Families of Longfellow Elementary-
I want to start with a thank you to staff, the Longfellow Parents Association, and the non-profit Elevating Readers Together for making this past week a resounding success. Throughout the week, we had our book fair set up in the library. One of the greatest gifts you can give a child is the gift of literacy. Often parents are bombarded with “I want this” and “I want that” when they’re on trips to the store. It can be maddening. Next time, try steering them towards the book section and say you can pick out one children's book. It helps establish for your kids the value of literacy and adds to their practice when reading. Reading also helps with concentration and reducing stress (among many other things).
Continuing our celebration of all things literacy, we held our annual literacy night last evening. This year’s theme was Slumber Party. With some donning their PJ’s, students and their families journeyed from classroom to classroom and participated in activities focused on reading, writing, and literacy. We rounded out the evening with a chili dinner provided by our own kitchen staff. Overall, it was a great event and I appreciate all the work our staff and the Longfellow Parent Association put in to make it all happen. I’d also like to thank the non-profit Elevating Readers Together. In addition to providing books for each students’ birthday throughout the year, they were also the ones who provided free books for the kids who completed the activities at literacy night. They’re passionate about reading, they’re passionate about kids. They are a huge asset to our community.
To wrap up this week, I want to shift to the weather. It has been cold (especially in the morning). We try to be outside, but it’s Colorado and that can’t always happen. I had a parent ask, “What’s the number?” There is no set temperature that triggers us to stay in. We also try to take into account the wind and the humidity. All that said, you can help out tremendously by making sure your child has a winter coat, a hat, and winter gloves. I know you all have the same battles we do when you get the response, “It’s not even cold outside.” Do your best and we will as well. I shared this video last year and it may help you with these discussions while adding a giggle to the conversation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y721sDGnQCI
Thanks for being part of the Longfellow Family,
Cory Scheffel