WEEKLY PREVIEW

February 22, 2025

Hello, Longwood Families!

We loved welcoming you to Open House on Thursday! Thank you for spending the evening with us and supporting your child's learning!

📅 This Week

Wed, 2/26: *Late Start Wednesday* - Doors Open 9:00am
Thu, 2/27: No School - Family Conferences 1-8pm
Fri, 2/28: No School - Teacher Institute Day

✅ To Do

Schedule a Conference: Family Conferences are this Thursday, 2/27 from 1-8pm. Call the Office 630-428-6789 or reach out directly to your child's teacher!
Complete the 5Essentials Survey: To take the survey, please visit http://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/survey/parent/ and select begin. Select DuPage County and select Longwood. This is due by 3/31/25.

Continue reading for important information about Winter iReady Results, IAR/ISA Testing, Student Attendance, and news from the PTA.

Have a wonderful weekend, Lions! Thank you for being a part of our Pride!

Longwood Families - 5Essentials Survey

As a member of the Longwood community, you have an important opportunity to share feedback and thoughts on our school's effectiveness in the Illinois 5Essentials Survey. This 10 minute survey gathers data related to five indicators that can predict important student outcomes, including improved attendance and growth in standardized test scores.

The survey is open now until March 31, 2025. Complete the survey today!

To take the survey, please visit http://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/survey/parent/ and select begin. Select DuPage County and select Longwood. We greatly appreciate your participation and providing key insights for improvement at our school!

Grade 4 & 5 - 5Essentials Survey

Students in grades 4-12 across Illinois have the opportunity to participate in the Illinois 5Essentials Survey implemented by the Illinois State Board of Education. This statewide survey is based on 20 years of research at the University of Chicago. It asks students about their experiences in school, giving school leaders critical student input to help develop school improvement plans.

Student participants will be required to log-in using their student ID and birth date in order to complete the survey. Students’ identities will be completely confidential. Teachers or administrators will never see individual responses to survey questions and will only receive aggregated information, such as the total percentage of students who agree homework assignments help them learn course material.

Please be aware that under the Protection of Pupil Rights Act. 20 U.S.C. Section 1232(c) (1) (A), you have the right to review a copy of the questions asked of your child. The questions are the same as previous years and can be found on the Illinois 5Essentials website.

If you do not want your 4th or 5th grade student to participate, please contact the office by February 28, 2025.

Every Absence Counts!

Did you know that even missing just two days of school a month—whether excused or unexcused—can negatively affect a child’s academic performance? Regular attendance is one of the strongest predictors of school success, as students who attend school consistently are more likely to stay on track academically and socially.

In Illinois, school attendance also plays a major role in determining our school’s official rating. Chronic absenteeism—defined as missing 10% or more of the school year—lowers our school’s overall score, which is a part of the Illinois Report Card. This rating reflects how well we are supporting student learning and success. By making attendance a priority, we strengthen our school’s standing and provide a better learning environment for all students.

Where Does Our School Stand?

How You Can Help

🛌 Set routines: Help your child develop consistent morning and bedtime routines to ensure they are ready for school each day.
⏰ Plan ahead: Schedule vacations and non-urgent appointments outside of school hours whenever possible.
💬 Stay informed: If your child needs to miss school, communicate with the office promptly and ensure they make up missed work.
📲 Reach out: If your family is facing challenges that make it hard for your child to attend school, let us know. We’re here to help!

Together, we can build strong attendance habits that will benefit our students for a lifetime. Thank you for partnering with us to make every day of learning count!

🦁 Walking Bus - Let's Go Together! 🚌

A Walking Bus is a group of students walking with a Longwood Teacher to and from school! Students are picked up and dropped off at designated stops in the Longwood Neighborhood.

Three Walking Bus routes are currently running in our neighborhood and we're thrilled to add new students each day!

Join the fun! Complete the form to Register for the Walking Bus! You will receive an email with your student(s) bus stop location and pick-up/drop off times. 🦁🚌

Please call the office 630-428-6789 with questions.

Walking Bus Registration Form

Winter iReady Testing - Results Available in ParentVue

Winter iReady Results - English

Winter iReady Results - Spanish

Grade 3-5 IAR/ISA Testing

G3-5 IAR Testing Notification Letter - English

G3-5 IAR Testing Notification Letter - Spanish

G5 ISA Testing Notification Letter - English

G5 ISA Testing Notification Letter - Spanish

PTA NEWS

Volunteers needed! The PTA will need several new executive board members for the 2025-26 school year. Are you interested in joining up or in running one of these positions next year? The recruitment/nomination committee is forming now. Please contact <longwoodpta1stvp@gmail.com> if you’re interested in any of our positions:

President (REQUIRED, EMPTY)
Treasurer (REQUIRED, EMPTY)
Secretary (REQUIRED, EMPTY)
Vice-President (1st, 2nd, and 3rd: three separate positions, ALL EMPTY)

Note: you must be a paying member of our PTA for 30 days to be nominated or serve

Our upcoming events:

Early March: Read Like A Lion, our annual reading fundraiser
05 Mar: Run with the Lions planning committee meeting, 7pm on Zoom. Questions or ideas can go to <runwiththelions5k@gmail.com>
13 Mar: PTA meeting
19 Mar: Amato’s Restaurant Night
04-05 Apr: the state PTA Convention here in Naperville. Please contact Tim if you’re interested in attending and representing our school. <longwoodptapresident@gmail.com>
10 May: Run with the Lions

Join the PTA Today!

SAVE the DATE! Reading Night - 3/19 6:00-7:00pm

💼 College and Career Day – Volunteers Needed! 🎓

On Friday, April 11th we will host our annual College and Career Day!

This event inspires our students to think about their future goals and introduces them to the many pathways available after high school.

Volunteers will share a 10-15 minute presentation with individual classes about their college, career, or company. Students in grades K-5 will participate. Additional FAQs Here
The event will run from 8:30-2:30pm on Friday, April 11th. A light breakfast and lunch will be provided. We know your time is valuable, so if all day is not an option, we are happy to coordinate your visit at a time that works best for you.

Volunteers, please complete the College & Career Day RSVP form by Monday, March 24th.

🌏 Multicultural Night - Wed. 4/23 🦁

Multicultural Night is on Wednesday, April 23rd from 6:00-8:00 PM. Join us for a fun evening!

There are many ways to be involved:

Passport to the World: Visitors will be provided a passport to capture their multicultural journey.
Host a Table: Share your culture and ethnicity through food, music, dance, clothing, artifacts, and other visuals you wish to share.
Multicultural Fashion Show: Show off your cultural attire in our fashion show.
Demonstrate or Perform: Play an instrument or perform a dance
Volunteer or Donate Supplies: We need help with set up, clean up, and purchase paper products.

Sign Up Here to share how you would like to be involved!

YMCA - School Day Out Camp

2025 Communications Survey

To improve our communication with district families, IPSD 204 is conducting a communications survey to better understand how district stakeholders currently receive information from their child’s school and the district, and to understand their preferences on receiving information going forward. Please take a moment to share your perspective on communications you receive from your child's school and the district by completing this survey. The survey will be open through Friday, February 28.

3rd Annual Mental Health and Wellness Symposium

District 204, in collaboration with five neighboring school districts, will hold the 3rd Annual Mental Health and Wellness Symposium on Saturday, March 8, 2025 at Metea Valley High School from 8:30 AM - 2:00 PM. The keynote will be presented by Doug Bolton, author, Licensed Clinical Psychologist, and Director of School Consultation for Formative Psychological Services. The symposium will include breakout sessions for students and adults, a community resource fair, a book fair, and childcare for ages 3-10. The first 500 adult attendees will receive a free copy of Doug Bolton's book - Untethered: Creating Connected Families, Schools, and Communities to Raise a Resilient Generation. The first 200 student attendees will receive a free t-shirt. New this year - experience sessions for adults and students and a complimentary boxed lunch for all attendees. For more information, visit ipsd.org/symposium or register here.

🎒 Pre-K and Kindergarten Registration 🦁

Welcome future Kindergarten families!

General Information:

You must be a legal district resident to enroll in IPSD
Your child should be five years old on or before September 1, 2025
The school day is from 9:05 – 3:35, 9:15 – 3:35 on Wednesday

Health Examination and Immunization Requirements:

Proof of the required state of Illinois physical examination and immunizations needs to be submitted by October 15, 2025
Oral health examination needs to be submitted by May 15, 2026
Vision examination needs to be submitted by October 15, 2025
Health Forms may be found on our district website

We will have additional kindergarten information posted to our school website on March 12, 2025. Indian Prairie School District’s online registration will open May 1, 2025.

Have a child who will be 3 or 4 by September 1, 2025? Apply for Indian Prairie School District's Pre-school Program! Additional support services such as Speech or Occupational Therapy may be available, too, for students eligible after screening. Fee waivers and financial assistance options are available. Pre-school Application for the 2025-26 school year can be found: Here Additional Frequently Asked Questions about the pre-school program can be found Here