March 2019
Dear Friends and Families,
Thank you to everyone for making the 20th annual Longfellow School Auction such a tremendous success! Thank you to all of the staff members, parents, community members, and friends of Longfellow School whose hard work was able to make this event possible. Special thanks to Kelly Waters and Scott Segal, our auction co-chairs, for the endless hours they spent organizing this event. Without their dedication and commitment, this event would not have had the same level of success.
We as a staff were greatly humbled by this year’s theme, “A Tribute to the Stars,” and appreciate the auction committee’s recognition of all of us. Many staff members commented to me about how special the evening was for them. As a staff, we believe that teaching our students is a privilege and we are all thankful that you share your children with us each day.
Conferences
Our formal conference days for the spring are Thursday, March 14 and Friday, March 15. On these days, students will have lunch and then be dismissed at 11:35 a.m. Conferences will be scheduled throughout the afternoon on both days and during the next two weeks.
Mr. Murph, our P.E teacher, Ms. Serway, our art teacher, and Mr Fulwider, one of our music teachers and Ms. Kirkland, our Spanish teacher will all be available to meet with parents by appointment or between 3:00 pm and 6:00 pm on Thursday, March 14th. Ms. Ciechomski, our music teacher on Fridays, will be available to meet with parents by appointment or for “drop-in” between 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 15.
Our other specialists are in many elementary buildings during conference days. If you would like to set up an appointment with our band, strings, or Chapter 104 staff, please email them directly or check in with your child’ teacher.
Longfellow Website
Over the February Break, Ms. Serway, Ms. Meahl and I (with support from Michael Gervais from the district office) began reworking our school website. While not complete, if you take a minute to visit, we hope that you will see some of the changes and updates that we have made. In an effort to communicate in a more timely manner (and use less paper), we have added Facebook and Twitter Accounts. Please take a minute to visit our page!
https://longfellow.portlandschools.org/
Enjoy the weekend! Think Spring!
Sincerely,
Terry Young
Mark Your Calendar
Mar 14 Conferences – dismissal @ 11:35 a.m.
Mar 15 Conferences – dismissal @ 11:35 a.m.
Mar 15 Longfellow Night @ Red Claws – 7 p.m.
Apr 2 PTO Meeting – 6:30 p.m.
Apr 12-19 April Break – no classes
May 27 Memorial Day – no classes
Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) News
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
1. Spring Fair Planning: 2 Co-Chairs NEEDED ASAP. Each year the Longfellow PTO sponsors a spring fair either on a Saturday morning or Sunday afternoon, Usually in late May or early June. We are looking for two co- chairs to organize the fair. The prior chair, Scott Segal, has the planning information ready to share for a smooth hand off. The spring fair is an important community event to celebrate the end of the school year! Many volunteers step up to make it happen! We will need two chairs in place by the end of March, so fair planning can begin in April. If you are interested in co-chairing, please contact PTO Co-Chairs...Anne Hardcastle and Nicole Bradeen by email: nbradeen@gmail.com or aehardcast@aol.com
2. OPEN PTO Positions for the 2019-2020 School Year:
• Co-Chair
• Treasurer
• Spring Fair Co-Chairs
Anyone interested in taking on a bigger role with the PTO, please contact PTO Co-Chairs, Nicole Bradeen (nbradeen@gmail.com) or Anne Hardcastle (aehardcast@aol.com).
DIVERSITY COMMITTEE
From the Diversity Committee: Check out the Best of Both Worlds Show at Deering High School on March 28 at 6:00 p.m. This local event is a talent show featuring students from different cultures and language backgrounds. Enjoy an evening of dancing, singing, poetry, and a fashion show of traditional clothing.
AUCTION
THANK YOU to everyone who supported Longfellow's 20th annual auction! We are especially grateful for our incredible organizing team and volunteers who helped bring the auction to life. We exceeded our goal of raising $21,000 after expenses (final profit will be confirmed soon). We are so appreciative of everyone who attended the auction to support our children and for acknowledging our amazing staff!
LONGFELLOW NIGHT AT THE RED CLAWS
GARDEN COMMITTEE
We will be having a garden club after April vacation as part of clubs and classes. This club will run into the end of May. We are excited about holding the club during the spring months when things begin to grow! Please be on the lookout for the clubs and classes information! The club will be growing herbs and annuals to sell at the Spring Fair. Our garden committee is looking forward to working with the Kindergarten classes at the end of April to start planting the three sisters garden. We will organize a spring clean-up, date TBD.
LOST & FOUND
Please check for your child’s belongings in the school Lost & Found.
HEALTHY SNACKS NEEDED
The school office is in need of healthy snacks for the kids. Please forward snack donations to Melissa Riley in the front office.