Spring has sprung and with it brings state testing for grades 3-8 and grade 11. It is the time of year when the Mitchell School District students can showcase what they’ve learned throughout the year (and hopefully the gaps we’ve closed due to absences during COVID). South Dakota is part of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium where students across the nation are being assessed on common core standards. Longfellow students will test from April 4 – May 12.

Please keep this in mind when scheduling appointments as we primarily test in the mornings. It is important for our learners to be on time so they can start the testing session with their classmates. We appreciate your efforts to ensure our Longfellow students have a positive testing experience. A good night’s sleep, a healthy breakfast, and encouraging words to do the best they can are a few ways that parents can assist their children. Preparing our children for academic success requires a partnership between home and school. Our Longfellow teachers feel very fortunate to be able to work with such supportive families. Thank you for all you do!

It's time to register your child for the 2023-2024 school year. Please complete your ‘Annual Information Update’ for the 2023-2024 school year. Please follow the online directions, in this newsletter, to update your information for your Begindergarten-4th grade child/ren, during the month of April. All information updates need be completed by May 1, 2023. This meets the requirements for registering your child for Longfellow for the 2022-2023 school year. Providing completed forms and updated information will assist us for the upcoming school year. If you have questions, please call the Longfellow office at 995-3092.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Heckenlaible

Current kindergarten students will need a student ID number to register if you have not already done so for older siblings. That information will come home soon.

There was no March PTO meeting.

Friday - April 7 - Good Friday

Monday - April 10 - Easter Monday

5th grade Recognition: Save the Date!!

Fifth grade parents: Please mark your calendars for Thursday, May 18, 6:30 pm, for the Fifth Grade Recognition Program. This will be held in the Mitchell Performing Arts Center (PAC). Please join us to celebrate and recognize our Longfellow fifth grade learners.

Do you have a child graduating this year? Did he/she attend Longfellow Elementary? If so, he/she has the opportunity to apply for a $500 scholarship for post-secondary school. All applications must be submitted to the Longfellow Elementary School office by April 14, 2023. Please visit the high school counselor’s office if you are interested in applying.

Parents, please make sure to send your child with a light jacket or sweatshirt. We know the temperature changes frequently during this time of year and we want the students to be prepared for recess. Thank you for your help!

BK

Ryder Garcia - Ryder has a great imagination and loves to think out of the box. He loves creating new things and sharing them with his peers. He is kind to everyone and excited to include them in whatever he is doing. I am so proud of him! Way to go Ryder!

KDH

Naomi Hauser - Naomi always makes sure everyone feels welcome and listens carefully to understand what someone is saying and feeling. She loves to use her imagination and tell jokes! Way to go, Naomi!

KH

Marty Withhorn - Marty is great at listening to others and tries to understand how they are feeling. Marty is also so creative. He loves to create and make new things. He is a wonderful artist in the classroom. Way to go Marty!

KR

Willow Pretre - Willow puts herself in the shoes of others and understands how they are feeling. I know I can count on her to use empathy when helping others work through situations. Willow also has a great imagination and it is always fun watching her put that imagination to use during free time and when creating art. Way to go Willow!

1H

Landon Carmody - Landon shows care and concern for his classmates. He listens and pays attention to their feelings. Landon also works to solve problems in new ways. He is imaginative in his work and play. Way to go Landon!

1S

Daxton Schilling - Daxton listens carefully to his classmates to understand how they feel. Daxton is great at using his imagination and seeing things how they could be.

1V

RaeLynne Nightpipe - RaeLynne is a great listener. She makes friends easily because she genuinely cares about what she hears from those around her. She wants everyone to feel good all the time! RaeLynne is also very creative. She loves to work on art projects and drawings when she has free time.

2B

Hawkyn Zilla - Hawkyn is a very good listener and so empathetic towards others feelings! He is a great rule follower! Hawkyn is very creative and imaginative! Hawkyn has recently added actor to his agenda, which has started him down the path of writing his own plays!

2J

Eli Niehoff - Eli has an amazing imagination and puts it to great use in his everyday learning! He is always digging deeper when innovating and creating. I can't wait to see where his imagination takes him!

2M

Amelia Skovbo - Amelia is always willing to listen to her friends and help them out. She tries to imagine how they would feel while she thinks about her choices, She uses her creativity when she works on projects or in her writing. Awesome job, Amelia!

3B

LeAnn Garcia - LeAnn has been working really hard on listening with understanding and empathy. LeAnn is always drawing, creating, and imagining whenever she can. Keep up the great work LeAnn!

3G

William Seay - William is an amazing human and will wholeheartedly help any denmate in need. He always goes out of his way to make sure that his classmates have what they need. William also has an amazingly creative mind and comes up with new and exciting ideas all the time. Way to go William, we are so proud of you!

3K

Lexi Hoesing - Lexi has the kindest heart and is a fantastic listener. When she sees a need, she steps in in any way she can to help. It is clear that she treats others the way she wants to be treated and does her best to create solutions that are best for everyone involved. I'm very proud of you Lexi!

4F

Dominiq Skovbo - Dominiq is a friend to many students, and she is very good at listening to her friends when she has a problem and showing empathy. Dominiq is also very good at creating magical things, imagining farther than the world can take her, and innovating to create new things! Wonderful work, Dom!

4K

Tate Royston - Tate uses empathy and understands how others are feeling. He is a great friend to everyone and is always there to cheer up his classmates (and teacher)! Tate thinks creatively and imagines endless possibilities. He definitely keeps all of us on our toes with his imagination and the questions he comes up with! Keep up the great work, Tate. I am so proud of you!

4O

Connor Dobbs - Connor has a great imagination and is always adding something creative to his work. Connor is a great listener and shows empathy towards his classmates. He always helps out when he can. I can always count on Connor to be a good friend and great team player. Way to go, Connor!

5A

Adisson Woodraska - Adisson is one of the most creative and imaginative people I have ever known. She is always drawing or creating a picture from her mind. She is also great at taking something already made and making it better and more detailed. Adisson also shows a ton of empathy not only to her classmates, but also animals. She has one of the biggest hearts when it comes to animals, and wants to help them all. Keep being awesome, Adisson!

5E

Bella Zihlke - Bella is one who is always listening and asking questions if she does not understand. Bella has a very creative mind. When given a task, she always thinks of a clever way to solve it. She has a huge heart and is always willing to listen to everyone around her. Bella always shows empathy for others. Way to go Bella!!

5M

Teagan Thill - Teagan practices listening and understanding with empathy everyday. Teagan sets a great example for the youngers in our school, as well as being a great leader in our classroom. Her work ethic and willingness to help others is admirable. She has a very creative mind and can express herself through her artwork and writing. I am so proud of Teagan and all her hard work. I can't wait to see what she accomplishes in her bright future!

The 2nd graders in Mrs. McPeek's class did some research on their future job. Then they presented to students and staff. Way to go 2M!

Hi!

Gee! Haw! Mush! Mush! The Iditarod race was a close one this year! Tank was busy running between Mrs. Schramm’s class, Mrs. Bakhtiari’s class and Mrs. Hauck’s class! It was a race until the end. Mrs. Bakhtiari’s musher was in the lead but unfortunately he had to drop out because of medical issues. Mrs. Hauck’s class had Ryan Redington who eventually took the lead and won the race! Congratulations Mrs. Hauck’s class!!!

Another “mYsTerY in the LiBraRy” has occurred! And what a mess they have left me! Books on the floor! Books in piles! Books out of place! Oh My! Oh mY! We know it is a staff member as they have left an ID case on the floor. The suspects are up and the students are doing their best detective work! We will catch the person(s) involved in this unfortunate event!

“Sherlock” the Bear has also come back to help in the library. He often sits in Mrs. Coats’ chair. When he is there, the librarian does not get to read. He is holding the chair for a Mystery Reader to arrive and read to the students! The students love to guess who the Mystery Reader is and their detective skills are pretty keen!

Look for the May newsletter to see the solution to the unfortunate event in the library!

There are only a couple of months left of the school year. Remember to start looking for your child’s missing library books. I will print off a sheet informing you of your child(ren’s) missing books. Please check their book bags in the next couple of weeks so you can start looking! Thanks in advance!

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We love seeing our older lions helping out our younger lions, especially when they get to use their personal skills. Hunter is showing a kindergarten student how to make origami folds, something he is passionate about it. Way to be a mentor and role model, Hunter!

Our youngest lions keep us thinking of bright skies in the future!

Some of us really look forward to when the first graders do their NOT-a-box project. What creativity they have!

Sometimes, there's so much happening here, that it's too much to even fit into the newsletter. We had Festival Choir and Festival Band, celebrated the high school boys and girls going to state, enjoyed the zoo mobile, and had Mayor Everson answer questions in 2B. The school district celebrated teacher and classified staff of the year where Longfellow's own librarian, Mrs. Coats, was named Mitchell School District's Classified Staff of the year. Then we had kindergarten jumpstart where we get to meet the future lions, ready to join the halls this fall. What a fun and busy month we've had!

March brought our Reading Madness challege! And boy did our lions step up. When they read a book scored 80% or above on their AR test, they got to put a basketball on the wall. Top readers were recognized and names were drawn for an upcoming basketball game. TEACHERS VS READERS!!! Check out the NEXT newsletter for pictures of the big game.