Lincoln-Way Community High School District 210 parents returned to the classroom this week to see what school is like for their sons and daughters.

Each school, including Lincoln-Way Central, Lincoln-Way East, Lincoln-Way North and Lincoln-Way West, invited parents in for a Back to School Night, giving them an opportunity to meet their child’s teachers, hear what they’ll be learning this year and experience the hustle and bustle of the hallways as they navigate their way to each classroom.

“You will be a student again tonight,” Superintendent Lawrence Wyllie told a group of Lincoln-Way North parents Monday, Aug. 30 as they waited for the school bell to sound, signaling the start of the school day.

Parents were provided a copy of their child’s schedule ahead of time and instructed to follow it. They were given six minutes to find their child’s classroom and settle in to a seat.

Teachers stood in the hallways to monitor their progress and direct wayward parents.

This night “gives us an opportunity to show you a little of what Lincoln-Way is about, as well as giving you a chance to meet our fine faculty and staff,” said Wyllie. “I am very proud of the people who make up the Lincoln-Way family, and I’m hopeful your son or daughter, as he or she interacts with our personnel, is having a rewarding experience.”

“We feel it is important for parents to be able to meet our teachers and to hear them present their expectations and the curriculum,” said Lincoln-Way North High School Principal Michael Gardner. “The parents are also able to better understand the high school experience.”

Lincoln-Way East Principal Brenda Jensen, whose school hosted a Back to School Night on Tuesday, Aug. 31, encouraged parents to use the district’s on-line opportunities to review their child’s academic progress, attendance and discipline referrals.

“You should all have your passwords by now,” she said.

Lincoln-Way Central Principal Steve Provis planned to stress the importance of preparing for the Prairie State Achievement Exam at his school’s Back to School Night on Thursday, Sept. 2. He also planned to encourage parents to have their children take advantage of the district’s free on-line prep opportunities.

“Students who work diligently preparing for these tests – identifying their strengths and weaknesses and working to improve their scores – realize amazing results,” he said.

Lincoln-Way West Principal Monica Schmitt also planned to talk to parents about the statewide test at her school’s Back to School Night on Tuesday, Sept. 7 and share how parents can help their sons and daughters realize their dreams post Lincoln-Way.

“Our mission as a high school is to maximize the academic and social growth of our students – in essence – to prepare them for the future,” she said. “Our goal as a school is to help open as many doors as possible for your son or daughter so that by senior year, he or she can make solid decisions about life after Lincoln-Way West.

“Parents of freshmen, sophomores or juniors can help by encouraging their child to prepare for the spring tests by going on-line to the district website and following the link Test Prep,” she continued.

At all four Back to School Nights, Wyllie asked parents to partner with the schools and make sure students make the most of their education.

“An improved work ethic on the part of students needs emphasis both at school and at home,” he said. “We need your help in making sure the academic responsibilities we are trying to foster here are stressed at home as well. Please help us.

“The education of your children, so that they can become productive members of society, can only occur as a result of the joint efforts of parents and the schools,” he added.