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Lincoln Public Schools families,
While 1 in 5 people will experience mental illness over the course of their lifetimes, everyone will face challenges that can and will affect their mental health. May is Mental Health Awareness Month and Lincoln Public Schools is taking this moment to remind you: You are enough, and you are not alone.
We can help connect you to resources to support you and your child. Reach out to a trusted staff member, or use any of these resources available day or night:
Do we have the most current contact information for you? It’s important your child’s school has a working phone number, email address and mailing address so we can contact you in the event of an emergency and share important back to school information over the summer. If any of your contact information has changed, please contact your child’s school office to update it as soon as possible.
Additionally, LPS will begin collecting student phone numbers for 9-12 grade students in May. Student phone numbers may be used by LPS staff to text message students with school information and updates (including classroom, activities, and athletics) using district-approved communication platforms.
High school graduation celebrations are right around the corner. Check out our website for information and how to watch the livestream of each ceremony.
Do you have a child that will start kindergarten next year? Lincoln Public Schools is now accepting kindergarten registrations for the 2023-2024 school year. Parents of children turning five years of age on or before July 31, 2023 can register their child online now.
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.
When registering, you must provide:
Families who wish to have their child enroll at an LPS school outside of their attendance area should fill out a Special Attendance Permit which is available at any school or on our website. Questions about kindergarten registration should be directed to the school your child will attend.
PLEASE NOTE: Students who are currently enrolled in an LPS Early Childhood Program should already be signed up for kindergarten and need not register online. If you have any questions, please contact your child’s school.
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 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. More information about the early entrance assessment process can be found here.
Lincoln Public Schools provides a high-quality, half-day early childhood preschool program for children who reside within the Lincoln Public Schools attendance area. Our preschool program is located in many of the schools across the school district. Children who are at least 3 years of age on or before July 31, 2023 and who have not yet turned five as of July 31, 2023, are eligible to apply.
Visit our website for more information, or contact earlychildhood@lps.org.
Building Blocks: family activities to try at home
At Lincoln Public Schools, we know students with strong social and emotional skills thrive. They succeed academically, personally and relationally. We use the Social Emotional Learning (SEL) curriculum Second Step to teach these life skills to students in grades Pre-K through seventh.
Our SEL lessons are a collaboration between students, their families and educators. You can help us reinforce and build upon the lessons we teach at school by participating in these activities at home with your child.
This semester, your student is learning about empathy, kindness and problem-solving.
Partner with us to help your child excel by trying these activities with your family:
Visit our SEL website at https://home.lps.org/sel/ and discover more family activities and grade-specific lessons.
Families, we are seeing an increase of school disruptions that begin with inappropriate conversations on social media outside of school. Digital Citizenship is something we teach at Lincoln Public Schools. We encourage you to also have a conversation with your child about responsible digital citizenship to help reinforce these lessons.
We would also like to remind you that most social media user agreements (Like Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok) do not allow full use of their apps for anyone under the age of 13. This means elementary and most middle school students should NOT have access or be using social media according to these apps and their terms of service.
For more and tips about social media use, you can visit these resources:
Teaching and learning doesn’t stop during the summer at Lincoln Public Schools! Check out our website for the latest opportunities offered at our schools.
High school summer school is open to students who were in grades 9-12 during the 2022-2023 school year. The summer school program provides an opportunity for all high school students to continue their learning during the summer and earn additional credits. Check out our website for more information.
Lincoln Public Schools offers high-quality, affordable workshops to help students prepare for the ACT college exam in June and July. Registration for Summer workshops will open on May 1. Click here for more information.
Summer Athletic Clinics are offered through all 7 LPS High Schools and are conducted by the individual sport coaches at their respective locations. Clinics are offered in various sports and are available for students entering grades 3-12 for the 2022-2023 school year. Click here for more information.
The Lincoln Public Schools Summer Technology Program is provided for students entering grades 4 through 9 in the fall of 2022. The goal of the program is to provide upper elementary and middle level students a fun, exciting, and challenging opportunity to explore their interest in computers and technology. Click here for more information.
There are multiple opportunities for students entering grades 4-12 who have an interest and passion for music. Check out our website for information and registration information.
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.
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.
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, social worker or school nurse within Lincoln Public Schools are eligible to participate in our Educator Interview Fair.
Educator Interview Fair
Wednesday, May 10
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
In-person or over Zoom at the Steve Joel District Leadership Center (the district office at 5905 O Street).
All interested candidates must reserve their spot by filling out the form: bit.ly/LPSEducatorFair.
If you are not available on May 10, or have questions, please contact Erik Witt, Director of Recruitment, at ewitt@lps.org.
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 May edition preview of Community News online.
Are you part of a community non-profit organization that wants to share your information with LPS families? Reserve your ad space in our Community News! Learn more on our webpage: lps.org/communitynews.
Lincoln Public Schools recognizes the need for students and staff to find appropriate ways to honor students or staff who may die unexpectedly during the school year. Using best practices and professional guidelines, the following updates have been made to our procedures:
Lincoln Public Schools is the second largest public school district in Nebraska, located in the heart of the plains, renowned for its long-standing legacy of educational excellence and tradition of rigorous academic achievement. The school district is growing and thriving, serving over 42,000 students in more than 60 schools and programs.
Lincoln Public Schools is committed to ensuring digital accessibility for all persons, including people with disabilities. Learn more