August 30th Monthly Update

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LPS families,

We have had a great start to the school year! Did you know…If students miss at least two days of school per month or more, it impacts not only their ability to gain important reading, math and relational skills, but it can be an early indicator of not graduating on time. Every Day Counts when it comes to your child being successful in school.

We value your partnership and know you also want your child to succeed. Let’s work together to ensure your student regularly attends school!

Just a reminder that there are no classes for students on Monday and Tuesday (Sept. 2-3). You can find the school calendar on our website.

We will be sharing important district information and reminders via email with all of our families on the last Friday of each month throughout the school year.

A teacher and her elementary school students learn about one another on the first day of school.
Welcome back to school! Educators and students spent the first days of the school year getting to know one another and creating the relationships that will foster learning all year long.

In This Message...

Every day counts! Missing a day of school here and there may not seem like much, but absences add up! When a student misses 2 days per month they will lose out on 20 days of instruction per year, 30 hours of math per year and 60 hours of reading and writing per year. By graduation, they will lose over one year of school.

Information for All Families

2024-2025 Important Information Booklet

Each year, Lincoln Public Schools provides all of our families with the “Important Information Booklet.” This booklet contains essential and helpful guidelines, rules, procedures and tips for you and your students for the coming school year.

This booklet can be found on our website. Families will also find links to each school’s student handbooks as they are updated and common practices for elementary, middle and high schools. 

Please contact your child’s school if you wish to obtain a printed copy of the Important Information Booklet.

DEADLINE APPROACHING: Complete the online enrollment verification

If you haven’t already, please verify your child’s information online through the parent portal, ParentVUE. This includes updating contact and emergency information, signing consent release forms, etc. We would appreciate you completing/updating the information before the first day of school. Note: this process is to be completed each year.

Please visit https://synergyvue.lps.org/ to access and log in to your ParentVUE account. Once you have logged in, select the Online Registration button in the upper right corner, and follow the prompts to update and verify your information. It is important that you complete this task as soon as possible. 

If you have previously used your ParentVUE account, but can’t remember your password, you can reset it online at https://synergyvue.lps.org/. If you have not yet activated your LPS ParentVUE account, please contact the main office of your child’s school for instructions and an activation key.  

If you have questions or need help with completing these steps, please contact your child’s school.

Sign up to receive text messages from your child’s school

In addition to receiving phone and email messages, you can sign up to receive notifications from your child’s school via text messaging when available.

What you need to do:

While verifying your child’s information through Online Registration in ParentVue, make sure your cell phone number is correctly listed and the Text Communication option is marked YES.

REMINDER: Free and Reduced Lunch applications for 2024-2025

Did you know LPS families can potentially save money by filling out the Free and Reduced Meal Application. This application must be completed each year in order for families to qualify for free or reduced school meals. We are encouraging families* to fill out the Free and Reduced meal application online as soon as possible. 

*Please note: If your family received notification in July that your student has been Directly  Certified for the 2024-2025 school year or you attend a Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) school then an application is not needed. CEP schools are: Culler, Dawes, Goodrich, Park, Arnold, Belmont, Brownell, Campbell, Clinton, Elliott, Everett, Hartley, Huntington, Lakeview, McPhee, Norwood Park, Pershing, Prescott, Randolph, Riley, Saratoga, and West Lincoln.

This application must be completed each year in order for families to qualify for free or reduced school meals. Families who do not complete the application will be charged normal meal prices for any school meals their child eats.

You can go to our website to fill out this quick and easy online application. If you do not have access to the online application, you can go to your child’s school office and pick up a paper application.

Additional information about Free and Reduced meals is on our website: https://home.lps.org/ns/free-reduced. If you have any questions, please call (402)436-1747 or email us at freeandreduced@lps.org.

Bubba’s Closet

Every year, Lincoln Public Schools Elementary Principals Network organizes and distributes winter clothing through the Bubba’s Closet event.

Families who are in need of winter coats for their pre-school and elementary aged children are asked to fill out a form (bit.ly/2024RequestCoats) by Monday, Sept. 30, indicating the child’s size, age and school. Elementary principals cannot guarantee a new coat for every child, but they will do their best to fulfill as many requests as possible. Coats will be distributed to students through their school by late November.

Those who are interested in donating to Bubba’s Closet this year are encouraged to give through the Foundation for Lincoln Public Schools Fund a Need campaign: bit.ly/2024Donate2Bubba. Funds raised will be used to help fill the coat requests from families.

Donations of new coats (tags must still be on the garment) will also be accepted at each elementary school. Please call the school office ahead of time to arrange dropping off the donation.

Community News - September 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 September edition of Community News online.

Are you a non-profit organization that wants to share your upcoming opportunities with LPS families? 

Check out these advertising opportunities in our Community News! Your organization can reach 15,000 elementary-aged households in print through take home folders, and 25,000 Prek-12 households digitally district wide. Learn more on our website: https://home.lps.org/communications/community-news/.

Athletic event attendance expectations for all students

We continue to encourage all students and families to support our high school student-participants during competitions. As we work to keep our student-participants, coaches and spectators safe at our contests, the following rules are in place for all students attending extra-curricular events at our high schools.

Elementary and middle school expectations

  • LPS elementary and middle school students are required to attend LPS high school athletic/activity events with adult family members and/or a paying responsible adult and must remain under their supervision during the event.
  • LPS elementary and middle school students are expected to follow the directions of event staff and the public address announcer. Any students unable to follow directions will be asked to leave. 
  • Students will not be allowed to re-enter the event without pay. Passes only allow one entry per event.
  • School rules apply at all LPS athletic/activity events. Violations to the Rights and Responsibilities of Students may result in disciplinary action for students.
  • LPS elementary and middle school students must remain seated in designated areas during events. 
  • LPS elementary and middle school students are not allowed to loiter or run around in concourses, concessions and/or restroom areas. 
  • No outside food is allowed to be brought into LPS high school athletic/activity venues; however, a wide range of delicious concessions are available at most events. Food and drink must be consumed in the seating area of the venues.
  • LPS elementary and middle school students are expected to leave with family members and/or a paying responsible adult immediately following the conclusion of an event, or if students are asked to leave early.

High School Students

  • Students are expected to identify themselves when asked to do so by any school official. At any time outside the school day, students shall be required to show Lincoln Public Schools student identification upon request of a staff member or as required by building rules while on school grounds or at school activities. 
  • Students may sit in their school’s assigned student section. If students are attending an event hosted at or by another school, students need to sit in general seating and will not be allowed to sit in the assigned student section.
  • LPS high school students are expected to leave on their own or with family members and/or a paying responsible adult immediately following the conclusion of an event, or if students are asked to leave early.  At the conclusion of the event, students may wait for their ride outside the contest venue.
  • Students will not be allowed to re-enter the event without pay. Passes only allow one entry per event.

Important reminders to ensure safety at school and events

We want to provide important reminders for all students and families to help ensure safety at school and school events.

Weapons of any kind – including but not limited to pocket knives, pellet guns, bb guns, airsoft guns, paintball guns, Orbeez guns, mace or pepper spray – are NOT allowed on school property at any time. This includes during athletic events and school activities.

Individuals who have these items at school or school events will face appropriate school and legal consequences. School consequences may include long-term suspension, expulsion, or mandatory reassignment.

Lincoln Public Schools is taking this opportunity to remind families the importance of keeping weapons and ammunition safely away from children and adolescents to prevent intentional and unintentional harm. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises that the most reliable and effective measure to prevent injuries in children and adolescents is an absence of weapons. Safe weapon storage reduces a child’s risk of injury.

School safety takes a community. If you have a safety concern, please tell a trusted staff member, use the green Safe to Say button on the LPS website, Safe2Help Nebraska at 833-980-7233, or call Lincoln Police at (402) 441-6000.

Thank you for your continued collaboration in keeping everyone safe at school!

Information for Pre-K and Elementary School Families

Bubba’s Closet

Every year, Lincoln Public Schools Elementary Principals Network organizes and distributes winter clothing through the Bubba’s Closet event.

Families who are in need of winter coats for their pre-school and elementary aged children are asked to fill out a form (bit.ly/2024RequestCoats) by Monday, Sept. 30, indicating the child’s size, age and school. Elementary principals cannot guarantee a new coat for every child, but they will do their best to fulfill as many requests as possible. Coats will be distributed to students through their school by late November.

Those who are interested in donating to Bubba’s Closet this year are encouraged to give through the Foundation for Lincoln Public Schools Fund a Need campaign: bit.ly/2024Donate2Bubba. Funds raised will be used to help fill the coat requests from families.

Donations of new coats (tags must still be on the garment) will also be accepted at each elementary school. Please call the school office ahead of time to arrange dropping off the donation.

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.