Longfellow Elementary School is learning more about restorative justice and we can incorporate some of the foundational practices in our school to promote a sense of belonging, nurture positive relationships, and cultivate a learning community within our school and throughout the broader Longfellow community. To learn more about restorative practices in HCPSS schools, click HERE. We are seeking input from our families and ask that you take a few minutes to complete the anonymous survey below:

• Survey Link: https://www.research.net/r/ceea-parent

• Survey ID: longfellow45

December 6th - 10th - Inclusive Schools Week

December 6th - 10th - Holiday Shoppe open for ALL LoES students (each class will have an assigned shopping day with their teachers and classmates during the student day)

December 8th - Picture Retake Day

December 8th - LoES PTA Social Event (more details forthcoming)

December 15th - Half Day for HCPSS students

December 23 - 31st - Winter Break - HCPSS Schools Closed

Click HERE to access the full HCPSS calendar for the 2021 - 2022 school year

On Friday, December 3, 2021, Kindergarten through Grade 5 students (except those who have Special Education IEP Goals for Reading) will be bringing home a notice with the title: Screener for Students with Reading Difficulties. In accordance with Maryland's Ready to Read Act (2019), COMAR (2021), and the HCPSS Board of Education, LoES Kindergarten through Grade 5 students were screened for specific reading foundational skills. The letter explains this screener and the results more in-depth. Please note that the DIBELS Screener is one point of data among many that are collected to assess a child's reading skills. The DIBELS screener is different from the MAP Assessment.

More information is available at this link.

Please reach out to your child's teacher with questions.

Please consider checking out our Amazon Wishlist as we look to replenish our PBIS Prize Cart

Longfellow is a Title I Schoolwide Program school. Title I is a federally funded program designed to close achievement gaps and ensure all children have an opportunity to access a high-quality education by providing funding for supplemental academic services and supports. A Family-School Compact & Plan is an agreement between families, students, and teachers that is jointly developed and distributed to all families. It explains how families, students, and teachers will work as a team to make sure all students meet with success and get the support they need to achieve grade-level goals. The Longfellow Family School Compact and Calendar of Events can be found HERE and on the Longfellow Title I website. If you have any questions, please ask your child’s teacher at your upcoming parent-teacher conference. If you have any input or feedback, please contact either Tracy_Stansbury@hcpss.org or Deborah_Owen@hcpss.org.

LIKE is a film-based education program exploring the impact of social media on our lives and the effects of technology on the brain. The goal of the film is to inspire us to self-regulate. Social media is a tool and social platforms are a place to connect, share, and care … but is that what’s really happening? Click HERE to register for this free virtual event.

Keep in mind:

During cold winter days, many students will want to retreat to a cozy place inside with access to electronic devices. This is the perfect time to review your family expectations and guidelines for safe, age-appropriate use of social media, websites, gaming, and other platforms/devices. An intentional safety discussion and periodic spot-checks are not too old-fashioned or intrusive. Check out some of the ideas linked below:

• This "Parenting in the Digital World Checklist" may help

• Check out Screen Time alternatives in this article

"Thinks Outside the Box" Lesson will include providing a blank white box to each participant who will then be asked to use various materials to express themselves. Different prompts and activities will allow students to create their external identity and attributes by creatively drawing or using stickers to decorate the outside of the box. Everyone will then share their creation. They will then be asked to put various items inside of the box that are either "unknown," less apparent or are more private like culture, traditions, pictures, artifacts etc. We will then share both and explore the many layers of both the external and internal parts of themselves. Learn more HERE.

Effective October 25, all volunteers and chaperones who interact with students, and parents/guardians who are conducting classroom observations were required to use the PinPoint platform to show proof of full vaccination at least five school days in advance. Please refer to the HCPSS website for additional information.

LoES Storytime is Back!

¡El poder del juego! (The Power of Play)

¿Alguna vez se ha preguntado qué está haciendo realmente su hijo mientras juega? ¿Qué significa cuando dicen que los niños aprenden a través del juego? En palabras de Albert Einstein, "el juego es la forma más elevada de investigación". Sumérjase en la mente del niño pequeño en este atractivo taller que proporcionará información sobre por qué los niños deben jugar, cómo el juego afecta el desarrollo infantil y aprenda cómo debería ser el juego.

Martes 14 de Diciembre a las 7 p.m. Este evento es virtual. Por favor regístrense aqu

Nothing I Do Works: A Parent’s Guide to Challenging Behaviors

The Pyramid Model is a comprehensive, research-based approach that considers all of the factors that impact a child, family and a child's behavior. Learn how to help decrease negative behaviors from happening and/ or what to do when they do occur. Ask questions and leave with skills and resources that you can use immediately to help you feel more confident in your parenting. For children ages two to eight.

Wednesday, December 8, 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. Click here for registration to virtual workshop

Parents/guardians should keep their children home if they are experiencing symptom(s) associated with any communicable disease, including COVID-19. In addition, parents/guardians are to perform the following COVID-19 health check every day before the student leaves home.

A child should NOT come to school with any of these symptoms:

• Fever of 100.4 degrees or higher


• Sore throat


• Cough


• Difficulty breathing


• Diarrhea or vomiting


• New onset of severe headache (especially with fever), or


• New loss of taste or smell


For persons with chronic conditions such as asthma, the symptoms should represent a change from baseline. Children exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 may not attend school.

• Please visit the HCPSS website for additional information on self screening, contact tracing and quarantining procedures. Additionally, visit the HCPSS website for more information on the 2021-2022 school year and answers to frequently asked questions.