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!