Longfellow PTA

Don’t Be a Bus-iness As Usual Driver: Stop for School Buses or Face a $500 Photo Op! 🚍 📸

Check out the info below to learn more on safety.⬇️

As the school year approaches and we see big yellow buses around town, here are some reminders for our motorists to help keep our students safe. Always be prepared to stop for school buses, especially during pick-up and drop-off hours.

Drivers must:
🛑 Stop for a school bus with its flashing red lights activated and the stop-arm extended.
🛑 Stop at least 20 feet from a school bus.
🛑 Remain stopped until the stop-arm is retrated and the red lights turned off.

There is a minimum $500 fine for stop-arm violations, and the buses RPS uses are armed with cameras.

Down again! District is working on the issue.

Contact Chastity Rahman in the front office if you need anything today urgently!

📣 Attention Parents! 📣

Just a heads up: our school’s Talking Points decided to go back on summer break again today with the rest of the district 🏝️ so hasn't made it back to the digital world yet. But no worries—your kids are doing great and enjoying their lessons and field trip (3rd-5th)! 😊📚

If you’ve got any burning questions 🔥 or need to get in touch, don’t hesitate to email your child’s teacher directly ✉️. And if you need a little extra help or have general inquiries, Chastity in the front office is your go-to person 📞✨.

We’re officially launching our Camp Read-A-Thon fundraiser! 📚✨

https://www.getmovinfundhub.com/register?school_uuid=5d28a2605ee20

Our goal: $20,000 to support our amazing school. Will you help us reach it? Make sure to register your student today.

We're excited to let you know that free meals are continuing for all students from Kindergarten through 12th grade this year!

However, we want to make sure this fantastic program keeps going beyond the next two school years.

Here’s how you can help: Please take a moment to fill out the Application for Educational Benefits.

Your participation will show just how important this program is to our community and help secure future funding for all our kids! 🥪🍎

Thank you for your support and for helping ensure every student gets the nutritious meals they need to succeed! 💪✨

https://www.rochesterschools.org/page/application-for-benefits?fbclid=IwY2xjawEro5dleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHRT3etsSL75ODduHZj0N_JGOq8u1OWcKm_46sp7CGpigTZkj5aPfo7BDxw_aem_3MeVUNHtXioDiUMrenPPRw

Free meals will continue for our students in Kindergarten through 12th grade, but it's important to share that funding for the MN Free Meal Program was only allocated for two school years. You can help show the need for this program by completing an Application for Educational Benefits: https://www.rochesterschools.org/page/application-for-benefits

We have a few spots left for our PE biking unit tomorrow (especially the afternoon class). Please consider signing up if you can.

https://signup.com/go/rumtaGw

We had a fantastic meeting last week, and we’re excited about all the upcoming events and initiatives!

Here’s a quick recap:
📚 Read-A-Thon: August 16th - 26th. Our goal is to raise $20,000 to support our school PTA and all our initiatives! 📖💰

🏆 Olmsted County BRIDGE Collaborative Grant: We’ve been honored with a grant (and a match from our local / to fund buddy benches and picnic tables for our school. 🌟👏

📚 Yearbooks: Order by the end of March for just $15! Available online or via paper copies. 🖼️📅

👕 Spiritwear Orders: Due August 30th. This is your only chance to get your school spirit gear this year, so place your orders now! 🎽

🙋‍♀️ Volunteers Needed: We’re looking for chairs and volunteers for several committees: Staff Appreciation, Garden, VOTE Yes, Bike/Walk to School, and Running Club. Interested? Let us know! 🤝🌱🚴‍♀️🏃‍♂️

For our full meeting minutes, please visit our website: 📜https://www.longfellowelementarypta.com/who-we-are/meeting-minutes

💪 Also, if you haven’t yet, sign up to be a PTA member! Your involvement makes a huge difference. https://forms.gle/dNhXBRz6gGPxd8kv5

Thanks for all your support!

Good things are on the horizon! 🌟 We are thrilled to announce our Camp Read-A-Thon fundraising event! Follow us for updates and details as we kick off this exciting journey. Registration details should come home today or tomorrow. 🎉

Have questions? Drop them in the comments below 👇

📣 PBIS Focus for August: Safety! ✨

This month, we're all about keeping our school community safe! The school discussions have covered everything from staying safe on the playground to navigating arrival and dismissal times. And guess what? Our amazing Leopards have already earned 892 Gold Slips for their efforts! 🎉👏

Keep up the great work, Leopards! Let's stay safe and shine bright! 🌟

And we are back up and running!

📣 Attention Parents! 📣

Just a heads up: our school’s Talking Points decided to go back on summer break again today with the rest of the district 🏝️ so hasn't made it back to the digital world yet. But no worries—your kids are doing great and enjoying their lessons and field trip (3rd-5th)! 😊📚

If you’ve got any burning questions 🔥 or need to get in touch, don’t hesitate to email your child’s teacher directly ✉️. And if you need a little extra help or have general inquiries, Chastity in the front office is your go-to person 📞✨.

📣 Attention Parents! 📣

Just a heads up: our school’s Talking Points decided to go back on summer break again today with the rest of the district 🏝️ so hasn't made it back to the digital world yet. But no worries—your kids are doing great and enjoying their lessons and field trip (3rd-5th)! 😊📚

If you’ve got any burning questions 🔥 or need to get in touch, don’t hesitate to email your child’s teacher directly ✉️. And if you need a little extra help or have general inquiries, Chastity in the front office is your go-to person 📞✨.

🎉 Back to School Picnic Alert! 🎉

Join us a week from today for a fantastic evening at our Back to School Picnic! 🍗🎶

We’ve got pulled chicken sandwiches, fun games, and awesome music thanks to DJ Ron! 🎵🎉 It will be a blast, and we’d love to see you there!

If you’re up for a little extra fun, we need volunteers to help out as grade-level parents for our Bingo game. Sign up here: https://signup.com/go/rRknbYB 🎲

We also have spots for clean-up, set-up, and backup food-serving help for our staff. Your support is super appreciated!

Let’s kick off the school year with a great time together. See you there! 🎈😊

In case you missed today’s email of Quick Tips of the Day from Principal Adams, here’s a handy recap:

1️⃣ Tomorrow, our 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders are heading to Chester Woods for a Wilderness Inquiry trip! 🌳 Don’t forget to pack a water bottle!

2️⃣ K, 1st, and 2nd graders, your Wilderness Inquiry day is Wednesday at Longfellow. 🌟 Get ready for some outdoor fun!

3️⃣ They are working hard to fix our Talking Points communication tool. Hang in there and give them time to get things back on track.

Volunteers are crucial to the success of Camp Read-A-Thon, and we truly appreciate your support! 🙌

Sign up here to pass out prizes during the school day to our Leopards and help make our fundraising event a success. Your time and effort make a big difference!

https://signup.com/go/uDXAXSL

🌟 Exciting Upcoming Events & Important Dates! 🌟

Mark your calendars! Here's what's coming up in the next few weeks:

August 13th:
🏞️ Wilderness Inquiry Trip to Chester Woods State Park for 3-5th grade!
🚨 Safe City Night Out at Longfellow from 6:00-8:00 pm.

August 14th:
🌳 Wilderness Inquiry Land Experience for K-2nd grade!

August 16th-26th:
📚 Camp Read-A-Thon (Stay tuned for more details!)
🚴 Biking Unit Trail Ride Days - August 16, 22, and 27

August 20th:
🎉 Longfellow Family Picnic from 5:30-7:30 pm.

August 21st:
🎓 Professional Development (No school for students).

August 28th:
📅 Pinewood's First Day!

September 12th:
🏫 PTA Meeting from 6:00-7:00 pm.
📋 Fall Conferences from 2:30-7:00 pm.

September 16th:
📋 Fall Conferences from 2:30-7:00 pm.

We’re looking forward to a fantastic start to the school year and many fun activities! Stay tuned for more updates. 😊🎒

👩‍⚕️ Important Health Screenings at Longfellow! 👁️👂

Nurse Lisa will begin vision and hearing screenings at Longfellow on August 12th (TOMORROW).

Here's the plan:
👦 1st and 3rd graders will have both vision and hearing screenings.
👧 5th graders will receive a vision screening.
🧑‍🎓 Students in other grades will be screened if they don’t have a current screening on file or didn't pass their last screening.

If you DO NOT want your child to be screened, please email Nurse Lisa at [email protected] by August 12th with your child’s name, grade, and teacher. ✉️

Thank you for helping us keep our students' health on track! 😊

📅 Make sure you have this date saved! Safe City Nights is happening this week on Tuesday, August 13th. Don’t miss out on a great evening of community and safety. See you there! 👮🏽

Mark your calendars! 📆

Join Superintendent Dr. Kent Pekel on Monday, August 12, from 7 to 7:45 p.m. in the Rochester Public Library Auditorium to hear more about Rochester Public Schools' 2024 referendum.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and parking is free after 4. p.m. The event will also be livestreamed and recorded by the Rochester Public Library on the library’s YouTube channel. That link will be available on the LWV Rochester website lwvrochester.org.

In-person audience questions will be taken. Questions can also be submitted up to 24 hours in advance by emailing them to [email protected], or by leaving a voice or text message at 507.722.0615.

📣 Attention RPS Parents and Caregivers! 📣

RPS is updating its Cell Phone and Personal Device Procedures starting this fall, in line with new state legislation. Here’s the scoop for our elementary schools:

📱 Cell phones and personal devices must stay in backpacks/lockers all day, including lunch and recess. Smart watches can be worn but only for telling time.

This update will be in the Student Handbook and applies to all schools in our district. Check out this link if you'd like more information:

Rochester Public Schools Students are encouraged not to bring cell phones or other electronic devices including smart watches and earbuds/airpods to school.

🌟 Wow, you all are AMAZING! 🌟

All the August spots are filled—thank you so much for your support! 🙌👏

If you’re looking for another way to help out, check out the PE biking slots. 🚲 If you can spare some time during the day, we’d love your help!

Thanks again for being such awesome volunteers! 💪😊

Library Shelving SignUp.com makes it easy to coordinate school events & classroom activities, fundraisers, snack schedules, potlucks & more!

🚨 Attention Parents! 🚨

Just a few quick notes from our principal to keep our school pick-up and parking lot as smooth as possible:

🚗❌ Please avoid driving the wrong way to bypass the pick-up lane! We’ve had a few near-miss accidents lately. Safety first, folks! We love your enthusiasm, but let’s save the racing for the track! 🏁

🛠️Heads up for our walkers! The Armory is getting a parking lot makeover starting August 12th. So, if you see some construction magic happening, don’t panic. Just avoid the mess!

📅 PTA meeting tonight from 6-7pm at Longfellow. Your presence is requested—and we promise there’ll be food for the parents - free food, and free childcare! No excuses 🍕 Please RSVP here by 2pm if you are able to come: https://forms.gle/BZcfiwuSVg4vqssk6

See you there for a productive meeting! 🌟

It's that time again - the changing of the guard on our PTA board! 🙌

First and foremost, a HUGE thank you to David Sabotta and Emily Albertson for their incredible dedication and hard work this past year. 🙏 David, your expert financial management as treasurer has been invaluable over the past two years, and Emily, your efficient secretarial skills kept everything running smoothly. We're immensely grateful for your contributions to our PTA and our entire school community! 🌟

Now, let’s give a warm welcome to our incoming board members! 👏 We’re thrilled to have Cynthia Chelf stepping into the role of secretary for the upcoming year, continuing the great work Emily started. And a big shoutout to Stephanie Cunningham, who will be joining us for a two-year term as treasurer. We know you both will bring fresh ideas and energy to the team!

A huge thanks to our continuing members: Kerri Neil Storm, who will serve again as VP, and Acacia Ward, who will complete another year as President. We’re all set to tackle the year ahead! 💪

Check out more about our executive board here:
https://www.longfellowelementarypta.com/who-we-are/meet-our-board

And a special shoutout to our amazing volunteers who led the way last year: Laura Wheatman - Volunteer Coordinator, Rowena Sizer - Event and Fundraiser Extraordinaire, Cathy Wemhoff - Hy-Vee and BoxTops Coordinator, Deborah Kaczor and Clare Tarr - Staff Appreciation Leads, Annamarie Erlbacher - Yearbook, Dan Gaz - Attendance Redesign Committee, and Dani Rozenberg & Zach Jones - All Star Families. Your dedication is truly appreciated! 🙌✨

We’re SUPER excited about all the new faces joining our team for this coming year, especially with our Parent Workshop and Staff Appreciation! We hope to grow our list of leads and chairs even more. 🌟

We’re always looking for new people to join our team, so if you’re interested in helping out in any specific roles or ways, please let us know! Together, we can make a real difference in our school and community. 💪🌟

Meet Our Board Our Mission

We have a good number of spots we still need filled for tomorrow. Please sign up for an hour if you’re able! 🚲

📚✨ Exciting Opportunity to Support Our School Library! ✨📚

Our library is looking for volunteers to help with reshelving books twice a week, starting August 13th. This is a fantastic way to contribute to our school community and support our young readers, and staff.

📅 Details:
📚 Days: Tuesdays and Thursdays
📚 Time: Approximately 1 hour per session (could be faster, depending on the returns and how efficient you are)
📚Start Date: August 13th
📚We’re seeking 4-8 dedicated volunteers who can commit to helping on these various days throughout the year.

⏰ Time: 8am-9am (If another time works better for you, just let us know!)

📝 https://signup.com/go/SWcujRp

Your support will ensure our library remains organized and ready for all of Longfellow and Pinewood's many students. If you’re interested in volunteering, please sign up for as many spots as fit your schedule.

Contact us for any questions.

Library Shelving SignUp.com makes it easy to coordinate school events & classroom activities, fundraisers, snack schedules, potlucks & more!

Tips for the Day from Principal Adams 💡

Time change for the school board meeting this evening. ⏰

Please note that the School Board meeting on Tuesday, August 6, will start at 4 p.m. instead of 5:30 p.m. to avoid interfering with National Night Out events.

You can attend the School Board meeting in person at 615 7th St SW or stream it live at https://www.youtube.com/.

🎉 Join Us for the PTA Meeting This Thursday! 🎉

Dear Parents, We’re excited to invite you to our upcoming PTA meeting this Thursday! It’s a fantastic chance to connect with other families, stay updated on school events, and help make this school year amazing for our kids. 🏫✨

🗓️ Date: This Thursday, August 8th
⏰ Time: 6:00 PM
📍 Location: Media Center

Here’s what’s on the agenda:
📚 Read-a-Thon Kickoff: Learn all about this year’s Read-a-Thon.
🎉 Fun Updates: Get the latest scoop on upcoming events and activities.
🙌 Volunteer Opportunities: We need your help with the PE biking unit (https://signup.com/go/rumtaGw) and media support (https://signup.com/go/SWcujRp). If you’re interested in volunteering, please sign up.

Important: If your child will be joining us at the meeting, please let us know in advance so we can make sure we have enough food for everyone.
RSVP here 🍕🥤: https://forms.gle/cPkEwYkSH7yAda8D8

Your participation and support make a huge difference in creating the best school community. We hope to see you there and look forward to an engaging and productive meeting! 😊👋

The countdown is on – Girls on the Run (GOTR) is just around the corner! This is a fantastic opportunity for your daughter to join a vibrant community where she’ll build confidence, develop important life skills, and have a blast with new friends.

Why Sign Up?
🌟 Empowerment: Our curriculum fosters self-confidence and a healthy body image.
🌟 Fun: Your leopard will enjoy interactive lessons and exciting physical activities.
🌟 Community: Connect with other families and be part of a supportive network.

Don’t miss out on this chance for your student to grow, learn, and thrive.

Spots are filling up quickly, so email [email protected] for more information.

Hi everyone! Just a quick reminder for drop-off:

🚸 Watch out for the crossing guards—they’re there to keep everyone safe.
🚗 Please pull all the way up to the end of the sidewalk to ensure a smooth flow of traffic.
🎒 Have your kids ready to get out on the right side of the car for a quicker drop-off.

Thanks for your cooperation!

🚴‍♂️ It’s that time again! Our biking unit is just around the corner (starts this week!), and we need your help! Check out the SignUp below to find a time that works for you to assist with our PE class’s biking unit. Let’s make this a fantastic experience for our 4th and 5th-grade Leopards!

🔗 https://signup.com/go/rumtaGw

Thanks for your support! 😊