Longfellow Newsletter
Week of September 13th- No School Thursday
Every Student Counts, Every Moment Matters!
#ICCSDtogether
First Bell-7:50 am / Tardy Bell-7:55 am
Message From Principal Webb
Dear Longhorn families,
The weeks are flying by now in September! We are entering our 4th week of school and students are settling in nicely! There is no school on Thursday but we will see you back on Friday.
We had an amazing time at our School Picnic. Thank you to Hills Bank (provided fun flags), Hy-Vee (cookies for all students) and the Tygrett family (balloons). We hope to have our families join us again next year. See some pictures below!
We are completing our FAST testing of reading, math, and social-emotional skills this coming week. Guardians will get an update on how their child performed in the next few weeks and at conferences.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Webb
Happy Birthday Longfellow Elementary!- Picnic Day
Stuffs Etc and Houseworks/Kidworks Donations Benefit Longfellow
mySAEBRS Screener
Dear Families,
This letter provides information about our school’s continued efforts to identify all students who may need additional help to meet student learning goals. During the 2021-22 school year, the students in our 2nd-6th grade classrooms will participate in universal social, academic, emotional behavior screening that is designed to help schools identify students who may need additional support due to social, academic, or emotional concerns.
We will use the student universal screener, called mySAEBRS, provided through FastBridge Learning®. FastBridge Learning® is the same system we use for our reading and math screeners three times a year. The mySAEBRS screener asks students to complete a 20-item computer-based questionnaire related to their academic, emotional, and social skills. Our school’s leadership team will review the screening scores after the testing. Screening reports will be reviewed during conferences and sent home with all students as part of their end of year information.
We plan to participate in this screening three times during the year (fall, winter and spring). If you are concerned about your student participating in the mySAEBRS screening process or want additional information, please contact me.
Music Dept. News:
Wednesday, Sept 1, 2021
Hello Longfellow Families!
I am SO THRILLED to get to see all of the students in music class for the 21-22 school year! We have already begun making some great music with our community. Coming together in this way is such a special and valued opportunity for our student-artists. Please read below for some important information:
HEALTHY MUSIC-MAKING
In keeping with the ICCSD’s strong encouragement of universal indoor masking for all individuals in our schools, I invite all families to send their students to school with a mask they can wear when attending general music class. While I cannot require students to wear masks, I am recommending and encouraging all students to do so. We will be singing every day. Singing is our first instrument and integral to our music-making at school. The physical act of singing creates more aerosol in the air than most other learning activities at school. In order to keep all students as safe as possible and to reduce the spread of COVID19, mask-wearing is appreciated!
I have also had some families ask me about playing the recorder in music class. As weather permits, I am committed to taking 3-6 grade students outdoors throughout the year in order to reduce the risk of transmitting COVID19 while at the same time allowing them to play their instruments! I appreciate your kind attention to our students’ musical opportunities this year at school. It’s great to be a Longhorn!
THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN LONGFELLOW GENERAL MUSIC THIS YEAR
This Fall
6th Grade Recorder Club, all-school sing along (building-wide but from the classroom), 5/6 grade music-making projects (recorded and sent to you), and K-2 real-time music classroom peeks for families (via Zoom)!
***Please note, in order to take care of a health issue, Ms. Brown will be absent for several weeks this fall (end of September-beginning of November) and there will be a music sub during that time. They will not be taking students outdoors for recorder playing. She will return in November for more fall fun!
This Spring
4-6 grade Percussion Ensemble (we hope for live performances!), 3/4 grade music-making projects to celebrate Earth Day, more K-2 classroom peeks, and end of year music-making from our 6th graders!
OUR TEAM OF LONGFELLOW MUSIC TEACHERS
Please welcome our new general music teacher, Sophie Taft, who will be at Longfellow on Mondays and Tuesdays team-teaching K-3rd grade with me this year! The rest of the week Ms. Taft will be teaching all of the students at Horace Mann Elementary.
Please let me know if you have any questions!
If you have questions that pertain to band or orchestra, please contact our faculty:
Band: Ashley Clark
Orchestra: Ghyas Zeidieh (here is the information form for orchestra!)
Singing in the Community
Iowa City Youth Choir is holding auditions, and Ms. Brown is the director! If your student is interested in joining a choir and is in 4th, 5th, or 6th grade, please click HERE to learn more.
See you soon!
Longfellow General Music
It's Time to Join Band!!
Is your student in 5th or 6th grade? This past week, Mrs. Clark visited each of the 5th and 6th grade classrooms to talk about band and see which instrument(s) might be the best fit for your student. Your student was sent home with a paper registration packet. This information is also available on our website at, https://sites.google.com/iowacityschools.org/joinband/home?authuser=0. Please have your student return the paper registration to school or register online by September 10th! Feel free to email me with any questions at clark.ashley@iowacityschools.org. Thank you!
One Book Two Book Writing Submission
The student’s name should be in the top right corner of the piece. The piece must have a title or be labeled “Untitled.” On the separate Student Submission Cover Form, the following information is required: Student name, grade, school, parent or guardian’s name and contact e-mail and phone number. This form is attached. In addition, it can be found as a Google Doc at http://bit.ly/OneBookTwoBook. This can be filled out and saved as part of a document along with the submission.
Student work, including the cover sheet, must be submitted to the City of Literature by Monday, Dec. 13, 2021. They can be mailed to the City of Literature, 123 S. Linn St., Iowa City, IA 52240; or e-mailed as a Microsoft Word attachment or PDF to info@iowacityofliterature.org. If using Google Docs, the submission also can be shared with info@iowacityofliterature.org (Please be sure to set your Google Docs sharing settings so that we can view your submission). The file name should include the student’s school, grade and name (e.g. Hoover-4-HannahSmith or Garner-6-JasonJones). If using Google Docs, please download the file as either a Microsoft Word or PDF document. If the submission is handwritten or drawn, either scan and email a PDF or mail the original. Originals will be held for one month after the festival; it is the guardian’s responsibility to follow up if it should be returned.
The student work will be judged by a team from ACT in Iowa City. Recognized students will be honored at a “Write Out Loud” event during One Book Two Book in February 2022. Two grade level winners will be chosen, one in each of the following categories:
“The Write Stuff”: For language, clarity, structure, and emotional impact.
“From the Heart”: For creativity, passion, and expressiveness.
These students will be invited to read their winning submissions. In addition, a percentage of all students whose submissions are deemed to be of outstanding quality also will be honored with a “certificate of distinction.” They also will be invited to attend the “Write Out Loud” event.
All recognized students will receive certificates and prizes at the event.
The grade-level prize winners will have their work published in a booklet available at the festival.
Questions? Contact John Kenyon with the City of Literature office at (319) 356-5245 or john-kenyon@iowacityofliterature.org.
Snacks and Birthday Treats
The District is committed to providing a safe and healthy learning environment for our students. Due to the increase in food allergies and concerns with childhood obesity, changes are being made to the district’s Wellness Policy regarding classroom snacks, birthday treats and classroom celebrations. Longfellow will follow these guidelines this year.
When food is served to students in the classroom as a snack, birthday treat, or during a classroom celebration, the following rules apply (ICCSD Wellness Policy 507.9):
- allow only fresh fruits/vegetables or purchased foods with the ingredients listed (no homemade foods).
- allow only foods that meet the Healthy Food Guidelines/ Smart Snacks. (the only exception to this would be food-tasting related to district-approved curriculum lessons)
- not allow foods with peanuts or peanut butter, or foods that were made in a factory where cross-contamination may occur.
- food that does not meet the guidelines will be sent home.
- a list of acceptable foods (Healthy Food Guidelines/ Smart Snacks) can be found on the Iowa City Community School District website.
To help slow the spread of COVID-19, the Iowa City Community School District strongly encourages universal indoor mask use for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to our schools, regardless of vaccination status. This is based on guidance from the CDC. In addition, the President’s Executive Order on domestic transportation requires students and staff to wear a face-covering while on a school bus or while utilizing other District-provided transportation.
Check this out!
Longfellow Elementary stands with all people of color in the fight against racial injustice and inequality. We all deserve to be safe and secure. Longfellow Elementary, as part of the Iowa City Community School District, will not tolerate racism, hate, and other discriminatory acts. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. famously said that, “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” We will work hard to not let today’s injustice stop us from creating a better tomorrow for our school community. Please know that even though it is summer, you can reach out anytime.
Below you will also find links to resources that are available for our staff and our community. Stay safe and take care. #ICCSDtogether
follow us on Twitter- @LongfellowScho1
Longfellow Elementary School
Every student counts. Every moment matters.
ADDRESS: 1130 Seymour Ave., Iowa City, IA 52240
PHONE: 319-688-1135
FAX: 319-688-1136
Kelli Webb, Principal
Caitlin Hauskins, SFA
Stacia Nkumu, Principal Secretary
Non-Discrimination Policy:
It is the policy of the Iowa City Community School District not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, creed, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity and socioeconomic status in its educational programs, activities, or employment practices. There is a grievance procedure for processing complaints of discrimination. If you have questions or a grievance related to this policy, please contact the Director of Equity, 1725 N. Dodge St., Iowa City, IA 52245, (319) 688-1000.