March 28th Monthly Update

Translations: Arabic | Karen | Russian | Spanish | Vietnamese

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.

A photo of the Schoo Middle School orchestra performing on the floor of the Nebraska State Capitol
The Schoo Middle School Orchestra performs on the floor of the rotunda at the Nebraska State Capitol

In This Message...

Information for All Families

Coming soon: District Perception Survey

Please note: If you already participated in the LPS Family Perception Survey, we appreciate your response! You do not need to do the survey again. 

If you have not completed the perception survey, we need to hear from you! Your voice is important and we ask that you please respond to the Family Perception Survey. Please take a few minutes to provide feedback to your students’ school(s). You can go to this link, or the LPS website and type in the code “Y1BD”. The feedback you provide will be used by schools during the school improvement process. 

Please reach out to Dawn Mazzie (dmazzie@lps.org)  for questions about the survey administration or Amy Clark (aclark@lps.org) for questions about analysis and use of the results.

Extra Mile Walk — Saturday, April 26, 2025 at 9:30 a.m.

Go the extra mile – help combat food insecurity by supporting the Food Bank of Lincoln’s BackPack program. Lincoln Public Schools and the Food Bank of Lincoln invite you to help raise money for the program during the 18th annual Extra Mile Walk.

Donate now: 

Your school will be sending more information home about how you can help. You can also click here to donate online!

Extra Mile Walk

  • Saturday, April 26, 2025, 9:30 a.m.
  • NEW LOCATION: UBT Stadium at Northwest High School (1111 NW 48th Street)
  • This year you and your family can join us for family friendly music, games, LPS mascots and food trucks!
  • For more information, visit the Food Bank of Lincoln’s website at https://www.lincolnfoodbank.org/extramile/

Severe weather awareness

Springtime can bring severe weather. We want to provide important reminders about LPS protocols during severe weather situations:

  • A Tornado Watch means no tornado is present currently, but conditions are favorable for tornadoes to form in and around the area. LPS will work with Lincoln Lancaster County Management to monitor conditions, but teaching and learning will continue as normal.
  • In the event the National Weather Service indicates the city of Lincoln is in a Tornado Warning, then all of our schools will use our Standard Response Protocol of Shelter. 
    • A Tornado Warning means there has been a tornado spotted either in person or on radar. 
    • The Standard Response Protocol of Shelter means all doors are locked and all staff and students follow the planned route to designated shelter areas within the school building. They will wait until an “all clear” is given. Staff are not available to answer phones or doors as they are providing student supervision in a safe space within the school.
  • If the Tornado Warning extends past dismissal time, we will keep all staff and students in the designated area until the “all clear” is given. Once the threatening weather has passed after school, students who normally walk home will be released; students who are picked up by families will be supervised until families can arrive; students who ride the bus will continue on the bus, and students who go to after school care will continue on to after school care.
  • As a reminder, the following is outlined in our Important Information Booklet (page 9): “Parents should not attempt to come to school during a tornado warning. School officials prefer to keep students at the school during tornado warnings. Depending on school size and staffing, it may or may not be possible to allow parents into the school during a weather emergency.”

Tornado safety procedures are practiced regularly by staff and students. You can find more information about our Standard Response Protocols on our security website.

Community News — April edition

Each month LPS publishes Community News in an effort to help share family-friendly community events and activities from non-profit organizations. Check out the April edition preview of Community News online.

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 the LPS website 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. 

Learn more about kindergarten registration and assessment testing for incoming students.

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

Register to attend the Educator Interview Fair

Are you or someone you know interested in a career as an educator at Lincoln Public schools? Certificated candidates interested in becoming a teacher (general, special education, early childhood), counselor, school psychologist, speech-language pathologist or social worker within Lincoln Public Schools are eligible to participate in our Educator Interview Fair.

Educator Interview Fair

  • Thursday, April 17,
  • 8:30a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
  • In-person at the Steve Joel District Leadership Center (the district office at 5905 O St.) or over Zoom.

Application Process

  1. All interested candidates must reserve their spot by filling out the form: bit.ly/educator25. Please register by April 15. If you are not available on the event date, or have questions, please contact Ryan Escamilla, director of recruitment, at mescami@lps.org.
  2. Additionally, candidates must complete an application for at least one of our Certified Applicant Pools:

If you have previously completed an application for another position with Lincoln Public Schools, please do not create another profile. Simply log in with your original email and password. If you have forgotten your username and/or password, contact Human Resources at hr@lps.org for assistance. Your application must be completed prior to your interview.

Mark your calendars! Farm to School Community Food Showcase, April 16, 4 - 6 p.m.

You’re invited to the Farm to School Community Food Showcase on Wednesday, April 16, 4 – 6 p.m. at Northeast High School’s library.

Join us to see what the “Nourishing Northeast Lincoln” students learned in their Family and Consumer Sciences classes and Community Learning Centers (CLC) garden clubs.  The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s “Farm to School” grant helped make this learning experience possible.

The showcase will feature various student displays including some food from local farms prepared by Northeast High School’s culinary students.

The event’s partners include the Lincoln Public Schools Sustainability team, CLCs at Dawes, Mickle, Culler Middle Schools and Northeast, Early College and Career STEM Program and Community crops. 

You’re invited! The Career Academy’s Open House – this Sunday, March 30, 1 - 2 p.m.

The Career Academy (TCA) invites students and their families in grades 6 – 11 to its spring Open House on Sunday, March 30, 1 – 2 p.m. The event will be on its campus located at 8800 O St. 

TCA is a partnership between Lincoln Public Schools and Southeast Community College (SCC). It allows high school juniors and seniors to take specific career pathways courses while earning credits from LPS and SCC! 

TCA’s Open House would be an excellent opportunity to explore the program and connect with staff. 

If you’re not able to attend Sunday’s event, The Career Academy is also hosting two virtual informational nights in April. You can learn more about the program on Tuesday, April 22 or Thursday, April 24. Both sessions start at 5:30 p.m.

If you’d like a link to attend the virtual info nights, email TCA Director, Joshua Jones at jjones7@lps.org to get the Zoom link. 

High school seniors: LPS deadline approaching! File your 2025-26 FAFSA today.

Graduating seniors, the LPS deadline for filing your 2025-26 Federal Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is coming up.

We are asking that you please either complete the FAFSA form or the LPS opt-out form by April 18, 2025.

A new Nebraska state law (Neb. Rev. Stat. § 79-729) requires that each public high school student completes or opts out of filing the FAFSA form before graduating high school. 

Don’t Wait! Apply now at bit.ly/DoTheFAFSA.

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. 
  • Is your student considering staying closer to home for college? Several Nebraska colleges and universities offer free tuition for first-time undergraduate students eligible for the Pell Grant.

Need help?

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

Want to opt out for now?

You can complete the opt out form in your language and keep progressing toward graduation. 

Check it out! College scholarship opportunities posted on our eBulletin board

We have a one-stop-shop for high school students to find scholarship opportunities. 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 jumpcode RCGL. (Students must be logged in to their LPS Student Portal to view the board.) 

Remember, you can find free college planning services, need-based scholarship programs, college access grants for high schools, and college access resources for middle schools on the EducationQuest Foundation website.

Are you an organization wanting to share your scholarship with LPS students?
If so, please email Lori Hemmett at lhemmett@lps.org.