April 2014
Volume 5 Issue 3
Lincoln Public Schools
“An educational system with a tradition for excellence, challenged by growth and diversity, is dedicated to building a
partnership of home, school, and community, in order to provide educational opportunity through standards-based curriculum
and high quality instruction so that all students can learn the skills needed to be productive citizens in a global society.”
Inside This Issue:
Greetings,
I am delighted to share the spring district newsletter with the Lincoln Public Schools community. As you peruse this issue, you will see the exemplary programs which are offered
to all of our students. Our faculty, staff and administrators go above and beyond to meet
all students’ needs each and every day. Wishing you a happy, relaxing spring vacation!
Best,
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Georgia Fortunato
Superintendent of Schools
Please support the School Department„s Budget at the
Financial Town Meeting on May 12th, 7 PM @ Lincoln High School
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Experience the World of Learning…
Experience the Lincoln Public Schools
Kindergarten Registration is Open. If your child will turn five on or before September 1, 2014, now is the time to
register him/her for Kindergarten. Registration packets are available at www.lincolnps.org or by calling any of our
elementary
schools.
Take a Peek…The Lincoln Public Schools Welcomes You to Kindergarten!
Join us for a
Kindergarten Tour!
Call to register you
and your child for a
tour of their school.
Tour & Open House:
May 29th, 2014
10:30 – 11:15 AM
Saylesville
Elementary School
50 Woodland Street
Lincoln, RI 02865
(401) 723 – 5240
Tour & Open House:
May 16th , 2014
10:00 – 11:00 AM
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Lincoln Central
Elementary School
1081 Great Road
Lincoln, RI 02865
(401) 334 - 2800
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/
7
Lonsdale
Elementary School
Northern Lincoln
Elementary School
270 River Road
Lincoln, RI 02865
(401) 725 – 4200
315 New River Road
Manville, RI 02838
(401) 769 – 0261
Tour & Open House:
Tour & Open House:
May 16th, 2014
9:30 – 10:30 AM
May 23rd , 2014
9:30 – 10:30 AM
May 5th, 2014
1:45 – 2:30 PM
May 12th, 2014
1:45 – 2:30 PM
Parents & Kindergarten Students
Please Join us for a District Presentation
A Day in the Life of a Lincoln Public Schools
Kindergarten Student
Thursday, June 5th at 6:00 PM
Lincoln Middle School
Hear from:
Ms. Georgia Fortunato, Superintendent of Schools
Ms. Maryann Struble, Director of Student Services
Dr. Caroline Frey, Director of Curriculum
Ms. Jeannine Magliocco, Lonsdale Principal
Ms. Michele Sharpe, Northern Principal
Ms. Susan Imschweiler, Northern Asst. Principal
Ms. Patricia Gablinske, Central Principal
Mr. Reza Sarkarati, Saylesville Principal
Kindergarten Teacher Representative
Lincoln Public Schools
Page 2
Lonsdale Enrichment Activities Program (LEAP) enables
Lonsdale Students to “LEAP” Beyond the Bell
On March 24, Lonsdale Elementary began
a new after-school program designed to
enrich our students in grades K-5 with fun,
active and engaging activities. The program, appropriately named LEAP (Lonsdale
Enrichment Activities Program) runs from
March 24th through April 17th, Monday
through Thursday each week. There are 8
programs offered, and almost every program was sold out! The programs include:
Kicking it With Karate, Crafty Creatures,
Wild and Wacky Science, Pop Poetry,
Dance Troupe, Friendship Bracelet Making,
Origami—Fun With Folding, and Cooking
Club. There were many highlights noted the
first week of the program. Students in the
Karate Club learned basic moves, and were
informed by the instructor that they were not
ever to use their newly learned maneuvers
in school. During the first class of the Science Club, students made ―goo,‖ and
chanted for a volcano experiment. Their
instructor is thinking a volcano project
would be a great final activity for the
class. The instructor in the Pop Poetry
Program inspired her students with a pirate theme.
Students chose pirate names
for themselves and developed
acrostic poems about their
new and creative persona.
Lonsdale School would like to thank LPT for
its support in getting the program off the
ground. In addition, we would like to thank
the talented instructors for providing enriching and fun experiences for our students. The
instructors for the various programs are: Mr.
Dennis Gomes (Karate), Mrs. Paula DaCosta
(Crafty Creatures), Mrs. Marissa Daly (Wild
and Wacky Science), Mrs. Maureen Lapre
(Pop Poetry), Ms. Cheryl LaRiviere (Dance
Troupe), Mrs. Carole Walsh (Origami and
Friendship Bracelet Making), and Mrs.
Melissa Marsella (Cooking Club).
Reading Week at Saylesville Elementary School
Saylesville celebrated Reading Week during
the week of March 17th. This year‘s theme
was ―Experiment with a Good Book.‖ Our
theme helped us to promote reading and
science.
Our pre-reading week activities included the
launch of the District Reading Challenge and
participation in Healthy Rhode Island Day.
Saylesville, the Lincoln Public Schools,
Horace-Mann and Barnes & Noble have
partnered together to create a reading challenge. Students who participate in the eightweek challenge will be entered into a drawing
to win a Nook. On Healthy Rhode Island
Day, all of the students read,
―Is Your Hair Made of Donuts?‖
The first official day of Reading Week started
with an assembly from Mad Science. Mad
Scientist Jess dazzled the audience with
experiments that bubble and clear explanations of key scientific theories. This interactive assembly reinforced concepts that have
been learned in the classes and promoted
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering
and Math) careers.
Day two of Reading Week brought activities
that merged the left and right halves of our
brains. Students dressed up as a science
vocabulary word. The creative costumes
helped bring learning to life. ―It‘s like Halloween in March,‖ noted one student who was
dressed as the Solar System.
On the third day of Reading Week, we tied in
our annual Culture Night so Saylesville families had an opportunity to ―Experiment with a
Good Cookbook.‖ Saylesville hosted a potluck celebration of our diversity. Families
donated over 50 dishes and desserts from
Italy, China, Philippines, Venezuela, Sierra
Leon, Russia, Poland, Ireland, Greece, Mex-
ico, Guatemala, Canada, Armenia, Portugal,
Germany, Morocco, and more. The student
council collected recipes from each family
and will be creating a cookbook. Families
and teachers set up activity stations to make
flags, mark where your family comes from on
the big map, and read folk stories. Members
of a Portuguese dance troop entertained the
crowd with a series of traditional dance performances.
We used Thursday of Reading Week to encourage students
to donate to our Continued on page 3
Volume 5 Issue 3
Pennies for Patients fundraiser by having a
Hat Day. The money we collected will be
used to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. As a result of our efforts,
Saylesville was able to exceed our target
and donate $2,671.79!
Throughout the week, classes researched a
science topic. Kindergarten students built
ramps and learned about gravity; second
graders participated in Doodle for
Google and designed inventions that
could make the world a better place; fifth
graders grew colorful crystals. The work
was displayed in the cafeteria during Culture Night. We had well over 100 guest
readers read to the students! The students and staff enjoyed a very special
dramatic reading with Mr. and Mrs.
Thorne, parents of a second grader and
actors from Trinity Repertory Theater in
Providence. Their passion and enthusiasm enthralled the students and staff.
The last day of Reading Week celebrated the life
and work of Albert Einstein. We had visits by
distinguished guest readers such as Superintendent Fortunato, Town Administrator Almond,
School Committee Members Donabedian and
Roll, Chief of Police Sullivan, Councilman Russo,
Page 3
Principals Magliocco and
Gablinkse, School Business
Administrator Miller, Director of Student
Services Struble, Director of Curriculum
and Instruction Frey, Director of Human
Resources Banville, and Secretary to the
Superintendent Prochet. The week ended
in an assembly where all 276 students
wore ―Einstein hair‖ and we watched a
slideshow that captured the
special moments of the week.
Reading Week is a success
because of the hard work and
cooperation of teachers, families and the community. Without
the dedicated work of the Reading Committee, the week wouldn‘t have been so successful!
Eating Healthy at “The Great Northern” Elementary School
On March 12, 2014, Northern Lincoln Elementary School joined many other schools in
the State of RI to celebrate Eat Healthy RI.
Northern Elementary hosted a whole school
assembly that was kicked off by a celebrity
reader! Northern‘s celebrity guest reader was
a Northern parent and Lincoln‟s Town
Administrator, Mr. Joseph Almond. He
read “Is Your Hair Made of Donuts?” to all
students in our school. He did an excellent
job explaining what would actually happen to
your body/brain if you ate food like donuts all
the time! The students really enjoyed his fun
presentation of the book; he was a fantastic
celebrity reader! While Mr. Almond was reading there were sightings of banana‘s, peas,
carrots and sprouts in the audience as students and teachers dressed as their favorite
vegetables/fruits!
After Mr. Almond finished reading the story,
each grade level took the stage to present
their grade‘s knowledge about healthy eating.
Kindergarten students were wearing vests
they designed identifying the name and picture of their favorite fruit or vegetable. They
stood and
proudly
displayed
their vests
to all the
other
students.
Grade 1
students
created a Food Guide Pyramid showing pictures
of their favorite foods in each food group. These
students also told the audience the benefits of
eating items from each of the five healthy food
groups: grains, fruits, vegetables, dairy, and
protein. They explained why the top of the pyramid should only be eaten sparingly. Grade 2
students created ―Food Safety Houses‖ which
explain how to keep your food from being contaminated with germs. Students explained what
each of the floors of the house represent:
Cleanliness, Good Food Choices, Safe Storage,
Preparing Food, and Leftovers. Grade 3 students have been learning how their bodies utilize the foods they eat. ―Dexter Digestion‖ identifies the key body organs which digest the foods
we eat. To showcase their knowledge, students
recited a poem, ―Down the Hatch: Your Digestive
System.‖ Grade 4 Students have always been
told not to play with their food. We believe that
food is fun, so each classroom helped create a
―Welcome, Mr. Almond!‖ sign made of vegetables. After the assembly, they enjoyed the
―fruits‖ of their labor. Grade 5 When these
students were in fourth grade last year, they
participated in Health enrichment classes where
they were given approximately 15 vegetables or
fruits to eat. Many of the students had learned to
eat and like new food items as a result of their
enrichment class. Some of the students
shared how they learned to try new
foods and how many of them were part
of the ―clean plate club‖ every week!
The assembly ended with all students
being lead by Music Teacher Mrs.
Moriarty singing the song “Veggies are
Yummy!” A special thanks to Northern‘s
Health Teacher Mrs. Newbury and
Physical Education Teacher, Mrs.
Reddy for organizing and preparing the
student presentations for the assembly.
The students did an excellent job and it
was obvious the time the teachers took to
make the event special for everyone. Remember hair made of donuts is not good,
but veggies and fruits are always good for
you and they are yummy, just ask any
student at Northern!
Lincoln Public Schools
Page 4
Ms. Maureen Lapre , Lincoln Central Elementary, Teacher Assistant
Maureen Lapre is a new addition to the staff
at Lincoln Central working in our kindergarten
self contained classroom as a part time
teacher assistant.
Maureen can always be found sitting in the
midst of children guiding their learning. She
is a talented teacher assistant that has made
quite an impact in a very short period of time.
Maureen makes a considerable difference in
her young students‘ lives. They have thrived
with her guidance and support. Maureen has
natural warmth that puts her students at ease,
allowing them to grow academically and socially. She reinforces teacher instruction with
her students, guiding them in their learning and
providing them with opportunities for success.
Maureen goes
above and beyond
for her young
charges and we
consider ourselves
very fortunate to
have her at
Lincoln Central.
Mr. Tom Casale, Lincoln Central Elementary School, Music Teacher
Tom Casale is a talented musician that Central Elementary is fortunate to have on staff.
Tom has been in the Lincoln School system
for eight years, beginning his tenure at the
middle school teaching sixth grade music
classes. From there he moved on to Fairlawn and then to Central Elementary. In
addition to teaching music classes, Tom also
teaches band in the Before the Bell Program. His talented musicians move up to
the middle school to join that band program
where they are well prepared to succeed. In
addition to playing the piano, guitar, and
upright bass, Tom‘s talent also extends to
cooking. He is a very good cook! We know this
because he occasionally shares his cooking
with us here at Central. It is always a nice
surprise to come in to the faculty room with one
of Tom‘s ‗specialties‘ on the table for all to enjoy. On Wednesday evenings you can find Tom
and his band mates playing jazz at DeWolf‘s
Tavern in Bristol. Tom also plays at Castle Hill
in Newport and with the East Bay Chorus in
Tiverton. Tom is married to Cara, who is a
science teacher at Bishop Hendricken High
School. He has a daughter, a stepson, and a
dog (Nibbles). We consider ourselves fortunate
to have such a talented educator on our team --
one who is always
willing to go
above and
beyond for the
students and staff
at Central
Elementary.
Ms. Mikki Gordon, Lonsdale Elementary School, Bus Monitor
Mikki Gordon is a popular, well-respected
bus monitor and is being featured as an
outstanding support staff person for Lonsdale. Mikki is the bus monitor for bus #9.
The students on that bus respect and adore
Mikki because of her friendly and engaging
disposition. Mikki states that she enjoys the
students, and seeks out conversation with
them each and every day. She asks them
how their day went at the end of each school
day. During the morning run, she asks them
how their evening was. She said her objective for interacting with the students on this
level is to get to know them and build relationships. Talking with them enhances their
time on the bus, so that it isn‘t just a bus ride
to and from school. She reports feeling rewarded when she establishes rapport with students who exhibit challenges, resulting in improved behavior. Prior to becoming a bus monitor, she was employed at Ryco for 17 years.
She loved helping every customer, assisting
them with their various projects. She describes
herself as a ―people person,‖ which is what drew
her attention to the job of bus monitor when she
heard the bus company was hiring. Various
people have tried encouraging her to become a
bus driver, which she quickly declines due to the
fact that driving would take away her ability to
continually engage with the students throughout
the bus ride. Mikki is also a cheerleading coach
for Lincoln Lions Youth Cheer. She has coached
very successful
teams, including
this past season
when her team
advanced from
the state tournament to the regional tournament in Connecticut. Aside from
coaching cheer,
she enjoys spending time with her own children, who she says are ―her world.‖ Mikki
lives in Lincoln with her husband Scott and
her two daughters, Tayler and Lyndsey.
Ms. Olutayo Elemo, Lonsdale Elementary School, Preschool Teacher
Ms. Olutayo Elemo is this quarter‘s highlighted excellent educator from Lonsdale
Elementary School. Ms. Elemo teaches
preschool at Lonsdale where she provides
a high-quality, nurturing education for her
three and four year old students. Ms.
Elemo was inspired to
become an early childhood educator when she
was just four years old. Her
younger brother Seyi was diagnosed with Autism
when he was two years old. He attended the
Groden Center, and his teachers would come into
the home to work with him and with the family.
This stuck with her. She maintains the belief that
it is crucial to intervene as early as possible. Becoming a special educator was solidified by her
brother. Seyi passed away four years ago, and
his influence lives on in Ms. Elemo. Ms. Elemo
states one of the most rewarding aspects of her
job is the laughter in her classroom. She reports that the
students are
naturally funny.
When they hear
her laugh, they
laugh, which
Continued Pg 5
Lincoln Public Schools
Page 5
makes her laugh even more. One of things
she values the most about her position as a
preschool teacher is the camaraderie among
the students in the classroom. It is very rewarding for her to watch how naturally they
look out for one another, often being cheerleaders for each other when a friend obtains
a new skill. Ms. Elemo is also an avid dancer.
As an adult, she continues to perform competitively and has received special awards and
adjudications. She also enjoys Zumba, and
spending time with her family, especially her
niece and nephew Aiyana and Bill-Bill. Ms.
Elemo‘s sister Bunmi is an associate producer
for Channel 10 News, and she has a brother
Tobi who lives in England. Her mother and
father, Leslie and Sunday, are a great support to
her. Ms. Elemo resides in Pawtucket with her
adorable cat Ellis.
Mrs. Sue Darling, Northern Elementary School, Teacher Assistant
Sue Darling is a wonderful asset to our
Northern Lincoln Elementary School staff.
She currently is a part-time teacher assistant
in Beth Aubin‘s first grade class and she
always goes above and beyond. She enjoys working with younger children in a nurturing learning environment and having the
opportunity to make a difference in their
lives. The students enjoy working with her
too. She is warm, caring and fair and every
child knows that they can count on her for
help when they need it. Mrs. Darling likes
working at Northern Lincoln Elementary because this school is in her community. She
loves the diversity of our school‘s population
and the level of commitment to their profession that she feels from all of the teachers
here. Teachers appreciate that she can
anticipate when she is needed and she
jumps right in to assist in any way that she
can.
Mrs. Darling has been a Teacher Assistant
for over ten years and
has lived and worked in
our community for over
thirty years. Mrs. Darling is married and has
two grown sons and
two grandchildren who
she enjoys spending
time with.
Mrs. Beth Aubin, Northern Lincoln Elementary School, Grade 1
Mrs. Aubin is an exemplary first grade teacher.
She has always taught younger children because she loves their innocence. They give
her so much to smile about. She especially
enjoys seeing a student‘s face light up because ―they get it‖ and they show that sense of
pride that comes with learning something new.
Mrs. Aubin says that she has wonderful colleagues at Northern and she feels like she is
part of a team. She says that the staff support
each other and that everyone is here for the
students. She believes that the students know
that the adults here care about them and have
their best interest in mind.
Mrs. Aubin received her bachelor‘s degree from
Wheelock College in Boston and her master‘s
degree in Early Childhood Education from
Rhode Island College. She has been a member of several curriculum committees in Lincoln
and currently serves on the ELA committee and
is a member of Northern‘s School Improvement
Team.
In her spare time
she enjoys hiking
and kayaking. Her
favorite ways to
relax are to take a
long walk or read a
good book. She
has two grown
sons, one who is a
United States Marine, so the time when her family
is all together is limited, but very special to her.
Mrs. Claudette Thorpe, Saylesville Elementary School, Food Service Worker
Claudette Thorpe is the second half of the
dynamic duo of food service workers who
kindly and efficiently serve the students of
Saylesville. Although she has only been at
Saylesville since the beginning of this year, it
feels like she has always been a member of
the team.
Claudette grew up in Pawtucket and has been
in Lincoln for the past 10 years. She is very
proud of her two daughters. One daughter
works for Simon Chevrolet in the parts department and the other is the Assistant to the
Dean at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Science. She enjoys spend-
ing time with her husband and fondly recalls the
days where he played softball and they would
camp.
Mrs. Thorpe has many years of experience in
food service and waitressing. She has also
worked with the Pawtucket School Department
and Bryant University. After reading a job fair
announcement in the Valley Breeze for food
service workers, she thought the position would
fit well into her schedule and she decided to
apply. We are very glad she did!
The job keeps her busy throughout her shift.
Claudette goes non-stop from the moment she
arrives to prepare breakfast until she leaves –
which is the way she likes
it. When asked what she
likes about working at
Saylesville, Claudette
paused, smiled and told
me, EVERYTHING.‖
Mrs. Thorpe ―loves the
people.‖ She says the
students are respectful
and nice. ―They treat me
well.‖ In addition to good
students, the teachers
are friendly and helpful. ―This is a friendly atmosphere.‖ When asked about her co-worker, Heidi,
she tells me that she is ―an amazing co-worker.‖
Volume 5 Issue 3
Page 6
Mrs. Kathleen Plante, Saylesville Elementary, Kindergarten Teacher
At the end of this year, Kathy Plante will retire
from teaching. Kathy has been teaching for a
total of 28 years. Her career has included
assignments in Worcester, Massachusetts;
Dayton, Ohio; Providence and Lincoln.
Kathy grew up in Worcester, Massachusetts.
She is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts – Amherst. She earned her Masters
Degree in Special Education from Providence
College.
For 24 years, Kathy Plante has been a Kindergarten teacher for the Lincoln Public Schools.
While she had opportunities to apply to different grade levels, her heart has always been in
Kindergarten. Kathy has worked in every
Lincoln elementary school: Central, Northern,
Lonsdale, Fairlawn and Saylesville. Throughout her career, she has had the good fortune
to work with great colleagues. She has found
the Kindergarten teachers across the district to
be collaborative and the staff at Saylesville to
be supportive. However, she gives a lot of
credit to Muriel Chadwick for mentoring her.
Kathy says, ―She was incredible. She really
helped me get through my first year.‖
As a seasoned teacher, Mrs. Plante has seen a
lot of changes. Recently, she came across
lesson plans from her first year of teaching.
Twenty-four years ago, the students spent more
time during class listening to stories, singing,
and working on art projects. She cooked with
the students 2-3 times a week. Nowadays,
there is much more of an emphasis on academics and the integration of instructional technology. Students leave Kindergarten as readers
and writers. She attributes this to the rise in the
number of students who attend preschool.
Kathy has seen her record player replaced by
laptops and an Elmo projector. Yet through it
all, Kathy‘s classes still manage to find the time
to work on grade level standards and sing,
dance, build, make crafts, and participate in
annual traditions like writing
to Clifford the Dog‘s author
Norman Bridwell; cooking a
batch of apple sauce; and
hunting for Jelly the Gingerbread Man.
A while back, English Language Learners were included in Kathy‘s class.
―I‘ve enjoyed working with
ELL students.‖ Kathy really
likes to get to know the students and enjoys learning
about their cultures. ―I feel fortunate.‖
The most important thing in Kathy Plante‘s life is her
family. Kathy has two children: Lauren and Matthew.
She is a very proud grandmother of three grandchildren. In retirement, Kathy looks forward to baby sitting
her grandchildren and traveling with her husband, sister and friends to places like Italy, Florida, North Carolina and Cape Cod.
Mrs. Teresa Kratman, Lincoln Middle School, Secretary
it is peaceful, warm and
soothing. Teresa says
that she loves her job
because she enjoys getting to know the students
and watching them grow
and change. She has a
vested interest at Lincoln
Middle School to continue
to contribute to its success, as her daughters will be
students here in just over one and a half years. She
states, ―This is such a great place for students and I
can‘t wait until my daughters come here!‖
Mrs. Teresa Kratman is the newest member
of the secretarial staff at Lincoln Middle
School. Since joining the middle school staff
in January 2013, Teresa has proved to be a
valuable member of the school‘s staff. A
former teacher assistant at Northern, she
was hired at the middle school because of
her excellent computer abilities and her positive disposition. Mrs. Kratman previously
worked as an intellectual property administrator at The Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her
computer skills are put to good use to support the administration, faculty, staff, parents
and students of Lincoln Middle School.
Mrs. Kratman is the proud mother of triplets;
Sammy, Abbey and Lucy, who are in fourth
grade at Northern Elementary School. She
and her husband John have lived in Lincoln for
the past ten years, and she states that her dog,
RoobyRoo, is by far the most fun-loving dog on
the planet.
Mrs. Kratman is an avid supporter of the local
professional sports teams with the Celtics, Red
Sox and Patriots being her favorites. She also
loves watching her daughters play soccer. Her
hobbies are playing with her daughters and
enjoying long summer days at the beach where
Spring at Lincoln Middle School
vides daily financial and emotional support to children with cancer and to their families.‖ We‘d like to
give a heartfelt thank you to all who participated and
donated to this worthy cause.
The MATHCOUNTS program is a fun and challenging math team for middle school students throughout
the United States. MATHCOUNTS is currently in its
30th year and Lincoln Middle School has been participating for the last fifteen years. It is designed to
excite and challenge middle school students at the
school, state and national level. It is sponsored by
the National Society of Professional Engineers
whose members serve as outstanding role models
for young students.
The Lincoln Middle School MATHCOUNTS Team
began meeting weekly after school in October. A
fantastic group of approximately sixteen
―mathematicians‖ joined together to challenge themselves with difficult problems that went way beyond
On Friday, February 28th, Lincoln Middle
School‘s Student Council held a dodge ball
tournament in which approximately 100 students participated. Another 100 people came
to cheer the teams on! Our champions were
The Boulders, an eighth grade team made up of
Nick M., Charles M., Stephen A., Dominic C.,
Garrett D. and
Evan G.
Through ticket sales
and refreshments, we
were able to raise and
donate $1,000 to the
Tomorrow Fund of
Rhode Island. The
Tomorrow Fund is the
―only local nonprofit
organization that pro-
their grade level
curriculum. Through
dedication, hard
work and a pure
love of mathematics,
they grew into a
very close and successful team.
On Saturday, March 1st, the team competed in the
State MATHCOUNTS Competition at CCRI in Warwick, Rhode Island. Members included, Alok B.,
Sam C., Garrett D., Ryan F., Dan H., Zac H., SyedH- R., Yiru L., Lucy L., Mary L., Mason L., Aidan
M., Bethany R., Jeb S., Ryan T. and Yizhou W.
After three separate rounds of competition, Lincoln
Middle School placed THIRD out of approximately
twenty-two schools. This was their best finish in
fifteen years of competition! Congratulations to a
great group of young minds!
Lincoln Public Schools
Page 7
Mrs. Sandra O’Dell, Lincoln Middle School, Health and Physical Education Teacher
For the past fifteen years, Mrs. Sandra O‘Dell
has been committed to educating the children
of Lincoln Public Schools. She began working
as a health teacher for Saylesville, Central and
Northern Elementary Schools. When the new
middle school opened up eight years ago,
Sandra embarked on the next stage of her
professional career as a middle school health
and physical education teacher. Also, she
currently serves as the middle school track
and field coach and previously coached track
at Bryant College, now Bryant University, and
softball at Johnson and Wales University.
Mrs. O‘Dell and her husband Dale have three
children, Bethany, Ashley and Ryan. Her
children have an impressive history for their
athletic contributions to Lincoln High School.
Bethany still holds the record for most career
basketball points scored by either a girl or boy
at Lincoln High School. Her jersey was retired
and is hanging on the gym wall at the high school.
Sandra is even more proud that both of her daughters
are college graduates; Bethany from Holy Cross and
Ashley from Rhode Island College. Her son attends
the Community College of Rhode Island and is on the
CCRI baseball team.
Sandra states that ―I love to read and am a member
of a book club.‖ She also loves to travel and is planning to visit Hawaii this summer as her daughter Ashley is moving there. She loves to eat out at Chelos in
Providence with her husband. Sandra says that for
the past few years her children have been in the limelight and she enjoys staying in the background to
support them. As a self-proclaimed shy person, this
suited her well. One hidden secret is her passion for
baking sweets which she likes to do as often as she
can.
Finally, when asked why she enjoys teaching at the
middle school, she responded, ―because the kids are
really fun at this age and every day is different.‖ She
also says, ―I
love seventh
graders
because
they are so
enthusiastic
and it is so
important at
this age to
teach them
to avoid
alcohol and
drugs. I
want to
make a
difference in
their lives by preventing the occurrence of any
type of abuse.‖ As her journey continues, she
does make a difference.
Mrs. Deborah McManus, Lincoln High School, PACT Co
Co--President
Mrs. Deborah McManus is one of the CoPresidents of Lincoln High School's Parents and
Community Together (PACT) organization. Mrs.
McManus has served in that position for many
years and has helped to guide PACT into becoming one of the leading parent groups for a
high school in the state.
As Co-President, Mrs. McManus leads the
PACT in its very important activities like the
Freshman Roar, NECAP snacks, Taste of the
Blackstone Valley and Teacher Appreciation
Week, to name a few. Annually, The Taste of
the Blackstone Valley raises the funds necessary to fund the PACT's activities. Many valu-
able scholarships are given to Lincoln High School
graduates in June as a result of the successful
fundraising accomplished through the Taste.
PACT's events are very well run and help the
school to interact with the community in a positive
way. Mrs. McManus spends hours ensuring that all
the PACT events are done exceedingly well. Mrs.
McManus takes great pride in her work and the
work of the PACT, so all events are top shelf.
Mrs. McManus also serves a parent representative
on staff interview committees and volunteers her
time at the Career Fair. She can always be
counted on to help in any way. Mrs. McManus and
her husband Dan are the proud parents of Stephen
(Class of
2013) who
attends
Roger Williams University and
Erin (Class
of 2015)
who is very
involved in
school activities. Most importantly, Mrs. McManus
would love to see interested parents and community members at the next PACT meeting (Check the
Lincoln High School website for details)!
Mrs. Dawn Fish, Lincoln High School, Guidance Counselor
Mrs. Dawn Fish serves as one of the guidance
counselors at Lincoln High School. She is in
her second year in that role, having previously
served for almost a decade in the Lincoln High
School English Department. As a member of
the English Department, Mrs. Fish taught
mainly ninth graders and introduced the popular elective, Multi-Genre Writing. This course
allows students the freedom to create stories
that are linked across a variety of genres and
media.
As a guidance counselor, Mrs. Fish worked
with all grades, and her caseload is made up
of students from primarily the latter end of the
alphabet. She very much enjoys helping students plan their course of studies and prepare
for life after high school. While preparing for
after graduation is the ultimate goal, Mrs. Fish enjoys the little things that she can do on an everyday
basis for her students to meet with success. Helping
students navigate the often challenging waters of
adolescence brings her much satisfaction.
She also serves as the Advanced Placement Coordinator for Lincoln High School. In this role, she is
responsible for the administration of the Advanced
Placement exams in the spring. She orders the
exams and works with the students and teachers in
the program to ensure each group has what they
need to be successful. The College Board has
many rules and regulations and Mrs. Fish's attention
to detail ensures Lincoln High School is in compliance with all of them.
On the district level, Mrs. Fish helps her colleagues
as a Professional Issues Co-Chair. She serves a
resource to secondary teachers who
have questions
about the teacher
evaluation process. She is the
"go to" person at
Lincoln High
School for the
EPSS, the online
system that teachers and administrators use for
evaluation purposes.
When not at school, Mrs. Fish and her husband
enjoy spending time with their dogs,
Sunny and Cloudy.
WWW.LINCOLNPS.ORG
Central’s C.A.S.E.Y. Program is Underway!
During the month of March, grade three
students in Mrs. Ryan‘s and Mr. Drolet‘s
classroom began their own Iditarod tracking
process. After Mushers and Trackers had
been chosen, they began tracking their
Musher's checkpoint
for the day (time and
location), time they
have been on the trail,
and minutes earned
off of their mushers' time for completing
various tasks.
Under the guidance of Mr. Drolet
and Mrs. Ryan, along with the
help of
our parent volunteers, the students
held their own ―Ikidarod‖ race as
a culminating activity.
On March 20th, Central‘s
guitar students held a lunch time
concert for their fellow students.
Everyone enjoyed this special
treat at lunch. They are very
talented!
Our C.A.S.E.Y. program is well underway
with over 200 students enjoying activities
such as art classes, candy making, yoga,
violin lessons, fencing lessons, karate, sewing, and scrapbooking to name a few.
Many thanks to
our generous
parents for
sharing their
talents with us!
Student Showcase Night at Lincoln High School
Lincoln High School opened its doors to the
community for Student Showcase Night on
Tuesday, April 1, 2014. The night was a
wonderful celebration of student work. The
project was organized administratively by Mrs. Tavares and led
by teachers Mrs. Ferreira and
Mrs. Svitil.
Some of this year‘s highlights
included an interdisciplinary history and art project on
Holocaust liberators and survivors funded by
the Silverstein Grant from the Holocaust Education and Resource Center of Providence
featuring a visit from Mr. Al Silverstein, a Holocaust survivor who shared some of his experiences with audiences.
The Writer’s Café offered ―delectable‖ samples
of student work in the discipline of Creative
Writing, served up by the students themselves.
Additionally, AP U.S. History students displayed their
―A Journey
through the
Decades‖
News Stories
projects and
discussed
their published books
and projects.
Math students
and teachers
Distributed by the Office of the Superintendent
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demonstrated their abilities to solve challenging problems with the use of technology.
World Language students displayed projects,
including lively videos of student dialog.
Science Fair projects were on display for all to
enjoy. Live demonstrations of Forensics and
Chemistry brought learning to life for curious
visitors. Meanwhile, students in the Family
and Consumer Sciences presented professional looking pastry and appetizers for guests to snack on while
touring the building.
Students in Physical Education
participated in student
organized games.
In Special Education, the Transition Program
ran a refreshment café and the Connections
Program had wonderful plants for sale from
the LHS Greenhouse.
Students in Applied Learning showed skill in
computer animation and design as well as the
woodworking and automotive areas. Students in FBLA tested guests‘ knowledge of
financial literacy and displayed the many
goods for sale in the school store.