Langston's Letters
October 4 - October 8
A Note from the Principal
Dear Langston Hughes Family,
On Monday we had the opportunity to celebrate our students for all of their hard work last year. They were ecstatic! They received awards for achievement, progress, and the characteristics of persistence, leadership, volunteering, love of learning, displaying a joyful attitude, positivity, sportsmanship, writing, and rising to challenges.
Our students in grades 1-5 were also given their house assignments. We divided them into houses using 4 of the ancient Adinkra symbols from Ghana as the house symbols. Our four houses are Leadership, Beauty, Patience and Courage. Students will earn points and compete for an individual trophy for being the leader of their house and a trophy for the house that wins the challenge. Here are some pictures from the festivities.
Have a wonderful week!
Denean Stephens-Spellman
Our Four Houses
Leadership/Adinkrahene
"Chief of the Adinkra symbols"
symbol of greatness, charisma and leadership
This symbol is said to have played an inspiring role in the designing of other symbols. it signifies the importance of playing a leadership role.
Patience/Akoma
"The Heart"
symbol of patience and tolerance
According to Agbo, when a person is said to "have a heart in his stomach," that person is very tolerant.
Beauty/Duafe
"Wooden Comb"
symbol of beauty and cleanliness; symbols of desirable feminine qualities
The meaning of this symbol is characterized slightly differently in "The Adinkra Dictionary" and "The Values of Adinkra Symbols"; the former emphasizes more abstract qualities of feminine goodness, love and care, while the latter has a more literal interpretation, looking one's best and good hygiene. In any case, the duafe was a prized possession of the Akan woman, used to comb and plait her hair.
Courage/Akofena
"Sword of War "
Symbol of courage, valor, and heroism
The crossed swords were a popular motif in the heraldic shields of many former Akan states. In addition to recognizing courage and valor, the swords can represent legitimate state authority.
Fifth Grade Scholars
School Spirit
Daily Health Screenings
Digital Health Screener
- Take your child's temperature.
- Log in to the app. If you don't know your child's credentials yet, log in as a guest.
- Answer the questions.
- Click submit.
- Show the screen to the staff when you bring your child to school.
Paper Health Screener
- Take your child's temperature in the morning.
- Answer the questions on the paper screener.
- Place the paper screener in your child's book bag.
- Show the screener to your child's teacher when you arrive at school.
Rising Star After-school Program
Any parent who received an application and needs support completing it, please come to the school on Wednesday, October 6 or Thursday, October 7 from 2:30pm-5:00pm. Someone will be available to provide assistance.
Dates to Remember
October 11: Indigenous Peoples/Italian Heritage Day--schools closed
October 13 & 14: First days of the Rising Star After-school Program (for selected students)
October 25-29: Free dental screening for all students
November 2: Election Day - Fully remote, asynchronous instructional day
November 4: Half-day for Virtual Parent Teacher Conferences; dismissal @ 11:15am
November 4: Virtual Parent-Teacher Conferences 12:30pm-2:30pm and 5pm-8pm
November 11: Veterans Day--schools closed
November 15: Picture Day
November 24: Pre-kindergarten Vision Screening
November 25-26: Thanksgiving Recess--schools closed
December 22: 2nd Rising Star Awards Ceremony
December 24-31: Winter Recess--schools closed