Longfellow

Elementary
Newsletter
Prin cipals Message:

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Dates to Remember:
January 9Redmen Spirit Wear
Redmen Pride Day

I wish all Longfellow Families a new

year filled with hope and promise!

Welcome back! I hope you had the

time to relax and rest up. Here at
Longfellow we are ready to make
2015 a year filled with success
through hard work and dedication
by providing students with daily

opportunities to grow. The hard

work is the responsibility of us allteachers, students, staff, families
and administrators. I know
together we can make learning an
exciting venture.
Kelli Bauman
Principal

January 12Board of Education Mtg. 6pm

PTO following Board Mtg. 7pm

January 19- NO SCHOOL
MLK Day Observance

JANUARY BIRTHDAYS

6-Shylynn Wheeler
8-Andrew Lira
12-AmariusAmir Velazquez
12-Omuniq Armstrong
20-Emma Lunn
25-Reese Ferguson
26-Shane Haughawout, JR.
29-Easton Shackleford
31-Kasidy Morrow

Show Your RE DMEN Spirit!

For home basketball game days, we are

showing our spirit! On the days listed
below, students may wear red and black
of any kind! Campus wear is not
expected but dress should be
appropriate and not distracting.
February 6 th , 20 th , 27 th

School Boards Make a Difference

School board members are ordinary people who have an extraordinary dedication to our public
schools. It is time we thanked them for their untiring efforts. Too often we forget about
the personal sacrifices school board members routinely make. Too often we forget about

the important role school board members play in assuring local control over our public schools,
control that is in the hands of people we know people who are our neighbors. Too often we
forget that, in the tradition of a representative democracy, school board members are our
connection to influencing how our public schools are governed. Too often we are quick to
criticize school board members without really knowing all the details that went into any given
decision. Too often the efforts of school board members go unrecognized and unrewarded.
We can begin to correct these oversights this January, which is School Board Recognition

Month. This is a time to show our appreciation and to begin to better understand how school
board members work together to provide leadership for our schools. The school board works
closely with parents, education professionals and community members to create the

educational vision we want for our students. It then formulates goals, defines results and
sets the course for an adequate and equitable educational program for all students. The
school board is accountable to the public. It is responsible for assuring the public that the
money allocated to the public schools is providing a good return on the investment. Thus, the
board oversees regular assessment of the districts students, staff and programs. The

school board also is a strong advocate for public schools and is responsible for communicating
the needs of the school district to the public and the publics expectations to the district.
In January, join with others from throughout our district and state to salute the men and
women who provide grassroots governance of public schools. Make a special effort to tell
each school board member his or her hard work has been noticed and is very much

appreciated. The men and women serving the Fostoria City School District Board of
Education are:

Patrick Grine, Dr. Thomas Guernsey, Joseph Sheak, Sharon Stannard and Anthony Thompson.

Revisiting Bus Expectations:

If your child rides the bus, please go over the importance
of following the bus rules. The rules are few: stay seated
until reaching your destination (home or school), use quiet
voices, no eating or drinks, keep hands and feet to
yourselves. Safety is #1 when it comes to riding the bus!
Should there be a problem they should let the bus driver
and principal know as soon as possible.

PRESCHOOL NEWS:
Getting dressed especially with winter gear can be challenging for many of us, but it is
particularly difficult for young children who have to contend with buttons and zippers when

fine motor skills are still developing. Some will master it quickly while others will need practice.
Helping children learn to contend with the logistics of getting dressed for winter is best
done during less stressful times like hurrying out the door before school.

Practice one skill at a time (putting on coat, snow pants, zipping, snapping)
Give encouragement and praise when trying and mastering a skill

Consider clothing items that your child can manage more easily as these skills are
developing (Velcro fasteners, elastic waist pants, mittens)
Provide doll clothes and dramatic play clothes that have buttons and zippers for
practice

Learning to control hands and fingers according to information received from sight is a
coordination skill that will aid children in early attempts of reading and writing. Many other
activities such as shaping play dough, stringing beads and placing pegs into pegboards also

enhance the fine motor skills needed for dressing. With appropriate experiences, your child
will gradually master all the intricacies of putting on and taking off winter clothing. With

every triumph of independence comes the selfesteem needed to succeed in the years to
come!
Reminder: On a 2-hour delay, morning preschool is cancelled.

KINDERGARTEN NEWS:

Kindergarten students will be doing winter MAP testing in January. This test is given a the
beginning, middle and end of the year. MAP is an assessment for both reading and math; these
two assessments measure our students growth and identify what the students are ready
to learn next. The MAP assessment is taken on the computer and results are generated
immediately upon completion of the test.
As always, a childs diet and sleeping habits can greatly
impact their educational success. Please make sure
your child is sleeping well at night and getting a

nutritional breakfast before coming to school. The

recommended amount of sleep for a 5 year old is 10-12 hours.

We want alll of our students to be successful everyday in the classroom and this is one way
you can help make sure you child is ready to learn!

Warm Blankets = Warm Hearts

On December 17th, Mrs. Hasselbach and Mrs. Curlis took their

students to St. Catherines care center where they were

able to give blankets to residents as Christmas presents.

Students made the blankets using fleece bought with donated

money from our Parent Teacher Organization. Usually, this
money is used for gifts and this year Mrs. Hasslebach and Mrs.

Curlis wanted to show students what it feels like to give back

to people in our community. I was able to go along with the

group and enjoy such a heart warming experience of seeing 3

and 4 year olds wait with anticipation to give strangers a gift

and see their eyes light up with joy as they opened the

blankets. I want to thank our PTO for their kind donation and
to our two classes for creating gifts with memories that will

last a lifteime for all of us.