.
TRL Account Settings
Students may log in to their TRL Account to change settings or reset the PIN. If a PIN is forgotten, it can be recovered only if an email address has been added to the account. OSD does not provide student email addresses to TRL. Students may also call the Timberland Library to have the PIN reset. The phone number is 360-704-INFO.
Other Digital Resources
Other digital services on the Timberland site include Universal Class (free online courses on a variety of topics), Ask-a-Librarian (phone or chat with a reference librarian, 6 days a week) and RBDigital (emagazines). These services are available through MyTRL but will not typically be used at school.
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Stay in touch with our community!
Follow the Lincoln Options page on Facebook, and join the Lincoln Garden Facebook group!
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Community Fundraising
By Michael Santana, Fundraising Chair
Hi everyone,
I hope your Halloween went well, and that you are enjoying the beautiful colors of the trees during this relatively sunny fall season. Despite how good I feel most of the time, I also have moments of sadness when I think about all the great Lincoln events that cannot occur because of the pandemic. By this time in a normal school year, we would already have had a family movie fundraiser at the Capitol Theater, and we would be in the middle of preparations for our annual Wintermarket fundraiser that takes place Thanksgiving weekend. In previous years it was a great way to kick-off the holiday season.
As we enter the month in which we give thanks for all we are fortunate to have, I am donating $250 to support our super-special community during this time when we cannot hold our traditional fundraising events. I am hoping that other families are willing to match my contribution. Such a group of contributions will help provide a stable foundation that the OCC and Marcela can deploy as needed during this unpredictable time. For those not able to contribute this amount, any amount you provide will be much appreciated.
If you are interested in making a one-time donation or providing monthly recurring donations, that can be done at http://www.lincolnoptions.org/fundraising/. If you are a state employee, you can donate through the Washington Combined Fund Drive where we are registered as the Lincoln Options Community Council (charity code: 0315737).
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Fundraising Committee at lincolnoptionsfundraising@gmail.com.
Thank you for all your support; enjoy your fall season!
Michael Santana,
Fundraising Chair
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