Long Lake Newsletter

Dear Long Lake Families,

Parent Teacher Conferences are sneaking up on us! They are scheduled for November 4th, 10th and 12th. Please use SignUpGenius to schedule a time to meet with your child's teacher. You can sign up for conference times here. Parents can request any format (virtual or in person) on any of the evenings. Virtual links can be found here. We ask that dual households schedule one conference for their child. This helps everyone to be on the same page to support the student’s learning, it also allows the teacher to have enough time slots for all of the students in their class. Resource Room and Intervention Teachers will join student's homeroom teacher times. If you experience problems signing up, feel free to contact our office at 231-933-7800 or your child's teacher. We look forward to connecting to share all of the progress your child has made this year!

Conference Meals: Our amazing PTO organizes meals for our teachers during Conference Nights Conferences are long days for our amazing LL staff. Please consider helping fuel them through conference nights! Conference Meal Donations Thank you for your consideration!

October has been a busy month and we're only halfway through! This week kicks off our PTO Panther Pumpkin project where any students can bring in a decorated pumpkin (not carved) related to the theme of Farming. On Thursday, students will vote for their favorite and student winners will receive a gift certificate to Horizon Books.

Friday includes many exciting activities! It's our House Assembly and Olympic Closing Ceremony at 9:20 a.m. Families are welcome to attend! PTO is also hosting the Monster Mash Dance from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Admission is free but donations are encouraged to cover the cost of the DJ. We are still in need of volunteers and snack donations. You can sign up to help out below under PTO Updates.

We hope you're able to join us for one of these exciting events!

Warm regards,

Kate Burwinkel
Long Lake Elementary Principal

Life Touch will be on campus on Wednesday, November 4, 2026 for picture retakes. Students who were absent on picture day and students who need retakes will have their pictures taken. If your child needs retakes, please return their original pictures to school before November 4. If you would like to order pictures, there are two ways to order. Orders can be placed online at mylifetouch.com using ID number EVTGZZQJW. Picture envelopes are available in the office if you would prefer to pay with cash or check. Orders after picture day must be placed online at mylifetouch.com.

Yearbooks: Yearbooks can also be ordered if you have not already done so. Yearbook orders are placed online at ybpay.lifetouch.com. The Long Lake yearbook ID code is 15170527.

We would love to see you and your kids at Crystal Mountain! Students must be 7 years or older by January 1. Membership includes 1 lesson/week, skiing all evening Thursdays, and for an additional fee on Sundays. Discounted Thursday night passes for adults too! Click here for more information!

We will be continuing the Long Lake tradition with our Halloween Parade scheduled for October 30th at 9:20 a.m. More information can be found on our Halloween Parade Flyer

Veterans Assembly November 10th: We invite all Veterans and Active Duty Military to join us for our annual Veterans Assembly (in honor of Veterans Day) on November 10th @ 9:30 AM. Know a Veteran who would be interested in joining us for this honorary celebration? Please invite anyone who may be interested!

Photos of Family: As we prepare for our Veterans Celebration on November 10th, we would love to continue to honor the veterans and active service members who are connected to our school community. Please email a photo of the family member who has served or is currently serving to burwinkeka@tcaps.net if you haven't shared in past years. Their photo will be added to our Veterans Assembly slideshow!

House Assembly: Families are invited to join our House Assembly on Friday October 23rd at 9:20 a.m. We will share in community and build house spirit!

PTO House Shirts and Spirit Store: Our amazing PTO organized a Spirit Shirt Store and it's up and running! You can order Long Lake gear by clicking this link: LL Spirit Store. If your child is a new student to Long Lake Elementary this year, they will automatically receive a free house shirt c/o PTO! Families who need a bigger shirt size can order that through the LL Spirit Store. If you have an old shirt that no longer fits, please consider donating it to the office for others to borrow. Shirt pinting will take about 2 weeks after the store closes. Once Jen Tees have all orders finished, PTO will send them home with your student. This process has taken longer than we had hoped. Thank you for your patience!

To Family and friends close and far away we would like to say thank you so much!! We have exceeded our fundraising goal for this year- together! We are looking forward to our final celebration on Friday, October 23rd along with the whole school assembly. We will have a fun minute-to-win-it friendly game for the houses to compete in. We will also have coffee provided for family and friends who attend.

We’d love for you to join us in creating a pumpkin for our Panther Pumpkin Project! It runs from October 19th thru October 22nd. Students can decorate (not carve) a pumpkin based upon the chosen theme of "Farming" for this year. Then bring the pumpkin to school to be judged by all the other students. There will be 1st, 2nd and 3rd place prizes from Horizon Books.

Save the date for our annual Monster Mash dance on Friday, October 23rd. Dig out your favorite Halloween costume and join us for a family friendly Monster Mash dance party! This event is free but we take donations to cover the cost of the DJ and decorations. This event is for current Long Lake students and their families only. Students must be accompanied by an adult. Pizza provided by Long Lake Grocery will be available for purchase for $2 a slice. We are looking for volunteers to make this event a success. You can volunteer by signing up here: Monster Mash Volunteer Sign Up. We also ask families to donate snacks for the event here: Monster Mash Snack Donation Sign Up

Our PTO provides popcorn to students as an extra treat once a month! However, we need volunteers to make this possible. Bring your friends and meet some new people for a fun night out for the kids. You don't need to have previous experience to help out! Volunteer positions for this include a pro-popper (someone that knows how to use the popcorn machine) and additional volunteers to help bag the popcorn. Please consider volunteering: Popcorn Popper Sign Up Link

Happy Feet is back this fall on Tuesdays and Thursdays! This is a fun extra that is made possible by our parents! Happy Feet allows students to run/walk on the track during lunch recess to earn foot tokens. Our students absolutely LOVE this opportunity and we’re excited to get it back up and running this fall! Happy Feet will run on Tuesdays and Thursdays from September 22nd through October 29th! Find out more about the Happy Feet Program and consider signing up to punch running cards at the track. Please sign up using the Volunteer Sign Up Link This is a fun extra that is made possible by YOU! Thanks for considering!

Looking for a way to help out your child’s classroom? Click on the link below to find your Teachers name at the bottom of the spreadsheet and take a look at the items needed for their classroom. Make sure to mark off if you are able to purchase any items. Thank you! Teacher Wishlist Link

Join us at Thirlby Field on Friday, Oct 23 as the Trojans and Titans come together to honor Veterans, active-duty military, and first responders! Gates open at 5:30 PM, with ceremonies starting at 6:35 PM and kickoff at 7:10 PM.

Tickets are $7 in advance on GoFan.co or $7–8 at the Thirteenth Street gate. Admission is FREE for all Veterans, active military, and first responders. Be sure to pick up commemorative apparel at either high school from Oct 12–23 (red for Trojans and blue for Titans) with all proceeds benefiting Reining Liberty Ranch.

Skip the lines and get full event details at www.tcaps.net/tcpatriotgame!

College Coaches & Advisers (MCAN & AdviseMI): Help high school students navigate applications and financial aid starting Dec. 1. Earn a $20,000 living allowance plus benefits. Bachelor's degree required; paid training provided!

EcoSchool Site Coordinator (SEEDS): Lead outdoor activities, academic support, and summer camp at Traverse City Heights Elementary ($21.36/hr). Requires 1+ year of youth experience.

Check their websites to apply today!

Join us for TCAPS Board Community Connections, an informal space for families and community members to discuss district-wide updates and TCAPS policy. This month’s meeting will be on October 22, 2026 at West Middle School from 5:00-6:00 p.m. Trustee Ballenger is scheduled to attend. Note: For specific building-level or student concerns, please contact your school principal first for the most direct assistance.

October 23rd: House Assembly 9:20 a.m. All Families are welcome to join!

October 23rd: PTO Sponsored Monster Mash Dance 6:30-8:30 p.m.

October 30th: Halloween Parade @ 9:20 a.m.

November 2nd: No School for Students Regional Staff Development Day

November 4th: Picture Retake Day

November 4th: Parent Teacher Conferences

November 4th-6th: Vision and Hearing Rescreening

November 10th: Veterans Assembly @ 9:30 a.m.

November 10th: Parent Teacher Conferences

November 12th: Parent Teacher Conferences

November 14th: PTO Sponsored Craft Fair 9:00-3:00

November 19th: Mobile Health Unit Visit to Long Lake

November 19th:PTO Meeting 6:30 p.m. in the library or you can join virtually @ https://meet.google.com/rqp-hqre-sds

November 24th: Early Release Day for Students

November 25th-27th Thanksgiving Break

TCAPS 2026-2027 Academic Calendar
TCAPS 2026-2027 Building Hours

Long Lake Website: https://www.tcaps.net/o/lles

Long Lake Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/LongLakeElementarySchoolTCAPS

PTO Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Long-Lake-Elementary-PTO-305155839569856/