October 1, 2014
Lynch Pride Newsletter
Student Hours
8:35-2:35 p.m.
Monday-Friday
Lynch Elementary School
Johnnie Crawford III, Principal
Julie Jones, Assistant Principal
http://www.lynch-es.pinellas.k12.fl.us/
1901 71st Street North, St. Petersburg, FL 33702
Phone 727-570-3170
The Mission of Lynch Elementary school and community is to provide quality educational experiences as a foundation for the lifelong learning of every student.
The Lynch community strives to assure these learning experiences happen within an environment that promotes safety and respects diversity.
Welcome to Lynch Elementary School
Assistant Principal
Johnnie Crawford III, Principal
Julie Jones, Assistant, Principal
Congratulations to our entire Lynch family for a successful
month of September. Fall is here and the holiday season is fast
approaching. This time of year can be a busy time for schools
and families. I want to encourage parents to continue to read to
your children or better yet have your children read to you. This
is a great way to show your child how much you value
education and ensure their academic success.
Don’t forget to join us on the first Monday of each month at
5:30 p.m. for our Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) meeting
and at 6:30 p.m. for the School Advisory Council (SAC)
meeting. We value your input and we need your support to reach
our school goals.
Please peruse the newsletter for important events, information
and dates. It is my pleasure to serve here at Lynch Elementary.
Dear Lynch Family,
We are off to a great start this school year.
Testing: We have just begun some assessments in reading to
begin supporting individual needs of students. Soon, teachers
will be wrapping up science and math units and will also be
giving some end of unit assessments that will let us know the
progress of our students. I’m so excited to see the growth in all
students’ learning.
Data Folders: Your child will be setting goals based on their
data and will be collecting evidence of their learning and
success toward meeting their goals. They will keep these items
in their personal data folder and in January we will be inviting
everyone to participate in a wonderful evening of student led
conferences. Your child will share their goals and growth
toward success. Watch for that date in a future newsletter.
Thanks: I want to acknowledge Mrs. Slone and our plant
operators for keeping our school beautiful. They work very hard
to make sure that the campus is safe as well as beautiful. We
want the students to know that we care about the place where
they are expected to learn.
Hope to see everyone at the Fall Festival in early November,
please make sure you introduce yourself to me if you have not
done so already.
The Great American Teach-In
Kirsten Haley, Community Involvement
Lynch Elementary invites you to The Great American Teach-In
on Wednesday, November 19th. This is a special opportunity
that allows you to speak to our students about your job,
hobbies, or even a combination of both. Wouldn’t you like the
opportunity to influence the next generation? You will be able
to by donating as much time as you’d like to our students on
this very special day. Your story can spark the imagination of
students and excite them to explore new possibilities! If you
would like to come speak to a class, please contact Kirsten
Haley at 570-3170 or haleyk@pcsb.org.
Picture Retakes ~ October 22, 2014
If you would like a retake of your child’s school
picture, send the entire packet back on picture day
and let your child’s teacher know your child is to
have a retake.
If you missed picture day in September, this is a
second chance to purchase your child’s school
picture – stop in the office to pick up a picture order form or ask
your child’s teacher to send one home.
Fall Festival News
Debbie Minkle, Fall Festival Chairperson
The Lynch PTO Annual Fall Festival will be on Friday,
November 7th, from 5:00-7:00 p.m. The Fall Festival is a
family fun night for all Lynch families. We have bounce houses,
a pumpkin patch, games and food! Teachers, staff and parents
design, set-up, and run game, activity and food booths. Tickets
are $0.25 each, and games cost between 1-3 tickets depending
on the activity. Profit from the evening goes back to the school
to be used for the benefit of the students! It is a very fun night
that all of our Lynch families look forward to every year.
Donations: The Festival is run solely on donations. Please add
individually wrapped candy & party favors to your
grocery list; more donation ideas will be in upcoming
flyers. If every family donates 1-2 items there will
be plenty of prizes for all - watch for those
Halloween sales!
If you have an idea for a booth that you would like to run, or if
you would like to volunteer to help with another booth, contact
your child’s classroom teacher or Debbie Minkle, 5th grade
teacher at minkled@pcsb.org
Read Between the Lions Bookstore
Mark your calendar! The Read Between the
Lions Bookstore will be open Friday,
October 3rd from 8:05-8:35 a.m., in Bldg 2Room 001. All books are just $1.50!
PE Department
Mrs. Werly, Mrs. Doyle, Ms Cadmus, Mr. Bates, PE Coaches
Fitness testing has been completed. The Fitnessgram reports will
go home with the first report card.
With Fall in the air we are going to start our Feelin' Good
Mileage Club. This will take place once a week during your
child's regular scheduled Physical Education class. To see more
information go to www.fitnessfinders.net . Click on the
programs tab at the top of the page
and choose Mileage Club.
Media/Tech News
Sherri Magill, Media/Tech Specialist
How fast are your little ones able to find keys, or type a sentence
on a keyboard? This skill is essential for the twenty-first century
student to be successful in "showing what they know.” There
are many free online keyboarding programs you may want to
consider to help your child with this skill. I like BBC Dance
Mat for students eight and older. Using it, they are engaged,
learn to use two hands on the keyboard, and are able to locate
letters much faster with continued practice. Give it a try at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/z3c6tfr
ESOL News
Heidi Colbeck, ESOL Teacher/Natasha Andzic, Bilingual Assistant
We are happy to say that ESOL Homework Club has
begun! Your child is able to stay after school each Thursday
until 3:45 for homework help in the media center. If you have
questions or would like to volunteer your time please contact
Mrs. Colbeck.
The School Board of Pinellas County, Florida, prohibits any and all forms of discrimination and harassment based on race, color, sex, religion,
national origin, marital status, age, sexual orientation or disability in any of its programs, services or activities. www.pinellas.k12.fl.us
National Elementary Honor Society (NEHS)
Title I News
The Sixth Annual NEHS Induction Ceremony was held on
September 30th in the Media Center at Lynch. Thirteen students
were recognized for their outstanding scholarship,
responsibility, service and leadership. The ceremony was
attended by over 60 proud parents, family members and
teachers. Former NEHS members Erin Codding, Haley Flint,
Christopher Hila and Nicholas Spencer participated in the
ceremony. The following students were inducted: Sara Abusulb,
Kyla Balas, Sadie Campbell, Emily Clayton, Kelly Codding,
Meghan Cody, Caroline Daley, Medina Fekovic, Raymond
Nguyen, Robert Nolden, Magnicel Pulido, Aidan Stern and
Kevin Tran. Congratulations!
Denise Malone, MTSS Coach
News you can use
Barbara Bitzer, School Councilor
For parents of fifth grade students: It’s not too early to start
thinking about options for your child’s middle school education.
Many middle schools offer magnet or fundamental programs to
address the interests, talents and abilities of diverse learners.
The application period for these programs will be January 7-16,
2015. To prepare for this, there will be Parent Information
Sessions and County Magnet Fairs in November, and schools
will offer Discovery Nights prior to the application period.
The following schools have provided additional information:
John Hopkins Middle School is offering student shadowing and
school tours; call 893-2400, x 2104 for more information or to
schedule. The JHMS Fringe Festival will be on October 17,
2014, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Their Discovery Night will be
December 17, 2014, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. The Discovery Night
for Thurgood Marshall Middle School will be November 17,
2014, at 6:00 p.m. For information about other middle school
programs, visit www.pcsb.org or contact the schools directly.
Clothes To Kids
Susan Sullivan, Social Worker
Clothes to Kids is a year-round program that serves families
with school-age children. It is the goal of CTK to provide each
eligible child with a week’s worth of school clothing. The
selections at CTK are a combination of new and quality used
clothing in the latest styles for kids. We have clothing to fit little
girls, boys, young men and young women of all shapes and
sizes! Clients may shop twice in a 12-month period and must
present a free/reduced lunch letter or other proof of
financial need. All shoppers must call to make an appointment
at 727-441-5050 before shopping.
Eligibility Criteria
 Your children must be school-aged [PreK (age 4)-12th
grade] and attend a Pinellas County School.
 Your family must be considered in financial
need receive free or reduced lunch from
Pinellas County Schools
o Your family or child is currently receiving
services from another social service agency
o You are in crisis due to a fire, flood or medical issues
ESOL: Our outstanding teachers are dedicated to our students and
to the goal of having them reach their highest level of academic
achievement. Our teachers are all certified by the State of Florida
and are qualified to teach the core academic subject they are
assigned. In addition, they attend professional development
designed to keep them current with best practices in education. To
that end, many of our teachers are in the process of obtaining their
English as a Second Language (ESOL) endorsement. This
endorsement is designed to give teachers special strategies for
working with students whose primary language is not English. This
endorsement requires 300 hours of additional professional
development. The following teachers are considered out of their
field for ESOL while working towards this endorsement: Ms
Wilcox, Mr. Gilbert, Ms. Gerding, Ms. Heath, & Ms. Flint. I am
confident that they will provide excellent instruction in a safe
learning environment to all of their students. Our teachers and staff
work diligently to meet the needs of every student. Your continued
support of your child’s education is appreciated. If you have any
questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us at 570-3170.
Looking for some great websites for your
child while they are on the computer? Here are
some sites to peruse. Don’t forget to check out additional sites
listed on page three in the Lynch Elementary School Agenda.
The Math Forum at Drexel: mathforum.org/dr.math
A project of Drexel University, this site answers your frequently
asked number conundrums and includes an archive organized by
grade level and math topic.
BJ Pinchbeck’s Homework Helper: bjpinchbeck.com
Features a roundup of the best online sources for nearly every
school subject, including art, music, foreign languages, math,
and current events.
National Geographic Kids: kids.nationalgeographic.com
Includes extensive coverage of science, geography, history, and
more, with articles, maps, photos, and videos.
First Gov for Kids: kids.gov
Provides kid-friendly links to hundreds of U.S. government-run
websites divided by school grade and category. You’ll find links
to the Library of Congress, NASA, and the Smithsonian
Institution, as well as nonprofit and educational sites. The
perfect source for research reports.
Fact Monster Homework Center: factmonster.com/homework
Kids can find literally anything they want to know on this factpacked site, with entries on everything from Greek and Roman
mythology to multiplication tables to world capitals.
Scholastic Homework Hub: scholastic.com/parents-school-success
Offers tips and techniques for studying, practice quizzes, and
research references that will jump-start reports.
Red Ribbon Week – October 23-31
The red ribbon is the symbol of drug and alcohol
abuse prevention and commitment to a healthy
drug-free lifestyle. The theme for this year’s Red
Ribbon Week is “Love Yourself. Be Drug Free.” We will be
celebrating at Lynch with some special activities. On Monday,
October 27th, all students will receive stickers or ribbons with
drug-free messages. We’ll “sock it to drugs” on Tuesday,
October 28th, by wearing crazy socks. On Wednesday, October
29th, students are encouraged to wear red. Thursday, October
30th, is “too cool for drugs” day – students may wear hats and
sunglasses. On Friday, October 31st, we’ll show our
commitment to staying healthy and active by wearing team
shirts or jerseys. On these “special dress” days, all other aspects
of the dress code will remain in place.
2014-2015 Elementary Student Calendar
October 3, Friday
October 6, Monday
October 6, Monday
October 20, Monday,
October 22, Wednesday
October 27-31
October 29, Wednesday
November 7, Friday
November 19, Wednesday
November 24-28
December 1, Monday
Dec 22 - Jan 5, 2015
January 6, Tuesday
January 14, Wednesday
January 19, Monday
January 29, Thursday
February 16, Monday
March 16, Monday
March 25, Wednesday
March 30-April 3
April 6, Monday
May 25, Monday
June 2, Tuesday
Read Between the Lions Bookstore
PTO meeting – 5:30 p.m.
SAC meeting – 6:30 p.m.
Non-Student day
Picture Retake day
Red Ribbon Week Activities (see above)
Report Cards Distributed
Fall Festival – 5:00-7:00 p.m.
Great American Teach-In
Thanksgiving Holidays - Schools closed
School reopens
Winter Holidays - Schools closed
School reopens
Report Cards Distributed
MLK Day - Schools closed
Student Led Conferences
Multi-Cultural Fair -5:00-6:30 p.m.
Non-Student day
Non-Student day
Report Cards Distributed
Spring Holidays –Schools closed
Schools reopen
Memorial Day Holiday - Schools closed
Last day for students
Report Card Distributed