January 31st Monthly Update

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LPS families,

We continue to share important district information and reminders via email with all of our families on the last Friday of each month throughout the school year.

Show choir event with girl in lemonade stand pouring lemonade into a boy's cup while another girl watches
Standing Bear "Renegade" perform in exhibition at the first show choir event held at the new high school.

In This Message...

Information for All Families

Community Awareness Event: Online Safety

Schools, families and communities all play a role in providing supportive pathways for our youth as they navigate childhood and adolescence. Lincoln Public Schools is partnering with School Community Intervention and Prevention (SCIP) and Region V Systems to put on valuable community presentations about supporting the health and well-being of our community’s youth.

Please join us for this event: Online Safety

Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025, from 6:30 – 8 p.m.Lincoln Medical Education Partnership Vrbka Classrooms – 4600 Valley Road (Entrance 1, first floor)

Cyber safety for young people is a growing concern with one in five children experiencing online solicitation. Several caregivers feel overwhelmed setting boundaries around technology with their child and often don’t know where to start.

Presenter Aubrey Yost will provide navigation tips for the digital age with youth. Yost is a training and outreach specialist with the BraveBe Child Advocacy Center. 

February’s online safety event will discuss:

  • Risks involved with technology
  • Tools that can assist youth and adults to navigate technology together
  • How to engage youth in discussions regarding online safety

Please contact Abbe Edgecombe, SCIP coordinator for Lincoln-Lancaster County, for questions or additional information at(402) 327-6841 or aedgecombe@lmep.com.

Resources for supporting your child

At School

If your child needs extra support, please know we are here to help. Contact your child’s school so we can connect them with a caring staff member. This includes our counselors, social workers, psychologists, bilingual liaisons, and student advocates (Youth Development Team). You can call your school’s office during the business day, or use the blue Contact Us button on the school’s website anytime to connect with these professionals.

From our Community

You can also utilize any of these community resources:

Information for Elementary School Families

It’s time to register your kindergarten student for 2025-26!

Do you have a child – or do you know of a child – that will start kindergarten next year? Lincoln Public Schools is now accepting kindergarten registrations for the 2025-2026 school year. 

Parents of children turning five years of age on or before July 31, 2025 can go to lps.org and click on the red “Enroll Your Student” button. Here you will also find all the information necessary for registering, the required documents needed and answers to frequently asked questions.

For children who turn five between August 1 and October 15, parents may request an assessment for their child to receive a waiver to attend school early. That information is also located on the kindergarten registration page. 

Parents who do not have access to the online registration, or wish to register their child in person, should contact their attendance area elementary school as soon as possible. Questions about kindergarten registration should also be directed to the child’s attendance area school. 

For more information about kindergarten registration and assessment testing for incoming students, please go to: https://home.lps.org/studentservices/kindergarten-registration-assessment/.

LPS preschool applications for 2025-26

We will be accepting preschool applications for the 2025-26 school year starting January 3! 

Application materials are available on our website and also available in our Early Childhood Department Office, located at 300 S. 48th Street (enter door #2) between the hours of 8:00  a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Evening hours are available on March 6 and April 2 from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

LPS preschool is for children who reside in the Lincoln Public School boundaries and are at least 3 years of age on or before July 31, and are not yet kindergarten age eligible (are age 5 on or before July 31, 2025).  

Our inclusive preschool classrooms are located at 31 LPS buildings across the district and serve three-to-five year olds.  

Applications along with the required materials may be submitted by:

  • Emailing earlychildhood@lps.org
  • In person Monday-Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. at 300 South 48th Street
  • By mail:
    Department of Early Childhood
    300 South 48th Street
    Lincoln, NE 68510

 

Information for Middle and High School Families

Jobs and Extended Learning Opportunities (JELO)

Is your child looking for a job or other extended learning opportunity? Students can use their Chromebook or LPS Student Portal account to check out our electronic bulletin board by going to lps.org and typing in the keyword “JELO”. (Students must be logged in to their LPS Student Portal to view the board.) 

Students in grades 6-12 will find information about a wide variety of opportunities available. This includes activities, camps, jobs and internships. We update the board every Wednesday afternoon.

Are you a business or organization wanting to share your opportunities with LPS students?

If so, please enter the information about your program/opportunity here:  www.bit.ly/stujobslps.

Once you submit the information on the form, we will review it to ensure that it fits with our Board policies and regulations before we post it to the electronic bulletin board. Once an opportunity is posted, students in all middle and high schools are easily able to access the information. Please note: anyone outside of the LPS network or without LPS Portal access will not be able to access the eBulletin board.

File your 2025-26 FAFSA Now

Looking for something to do over winter break? 

Completing your 2025-26 Federal Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) would be a great option! 

Did you know? 

  • High school seniors leave thousands of federal dollars for college behind each year by not filling out the FAFSA. 
  • The new FAFSA form has expanded eligibility allowing up to 610,000 more students to qualify for federal student aid.
  • The new FAFSA now gives students access to an additional $1.8 billion in federal student aid. 

Remember, LPS seniors and their caregivers must complete their FAFSA by April 18, 2025, to meet graduation requirements per the new Nebraska law.

Apply now at https://bit.ly/DoTheFAFSA.

Fund Your Future – File Your FAFSA. 

Don’t miss this opportunity for free college cash! 

Need help?
Encourage your student to stop by their school’s counseling office or visit our website at bit.ly/LPSFAFSA for more resources.