Welcome Back!

Longfellow Teachers and Staff

On Monday, August 23rd, our staff will return to school. Throughout the week, there will be training in health and safety guidelines, professional development, and time to set up classrooms. (As you might remember, we had to pack and move 12 classrooms, so teachers have a lot more to unpack and set up than in previous years.

Daily Schedule

Longfellow school hours:

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday-7:40-2:10

• Students will be welcomed into the building beginning at 7:30 and instruction will begin at 7:40.

• Students can enter the building through the Front Door, Playground Door, or the Parking Lot Door.

• Students are considered tardy if they arrive after 7:40 and must enter through the Front Door.

Wednesdays

Beginning on September 1st, all students will be dismissed each Wednesday at 1:10.

Daily Symptom Screening

We will continue with the daily symptom screening reminders for all students and families and the monitoring of symptoms at school.The district requires that students are screened by families before coming to school each day.

New Student Registration

If you and your children are new to Longfellow, welcome to Portland and Longfellow Elementary School. We are glad you are here! Most registration paperwork can be found and submitted online on the PPS website. There are some forms and documents that need to be verified in person. We will contact new registrants to coordinate a plan for providing this documentation. Please contact Melissa Riley at rileym@portlandschools.org with any registration questions for new students.

Kindergarten Placement

Kindergarten placement letters will be sent out on Monday, August 16th. These letters contain a welcome to Longfellow letter and a welcome letter from your child’s teacher.

District Communication

Please remember to carefully read the communications that are sent home from the district. All of these are posted on our district website. Oftentimes, parents are seeking information that has been previously provided by the district. All district notifications and information regarding COVID-19 are posted here: Fall '21 Reopening Plans

Staffing Updates

Below are some staffing changes for 2021-22:

• Ms. Cestaro is our new Math Coach. She is replacing Ms. Corrado who retired.

• Mr. Cuddy is our new music teacher. He is replacing Ms. Terison who returned to her district strings position.

• Ms. Nour joined Longfellow in March as our dedicated building substitute. She will continue in this position this year.

• Ms. Herrle is our new Social Worker. She is replacing Ms. Haas (Retired) and Ms. Roak (Maternity Leave). Ms. Roak will return as our Social Worker for the 2022-2023 school year.

Classroom Materials to Bring (or Not Bring)

We are asking that all students arrive with limited school materials each day:

• Backpack

• Water Bottle

• Snack

Please do not worry if you are unable to provide any of these items. We will provide them for students who need them.

*We ask that families not send in any extra school materials this year. The PTO has provided each teacher with a stipend to help support the purchase of classroom supplies. Through this support, all children will have access to all of the materials that they need for school. Thank you for not doing this! :-)

The PTO would gladly accept donations in lieu of your yearly trip to Staples!

Outdoor Classroom Spaces

Longfellow will have limited access to outdoor learning spaces due to the building construction. We will work to create some outdoor learning spaces for teachers to utilize with students throughout the week.

Our priorities for reconnecting with students will be multifaceted as we strive to ensure safety, emotional support, and academic learning. We will be spending time teaching students about the importance of new procedures including mask wearing, physical distancing, handwashing and safe movement through spaces.

Please have your child practice and become comfortable wearing a mask, keeping their hands away from their face, practicing distancing themselves around others, and thoroughly washing their hands.

When’s the first day of school?

August 31st, 2021 for Grades 1-5

September 2nd for Kindergarten

2021-2022 PPS Calendar

What can I do to help ensure the health and safety of my child?

• Families are expected to check their child(ren) every morning for symptoms of COVID -19 or other illnesses. Keep your child home if your child is sick. Call the school nurse if you are unsure if your student should come to school.

• Children must wear a face covering on the school bus and while at school.

• Be available to pick your child up if your child becomes sick during the school day.

• If it will be difficult for you to pick up your child during the school day, have an “emergency plan” ready for another family member, friend or neighbor to pick up your child from school. Please contact Longfellow to update your child’s profile with this contact information.

• Take time to review these simple recommended safety measures and the emergency plan with your student.

What happens if a student gets sick during the school day with COVID like symptoms?

• Students experiencing symptoms will be guided to a dedicated isolation area.

• Emergency contacts will be notified and a family member or other emergency contact will be expected to pick up their student as soon as possible.

• Students will not be allowed to return to school until they have been cleared by a physician.

Will parents, families and volunteers be allowed in the buildings?

• The district will resume allowing parents, visitors, and volunteers into schools. Any visitors will be required to follow our health and safety protocols in place at that time, including wearing a mask even if the person has been vaccinated.

• Large parent or community events will be limited or held outdoors.

Will health screenings be required?

• We will continue with the daily symptom screening reminders for all students and families and monitoring of symptoms at school.

• All students and staff must wash hands or use sanitizing gel upon entering the school, before and after eating, before and after donning or removing a face mask, after using the restroom, before and after the use of playground equipment, and upon entering and exiting a school bus.

• Families and staff are also asked to do a health assessment each morning before coming to school or getting on the bus. If your child is sick, please keep your child home.

Will transportation look different this year?

Whenever possible, we are asking children to walk, bike or scooter to school so we can limit the number of cars arriving and leaving each day.

Bus Transportation

• Face Masks: All students and staff will be required to wear a face covering while on the bus. Cloth face coverings will be provided to students if they are needed. Bus drivers and attendants will also wear cloth face coverings or face shields.

• Bus drivers will perform wipe downs of all frequently touched surfaces following every school delivery.

• Bus Routes: Student bus route, stop and time information will be communicated digitally at least one week in advance of school reopening.

How will arrival/departure look this year?

We have very limited parking this year due to construction. The parking lot is for staff only. Families who must drive can park on the streets around the school. There will be marked areas in front of the school which will be for bus/ van drop off and pick up only!

Parents should not drive their cars into the parking lot to drop off or pick up students. Please use the surrounding streets for parking.

Student Drop-Off

• Drop-Off procedures will be the same as last year. We will open up the majority of perimeter doors each morning and students will enter the building when they arrive. Students can enter the Front Door, Playground Door, or the Parking Lot Door each morning.

• Kindergarten students-The first day of school for kindergarten students is September 2nd. Teachers will meet students on the playground for the 9/2 and 9/3 to say goodbye to parents and to transition students into the building after the majority of students (Grades 1-5) have already entered.

• We are encouraging families to have only one adult accompany their children to school each day. First day family pictures should be taken at home prior to arriving rather than at school.

Student Pick-Up/ Dismissal

• Student dismissal procedures will be the same as last year with a few changes.

K will dismiss to the playground side of the building.

Grade 1 will dismiss through the front doors.

Grade 2 will dismiss through the front doors.

Grades 3, 4 and 5 will dismiss through the parking lot doors.

Dismissal and Pick-Up routines are subject to change throughout the year due to building construction.

Portable Classrooms

This year, we will have 6 portable classrooms. Grade 5 (Ms. Pratt, Mr. Johnson and Mr. Connolly) and Grade 1 (Ms. Holmes, Ms. Romano and Ms. Kerns) will be located in these classrooms.

Portable Classroom Student Drop-Off

• Students in portable classrooms will enter the main school building each morning and report to the gymnasium where staff members will greet them.

• Students will then be walked from the gym to the portable classrooms by a staff member.

Portable Classroom Student Pick-Up

• Prior to dismissal, teachers will escort their classes into the main building. When the bell rings, 5th grade students will exit through the parking lot doors. 1st grade students will exit through the front doors so they can be matched with families.

• If your child arrives late or is picked up early, the transfer of the student will take place through the main office and not at the portable classrooms.

What changes might our learners expect for recess?

• Unlike last year, we will have a clearly defined recess period each day. However, the condition of the playground will require more recess periods with fewer children outside at once.

Will teachers and staff be trained on new safety protocols and procedures related to COVID-19?

• Yes, our teachers and staff will receive training on the new safety procedures we are implementing related to COVID-19.

Will you promote relationship building during the first few days of school as you have in past years?

• Establishing the foundation for positive relationships between our staff and students is a high priority and core belief for us. We will continue to use the first few days of school to begin building relationships and helping everyone become acclimated with the new safety procedures of physical distancing, wearing masks, and more frequent handwashing within the school environment.