Longfellow 45-15 Elementary School

#RPSinfo New year, New bell times! At the start of the school year, we’ll transition to our new school bell time schedule. • RPS Preschool - Morning session: 8:15 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. • RPS Preschool - Afternoon session 12:15 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. • Elementary schools: 7:55 a.m. - 2:15 p.m. • Middle schools: 8:35 a.m. - 3:15 p.m. • High schools: 8:50 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. • Phoenix Academy, RAIL, and Right Fit: 8:20 a.m. - 2:20 p.m. Visit https://www.rochesterschools.org/page/school-bell-times or print our 2024-2025 School Directory and Bell Times document.

Greetings Longfellow families, I hope that you are well! Here are our "Tips for the Day": 1. Reminder: students do not have school on Wednesday, August 21st. 2. We have welcomed our Pinewood staff this week! Parking will be limited; please plan accordingly. 3. Back to School Picnic Alert! Join us tomorrow for a fantastic evening at our Back to School Picnic from 5:30-7:30pm! We’ve got pulled chicken sandwiches, friendship BINGO, and awesome music thanks to DJ Ron! It will be a blast, and we’d love to see you there! If you’re up for a little extra fun, we need volunteers to help out as grade-level parents for our Bingo game. Sign up here: https://signup.com/go/rRknbYB We also have spots for clean-up, set-up, and backup food-serving help for our staff. Your support is super appreciated! Let’s kick off the school year with a great time together. See you there! Thank you! Best wishes, Amy Adams Principal

RPS faces a $19.4 million budget deficit that could force school closures, larger classes, and major cuts. This Nov., voters will consider a levy increase on the ballot to stabilize our budget and “Ignite Student Learning.” Visit RochesterSchools.org/referendum to learn more.

As the school year approaches and we see big yellow buses around town, here are some reminders for our motorists to help keep our students safe. Always be prepared to stop for school buses, especially during pick-up and drop-off hours. Drivers must: 🛑 Stop for a school bus with its flashing red lights activated and the stop-arm extended. 🛑 Stop at least 20 feet from a school bus. 🛑 Remain stopped until the stop-arm is retrated and the red lights turned off. There is a minimum $500 fine for stop-arm violations, and the buses RPS uses are armed with cameras.

Free meals will continue for our students in Kindergarten through 12th grade, but it's important to share that funding for the MN Free Meal Program was only allocated for two school years. You can help show the need for this program by completing an Application for Educational Benefits: https://www.rochesterschools.org/page/application-for-benefits

Have you visited www.RochesterSchools.org/referendum yet? Come learn about why our district is proposing a referendum to voters this November, how the "Ignite Student Learning" plan would support students, and how you can make your voice heard on Election Day.

Greetings Longfellow Families, I hope you are well! Here are our "Tips for the Day": 1. If you are planning to utilize district transportation via the hubs and registered online, please check the information that you received in the mail. 2. Our district has been updating Talking Points. If you are being asked for a class code when you log in, please call our office at 328-3600 so that we can help you move past this step. 3. No school for students on Wednesday, August 21st; This is a professional development day for staff. Thank you! Best wishes, Amy Adams

Step Into Learning is an altered start to the traditional start of the school year. All of our elementary schools will use the first two days of school, August 26 and 27, as student conference days. • Parents and guardians will make an individual 30-minute appointment in August (be watching for communication from your individual school soon). • SACC will not be available on August 26 and 27. • The first full day of school for students grades K-5 will be August 28. • There is no school on August 30, and SACC will not be available.

Greetings Longfellow Leopards, Here are a few "Tips for the Day": 1. Tomorrow is our Wilderness Inquiry trip to Chester Woods for grades 3, 4 and 5. Please bring a water bottle. 2. K, 1 and 2nd grade will have their Wilderness Inquiry experience on Wednesday at Longfellow. 3. Our district technology team is working on a fix for our Talking Points communication tool; thank you for your patience and support! Best wishes, Amy Adams Principal

Join Superintendent Dr. Kent Pekel on Monday, August 12, from 7 to 7:45 p.m. in the Rochester Public Library Auditorium to hear more about Rochester Public Schools' 2024 referendum. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and parking is free after 4. p.m. The event will also be livestreamed and recorded by the Rochester Public Library on the library’s YouTube channel. That link will be available on the LWV Rochester website lwvrochester.org. In-person audience questions will be taken. Questions can also be submitted up to 24 hours in advance by emailing them to LWVRochester@lwvmn.org, or by leaving a voice or text message at 507.722.0615.

Greetings Longfellow Families! I will be sharing quick “tips for the day” from Longfellow several times per week. These are intended to keep you informed and our students safe! 1. DO NOT drive the wrong way to pass the pick up lane to enter the parking lot. We have had several near accidents-safety comes first! 2. The Armory will be paving their parking lot beginning August 12th. 3. PTA meeting is tonight from 6-7pm at Longfellow. Have a great day! Best wishes, Amy Adams Principal

Join us tomorrow, August 9, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Edison Board Room (615 7th St SW) for our Hiring Event! Open positions include: - Special Education Teachers - Education Support Professionals - Health Office Staff (Nurses) - Substitute Teachers & Staff - Secondary Math Teachers - Secondary Science Teachers - Speech Language Pathologists - Occupational Therapists and more! Walk-ins are welcome! Join us at the Edison Board Room, 615 7th St SW, Rochester, MN.

Greetings Second Grade Families, I hope that you are well! Your child will be enjoying their Wilderness Inquiry experience on Wednesday, August 14th. We will be offering a boxed lunch for students choosing school lunch. Could you let us know via email if you would like your child to have a boxed lunch that day? Thank you! Best wishes, Amy Adams Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Sirek

Greetings Longfellow Families! I will be sharing quick “Tips for the Day” from Longfellow several times per week. These are intended to keep you informed and our students safe. 1. Please stay in your vehicle during drop off and pick up. 2. Once your child is loaded/unloaded, you may pass and exit in the passing zone in the left lane. 3. Please do not stand in front of Door 1 during dismissal, wait by the benches. Thank you! Best wishes, Amy Adams Principal

School Meals: Here's what you need to know - For the 2024-2025 school year, all in-person students can receive one free breakfast and one free lunch each school day due to the MN Free School Meals Program. Each meal must contain a fruit or vegetable serving to qualify as free, and a student must take three of the five meal components (fruit, vegetable, grain, protein, and milk). • Students still need meal pins. • Families still need a PayPams account or cash to cover a la carte items. • Families are still encouraged to complete an application for education benefits.

Mark your calendars and save the date for our inaugural State of the District on Monday, September 16. Superintendent Pekel will be joined by voices and performances from RPS students. Stay tuned, more information to come!

Greetings Longfellow Families, It has been a fantastic first week! Just a few updates: • To ease traffic in the morning, we will begin student drop off at 7:30am. Please remember to stay in your car when dropping off. • We now have a passing lane in the drop off zone. If your student has left your car, you may safely pass on the left. • Families enrolled in the Boys and Girls Club programming, please pay close attention to the calendar they emailed out for the year. There are a few school days that the Club will be closed. Thank you for all of your support in making this such a positive start to the school year! Best wishes, Amy Adams

Our Spanish immersion second graders have the opportunity to learn traditional dance. To celebrate our time at Gage, our students were asked to perform multiple times this year. They took it on with pride and knocked it out of the park every time. None of this would be possible without Maestra Martinez’ passion and dedication to teaching our students not only language but culture. Thank you to Amber H. from Gage Elementary for this #CelebrateRPS submission. Submit your #CelebrateRPS moments at www.rochesterschools.org/celebraterps

Checkout the first Longfellow Family Newsletter: https://www.canva.com/design/DAGKeQ1BT8o/Cf_8caqJfy-nkU8MnIKqqg/

We're hosting a hiring event next Wednesday, July 31, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Open positions include: - Special Education Teachers - Education Support Professionals - Student Nutrition Services - Health Office Staff (Nurses) - Substitute Teachers & Staff - Secondary Math Teachers - Secondary Science Teachers - Speech Language Pathologists - Occupational Therapists and more! First Student and Kids on the Go will also be in attendance. Walk-ins are welcome and virtual interviews are available at bit.ly/july-31-virtual-interview. Join us at the Edison Board Room, 615 7th St SW, Rochester, MN.