Long Lake Newsletter

Dear Long Lake Elementary Families,

Welcome to the 2025–26 school year! We are truly honored to partner with you in your child’s learning journey. Our staff has been hard at work preparing for the year ahead, and we are excited to share all that we have planned. We hope your family has enjoyed a summer filled with both fun and relaxation, and we extend a warm welcome to our new families joining the Long Lake community. We believe you will soon feel, as we do, that Long Lake Elementary school is a very special place to be.

Each August at Long Lake Elementary, we begin the year with a school-wide theme and focus. This year, we are thrilled to launch our House System! Designed to build connections across grade levels and celebrate students, the House System provides opportunities for students to participate in house-specific activities and events throughout the year. Each student will join one of six houses, where they will work together to earn points, celebrate teamwork, and build a strong sense of belonging. Parents will also have opportunities to join in the fun! To celebrate student achievements, we’ll hold monthly assemblies recognizing those who go above and beyond. We look forward to sharing more details soon and know that your support will help our students thrive.

COMMUNICATION: As in past years, I will be sharing Long Lake News with families each Sunday evening. This year, the updates will come in the form of a digital newsletter, linked directly in an email message for easy access on any device. You’ll also receive a short phone message alongside the newsletter. Weekly updates will be posted on our school website as well, beginning the first week of school. https://www.tcaps.net/schools/elementary-schools/longlake/

WELCOME TO NEW STAFF: We’re excited to introduce several new staff this year. With a couple of retirements last year and some staff finishing degrees and advancing positions, it’s a bittersweet change for our school family. However, we feel lucky to have snagged some amazing people who have already gone above and beyond to learn about Long Lake! Please give a warm welcome to:

Rori Richardson Jr. Kindergarten Teacher: Miss Richardson graduated from Benedictine College and Spring Arbor University. She comes to us from Alabama! She is fluent in Spanish and has experience teaching preschool through high school!

Laura Schluentz Kindergarten Teacher: Miss Schluentz graduated from Western Michigan University and grew up in Muskegon. She student taught in the Portage area and was lucky enough to participate in an internship in New Zealand!

Carly Clark- 1st Grade Teacher: Ms. Clark graduated from Central Michigan University and recently moved to Traverse City from the Grand Rapids area. She has taught multiple age levels including developmental kindergarten-2nd grade.

Justine Carlson-4th Grade Teacher: Ms. Carlson is a graduate of Azusa Pacific University and UC San Diego. She recently moved to Traverse City from Southern California and has previous teaching experience in kindergarten through 5th grade.

We’re also excited to welcome several support staff members to our building!

Molly Kwasky- Library Media Specialist

Ashley Enell- Behavioral and Instructional Assistant

Andrea Martin- School Social Work/Behavior Interventionist

Emily Fetters- English Learner Teacher

The full staff list can be found on our school website: https://www.tcaps.net/o/lles/staff

OPEN HOUSE: We are excited to kick off the school year with our annual Open House and Meet the Teacher event on Tuesday, August 26th! Preschool and Kindergarten families will gather between 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM (Preschool will meet at their side entrance door). 1st through 5th grade families are welcome between 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM. GSRP will host a separate Open House/Meet the Teacher event closer to their start date. During Open House, families will be able to meet teachers, tour the building, visit with our fabulous PTO group, and pick up an envelope of goodies ahead of the first day of school. Each teacher will have a table outside to connect with students and families. We hope you can join us!

CLASS LISTS: Families will receive teacher and class information via email on August 26th by 1:00 PM ahead of Open House. Please make sure that we have an accurate email address for your family in our system. You can update that information by calling 231-933-7800.

REQUESTS: We kindly ask that families not make specific teacher requests for their children. In the past, using parent requests to build classes resulted in unbalanced groupings that created challenges for both students and staff. For this school year, class placements were thoughtfully created using parent input from the survey (shared in our spring Sunday Messages) along with teacher insights. This process helps us create well-balanced classrooms that consider both academics and student temperaments, ensuring the best possible learning environment for everyone. We truly appreciate your understanding and trust in this process. Once the school year begins, if you have concerns, our teachers are always willing to meet with you and work together to address your child’s needs. No matter which classroom your child is placed in, please know that every teacher is committed to supporting student success and values your partnership and feedback.

SUPPLY LISTS: Each of our teaching teams created a list of school supplies to support your child’s learning this year. You can find the supply lists here. Thanks in advance for your generosity!

LUNCH APPLICATION: It is crucial that ALL our families complete the free and reduced meal application form even if you don’t think you’ll qualify. By completing the form, families can gain access to additional resources such as extra-curricular discounts, meals, and supports. Additionally, Long Lake receives grant funding to hire additional teachers, instructional assistants, and intervention resources based on the form returns. These resources are vital to our program, and we need your help by completing the application to ensure we keep these resources in the future! Please click: https://traversecity.familyportal.cloud/benefits/onlyapplying The information provided is kept strictly confidential. Paper copies of the form are available in our school office. Thank you in advance!

SCHOOL DAY: This year, our school day starts at 9:05 AM and ends at 4:02 PM. Students can arrive as early as 8:50 AM each morning. We do not have supervision for students before 8:50 AM, so if you are needing to drop off before this time, please inquire about our Extended Day program. When students arrive, they can go directly to the classroom or stop in the cafeteria for breakfast. This document with dates for early release and half days might be helpful for families to bookmark. We will have copies of this in the Open House envelopes for each student.

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL: The first day of school can bring a lot of emotions: excitement and nervousness! If this is your oldest child embarking on school, that makes it even more of a big deal! Please know that we take great pride in caring for our students! Additionally, safety is of the utmost importance to us! Given this, unfortunately we’re not able to have parents in the wing hallways during drop off and pick up (even on the first day of school). We ask that parents drop students off at the front door before 9:05 AM. As you can imagine, the first day can bring a level of nervousness for all students and having more people in the hallways makes it more difficult for students to find their classrooms. We will have MANY extra staff members on hand to help students find their classrooms on the first week of school. Thank you for your understanding and support!

TRANSPORTATION 2025.26: Bus Transportation is not automatic for students. If you are in need of transportation for your child this year and have not already requested a bus through the parent portal, please call our school office at 933-7801.

We look forward to welcoming students back soon!

Warm regards,

Kate Burwinkel

Principal

PTO BOARD WELCOME: Please give a welcome to our 2025-26 PTO Board of Directors!

President: Sarah Hall

Vice President: Brian Batchelor

Treasurer: Beth Arvo

Secretary: Brianne Geetings

ABOUT OUR PTO: Our Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) plays a vital role in enriching our school community. They lead and organize a variety of events and initiatives throughout the year, including family favorites like the Monster Mash Dance and Spring Fling, as well as community gatherings such as our annual Craft Fair. Here is a description of the events planned for this school year!

The PTO dates for 2025-26 can be found here!

Through their fundraising efforts, the PTO provides valuable support to our school. Their contributions help fund classroom supplies, House shirts for every student, books for our library, the Balance Bike program for our preschoolers, our all-school spring field trip, and the 5th grade end-of-year celebration.

We are so grateful for our PTO — their dedication and generosity help make our school a truly special place to learn and grow! PTO Meetings are monthly and we'd love for you to get involved. Please contact PTO at longlakepto1@gmail.com for more information!

DISTRICT NEWS: The August 2025 edition of TCAPS' District News is now live! Read about all the great things happening in TCAPS:

• View the mobile version here: https://5il.co/3nulo
• View the desktop/print version here: here: https://5il.co/3nulu

SUPERINTENDENT OFFICE HOURS: September 16, 2025, 5:00-6:00 p.m. and will be a virtual meeting: join using this link: meet.google.com/cpo-wwwz-qat or you can join by phone:

‪(US) +1 475-549-0438 PIN: ‪961 104 679#

BOARD OFFICE HOURS: August 28, 2025 6:00-7:00 p.m., with Vice President Moon Mohr, this month is an in person meeting at the Traverse Area District Library (TADL) in the McGuire Room, 610 Woodmere Avenue.

VOLUNTEERS: All adult (over 18 years of age) volunteers must go through a background check for the safety of all students. Volunteers must be on the approved volunteer list. If you are interested in volunteering in your child's classroom, please review the Volunteer page on the district's website and read the Volunteer Standards of Conduct. Volunteers are asked to complete the online volunteer application form. Thanks in advance!

MEMBERS NEEDED FOR TCAPS PA 226 ADVISORY BOARD The TCAPS Sex Education Advisory Board meets five to eight times per year to review sex education curriculum, materials, and methods of instruction. The meetings are typically scheduled from 4:00-6:00 p.m. on the second Thursday of the month. Selection of members will be based on three criteria – expressed interest, ability to attend meetings as required, and that you meet one of the following categories:

• Parent of a student attending TCAPS
• Student in the school district (age-appropriate)
• Educator
• Local clergy
• Community health professional
• Other interested citizens residing in the district.

According to the committee bylaws, 50% of the membership shall be the parents of current TCAPS students. If there are more volunteers than there are openings, a lottery system will be used to select members. If you are interested, please apply on or before September 29, 2025, using the 25-26 TCAPS Sex Education Advisory Board Application. Any questions can be directed to Dan McGee, TCAPS Sex Education Coordinator at mcgeeda@tcaps.net.

August 21st Kindergarten/Jr. Kindergarten Signing Day

August 26th Open House and Meet the Teacher for All Families

• Kindergarten/Preschool 4:00-5:00 p.m.
• 1st-5th Grade 5:00-6:00 p.m.

September 1st NO SCHOOL Labor Day

September 2nd First Day of School: LL start 9:05 a.m.

September 5th TCAPS Early Release Day: LL dismissal 2:02 p.m.

September 16th Picture Day

September 18th PTO Meeting in the Library 6:30 p.m. or join virtually: https://meet.google.com/fxd-mvaf-iic

October 1st Count Day

October 13th TCAPS Early Release Day: LL dismissal 2:02 p.m.

November 4th NO SCHOOL Regional Staff Development Day

November 6th Picture Retake Day

November 25th TCAPS Early Release Day: LL dismissal 2:02 p.m.

November 26th, 27th, 28th NO SCHOOL Thanksgiving Break

WEBSITE: https://www.tcaps.net/o/lles

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/LongLakeElementarySchoolTCAPS

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