Longfellow Elementary
January 2023
Notes from Mrs. Heckenlaible...
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
It’s a great time of year to put our kind hearts to work. Our Longfellow staff and students did just that! Our staff and student council advisors teamed up to provide some holiday cheer for about twenty LO Lion families. We drew names and those families were provided with some games and activities to do over the Christmas break. Our Den B learners wanted to do a service project and went over to Firesteel Nursing Home and provided entertainment/singing to the residents, played games, and were able to do a craft project with them. These grateful hearts are just a couple reasons why Longfellow continues to be a family-oriented school. We are so blessed to collaborate with such caring parents and know that our LO Lions are raised to WORK HARD and BE KIND. The LO Staff want to wish you all a very Merry CHRISTmas and may 2023 be a year filled with positivity and kindness.
Merry CHRISTmas and Happy New Year!
Mrs. Heckenlaible
Chronic absenteeism is a serious problem in South Dakota. But what is it? Chronic absenteeism is when a student misses 10% or more of the school year. That’s only two days a month – and it adds up. Since the 2018-2019 school year, the rate of chronic absenteeism has nearly doubled in South Dakota.
That's bad, as chronic absenteeism is proven to increase drop-out rates, hurt student grades and can lead to juvenile delinquency. Research also shows that students who don’t graduate from high school miss out on lifetime earnings – making approximately $10,000 less per year than those who receive a high school diploma. Over the course of a lifetime, that adds up. Students’ futures start today. And they start in class.
PTO Needs You-Get Involved Today
All parents are welcome to attend PTO meetings. Please join us for our next meeting at 3:30 in the Longfellow conference room (in the office) on January 10th.
NO SCHOOL DATES
Monday Jan 16 - No School - Teacher Development Day
Longfellow is about to embark on another One School, One Book journey!
There will be nightly readings followed by daily trivia questions and prizes! The book will remain a surprise for now but the characters would really love this cold and snow.
Packets with all of the materials will be sent home on Friday, January 6th and readings will begin January 9th. We can't wait to start off this fun event! Happy Reading!
More Dates to Know
We have some upcoming days off. These are great times to schedule appointments or family getaways.
· President’s Day weekend: Feb. 17-20, 2023 (NO SCHOOL)
· Spring Break: March 16-19, 2023 and Professional Development Day: March 20, 2023 (NO SCHOOL)
· Easter Break: April 7-10 2023
Upcoming Testing
The South Dakota summative testing window runs from March through May 5. We do the bulk of our testing in April. Please avoid scheduling appointments during the school day, if at all possible. Testing with their peers is the most normal testing environment possible for our students. Your help is much appreciated! More detailed grade level information will come out when the schedule is finalized.
Winter Gear Reminder
Student of the Month
BK
Vienna Layh - Vienna does a wonderful job applying past knowledge to her learning. She is always ready to learn and loves sharing her ideas with her peers. She is open to new ideas and is so helpful to all her peers! I am so proud of her! Way to go Vienna!
KDH
Owen Benson - Owen loves to learn and is always wanting to learn more! He does a fabulous job at applying past knowledge to share ideas in class and help him connect to what we are learning. Way to go, Owen!
KH
Dylan Warnke - Dylan is always eager to learn and excited for new things. Dylan is great at calling on past knowledge to figure out new things. Dylan has become a reader and knows to use letter sounds to help him sound out new words. Way to go Dylan!
KR
Cael Dean - . Cael is always eager to learn. His excitement to enter the classroom is contagious and quickly spreads to those around him. As Cael is becoming an independent reader he knows he has to use his past knowledge of letters, sounds, and sight words! Way to go Cael!
1H
Myles Gubbrud - Myles often shares things that he has learned in the past and is able to apply what he learned with our current topic. He is curious and asks thoughtful questions during class discussions. Way to go Myles!
1S
Kammy Karnof - Kammy uses what she has learned to help her learn more in new situations. Kammy comes to school with a smile. She participates in class and works hard. Awesome job Kammy!
1V
Isaiah Robertson - Isaiah loves to learn! He is always open to discovering new things and information. He applies his current knowledge to new subjects. Way to go, Isaiah!
2B
Jaylynn Costello - Jaylynn is always open to learning and welcomes a challenge. Keep up the great work Jaylynn!
2J
Brooklyn Walters - Brooklyn takes what she has learned in the past and uses it to grow her brain. She recognizes how current skills we are learning are connected to topics she already knows. Brooklyn is a great example for other peers. Keep it up!!
2M
Adrian Wesdorp - Adrian applies what he has learned to many situations and is willing to learn new things. He is a great example of these habits. He has a love for learning. Awesome job, Adrian.
3B
Taylor Magnuson - Taylor does an amazing job at using things he has learned in the past to help solve the problem he is working on at that moment. He has a joy for learning and always asks questions to learn more, no matter the subject! Way to go Taylor!
3G
Leah Kampshoff - Leah is always excited to learn new things! She is a great problem solver when things get tough. She is willing to help others and open to others helping her. The whole class is proud of you Leah!
3K
Avery DeMaranville - Avery is always open to continuous learning and is unafraid to try new things. He is up for a challenge and enjoys learning new things and pushing himself to see what he can accomplish. He applies past knowledge and uses it to achieve new things. He constantly amazes me with all that he achieves! Way to go, Avery!
4F
Mallory Buenzow - Mallory never fails to connect what she is learning about to something she has already learned in the past! Along with her excellences of applying past knowledge, Mallory continues her learning by pushing herself whenever she can, like in G.A.T.E! Awesome work, Mallory!
4K
Reese Flanagan - Reese is always applying past knowledge to the current skill that she is learning. She is able to make connections from the past to build her knowledge and skills on every topic. Reese always remains open to continuous learning by challenging herself, helping her classmates, and keeping an open mind in everything she does. I'm so proud of the person and student that Reese is!
4O
.Max Lang - Max is always making connections to previous learning in order to help him solve new problems. He always makes comments about how it's similar to what he learned last year, or even how it's building on something we've done this year. Max is always thinking creatively and tries to find new ways to solve problems. I see Max as a life-long learner. Way to go, Max!
5A
Eddie Kee - Eddie is always applying his past knowledge on whatever we are working on. He will often relate it to other books, tv shows, or past grade activities. He also shows that he is open to continuous learning by pushing himself in math and working on things above his grade level. I can always count on him to give me more and push himself to be the best he can be! Great work, Eddie!
5E
Airianys Calderon Acosta - . Airianys is always open to continuous learning. She asks questions when she does not know the answer and works hard. She is always applying her past knowledge and verifying her thinking. Airianys is always growing, learning, and improving herself. Keep it up!
5M
Avery Swanstrom - Avery is a prime example of remaining open to continuous learning and applying past knowledge. She not only excels at her school work but is always willing to assist others. She does a fantastic job of being responsible with her jobs, a reading buddy, librarian helper, band and GATE. I can always count on Avery to share during discussions and explain her thinking to those that are struggling. I love watching Avery understand a difficult concept, like 6th grade math, and then go and help another student in a lower MT until that student understands as well. I am so proud of you Avery, you keep up the great work and being an amazing role model for everyone at Longfellow!
January Lunch Menu
Roaming the Halls
Baking in Begindergarden
Student Council Store-OPEN
Fri, Jan 6, 2023, 07:45 AM
Classroom Book Picks
Miss Jira's 2nd Grade
We love it because it makes adults and kids laugh every time you read it.
Mrs. Bogan's 2nd Grade
We love Junie B. Jones. She is so sassy and silly. We enjoy her humor.
Mrs. McPeek's 2nd Grade
We love Tacky because we learn that everyone has their own special talent and that some people do not always appreciate it. Until, one day, when the special talent saves the day.
Staff Book Picks
Miss Foster-4th Grade Teacher
I love "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" not because it's a Christmas story, and I love Christmas. I love it because it is a story of a little girl who believed in someone so much when no one else did. Fortunately, because of this, the Grinch's heart grows and changes his life forever in the most positive way
Miss Heather-Office
I read this book to my boys. After having kids, you just love them forever.
Mrs. Hauck-Kindergarten Teacher
My favorite books to read are the board books my kids each fell in love with. Each of my own children have loved so many books, it was too hard to pick a favorite.
Candy Guesses
Guess and Guess Again! Students had the opportunity to guess how much candy was in each container. The following are the guessing champs: 229 LifeSavers: Kailey Miranda Guess: 220 276 Gum Drops: Owen Riley Guess: 278 148 Chocolates: Nixon Bakhtiari Guess 150
Book Fair, coming right up!
BOOK FAIR! Yes! You read that right. It will be Book Fair time again January 30th through February 2 nd. We will be hosting some special events again so please mark your calendars for: January 31st – Donuts, Coffee & Juice with PARENTS AND/OR GRANDPARENTS February 1st – Donuts, Coffee & Juice with PARENTS AND/OR GRANDPARENTS February 2nd – Open during Parent/Teacher Conferences
School Board Meeting
Mon, Jan 9, 2023, 05:30 PM
821 North Capital Street, Mitchell, SD, USA
Forced Perspective
The Longfellow Lions have been striving for accuracy with the underhand toss skill. We played some tic tac frog to help us perfect our skill!
We also built up our endurance and ran the Pacer Test! Our lions did AMAZING! I am impressed with the amount of endurance our Lions have!
CONGRATULATIONS to all of our runners and especially our TOP 3:
Kingston Davis - 84 laps
Avery DeMaranville and Dallas Zimmerman - 73 laps
Noah Kampshoff - 68 laps
**REMEMBER TENNIS SHOES ON PE DAYS!
BK and Kindergarten had an exciting month of learning how to ride our strider bikes! They have made huge strides on the bikes! It was exciting to see!
The Lions will be finishing up December with some Grinch games, Santa and reindeer races, and snowball throws!
Stay active with the Family Fitness Challenge and have a Merry Christmas! See you all in January!
PTO Meeting
Tue, Jan 10, 2023, 03:30 PM
110 North Mentzer Street, Mitchell, SD, USA
Student Council Store-OPEN
Fri, Jan 20, 2023, 07:45 AM
4th Grade Music Concert
Thu, Jan 26, 2023, 06:30 PM
110 North Mentzer Street, Mitchell, SD, USA
Please contact the office if your student will be absent, leaving early, or arriving late for any reason. Please include a doctor's note for any medical appointments to get that absence expmented
Lisa Heckenlaible - Principal
Noel Ahlers - Administrative Assistant
Ph# 605-995-3092 Fax# 605-995-3084