Weekly News- Week of March 5, 2018

Posted March 8, 2018

Longfellow Weekly News: March 8, 2018

Dear Longfellow Community,

We have so many accomplishments to celebrate within each of our students at Longfellow School. Below are just a few of the great things our Longfellow Scholars have accomplished as well as our latest news and events.

Mrs. Maggie Cahill, Asst. Principal

Longfellow Artists on Display

Come to the Idea Box at the Oak Park Public Library to see artwork from ten of our Longfellow artists! The following students and their masterpieces will be honored at a special Youth Art Month reception next week and their art work will be on display through the end of the month. Thank you to our art teachers Mrs. Jenny Raia and Mrs. Michaela Ruff for their leadership of these young artists!

Ramiyah B, Degas Inspired Ballerina (1st Grade)
Jamie C, Collagraph Print (4th Grade)
Gust H, Tissue Collage (2nd Grade)
Aubree H-D, Warm/Cool Tree (3rd Grade)
Sonia L, Please Get The Moon (Kindergarten)
Michael M, Chibi Pillow Pet (4th Grade)
Adekoyejo 'KJ' M, Van Gogh Inspired Sunflowers (Kindergarten)
Callum M, Frida Kahlo Portrait (1st Grade)
Lilly O, Radial Symmetry Design (3rd Grade)
Gabby S, My Favorite Things Silk Painting (5th Grade)

Spelling Bee

We had such a strong group of competitors for this year's Spelling Bee!! Thank you to Mrs. Allison Ibarra- Nelson for coordinating this event. Congratulations to all of our finalists who competed in Thursday evening's Bee and to the following winners:

Third grade= Calvin B. with runner up Tyson M.
Fourth grade= Tate V. with runner up Lucas D.
Fifth grade= Julia M. with runner up Sonia L.

Reading Olympics

The Longfellow Reading Olympics took place on March 8th. Great work by all 8 Teams and our helpers! 31 of our 5th graders participated in this challenging literature competition. In a very close 2nd place was our winning team from the Fall round, The Lactose-Intolerant Cows: Finn M., Graham H., and Ben W. Ben was absent, so Rachel K stepped-in as a substitute and helped them earn the runner-up position. Thank you Rachel! Our first place team will be going to compete against the winning teams from 11 other area schools on Tuesday afternoon. Congratulations to The Sparkly Michigan People: Leila A, Sonia L, and Maya W.

Longfellow Filmmakers Win Top Award

Evan R, Rachel K, Carolina R and Capri S won top prize in their category for their 45-second stop-motion Claymation film, "Go Green, Go Clean" at the 2018 One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest. We are so proud of their accomplishment and the support of their art teacher, Mrs. Jenny Raia!

Longfellow's Got Talent!

Longfellow's Got Talent is back looking for new talent across our third, fourth, and fifth grades! The show will be Thursday, May 10th at 6:00pm in our Auditorium. Auditions will be after school on Thursday, April 19th from 3-4pm in the auditorium (students must return a permission slip to attend, and stay for the whole hour). If students are not able to attend the audition date, they can schedule a private audition with Ms. Golemes or Ms. Utter for another time. Our dress rehearsal will be on Thursday, May 3rd from 3-4pm. Information sheets are coming home next week on Wednesday, March 14th. There will be a website link on that form which will guide you to our "all access" talent show page. This website will have all the information you would need regarding the talent show. Looking forward to another great show! - Ms. Golemes and Ms. Utter

Nourish to Flourish

From February to May, the Longfellow Wellness Committee sponsors "Nourish to Flourish," which is a series of monthly themes designed to promote overall health and wellness. Last month's themes were a healthy breakfast and adequate sleep. This month's theme is nutrition. As part of this month's theme, we will be celebrating P.A.C.K. (Pack Assorted Colors for Kids) Week during March 12th-16th. Kids are invited to both eat (fruits or vegetables) and wear the color of the day. The event has also been coordinated with our school's hot lunch provider. This link contains additional information about the week.

Dr. Cool & Pride!

On Wednesday, March 21st Dr. Cool & Pride will be visiting Longfellow for a special assembly. The cast and crew of this popular PBS TV show will visit us and use original music, story telling and interactive dance to teach lessons about Respect, Responsibility and Safety. Each Longfellow Student will have the opportunity to watch 5 free PBS episodes after this assembly to help reinforce the messages they learn at home. Thank you to our PTO for funding this amazing learning opportunity!

Spring Spirit Wear

Show your Longfellow pride with new colors and styles! Check out the options and place your order from March 2-March 23 at https://www.customink.com/fundraising/longfellowbears . All shirts available in Youth and Adult sizes.

Fee Reminder

If you have not yet paid your school fees for the 2017-2018 school year, please do so at your earliest convenience. You can pay on line at op97.org through the WebStore or you can write a check payable to Oak Park District 97. As always if you have any questions please call the Longfellow office at 708-524-3062.

Kindergarten and New Student Registration

If you have an incoming Kindergartner or know of anyone who does, please share this important registration infomation with them!

Student Recognition

We would like to recognize students and adults who make a difference at Longfellow School! If you would like to nominate an individual who makes a difference at our school, please fill out this form. The individual you nominate will receive a printed form with a description of their contribution to making Longfellow a great place to be. Have you observed a child making an effort to improve our school, to make a positive impact on another student, or contribute to the community? This is a great way to recognize them!!

Second Step

This week during Second Step we taught the Child Protection Unit lessons for Erin's Law. Here are home links for this week's lesson: Kindergarten, First Grade, Second Grade, Third Grade, Fourth Grade, and Fifth Grade. Please let your child's teacher or our school social worker, Mrs. Gulley, know if you have any questions about these lessons.

Nourish to Flourish

From January to May, the Longfellow Wellness Committee sponsors "Nourish to Flourish," which is a series of monthly themes designed to promote overall health and wellness. Last month's themes were a healthy breakfast and adequate sleep. This month's theme is nutrition. As part of this month's theme, we will be celebrating P.A.C.K. (Pack Assorted Colors for Kids) Week during March 12th-16th. Kids are invited to both eat (fruit or vegetable) and wear the color of the day. The event has also been coordinated with our school's hot lunch provider. Click here for additional information about the week.

Red Carpet Recital Coming Up!

The Red Carpet Band & Orchestra Recital will be taking place on Thursday, March 15th at 7pm in the Longfellow Auditorium (students should arrive by 6:30pm). This performance is a short recital featuring Longfellow band/orchestra students performing in small chamber groups. There will be a catered reception following the recital. If you are able, please DONATE to the cost of the caterer. Click here for the donation form. Questions? Please email Ms. Vogt at [email protected].

Spring ALL Registration

ALL (Always Learning at Longfellow) will be rolling out a new spring session that will begin the week of April 9th. Registration will open on Friday, March 9th at 8:30 am and will close March 23rd at 5:00 pm. No late registrations will be accepted. Scholarships awards and confirmation emails will go out to families on April 2nd. There will be great, new classes such as Crossfit Kids, The Art Factory, NASA Blastoff, So You Think You Can Add and Wifflot. Many favorites are returning, as well! Click here for more information about ALL registration and the class schedules and descriptions. To register click here. To apply for a scholarship click here. *Note- links will not be active until 3/9!

Pennies for Patients- Student Council Drive

The Longfellow Student Council will be running The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Pennies for Patients program, a service-learning program that gives students the opportunity to help raise funds in honor of thousands of children and adults fighting against blood cancers. We are asking that Longfellow students join in this effort by collecting funds in their donation boxes that will go home on Monday, 3/19, or finding sponsors to support them on our school donation page. We will also have a Bring the Change week from April 2nd-6th to finish our campaign. During this week, each day focuses on a different spirit wear item and coin:

Monday 4/2-Pajama Penny Day: Don't forget to put your pennies in the pockets of your favorite pajamas.
Tuesday 4/3-Neon Nickels Day: Wear your brightest neon and bring in nickels.
Wednesday 4/4-Dazzling Dimes Day: Donate dimes & wear something shiny or something that makes you different and unique.
Thursday 4/5-Crazy Quarters Day: Wear a crazy hat and/or socks to school today and cash in your quarters.
Friday 4/6-Team up for Leukemia: Wear your favorite team's jersey or colors and collect all coins and dollars!

All donations are due that Friday, April 6th. For more information about Pennies for Patients, please visit www.studentseries.org. If you have any questions, please reach out to Lindsey Bennett at [email protected].

PARCC Testing

Longfellow third, fourth and fifth grade students will take the PARCC assessment from March 5th- March 19th. As is required by law, every student who is eligible to take the PARCC assessment will receive a test ticket or test booklet. However, in accordance with our practice, anyone who elects not to take the assessment will be permitted to read a book after the teacher has read the directions to the class and students have begun the testing process. Since students will not be allowed to go to the school library during the administration of the test, we ask that you please make sure your child brings his/her book to class during the PARCC testing window (March 5, 2018 to March 19, 2018). If you would like your child to refuse the test please make sure that you notify your child's teacher and/or Mrs. Cahill.

Summer Bravo

Bravo Performing Arts Academy will host auditions on March 5th, 6th, and 8th for their summer performances. Please click here or visit bravoperformingarts.org for more information!