While their building undergoes major renovations, Lincoln Elementary School students will attend classes at one of three other locations in the district in the upcoming 2019-20 school year, depending on their grade level.
“The students here at Lincoln are going to be dispersed out to other schools” while contractors perform the “comprehensive remodel,” said Lincoln Principal Colin Nelson.
When the new school year begins in the fall, Lincoln preschool students will be taught at Emerson Elementary, which houses kindergarten and first grade, said Nelson. Second-graders will go to the business education building at Hoquiam High School, and third-grade students will be sent to Central Elementary, where grades four and five are taught.
Nelson said students will remain at those locations throughout the school year.
The district is working to make sure the move for second-graders to the high school setting is a positive one. Lincoln’s Facebook page posted earlier this month, “In anticipation of concerns about second grade students gleaning ‘teenage behavior,’ we have taken steps to keep our students safe and separated. That said, having access to high school students provides a lot of opportunities for mentorships and tutoring.”
To get incoming students acclimated to their new surroundings in Grizzly country, current first-grade students will be taken on a short “walking field trip” to the business education building at the high school June 6.
There is no such field trip planned for incoming third-grade students; according to the Facebook post, the school district considers it a natural transition as they move on to Central.
While work is going on at Lincoln, its principal, secretary and staff will operate at the three other schools, according to the district. They will be housed at the high school, though room assignments have not been finalized, said Hoquiam Superintendent Mike Villarreal.
Transportation plans are still being finalized as the logistics of moving students to different locations are figured out. Nelson said, “Final plans are still in the works,” and he thought the district would be looking at a transportation plan “mostly similar to what we have now.”
Lincoln teachers are preparing for the move, which is anticipated around the second week in August, after the rooms to which they are moving are cleaned and prepared. Classroom assignments have been made for teachers moving into the high school and Central. Assignments are still being considered for preschool teachers heading to Emerson.
The work at Lincoln and separate roof replacement work at Hoquiam High School are funded by a $6.8 million, six-year bond passed by district voters late in 2018. The renovations at Lincoln Elementary School, built in 1971, will include improving accessibility, replacing doors and windows, asbestos abatement, upgrading mechanical and lighting controls, and upgrading the electrical, plumbing and fire capabilities.
Parents can keep track of the progress of the Lincoln Elementary remodel by logging on to the district website, Hoquiam.net. When you access the home page, a pop-up emerges directing you to a link. Updates will also be posted on the school’s Facebook page.
DAN HAMMOCK | GRAYS HARBOR NEWS GROUP Lincoln Elementary preschool, second and third grade students will attend courses at three different district locations during the 2019-20 school year while the school gets a major remodel.
DAN HAMMOCK | GRAYS HARBOR NEWS GROUP The entryway to Lincoln Elementary School in Hoquiam will welcome not students, but contractors, during the 2019-20 academic year as major renovations are made to the 1971 building.
