Longacre Weekly News

Dear Longacre Families,

It was wonderful to see so many of our families at yesterday's Welcome Back Event! Thank you to our PTA & Parent Lighthouse Team for their assistance in planning the evening. We look forward to the sound of our school bell on Monday morning signaling the start of a new school year that holds wonderful opportunities for learning and leading!

Please take a few minutes to read through this newsletter as specific beginning of the school year details are outlined in it. On behalf of all of the Longacre staff, we hope you and your family have a positive transition to the new school year and look forward to a wonderful year together!

As always, feel free to contact me or our main office if you need assistance or additional information at 248-489-3733.

With Longacre Pride,

Rhonda Henry, Principal

Monday, August 26:

• Half-day of school for students in grades 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.
• There is NO SCHOOL for Kindergarten on Monday, August 26.
  
• The first bell will ring at 8:25 a.m. at which time, students enter the building. Instruction begins at 8:30 a.m.
• Dismissal will be 11:45 a.m. No lunches will be served.

Kindergarten students only begin their first week of school with a staggered start. In order to help with their transition into school, Kindergarten students are assigned to begin school on either Tuesday, August 27, Wednesday, August 28, or Thursday, August 29.

Monday, August 26- Kindergarten Orientation 5:00 p.m.- 6:00 p.m. for all kindergarten parents.

There is no school on Friday, August 30 and Monday September 2 for Labor Day weekend.

*All Kindergarten students will attend school together on Tuesday, September 3. Your child’s first day of school date will be listed in their welcome packet that will be mailed home by August 19th.

Longacre staff prioritizes creating and sustaining a positive, safe and equitable learning environment for all students. To begin the school year, students will learn about our S.P.O.T expectations as they relate to the 7 Habits of Leadership. There will also be a Book of the Month to reinforce the weekly lessons.

S.P.O.T leadership Lesson week of August 26: Overview of S.P.O.T. expectations

Book of the Month: Teach Us Your Name by: Huda Essa

Arriving to school on time is essential to your child’s education. Please communicate and be clear with your child on how he/she is getting home each day. The following guidelines will help keep your child safe at arrival and dismissal.

Arrival/Dismissal Procedures:

• Students who are car riders may be dropped off no earlier than 8:15 a.m.

• Pictured below is a map that shows where classrooms line up in the morning.

• Bus riders will be dropped off by the sidewalk adjacent to our parking lot and will walk to their designated lines

• Our first bell rings at 8:25 a.m. in which students may enter the building.

• Students should be in their classrooms by 8:30 a.m. ready for instruction to begin.

• Our dismissal time is 3:30 p.m. Just as arriving to school on time is essential, so is being present to complete the school day at the required dismissal time. We recognize that there are occasional times when your child might need to be dismissed earlier, but, for the benefit of your student and his/her classmates, it is important that it is occasional and not routine.

• If your child is assigned to a bus, but will be picked up instead, please send a note to the teacher letting her/him know about this change before the start of the school day so we do not put your child on the bus. Teachers oftentimes do not have the opportunity to check email throughout the instructional day.

• If the normal daily dismissal routine is being changed for a particular day, please contact the Longacre office by 2:45 p.m. to allow us to communicate the change with the classroom teacher and child in a timely fashion.

• For those picking up their child by car, please pull forward as far as possible in the circle drive staying away from the bus area.

• If you are picking your child up by foot and then walking home, please meet your child by the flag pole.

• For Kindergarten parents, please remember that pick-up is near the Kindergarten classroom exit doors (basketball blacktop area). Kindergarten parents - you might find parking at Drake Park more convenient as there is a sidewalk that leads to our blacktop area. Currently Drake Park is under construction but should be operable by the week of September 6th.

Please drive s...l...o...w...l...y on Arundel St. leading into the school parking lot. Arundel is a two-way street so please refrain from passing the vehicles lined up on Arundel as buses and other vehicles are exiting the school parking lot simultaneously. Thank you!

11:15- 2nd grade lunch

11:40- 5th grade lunch

12:05- 1st grade lunch

12:30- Kindergarten lunch

12:55- 3rd & 4th grade lunch

Longacre is a peanut, nut and sesame restricted school. Please do not send any type of food that contains nuts, nut byproducts or sesame. Please take an extra moment to check labels before sending food items to school (including Y-Care). Please do not send any food items to school that have labels indicating “processed/manufactured on equipment/in a facility that also processes nuts” or similar wording. Take an extra moment to check labels on store bought items.

The State of Michigan’s budget includes FREE meals for all Michigan public school students in the grades Pre-K through 12 for the 2024 - 2025 school year. Students are entitled to one free breakfast and one free lunch per school day, free of charge. Students MUST take a fruit or vegetable with their breakfast and/or lunch entree for the meal to qualify as a complete meal and be FREE. Additional entrees will be charged

$2.35–$3.35.

The first day of breakfast will be on Monday, August 26, 2024. Lunch will begin on Tuesday, August 27, 2024. Menus will be posted on the District’s website under the Nutrition Services link.

Free/Reduced Price Meal Applications:

Although families won’t have to pay for meals, families are still encouraged to complete a free/reduced meal application to help the district secure additional funding for the district’s educational programs. Families who also complete the Sharing programs page, may qualify for additional benefits such as test fees waived, summer EBT benefits, community outreach programs, etc.

Families may complete their Free/Reduced-price meal application at https://farmington.familyportal.cloud or submit a hard copy. Hard copies may be printed from the District’s website or copies may be picked up at each school’s main office. Parents will be notified by email or mail whether or not the child qualifies. Please allow 10 working days to receive a confirmation letter.

The YMCA has Y-Care before school and after-school in the Longacre Elementary cafeteria. Registration paperwork is available at the YMCA center located on Farmington Road, just north of 12 Mile Road (or in the Longacre office). Y-Care is available on 1⁄2 days. The phone number for the YMCA in Farmington Hills is 248-553-4020.

FPS is offering families the option to enroll in our Chromebook Protection Plan during the 2024-25 back-to-school re-enrollment process. This affordable plan protects students’ Chromebooks from normal wear and tear and device malfunctions. Families will have the opportunity to purchase or decline this plan at the time of new enrollment or during the back to school registration window, each academic year. Payment is expected at the time of enrollment/registration for those who accept the plan.

For additional information, please visit the Chromebook Protection Plan in its entirety.

Farmington Public School District and its staff are NOT liable for damage to or loss of personal property of students. It is suggested that personal valuables not be brought to school by your child, but if items deemed by you to have substantial value are brought to school we suggest they be insured separately on your homeowner’s policy.

Farmington Public School District does NOT provide health or accident insurance for injuries incurred by your child at school. Since children are particularly susceptible to injuries, we encourage you to review your present health and accident insurance program to determine if your coverage is adequate.

Please make it a point to get to know your Longacre PTA Board members. They, along with the Longacre staff, are ready and willing to help you feel at home within the Longacre community. Also, if you haven’t already done so, please fill out a volunteer application form. All volunteers need to have one on file. The success of our programs depends on volunteers willing to oversee the planning and execution of our enrichments. Please think about getting involved in your child’s school. It is a great place to be! Watch for more information from your Longacre PTA.

It is with great pride that I include the names of our 2023-2024 PTA EXECUTIVE BOARD:

President: Krystn Shubitowski

LongacrePTApresident@gmail.com

VP of Fundraising: Audrey Cox

LongacrePTAfundraising@gmail.com

VP of STEAM: Dave & Amber DeLind

LongacrePTAsteam@gmail.com

Events Liaison: Marie Gould

LongacrePTAeventsliaison@gmail.com

VP of Volunteers: Emily Mageski

LongacrePTAVolunteers@gmail.com

Treasurer: Rachel Waisanen

LongacrePTAtreasurer@gmail.com

Secretary: Melissa Mahoney

LongacrePTApsecretary@gmail.com

VP of Events: Amanda Heinle-Smith

LongacrePTAevents@gmail.com

Language Adventure is returning to Longacre with Spanish classes this fall! This program is fun and interactive and includes conversation, games, songs, and special activities designed for each age group. Classes will run on Mondays for 8 weeks, starting September 30.

For more information and registration, visit:

https://language-adv.coursestorm.com/course/spanish-at-longacre3#!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/longacreleopards/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LongacreElem

Instagram: @longacreleopards

Website: https://www.farmington.k12.mi.us/lon