Longfellow Weekly News: May 21, 2018
Dear Longfellow Families,
Thank you for the overwhelming amount of love and appreciation that was shown during Teacher Appreciation Week earlier this month. Our staff members are committed to implementing curriculum, planning instruction, and taking time to make their classroom and our school a "home away from home" for our children and their hard work was honored in so many ways. Also, thank you to the many families who were able to come out to the End of Year Picnic. Our PTO planned a great event and it was well-attended despite the unpredictable forecast! We are looking forward to finishing the year strong in these last two weeks of school. There are many special events, trips, and celebrations so please be sure to check your calendars and plan ahead!
Take care,
Maggie Cahill
Olympic Day: Friday May, 25th
Longfellow students will participate in 15 stations of fun activities, such as a climbing wall, relay races and tennis ball toss. Students need to wear gym shoes and shorts or pants. Sunscreen is recommended. Kindergarten, 1st and 5th grades will participate in the morning and 2nd, 3rd and 4th grades will participate in the afternoon. Parent volunteers will be needed so please consider signing up here. Rain date will be May 29th if needed.
Boxes, Please!
Our teachers will be packing up reading curriculum for the summer and are in need of boxes! If you have any you can spare, please consider sending them to school. Your child can take them directly to their teacher or parents can drop them off in the office with the teacher's name labeled on the box with a marker, tape, or post-it note. Thank you for your support!
Menu Change on Thurs, May 31st
We have a menu change for the last full day of school. On Thursday, May 31st our lunch room will be serving pancakes instead of popcorn chicken. The pancakes will be 3 mini whole grain pancakes with a spring salad mix and a red apple.
Fingerprinting Information
Please note: PARENTS MUST MAKE AN APPOINTMENT at the district office to be fingerprinted if they would like to attend any field trip or outing. Here are instructions to book an appointment:
Go to op97.org and under "Quick Links" select "Backgrounds Checks."
What should you bring? A Driver's License or State ID.
What should you expect? Your fingerprints will be scanned and a snapshot will be taken to submit to the Illinois State Police (ISP) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
How long does it take? The fingerprinting process takes less than 15 minutes. Once the information is transmitted, results are usually returned to the ad building within 7 – 10 business days. This process can sometimes take longer so parents should plan accordingly. The fingerprint results can not be expedited.
Should there be an issue with your prints (rejection due to low image) you will be notified and will be required to come back into the district office to be reprinted.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Ellen McKay from the district office at 708-524-5836.
Recognizing Individuals Who Make a Difference
We would like to recognize children 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.
Community Feedback Needed
The District 97 Board of Education is currently seeking community feedback on its draft equity policy. A brief questionnaire on the policy is now available on the district website in English, Spanish and Arabic: http://www.op97.org/eq
Fantastic Fridays
Each year our Student Council encourages students to show their school spirit with Fantastic Friday themes. This Friday our theme will be "Sports Day" in honor of Olympic Day. Click here for a full list of the themes.
Longfellow Super Summer Math: Summer 2018
Super Summer Math is a PTO sponsored and parent/teacher volunteer coordinated summer program designed to keep math fresh in the kids’ minds over the summer. The free program for Longfellow students is held at Maze Library. Students entering Longfellow Kindergarten are also welcome to participate. We will be meeting Tuesday evenings 6-7pm
Second Step Home Links
All of our grade levels are currently exploring how to solve social problems in our Second Step curriculum. Here are home links that can be referenced to help reinforce the tools and strategies taught through our lessons: Kindergarten, Second Grade, Third Grade, Fourth Grade, and Fifth Grade.
Kindergarten and New Student Registration
District 97 held six registration dates for kindergarten during the months of March and April. If you have a student who will be entering kindergarten in the fall, please be sure to attend one of the upcoming registration dates listed here. Because the district bases staffing on registration, it is important that we have all of our kindergarten-aged students registered for school in the fall!
Returning Student Registration
Returning student registration will begin Monday, May 7, 2018, and will close on Monday, May 21, 2018. This three-step, online-only process will allow parents to access their InfoSnap accounts using a hyperlink sent to their email, verify/update any information and submit to become re-enrolled. You will also have the option to upload any updated residency documents while on the online portal.
IMPORTANT DEADLINES
- May 7-21: Returning Student (K-8) Registration Online
- July 31: Deadline to be Re-enrolled under the McKinney Vento Act
- August 1: Deadline for Permissive Transfer Submissions
- August 1: Last Day to Submit Residency Documents before Being Placed on the “Do Not Admit” List for the First Day of School.
If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Sherrie Green, the district’s registrar, directly at [email protected]. You can click here for more information.
Upcoming Events
Monday, May 21st: Longfellow General Music Concerts (8:15-8:45am Weber & Hjalmarson, 9:00-9:30am Ellis & Niewald, 10:00-10:30am Gordon & Pruitt & Heide, 10:45-11:15am Bennett & Wilkes, 12:45-1:15pm Pasquinelli & Ryan, 1:30-2:00pm Nelson & Golemes)
Tuesday, May 22nd: Longfellow General Music Concerts (8:15-8:45am Naber & Djikas, 9:00-9:30am Pod, Aguilar & Utter, 10:00-10:30am Sorensen & Wieczorek, 10:45-11:15am Witz, Lamb & Winchell, 2:00-2:25pm - Longfellow Elementary Chorus, 2:30-2:50pm - Longfellow Elementary Chorus)
Friday, May 25th: Fantastic Friday Theme- Sports Day, Olympic Day
Monday, May 28th: NO SCHOOL (Memorial Day)
Tuesday, May 29th: Olympic Day Rain Date
Friday, June 1st: Fantastic Friday Theme- Flip Flop Friday, Last Day of School for Students, dismissal at 11am