Lincoln Elementary School

We began looking to other schools when we felt our son was academically stymied this year, & came to realize the academics aren't what we want for our kids. I cannot state clearly enough that the teachers ARE fantastic (5-star), but the overall priorities at the school are not ones we share-specifically we don't feel the school goes far enough in math, science & technology. Having said that, I believe I am one of the "bad apples" that have been referred to. I quietly resigned my position on the PTO Board 5 months ago, have not attended a single meeting, nor attempted to interject in any PTO-related business. I haven't engaged in any conflict to speak of and have instead focused on things I find more pressing. I was surprised to hear that I was being "called out" on Greatschools.org of all places. I can only assume that it means either the "good apples" think I am the parent who wrote the one negative comment about the school or it was too irresistible not to sling mud. In either case, I think negative comments about specific people on a school rating site speaks to the current state of affairs and atmosphere one can expect if "good apple" authority looks unfavorably on you.
--Submitted by a parent

My granddaughter attends Lincoln Elementary. This is her second year going there, and she's enrolled in the Spanish immersion program. I'm thankful that she lives in a community that affords her this opportunity, and that the school has been receptive to my daughter's involvement in the various programs and responds to her suggestions. The School teachers are strong and the principal is a good leader. They appear dedicated to providing a loving respectful environment for students to further their education and meet or exceed state and national educational standards.

I am the very fortunate principal of Lincoln Elementary, "The greatest little school in all of the world." This is what welcomes you when you come into our nearly 100 year old building. We reopened 4 years ago with only 85 Kinder and First Grade children. Our Smart Start Preschool added another 50 students and both continue to bring us some extremely devoted and supportive families. The plan was to "grow a school"...and we have! We have grown to 300 in our Kinder through 4th grades and 85 in our preschools. We have 3 Dual Immersion Classes, 10 Structured English Classes and an English only and Spanish Immersion Preschool. Our staff works long hours and weekends to provide the very best education they possibly can for our students. In 2012-2013, we will top over 400 and continue to grow each year. Our hard-working parent group has provided us with field trips, classroom supplies, computers, printers, playground equipment and a beautiful library that we love to show off! In my 30 years in the field of education, I have never been surrounded by more devoted teachers, staff, and especially, families. I am so proud to be a Lincoln Leopard!
--Submitted by a teacher

Our child has been at Lincoln School for two years. Since that time we have seen this school grow like no other, in the midst of some challenging fiscal times. Lincoln School offers the choice of a standard English curriculum or a DLP curriculum in Spanish/English as part of the core school experience. Choices in public education is hard to find and Lincoln does a great job with a diverse, dedicated staff of educators and leadership. Change and moving forward can be tough for some, for those who want a standard 1990's like educational experience Lincoln may not be the school for them. When re-opened Lincoln was dedicated to being a forward thinking, diverse, parent involved campus for children and their families in a neighborhood which is known for its cute homes, clean lawns and friendly neighbors. It has easily achieved this and so much more.
--Submitted by a parent

We made a decision to put our youngest child at Lincoln when it re-opened , after sending our eldest to private school. We have been completely impressed with the faculty, leadership and innovation of the school and school community. Our Lincoln child exited kindergarten ahead of our oldest, exceeding all of the Kindergarten standards. The growth of the school has been steady and strong, as was hoped. As new families join the school community energy enthusiasm and excitement grows. The only negative at the school has been those who are fearful of the growth and are intimidated by intelligence and change. In our opinion Lincoln School is the best possible option for a Salinas child, and it is free! Our hope is that the District, overall, will get fiscal relief in the upcoming years to make striving toward the overall Lincoln School vision attainable for our children.
--Submitted by a parent

I have 2 kids at Lincoln in the English Only (EO) program and I am a PTO Board Member. In response to the negative reviews posted by 2 parents, I would like to suggest that they visit the Dual Language Program (DLP) before making detrimental and racist remarks about the program. We are currently a K-4 EO and a K-1 DLP school adding a grade each year to each program, not sure how that adds up to more DLP than EO classes. The staff is dedicated and nurturing and ALL students are thriving. Yes, we lack some things, but so do many schools across the state due to budget cuts. The PTO is not a mess. We raised over $25K this year and have purchased playground and sports equipment, computers for the classrooms, academic resources and field trips just to name a few things. We had a few bad apples, but they resigned and we are more united in enriching our children's educational experience and staff support. One anonymous letter was sent to the PTO Board only, hate mail was not sent via the PTO email database nor placed on the PTO Facebook page and those instances should not reflect on the school or staff. Lincoln is an exceptional school, my kids love it and I highly recommend it.
--Submitted by a parent

I love this school!!! Our daughter is thriving there and I can't wait until my son is old enough to attend pre-school there (yes, there is a preschool program on site). We are in the dual immersion program and love the diversity of the classes, the teachers live what they do and I find the parent involvement to be top shelf! The principal is accessible and friendly, the school is a bright and happy place and I wouldn't send my children to ANY other public school in the area!!!
--Submitted by a parent

Lincoln gets a five star rating from me. My rating is based on a combination of three things, students, families, and especially staff. We have a very strong cohesive staff that thrives on working together as a team. Our principal is an excellent leader who guides with fairness and respect. She is accessible to families and staff and strives to find solutions that are fair to all parties concerned. Our students are eager to learn, they work hard, and do their best to meet the high expectations that are in place for them. Although we may have had some bumps in the road where the parent group is concerned they have always been, and remain to be, dedicated to doing what they can to supplement the needs of the school. We were very fortunate to add the "dual immersion" program to our school this year. A program that consists of mainly English speaking students learning the curriculum in Spanish. The goal is for them to be proficient in both languages by the sixth grade (very exciting). As you can tell I am very honored to be a part of the Lincoln Leopard family, a family that shows respect, honors diversity, strives to achieve, and always performs to the best of their ability.
--Submitted by a teacher

I agree the school is 1-star, but disagree about why. It sounds like the Spanish Immersion program is the only reason left to send your child to this school. Those parents are setting up great classrooms for their kids. The rest of the school has NO computer training, almost no science and very little PE-which is mandated by the state! The only other thing Lincoln does well is helping children who need extra help. A lot of teachers have afterschool groups and the kids are doing much better. The Parent Group is a mess, with several "anonymous" letters circulated this year slamming one another and personal hate mail being sent to the entire school via the "confidential" email list & posted on the school's Facebook page-we signed up for updates at the school, not for people bashing each other. Not good modeling for the kids.
--Submitted by a parent

Ok, if you want to go to a school that has the smarts and academics of Einstein, the warmth of a loving Grandmother, the community feel of the home town you grew up in, and the immediate feeling of belonging...then Lincoln Elementary School is the place for you. I have never been involved with such a dedicated group of teachers, parent, and children that are going the distance to achieve in a few years what most schools have taken decades to conquer...highly qualified educators and highly functioning students. Come and be a part of it.
--Submitted by a parent