J.L. Long Parent Smore

To wrap up Hispanic Heritage month, meteorologist Ms. Angel de Rio from Univision came to speak with students during all three lunches on Thursday, October 15th! We are so grateful that she came to give her time to explain how she uses Spanish daily and opportunities that it has created within her profession!

A huge round of applause to our LOTE and Fine Arts departments for putting together a spectacular Hispanic Heritage Month assembly! From vibrant musical and dance performances to creative artistic displays, our students and staff were treated to an inspiring celebration of Hispanic culture and traditions. We deeply appreciate the hard work, creativity, and enthusiasm of everyone involved in making this event an unforgettable experience for our school community!

Thank you so much to Coach Osorio and Ms. Bricker for organizing our bowling field trip this week. Our students enjoyed themselves, and even proved to bowl better than the adults!

The PSAT 8/9 is a preliminary SAT test for eighth and ninth graders that measures reading, writing, and math skills crucial for college and career readiness, serving as an early benchmark for academic progress.

Join us in celebrating J.L. Long teachers whose students showed strong performance and growth on Student Mastery Checks! In Science, Araja led with a Domain 1 raw score of 77, while Morrissey led 8th grade U.S. History with a score of 61. For both teachers, 55% of students met or exceeded their growth goals.

In Reading, 41% of Ms. Mendias’s students reached their growth goals—the highest share in the subject and Ms. Kather recorded the highest growth at 43%. Ms. Davis and Ms. Owusu-Duku also earned top performances, each with more than 30% of students reaching their growth goals.

Ms. Malana beat district expectations with 58% Masters, 78% Meets, and 91% Approaches. We also celebrate Ms. Struthers, whose students reached their half-step goals at 54%, and Ms. Vu, whose students reached theirs at 48%. Congratulations to these teachers and their students!

We want to take a moment to recognize students for not just doing well on their Standards Mastery Checks, but scoring a 100% on their assessment. Our students are what make our campus great and we are so proud of them and their achievement.

During advisory, Long celebrated the following students for growing 30 or more points from their target goal. Each student has a target growth goal based on the previous year's STAAR test. These students not only showed growth, but CRUSHED IT! Thank you for putting in all of the hard work it takes to learn new concepts, and implement your learning!

Families will follow their student’s bell schedule and visit each classroom throughout the evening. Teachers will deliver timed presentations—similar to the regular student bell schedule—so families can hear from all of their student’s teachers.

During each classroom presentation, families will receive information about:

• Course curriculum and expectations

• Student performance data

• Important campus updates and resources

Special education inclusion teachers will be available in their assigned classrooms to answer questions, provide support, and connect with families face-to-face.

Please bring or have access to your student’s bell schedule. If you have individual questions that cannot be addressed during the scheduled presentations, we encourage you to contact the appropriate teacher to arrange a separate meeting.

We look forward to welcoming our Buccaneer families!

Support the J.L. Long Cheerleaders by participating in their annual Boo Treats Fundraiser, as seen in the Screenshot 2026-10-13 101024.jpg flyer!

• Cost: $2 each

• Sale Dates: October 21–28

• Times: 7:30 AM – 8:30 AM and 3:30 PM – 4:15 PM

• Location: By the front doors and gym doors

• Payment: Cash, Venmo, or Apple Pay (online payments accepted via QR code)

• Delivery: Treats will be delivered on October 30 during the last period

J.L. Long Middle School is celebrating AVID Week with five days of campus-wide activities focused on Writing, Inquiry, Collaboration, Organization, and Reading. Students, teachers, and parents can look forward to a full schedule of WICOR-themed events designed to build essential academic and life skills

Mark your calendars for an evening of fun, learning, and community! J. L. Long Middle School invites all Buc families to our Family Fall Fest: Discover IB on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, at 5:30 PM.

Come experience what makes our school community special as we explore how the IB framework helps our students grow into global citizens. Take part in a self-paced scavenger hunt where you’ll visit interactive stations, collect stamps and clues, and learn about the 10 IB Learner Profile traits. Enjoy engaging challenges and real-world connections designed for the whole family. Redeem your completed scavenger hunt card for a prize or a raffle entry! Prizes include Free Homework Passes, Free Dress Days, and raffles for Starbucks and Cane's gift cards.

As high school magnet application season approaches, we are excited to host our first Family Application Night, where we support parents as they navigate the high school application process.

This is a great opportunity to connect with J.L. Long campus counselors and staff to identify future options for your future high school student and identify the documents needed to apply! Please email 8th grade counselor Ms. Perdetra Cunningham for more information (pcunningham@dallasisd.org).

What do you need to do before you go? Please see attached family night checklist!

Join us in the J.L. Long Library on Wednesday, October 21, at 5:30 PM for our upcoming PTA & SBDM meeting. Your participation directly supports important decisions regarding Title I funding, our 2026–2027 academic goals, and the SMC data used to track student progress.