International Parents Network Potluck Dinner

October 18, 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.
Longfellow Cafeteria

Interested in connecting with families with similar cultural backgrounds? The International Parents Network Potluck Dinner is a great place to meet other Longfellow parents from a wide variety of countries. Please sign up here before October 15 to let us know how many in your family will attend and what dish from your country you will bring. Each dish should feed at least ten people. Questions? Email Zeliha Bugeonal.

Nonprofit Fair

October 18

The Longfellow Nonprofit Fair is scheduled for October 18 during school hours. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to learn about service opportunities within our community. All 8th graders are required to complete a service learning project by the end of the school year and students in the National Junior Honor Society need an additional 15 hours of community service. The service learning project requirements are new as of June 2017. Click here for more information about the requirements. 

The Nonprofit Fair committee is looking for any local organizations that could use middle school volunteers throughout the school year and/or provide students an opportunity for their service learning projects. Please email Amber Syed or Sarah Collett if you are affiliated with a non-profit that would like to participate.

2018 Middle School Study Travel Parent Interest Meeting

October 12, 6 p.m.
Longfellow Room 208

FCPS & EF Tours have organized an International Study Travel Program (ISTP) for middle school students for the summer of 2018: “Global Investigators: Tracing WWII Through Europe.” The 11-day tour will take students to London, Normandy, Paris, Munich, Dachau, and Salzburg. Space is limited. To learn more about the tour, parents are invited to attend a Parent Interest Night at Longfellow Middle School in Room 208 from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 12.  Please RSVP by email to Mr. McElroy (LMS Social Studies Department). Additional information is also available here.

First PTA Meeting of the Year

October 20
Principal's Coffee 8:30 a.m.
PTA Meeting 9:30 a.m.
Lecture Hall

Come join us for the Principal's Coffee at 8:30 a.m. and PTA meeting at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, October 20 in the Lecture Hall. Find out what the students will be doing this year and what events the PTA has planned. We will also have several items we need to vote on so we need everyone to attend!

Longfellow Parent Presentation

If I Could Have a Do-Over: A Father’s Hard-Earned Lessons About Cyberbullying, Depression, and Suicide

Wednesday, October 25, 7 to 9 p.m.
LMS Lecture Hall

Are you concerned about your middle schooler’s safety in the world of smartphones? Do you know the passwords for all the sites they visit and the apps they use? Don’t miss the very informative parent presentation by outspoken anti-bullying advocate John Halligan. John understands the cyber‐world that middle school students inhabit and knows how it can easily be abused by young teens. Come find out what he wishes he had been told when his son started using computers and some of the warning signs that your child might be bullied, might be bullying, or might be a bystander. Make time to come because your kids will thank you. See Mr. Halligan’s website for more details. Mr. Halligan will bring his message to Longfellow’s 7th grade students during regular school hours on the same day.

Teacher Workday Breakfast

November 6

Parents, please help provide our teachers and staff breakfast during our next teacher workday on November 6. Sign up here to join us to set up, clean up, or donate food and supplies. Donations can be dropped off the morning of the breakfast between 7:00-7:15 a.m. in the Longfellow Lecture Hall. Thank you for your generosity.

Your PTA Fundraiser Needs You

Support Our Annual Fundraiser – Invest in Longfellow

Your donation will help us purchase laptops, classroom supplies, extra textbooks, and assignment books, as well as support students in need. The PTA also provides teacher appreciation events and supports teacher and staff development programs. Learn more about our annual fundraiser on our website. Donate $150 or more to receive this car magnet to show your Lancer pride. All donations are a 100% tax-deductible.

Online Popup Shop Open Now Through October 20

Did you miss out on spirit wear sales at the Open House and Back to School Night? Never fear – our Online Pop Up Shop is here! Order your Longfellow spirit wear here now through Friday, October 20. We have our classic Ts, hoodies, PJ pants, and car magnets, along with new items like our logo sport socks, baseball Ts, and knit hats just in time for fall sports and crisp weather! Limited quantities are available, so place your orders soon. All orders will be fulfilled and delivered to your child’s classroom during the week of October 23. Future Sales – The Holiday Spirit Wear Sale will take place in mid-November with orders delivered to school the week of December 11. Questions? Email Traci Ball or Marie Coleman.

Watch Your Email for Directory Verification

The verification process for this year’s Student Directory will begin shortly. Watch for an email by Friday (October 13) from longfellow@schooldirectoryupdate to verify your family’s directory information. The verification email will contain your user name, password, and instructions on how to access and verify your directory information, as well as access the AtoZ School Directory App. Once the verification process is complete (mid-November), the directories will be printed and delivered to PTA Members via students during Lancer Time. To receive a free copy of the directory, be sure to join the Longfellow PTA. Questions? Please email the directory team.

Shop for Longfellow with Shutterfly

It’s never too early to start working on your holiday cards or to create personalized gifts! Please visit our exclusive link here to use any of Shutterfly’s family of sites (Shutterfly, tiny prints, Wedding Paper Divas, BorrowLenses, GrooveBook, and MyPublisher). By using this link to do your shopping, you’re helping to raise funds ​for our PTA without spending additional money. The Longfellow PTA will automatically receive a portion of the sale. Thank you for your support!

Community Service Hours for Students

Sign up here to volunteer for the Haycock Fall Festival on Sunday, October 22. The first shift begins at 9:00 a.m. Help Haycock have a successful event!

Chess 4 Charity (a student-founded charity that supports the Childhood Brain Tumor Foundation) needs student volunteers to work at their semi-annual charity chess tournamnent on Sunday, October 15. Find out more and sign up here.   

Email Karen Growney to help out at the Westgate Fall Festival on Friday Oct 27 from 6 to 8 p.m.  You can work the entire night or work in shifts of 45 minutes.

Sign up here to volunteer at Franklin Sherman's 5th Annual Monster Mash Dash 5K & Fun Run on Sunday October 29 at 8 a.m. There are many race day volunteer opportunities to make this a safe and fun event, including many race marshals along the course to support the runners. Find out more about the race here or email Kristie Helfrich.

Important Dates

October 12 – Middle School travel Interest Meeting
October 13 – Zinga Yogurt Sales at Dismissal
October 18 – Nonprofit Fair During School
October 18 – International Parents Network Potluck Dinner
October 20 – Principal's Coffee and PTA Meeting
October 20 – Zinga Yogurt Sales at Dismissal
October 25 – If I Could Have a Do-Over:  A Father’s Hard-Earned Lessons About Cyberbullying, Depression, and Suicide
November 6 – Teacher Workday Breakfast

Longfellow Middle School PTA: Web | PTA Contacts