March 23-27

SPRING BREAK!
Buccaneers, I hope that you truly enjoy this break from your normal routine this week. Take time to truly enjoy your families and be together. Once we return, STAAR season is in full force! The district will remain closed March 16-20th. I am sharing this Smore with you all early, not to think about JL Long, but to feel prepared when students return.
Caught Being Kind Week
Final Saturday School
Backpack Clean Out - Parents Please Help!
Dear J.L. Long Families,
As we head into Spring Break, we want to wish everyone a restful and rejuvenating week off! To ensure we hit the ground running when we return, we are asking for your help with a "Backpack Reset."
To keep our morning arrival safe, efficient, and stress-free for all Buccaneers, we encourage students to use this break to clear out any unnecessary items from their bags.
Why "Lighten the Load"?
Our morning security checks are vital for campus safety. Recently, an influx of non-essential items has caused significant delays during entry. When backpacks are crowded with extra items, it takes longer for staff to complete checks, which can lead to bottlenecks at the entrance.
To ensure every student makes it to class on time, please help your child stick to the essentials:
The Essentials: Pencils, pens, and required notebooks/folders.
Leave at Home: Excessive makeup kits, large collections of sensory items, stuffed animals, toys, and bulky sets of personal art supplies.
Arrival efficiency is the key to avoiding earning a tardy.
Please keep these daily milestones in mind:
8:10 AM: Doors open for students.
8:30 AM – 8:35 AM: Hallway passing period.
8:35 AM: Class begins. Students arriving with only their necessary educational tools move through the line much faster, ensuring they are in their seats and ready to learn by 8:35 AM.
Thank you for your continued support in keeping J.L. Long Middle School a safe and focused environment for our students.
JL Long Parking Updates
While we recognize that parking is limited in our school community, our campus commitment is to ensuring the campus is safe and efficient. These parking flyers will kindly be placed on all cars who are utilizing our visitors parking spaces in the front of JL Long. We want to ensure that parents, district visitors, and all other guests have access to these limited parking spaces in the front. Admittedly, we do have parking issues with people parking in our bus lane during dismissal and Woodrow students utilizing our front parking spaces due to limited Woodrow campus options. Woodrow and Long are partnering together to ensure that kind reminders are provided for the remainder of the 25-26 school year. Thank you to the SBDM safety team and PTA or providing JL Long leadership with action steps toward creating clear parking signage.
Parent Advocacy Flowchart
The LONG Run Thursday April 9th
- Educational and arts enrichment (school musical, college fair)
- Campus remodeling and improvement
- Student well-being and safety (walkie talkies, nurse clinic)
- Student life and events (grade level dances, Buc Camp, 8th grade graduation
- Peace Pantry
- Teacher wish list items and school supplies
- And so much more!!
SIGN UP TO RUN HERE: https://runsignup.com/Race/TX/Dallas/AnnualLongRun5K
Spring Dance Show
Our Dance Spring Show is Thursday, March 26th at 6PM. Tickets to the show are here for $5 using RevTrak. We hope to see you all there. Our students and Ms. AH are working hard to create a memorable showcase!
https://dallasisd.revtrak.net/ms/middle-schools-h-o/jl-long-ms/jl-long-dance-spring-show/
8th Grade Prom
Attention 8th grade parents and teachers! Make sure to mark your calendar and cancel your plans. PTA and our JL Long 8th Grade Committee have worked tirelessly to create a FREE event for 8th grade students to enjoy. 8th grade prom will be held on Friday April 10th from 6 PM-8 PM. No outside guests or JL Long underclassman are included in this invite. We hope to make this a night that our students won't forget!