Longfellow Weekly News: Week of August 27th
Hello Longfellow Community,
As we enter the first full week of school we will be busy establishing important routines and practicing expectations that were introduced to students in the first three days of school. We look forward to sharing information about what your child has learned and will continue to learn this year at Curriculum Night this Wednesday, August 29th. Our 1st, 3rd and 5th grade families are invited to attend from 6-7 pm and our Kindergarten, 2nd and 4th grade families will be meeting from 7:15-8:15 pm. All families will begin the evening in the Longfellow Auditorium and receive an introduction to administration, specials teachers, and support staff. Families will then move to their child's classroom to hear about grade level curriculum from their child's teacher. We hold the belief that you are your child's first and best teacher and we look forward to partnering with you to support their growth this year!
Maggie Cahill, Asst. Principal
New School Hours
Our school day begins promptly at 8 am each morning and will end at 3 pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. On Wednesday our school hours are 8 am- 2:30 pm. This is a change from last year so please be sure to make note of it! We hold a strong belief that every instructional minute counts at Longfellow School. Please tame the tardies and be here on time! Any student arriving at or after 8:00 am will need to report to the office to receive a tardy pass. Here are a few important things to note:
- Supervision begins at 7:45 am on the playground
- The first bell rings at 7:57 am and students will begin entering the building at that time
- At and after 8:00 am all students will need to report to the office to receive a tardy pass
- Our morning Breakfast Program begins in the cafeteria at 7:15 am and ends at 7:45 am. Students can enter the front of the building or the lunchroom doors at entrance 9W for breakfast
- Sunrise Study Hall is offered every day from 7:30-8:00. Students should enter the main office and receive a pass to report to the library for an opportunity to read, complete work, and have a quiet start to the day.
- Before School Open Gym will begin tomorrow (Monday 8/27) with Ms. Bennett. Open Gym is an opportunity for students to come to school early and play before the school day begins. By participating in physical activity before school students will enhance learning, concentration, memory, and mood. Students should report to the office to get a pass and then meet in the Longfellow gym at 7:30 am.
Create healthy habits now and have your child at school and ready to enter the building with their teacher well before 7:57 am!
Back to School Support
Returning to school is very exciting but can also cause some anxiety and organizational challenges for kids. Here are some resources for getting in front of that back-to-school anxiety and for setting them up for efficient planning and organization. Although the second resource is for students with ADHD, it includes ideas that most kids can benefit from. Feel free to reach out to Rike Frangos ([email protected]), school psychologist, with any questions.
Traffic Safety at Drop Off & Pick Up
Please refrain from picking up and dropping off students on Jackson Street at arrival or dismissal. This is our bus loading and unloading zone and stopping in this area is hazardous and might result in a ticket from the Oak Park Police. Students can be picked up and dropped off in the roundabout on Cuyler at the Southwest side of the school and parking is available on Highland and Cuyler Avenues. Also, please be sure to adhere to roundabout etiquette in the Cuyler cul-de-sac and pull forward as far as possible to pick up and drop off. Parking in this circle is not permitted and traffic should keep circulating as much as possible and allow children to safety enter and exit vehicles.
"Second Step" Begins This Week
Last week we devoted a great deal of time to teaching expectations across our school. Our expectations or "Bear Necessities" at Longfellow are to BE RESPECTFUL, BE RESPONSIBLE, and BE SAFE. Students traveled across our school to various "stations" to learn about what our expectations look like, sound like, and feel like in different settings. We modeled and practiced these expectations in the lunchroom, hallways, bathroom, and playground. Teachers talked about chill zone locations in their rooms, the Longfellow Buddy Bench, and voice level expectations, as well. Students also created a matrix of expectations for their classrooms with their teacher. This week we will begin teaching our social emotional learning curriculum, Second Step. Second Step teaches valuable skills to help build empathy, solve problems, and cope with feelings. Our classrooms coteach these lessons with another teacher every Wednesday morning. Each week we will post a "homelink" in our weekly message and recommend taking a moment to read about what your child is learning so that it can be discussed and reinforced at home. The following grade levels have homelinks this week: Kindergarten, First Grade, Second Grade, Third Grade, Fourth Grade, and Fifth Grade.
ALL (Always Learning at Longfellow)
ALL Registration Opens Friday August, 31st at 8:30am!! Always Learning at Longfellow (ALL) is a fee-based, after-school enrichment program that offers affordable, educational classes to all Longfellow students. Each class begins 5 minutes after school dismissal (to allow for transitions) and runs for 1 hour (4:05pm dismissal, 3:35 on Wednesdays). The 2018-19 ALL session dates will be: Fall : September 17–December 13; Winter: January 14 – March 14; Spring: April 8-May 23.
The Fall brochure will come home 8/30 and is posted on the ALL tab of the PTO Website. Fall ALL registration opens August 31@ 8:30am and closes Sept 7 @ 5:00pm. No late registration. Need-based scholarships are available.
Registration link: https://d97pto.wufoo.com/forms/longfellow-fall-session-2018/
Scholarship application link: https://goo.gl/forms/bY1PJnXADOcPECdz1
Snack Lists
Snack lists have been posted to the digital backpack! Please click here to access the full list of snacks allowed at your child's grade level. This list will be updated as new information about student allergies is received.
Background Checks
A background check is required for individuals who want to serve as a chaperone on a field trip or volunteer within the school. To obtain a one-time background check, please visit our online sign-up page. To your appointment please bring your driver’s license or State ID to your appointment. Results take about 7-10 business days (sometimes longer), so please plan accordingly. If you have any questions, please email Ellen McKay or call the district office (708-524-3000).
Financial Support
Please consider completing the Free/Reduced form, even if you think there is a remote chance it will be approved. This form assists families with cost of lunch, milk, school fees, field trips, fee-based PTO programs, and any other money items that may come up over the course of the school year. This is a confidential process that can be started by filling out this form and returning it to the school office. Completing this form is mutually beneficial as additional school funds may be available depending on the number of students who qualify. Please contact Ms. Dolezal if you have further questions or concerns
Spirit Wear
Every Friday is Spirit Day at Longfellow School. Bring in the new year with some new spirit wear! The new design for the 2018-2019 school year highlights Longfellow’s 125th year. Options available include: Dry-Fit, Baseball Raglan, Girl's Cut, Retro Stripes, Tagless Tee, and a Hoodie. Available in Youth AND Adult (pink shirt is youth only). Orders taken online and delivered to your home around September 25. Money raised from this fundraiser will help fund the Back to School Picnic, New Family Dinner and busses for Fall field trips!
Follow Us on Twitter!
Did you know that you can follow Longfellow School on Twitter? Simply follow the hashtag #longfellowbears and you will receive updates from all of our classrooms and staff members using Twitter. Also you can follow Principal Dolezal at @AngelaDolezal98 and Assistant Principal Mrs. Cahill at @MrsCahill97.
Back to School Picnic
Bring your lawn chairs and picnic blankets to chill out, enjoy your picnic meal and hang out with the Longfellow Community on Friday, September 7th from 5:30-7:30! The PTO will be buying current Longfellow students' meals. Please pick up your student's food ticket at one of the PTO tables on the playground before going to grab your meal. For the rest of your family, you can bring your own picnic lunch or there are meals available for purchase from Cuzzo's Pizza and Robinson's Ribs for $5-7, cash only.
What's Happening At Longfellow (WHAL)
Click HERE to subscribe to the "What's Happening at Longfellow" newsletter (also know as the WHAL) that is published by our PTO. You'll get information about volunteering, getting involved, and other important news in our Longfellow community.
Upcoming Events
Wednesday, August 29th- Curriculum Night from 6-7 pm for grades 1, 3 & 5 and from 7:15-8:15 for grades K, 2 & 4
Monday, September 3rd- No School (Labor Day)
Friday, September 7th- Back to School Picnic
Thursday, September 20th- Picture Day