Longfellow Elementary School

Salida Schools - The Education Community

April 4, 2024

Families of Longfellow Elementary-
Starting next Tuesday, 3rd and 4th grade students will begin their Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) testing. CMAS starts in 3rd grade and continues throughout a student’s middle school years. You can help us by being sure your child is well rested and prepared. Having students start the day on time and stress free with a healthy breakfast is a great start. Keeping appointments out of the next few weeks helps us and the students avoid having to do make up sessions.  Also, you can help by reinforcing with your student that they can do it and how proud you are of them. I’m continually amazed by all of our students, staff, and families. I know our kiddos will do great!
With the shift to warm weather, I’m glad to say LPA’s run club is back! It’s a great activity for students and families to get outside and enjoy some sun and fun. During the club, students do some warm-ups and work through activities (all interspersed with giggles and smiles.) If you’d like your child to participate, please sign up online here or pick up a form at school. Also, with the numbers of kids, parent volunteers are greatly appreciated. If you'd like to help out, send an email to [email protected] and put “Running Club Volunteer” in the subject line. Thanks go out to the Longfellow Parent Association for putting this together. Time and again, this group comes through for our students, our staff, and our community. Thank you, LPA!
We’re making plans for the upcoming eclipse on Monday, April 8th. As the sky dims, it is natural for kids to want to look at the sun to see what’s going on. With an eclipse, the natural reactions to close our eyes and look away due to the brightness aren’t as pronounced. That said, the threat of possible eye damage is just as prevalent. To address this we’ll be holding our lunch recess inside that day. We’ll be taking students out class by class to view the eclipse utilizing the IPO rated eclipse glasses so generously funded by the Longfellow Parent Association. Students who have “opted out” will simply remain inside with the other students. We’re excited for this celestial event, but as always, we have to put student safety first.
As a final note, if you are picking up your student during the school day, please make sure you come into the office and sign them out first (even if you see them on the playground.) In the past week, we’ve had a few parents enter the playground, and our staff was quick to address them. While I know they were well intentioned, our job is to keep all our kids safe and accounted for.
Thank you, Cory Scheffel, LES Principal
Important Notes:
-Boys and Girls club will be closed TODAY, April 4th.
-Yearbooks are available to order now until April 10. Go to entourageyearbooks.com, and click the Buy Yearbooks button at the top. Type in Longfellow Elementary and be sure to select the 2023 option. Yearbooks are $12 and will be delivered the 2nd week of May through classroom teachers. Any questions can go to [email protected]. 
Upcoming Events:
-Choir Collage Concert and Art Show at SHS April 5th
-LPA meeting April 9, 5:30-6:30
-Art Show April 17th
 

LPA is excited for another season of Run Club. This year, we will be meeting on Tuesdays after school from 4-5 p.m., and Fridays from 10-11 a.m. We will meet at the Longfellow Elementary shade structure beginning March 26th and ending May 3rd (right before the Mountain Lion 5K and Fun Run!) Please use the link below to register your student(s) and indicate whether or not you're interested in volunteering to help out. There is a small fee of $15 this year, but we do not want finances to be a barrier to participating so scholarships are available. Looking forward to running with your students soon!  Student Sign Up Parent Volunteer Sign Up

Before and after school supervision–Please do not drop off your student before 7:50 or pick them up after 4:05. We want your child to be safe and our outside supervision does not extend beyond those times. Breakfast starts at 7:50. As you drop them off, if they are eating breakfast, watch them as they enter the building. If they aren’t eating breakfast, watch them enter the playground. If it’s after 7:50, once they enter one of those two areas, we have eyes on them.

Attendance– If your child is going to be absent, please contact our attendance secretary at 719-530-5261. Absences for reasons other than illness will be marked as unexcused. We will have our attendance dialer on to automatically notify you if your student is absent. You will get a call letting you know that you have a message from Salida Schools. We are utilizing this system to let you know as soon as possible that your child is absent. If you get a message and your child is here, don’t panic. Call the office at the number above. Often it can be a mistake on the attendance entry. These situations are our highest priority and we don’t stop working on it until we confirm the child is safe.

Communications–Throughout the year our primary form of communication will be email. If you hear of someone having difficulty, please have them contact the office so that we can make sure their contact information is up to date. For emergency situations and school closures, we will be communicating via the school messenger app. You can find information on downloading the school messenger app on the district’s homepage, salidaschools.com 

Visiting the School–Anytime you are visiting the school, whether for a meeting or to pick up a child, please enter through the first set of the front doors and speak to the secretary through the service window. They’ll have you sign yourself in or sign your student out. This allows us to keep track of everyone who is in the building.

Lunch and Breakfast–Please be sure your child is on time if they plan on eating breakfast.  Breakfast is served from 7:50-8:10. This year, meals are free for all. Even if you don’t need assistance, we ask that everyone fill out the meal assistance form (free and reduced lunch form.) This is crucial for a couple of reasons. First, it is still unclear what rate the state will be reimbursing the schools for each lunch. The meal assistance form will allow the federal government to backfill any amount not covered by the state. Second, some of our federal funding is based on the return rate of these forms. We understand that it has been difficult for some to fill out these forms through Infinite Campus. If you need help, please come by the office and we can assist you through the process.

Buses–Herding up to a hundred students to the buses can be a logistical challenge. At this point in the year, we are feeling extremely successful. If you have a change in the route plans for your child, please contact our transportation supervisor Evalyn Parks at 719-530-5231, the front office at 719-530-5261, and your child’s teacher so that we may ensure that your child arrives home safely.

Circle Drive–The circle drive is for immediate drop-off of students only. If you need time with your child, or you’d like to walk them to class, please park in the parking lot or along the street.  We also ask that bikes avoid the circle drive as it adds an extra layer of danger for drivers as they are working to keep eyes on their student and all the other students in the area.

Bikes–Bikes should be walked when on the school campus (both students and parents.) They should be locked up throughout the school day. Please do not ride bikes in the bus area while they are picking up or dropping off students or in the circle drive.

Cell Phones–Cell Phones and smart watches are increasingly becoming an issue at school.  Our policy is that phones and smart watches should be off and in their backpacks. If you need to communicate a message with your child, please do so via the front office or text them after 3:30 to minimize classroom disruptions.

Volunteering in the classroom– In early September, we will be sending out information on how to complete background checks in order to volunteer in the school.

School Services

School Nurse- Missy Tanner [email protected]
Please contact our school nurse if you have any questions about Medications/Care plans, Immunizations, Allergies, if your child is well enough to send to school or anything that may be affecting your child’s health.  

School Counselor- Kelly Hamilton [email protected]
Please contact our school counselor if you have any questions about counseling, counseling groups, our Positive Behavior System, or any issues that might be affecting your child’s emotional wellbeing.

Partner Organizations
Longfellow Parent Association–provides grants, events, and support to the students, staff, and school throughout the school year. Please become a member. Application forms can be picked up in the front office.

Boys and Girls Club- provides after-school and Friday child care as well as enrichment opportunities. For more information, contact Kiki Lathrop at [email protected].

--
Cory Scheffel
Principal
Longfellow Elementary School