Soup and Toiletry Drive

Way to go! Our class collected 42 items for the Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry. Thank you for being so generous!

Soup and Toiletry Drive

Longfellow's Student Council is sponsoring a soup and toiletry drive to benefit the Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry. The ONLY food item they are looking for is soup. However, they are requesting various toiletry items such as soap, shampoo, shaving cream, Q-Tips, lotion, toothpaste, toothbrushes, floss, etc. Please give what you can this holiday season. Items should be brought to school by next Friday, December 10th.
Bonus: the class that collects the most items wins 5 Bear Necessities for each student!

Book It!

Don't forget to turn in your November calendar to earn a coupon for a free personal pizza. December calendars went home yesterday.

Mathathon

Every year our school participates in the Mathathon, which raises money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. This will be our fifth year participating, but in the last 4 years, Longfellow has raised a whopping $26,216.64! While it is completely optional to participate, many students enjoy it because they are able to do fun math problems while raising money to help kids who are sick and win prizes for themselves. A consent form to participate will be sent home this week. They are due by Friday, Dec. 10^th. Math funbooks will be sent home before winter break. Money raised will be due at the end of January so students have all of winter break to complete the math problems and collect the money. If you have any questions, please contact the coordinator, Ms. Smith at esmith@op97.org.

Family Math Night

Monday, December 13th is Family Math Night at Longfellow. It starts at 6:30pm in the gym and mini-gym. Bring your family to enjoy math together. You might learn some fun new games!

Way to Go!

Thanks to those of you who turned in UNICEF boxes after Halloween. Longfellow surpassed its goal and collected $1034.56! You have made the world a better place!

Safe Touches

Ms. Prescott's last two weeks with us are here. This week and next she will talk about safe touches. If you'd like to review the lessons or if you'd like me to arrange an alternate activity for your child, please let me know. The focus of the lesson is to identify adults in their lives who might need to touch them and why. Children will also learn what to do and language to use if someone touches them in a way that makes them uncomfortable. I think it is very safe and appropriate for kindergarten.

Winter Party

Our winter party is for Friday, December 17, from 1-2 in our room. If you'd like to help out with the preparation and/or at the party, please contact Lara Vergoth at lvergoth@ameritech.net

Winter weather...

is here to stay, I think. Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately as we go outside everyday: winter coats, hats, gloves. The only days we'll stay in are those when temperatures or wind chill dip into the single digits. If needed, please practice zipping, snapping, and buttoning those coats! Also, keep in mind that snow pants and boots will be needed if children want to play in the snow.

LEGO Display

Longfellow is trying to give all of its aspiring engineers and architects an opportunity to display their creativity. Using LEGOs, students can design any awesome creation they can imagine at home. It should be no bigger than 8"x8"x8" and should include the student's name and a title. Students can then bring it to school and it will be displayed in the front entry display case. Entries should be delivered in person to Mr. Pod between 7:40-8:00am, any morning before November 23rd. If students have any questions, please email Mr. Pod at epodlasek@op97.org

Sight words

In your child's backpack, you'll find a list of highlighted words to work on. I assessed children on the 25 words I've introduced so far. For the first trimester, Oak Park kindergarten teacher expect children to know at least 15 sight words. Any questions? Just let me know!

Is that a turkey?

Today children took home a blank turkey. Their homework is to disguise it so this turkey doesn't get eaten for Thanksgiving dinner! You could color it or decorate it. Glitter, cottonballs - whatever you have around the house. It could be another animal, a superhero, a famous person, whatever you like. Just don't let that turkey look like a turkey! Please turn in your turkey by next Monday.

Box Top Competition!

The PTO is always collecting Box Tops for Education from certain brands of food and household products. From now until mid-February, the PTO is challenging each homeroom to see who can bring in the most box tops. The class that wins earns a party with the use of Longfellow's new classroom set of iPod Touches. Bring in those little pink box tops!

Another way to get involved!

There is a PTO meeting Wednesday, November 17 at 7pm in the Media Center. All are welcome! Also, don't forget to check the Digital Backpack each week! The link is to the left, as well as on the Longfellow homepage.

A Veteran for Veteran's Day

This Thursday is Veteran's Day. Specialist James Blount will come to our class to speak for a short time. "Mr. James" is the son of Ms. Clarke, a teacher here at Longfellow, and is studying to be a teacher himself. He just returned from a year’s tour of duty in Afghanistan. He also did a year’s tour of duty in Iraq. He is a technical engineer in the 372^nd Engineer Brigade of the Army Reserves. His job involved surveying and designing earthworks such as helicopter landing pads. He also drove an armored vehicle and did guard duty among other things. Welcome Specialist Blount!

Interesting Pictures

I'm putting together a binder of interesting pictures for our writing center. I hope the pictures will give students ideas for writing and help them develop their sentences to describe a picture. If you have any interesting, funny, or cool pictures from magazines, junk mail - anything - please send them in! For example, I just cut out pictures from the World Wildlife Federation catalog and calendar. It helps if there is something happening in the picture so students can more easily put a verb in their sentence. Pictures should be 8x10 or smaller so it can go in the binder. Thank you!

3 Reminders

• You can still turn in your October Book It! calendar. The November calendar went home on Monday. If you ever lose a calendar, feel free to make your own and turn it in. Students should read for at least 25 min a night for 20 nights in order to earn a coupon for a free personal pizza. NOTE: the coupons expire after a month.
• UNICEF boxes should be turned in tomorrow.
• Enjoy your day off this Friday! Thanks to all of our veterans!
  

UNICEF Boxes

UNICEF boxes will go home today. UNICEF is an organization that provides basic needs for children around the world. If your child chooses to collect money while trick-or-treating, please return the box by next Thursday, November 4th. The Longfellow Student Council has set a goal to collect $750 this Halloween.

Homework Tonight!

What phase is the moon in tonight? (You might also see it tomorrow morning.) Tell me tomorrow!
In class we discussed a few reasons why we might not see it:

• It's a new moon.
• We might go to bed too early to see it.
• Clouds could be covering it.

If you don't see it, check out the newspaper, the website to the left on this blog, or Google it. Then find out what the phase is called. We're used to seeing the new moon at the top of the cycle, but the phases are still the same and in the correct order below. This is the simplest one I could find with labels.

Regular Visitors

In the past few weeks, we've started having guests in our classroom who, for the most part, will be with us the rest of the year.
Thursday mornings:
4th grade Reading Buddies - Mrs. Sullivan's class comes to our room to read to us. Kindergarteners are paired up with one or two fourth graders. In the past, this has been such a positive relationship. The older kids love "taking care" of the little ones, and kindergartners love having an older friend to say hello to on the playground.
Ms. Prescott, our social worker or "feelings teacher," is teaching the health curriculum. Students learn how to identify facial expressions and body language to tell what others are feeling. We talk about how to calm down when angry and appropriate ways to make friends. Later we'll talk about safe and unsafe touches. Ms. Prescott will be in our classroom for about two months.
Friday mornings:
Mrs. Scaro comes to co-teach math with me. This is a way to help me differentiate. We divide students into two groups based on the skill we're teaching that day.

Calling all volunteers!

Our weekly schedule seems pretty well in place and students know our daily routines. One thing we do most days of the week is workshop, or centers. Now that many of us are writing more, I would love to have a volunteer at the writing center to help students think of topics and help them sound out their words. If you have an hour one morning a week during our availability, or if you'd like to pair up with another parent and come every other week, please let me know.
Our available times:
Monday 9:30-11
Tuesday 9-11
Wednesday 9:30-11
Friday 10-11
As you can see, some days are more flexible than others. An hour sometime within these times would be great!

Shiver Me Timbers!

The Pirates of Penzance are coming to Longfellow Wednesday morning! Students have been preparing for this in music class with Mrs. Wiese, so they are familiar with the story and much of the music. In honor of the opera, we will have Pirate Day in our classroom. Kindergarteners are welcome to dress up as pirates. No weapons please.

Halloween

So much to say!

• We will celebrate Halloween on Friday, 10/29. The academic morning will be extended and last from 8-12. Lunch will be from 12-12:55. The parade will be at 1:15 with a party to follow. Students will be dismissed at 2:55 as usual. I strongly encourage you to send a snack with your child as lunch is later than usual.
• Please let me know if you'd be willing to help organize our Halloween party. If several parents help out, either with prep work and/or attending the party, hopefully it won't be too much work for any one person.
  
• Students should not wear costumes to school. Please pack it in a bag to change into after lunch. Some students choose to go home for lunch to change there.
• NO WEAPONS, either real or toy, should be included as part of a costume.
• There will be a pumpkin decorating contest, by age group, the week of Halloween. Look for details in the Digital Backpack.
• Please let me know if your family does not celebrate Halloween. There will be an alternative party for those students who do not.
  

Sight Words

I tested your child on the 14 words we've studied so far this year. Today in your child's folder you'll find a note with any missed words highlighted. By this point in the year, I'd hope students know about 9 or 10 words. Please practice with flashcards for a few minutes each night. There are new words each week introduced via the paper decodable books.

Prize Donations

Longfellow is always looking for donations for our Friday raffle. If you have items you would like to donate to the Longfellow PBIS program, we are accepting donations from families and community partners. You can visit our PBIS blog at www.longfellowpbis.blogspot.com for a wish list on the right side menu; it is titled “Bear’s Den Wish List.”

Letter from Nurse Angie

A letter went home on Monday about a case of lice in kindergarten. Please refer to the letter for directions about frequent head checks. In school, we're talking about the importance of not sharing hats, brushes, and hair decor, as well as keeping our coats away from other coats. You may also send in a pair of headphones for your child that will not be shared.

Lexia

Every Tuesday and Friday our class will make a trip to the computer lab to use the Lexia computer-based reading program. A letter is going home today with your child to explain a little bit about it. If you would like, you can work on the program at home. The letter includes your child's username. (For the most part, it the child's full first name and last initial. Some children may also have a number if there is another child in the district who has a similar name.) There is no password for kindergarteners.
In the two times we've been up to the lab, children seem to enjoy their time with the program. They get to choose the order in which they do the activities. One thing to note, if they stop in the middle of an activity, they will eventually come back to it; it cannot be skipped.
If you would like to supply your child with his or her own pair of headphones, you may. This might reduce the chances of spreading lice. Otherwise, there are headphones available for all Longfellow students to use. If you bring your own, your child could use them for the listening center in our classroom as well.

The Moon

To correspond with our Shadows unit in reading, we are studying the moon in science. Check out the link to the left; you can enter any date within 200 years. What did the moon look like on the day you were born? What did it look like on the day your mom was born? What will it look like on a day in mid-June, 2023, when you graduate from high school? What will it look like tonight?

Longfellow Schedule

Just a reminder:

• There is no school this coming Monday, October 11 in honor of Columbus Day.
  

• Both Thursday, October 21, and Friday, October 22, are half days for conference week. Students will be dismissed at 11:00am.

• The Pirates of Penzance are coming to Longfellow! Students will see this Opera for the Young performance on Wednesday, October 27.

• There is no school Friday, November 5 in honor of Veteran's Day.

When life gives you lemons...

make lemonade. When Paige gave us apples, we made applesauce! We had so much fun making and eating applesauce today! We followed a simple Croc Pot recipe I found online. The kids seemed to like it so here is the recipe if you'd like to make it at home:
4lbs tart apples: peeled, cored, sliced thin
1c water
1/2 c sugar (I thought it was just a little too sweet. Adjust to your liking and the tartness of the apples.)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp cinnamon (We put in a little extra!)
Mix it all together in the Croc Pot, cook on high for 3 hours. Mash with a potato masher.

from http://www.food.com/recipe/crock-pot-applesauce-69127

Field Trip

Last Friday a permission slip went home for a field trip to the Morton Arboretum on 10/19. It should be a fun day! Thanks to those of you who have already gotten the slips and $8 fee back. We're only allowed 3 chaperones per class, which have been filled already. Please return your slip by next Friday, 10/8.

Scholastic Book Orders

Several book order forms went home today. If you'd like to order, please have them back by Thursday, September 30 with a check made out to Scholastic.

Sent home....

In your child's folder today, you'll see information about one of the PTO's big fundraisers: the wrapping paper sale.
You'll also find order forms for Picture Day on Monday, October 4. You can send it in anytime before then.
As always, please empty the folder and return it to school each day.

Passport to Reading

Passport to Reading starts Monday, September 27! This is a 20 minute time period, 4 times a week, when our reading teachers Mrs. Parr and Ms. Divis come into the classroom to work in small groups with us. Each of the three groups is based on the skill level at which children are working. Every 4 weeks we reassess and regroup students according to the progress they've made and therefore their new skill levels. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Treasure Box Time!

Many of our students are going to the treasure box for the first time this week. They filled up their sticker charts with stickers for all the green lights they earned. Way to go! When students fill up one sticker chart, they get another so they could potentially go back to the treasure box in another 20 school days. Keep up the great work being respectful, responsible, and safe!

Fees, Please!

If you haven't turned in your $10 cash class activity fee or the $4.50 fee for a subscription to Time for Kids, please do so ASAP. We are about to place our order for the subscription.

Book It!

October calendars went home today for the Pizza Hut Book It Program. For each day you read 25 minutes, mark the calendar with a smiley face. You can read to your child or your child might read to you. If you have 20 smiley faces on your calendar, bring it back to school at the end of the month and I'll give your child a coupon for a free personal pizza from Pizza Hut. If you participate all five months (Oct-Feb) your student will receive an additional reward!

Dr. Roberts' Community Chat

Please join Superintendent Dr. Albert Roberts for a Longfellow
community chat. This chat, scheduled to last approximately 90
minutes, will provide the staff, parents/guardians, and
neighbors of Longfellow an opportunity to participate in an
open, informal dialogue with Dr. Roberts about a variety of
issues (district finances, integration of technology in the
classroom, state of facilities, etc.) that impact their individual
building or the district as a whole.

The Longfellow community chat will take place on Tuesday,
October 19 beginning at 7:00 pm. We will meet in the
Longfellow Auditorium. Please be sure to let your neighbors know,
even if they do not have children in the district.

Maze Library

Today we walked to the Maze Library with Ms. Mulsoff's class. What a beautiful day! We toured the library, listened to stories, and danced with Ms. Lori. We also had some time to look at books. It was a lot of fun! I hope you have your library card ready to go back with your family!

Time For Kids

A notice went home Friday with a request for $4.50 for a Time For Kids subscription for each child. Thanks to those of you who already sent it in!

Longfellow's Digital Backpack

Last year, in an effort to be greener, Longfellow switched from paper Thursday packets to an online digital version. Some things still go home on paper, but the majority is online for you to seek out. If you would prefer a paper copy, please let me know. Otherwise, I'll always have a link on the left. You can also find the Digital Backpack on Longfellow's website.

A Few More Things!

• Tomorrow will be our second visit to the library. Make sure to bring back books from last Thursday so you can check out a new book.
• This coming Tuesday, September 14, we will walk to the Maze Library. Wear comfortable shoes and appropriate clothing. We'll leave at about 8:40 and be back well before lunch. I would love a parent or two to walk with us. Please email me if you're interested.
• Don't forget to return your Walking Field Trip permission slip at the left. We need it for Tuesday.
  
• It's suddenly become popular in class for students to want to "taste" the hot lunch, so they've asked to order one in the morning even though they brought their own lunch. Please discuss with your child if this is OK. I don't want you to get a surprise bill!
  
• Save those pink box tops! Longfellow's PTO collects them from certain products and exchanges them for cash. Send them in as you get them.
• Mark your calendar - October 4th is Picture Day.

Pre-decodable and Decodable Books

The first of our paper books went home last week. We read about one a week; they are yours to keep. The first 15 pre-decodable books use our sight words, as well as pictures in the text for more difficult words. These books will indicate which sight words I've introduced in class and therefore which you should be practicing at home. The 20 decodable books after that use sight words and simple words that children can sound out. Please practice these books until your child is fluent with them (no mistakes and with expression.) As they are easy to memorize, you may want to practice them a little bit at a time as well as revisit older books in your soon-to-be decodable "library."

Watch Your Step!

I'm watching your child's gross motor skills in the building and on the classroom. One thing I look for is their use of alternating feet as they walk down the stairs. If their right foot comes down on one stair, the left foot should go to the NEXT stair, not the same stair as the right foot. Usually children just need a little demonstration and reminder to slow down. Eventually, they can use this step to go a lot faster than a non-alternating step.

Letter Recognition

One of our first academic goals in kindergarten is upper- and lowercase letter recognition. We hope students know all 26 capital letters and 28 lowercase letters by about October 20th. (The 2 extra lowercase letters are the "funny" g and a we see in print.) While these first several weeks are so much about building classroom routines, I have started to assess your child on letter and number recognition to see who may already know them, and who I need to work with. I'll send that information home this week or early next week. It's also a big help for you to make some flashcards to work on at home.

Missing Some Teeth?

We celebrate the small things in kindergarten! Throughout the year, we will graph how many teeth we have lost during the year. If your child loses a tooth, or has lost one since the first day of school, make sure he or she tells me and we'll put it up on the graph.

Around Longfellow

It was great to see so many of you at Curriculum Night last night!
The first PTO meeting is September 15th. The class with the highest percentage of parents will win extra gym time!
Mrs. Dolezal asked me to remind you of part of the Longfellow dress code. Flip flops are not allowed at school. They are not safe for outside play or the amount we go up and down stairs.
Please remember to print out the Walking Field Trip Permission slip to the left, sign it, and return it to school.

How's Lunch?

I have been in the lunchroom the past two days helping students get acclimated to eating in a busy lunchroom. Kindergarteners eat the first half of the lunch period and then go out to play. If they don't finish eating by the time the table is needed again, they may move to another table so they have plenty of time to eat. You can find the monthly hot lunch menu on the district website under "Food Service."
A couple of things you may want to discuss with your child:
- Should your child get milk? Chocolate, skim, or 1%?
- whether or not your child will like the hot lunch menu offered on a particular day

I won't always be in the lunchroom. In the beginning of the year especially, lunch staff may check a young child's lunch to see how much he or she has eaten. Depending on how much is packed, we'll expect a child to eat all or most of the lunch. It helps if food they like is packed. We want to make sure children don't rush out to play and have eaten enough to have energy for the afternoon.

If you have any questions, or if there is a problem your child isn't comfortable telling me yet, please don't hesitate to email me.

Specials Schedule

P.E. with Ms. Michelle Valentin - Mondays and Thursdays - Please have gym shoes.
Music with Ms. Pam Wiese - Tuesdays and Wednesdays
Art with Ms. Casey Klemp - Wednesdays
Spanish with Ms. Logan Russo - Mondays and Fridays
Library book checkout with Ms. Pearce - Thursdays
With the exception of our library visit, all specials have started this week.

Curriculum Night

Kindergarten Curriculum Night is next Tuesday, August 31 at 6pm. We'll start in the classroom, and then move to the auditorium to join the other kindergarten teachers and families. Teachers talk about the various curricula used in Oak Park, as well as each teacher's personal routines in the classroom. It is preferred that students do not come.

Eat Your Fruits and Veggies!

Snacks are welcome in the classroom, though my rule is it should be a fresh fruit or vegetable. While I understand there are many types of healthy snacks, I find many people have different definitions of healthy, so "fresh" makes it fair and objective for everyone. Students and I talked about this the first day and I told them it should look like it was just picked. I'm so pleased to see so many healthy snacks in the classroom! Most students eat their snack in the morning, but an afternoon snack would be OK, too. Please cut up or peel hard-to-handle food.
Water bottles, preferably with a sports top, are also welcome in the classroom.

Come in and see me!

On Monday, August 23rd, I'm hosting an Open House in our classroom from 3:30-5pm. Students are welcome to come meet me and explore the classroom. There's no problem if a babysitter needs to bring a student or if siblings need to come along. You may enter the building at the main door on Highland. Our classroom is on the first floor next to the mini-gym, facing the playground. Students are also welcome to bring their supplies Monday if they'd like. I hope to see you then; if not, I'll see you at 8am on Tuesday! Our class lines up near the south playground.

Popsicles on the Playground

I'm so sorry I'll miss you next Tuesday for Popsicles on the Playground! I arrived in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, a few days ago. Today I set sail for Alaska with my family. I have two older brothers and seven nieces and nephews, so I think we'll have a lot of fun!

Tax-Free Holiday

The state sales tax (5%) will be waived August 6-15 for school supply items. Shop during that time to save money on back-to-school essentials. The Longfellow school supply list is on the school webpage, or click here http://www.op97.org/longfellow/archives1011/SUPPLY.pdf

Sports! Sports! Sports!

Our class will be reciting poems and singing songs about sports. Our performance will be held in the auditorium on Tuesday, June 1, at 8:30. All are welcome! Students will bring home their poem to practice for fluency and expression. They can choose to either read the poem or memorize it for the performance.

Kindergarten Picnic

Our kindergarten picnic will be Friday, May 28th. All five kindergartens will spend most of the school day across the street at Longfellow Park. Students may wear a bathing suit as there are sprinklers at the park. Outside toys are welcome (balls, wiffle bats, frisbees, jump ropes, etc.) Sunscreen and hats are encouraged as we'll be at the park from about 9 until 1:30. Families are welcome to stop by for all or part of the time.
This is a separate event from the all school picnic on the 25th.

School and District Events

• Olympic Day is this Friday! A fun event every year, students should wear shorts or pants, gym shoes, and sunscreen, if necessary. We'll be outside all afternoon.
• The weather will (hopefully) continue to get nicer. Please remember to bring gym shoes for P.E. on Mondays and Fridays if you wear sandals or Crocs.
  
• Permission for the PBIS pool party on the last day of school is due this Friday. NO LATE slips will be accepted.
• TONIGHT at Beye School, from 6:30-7:30, there will be a forum for parents to express their opinions for the search for a new Oak Park superintendent.
• Next Tuesday, May 25th is the Longfellow School picnic at night. Order forms for food tickets went home last week.
• Monday, May 31st - no school
• Thursday, June 3rd - last day of school; students will be dismissed at 9am.

Longfellow Parent Survey

The Longfellow School Improvement Team (SIT) is gathering information from parents and guardians and their views about the school. Please click on the link to complete the survey.
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MXJWFF5

End of the Year Math Goals

Some of our math goals remain the same as the second trimester, but some goals have increased. I've been assessing students to see who has met the goals already. By the end of the year, your child should be able to:

• count beyond 100
• perform interrupted counting beyond 100
  
• count by 10s beyond 110
  
• have beginning skills in counting by 2s and 5s
  
• count backward from 15
• read and write any number 100 or less
• recognize a penny
• tell time to the hour

If your child can't yet do any of these tasks, please practice every night! Can you believe it? Only 24 school days left! Any questions? Don't hesitate to contact me!

Ethnic Fest

This Saturday, May 1, is Oak Park's Ethnic Fest at Whittier Elementary School (on Augusta, just east of Ridgeland.) Look for the Longfellow float in the morning parade. Student and professional performances go on all day. There are also ethnic food and gift booths. Come celebrate the diversity of Oak Park!

Don't forget the Fiesta!

This Friday at 2:15 is the Kindergarten Spring Arts Fiesta in the auditorium. The children have been practicing and are very excited to perform!

Family Math Night!

It was great to see some of you at the Earth Day Family Reading Night! Next Thursday, May 6, is Family Math Night from 6:30-7:30. There will be lots of games, activities, (and prizes!) in the gym and mini-gym. I hope you make it!

Fun Run!

The District 97 Fun Run will be held on Saturday, May 8, at 8:00 am at Lindberg Park on Marion at LeMoyne Parkway in Oak Park. Check out the Longfellow website for a sign up form. Come on out for a free, fun event!

Field Trip Tomorrow!

Tomorrow we are taking a bus to Dominican University to see the play "Henry and Mudge." (You paid for this trip and signed permission slips way back in December.) We will eat lunch in our classroom upon return, but won't make it back in time for hot lunch. Please pack a bag lunch with a drink.

Happy Earth Week!

We've been talking in school about what it means to reduce, reuse, and recycle. What are some little changes your family can make this year?

• Sponges and towels instead of paper towels
• Reusable water bottles instead of throw-away plastic ones
• Canvas grocery bags instead of the store's plastic bags
• Plastic lunch containers instead of baggies
• Walking or carpooling to school instead of driving

Don't forget Family Reading Night this Thursday from 6:30-7:30! If you'd like to donate gently used books or swap them Thursday night, please bring them to school by Wednesday morning.

2 More Updates!

This Friday morning we are walking to the Oak Park Conservatory with two other kindergarten classes. The conservatory ties in with our Seed to Plant science curriculum. Make sure to wear comfortable shoes! We'll be back in time for lunch.

If you want to order spring pictures, money is due by this coming Monday.

Lots of fundraising around Longfellow!

There is a lot going on this Spring! Please consider giving a little to each of the following, or perhaps pick one your family could give to.

• The CROP Walk: third graders are walking in and raising money for the CROP Walk to end hunger. 25% of the funds stay in Oak Park to help people in our own community. The goal is to collect $2010 at Longfellow. Students can bring in donations now.
• The PTO is sponsoring a candy bar sale. Order by the case to raise money for technology equipment here at Longfellow. A flier went home this past Friday.
• The Feinstein Challenge: this is a food, toiletry, and money drive to benefit the Oak Park and River Forest Food Pantry. Mr. Feinstein is a philanthropist who will match donations at food pantries around the country up to $1,000,000! Last year the OPRF Pantry collected 14,916 food items and $57,367 during the Feinstein Challenge. Donations will be accepted through next Wednesday, the 21st.
  

Nourish to Flourish in April

This month's themes are hand washing, wearing a bike helmet, and hydration. The "H2O Squad" could be around any day with stickers for students with a water bottle! (Earth Day is next week; consider making the permanent change to a reusable water bottle and stop buying bottled water.) Students will also play "Sanitize Me!" tag in P.E. Be sure to wear your helmet when out riding bikes, scooters, skateboards, and roller blades when out in this beautiful weather!

Family Reading Night

Next Thursday, April 22, is Earth Day around the world and Family Reading Night at Longfellow from 6:30-7:30. The theme of the night is Read, Recycle, Recite. Families can rotate between 3 stations: reading together, participating in a used book exchange, and seeing student performances.

**Book Exchange: Students can start bringing in gently used books to our classroom now. I will keep track of the amount. For every book they bring in, they will be allowed to take one book at Family Reading Night. Books should be brought into school by Wednesday, April 21.

Spring Arts Fiesta!

You're invited!
What: A Kindergarten Concert
When: Friday, April 30, at 2:15
Where: Longfellow Auditorium

Odds and Ends

Welcome Back! I hope you had a relaxing break. I heard a lot of good music and ate a lot of great food in Tennessee!

• Ah, the weather! Check out the complete weather forecast. Morning recess can be chilly, so children may need a jacket. Afternoon recess can be hot, so they may prefer layers.
  
• I saw a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables for morning and afternoon snacks the week before break. Keep up the healthy eating!
• This week starts off the CROP Walk collection. Third graders are walking to help end hunger, especially in Oak Park. Any spare change would be appreciated!
• Happy Opening Day! The Cubs and the White Sox start their official season today.
• Next week is TV Tune Out Week! Turn off the TV and do something more physically, mentally, socially, and emotionally stimulating! Oak Park, River Forest, and Forest Park Public Libraries have activities for kids all next week. Check out their blog at http://tvtuneoutweek.wordpress.com/
• The gymnastics equipment is coming to Longfellow! P.E. class will focus on gymnastics on April 12, 16, and 19. Students should wear gym shoes OR no-slip socks. Long hair should be tied back. Shorts or pants should be worn instead of or underneath skirts and dresses.
  

Flower Stem Tubes

The cords on the headphones of our listening center often become a tangled mess. If you buy flowers this spring, please send in those tubes that hold up the stem. (I see them a lot on gerbera daisies.) Hopefully, those will help prevent the tangles. Bonus: you're helping the Earth by reusing!

Last Week Before Spring Break!

• Today was our last day with Ms. Worobey, our social work intern.
• On Friday we have our PBIS Dance in the afternoon. There will be raffle prizes and a DJ to celebrate students' good behavior during the second trimester!
• Next week is Spring Break. Have a safe and relaxing week. Happy Easter! Happy Passover! I'll see you Monday, April 5th.
  

What's New at Longfellow?

The PTO has a new website. Its address is www.longfellow-pto.org. Soon it will also be linked to the Longfellow homepage. Also, instead of sending home Dolezal’s Desktop as a paper newsletter, Mrs. Dolezal has now started a blog. It can be accessed at http://d97dolezalsdesktop.blogspot.com/.

Fantastic Fridays

Student Council has started their annual Fantastic Fridays to celebrate the last weeks of the year. Have fun!
Mismatch Day (March 26)
Wear clashing clothes, like stripes with plaid or polka dots.
Future 3000 Day (April 9)
What will the future bring? Jetpacks and anti-gravity shoes? Show off your imagination and design sense.
Blast From the Past Day (April 16)
Pick your favorite decade, dig out some clothing from that era and celebrate the past!
Weird Hair Day (April 30)
Gravity defying do’s? Pink, green or blue streaks? Give it a try!
PJ Day (May 7)
(Make sure they are appropriate for school.)
Twin Day (May 14)
Did you ever want to be a twin? This is your chance!
Sports Day (May 21)
Now is the time for all that sports paraphernalia!
Tie-Dye Day ( May 28)
Show your brightest colors!
Flip-Flop Thursday ( June 3)
Celebrate the last day of the school year and the start of summer vacation - YAHOO!!

You Are What You Eat!

This month's Nourish to Flourish theme is nutrition and portion size. Next week we will tally all the fresh fruits and vegetables we eat at school (both snack and lunch.) In addition, students are encouraged to wear certain colors each day and eat a fruit or vegetable of that color.

• Monday: blue/purple - eat grapes, for example, and wear blue or purple
• Tuesday: white - eat a banana, for example, and wear white
• Wednesday: red - eat a red apple, for example, and wear red
• Thursday: yellow/orange - eat carrots, for example, and wear orange or yellow
• Friday: green - eat celery, for example, and wear green
  

Health

Ms. Worobey, our social work intern, has been teaching our class the health curriculum. Students have talked about facial expressions for different feelings and calming down when angry or upset. Next week is her last week with us and the topic is The Truth About Touching. This is a safety-centered lesson and very age appropriate. Students learn to differentiate between safe touches and unsafe touches. They learn ways to say no and get away, as well as the importance of telling an adult if they should find themselves in a dangerous situation. If you have any questions or would like to see the lesson before next Monday, please let me know.

Play some games!

We have been working some games into our "repertoire" during workshop time. Some of these you can do at home. Students have gotten pretty good at Uno and a geometry game we play with pattern blocks. Sorry is a little tougher, so I play it with them. These, and other strategy games, are all great for building critical thinking skills and number sense, which are important for first grade and beyond. Counting out the spaces along a game board is just like using a numberline, an essential tool in first grade that can be difficult for some children to master. Have some fun family time and your kids won't even know they're doing math!

Report Cards

Report cards went home today for the end of the 2nd trimester. The report card itself is yours to keep. Please sign the envelope and return it to school. If you have any questions about it or your child's progress, please don't hesitate to ask.

Book It!

Pizza Hut sponsors the Book It! reading program here at Longfellow. Students who participated and turned in their calendar all five months (Oct-Feb) will be invited to a school pizza lunch. I found my own March calendar so you have a chance to earn one more coupon for a free personal pizza. You should read 25 minutes a night for at least 20 nights in March to earn the coupon. This calendar does not count toward the school pizza lunch.

Garbage needed!

• If you have any old kids' magazines, I would love them for the classroom.
• Mrs. Ambrosino, our reading buddies' teacher, is looking for 2 liter bottles.

One person's trash is another person's treasure! Thank you!

Wow!

Congratulations to all those who participated in the Mathathon! Longfellow raised $5,157.64 to help the children of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital! That brings our four year total to $23, 209.00. Longfellow is doing wonderful things! Thanks to Ms. Smith for organizing.

Help for Haiti

You can still help! This is an Oak Leaves article about a student at Longfellow who organized a fundraiser to benefit the earthquake victims in Haiti, which included members of her own family - http://blogs.pioneerlocal.com/oakpark365/2010/02/feb_5_2010_-_marlene_durand.html

So Much to Talk About!

February is full of special days and celebrations! We've been reading a lot of fiction and nonfiction about all the month's events.

• Ground Hog Day
  
• 2/4 - 100th Day - Don't forget to make a comment on our Voice Thread. So far we have 47 comments from all over the world!
  
• Black History Month - Come to Longfellow's Night at the Museum at 6:30 on 2/26.
  
• Valentine's Day
• 2/14 - Chinese New Year
• Dental Health Month
• Lincoln's birthday, Washington's birthday, and President's Day - No school on Monday, 2/15
• Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, 2/12-28
  

Other February events:

• Coffee with the Principal, Friday, 2/19, at 8:30 at the East Gate Cafe
• PTO Fun Fair, Saturday, 2/20, from 12-4 at Longfellow
  

Valentine's Day

Our class will celebrate Valentine's Day this Friday afternoon. Our celebration is low-key. We will decorate bags, have a snack, and I have some Valentine's Day activities related to our curriculum. Students are welcome to bring valentines and/ or treats to hand out in class, but they do not have to. However, if you choose to pass out valentines, please bring one for everyone. There are 15 students. I recommend only filling out the "from" line with your child's name. If you think your child is confident and capable enough to read others' names independently, you could fill in the "to" line as well. Remember that the first letter is not the best clue as many names begin with the same letter.

2 more things!

• We have a third grade student at Longfellow whose family is Haitian. She and her friends are collecting money to donate to the Red Cross. Cash or checks made out to the American Red Cross are greatly appreciated.
• There is an error on the Pizza Hut Book It calendar, which says conferences and half days are next week. As I think you all know, they are THIS week. Children will be dismissed at 11am this Thursday, 2/4, and Friday, 2/5. Next Thursday, 2/11, and Friday, 2/12, are full days of school.
  

Thursday is the 100th Day of School!

Click on the star at the left to see and hear the Voice Thread of our 100 Day project. We are trying to collect 100 comments from friends and family. Send the link on and encourage grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles and neighbors to respond to our writing. They can record their own voices through the phone or computer microphone, or write a response. It's fairly easy to do! Please remember not to use real names when commenting. Students are excited about their pen names and are learning to stay safe on the internet! (Pen names can be seen by hovering over the photo to the left of each writing piece.)

A few students haven't quite finished their work yet, so if you don't see it, we'll hopefully have it up tomorrow.

We've also talked about bringing in a collection of 100 of something, so I hope you can participate. Please make sure the collection fits in your child's backpack.

Don't forget!

Mathathon forms and money are due by Friday! Blankets won't be picked up from school until Friday, 2/5, so if you forgot to send some in, you still have a few days.

Nourish and Flourish!

The Longfellow Wellness Committee is promoting good sleep and a healthy breakfast this January. Kindergarteners need 10-12 hours of sleep every night. This helps with both positive behavior and learning the following day. While tired adults feel slow and sluggish, tired children often appear hyperactive and have trouble focusing.
Longfellow is having a poster contest with prizes for all participants. Posters should promote the benefits of sleep and/or a healthy breakfast. More details are on the bulletin board outside the Media Center.
Friday, January 29th is Pajama Day at school. Students are welcome to wear pajamas. They should be appropriate for school. (Please remember we have P.E. in the afternoon.) That same day, students are also welcome to bring a healthy breakfast to eat at school! Some healthy breakfast suggestions:

• fruit salad
• yogurt
• granola
• whole wheat toast
• oatmeal (I'll bring an electric kettle for hot water)
• fruit smoothies
• low-fat cottage cheese
• low-sugar cereal
  

Don't forget milk, a spoon, or a bowl if you need it!

Assessing

I've been assessing students in their language arts and math progress. 2nd trimester report cards don't go home until March 12th, but our second parent-teacher conference is coming up the week of February 1st (sign up sheets to go home this week!) I'll let you know how your child is doing and if he or she is on track for making 2nd trimester benchmarks.
A few things I'm checking:

• counting syllables
• identifying beginning and ending sounds
• blending and segmenting words
• letter-sound correspondence
• sight words
• invented spelling and a story sentence
  
• concepts of print and pointing while reading
• counting to 70 by 1s and to 100 by 10s
  
• counting back from 12
• identifying and writing numbers to 20
• 1:1 correspondence to 21 (accurately counting objects)
  

100th Day of School

Our 100th day of kindergarten is fast approaching! We will celebrate on Thursday, February 4th. We've been keeping track of our days of school everyday during our calendar time. We use straws to practice counting by 10s and 1s and to learn about place value. We've also kept track with dimes and pennies to practice counting money. Everyday we count a little bit higher by ones.
Do you have a collection of 100 of something? Bring it into school! Stickers, buttons, popsicle sticks? Bring in 100 of something on 2/4/10. Your collection should be able to fit in your backpack.
I am preparing a Voice Thread to publish our work. I'll let you know when the link at the left is ready so we can begin collecting 100 comments from neighbors, friends, and family! Students have had fun making up pen names for internet safety.

Blanket Drive

Longfellow's 4th grade is sponsoring a blanket drive for those who sleep outside in this cold winter. If you have any new or gently used blankets, they would be greatly appreciated. Please bring them in by the 29th.

Welcome back!

Happy 2010!
We are getting back into our routines at school. Please welcome Ajamu, our new student who just moved to Oak Park from Idaho! We are happy to have a new friend in class.
A few reminders:

• If you signed up for the Math-a-thon, you are welcome to send in forms and money raised, though it is not due until the end of the month. The workbook does not need to be returned.
• December Book It! calendars can now be turned in for a personal pizza coupon. January calendars will go home tomorrow.
  
• Don't forget to have gym shoes on Mondays and Fridays for P.E. and library books on Mondays for book check-out.
• Please dress appropriately for the weather: coats, hats, gloves, boots. Snow pants are even better! Keep practicing tying (and untying) shoes as they go on and off more frequently now that boots are involved.
  
• The cold season is upon us! We try to keep our hands washed, but also remember fresh fruits and vegetables are welcome as a snack to help boost the immune system. Water bottles are also welcome. Water only, please.