Longfellow Families,
I’d like to take a quick moment to highlight a book several of our staff members are doing a book study on, “The Anxious Generation”. It can help as you are looking to the years ahead and are trying to find your family’s balance when it comes to screen usage and what the author refers to as “play-based” childhood versus a “phone based” childhood. To quote one staff member “you can’t unread that book.” As with anything, you need to take it with a grain of salt, but I thought it might be helpful as you work to navigate parenting in this day and age.
Fun abounds as just today, our 4th graders participated in the “Ride Right, Cycle Safe'' bike program. Celebrating its 17th year, the program focuses on bicycle safety with instruction coming from members of the Salida Police and Fire Departments. In this program, the students learn to use the left, right and stop hand signals; they learn to negotiate through stop and yield intersections; they learn to maneuver around barricades; and they learn to use balancing skills through an area marked for slow traffic. Furthermore, each 4th grader received a bike bell and is fitted with a bike helmet (a cool helmet… the kind of helmet they’ll be proud to wear for years to come.) I’d like to extend a heartfelt thanks to Absolute Bikes and SPOT (Salida-area Parks, Open-space, and Trails) for this incredible program. In addition to Absolute Bikes and SPOT, I’d like to thank their sponsors, Salida Police and Fire Departments, the City of Salida, Team Evergreen, Monarch Community Outreach, and SuCasa Furniture.
As we’re talking about bikes, I’d like to remind everyone of a few things that can help us at Longfellow and help instill responsibility among our students. First off, I wanted both students and parents to be aware that there is no bike riding around the buses during pick-up and drop-off. This helps keep everyone safe and allows our bus drivers to focus on driving and keeping their students safe. Also, help your child remember to “walk their wheels” when on campus. This includes both scooters and bikes. Finally, remember to lock them up. Nothing can ruin a students day like having their bike stolen.
Thank you for all you do (and thanks to our incredible community)
Cory Scheffel
Longfellow Principal
Notes:
-LPA movie night, Sunday, Oct. 20 at 3 p.m. Buy tickets here: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/5f90668e-5b03-412a-909f-4dc1da5baa0d
-Mark your calendars for the 3rd annual Mountain Lion 5K and Fun Run on November 2nd at 10:00 am at Longfellow Elementary School. Register here: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/faf73bcc-a7d0-4285-bb9d-e4a0fe526a30
-The Buy Local fundraiser is underway! This is a great fundraiser for LPA and supports our school directly. All your student needs to do is sell gift cards to friends and family to places they likely already visit regularly! Businesses this year include Chill, Poncha Pub, Biker and the Baker, Kaleidoscope, Mo Burrito, Boathouse, Fun Street Arcade, Moonlight, Mojo’s, Dough Mama, Sweeties, Amicas, and Howard General. Check your student’s backpack for forms and info or let the LES office know if you need a new packet. LPA and Longfellow thank you for your support!