Hello Longfellow Lion Families,

I want to take this time to Thank You for sharing your Lion cubs with all of us. They are a fun, energetic, and motivated bunch. They have a goal to raise $12,000 so they can “Hotdog the Principal!” They are so excited to jump at this opportunity! Each class that brings in over $800 is also allowed to “Hotdog a Teacher!” Several teachers have volunteered to sign up for this fun event.

Students have until October 11th to sell as all tickets and money raised needs to be turned in by October 11th. Longfellow’s PTO strives to make this the one major fundraiser for the year, so we truly appreciate your efforts in helping your children to be a part of the team to reach the $12,00 goal. The last time we did a raffle (in 2019) we raised over $14,000. We may be small, but we are mighty!!! We can’t have these successful fundraising events without the support of our Longfellow families and the entire Mitchell community.

The students are also ‘jazzed up’ for our Decade Disco on Friday evening. Please bring your family out for this PTO sponsored event. Let’s boogie on down to some great music, enjoy the photo booth, face painting, pizza, and pop. A glow necklace will be handed out to each child that attends. It’s sure to be a colorful and fun family event! All children must be accompanied by a parent. This event runs from 5:30-7:00 pm.

The month of October is beaming with activities – “Breakfast While You Browse” at the annual Longfellow Book Fair and our fall conference night. A parent or grandparent must accompany children at this event. Please see the details of this event in this edition of the October newsletter. We look forward to seeing you all at conferences on Thursday, October 6, from 3:30 – 8:45 pm and visiting with you at the many school and PTO sponsored activities throughout the school year.

As always, please contact the school with any questions or concerns. You can reach us at 605-995-3092.

Yours in Education,
Mrs. Heckenlaible
Longfellow Elementary Principal

Sept 28-Oct 11 - Raffle Ticket Sales

See the BOOK DEN section for Book Fair dates and info!

Oct 4 - PTO Mtg

Oct 6 - Parent/Teacher Conferences

Oct 7 - Student Council Store OPEN

Oct 7 - 5th Grade Marching Band Preview (see insert in this newsletter)

Oct 9-14 - Fire Prevention Week

Oct 10 - NO SCHOOL

Oct 10 - Board Mtg

Oct 13-17 - Papa Murphy's Fundraiser (see insert in this newsletter)

Oct 14 – End of First Quarter

Oct 14 - Raffle Ticket Drawing
Oct 18 - Free Flu Shot Clinic at Corn Palace (see insert in this newsletter)

Oct 19 – Picture Retake Day
Oct 21 – Report cards go home with learners

Oct 21 - Student Council Store OPEN
Oct 29 – Trunk or Treat for students 2nd grade and younger (see insert in this newsletter)

Who Rocked the Test Scores? Woot-Woot = Longfellow Elementary learners did!

Our Longfellow Lions and staff did a phenomenal job with the SD SBA (South Dakota Smarter Balance Assessment) during the spring of 2022. We outscored the state average by in ELA by 12.3% and 18.3% in math. Our Lions persisted and continued to strive for accuracy and their scores definitely show it. We are so proud of our school!!!

You are encouraged to fill out a free and reduced meal application at any time throughout the school year. When in doubt, fill it out. If you have not completed a new application for this school year, please do so by October 1, 2022. If you completed the 2022-2023 application already this year, then you should have already been notified of your status. You can create an online account to monitor your child/ren’s meal account, balances, and add money to their account. Visit the district the school website and click on https://www.mymealtime.com/

We are very proud of our attendance rates at Longfellow Elementary as we had a 95% attendance rate for the 2021-2022 school year!!! We have been over 97% , prior to COVID and we want to make it a goal to get back there. We want to thank our parents for continuing to bring their child/ren to school each day and on time. Attendance is extremely important to the success of each child’s education.

Thank you for making attendance and education a priority in your child’s life!!!

Mitchell’s Fire Marshall Shannon Sandoval will be assisting us with our fire drill and visiting our Lions. Please remember when you turn your clocks back for Daylight Savings Time, November 6, to change your batteries in all your smoke detectors and review the escape routes with your children.

Cooler weather is fast approaching. Please make sure your children are dressed appropriately. We go outside unless it is raining or the wind chill drops below zero. All students are expected to go outside during recess. We do NOT have a supply of extra clothing/coats/shoes/boots for students to borrow. If you need help with supplying those items, contact The Caring Closet.

Oct 10 - Native American Day - NO SCHOOL

Enjoy these favorite book picks by some of our awesome staff here at Longfellow!

Please remember to go to the corner and cross the street with the crossing guards. Please do NOT encourage your child to cross in the middle of the street. We want to keep our students safe and set a good example.

International Dot Day, a global celebration of creativity, courage and collaboration, began when teacher Terry Shay introduced his classroom to Peter H. Reynolds’ book The Dot on September 15, 2009.

The Dot is the story of a caring teacher who dares a doubting student to trust in her own abilities by being brave enough to “make her mark”. What begins with a small dot on a piece of paper becomes a breakthrough in confidence and courage, igniting a journey of self-discovery and sharing, which has gone on to inspire countless children and adults around the globe.

Each year on International Dot Day the inspiration continues. What started as a story in the pages of a book is transforming teaching and learning around the world as people of all ages re-discover the power and potential of creativity in all they do.

A parent teacher organization (PTO) gives parents and teachers the opportunity to work together to supplement and enrich the educational experience. And with today's tight budgets, a strong, well-functioning PTO can be a teacher's most important ally when it comes to achieving curricular and fundraising goals. There are always fun activities and events going on such as our current raffle ticket event, Decade Disco, and food nights at Culvers, Papa Murphy's, etc. Please consider joining our PTO!