Barn Buddies on Wednesday for kids age 5-7
There are still a few spots available for Codman Community Farms’ Barn Buddies Holiday Special on Wednesday, Dec. 15 from 2:30–4 p.m. in the farm greenhouse. Kids age 5–7 can meet some familiar farm friends, make some festive decorations, and enjoy a seasonal farm snack as they spend an afternoon with our experienced older farm buddies. Participants should wear warm clothes and closed-toe shoes. Click here to sign up.
More Boy Scout Christmas trees available
The Lincoln Boy Scouts Troop 127 were able to obtain an additional shipment of fresh-cut trees. The tree lot at the corner of Lincoln and Codman Roads will be open on Wednesday, Dec. 15 from 6:30–8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 18-19 from 9 a.m.–5:30 p.m., or until sold out.
Watch talk by National Book Award winner
The Lincoln Public Library will host a Zoom screening of the talk given at the Concord Museum in June by Harvard Professor Tiya Miles on her book, All She Carried: The Journey of Ashley’s Sack, a Black Family Keepsake, on Thursday, Dec. 16 at 7 p.m. Lincoln author Ray Shepard will introduce the talk. All That She Carried is a National Book Award winner for 2021 and has been selected as one of the best books of 2021 by Time, Washington Post and New York Times. The sack — created by an enslaved woman named Rose for her daughter, who at age nine was sold by their owner — was inherited by her great-granddaughter Ruth, who embroidered the story into the sack. Click here to join the Zoom meeting (passcode: 125443).
Holiday drive for SVdP food pantry
The Lincoln Family Association and a Lincoln high school student are collecting donations for the Lincoln food pantry run by the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Lincoln and Weston. Residents can drop off nonperishable food items from this wish list at the following times and locations:
Friday, Dec. 17
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- 9:30–1 a.m. at the Lincoln School blue playground
- 3–4:30 p.m. behind St. Joseph’s Church (142 Lincoln Rd.)
Saturday, Dec. 18
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- 10:30-11:30 a.m. at the Lincoln School blue playground
Through Sunday, Dec. 19
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- The bin at Lincoln Middle School (items are being collected at this location for the second year in a row by tenth-grader Devon Das).
The SVdP food pantry has been dealing with sharp increases in need for assistance in recent years, as seen in their 2019-20 fiscal year summary. Total expenses and the amount of emergency assistance funds disbursed all went up by at least 30% over the preceding year, while the number of clients served has more than quadrupled since 2016. Click here if you or someone you know needs food or emergency financial assistance.
L-S teachers, School Committee agree on three-year deal
The Lincoln-Sudbury Regional School Committee announced that it has reached an agreement in principle on a new three-year contract with the Lincoln-Sudbury Teachers’ Association. The memorandum of understanding (MOU) provides for annual sequential cost-of-living (COLA) increases of 3%, 2%, and 2%, representing an aggregate COLA increase over three years totaling 7%. This agreement follows a 0% COLA for 2021-22 and agreement to transition to a single healthcare provider, which resulted in significant savings for the school district. There was an aggregate increase of 6.5% over the 2018-2021 period. The MOU will be incorporated into a collective bargaining agreement for the 2022-2025 academic years that is expected to be finalized in the coming weeks.
The terms reflect the aligned objectives of the School Committee and the Teachers’ Association to strengthen the educational and extracurricular program for students, provide opportunities for innovation in teaching, and manage compensation growth in a responsible manner, according to the committee’s statement.
“We are pleased to have achieved the key goals established by the School Committee at the outset of negotiations, and that we reached resolution on terms quickly and collaboratively,” said Cara Endyke-Doran, chair of the Lincoln-Sudbury School Committee. “The shared priorities of the School Committee and Teachers’ Association – providing a rigorous and purposeful education to all students – were evident throughout our negotiations.” The School Committee further appreciates and extends its sincerest gratitude for the dedication of the faculty to the best interest of the students of the district, especially during these challenging times caused by the ongoing pandemic’s impact on our community’s collective social and financial well-being.
Once the definitive agreement is finalized, a copy of it may be found on this L-S School Committee web page. For more information, contact committee chair Cara Endyke-Doran at Cara_endykedoran@lsrhs.net.
Thank teachers through HATS program
The Lincoln School Foundation’s Honor A Teacher & Staff (HATS) program gives you an opportunity to recognize specific Lincoln Public Schools teachers and other staff members while supporting the LSF. For a small donation, the LSF will prepare a certificate of appreciation with your personalized message to be delivered to the recipient. In addition to your child’s learning coach/teacher, consider celebrating the hard work of teaching assistants, specialists (art, music, drama, science, wellness), support specialists, office staff, nurses, custodians, METCO staff — anyone who works in Lincoln schools. Visit the HATS web page to participate, and click here to see grants that the LSF has made to teachers using donations.