LWS | January 2024 Newsletter

LONGWOOD

SCHOOL

Safety First!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Students should arrive at school

Our custodial and administrative staff have worked hard

picked up after school no later

over the Winter Break, ensuring the school is ready for

than 3:15 p.m. If a student is

students to return on Wednesday, January 10th.

being dropped off or picked up,

no earlier than 8:10 a.m. and be

the driver must adhere to the

The school has been given a deep cleaning to ensure students return to a clean and germ-free environment.

Longwood Elementary School Carnisha Mayze | Principal

441 Longwood Drive glenwood, il 60425

one-way sign at the entrance of the parking lot. Drivers must NEVER go the wrong way in the parking lot as this is unsafe for students and staff. Thank you for your cooperation!

“A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.”

--Albert Einstein

From The Principal...

Carnisha Mayze | Principal

Welcome Back Lions!

I hope you all had a joyous and restful break. The staff are ready to return to work, and we hope our students are also.

3rd Grade Begins Financial Literacy Education In December, students in the 3rd grade began a financial literacy program. With our new partnership with Fifth-Third Bank and Junior Achievement, volunteers visited Longwood to kick off the first lesson on financial responsibility. Students learned what saving means and how a savings account is a tool to help manage their savings.

This was one of many lessons students would be introduced to throughout the school year.

A couple of reminders: •

The temperature is really dropping. While we won’t be going outside for recess, please make sure students are dressed for the weather.

•

Students should be working on Dreambox and RazKids Plus for homework. Please make sure your student logs on to their devices every day during the week.

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MISSION STATEMENT | WE BELIEVE!

BROOKWOOD SCHOOL DISTRICT 167 | MISSION STATEMENT challenged to the highest level of academic and artistic excellence.

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In the importance of staff development opportunities based on best practices and educational research.

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We Believe...

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Families shape their children’s motivation, confidence, and academic success by being interested and involved in their overall development.

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All students are unique and should be

“Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.” --Vince Lombardi

In educating our children in a safe and nurturing environment with access

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improvement in all aspects

to state-of-the-art

of the school system

technology.

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In continuous

to foster a culture of

The school system should

excellence, accountability,

teach students to think

and integrity.

critically, enabling them to become contributing citizens in our global society.

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In responsible stewardship of financial and physical resources.

Excellence... Potential...

Achieve...

Brookwood School District 167, in partnership with parents and the community, will create a learning environment where all students excel at becoming lifelong learners and decisionmakers.

Longwood Elementary School | January Newsletter

BROOKWOOD SCHOOL DISTRICT 167 | VISION “Whatever you want to do, if you want to be great at it, you have to love it and be able to make sacrifices for it.” --Maya Angelou

Our overall vision is to improve the achievement of all WE ARE COMMITTED TO: 1. Providing students with highly qualified teachers

students, regardless of race, socio-economic status, gender, or ability levels (disabilities). We share the accountability of student achievement throughout the school. We believe in using research-based

2. Providing our staff with Professional Development

practices to achieve our goals. We promote school and community involvement because we believe that these partnerships help us meet the needs of all of our students.

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Reporting An Absence To report absences, please call the attendance line at (708) 757-2110, Option (1). Please call the school before 8:30 a.m. to report your child’s absence.

Please leave the following information: •

Student’s full name with the spelling of the last name

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Reason for absence/tardy/early release

•

Your name and relationship to the student

•

Please call the main number (708) 758-5350 at least 45 minutes PRIOR to early dismissal.

For your student to be EXCUSED, you must sign them in and out in the main office, or their absence will be marked as unexcused.

Official attendance will be reported every morning at 9:00 a.m. If your child joins a teacher’s classroom late, they will be marked tardy in PowerSchool, and you will be notified through the Principal’s Class dojo.

Communication & Information Healthy communication between the school and home is essential, and we are working to provide numerous ways for this vital communication. To help suppress paper usage, we will continue providing information using digital communication as much as possible.

We encourage you to do the following to help us communicate with you: •

School and District Website - www.brookwood167.org

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The Lion News - Weekly school newsletter that will be sent home on Fridays

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ClassDojo - It is essential that you sign up for the Principal’s ClassDojo. If you have not already joined, an invitation will be sent to you during the first week of school. To join, you will need either your phone number or email address.

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A phone call or an email is an efficient way to communicate with your child’s teacher. Please remember that our teachers are with students throughout the day and will return the call/email as soon as possible. At times, this may be the next school day.

Longwood Elementary School | January Newsletter

Keep Them Home...

If my child is sick, when should I keep them home?

If a child has any symptoms listed below, they should stay home in the morning or go home if these symptoms first occur at school.

When a child can return to school is based on the specific symptom they have:

If You Answered “YES”...

If you answered “YES” to any of the

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Fever of 100.4 or higher

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New onset of moderate to severe headache

Please call the school to report your child’s

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Shortness of breath, new cough, sore throat

absence (708) 756-2872 (Option 1).

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Nausea, Vomiting, Diarrhea

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Abdominal pain from unknown cause

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New congestion/runny nose

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New loss of sense, taste or smell

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Fatigue from unknown cause

EarPods. These items should only be used by the

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Muscle or body aches

individual who they belong to.

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sympthons, your child MUST stay home!

Health Tip...

One precaution to help stop the spread of germs is to not share personal items. Some of these include water bottles, lip balms, hats, hairbrushes, and

ATTENDANCE/ ABSENCES/ TARDIES...

To ensure that our students are excelling academically,

Visitors...

If you need to come into the school for any reason, you will need to have a current Driver’s License that will be checked in our Raptor Security System.

students must attend school daily and be on time. When students are tardy, they miss valuable instruction, primarily in reading and language arts. Attendance will be tied into our school’s PBIS expectations, in which students can earn rewards and participate in fun activities.

Raptor® provides a line of sight as to who is always in our school.

The system provides school and

District-wide

When your child must be absent, please inform the front office. Our absentee number is 708-756-2872.

reporting

for all visitors, volunteers, and contractors that have signed in/ out of our buildings.

This is important for safety reasons.

SCHOOL SAFETY! Longwood Elementary School | January Newsletter

Honor Roll January 19th is the end of Quarter 2 and the first semester. Here at Longwood, we recognize the student Honor Roll after each semester. Below you will find the qualifications for our various Honor Roll levels. Students will be taking the MAP assessment used to determine Honor Roll status. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact Principal Mayze.

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A Longwood Christmas On December 20th, Longwood held its 2nd “A Longwood Christmas” program.

The evening began with entertainment from the Longwood Singing Stars Choir, and our exploratory dance and drama clubs. Following the presentation, families were able to engage in fun holiday activities including ornament making, creating picture frames, pictures with Santa to put in their frame, and the snack and (snowman soup) hot cocoa station.

Thank you to all of the families that joined us, and we hope to see you all again next year!

Longwood Elementary School | January Newsletter

CLASSDOJO School Supplies Once again, our Superintendent and Board of Education have decided to provide our students with a set of school supplies to use at school and a set to use at home!

If your child needs any additional resources or supplies for any of their classes, please get in touch with our school office at (708) 758-5252, so

ClassDojo is a global community of more than 50 million teachers and families who come together to share kids’ most important learning moments, in school and at home —through photos, videos, messages, and more.

CLASSDOJO IS ACTIVELY USED IN 90% OF U.S. K-8 SCHOOLS

we can help provide them with all necessary and needed materials.

ClassDojo is a “FREE” app that helps build amazing classroom and school communities. Teachers give feedback to students for any skill, like “Working hard” and “Being curious.”

From the mobile app, parents view their child’s feedback, and can message directly with teachers and school leaders. Please join my ClassDojo so you can stay informed on what is happening at LONGWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. If you would like to join, please accept the invitation that we emailed to you

Technology Help Desk If your child is having any technology problems connecting to their teacher’s Google Classroom, please get in touch with our help desk at (708) 300-3553 or email our help desk helpdesk@brookwood167.org Please leave a detailed message with your name, child’s name, phone number, and the issue you are having with the device.

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or texted you, or contact the school at (708) 757-2100 or email, cmayze@ brookwood167.org. All you will need to provide is your cell phone number or email address.

GET INVOLVED & STAY INFORMED!

Kids have always learned together in physical spaces. Today, they learn in virtual spaces, too. Now that ClassDojo has connected a worldwide community of teachers, kids, and families, we’re building that virtual space for everyone...

PBIS is an evidence-based school-wide multi-tiered framework that establishes support for all students to improve social, emotional, behavioral, and academic outcomes.

It is a way to create an equitable learning environment for all students to thrive.

This school year, we will be focused on providing Tier I PBIS support for all students and Tier II interventions for some students. This will allow us to encourage and reward students for following behavior expectations and working toward achieving academic success.

There will be Cool Tools that will be taught to all students. These Cool Tools reinforce Longwood’s School-Wide behavior and character expectations. We will communicate the Cool Tools with families through our weekly newsletter “The Lion News” and encourage families to discuss these Cool Tool expectations at home.

Homework Expections Students will be expected to complete math and reading homework daily via two (2) online programs this year. Students will use “Dreambox” to complete math lessons tailored to their ability levels.

They will also read books and complete comprehension quizzes using “Raz-Kids”. As a result, all families must ensure that students have their at-home device to complete homework assignments.

These expectations are “NON-NEGOTIABLE” and are meant to ensure that all students get reading and math practice daily.

Our 3rd and 4th-grade students may have additional homework sometimes as they are expected to complete specific writing and subject projects.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me or your child’s teacher.

Longwood Elementary School | January Newsletter

All

Longwood

Elementary

School

teachers use an online grading system called PowerSchool that they update every Thursday.

We encourage you to check your child’s progress regularly.

This program is

entirely confidential; therefore, you will need an access username and password to see your child’s progress.

If you need your username and/or password, please get in touch with the school office at (708) 757-2100. A PowerSchool app for your cellular phone makes it easy for parents to stay updated on their child’s progress.

CHAMPIONS | BEFORE & AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM

One of the most common questions asked by students at the start of the year is, “When is lunch?”. Below you will find the start times for lunch and recess for each grade level.

11:10 a.m. - 11:50 a.m.

Kindergarten 1st Grade 2nd Grade 11:10 a.m. - 11:50 a.m.

3rd Grade 4th Grade

Champions is a Before & AfterSchool Care Program available to our Brookwood families. Please get in touch with Champions as soon as you can to secure your spot.

Space is limited.

Champions Family Support Phone: (800) 246-2154 ChampionsHelp@kc-education.com

Breakfast / Lunch Menu We have sent home the breakfast and lunch menu for January. We will send home a menu each month so you know what is being served and plan accordingly.

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Get Involved!

Parent/Teacher Conferences Thursday, February 15th, 2024 | 10:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.

If you wish to discuss your child’s progress, teachers will be available during the times listed. You do not need an appointment to attend. If you would like a specific time, don’t hesitate to contact your child’s teachers through Class Dojo, email, or by calling the school at (708) 757-2100.

Conferences should average about 10-15 minutes; accommodations will be made by the teacher if more time is needed (The last conference time can be honored as late as 6:15 p.m.). Students are encouraged to attend with their parents!

Parents, Parent/Teacher Conferences are welcome anytime throughout the school year. We welcome and encourage parent involvement and partnerships. We must work together for the success of every child.

Longwood Elementary School | January Newsletter

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Longwood Elementary School | January Newsletter

LONGWOOD

SCHOOL

ANTI-BULLY PLEDGE •

We make a COMMITMENT to stand against bullying.

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We will treat others with RESPECT and KINDNESS.

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We will have the COMPASSION to not be a bully.

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We will have the COURAGE to not be a bystander.

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It is our RESPONSIBILITY to help others and to report bullying.

“LIONS” LONGWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 441 LONGWOOD DRIVE GLENWOOD, IL 60425 708 757 2100 CARNISHA MAYZE | PRINCIPAL