Stronger Together: LPS welcomes back students
Lincoln Public Schools greeted hundreds of students and families
Aug. 12-16 for the new school year.
Educators and students embraced the excitement of the fresh beginning with several activities rooted in fostering an environment for relationships and cultivating knowledge.
LPS is eager to continue our mission of preparing ALL students for successful careers, lifelong learning and civic engagement. We are stronger together – collectively working toward these goals.
Welcome back, LPS students!
Jake “The Snake” Roberts: Wrestling Demons, Achieving Recovery
Thursday, September 12
6:30-7:30 p.m.
Cost:
WWE Hall of Famer, Jake “The Snake” Roberts, was a legend in the ring. Hear his inspiring story of the demons he dealt with outside the ring to beat alcohol and drug addiction.
Brandon Marshall: Mental Health Beyond the Game
6:30-7:30
Cost:
To
24/7 Virtual Urgent Care
Brandon Marshall, a former NFL star, shares his journey with borderline personality disorder. Learn how he turned his challenges into a mission to promote mental health awareness.
Talk to a provider from the comfort of your home or on-the-go and receive a diagnosis and treatment plan, including
Mentors celebrate start of school year
Lincoln mentors hear stories of hope at TeamMates kickoff
One hundred and forty TeamMates mentors braved 100-degree heat to celebrate the start of the new school year in early August.
TeamMates mentor and co-founder Tom Osborne joined TeamMates staff to welcome mentors and students. LPS Superintendent Paul Gausman, who became a TeamMate himself last year, was also on hand for the festivities.
While mentors munched on Freddy’s steakburgers, they playedboard games distributed throughout the East High School cafeteria.
“We wanted to remind our mentors that having fun and being playful is one of the best ways to build a bond with their mentee,” long-time Lincoln TeamMates Match Support Specialist Audrey Watson said. “Finding your inner kid is a great way to connect.”
Game-playing as a get-to-know-
All three were in TeamMates for either eight or nine years. Each talked about unique challenges they faced growing up, including the death of a loved one, navigating adversity and needing a reason to go to school.
Barnes made the courageous choice to accept a new mentor when her mentor of seven years was unable to continue for health reasons.
“I really wasn’t sure I could trust someone new,” she said. “Then, Stacey showed up and she was so easy to get to know.”
Esau navigated some “very rough patches” in middle school with his mentor, who phoned that evening to wish him good luck on the panel because he was stuck in Omaha. They plan to have lunch soon to
“You helped me come out of my shell and gain confidence I didn't think I had.”
All attendees took time to reflect on their aspirations for the year responding to the question: What do you want to be true for you as a mentor in a month, six months, a year?
They shared these hopes with their tablemates. One wanted to ask their mentee whether they’d like to read a book together and talk about it. Another hoped to better develop their two-way communication skills. A third wanted to revisit questions they answered with their TeamMate years ago to see what has changed.
Many in attendance were among the nearly 100 new mentors trained
Lincoln’s Best Kept Health Secret – and it’s free
By Michelle Welch, RD, LMNT LPS District Wellness Facilitator
As families assemble all that is needed for students to be ready to learn, reality hits. Resources are tight. In addition to managing school-aged children, you may have daycare needs or be supporting family members who are aging. Maybe you help out someone in your community with special needs. In each of these situations, our Lincoln community has created an amazing resource that places all of your questions in one neat app at your fingertips.
On your smartphone or device, go to your app store and search for “My Link - Local resources.” This typically takes you directly to the MyLink.App or MyLNK.App. Once the app is installed, select our community of Lincoln, Neb., to receive updated information about extensive, free community resources.The app is available in several languages for you.
Some of its best features are its calendar mode, which shows resource events happening across the city today and across the week for planning, as well as the mapping feature. The map shows where resources are in comparison to your location. This may be especially helpful for those with limited transportation. Speaking of transportation, the MyLNK. App includes a tab that allows you to learn about free-and-reducedpriced transportation opportunities across our area.
No matter if you are helping senior parents, looking for library hours, daycare openings or rent and utility assistance, this app is the place to get started. It truly is a hidden gem for Lincoln and should be on the phone of every community member, if not for their needs, so that they may help their friends and neighbors find resources without struggle.
Thanks to the hard work of several community collaborators coming
together to make this app a reality. Very few cities have this much coordination of efforts to help their citizens find access to resources they need. Please do yourself and those you support a favor today and add this wonderful tool to your abilities to make our community’s future brighter.
REGISTRATION IS OPEN
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!
By Liza Ferneyhough
Rimma Onoseta
Preschool students make academic melodies during summer
Dozens of Lincoln Public Schools students composed academic melodies this summer by taking part in noteworthy preschool activities.
Approximately 100 preschoolers gained a glimpse of what their days will look like during the upcoming 2024-25 year. The ability to build relationships with fellow students and the instructional support from many LPS staff gave them a valuable head start in their educational journeys.
LPS Director of Early Childhood Cara Lucas-Richt and LPS Preschool Coordinator Jackie Gunia said summer preschool has created many harmonious results for students and families. Classes took place at five elementary schools this year for three weeks in June and two weeks in July.
“I feel like we’ve gotten good feedback from families who have had their children start in the summer,” Lucas-Richt said. “They like it because it’s not all summer, so
it gives them a little opportunity to experience a taste of it. Sometimes families are really nervous about their young children coming to preschool, which is normal, and this helps them get to see it in the summer on a smaller scale. Families say that helps ease their mind when they start back up in August.”
Gunia will begin her second year as the school district’s preschool coordinator this fall. She taught preschool classes for four years at LPS before stepping into her current position.
“Part of my role for summer preschool is doing a lot of the planning and preparation for the teachers,” Gunia said. “Having that experience in the classroom helps me know what works best for everyone. What are going to be things that I can put in place to be mostsuccessful for the teachers and also provide the highest-quality level of learning for students? That’s the goal with everything we do for our preschool program.”
Lucas-Richt said she was appreciative of the high level of care and concern staff members showed each student this summer. Each of the ten preschool classrooms included two teachers and two paraeducators, and speech-language pathologists each worked with children in two classrooms.
Classes this summer lasted for three hours each day and incorporated all of the elements found in preschool during the regular year. Students took part in both smallgroup and large-group activities in the classroom, and they learned about friendship and cooperation during recess time. LPS provided transportation services for students during the summer, and all children received breakfast at the beginning of the morning.
Lucas-Richt said summer preschool is only possible each year because of the dedication of people in many LPS departments. Early childhood, transportation, special education, health services, nutri-
tional services and federal programs employees helped classes in many ways. They supported dozens of educators who gave preschoolers many chances to enjoy noteworthy moments in 2024.
“This would not be possible without our preschool team members who have stepped up to teach this summer,” Lucas-Richt said. “Whether it’s paras or classroom teachers or speech-language pathologists, this simply couldn’t happen without them. There are a lot of people who have worked hard to make this happen for kids and families.”
Here are some of our favorite photos from LPS schools in the past month. Want to see more? Connect with your school’s social media at lps.org/connect.
“We had our first special announcer of the year today! Students can use their Dojo points to purchase various things, including special announcer. Keep working hard, Mustangs!”
MEADOW
“6th grade science started a light unit using models to investigate the phenomenon of one-way mirrors!”
“The TCA Health Science juniors are off to a great start earning their CPR certification! #doinghighschooldifferently”
4-H is America’s largest youth development organization! In 4-H, youth:
• Choose from over 50 projects to “learn by doing” (such as STEM, photography, food & nutrition, home design & restoration, horticulture or various animals).
• Develop practical and life skills.
• Explore interests and career “sparks.”
• Participate in leadership and community service activities.
• Earn recognition such as ribbons, awards and scholarships!
• Have fun while making new friends!
Ways youth ages 5–18 can participate:
• Join a new or existing 4-H club
• Be an independent member.
• Participate in 4-H activities such as workshops, camps and contests.
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Kindergarteners leap into school with Jumpstart activities
Incoming kindergarten student Harlem gave a million-watt smile this summer as she ran across the large playground at Elliott Elementary School.
“Hi!” she said. “I like being here!” Reactions like Harlem’s were common across Lincoln this summer during the annual LPS Kindergarten Jumpstart activities. Students entering kindergarten in the fall spend time meeting their future teachers and classmates. They explore their classrooms, get to know new friends and learn about school expectations such as listening, sharing, following directions and being kind to others.
Harlem and classmate Leilani both said they were enjoying Jumpstart. Their morning calendar included listening to teacher Brooke Morrison read them a book, touring the school library and learning about both classroom and recess expectations. They also visited the playground and discovered how it would help them with skills such as social interaction and problem-solving.
“My favorite part is playing outside,” Leilani said.
“This is fun,” Harlem said. “It’s been a good day.”
Morrison and fellow Elliott kindergarten teacher Mia Watson-Potratz both said Jumpstart provides a solid academic foundation for students. Morrison has worked at Elliott for six years and has led kindergarten classes for the past
five years. Watson-Potratz is a veteran LPS teacher and has guided students at Elliott for the past three years.
“I think getting to do this is such a privilege,” Watson-Potratz said. “It just lights up my heart to see how this is helping students. I think it really makes a difference for them to be here and to get to know everyone before the school year starts.”
“I think this helps them in so many ways,” Morrison said. “I think this gives them a sense of security knowing what to expect when they come to school.”
Morrison spent a large portion of one morning teaching students about the “The Elliott Way” of being safe, responsible and respectful. She displayed a green thumbs-up on the classroom projector screen when she discussed positive behaviors like following directions and helping others. The future Owls cheered each time she said the words safe, responsible and respectful.
Similar happy scenes played out at Rousseau Elementary School the same morning. Approximately 80 students gathered in several classrooms to experience what a typical school day would be like. They explored the building and learned where the cafeteria and library were located.
Rousseau Principal Monica Jochum said she was happy to see future Rams enjoying their Jumpstart days.
“Jumpstart is a perfect opportunity for students to begin their educational journey,” Jochum said. “They get to meet their teachers and new friends in a smaller setting. This allows for a smoother transition to the first day of school and gets rid of some of the first-day jitters.”
Rylee and Ava both smiled as they shared their positive Jumpstart experiences. Ava said she has older brothers and is excited that she will be able to go to school just like them. Rylee said there are many reasons she is happy to be starting classes.
“I get to meet new friends and I get to learn different things and I get to learn about animals too!” Rylee said.
Lisa Callahan has taught at Rousseau for 11 years and has been in the profession for 20 years. She said she feels energized for the opening school day every time she greets students at Jumpstart.
“It’s great getting to see incoming kindergarteners early before the year starts,” Callahan said. “To welcome them into the building and be comfortable with the faces that they will see every day, and just what kindergarten will be all about.”
Callahan said creating positive connections with students early in their academic careers makes a big difference for everyone. Students who feel comfortable talking with their teachers are more likely
to listen to them and follow their guidance. That helps them gain the educational building blocks they will use each day in class.
“Relationships really are the most important part,” Callahan said. “Building those strong, positive relationships so they are going to want to work hard for you and enjoy being at school.”
Jumpstart also helps LPS employees establish strong connections with families. Jochum gave parents tips about how they can support their new kindergarteners during the upcoming year. The orientation sessions align with student wellbeing and the family and community engagement priorities of the new LPS Strategic Plan.
“Parent involvement is a crucial component of a successful education,” Jochum said. “We want to build rapport with our new families from the beginning and provide as much information as possible. Having this as a face-to-face format helps to build those personal connections and to feel part of the Rousseau community.”
Callahan said the wide variety of lessons students like Harlem, Leilani, Ava and Rylee will learn this year makes Jumpstart a key part of their educational pathways.
“In kindergarten, we teach it all,” Callahan said with a warm laugh. “We teach lining up, we teach how you hold a pencil, all the things. Just getting an early start is great.
It just lights up my heart to see how this is helping students.
- Mia Watson-Potratz