LoES Eagle News
March 16, 2018
Kindness Campaign at LoES
Dear Longfellow Elementary School Community,
We, the administrative team and the PTA at Longfellow Elementary School, acknowledge the tremendous tragedy that occurred Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. As educators and parents, we wish to express our deepest sympathies to all affected. As Dr. Martirano indicated in his recent statement, “… the Howard County Public School System holds the well-being of students and staff as our highest priority. We continue to take a proactive approach to ensuring that each school is as safe and secure as it can be.”
We understand that recent events may raise questions and concerns about safety at Longfellow. We wish to reassure you that our faculty and staff are committed to providing a positive learning experience for students while maintaining a safe and nurturing environment. Below are a list of protocols and partnerships that support this effort:
- Continuous support from the recently established HCPSS Office of Safety and Security
- Internal and external security cameras located throughout school grounds
- LobbyGuard sign in system that initiates background checks
- Practicing emergency drills with staff and students (i.e. fire evacuation, lockdown and duck, cover and hold)
- Partnerships with both the Howard County Police Department and our local Howard County Fire Station
Through our continued partnership and consistent with the mission of our Longfellow Elementary School PTA, we stand together in this commitment. As parents and guardians, consider ways that you can support safety efforts by:
- Coming prepared for screening as a visitor to the school
- Making sure you are signed up for alerts and keep contact info up-to-date
- Help reinforce the importance of paying attention to instructions when participating in emergency drills
- Report any suspicious activity within the building or on school grounds
Parents and families can also refer to the following resources published by the National Association of School Psychologists.
Many of our students and parents have asked about what they can do. While we respect each family’s choice on individual responses, we wished to offer a way for our school community to promote kindness and collectively send our love and support to the staff and students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Therefore, LoES will have a banner for families to sign and offer messages of support during our performances of “The Jungle Book” during the evening of March 23rd and the afternoon of March 24th. LoES teachers and staff will not initiate or plan to facilitate discussions regarding school shootings. However, during the week of March 19th, LoES will engage in a school-wide Kindness Campaign. A description of activities for the week can be found below:
- Monday - Gratitude box (located in the front of the building)
- Tuesday - Kindness Circle in LoES Classrooms
- Wednesday - Hands Across LoES Classroom/Team Activity
- Thursday - Heart Day for LoES students and staff
- Friday - Hands Around Longfellow
Additional information regarding our Kindness Campaign will be distributed in the coming weeks. In the meantime, families and members from the Longfellow community are invited to join us on Friday, March 23rd at 2:30 pm as we will come together in an effort to demonstrate solidarity by joining hands around our school building.
Sincerely,
Derek Anderson
Principal, Longfellow Elementary School
Jill Marie Bussey
President, Longfellow Elementary School PTA
The University of Rochester YellowJackets at LoES
Upcoming Dates
- Monday, March 19th through Friday, March 23rd - Kindness Campaign at LoES
- Thursday, March 22nd - Read-a-thon Kick off (through April 16th)
- Thursday, March 22nd - Family Game Night beginning at 6:00 pm
- Friday, March 23rd - Spring Individual & Class Picture Day
- Friday, March 23rd - Hands Around Longfellow beginning at 2:15 pm
- Friday, March 23rd & Saturday, March 24th - Jungle Book Performance at LoES (see flyer below)
- Thursday, March 29th - Grade 5 Field Trip to Philadelphia
- Friday, March 30th through Tuesday, April 3rd - HCPSS Schools and Offices closed for Spring Break
Click HERE to view the LoES Community Calendar for future events
News & Notes
HCPSS Budget Approved - The Howard County Board of Education last night adopted its Operating Budget Request for the 2018–2019 school year (FY 2019) totaling $906.8 million. The amount requested represents $87.7 million, or 10.7 percent, over the amount funded for the FY 2018 school year as well an additional $50.5 million request for one-time funds over the next several years. The recurring amount requested from the county is $583.2 million, which is at the Maintenance of Effort (MOE) level. An additional request for county funding includes $11.4 million in one-time costs needed for FY2019 as well as a $50.5 million request from the county to address the Health Fund deficit accrued during FY2017 and FY2018. Read more here.
Updates to the '17-'18 HCPSS Calendar - Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) Interim Superintendent Michael J. Martirano has announced a decision on the days to be used to make up for inclement weather school closings for the 2017–2018 school year. Get more information about the April dates and the HCPSS calendar for the duration of the 2017-2018 school year here.
- Kindergarten Registration - Parents/guardians of children who will be five as of September 1, 2018 must enroll their children in kindergarten for the 2018-2019 school year. HCPSS is now offering parents the opportunity to begin the enrollment process online, followed by completion of the registration process at your child’s school. Parents/guardians are not required to register online and may elect to complete the full registration in person. Please check our online School Locator to determine what school your child will attend. Additional details about online registration can be found here.
- Making Summer Vacation Plans? - All 4th grade students can get free access to National Parks throughout the US for a year. Includes everyone in the vehicle. Get more information here.
Order Your Yearbook Today
LoES PTA Corner
You can download the PDF version of the PTA Corner (including the Spring flower order form) by clicking here
- Please follow us on Facebook (Longfellow Elementary School PTA)
- WANTED! We need pictures for the yearbook of any school event (Fun Run, Halloween, field trips, etc.). Please send your pictures to Lisa Wynne @ balerina687@gmail.com by Thursday, March 29th.
- Please consider using the LOES PTA AmazonSmile link: http://smile.amazon.com/ch/23-7111263 when doing your online shopping! Amazon is tripling the donation amount to 1.5% when customers make their first eligible smile.amazon.com purchase from March 12 - 31.
- Certifikid (www.certifikid.com) offers many deals on family and kid-only entertainment. Use promo code "LOES" at checkout for any purchases $30 and over to receive $5 off. The best part is Longfellow ES PTA will also receive $5 for every purchase made!
- The PTA Spring Fair Committee is looking for volunteers for the Spring Fair! Saturday, May 12th. Volunteer opportunities include: Set-up/take-down, games, concessions, silent auction, staff raffle/basket organization, ticket sales, advertising, and more! Please contact Brooke Dalesio bdalesio27@gmail.com or Lisa Wynne for more info.
- One of our biggest fundraisers for the year, the Silent Auction, happens during the Spring Fair! The Silent Auction helps the PTA meet its budgetary goals so we can continue our support of the students and teachers. Silent Auction donation solicitations will start soon. If you know of any business that may be interested in donating any services or goods, please have them contact us at loesptafundraising@gmail.com. We are also more than happy to take personal donations of gift baskets, gift cards, or cash to use towards the Silent Auction. Please contact loesptafundraising@gmail.com with any questions.
- Read-a-thon is starting March 23rd and we need your help to make it a great event for our students. We still need volunteers! If you are interested in volunteering please contact Jennie Davidson at jennieadavidson@hotmail.com
- Restaurant Night Fundraisers:
- March 20th - Mod Pizza
- March 22nd - Bistro Lunch Box Food Truck @ Longfellow’s Game Night (Come to Game Night hungry!!)
- Hershey Park Ticket fundraiser order form went home in your child’s Wednesday folder! Tickets are only $40 per ticket or $150 for a Family 4-pack. Extra order forms can be found HERE. Orders are due by Friday, March 23rd.
- LoES Spring Flower and Plant Sale is going on now! Order forms were sent home in the Wednesday folder. See below for an additional order form, if needed. Orders may be placed through Thursday, March 29th. Download the order for HERE.
- Longfellow Elementary School PTA Plant Sale 2018! - Longfellow Elementary School PTA is pleased to offer a wonderful selection of annuals from Walnut Springs Nursery Wholesaler. Enjoy these beautiful flowers, while helping to raise funds for the PTA! Pick up flowers at Longfellow Elementary School or TBD location during the week of May 7-11, 2018. Questions? Contact Brooke Dalesio at bdalesio27@gmail.com
Summer Student Writers' Workshop
Click here to learn more about a summer opportunity for students in grades 3 through 12.