Longfellow Newsletter
January 2021
Mark Your Calendars!!
January 18 No School - Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Jaunary 19-20 Remote Parent/Teacher Conferences
February 15-19 No School - Winter Break
Notes from Mr. Young
Dear Families,
Happy New Year! I had a nice break and enjoyed time away from school and my laptop. I spent time reading, completing some projects around the house, and playing a new game called Codenames with my family. I hope everyone enjoyed the winter break and is looking ahead to 2021!
Remote Learning Devices
We have received our shipment of iPads which will be distributed to all K-2 students at Longfellow to support remote learning. We are developing student use expectations and loading all necessary apps before sending them home. We are still waiting for the shipment of Chromebooks which will be distributed to all students in grades 3-5 when they arrive.
Distribution Plan for iPads:
Week of 1/11/2021
Devices are being placed in cases, labeled with each student’s name, and apps are being organized in a student (and parent) friendly manner.
Elementary Acceptable Use Agreements will be coming home in backpacks on Thursday and Friday. Please sign and return these to your child’s teacher. We are unable to distribute devices to students until the agreement forms are returned.
Week of 1/18/2021
Teachers will use iPads with their students during in-person learning so each child is comfortable with the device and is able to log into the various apps used by Longfellow.
Week of 1/25/2021
K-2 learners will bring home their iPads at the end of their in-person days.
When we receive the Chromebooks for students in grades 3-5, we will follow a similar process. However, the timeline will be shorter because students and teachers are more familiar with using these devices with classroom learning.
Inclement Weather Update
The district's new Inclement Weather guidance document outlines when we will implement a "remote learning day" as opposed to a "school closure day." You can view the document here. We will begin utilizing remote learning days, when possible, in the immediate future.
Possip Feedback
We received feedback from families on December 20th. I have outlined some of that feedback below:
69 family members responded to our first prompt - Are you happy with Longfellow School this week? 73% of respondents said Yes, 17% of respondents said Mostly, and 8% of respondents said No
Feedback was shared with the whole staff, teams and individual teachers depending on the nature of the feedback.
19 Positive comments were shared with staff.
27 Comments related to how Longfellow can improve were shared.
There were several comments about snow days. Some families wanted there to be learning on snow days because there is limited in-person learning. Other families appreciated that the snow days were traditional snow days and were not learning days. Moving forward, the district is committed to having children in school as much as possible. When in-person learning can’t happen due to snow, we are committed to having children continue remotely.
There were many comments of appreciation for our staff that were shared with staff members.
Highlight Quotes
"My son enjoys school which means he enjoys you all. Deep gratitude for that. Children are resilient and it takes an entire town to achieve safety, care and learning during these anxious times. We are grateful to you. He misses you during snow days 🌨️😁"
"Still impressed with how the hybrid setup is working for our children! It feels like they are safe and given a proper amount of challenges and the retained focus on tangible, in-person experience."
*While we see Possip as a valuable tool for feedback, we ask families not to wait for the Possip prompt to share questions or concerns. If you would like to pass along warm or cool feedback to us, please do! The sooner we know about your concerns, the sooner we can try and address them.
I hope everyone enjoys the weekend!
Sincerely,
Terry Young
Parent - Teacher Conferences
- Teachers will connect with families so they can choose a conference time.
- Once a time is scheduled, families will receive a link to access the conference.
- Teachers will not meet with students on Wednesday, January 20 due to conferences.
Please keep in mind that during the week of January 18, teachers will be less available for feedback and student support as they will be conducting conferences.
Nearby Nature - Four Winds Nature Program
The PTO has purchased 8 Units from Nearby Nature, Four Winds Nature Program to be shared with parents. This is a collection of natural science lessons and explorations designed to get children and adults outside learning together in every season. Each unit supports the Next Generation Science Standards and Common Core with a focus on the practices of science, specifically aligned with this upcoming season. All units are appropriate for students K-5 and can be done with pen and paper. We are offering these to you as a form of a field trip/curriculum enrichment to be complete on remote days with your kids (or small groups).
This program is offered to parents, and we are not expecting teachers to manage it. We are looking into other engaging ways to use the curriculum, but for now wanted to share the resources with you. We are open to suggestions and would be happy to speak with you if you have questions or think of other ways that we can provide support to the community with the projects. Find the lessons here, and we will also post a link to this folder on the school’s website.
Please let us know if you have questions. Thank you for all you do
Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) Corner
Care Committee
The Care Committee is available to assist any Longfellow family experiencing a crisis. We are available to provided home cooked meals, run errands, or assist in outside chores. If you need assistance of any kind, or know someone who is in need, please contact us at longfellowcares@gmail.com. You will be kept anonymous. Also, if you would like to join the Care Committee's list of volunteers, drop us a line at longfellowcares@gmail.com and we will add you to our list of volunteers.
Clynk Bags
Clynk bags with funds going to support Longfellow PTO can be picked up on the front porch of 53 Leland St.
Useful Links
Longfellow School Website Link
https://longfellow.portlandschools.org/Longfellow Remote Learning Page
Sign up for PTO newsletters via email
Longellow Elementary School
Email: lngoffice@portlandschools.org
Website: longfellow.portlandschools.org
Location: 432 Stevens Avenue, Portland, ME, USA
Phone: 207-874-8195