Urban Education Network (UEN) Day at the Capitol - Feb. 15

The 2017 Legislative Session started on Jan. 9, 2017. With Republican majorities in the House, Senate and Governor’s Office there are a number of education-related legislative issues facing the state. The Urban Education Network (UEN) of Iowa is organizing an advocacy day on Feb. 15 at the Capitol in Des Moines.

If you would like to participate, you can reach the UEN contacts on the Agenda sheet with any questions, and please also notify Lucas Principal Ken Turnis if you plan to go as the district is trying to get a count so they can plan accordingly.

Agenda: UEN Day at the Capitol

UEN 2017 Legislative Priorities 

Jan. 20 Legislative Update

Jan. 11 Legislative Update

Free Movie Screening of Hidden Figures for Lucas Families

Lucas Elementary Families

Free Movie Screening of Hidden Figures

Thanks to a generous donation from a former Lucas Elementary parent 

and the Lucas Elementary PTO

The Movie: Hidden Figures is based on the inspiring true story of three brilliant African-American women who worked at NASA in the 1950s and '60s as "human computers" -- making calculations and contributions that helped launch the manned spaceflight program. Dorothy Vaughn (Octavia Spencer), Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe), and Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson) were engineers and computers at NASA at a time when both women and African Americans were still widely discriminated against, particularly in segregationist Virginia. where NASA's Langley Research Center is based. The film also offers a realistic look at the racial tensions of the Civil Rights era (segregated bathrooms, libraries, schools, facilities), and audiences will learn a lot about these pioneering women and what they had to overcome to make their mark at NASA. They're excellent role models, and their story is full of positive messages and themes, including integrity, perseverance, teamwork, and communication. (https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/hidden-figures)

The movie is rated PG
(we are targeting 3^rd – 6^th grade families as this is most age appropriate for them though parents know what little siblings can handle)

When: Monday January 16^th (Martin Luther King Jr Holiday)

Time: 1:00 pm

Where: Sycamore Mall Theater

Who: Current Lucas Families (children must be accompanied by an adult)

Cost: Free Admission (up to 120 people)

ask for the Lucas Elementary table for entry to the movie

Here is some additional information from Lucas ELP teacher Dawn BarbouRoske: The timing is also kismet; not only is it released in January for a nod to MLK, but Jan. 4th, NASA just announced that among the crew for the next February 2018 International Space Station Mission will be Jeanette Epps, first African American space station crew member. Also, John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth recently died AND Katherine Johnson, who calculated the trajectory for NASA's first orbit, received the 2015 Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Here's some more info:

Katherine Johnson's amazing contributions  https://www.nasa.gov/feature/katherine-johnson-the-girl-who-loved-to-count
White House release https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2015/11/25/honoring-nasas-katherine-johnson-stem-pioneer
White House Women in STEM website https://www.whitehouse.gov/women-in-stem
Biographical info on the actual women who inspired the movie http://www.biography.com/news/hidden-figures-movie-real-women
https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-assigns-upcoming-space-station-crew-members
Jeanette Epps Info: http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/epps-jj.pdf

Parent Cafes - Training, Connecting & Uplifting

Johnson County CPPC is proud to present to our community the first “Keep Your Family Strong” Parent Café installation. We are excited to get parent interacting and discussing with one another the challenges and the joys of being parents. This is a six-week series. 

Parent Cafes will be held at Uptown Bill’s Coffee House located at 730 S. Dubuque St. Iowa City, IA beginning Wednesday, Jan. 25 from 6 to 8pm. We will provide light refreshments or parents can purchase some food from the coffee house. We will provide free childcare and family resources. This café is well suited for parents with children from 3 years to teens. Many of the concepts are universal and parents can learn from one another.

Parent Cafés are a vehicle for parents to have their own conversations about keeping their families strong based on a set of Protective Factors that help prevent child abuse and neglect. They are a method of facilitating conversations among parents about the things that keep their families strong—because keeping families strong is the same as preventing abuse and neglect, and parents are responsible for keeping their children safe.

There are six messages that are tied directly to the Protective Factors that we will explore:

1. Be strong and flexible

2. Parents need friends

3. Being a great parent is part natural and part learned

4. We all need help sometimes

5. Parents need to help their children communicate

6. Give your children the love and respect they need

We have limited space for this program. Please assist or ask families to fill out the Eventbrite link below so that we can reserve them a spot today.

We are still looking for volunteers for the 6 weeks for childcare and we are looking for more table hosts.

Register today:

https://www.eventbrite.com/o/latasha-deloach-9903380773

Lucas PTO on AmazonSmile

Do you shop on Amazon?

Click through the link below to sign up for AmazonSmile! Now with every qualifying purchase, Lucas PTO receives .5% of purchases you were planning to make anyway.

https://smile.amazon.com/ch/20-0920819

What is AmazonSmile?

AmazonSmile is a website operated by Amazon that lets customers enjoy the same wide selection of products, low prices, and convenient shopping features as on Amazon.com. The difference is that when customers shop on AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com), the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases to the charitable organizations selected by customers.

How does AmazonSmile work?
When first visiting AmazonSmile, customers are prompted to select a charitable organization from almost one million eligible organizations. In order to browse or shop at AmazonSmile, customers must first select a charitable organization. For eligible purchases at AmazonSmile, the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price to the customer’s selected charitable organization.

January PTO Newsletter

Hot off the presses: the January PTO newsletter!

January 2017 PTO Newsletter
January 2017 PTO Newsletter (Spanish translation)