From the Principal’s Desk----Hugh McDermott

PLEASE NOTE

Six applications were received for the Ruth Amen Summer 2006 Music Educator Professional Growth Sponsorship. After review and upon recommendation Mike Robb, Choral Music Teacher, Irving Middle School, is this year's recipient. Mike will be attending a week-long seminar "Working with Middle School Choirs" conducted by Dr. Patrick Freer at Westminster Choir College of Rider University, Princeton, NJ. Join me in congratulating Mike on receiving this rich opportunity.
Thank you to the Amen Family for honoring the career in music education of Ruth Amen by making this opportunity available to a Lincoln Public Schools music educator.
--
Dr. Raymond W.S. Lowther
Supervisor of Music

Attention Parents: Does your student have a negative lunch balance?

Negative balances (charges) on SNAP accounts for school meals need to be paid off before the end of the school year. Negative balances will not be removed from accounts this summer. Any outstanding balance from the 2005-2006 school year will be subtracted from the deposit at the start of the new school year.

Irving News

What should the end of the school year look like?

Thoughts of summer are quickly encircling students, staff and parents here at Irving and throughout the LPS school system. It’s a natural response to the events of the day. What I would like parents to know is that we have lots to do yet and we need your help in reminding your student that he/she needs to do his/her very best, all the way up and through the last full day of this school year which is Thursday, June 1. We want this to be a great ending to a great school year which was full of lots of academic, social and extracurricular activities and events. The end of the school year should look like the beginning in many ways. Please have a sit-down conversation with your student and explain that you expect him/her to follow all school rules through the end of the year. Please remind your student that you expect him/her to behave in a most respectful and honorable manner. Remind students they are not to do foolish things which sometimes middle school students may want to do. There’s nothing sadder than to have an administrator call you to tell you that your son/daughter has been suspended from school for some foolish action which could easily have been avoided. Remind students not to bring shaving cream, water guns, cap pistols or other nuisance items to school. Remind them that they have a responsibility to help keep our school safe and that may include reporting any of these unsafe situations to an administrator or teacher. Impress upon your student that just within the last two months we have had to suspend students for such things as bringing a cap gun pistol to school, stealing others iPods or cell phones, breaking and entering our school (individual caught had a toy pistol and this could have been very dangerous if the police could not distinguish it from a real one), fighting and being very mean physically or verbally to others, or skipping school. Every one of these situations could have been avoided. In almost every one of these situations, once we sat down with students and parents, the students realized what they had done wasn’t right and that if they could turn the clock back, they would have acted differently. Students are going to make mistakes, we all do, it is part of learning and maturing but I will tell you that the above situations are some serious ones and ALL could have been avoided. I call upon all Irving parents to please talk seriously with your student about having a successful end to a great school year. If your son/daughter is returning to us next year, we look forward to another great year. If you are a “first time to Irving” parent and student, perhaps have an incoming 6th grader coming to Irving next year---welcome! We hope everyone has a great summer and we wish our very best to our out-going 8th graders who are headed to the high school of their choice and to you parents.

8th Grade Celebration Events-End-of-the-Year Parties

We are so fortunate to have a parent organization (IPTSO) that takes an active roll in helping support students and staff with some great activities. Under the direction and leadership of Emily Faubel with leadership support of Diane Freese and Peggy Brune, and many others, the 8th grade activities committee has put together an excellent program to help our 8th graders celebrate the end to their time at Irving---all for the unbelievable cost of $1.00 per student! All students are encouraged to purchase a ticket this week on Tues., Wed., or Thurs. These tickets will be sold at lunch time by the cafeteria. When students buy a ticket, they become eligible for a raffle drawing that will be held during the party which is planned from 2:30 to 4:00 this Friday, May 26. The word is the planning committee has collected over 80 cool give-aways for the raffle, including an iPod for some lucky student. Students will be dismissed to the gym where they will have a chance to buy and sign yearbooks from 2:30 to 3:30. Yearbooks are $13 while they last. At 3:30, students will go to the cafeteria for pizza and pop. This party ends at 4:00. Then for that same $1, all Irving 8th graders are invited to a Hawaiian Party at the Irving Rec. Center this same night (Fri.) from 7 to 9:00 p.m. The gym and rec. center will be open for a variety of games (pool, beach volleyball, basketball, ping pong and more) as well as snacks and music. The Picture Man will be here at both events taking pictures and then these will be available to view online and at Irving the following week, for students and parents to order. These two celebrations are for Irving 8th graders only and students are reminded that if they leave the Hawaiian Party early, they will not be allowed to come back in. We hope everyone has a great time and again; we want to thank ALL the parents who have volunteered to help with these two events for our 8th graders. A special “thanks” to Susan Larson Rodenburg, IPTSO out-going President and Emily Faubel for their great leadership.

Summer Learning Adventures

We have information/registration brochures in the office for LPS Summer Athletic Clinics, LPS Middle School Choral and Instrumental Camps, LPS Summer Technology Program and Youth Volunteer summer program at the Lincoln Children’s Museum. These are exceptional opportunities at very reasonable prices or free to LPS students and others.

Bright Lights brochures are available in the Irving office. Pick one up or look on the web at www.brightlights.org for class information. Hands-on career experiences and international experiences with Japanese students are some of the opportunities. Need-based scholarships are available. Register now!

What students should bring to school on the last day, Thursday, June 1

Students need only bring a pen/pencil, yearbook if they purchased one, sack lunch if they choose, for the last day of school on Thursday, June 1. Students will be allowed to carry their cell phones but are not to use them during the school day and may have a camera also. Please leave backpacks, large bags, purses at home as you will not be able to use your lockers. If you bring any “extra items” they will be taken at the door before school and you may pick these items up in the office during 7th period (last period of the day). Lunches will be collected and available to students at lunch time. If you have any school books at home, please bring those back the last day also.

Moving This Summer?

Students and Parents: If you will be moving during the summer either to a different address or will be going to a different school next school year, 2006-2007, please notify Mary Lou Krull, Registrar/Irving Counseling Center, know of the change. This will help us to help you make the transition smoothly. If you have any questions, please feel free to call Mary Lou Krull at 436-1267 or 436-1214. Thank you for your help.

IPTSO OFFICERS FOR 2006-2007 SET!

First, we would like to say “thank you” to the officers of IPTSO for the 2005-2006 school year. They were: Susan Larson Rodenburg, President, Barb Stuart, Vice-President, Kerstin Eckstrom, Secretary, Cindy Morris, Treasurer. We are very appreciative of their on-going support for our school. They were always asking us, what can we do to help students, staff and our parents at Irving? They established many committees who also helped get the work done. We want to thank them all!

For the 2006-2007 school year, here are our officers: Barb Stuart, President, Jane Oman, Vice-President, Val Cuppens, Secretary, and Karen Cheesman, Treasurer. We look forward to an exciting next year and their ability to carry on the great tradition of parent support and help for our school. We are still completing our roster of parent helpers to our sub-committees and hope to post this on our web site in the very near future. If you have any questions or you are interested in serving on one of the established committees, please give Barb a call, at 423-5601.

Irving Upcoming Events/Activities

Fri. June 2 Teacher work day (last day)

Wed. June 14 Approximate date that final report cards mailed home

Mon. Aug. 28 First Day of School for 2006-2007 Irving 8:00 a.m. – 2:58 p.m.